(Untitled)

[likesthecoat]

The Bar has an uncanny ability to sense when Ianto comes into Milliways to brood: she always asks him to bartend on those days. He supposes this is a good thing: it keeps him from dwelling too much in his own head.

There's nothing wrong with playing to his own strengths, too.

TODAY'S SPECIALS
COFFEE
Vermont Coffee
Gunline Coffee
Newfoundland

Comments

[beenthenumbers]

Ben walks into Milliways, a very (very) small bathroom behind him. (Fortunately, he is dressed.)

He's obviously been here before, because he looks surprised-and-pleased, not surprised-and-shocked, and he heads towards the Bar. He sees the specials and stops short, though. "Gunline coffee? What's that?"

[likesthecoat]

"It's coffee preferred by people on a gunline," Ianto says. "It's got cinnamon in, and chocolate."

[beenthenumbers]

Ben ponders this. "It sounds good," he says after a bit of hesitation, "but I think just regular coffee sounds better right now." After another hesitation, "What's your very best coffee?"

[likesthecoat]

"Depends on how you define best," Ianto says. "Strong? Nutty? Sweet? The Klingon coffee is very popular with people who like their coffee dark and strong."

[beenthenumbers]

"Um. Strong, not very sweet? I've had coffee a few times here, it's one of the things that makes me regret I never got a job on Earth," Ben answers unhelpfully.

[likesthecoat]

Ianto tilts his head a little, confused as to how coffee relates to having a job, but fixes him a cup of a good dark roast and gives him the cream pitcher and sugar shaker in case he wants that.

"Why don't you give that a try."

[beenthenumbers]

Ben sips the coffee without adding anything to it and near-immediately smiles. "That's what I wanted," he says, pleased. "Thank you!"

[likesthecoat]

"You're welcome," Ianto says, beaming. "I'm Ianto, by the way. Coffee specialist and occasional bartender."

[beenthenumbers]

"Good to meet you," Ben replies. "I'm Ben. Scan-tech on a faster-than-light ship, now - that's what kept me from going to Earth, getting that job."

[likesthecoat]

"Oh!" Ianto says, impressed. "You work in outer space? I . . . deal with outer space. In my job."

[beenthenumbers]

"I do," Ben answers. "Grew up in the Belt, went to the UDC Technical Institute, had a job posting in effin' Stockholm and this moonbeam buddy of mine," if he were listening to himself he'd be surprised at how non-sarcastically he was able to say 'buddy', "put me in as next-of-kin, so I got the attention of the Earth Company and ended up on the Earth Company Ship Norway."

[likesthecoat]

Ianto blinks a few times. "I've . . . never heard of any of those things. I suspect you're from a bit in my future, if we're from the same world at all."

[beenthenumbers]

"Um," Ben says. "Sounds like I am. It's 2316 for me. The Belt I think was there centuries ago, though, it's the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter."

[likesthecoat]

"Oh, I see. I thought you might be referring to Orion's Belt or something."

[beenthenumbers]

Ben shakes his head. "I can see how you got seriously confused," he admits. "The door hasn't opened up for me in a while, I forget not everyone's from the twenty-three hundreds."

He tilts his head. "You said your job involved outer space, though. Astronaut?"

[likesthecoat]

"No. Um. Defenders of the Earth. We'll called Torchwood."