The Brigadier doesn't expect to wander in to Milliways, but when he does it's a welcome distraction from the day's ridiculously large amount of paperwork. There's always so many damn forms that come with saving the world from an attack of aliens. It's so annoying it's almost routine, but it palls when you're the only one writing the reports...
After going over to bar and getting a large mug of tea, strong as possible and with a sugar because it's been that kind of day, he looks about for a quiet place to sit. There's a table near the back door which looks inviting, it isn't until he's about to sit down that he realises he's joining an occupied table.
"Good Heavens!" He exclaims. It's not every day you meet someone who looks like Tumnus, not even in his line of work. He catches himself. "I do apologise. I didn't realise this table was occupied. Do you mind if I sit down, or would you prefer me to leave you alone?"
Alistair looks down at the table, there is indeed a plate of cakes on it, oddly shaped cakes. He shakes his head a little.
"Thank you very much." He makes himself comfortable in the chair and places his tea carefully on the table. "I don't believe we've met before." He remarks, once comfortably ensconced. "I'm Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Alistair." He holds out his hand to the faun.
Alistair shakes the hand firmly, then lets go and picks up his mug for a sip of the tea. Swallowing, he nods.
"Brigadier is my rank. My job really. Plenty of people take it for my name here in Milliways though, so I shouldn't worry if I were you." He gestures towards the cakes, indicating he'd like to take one, but not asking aloud.
"So where in the galaxy is Narnia then? Big planet is it?"
"Thank you." He says as he takes a cake. When he bites into it he has to agree, they are quite tasty. But Narnia he's not so sure on.
"Narnia's not a country I've heard of. Not on Earth anyway. Are there many... Fauns like you there?"
He like to find out about odd places, even if he does have the vague suspicion that underneath it all the Universe is playing a joke on him, and really he's just asleep. Milliways never does seem quite real even to someone who deals with the Doctor as often as he does.
One of Alistair's eyebrows rose. He took a deep breath and blinked.
It's not that he doesn't believe Tumnus. He is sitting just there, and he looks, well, like a faun, but Alistair is not the most 'magical' of people.
"Yes... Well, I suspect that possibly it is difficult to get to?" He's fishing for straws now. He might need something stronger than tea if the conversation keeps heading this way, but his curiosity gets the better of him. "Talking animals?" He enquires.
"A Wardrobe." He sounds sceptical, but you'd understand why if you were on the outside looking in. For Alistair this conversation has been nothing but odd. He breathes carefully again, considering his words. Eventually, he thinks that they're probably the right ones.
"That must make it quite difficult to come and go." He pauses again. "Is it any wardrobe, or a specific one?" For the moment the topic of talking animals is left dangling. It will be returned to though. Probably. If Alistair is feeling like he really needs to beat up his sanity some more.
"Lucy and her family have only ever found their way through that one, but they're also the first Men in Narnia for almost a hundred years. We've been locked in the White Witch's spelled Winter, but they broke it."
He takes a slurp of tea and a bite of cake. Once he's finished chewing he has formulated a response.
"Your 'Narnia' has magic then?" As far as he's concerned magic is just technology that hasn't been properly explained, but he's not going to point that out to someone who looks like Tumnus. In his experience people, even people who are half animal, are prone to becoming annoyed when their beliefs are questioned. And annoyance leads to arguments. Better not to say anything for the moment.
"I'm not familiar with Lucy Pevensie I'm afraid, but then, even in my line of work you don't meet everyone."
He really, really doesn't want to get on to the whole magic situation. He'd have to start thinking about the fact that he works with a man who sometimes travels through time and space in a phone box. It's something that he rationalises, but not something he wants to know about in great detail, in case it starts to really damage his brain.
"London I do know." He seizes the opportunity. "Have you ever been to London? With Lucy I mean. Wonderful city."
After going over to bar and getting a large mug of tea, strong as possible and with a sugar because it's been that kind of day, he looks about for a quiet place to sit. There's a table near the back door which looks inviting, it isn't until he's about to sit down that he realises he's joining an occupied table.
"Good Heavens!" He exclaims. It's not every day you meet someone who looks like Tumnus, not even in his line of work. He catches himself. "I do apologise. I didn't realise this table was occupied. Do you mind if I sit down, or would you prefer me to leave you alone?"
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"Oh no, not at all. I have more than enough cakes for just myself."
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"Thank you very much." He makes himself comfortable in the chair and places his tea carefully on the table. "I don't believe we've met before." He remarks, once comfortably ensconced. "I'm Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Alistair." He holds out his hand to the faun.
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"I'm Tumnus the Faun from Narnia. Though you'll have to pardon me, I'm not sure what a Briga Dier is?"
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"Brigadier is my rank. My job really. Plenty of people take it for my name here in Milliways though, so I shouldn't worry if I were you." He gestures towards the cakes, indicating he'd like to take one, but not asking aloud.
"So where in the galaxy is Narnia then? Big planet is it?"
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"Narnia's not a country I've heard of. Not on Earth anyway. Are there many... Fauns like you there?"
He like to find out about odd places, even if he does have the vague suspicion that underneath it all the Universe is playing a joke on him, and really he's just asleep. Milliways never does seem quite real even to someone who deals with the Doctor as often as he does.
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It's not that he doesn't believe Tumnus. He is sitting just there, and he looks, well, like a faun, but Alistair is not the most 'magical' of people.
"Yes... Well, I suspect that possibly it is difficult to get to?" He's fishing for straws now. He might need something stronger than tea if the conversation keeps heading this way, but his curiosity gets the better of him. "Talking animals?" He enquires.
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Sadly for Alistair, Tumnus is from a rather magical world and its not always terribly logical.
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"That must make it quite difficult to come and go." He pauses again. "Is it any wardrobe, or a specific one?" For the moment the topic of talking animals is left dangling. It will be returned to though. Probably. If Alistair is feeling like he really needs to beat up his sanity some more.
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"Your 'Narnia' has magic then?" As far as he's concerned magic is just technology that hasn't been properly explained, but he's not going to point that out to someone who looks like Tumnus. In his experience people, even people who are half animal, are prone to becoming annoyed when their beliefs are questioned. And annoyance leads to arguments. Better not to say anything for the moment.
"This 'Lucy', would I have heard of her?"
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He really, really doesn't want to get on to the whole magic situation. He'd have to start thinking about the fact that he works with a man who sometimes travels through time and space in a phone box. It's something that he rationalises, but not something he wants to know about in great detail, in case it starts to really damage his brain.
"London I do know." He seizes the opportunity. "Have you ever been to London? With Lucy I mean. Wonderful city."
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