EATER OF SOULS
Chapter Twenty One By the time the Doctor and Rose set out for the TARDIS, it was nearing eleven o'clock and the heat was beginning to intensify. They took it slow and drank the water from the canteens the Doctor had brought along. But by the time they had gotten to the TARDIS, both of them were exhausted, sweaty and smelly and both of them decided to take a shower and rest up a bit before heading back to town. Rose went first while the Doctor went back to the med bay to heal his wounds. Rose turned the shower on, took off her clothes and got in. She gasped as the hot water hit her back and all the dirt, sand and grime was washed away. She never thought a shower could feel so good in her whole life. As she showered she thought over the events of the past few days and counted her blessings that both of them had managed to survive their ordeal with the guards and with the creature. Twice the Doctor had to heal himself, twice he had come close to dying and for the first time in a long time Rose was terrified that he might not survive ancient Egypt. She knew that he would probably regenerate but she didn't want him to. She was used to his current body and she loved him. She loved his personality which was not as grim as it was in his other life. When he regenerated, it was almost like breaking up with one man and dating another. She had no desire to do that again. "Besides," she muttered to herself as she lathered herself with soap, "knowing my luck, his next life'll wanna wear tweed and bow ties." "Rose?" Rose's head jerked to the right when she heard the Doctor's voice. Through the semi-transparent shower curtain, she could see the outline of his head looking around the bathroom door. "Yeah?" she said. "I've finished repairing my body," he said. "The damage wasn't as extensive as it was when the guards whipped me so I didn't need to stay in very long. I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't go back to the med bay in search of me." "Okay, thanks," Rose said. There was silence for a moment and then she noticed the Doctor coming into the room. She watched as he walked up to the shower curtain and stood there for a moment. "Rose, can I look around this shower curtain for a moment?" he said. "Um...sure." The Doctor pulled back the shower curtain and gently helped Rose to turn in a full circle while he examined her. "I just want to make sure you have no bumps, bruises or cuts that need healing," he said when he was through. "I don't see any so I won't bother you." "Wait, come in here with me. You wanted to shower too, yeah?" The Doctor thought that over for a moment and then nodded. Rose closed the curtain so the water wouldn't get on the floor and she rubbed soap on her with her flannel while she watched the outline of the Doctor as he took off his clothes. When he was done, he stepped in from the back and Rose turned and handed him the flannel. He began to soap himself down while she worked on her hair. The Doctor grinned. "We're at the stage now where we can shower together. I s'pose the next step is using the loo in front of each other," he quipped. "Rose, I'll be alright. It was just scratches basically," he said. "What if next time it's not? What if next time you get hurt fatally." The Doctor shrugged. "Then I regenerate," he said matter-of-factly. "I don't want you to do that," Rose said softly. The Doctor stopped soaping himself and stared at her. "Rose, I'm alright, really. I've survived this long and I know how to take care of myself, yeah? Don't worry about me. I won't die on ya." "Enjoying the soap I have on me?" he asked. Rose managed a smile. "Yeah, especially in my nose and mouth." The Doctor chuckled and rubbed her back. "We'll be alright, Rose. We've managed to survive before and we'll do it again," he said to her. Rose nodded. She stepped back and both of them stepped under the water so they could rinse off the soap and shampoo. Bezrek adjusted his thick linen kilt and the ankh medallion around his neck. The medallion was in reality a holographic imager which projected an image over his body and made him appear to be an Egyptian human and under his tongue was a speech translator that would render anything he said into the human's native tongue. Apart from that and the kilt, he had on a pair of straw sandles to protect his feet. The imager made him appear to be bald and also gave the illusion of kohl paint around his eyes so he would blend in with everyone else. He neared the village where Ammit was last discretely searching for the Annihalator's disciple. He had chosen the name Chisisi which he learned was the Egyptian word for secret. He always did like a bit of irony. So far he hadn't located the child but he had come across a few villagers who were giving him wary looks. He had calmly explained that he had traveled from the southern part of Egypt in service of the king to help work on a few monuments to his glory. That seemed to satisfy them and they welcomed him and offered their homes for the night. He declined, wanting to find out where the Doctor and Rose were staying the night. He told everyone that he already had lodgings for the night to pacify them but in reality he knew from studying the culture and geographical location that he would have to find somewhere to stay since there were animals that roamed the sands at night hunting for prey not to mention human thieves who would slit throats for treasure or if someone spotted them in the act of robbing a tomb. Bezrek scoffed at the ones who did that. They were like fleas searching for a bit of blood on a dog's back. Little pests who had no concept of true power and wealth, the kind that his Lord possessed. Humans were nothing but primitive, primal, backwards fleas, parasites who drained their planet of its resources until one day the whole world would resemble the desert he trod across now. Looking at them with their ugly faces and bodies, their backwards way of doing things and their limited intelligence, he couldn't understand how Sheltek Na barak could love them so. They seemed to live in their own filth and fight over it too and a higher being such as the Doctor should turn away from them in disgust, not gravitate towards them with open arms. In a million years he would never understand what Sheltek Na barak saw in them. As he walked along the outskirts of the town, he noticed a man and woman standing beside a mudbrick house. He took no notice of them until he got a little closer and heard the man speaking to the woman. "I hope the Doctor and Rose are alright," the man was saying. "I don't know how far away their tent was but I hope they reached it in time." "Don't worry, my love, I'm sure they're alright now," the woman replied. Bezrek's eyes lit up. Casually, he approached them and bowed low. "Good afternoon, I am Chisisi," he said. "I come from the south, here to help work on the monuments in honor of the Pharoah, may he live forever in beauty. I have no lodgings for the night and I was wondering if you could tell me where I might find some?" "If you're looking for lodgings, there are no inns nearby," the man said. "However, you may spend the night on our roof if you like." Bezrek suppressed a smile. Just what he was hoping the man would say. He bowed again. "Thank you, kind sir. I am honored to be your guest." "We are honored to have you with us. I am Ahmose and this is my wife, Amisi." Bezrek bowed again. "I am honored to meet you," he said, forcing himself to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "And you. We have two other guests but they're out at their tent and won't be back until later. However if you're hungry, we can offer you some bread and beer..." "No, that's not necessary," Bezrek said, holding up his hand. "I would just like to come inside and rest awhile." "Follow me, my friend," Ahmose said as he and Amisi went inside. Bezrek smirked. "With pleasure...friend," he muttered, spatting out the last word before he followed them inside.
He noticed Rose didn't say anything or crack a smile. He gazed into her eyes and saw the worry there.
He embraced her and put his chin on her head. He grinned and looked down.
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