If there's one thing that's been a pleasant surprise about the damned island, it's that the drink is both available and, in the grander scheme of things, fairly acceptable
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Juliet had been meaning to give this place a look since she'd spoken to Ianto, but somehow she just hadn't found the time. Which is a bit odd considering she has absolutely no obligations to speak of. But she's been filling her days as best she can and the idea of drowning her sorrows at the pub hadn't seemed particularly appealing. If she'd known she would find Tessa here, looking very much like a fixture at the bar, she likely would have come a good deal sooner. Not that she actually enjoys spending time with Tessa. It's more that it's comforting to see a familiar face from time to time. Even hers.
She doesn't bother to smile, knowing the gesture won't be appreciated. "Come here often?"
"Whenever possible." Tessa smiles wryly, not bothering to look up. She ought to have expected Juliet would turn up at some point; she's only surprised it wasn't sooner, what with one thing and another.
"Old spooks don't die, they just throw the top of the bottle away. Do feel free to sit down, incidentally."
It's halfway familiar company of some sort, after all, and having someone to play off against would at least be a change. There's a rhythm they seem to fall into, and she doesn't have to be fond of Juliet to half enjoy that.
She ignores the sarcasm in favor of taking a more detailed account of the place, impressed once again by the level of organization and resourcefulness of her fellow residents. They've managed to create something resembling civilization here, despite the circumstances. It gives her hope that she can continue to find ways to make peace with this life. That she won't eventually end up spending her days drowning herself in a bottle
( ... )
"I've survived worse." She turns to look at Juliet, then, one eyebrow cocked, and smiles unpleasantly. "And considering that I can answer that question in three words or fewer, I don't know how much information even you could pull out of it."
Absently, one fingertip traces a small circle in the condensation.
"Not at all," Ianto replied, moving down the bar to fill the request.
Ianto was not in the habit of judging the people who came into the Hub. That would take away from his amusement at watching them. There had always been something to do back home, for the most part, but he had still managed to pick up the habit of people watching in those days and had not dropped it on the island. But while he didn't judge, he did notice. He noticed Tessa to the point that he worried boredom was catching.
"So how have you been settling in?" he asked as he freshened her drink. Not everyone liked a chatty bartender, but it never hurt to test the waters.
"I'm drinking in the middle of the afternoon." Tessa gives him what she'd once heard referred to as an 'old-fashioned look.' "I suppose you could take that as indicative."
She sighs heavily and takes a long sip of her drink. The fact that it's more or less a traditional end for people like them -- endless gin in a bar somewhere hot -- doesn't make it any more bearable, or more entertaining.
"I understand the vast majority of this lot settle into it after a while. Forgive me if I can't begin to understand that."
“Give it time,” Ianto advised with a slight roll of his shoulders. The thing of it was, he understood how she felt. Not the boredom necessarily, but the strangeness of it, and the inability to accept it. This wasn’t the life she had been living or the life she had chosen. And perhaps it never would be. But saying the opposite of that could help at times, if only a little.
“You’ll find something else to do with your afternoons. Or the island’ll find something for you. That last part, at least, never fails.”
"Thank you," Tessa says dryly, and lifts the glass after he's filled it, cradling it between her hands and letting the condensation drip down her palms.
She watches the rather-too-attractive young man behind the bar as he goes about his business, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I don't suppose you've any idea how it is the alleged normal people occupy themselves around here."
Comments 9
Juliet had been meaning to give this place a look since she'd spoken to Ianto, but somehow she just hadn't found the time. Which is a bit odd considering she has absolutely no obligations to speak of. But she's been filling her days as best she can and the idea of drowning her sorrows at the pub hadn't seemed particularly appealing. If she'd known she would find Tessa here, looking very much like a fixture at the bar, she likely would have come a good deal sooner. Not that she actually enjoys spending time with Tessa. It's more that it's comforting to see a familiar face from time to time. Even hers.
She doesn't bother to smile, knowing the gesture won't be appreciated. "Come here often?"
Reply
"Old spooks don't die, they just throw the top of the bottle away. Do feel free to sit down, incidentally."
It's halfway familiar company of some sort, after all, and having someone to play off against would at least be a change. There's a rhythm they seem to fall into, and she doesn't have to be fond of Juliet to half enjoy that.
Reply
Reply
Absently, one fingertip traces a small circle in the condensation.
"Bored to tears."
Reply
Ianto was not in the habit of judging the people who came into the Hub. That would take away from his amusement at watching them. There had always been something to do back home, for the most part, but he had still managed to pick up the habit of people watching in those days and had not dropped it on the island. But while he didn't judge, he did notice. He noticed Tessa to the point that he worried boredom was catching.
"So how have you been settling in?" he asked as he freshened her drink. Not everyone liked a chatty bartender, but it never hurt to test the waters.
Reply
She sighs heavily and takes a long sip of her drink. The fact that it's more or less a traditional end for people like them -- endless gin in a bar somewhere hot -- doesn't make it any more bearable, or more entertaining.
"I understand the vast majority of this lot settle into it after a while. Forgive me if I can't begin to understand that."
Reply
“You’ll find something else to do with your afternoons. Or the island’ll find something for you. That last part, at least, never fails.”
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
She watches the rather-too-attractive young man behind the bar as he goes about his business, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I don't suppose you've any idea how it is the alleged normal people occupy themselves around here."
Reply
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