(Untitled)

[megalowho]

Ben is in an armchair in the common room of the Conrad Basement. It's significantly warmer down here than out there, and Ben's decided that he doesn't really want to try going outside again until it's a little warmer. And by 'a little' what he really means is 'a lot

Comments

[juneswan]

Juni has been watching Ben for a while, because she is a stalking stalker who has nothing better to do then watch people, especially people who appear to be as bored as she currently is, despite her willingness to ignore the temperature you can only tolerate so much cold before starting to go slowly insane.

Luckily by this point she's realised that he hasn't turned a page in a while and will now be bouncing over.. As much as Juni can bounce that it, which is not a lot to be perfectly honest.

"Whatcha reading?"

[megalowho]

Ben looks up, opens his mouth to answer, then realises he's not really sure. He uses his thumb to mark his place, then looks over at the cover. Suddenly it became very clear why he hadn't managed to get very far.

"Dickens, apparently. Great Expectations."

Next time he's definitely going to check before pulling a book down from the shelf. It's not so much that's there anything wrong with Dickens, just that he wanted something quick and easy. This definitely isn't quick and easy, and explains why he stopped even pretending to pay any attention to it after the first few pages. Not that he was paying all that much attention when he started it...

[juneswan]

"Ah" Juni makes a face, she remembers reading that (or being read that) as a child but she doesn't actually remember the plot, or at least the correct version of the plot.

...She's pretty sure it never involved giant rabbits, that's something.

"Not quite a book for one sitting I have to admit" unless you are insane, or have about a day or so to read through all of it, Juni loves Dickens quite a lot (because her childhood was very sophisticated) but most of his books are not at all suitable to read lightly.

[megalowho]

"Not sure I'd want to read it in any amount of sittings, really," he pulls a face, and sets it to one side. He hasn't really being paying attention since 'My father's family name being Pirrup,' and given that not even being all of the first sentence he's not really one to judge it. But he's already pretty sure it's not really his thing from what he's heard about it before. In Ben's time pretty much everyone has heard of Dickens and has at least some idea of his works.

[nowinprint]

Dmitri was in the basement for some reason or other. Possibly training. Possibly nostalgia. In any case, not being in Torchwood and thus not having been informed that they're having the most complicated day ever, she was about to visit the Tower and is passing through the commons room on the way to do just that when someone catches her eye.

And then she doubletakes.

And then tripletakes with a hop back and a loud "Dancing Krishna phalanges! What in the screaming names of all the Levantine gods is - how the fuck many of you are there, and is there a cloning facility or something?"

Sorry, Ben. You just looked like someone she wasn't expecting to see down here, and someone else she's not sure she'd really like to see anywhere.

[megalowho]

Ben definitely wasn't expecting that. He's about to answer 'one' in a tone that implies it's obvious, when he remembers Des. Oh.

"One, and one guy who looks eerily like me that I can think of. No cloning facilities. Or at least not any I'm aware of," He hopes there aren't any cloning facilities. He really does.

He also really hopes there isn't anyone else that looks like him. Des was a bad enough experience.

[nowinprint]

Dmitri gives him a look that's hard to qualify. It might be incredulous. Or pained. Or annoyed. Or any one of eleven other things.

"I pray to Cod and Dog you're talking abut Des," she says. "And if you'd like to keep track, that brings my count up to three on guys I've met who look exactly like you, and that's only in this universe. Why does transuniversal human morphology love that chin?"

[megalowho]

That's a very good question, Dmitri. Unfortunately one Ben doesn't know the answer to himself. He really wishes it didn't, though. Maybe then he could've avoided getting stuck here.

"...I could've been talking about someone other than Des?" Well, obviously. She did just say as much. "Please tell me that those three who look exactly like me include me?" His tone is close to pleading, although that isn't something he'd admit.

And really? Who can blame him? It's been a tough week, and it doesn't look like it's getting any easier.

[radiantsoldier]

Here, Ben. Have an angel. With her wings out. Just in case you were still doubting that 'angels and demons' thing.

Elena's just passing through, but she stops and does a double-take when she sees him, grey-and-white banded wings mantling for a second before she smooths them down. Descant used to live down here, but there's no reason she knows of for him to be back... Unless they've got a new Wanderer come in that no one told her about.

"Dios mio," she mutters under her breath, and then, a bit louder, "So which one are you supposed to be?"

[megalowho]

He doesn't even look back at her right away. Or even look confused, for that matter. "Ben... Ben Carpenter. I'm not Des, I'm not Harkness, and I'm not a shapeshifter."

Well, okay. The last part isn't true, but he doesn't know that. He looks back over to see who he's talking to, and does a double-take of his own. Des had warned him about the whole angel and demon thing, but he hadn't really believed it... he still doesn't really. Although his disbelief is quickly fading.

He's not sure why he's even surprised considering everything else he's heard.

[radiantsoldier]

"Let me guess," Elena says, grinning a little. "I'm the first angel you've seen. That, or there's some chica wherever you're from that looks exactly like me. Would probably be fair that way, but I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's the first one."

She spreads her wings a little, just to give him a good look, and offers him her hand. "Elena Guerrero. Welcome to your-friendly-neighborhood-refugee-camp-slash-Archangel-Command."

[megalowho]

"You'd be guessing right," Ben replies, still a little distracted by the wings.

He makes a concious effort to meet her eyes, and keep his eyes from straying back to the wings. He even manages it for a few moments, as he grins and shakes her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Elena. I'm guessing I'm won't be meeting any demons down here?" His tone is light, but he's really hoping that she's going to tell him there aren't any demons at all. It's not so much that he's scared, that the whole angels and demons thing is one of the more difficult things for him to wrap his head around... although having said that, he's pretty glad it's an angel he's ran into first.