Because nobody knows that's how I nearly fell, trading clothes and ringing Pavlov's bell.

[nothingsodivine]

Ah, Chicago. The Windy City. Home of the Rift. The Land of the Bucktoothed Snake... Possibly not that last one, although you really never know. It's a hot, cloudy Sunday and there are people out and about doing what people in Chicago do.

Des is, at this very moment, sitting in Buckingham Fountain. How he came to be there is an interesting story and

Comments

[beanshield]

Bean is sitting on a park bench near the fountain, finishing up the last of the amulets for Torchwood. She has been sitting here in the shade for the past two hours or so, spaced out and in many ways off in her own world. Potato is lying beneath the bench, taking advantage of the extra shade.

She comes back to reality with a contented sigh and smiles at the completed amulet. She looks up and sees a man sitting in the fountain.

She blinks. She has absolutely no idea how he got there. She certainly didn't hear the telltale splash.

Bean sets the small pile of woven and beaded amulets aside and gets up, going to the edge of the fountain. Potato opens one eye to watch her and make sure she doesn't stray too far.

"Um! Mister? Are you okay? You're in a fountain!"

[nothingsodivine]

Des is ruffling his hair by splashing water on his head and shaking about like a dog and then stops acting like an idiot the minute he realizes he's being watched and sort of stares at the pink-haired personage addressing him.

"Am I?" He gapes, like this is news to him. He looks down at the water and splashes a few times as if testing it. "Guess that explains the water."

At least he's being sarcastic in a nice way?

[beanshield]

Bean giggles a little. He doesn't seem drunk, at least, though he might still be crazy or something.

Then again, maybe he was just hot. Bean is only just now noticing how hot out it is.

"Well, sometimes people need someone to tell them that they're in a strange place. Sometimes I end up in strange places and have no idea how I got there! But you're okay, right? You're not crazy or anything?"

[nothingsodivine]

Des smirks and lifts his foot to yank one of his boots off- he likes those damn things too much to let them get water damaged. One shoe off and tossed out over the edge of the fountain, he goes to work on the other one. "I promise I'm not crazy, but I know a bunch of people who would disagree with that."

Other boot off and over. He moves onto his socks. "If it helps, I'm pretty sure I'm the harmless kind of crazy." He holds up one sopping wet sock and wrings it out. "And ending up in a place and not remembering how you got there sounds pretty dangerous. How does that happen? You sleepwalk?"

[beanshield]

Back under the bench, Potato lifts his head when he sees Des throwing shoes. Projectiles that could potentially harm his human--not cool. He gets to his feet and comes to stand at Bean's side, snuffling her hand.

"Well, actually, I think being crazy is kind of relative," Bean says, petting Potato's head. "Especially in a city like this."

She blinks and laughs. "Oh, it's more, um, that I have no sense of direction whatsoever. And I'm spacey!"

[nothingsodivine]

Des has draped sock number one over his shoulder and is now moving on to sock number two. "Yeah, sanity is also pretty overrated. It keeps you from noticing what's right there in front of your face in places like Chicago." Because sane people tend to avoid what's right in front of their face half the time.

He slaps the second sock over his shoulder and shifts himself to be sitting crosslegged in the fountain. "Spacey, huh? Well, nothing wrong with that. I always say, people with their head in the clouds don't have to see a lot of the bullshit that's down here."

Hell, sometimes he wishes he could option fantasy worlds for a little while, but he's always been the firmly grounded, investigative, protector of the weak sort of person.

He nods towards the dog. "Nice dog, by the way."

[beanshield]

"Yeah! Like, um, zombies and stuff." Her smile fades just a little at the memory, but then she beams again at his next comment.

"Mm, I don't mind it, that's for sure. I mean, not that I have to see a lot of the, um, bullshit, although some of it's kinda unavoidable. But it's okay! Because generally things end up alright."

She smiles and scritches Potato's head. Potato is still watching Des somewhat narrowly, still not sure about this guy who is sitting in a fountain.

"Oh, thank you! This is Potato. And I'm Bean!"

[nothingsodivine]

Des quirks an eyebrow, but decides not to press. He's run into his share of zombies, he'll admit. Never mind that Chicago can be a downright nasty place when it gets a mind to be and there's no sense dredging all that up.

"Bean," he repeats, drawing his knees up enough to rest his elbows on them. He's watching the dog watching him and wondering why the dog seems to look like he's half-expecting Des to pull out an axe or something. "I guess you'll be the first person who won't mock me for my name. It's Descant. Desmond Descant- Des, for short."

[beanshield]

Don't mind Potato, Des. He thinks that everyone is liable to pull an axe on his human.

Bean positively beams when he says his name. "What are you talking about? That's a great name! It's nice to meet you, Mr. Descant!"