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[bernicesurprise]

She stumbled out of the pub into the cool night air of Dellah. There was one good thing she could say about the people here at St. Oscar's - they knew how to mix a hell of a drink. The trick now was remembering how to get back to her rooms. Why couldn't she have just gone to the Witch and the Whirlwind? If she'd stayed at her local she would

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[coffee_sir]

Banon, as she was much quicker than her owner, found her first. She and her owner had been taking a midnight stroll thanks to nightmares Ianto would never admit to. But the second the little corgi had caught a scent of someone or something ahead of them, somewhere beyond where the path ended at the beach, she had taken off without hesitation.

Not expecting any trouble at this time of night that he was sure Banon could get herself out of (just as easily as she got herself into), Ianto kept his pace, following his dog but not seeing what had caught her attention.

Bounding over the sand, the dog greeted the woman with a sharp bark and desperate pleas for attention in the form of jumps and licks.

[bernicesurprise]

Benny was wandering down the beach, trying desperately to come up with some brilliant plan to get herself out of this ridiculous situation, when she could have sworn she heard...barking. Well, that was unexpected. Not that anything she'd encountered so far could be considered expected.

She turned toward the sound and yes. There it was. A dog! And a rather adorable one at that. It ran straight up to her and started jumping and licking in that overly excited way of all small dogs. She kneeled down to pet him and began babbling to him in the tone of voice that one generally reserves for addressing babies and anything small and furry.

"Who's a sweet doggie, you? Yes, you! You are a sweet, sweet little dog. Or at least I hope you are. You aren't actually a hell beast or alien devil spawn come to eat my soul are you? No. Of course you're not. You're too cute to want to eat souls."

[coffee_sir]

Ianto caught sight of the woman in the moon and starlight, or at least enough of her to know that she wasn't anyone Ianto knew of. Which meant she was probably new. That wasn't a guaranteed fact, but Ianto kept his eyes open.

A few jogging strides brought him close enough to speak. "I wouldn't put it past her," he said laughingly. Having put some practice into making his tall, solid frame seem unimposing, Ianto greeted her with a grin and didn't expect her to start. "But at least she hasn't eaten one yet. Hello."

[bernicesurprise]

"Well, that one good piece of news at least." Bernice turned her attention back to the dog for one last fur ruffling pat. "I'm really not up for fighting off hell hounds at the moment."

Benny stood up then to get a better look at the man who'd come with the dog. Rather harmless looking, but she wasn't ready to let down her guard just yet. The dog might not be a minion of some evil alien force out to destroy all human life, but that was no guarantee this bloke wasn't. "I take it she's yours then?"

[coffee_sir]

"Guilty." Banon strayed near the woman long enough to lick at the leg of her trousers. Finding that unappetizing, she turned her attention back to Ianto, lifting herself up to lean against his leg with her front paws. If he didn't know any better, Ianto would have thought the pup were proudly pointing out that she had a new friend.

"She's mine. Or I'm hers. She's Banon. And I'm Ianto Jones." He offered a hand with a slight grin. "And you are new, I should think."

[bernicesurprise]

"Yes, or so I've been told. Though I still haven't entirely ruled out the possibility that this is all an elaborate fiction or a drug-induced hallucination."

Benny looked around again, taking in the shoreline and the sounds of the surf. She let out a resigned sigh and turned back to Ianto and shook the offered hand.

"My name is Bernice Summerfield, and I am sure that under different circumstances it would be a pleasure to meet you, Ianto. Any chance you might know of somewhere I could lie down for a few hours? I'm completely knackered. And hell, there's always the chance I could wake up and find out this was all just a dream."

[coffee_sir]

Ianto had to grin at the optimistic effort, no matter how unlikely it was that her hopes would come true. But there were ways to take this, good and bad, and on the surface at least she seemed to be taking it well. Well as anyone could, and practically.

"Well there's a crash room at the Compound," he said, nodding back in the direction of the path. "That's your best chance for a bed at this hour. Or there's the boarding house, but Jane might get cross at not being able to welcome you herself."

