may your days be merry and bright

[tenuefarfalla]

WHO: um... everybody

Comments

[guns_and_coffee]

Ianto had considered asking Jack if he'd want to--

Yeah. No. Terrible idea.

He arrived at Cho's alone, then, wearing a seasonally appropriate cheerful smile, and wandered towards the tree he'd brought her to see how she'd decorated it.

[guns_and_coffee]

"Something like that. It doesn't make any more sense to me than it does to you, and I feel confident in saying that I have much more experience with this type of thing. How long have you been here?" Some time after the town hall meeting, he would guess, though it was possible that she had been completely uninterested in her future and that all of the known worldwalkers had been completely uninterested in her.

Or scared of her.

Or angry with her.

All right, he didn't actually have any dependable evidence with which to approximate a time period of arrival.

[maybeunorthadox]

So no one knew what the fuck was going on.

Super.

"Friday last," Grace chirped with a brief glance around the room. "Met a guy called Jack. Kind of cocky, like a boy who never grew out of that college fraternity phase, but I guess he gets credit for giving me such an enthusiastic welcome."

She tapped a finger against her arm. "Which makes you the second person I've formally introduced myself to."

[guns_and_coffee]

"In a week, really? That's a bit antisocial of you. Or is that how long Jack's enthusiastic welcome lasted?" Ianto sounded, if anything, completely bored by this piece of information. He was not; the feeling was actually more akin to being kicked in the gut. Friday was two days before Jack had come to him, yes, but somehow that didn't make this feel any better. Possibly because he didn't believe that Jack wouldn't also be perfectly willing to fuck her right now. And Bret. And anyone else who was moderately attractive and willing. And Ianto wasn't surprised by that, because he wasn't an idiot, but he still felt betrayed. Irrationally so. It was 1941 all over again, and why had ever thought he was that special? Grow up.

[maybeunorthadox]

"I don't like people." And it was as simple as that.

Oh.

Okay then. Sensitive subject.

"That's a little far fetched," she shot back, a little surprised by his sudden change in demeanor but not at all put-out. "What, do you think we gallivanted around Rowan for a week picking daisies?" That was one way to put it. Grace frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking his expression. "Boyfriend troubles?"

[guns_and_coffee]

Ianto refused to be provoked. "Hardly." So Grace could read subtle shifts in tone and facial expressions. Wasn't that just wonderful. "It's winter, if you hadn't noticed. Daisy picking would be an exercise in futility. Though it seems Rowan does share its plant life with Earth, so give it a go in a few months if you like. Perhaps we can get you a string orchestra and some frolicking puppies." He needed to change the subject. He didn't want to be talking about anything even tangentially related to Jack, not with Grace around.

[maybeunorthadox]

Well someone was fiery.

"Don't go getting your panties in a twist 99," she quipped, caught between amused and so not. "I don't care about your relationship woes, trust me, I don't. If you want to get all bleeding heart and crack the sads, go ahead, but don't go tucking your wee tail between your legs when people start asking questions. It's gonna happen and it's gonna happen a lot. The human race sees misery as that mini-meal between breakfast and lunch. It's delicious."

And then she hesitated, eyes narrowed. "What kind of string orchestra?"

[guns_and_coffee]

And now Ianto was actually actively annoyed. Like he actually need her to tell him how things were. Like he was reacting badly to the news at all. Tucking his tail between his legs? For fuck's sake, he'd barely even twitched. It was as if having a reaction at all meant he was going into Gwen-level histrionics.

"Oh, full string section out of a philharmonic," he said. "A chamber orchesta couldn't hope to capture the drama."

[maybeunorthadox]

And now he was pissed.

Which, incidentally, wasn't as satisfying as it could have been. But honestly? If there was something between him and Jack -- which she deducted there was, regardless of the little evidence or knowledge she had -- and he was fucking around with other people, this guy needed some hard truths. But if he wanted to be lead around the balls, alright. If he wanted to hide behind walls and be a coward, fine.

Fuck, who was she talking about now?

"I'll expect it on my doorstep, then," she huffed, arms crossed.

[guns_and_coffee]

"Doorstep? Don't get ahead of yourself. You don't get the orchestra or the puppies until you start frolicking through daisy fields with Jack."

With Jack.

Fuck.

All right, yeah, he really couldn't have this conversation right now. Not with someone this perceptive. And it was a shame, really, because he'd been having fun at one point.

"Let me know when that's scheduled, and I'll make the arrangements," he continued. "In the meantime, do enjoy the party." A smile so fake that anyone would recognize it as such, and then he brushed past her into the crowd.