Buildings and bridges are made to bend in the wind to withstand the world...

[shealone_stands]

A car loaded with teenagers pulls up in front of the Conrad. Finding parking in downtown Chicago is never easy, and Buffy is not willing to wait. She springs out of the car and races into the lobby - only to realize that while she knows the basement is where they keep the wanderers, she has no idea how to get there. Um.

The Doctor is wandering

Comments

[leosarecynical]

Gray is still on leave for the shoulder, which is starting to put a dent in his jolly. He likes his jolly very much. Of course, rather than rest like a sane individual, he is wandering around the park. Again.

OH LOOK, A CASEY.

He claps his hands on the back of the bench and leans down to say, "So I banished a giant scorpion into Lake Michigan! Ask me how!"

[andwhosearmy]

Casey doesn't even turn around. In fact, she stays very still, just closes her eyes, takes a breath... She's used to Gray randomly appearing in her life and saying things like this. That doesn't make it any less insane.

"Define giant, and for the love of God, tell me it didn't sting you."

[leosarecynical]

"It was as big a pony," Gray says. This would be the part where, were he ten years younger and a little bit thinner, he'd probably vault over the back of the bench. As that is totally not becoming of a man of his station (or very wise to do with an injured arm, which is the real reason), he settles for crossing around and plopping down.

"It didn't sting me. Clawed me up a bit though. I'm on leave. And I'm bored." And his apartment smells like peaches, because when he gets bored, he starts experimenting. He's pretty sure his landlord thinks he brutally massacred a Fruit of the Loom mascot and hid the body under his floor.

[andwhosearmy]

"Oh my God," Casey says, tone much calmer than the words themselves would imply. "I don't know whether I should be happy you're getting a few days off, happy you're not dead... or slightly concerned about your safety, if this is the sort of thing you get up to when I'm not around. I hope you're not looking to me to entertain you, because I don't have any scorpions."

[sarkraticmethod]

HEY, SYDNEY. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED RIGHT NOW? SARK. WITH STICKS. LARGE STICKS.

If that's not what you need, you're getting it anyway. Sark's had it up to here with the universe and to deal with that, he is seeking out a sparring partner, preferably a Sydney, because at least they're generally evenly matched and between the fact that she's out of practice (probably) and he feels like someone punched him repeatedly, they'll somehow make wonderful sparring partners.

This is the idea anyway.

"Dare I ask when the last time you've had any practice was?" He asks, dropping the stick on the ground in front of her, clearly not particularly caring that this might disturb the cat. He is more important.

He is also wearing a turtleneck. DO NOT QUESTION THE TURTLENECK.

[mademeaweapon]

The cat flinches and bolts for shelter as the stick hits the ground. Sydney just stares at Sark for a moment, not sure if she should be looking annoyed or confused. Conversations with Sark are always... interesting, particularly when she needs to constantly translate pretentious ass into English in her head.

"Are you asking to spar with me, or are you only asking in order to weigh the odds of me kicking your ass if you just hit me with that thing?" With Sark, you really can't be too sure. Because he couldn't just ask like a normal person, no.

[sarkraticmethod]

This is Sark's favorite game ever, because apparently Sydney's need for a Sark-to-English translator is of great delight to him. Rather than look gleeful about the prospect, he just sighs like the answer was completely obvious, "Sydney, if my intention was to hit you, I would have knocked you out from behind like a reasonable borderline sociopath."

Yes. Yes, he does want you to spar with him. Asking is for other people.

[mademeaweapon]

Sydney stares for a moment longer, and then gets to her feet with a sigh, picking up the stick Sark dropped on the way. "Well. That's good to know." And now she's going to be extra aware of people who come up behind her for a month, thank you very much, Sark.

"Did you have a place in mind?" You know, unless he really thinks it's a good idea to start hitting each other with sticks out in the street, but people tend to get alarmed about things like that.

[stopdropanddie]

Jack's been avoidant like an avoidant thing when it comes to his daughter here lately, possibly because he feels she'd probably prefer it that way and possibly because he has no idea what to say to her. It is surprisingly easy to avoid your daughter even when you live in the same building when that building is the Kashtta.

That said, he's a little surprised when he steps outside and sees her. He lingers for a moment, considering walking back in, but... No. This is not how this works. Goddammit, he patched things up with Sydney before, he can do it again.

"I assume you've met Maitland," he says, casually, still standing behind her. Because this is Bristow. Makin' small talk. With his daughter. Oh yeah.

[mademeaweapon]

Sydney looks up at him, still scritching the cat, who's eying Bristow warily but not ready to bolt just yet.

