(Untitled)

[themanclion]

He will never understand this place. Time moves in ways it bloody well shouldn't. It's only been twenty minutes since he was last here, only now it appears to be Christmas, if the decorations are to be believed.

He walks to the bar. 'You're tryin' to tell me somethin', aren't you?'

There is no reply. He waits a moment, then sighs. A pint appears.

'

Comments

[guppy_sandhu]

"Beer..." a small person says, appearing on the next barstool, "Is... oringe."

"Hey Gene." Guppy sits nearby.

[themanclion]

'No, it isn',' he says, automatically. And then nods at Guppy.

'Alrigh'?'

[guppy_sandhu]

"What colour is it then?" Fry asks, tapping at the glass, then following the condensation down with his finger.

"Yeah thanks, you?" Guppy asks. He peers at him closely. "You from the future, or just hung over?"

[themanclion]

'It's beer-coloured.'

Anyone can see that.

Guppy gets half a smile for that one.

'I suppose you'd say from the future, yeah.'

Even though it's Guppy's past. Mind you, there's something reassuring about hearing the 70s version of him is seen as the default one, here. Like his real self is still out there, preserved, and not...what he is now. Whatever that is.

[guppy_sandhu]

"You got grey here." Fry says, pointing at Gene's hair.

"Fry, that's rude." Guppy says.

[themanclion]

He snorts quietly, and shakes his head.

'Always had that bit. It's just grown out a bit.'

His hair is worrying him, just a tiny bit. He could pass off the way it looks a touch more blonde as being the sun from Spain - only he spent all his time in pubs. He didn't get any sun. So it's weird, and it's off-putting.

[guppy_sandhu]

"Did you have it when you were a baby?" Fry asks.

"Everything going okay out there?" Guppy asks. "You'd been, er, in trouble last time I saw you from this time."

[themanclion]

'...no, not when I was a baby.'

Not that he recalls, anyway.

He looks down at the ashtray.

'Last time I saw you was abou' twenty minutes ago, for me. So things haven' really progressed since then.'

Which is to say, he's still in trouble.

[guppy_sandhu]

"Do you want any help yet?" Guppy asks. "I can take the lad home."

"We can't go yet, Gene's coming to my natti-vitty." Fry says.

"Fry, Gene can't come to your nativity. It's for immediate family only. And you told Mrs Hewitt that he taught you the word 'twat' so we need to wait for her to forget."

[themanclion]

He smiles - or attempts to - at Fry, and shakes his head vaguely at Guppy.

'Help with what?'

[guppy_sandhu]

"With your home situation. I was wondering whether the twenty minutes had brought you any inspiration." Guppy says.

"I'm going to be a king." Fry says. "With the gold which is a box of tissues with sparkles on."

[themanclion]

'Well, better than tryin' t'be a wise man. Or a shepherd, 'cos they stink.'

He taps the bar to get another pint.

'I don' need inspiration.'

[guppy_sandhu]

"King is a wise man." Fry says. "And I don't smell."

He copies the tapping motion, and is presented with a sippy cup of orange juice.

"Hey, ask before you buy stuff." Guppy says. Back to Gene. "You got a plan?"

[themanclion]

'Are they?'

Were the kings the wise men as well? He hasn't been to a Nativity play in thirty five years. He thought there were three lots of them.

'Don' need a plan,' he says to Guppy. 'I'm the DCI of that bloody district. I'll go back, an' do my job.'

And anyone who thinks they can stop him - well, more fool them.

[guppy_sandhu]

Indeed, but Fry can only play one king at once. As his nursery teacher pointed out when he tried to take the cardboard myrr.

"Isn't there anyone senior to you?"

[themanclion]

'Of course. In theory.'

Only not.

He sighs, and rubs his hand over his face.

'My DSI killed himself las' year, after I exposed him for corruption. Well, me an' Drake. He hasn' been replaced yet. Hasn't needed t'be - before I was away, the Commissioner was permanently breathin' down my neck over the corruption stuff.'

In other words, it was a huge mess.