I AM NOT A MACODDITY!!

[smithnjones]

Martha Jones has spent the better part of the week at the Conrad hotel, as much as her house with a random smattering of people has become home to her, the Conrad will always hold a special place in her heart. It was her home for so long. She's leaving the hotel, actually, for the first time since she entered to walk through the park, take a break

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[thecellsiam]

Aubrey's been wandering, and xe's been more than a little uptight the past few weeks. Though the fact that xe's wandering and not holed up in xes room speaks to the fact that xe's feeling quite a lot better today. And this sunroom is nice, calming somehow. Good light (they don't call it a sunroom for nothing), not a lot of people in it. In fact, only one person in it; even better.

"Haven't seen you around yet," xe remarks as xe wanders in. Like xe's been around to see people. As though xe's even keeping tabs on the people xe has just 'seen around.' "Name's Aubrey," xe continues, offering a hand.

[wots_her_name]

Penny smiles at the remark.

"I was new before everything went all... kooky. So I'm afraid I'm still meeting new people." She takes the offered hand, shaking it and tilting her head to the side. "I'm Penny. It's nice to see you around and y'know, be seen... around."

Penny pauses in her ramble and makes a little face as she seems to realize what she said and how that is so not normal.

"And... to meet you. It's nice to meet you." She laughs, softly. "I guess that's actually the... traditional thing to say when you run into someone new."

[thecellsiam]

Aubrey chuckles a bit, relaxing even more at the awkward rambling. "It's okay, I've had my fill of people who require you to say Traditional Greetings. Being noticed's good, too."

Hey, Penny, you get an actual smile right off the bat, no face-eating grins or anything! Granted, the pheromones, they're probably helping with that. "I got here about a week before the Gauche exploded the first time, so I'm a newbie too. Or did you mean to Chicago in general?"

[wots_her_name]

Her smile widens at the smile, not that she realizes how rare it is for xem, but it's nice to see regardless. Pheromones always help (Or occassionally just make things worse, but in this case there's helping).

"Oh, I mean to Chicago in general. Actually, new to this whole... world, I guess." She frowns, slightly, but not very much. Her expression is still rather pleasant, though, despite how scary all of this is, how much more scarier it gets by the day sometimes. "Wait, there was a first time? I didn't hear about that. What happened then?"

[theshameofcain]

Bambi's abandoned shop since it's long past closing and anyone who'd want to bother her after hours can just suck it and wait until the morning. Staying cooped up in her basement, working on forged documents until she wants to pass out, is not her idea of a good time. Sometimes she needs to get out.

And if it's just to go have a smoke somewhere not her shop, so be it.

She doesn't acknowledge Rusty at first- just some guy, whatever, but karma apparently gets her for not at least saying hello to the sap when she realizes she left her lighter back at the shop.

She stares miseribly at her unlit cigarette, and not actually at Rusty, but the words are clearly meant for him. "Got a light?"

[trivialsublime0]

Rusty only notices her when she speaks. It's not that he's trying to ignore the world around him, he's just not particularly observant. Especially when he's smoking. He glances at her, at the unlit cigarette in her hand, and the expression on her face.

Then he walks up, pulls his lighter, and lights it without saying a single word. He puts the lighter away just as quick as he got it out.

"Yeah. I got one."

[theshameofcain]

Bambi actually gives him a smile and starts up on the cigarette. "Nice," she says by way of a thank you. She sits in silence for a moment, just enjoying her cigarette before finally speaking again.

"You the new fish?" She arches an eyebrow. "It's okay. They don't tell me anything. I'm not sent to keep tabs on you or anything. All I ever get are names and faces so I know who to treat extra special when they come in."

And by extra special, that's supposed to imply she's nicer to them than most. Sometimes she is, sometimes she isn't.

[trivialsublime0]

Rusty blinks at the question, taking a drag from his own cigarette, quietly. He raises his eyebrows right back at her.

He's not used to that. To people noticing him or knowing of him. This shit with the Organization is going to get real weird, real fast, but y'know, he's trying to act like she didn't totally just take him off guard.

And failing at it.

"Yeah, new fish. That'd be me. Ain't got any idea about you though. I mean, I wasn't told a whole lot, but they say that's how it always is when you start." Rusty smirks a little. "I'd introduce myself, but I guess you already got that covered."

[2ndchanceacharm]

Grace is curled in a chair in a corner of the basement lobby, flipping through her journal and looking for some sign of Des and the Doctor. The sewers. The damn sewers, and yeah, not her first choice of places to visit, but she wishes he would have at least asked her if she wanted to come along, and what's she supposed to do now if he gets hurt, that idiot?

She doesn't notice Robin coming in just yet - she's worried enough about enough people, she may be actively trying not to notice people who might give her one more thing to worry about. So if she doesn't look up when the elevator doors slide open... it's nothing personal, Robin.

[with_coffee]

Robin really doesn't mind. It gives him a moment to collect himself, think of what he's going to say now that he's interacting with normal people, again. Or something. He notices the way she's flipping through her journal, worriedly, and wonders if he's managed to miss something else.

"Hey there," he says when he finally collects himself as much as possible.

Robin just kind of... stands in front of her chair, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. All awkward like. Because y'know, he did abandon everyone here (by everyone he means the people he cares about... the majority of who are dead or gone now) and he feels... horrible about it. Cause everything went to hell and no one was there to help Grace pick up the pieces, at least, not enough people were... that's for sure.

