(Untitled)

[dr_robchase]

There were a couple of problematic things involved in taking care of a mate's kangaroo. For one, the mate in question just up and vanished like so many other people. For another, it wasn't like he actually embodied every stereotype necessary on Australians and so when he made it outside to actually try and control the thing, he wound up with the

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[polly_okeefe]

I was wandering around the pathways when I came upon the Doctor's partner and the kangaroo, and for a moment I stared. I couldn't help it. I hadn't seen this scene outside of a circus.

I cautiously stepped forward. I'd never really talked with Dr. Chase; I only really knew him through the Doctor, but he seemed a nice enough person. Which is maybe why I was worried.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked. "I'm told they pack quite a kick."

[dr_robchase]

"Yeah, I definitely know," Chase said ruefully, and he was pretty sure the bruise would be able to do its talking for him in a matter of days when it was a lovely blue and purple. He gritted his teeth and tried to figure out if he could just rope the damn thing to the ground. "This is what I get for trying to be a good friend."

[polly_okeefe]

I looked from Dr. Chase, to the kangaroo, and back again. This put a different complexion on things. "Wait a minute, you're dealing with a pet? Who on Earth _owned_ a kangaroo?"

[dr_robchase]

"Kirk Lazarus," Chase replied, still eyeing the kangaroo as if it was about to attack or do something else that was potentially dangerous. "He was the sole other Australian around these parts." And because of that, Chase felt indebted or something. "Now he's gone and Tugg Rooman...I did not name him...is all mine."

[coffee_sir]

It wasn't a sight one saw every day, that was for certain. Though, considering the fact that the kangaroo was in front of the Doctor's treehouse, perhaps Ianto should have expected the out of the ordinary. Thankfully without Banon or any of the puppies, Ianto meandered over, taking care to keep out of the animal's range.

"What exactly are you trying to do with that?" he asked, keeping his face mostly straight. Mostly.

[dr_robchase]

Chase glanced over his shoulder and the first thing he did was offer Ianto the hint of a wry grin, one that said he knew exactly how stupid he must look. "Housetraining a kangaroo isn't exactly on the list of things sane people do, is it?" he muttered ruefully.

[coffee_sir]

"I wouldn't say so, no," Ianto agreed, now letting his own amusement start to peak through. "Just the idea of it points to an imbalance. Which isn't to say it can't be done," he added. "Where'd you get it?"

[dr_robchase]

"Kirk Lazarus," Chase responded, still keeping his eyes on the kangaroo, tracking its every movement just in the event it decided to do something nefarious like lunge and attack again. Desperately, he glanced up at Ianto. "Do you know how to train a kangaroo?"

[waltsnothereman]

"Oh, ow," Wanda remarked from what she felt was a safe distance when she ran across one of the local doctors going to town with one of the local... kangaroos. That couldn't possibly be any fun, but she made no attempt to disguise her amusement at being just a passerby.

"Maybe you could try getting him a harness or something?" she offered, both friendly and knowing that it was most likely entirely unhelpful.

[dr_robchase]

Chase was still rubbing at the spot where he had taken the kick when he heard the advice, glancing over to offer a rueful smile. "I'm not sure we have someone here who specializes in kangaroo harnesses. Although that's probably a better idea than the one I had that involved a lot of sedatives."

[waltsnothereman]

"Just like a doctor, always wanting to medicate a problem," Wanda teased lightly, crossing her arms. "All the random artisans and whatnot kicking around here, I'm sure you could probably find someone who could rig something up for you." All this was, of course, just dancing around the issue of why the man was in possession of a kangaroo in the first place, but people had wound up with stranger things around here.

[dr_robchase]

Chase couldn't help a slight grin at that. "Well, if that's supposed to be anything other than a compliment, I'm totally taking it as a good thing," he said dryly, glancing at the kangaroo and taking a long look to see if he was supposed to pet it or maybe make things soothing. "What about you? You have any talent in forming large cages?"

[whats_insideyou]

"You have got to be joking," she muttered flatly, watching from a bit of distance as her doctor tried to subdue what could only be a kangaroo.

"Where did that even come from?"

She did not visit him often, and stumbling upon him then had been purely coincidental. Good timing on her part, she was rarely so lucky.

[dr_robchase]

"Friend," Chase replied evenly. "Vanished fellow-Australian, possibly-mad, absolutely-bonkers, will-be-missed friend. He probably had all the tips a person needs on how to corral a wild kangaroo that doesn't appreciate being told that it can't just have the run of the house. Or hut. Or treehouse, as it is."

[whats_insideyou]

"You could always just let it out into the wild," she said just as flatly as before, but there was a bit of amusement and even playfulness hidden in her voice. "Claim it was an accident, no one would ever be the wiser."

[dr_robchase]

"Yeah, but there's a part of me that actually likes having the thing around," Chase admitted, hating to say it and not wanting to utter the words too loud. He flashed Sarah a sheepish look and shrugged. "It's...weird, but it's like some kind of connection back to a home I haven't seen in over a decade. Which sounds pretty sentimental now that I talk about it."