"Yeah, actually," she says after a moment, a little surprised, mostly because... what kind of a conversation opener is that? "She's nice. What did you hire her for?" Her father's work and people like Abby... do not exactly mix, in her mind. Or at least, she'd rather they didn't.

[stopdropanddie]

Honestly, Jack wonders that same thing, beyond the fatc that he "She and I kept getting forced together. I find when that happens, my only real option is to start paying them for what they already do."

The narration has a feeling this is probably how Michael, Fiona, and Casey all got hired.

He stands there for a few moments, wondering vaguely if he even needs to ask. "Sydney, you know that if you needed a job, I wouldn't..."

He trails off somewhat awkwardly, because there's no way to say it without sounding like he's offering her a handout. Yes, he legitimately wants her on his team, but he also wants her to be happy and if she's happier being normal, then that's all she ever wanted. If she's not, however...

Well. Jack Bristow's primary concern in anything is always his daughter's happiness.

[mademeaweapon]

Sydney starts a little, startling the cat so it jerks back before relaxing again and brushing its cheek against her fingers. She hadn't expected her dad to say what she's been thinking for months now - she only found out what he did shortly before she fell through the Rift, and the time they've had here has been spent alternately avoiding each other and being awkward at each other, and now...

"I don't need..." she begins, and then trails off. She's not sure that's what she meant to say. "You wouldn't what?"

[changingtheodds]

Ruvin is also on the streets downtown. She's been doing a lot of thinking, lately. It's almost miraculous to her, being able to. Feeling clearheaded enough to consider everything in context, in retrospect, with clarity.

There's an informational pamphlet about the FBI crumpled in one hand. She doesn't see the Doctor yet, but she's walking his way.

[thatsortofaman]

Were the Doctor looking for a person, he'd probably have noticed Ruvin and quickly turned down a side street before she can see him. As it is, he's on the lookout for a blue box, or a very cheerful out of place tree or sailboat or fountain or something.

He's just considering a phone booth (an actual phone booth, not the usual TARDIS police box) and trying to remember if it was always there when he runs smack into Ruvin. He blinks and stumbles back, starting to apologise before he sees who it is, and then he just lapses into awkward silence, staring at her like she might bite him.

Well.

Damn.

[changingtheodds]

She starts to apologize too, until she recognizes the Doctor. Her breath locks up in her throat, she feels like she's going to panic, to cry--

And then she's hugging him tight, her arms wrapped around him and her face buried against his chest. "Doctor," she says, and sobs. "Doctor."

[thatsortofaman]

That was the last thing he expected. He thought she'd be angry at him. He's been operating under the assumption that a lot of people are angry at him, right now, and avoidance is easier than fixing it, but Ruvin's right here, now, clinging to him, and-

He throws his arms around her without even thinking, pulls her close to him and doesn't say anything for a minute, just holds her. "I'm sorry," he murmurs after a moment. It's probably best not to ask what for. Chances he'd explain are slim anyway.

[monitorthebirds]

Parks are where they keep the Hawkeses. At the moment, he is sitting on a bench, surrounded by ducks who are trying to bite his ankles in order to get at the bread in his hands. Some random person told him that was what people tended to do in parks and seeing as there has to be something better than tryin' to kill things, he figured he'd try it out.

...Thus far, it's more fun for the ducks than it is for him.

Well, Vansen, if one of your life's goals was to see a 6'3 InVitro being attacked by ducks... That goal has been fulfilled.

[58diamondqueen]

Vansen kind of expected to find Hawkes in the park. What she did not expect were the fucking ducks.

And sure, she could rescue him, but right now, she's just going to stand back a couple yards, fold her arms over her chest, and watch. Come on, it's kind of hilarious, in a sad, confused puppy sort of way.

[monitorthebirds]

HAWKES DOES NOT FIND THIS HILARIOUS AT ALL. HE RAN AWAY FROM THE INVITRO ACADEMY BEFORE ANYONE TAUGHT HIM ABOUT DUCKS.

Thankfully, even with ducks attacking him and him frantically throwing bread at them like their tiny grenades made of dough, his situational awareness isn't shit, so he notices Vansen.

"Vansen!" he shouts, looking vaguely startled and slightly anxious. SHE IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE HIS SIX. HAVING HIS SIX INCLUDES PROTECTING HIM FROM PSYCHOTIC WATER FOWL.

[58diamondqueen]

This is about when Vansen has to stop and choke back a laugh. He just sounds almost on the verge of panic. Because of ducks.

"What do you expect me to do about it?" she calls, more than a hint of amusement in her tone. 'Cause... come on. DUCKS. ...which brings up the question of how he got attacked by rabid water fowl in the first place.