Ashes to ashes...

[pawnoffenric]

Asleep on the couch. That would be her excuse on how she didn't see them appear, how the hat appeared on her head, the question-mark umbrella by her side.

She didn't hear the crackling news broadcasts that took place in the pouring rain, the sound of the Doctor - her Doctor's raised over the thrum of air car. Ace was dreaming of the TARDIS, of

Comments

[toshiko_san]

"Ace?" Tosh had heard Ace's voice as she passed by the rec room, poking her head in to see that it wasn't actually her friend speaking, but the jukebox. "Are you alright?"

[pawnoffenric]

"I'm alright." She blurted the words without thinking, even as she hugged the umbrella close to her. "I..." She trailed off, looking back at the jukebox as she heard herself talking as it faded into techno music.

"... How're you?" Lame question, but it was something to say.

[toshiko_san]

It wasn't hard to see that Ace was disconcerted. Something bothered her, but Tosh wasn't about to push. "Well enough. Spending some time in the lab today," crossing the room, she perched on a chair not far from Ace, the umbrella earning an odd glance. "Nice to be working again."

[pawnoffenric]

"What're you doing? Greg's gone, isn't he?" She didn't mention the umbrella, just hugging it closer. "I don't really know a lot of the other lab people, but... I mean, I know everyone works hard. I'm sure they're glad you're helping."

[toshiko_san]

Tosh nodded a bit sharply. Abby had only mentioned it in passing, and while she'd meant to ask more, it always seemed like she'd never the time. "There's always work. Mostly helping with the drug production again, the ones we can make here. Always working on the medical database. Are you sure you're alright?"

[pawnoffenric]

"Hrm? Yeah, just... just things from home. You know how everyone gets them. Thought I'd gotten lucky, been able to avoid it." She shrugged.

For all that she was trying to pass it off, she was still stressed. Worried. Thinking about... things. "It's good, what you do. Helping people."

[toshiko_san]

Her eyes flitted back to the umbrella and the hat, neither of which she'd seen before. Ace was skittish, and Tosh was almost afraid she'd scare her off. "What I do?" Her cheeks flushed, surprised by the change in conversation. "Its no more than anything anyone else does."

[pawnoffenric]

"Well, I know I don't regularly go and make medicine or anything like that. And most of the island doesn't, especially not out of their own spare time." She shrugged, and looked over at the other woman. "You know?"

[toshiko_san]

"I suppose I do," she said honestly, the praise still embarrassing. "You should come by soon. We keep meaning to have a picnic and never managing it."

[pawnoffenric]

"I always forget to stop buy when I have nothing to do," she said, actually blushing. She usually stopped by when she was busy, just on the way somewhere else.

"I'll try. Next week, maybe?"

[toshiko_san]

"It's alright. With Jackson about it seems I never have moments where I've nothing to do." Tosh smiled easily, closing her eyes for just a moment as she enjoyed this fleeting bit of relaxation. "Next week it is. You'll be there or I'll send Jack to find you and carry you back."

[pawnoffenric]

"Alright, Tosh. I promise. I might even bring food, too, alright?" She smiled, and her fingers skimmed over the umbrella again, her smile fading just a little.

"You've gotten things from home, haven't you? What d'you do with them?"

[toshiko_san]

"It's silly," Tosh shook her head, her hair falling forward to cover her cheeks. "Ianto has them."

[pawnoffenric]

"That's not silly," Ace said, shaking her head. "If... If I didn't want these, then I'd let him have them, too."

[toshiko_san]

"He has a compartment in his wardrobe," She needed to explain for some reason, her dependence on him, "It's secret and it locks."