[bernicesurprise]

Benny was surprised at how relived she felt being able to discuss something as mundane as sleeping arrangments in the midst of the current insanity. She was also a bit surprised to discover just how tired she was now that the possibility of actually getting some sleep appeared close at hand.

"I certainly wouldn't want to have Jane cross at me. I've got enough troubles at it is without making enemies before I've even had a shower. This compound of your sounds just the thing."

She knew she was taking a bit of a risk trusting a strange man on a strange beach in the middle of a very strange night, but she had to start somewhere. Plus, anyone with a dog that adorable couldn't be evil.

Perhaps not the soundest reasoning she'd ever come up with, but it was the best she could do at the moment and she really was exhausted.

"If you'd be so kind as to lead the way?"

[coffee_sir]

"Not truly cross," Ianto assured her, needlessly. Even if she was simply whistling in the dark, he felt a little uncomfortable in joking about Jane Bennet's hospitality. "But she prides herself on being an excellent hostess."

He took a step to the side, inviting Bernice to step forward, Banon taking up the rear of the party. "It's not too far," he said. "Just long enough to give unsatisfactory answers to whatever hundreds of questions you might have."

[bernicesurprise]

"Ianto, that is one of the best offers I've had all night." Bernice moved to begin walking in the direction he'd indicated. "You could start by telling me what the hell this is all about. Are you my jailer or fellow prisoner?"

[coffee_sir]

"Fellow prisoner," Ianto answered immediately, feigning a bit of hurt that she would think otherwise. "We're all prisoners. But it's a very lovely prison, especially when the sun is shining. I've been here a year and a half, others for more, and the only way off is to disappear just like you appeared: without warning, desire or destination in mind."

[bernicesurprise]

"Well, that's a relief. I'd hate to think the exit was any less arbitrary and inexplicable than the entrance." Benny took another look at the surroundings. "But I do see what you mean. As far as prisons go this is definitely one of the most attractive I've been in." Benny reached down to give the dog a quick scratch behind the ears when she ran up. "And do our jailers go with the decor or can I look forward to some hideous torture in the near future?"

[coffee_sir]

"Oh, there's torture," Ianto sighed, but his tone made it clear that the torture wasn't all that torturous. "But let's start with the simple stuff first, shall we?"

Without really waiting for a response, Ianto took a breath and forged ahead in an off the cuff expository speech. "None of us know why or how we've been brought here, are being kept here, are sent away, and verifiable geniuses in residence have been trying to figure it out for years, to no avail. We don't know who pulls the strings, if anyone or anything even does. The Compound was apparently just here when people first arrived, with a generator and clean water, some beds and a room that resembles a half-way stocked clinic. There's also a bin in the basement that provides clothing from thin air, a bookshelf that produces books and reels of film from thin air, and a jukebox that is bordering on sentient to be honest."

[bernicesurprise]

"Well. That will make a nice change of pace from the prisons I usually find myself in. At least I'll have plenty of reading material." Benny wasn't entirely sure she believed Ianto's story, but she was willing to accept what he was telling her for the moment. "The only thing that could make this place sound better would be for you to tell me there is a magical bar that produces perfect gin and tonics from thin air as well."

Benny stopped short and looked at Ianto in complete seriousness. "There IS alcohol on this island, isn't there?"

[coffee_sir]

It didn't really matter whether Bernice believed him or not; she'd find out the truth sooner rather than later.

"There's alcohol," he confirmed. "Most of it's homemade though, and we're still perfecting our techniques. Sometimes things from home show up, out of thin air again, so sometimes people get their hands on good alcohol. Not often though. If you want a drink, the Hub's usually open."

[bernicesurprise]

"Thank the goddess for that. I don't even want to consider the alternative." If there was one thing Bernice knew, it was that trapping her on an island with no alcohol would not have gone well. For anyone. "And now I know who I need to make friends with as soon as possible." Benny smiled at Ianto in thanks for the first good news she'd had since arrival. "How many of our fellow prisoners are there on this island?"