And did anyone look out for Grace? That seems a very important question to get the answer to. Or at least, to fix himself.

[2ndchanceacharm]

Grace looks up when he speaks, just stares at him for a moment like she's not sure if he's real, and then unceremoniously tosses her journal aside, jumps to her feet, and lunges at him, throwing her arms around his neck. Usually when she hugs someone, she's careful about it, because enthusiastic hugs, fragile humans, and angel strength don't mix. This time, she doesn't even bother.

"Robin! I was worried about you!" She doesn't blame him for not being around, all things considered, but God, she was scared.

[with_coffee]

Robin stands there awkwardly stands, stiff in her arms as if he has absolutely no idea what to do for at least fifteen more seconds before it clicks and he slides his arms around her. He hugs her. Tightly. Not as tight as she's hugging him.

"I'm sorry."

And that is a very big thing for him. Very few people receive a sincere apology from him, but he's been feeling very guilty and that weighs on a person.

"I should have been here. I should have... been here with..." You. And Gwen. And Romana.

God. Fuck.

[astrongerbeacon]

Martin's in the park, watching random strangers and trying to distract himself from... well... everything. It's not working well. He's got his wings out - a combination of stress and paranoia - with a jacket slung over them. A little warm, yeah, and his back looks a little oddly shaped if you're looking too closely, but it's enough that no ordinary humans are going to be giving him weird looks.

He turns abruptly, though, sensing someone more than just human, and quickly focuses on Martha. Okay, so maybe he's just a little jumpy. He takes a breath, making an effort to calm himself, and offers her a brief, tired smile. Nothing to worry about here, ma'am, just a spazzy archangel out for a walk.

[smithnjones]

Martha smiles back at him, warmly. She recognizes that he seems spazzy and it's understandable that he would be, all things considered. Martha thinks she's seen him in the basement before back when there were mostly just archangels back out there. Considering what they've been through... yeah, she understands.

"Hey," she says, coming to a stop not further than a few steps from him. "You alright?" She makes a face. "Silly question. Sorry. I'm Martha. Martha Jones. I've seen you in the Conrad before."

[astrongerbeacon]

Martin blinks a little, like he wasn't really expecting her to approach him. To tell the truth, he wasn't. Most of his closest friends are dead. Most everyone else in the basement is avoiding him, either because being one of two surviving soldiers in a losing battle rarely wins you friends, or because he wasn't at the battle at the Gauche, or... God knows what other reasons.

"Oh, you're Martha Jones!" The doctor. The Doctor's... something or other. He's never met her, but you hear plenty of things. "Sorry, I'm, um... Martin. Martin Raske. I'm fine. Er. Relatively speaking, that is."

[smithnjones]

Martha kind of laughs a little when he says you're like that. It hasn't happened in a long time and she never quite knew how to react to it. So she kind of laughs and then smiles.

"Yes, that's... me. I'm a little scared to know what exactly you've heard about me, but..." She shrugs it off, anyway. "Martin... Martin Raske, it's nice to meet you."

Martha nods, after a moment.

"Yeah, that's... understandable, even relatively speaking fine is bloody amazing, considering well, everything. I'm sorry. For what happened. All of it." She bites her lower lip looking away from him, because she realizes that it doesn't make a difference. Apologies can't change the past and in the end, no one person can be blamed for how it all happened.

Martha bounces up on her toes a little and looks back at him. "So. Do you want to talk about it or be distracted?"

[stillaboyscout]

Vaughn probably shouldn't be drinking alcohol after, y'know... nearly getting eaten, but damn him if it isn't his body and he can do what he wants with it!

Until Bianca finds out and smacks him silly. But he's going to enjoy himself.

He sits himself down at the bar, the pain mostly gone (without drugs, which he's not going to think about too much, thank you,) and orders a beer.

Hey, he's never claimed to be classy.

So now he's going to sit and mope brood. Interrupt him, JD. Interrupt him. The narration begs you.

[sensi_doctor]

JD is bored and feeling sociable. Ah, hell, when exactly isn't JD feeling sociable?

So he makes his way over to where Vaughn is sitting, not having actually met him, but recognizing him from around the hotel.

"Hey, you look like you could use some comp'ny? Some drinking comp'ny that is, cause no one should drink alone, especially when they look all... not happy."

The narration does not know why he's saying company like that. Sometimes it is better not to know.

[stillaboyscout]

Vaughn blinks at JD. Great. A drunk person. Wonderful.

"You shouldn't drink alone in case you need to get home," he says, unintentionally rhyming there. "And I think maybe it's time you stopped drinking altogether. I'll call a cab."

Oh Vaughn. You're a Boy Scout to everyone, even drunks that are bothering you when all you want to do is drink and brood. Too bad JD probably doesn't need a cab, and is also not as drunk as you seem to think he is.

You're not getting out of this one that easy.

[sensi_doctor]

"I'm actually not drunk. Just a little tipsy. And I don't need a cab, because I live here. Stay... here. I mean. Damn, I probably shouldn't just reveal that wherever I go."

JD shakes his head to himself.

"I'm kind of like this normally so- But hey, you look kind of sad. Want to talk about it? I promise it feels good to... y'know, talk!"