If I could attack with a more sensible approach, obviously that's what I'd be doing...

[shealone_stands]

In the training room at the Main Gauche, there's a Slayer with her Christmas present, going through a few sword exercises she remembers from before. It's been a while since she's had a sword in her hands, but now that she does... It's easier to fall back into than she would have thought. Muscle memory comes easily to Slayers

Comments

[chimaerasaurus]

Well, if he does pop into the coffee shop, he'll find Abby on duty behind the counter and rather enjoying herself. It hasn't been an especially busy day, but she's made herself comfortable there in fairly short order and even has a few people who recognize her already. At the moment she's doing a crossword at the register, humming to herself.

[thatsortofaman]

The Doctor was kind of hoping for Lisle, but then, she didn't respond when he asked for her on the journals and he's been trying not to think about what that means (besides that he's thick, which hasn't even crossed his mind), but upon stepping inside he saunters up to the counter, leaning against it and grinning in as friendly a fashion as possible.

"Hello! Could I- oh, it's you." Said with more surprise than distaste, but Abby still makes him nervous. The Doctor and secret organizations (or former employees of secret organizations) don't get along. Ignore Torchwoods Three and Four.

[chimaerasaurus]

Yes, Doctor, it is Abby. She makes a face at him. "Could you..? I'm working right now, Doc, don't make me act unprofessional."

Yes, Doctor, she's working in Le Coffee Shop O'Doom.

[thatsortofaman]

The Doctor makes a face right back. Possibly just to mock her. Nine hundred and four years old and he still hasn't managed to pick up too much maturity along the way. "First - you work here?" As soon as he realizes that the other option meant she was behind the counter for the fun of it, he quickly moves on.

"Bit of a step down. In that case, first - or second, whatever you want to consider it - can I have a hot chocolate? With peppermint? Oh, and do you have any of those... little chocolate slivers you sprinkle in?" Because what the Doctor needs in his life is massive amounts of sugar. Hey, at least it's not caffeine.

[chimaerasaurus]

"You really are clever." Yes, Doctor, there's an ankle-deep layer of sarcasm over the words. "Definite step up from having no job at all. Good benefits and hazard pay, too, Mr. Time Lord. Some of us can't sonic ATMs to death."

She whips his drink together and puts an obscene amount of chocolate slivers on top because that's how she likes it, too.

[thatsortofaman]

"Well, yes, but... you know this place has a tendency to explode, don't you? Couple of friends of mine were here the first time it did, and ever since then... I mean... there have to be jobs where you don't almost get blown into little bitty human bits once a month..."

He trails off, looking momentarily mournful. Lisle. He is not thinking about what happened to Lisle. He liked her, and she was clever and brave and now she's probably... Anyway.

"And excuse me. I do not sonic ATMs to death." As he says that, he pulls out his screwdriver, points it oh so subtly at the credit card machine, and hits a button. It glows and hums, and the machine processes a credit card payment for the exact amount of the drink. The Doctor looks pointedly innocent. "If you like, you can consider it payment for all the times I've stopped this planet from exploding. Being used as a breeding colony. Exploded again. Having half the planet shipped off as slaves. I could go on..."

[chimaerasaurus]

Oh, you did not. She sits down and takes a long slurp of his drink. Though, technically speaking, it is now her drink. "Oh, that breeding colony thing. What about being destroyed by overbred predators from the future? Or keeping primordial slugs from eating everyone in a London office building? There was that time with the gorilla-seal, too, going around and harvesting hu-fu for its babies." Yeah, that one was a little close for comfort.

"And the girl who hired me has been here for ages. I've been through a lot worse than once-a-month explosions." Besides, the possibility of itty bitty human bits makes life more interesting.

There is a part of her that can't believe she just thought that.

[thatsortofaman]

For a second, the Doctor looks offended. "Oi! I was going to... but..." The offended look slips into a pout. He wanted that hot chocolate. "What about Daleks? Have you ever saved the Earth from Daleks? Because if not, I think I'm definitely ahead. Especially considering I've done it several times now."

Pause.

"Seriously, gorilla-seals? I'm not even sure what - the girl who hired you? You wouldn't mean Lisle, would you?" And suddenly he's all bright and eager and interested. Hey, he likes Lisle. She deserves to not be dead.

[chimaerasaurus]

She licks her lips, takes a scoop of whipped cream on one finger and makes a show of enjoying it.

...but god, that pout reminds her of Connor. She sighs and sets the rest of the mostly-full hot chocolate on the counter. "Here you go, hero. And no, not literal gorilla-seals." She sounds exasperated. The sudden switch throws her, but she shrugs. "Yeah. She's nice."

[thatsortofaman]

The Doctor, though he gives the hot chocolate a dubious look for a second, has no fear of germs, so he takes the hot chocolate with a broad grin, practically bouncing. "Oh, brilliant! I knew it, I knew she was too clever to get herself killed in a little old electrical fire!" Never mind that he was half-convinced she had, before now... That is entirely beside the point. He totally knew she wasn't dead.

[chimaerasaurus]

She can't help the smile that sneaks out, so she presses her crossword against the lower half of her face to try and hide it. "Know her well, do you?"

Abby thinks of another crossword answer and hunts for her pen, which fell somewhere below the counter. "Does she give you free drinks?"

[thatsortofaman]

"Stopped the coffee shop from exploding with her." He pauses. "Well. I stopped it, she mostly just watched and made commentary, but it was good! Annnnd... yeah. Yeah, she does." Okay, it was just the once, but shhh. "Like I said, payment for not letting you lot explode."

After a moment, he leans over a little to peer at her crossword, and frowns a little. "They do realize New Delhi is spelled with an H, don't they?" Yes, the Doctor is correcting the spelling of the crossword puzzle. Apparently he really has nothing better to do with his time.

[chimaerasaurus]

"Should I start a 'I kept you lot from exploding' tab?" She looks down, then snorts. "Maybe it's not, here. God knows enough other things are different."

Fictional characters coming in demanding free drinks, for instance. Or angels. Or demons. Or any other bloody thing she's encountered here.

[thatsortofaman]

"Oh, sure, why not?" he says with a lopsided grin. "And New Delhi is always spelled with an H. Well, alright, no it's not, but it ought to be. It's about standards." Cross-universal standards that everyone ought to know, apparently. Oh yes.

[chimaerasaurus]

"Whose standards, exactly, Doc?" Snerk. She fills in another line. "How long've you been here, anyway?"

[thatsortofaman]

"Sort of a general... cross-universal sort of... standards..." Yes, even as he says it, he realizes that it sounds patently ridiculous. Hush.

The question gives him pause. And then he looks ever so slightly pained. He's always fine until he thinks about it. Once he does... "I guess... Oh, long enough." Plenty long enough.