Fic: TW/B5 - Waiting
Title: Waiting
Author: weaselett
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Vague spoilers for Babylon 5 and for Torchwood seasons 1-2.
Word Count: 558
Summary: Zathras waits in a bar.
Author's Notes: Written for A Ficathon Walks Into A Bar - unbeta’d (if you spot any mistakes let me know).
Zathras was very good at waiting, provided he had a reason for waiting. But Zathras was thankful when the one for whom he been waiting arrived, human bars were very strange places.
"Zathras has been waiting for you." Zathras smiled happily at the young human, remembering what Zathras had told him. This human had been displaced in time, through almost no fault of his own. It was Zathras's job to see that he was returned to where he was meant to be.
"I'm sorry, but you must have the wrong person." The human was very polite, more so than many in Zathras' limited experience of humans. It was a nice change.
"No, Zathras has right person." Zathras tried another smile, it was best that the human didn't see Zathras as a threat. It would be very difficult to do what he had been told if the human decided not to trust him. "You are," Zathras hesitated, wanting to be sure that he said the human's name right, pronunciation was very important, "Ianto Jones."
The human stilled, clearly surprised. Zathras hoped it was a good surprised, not a bad surprised. Bad surprised always ended badly for Zathras.
"Zathras was sent to wait for you."
"You're Zathras?"
Zathras smiled, nodding encouragingly, pointing at himself, "Yes, Zathras."
The human glanced around the bar, clearly uneasy, through under the circumstances, Zathras thought it was a sensible reaction. "Who sent you?"
"Does not matter," Zathras made it clear that the human would infer a certain meaning from what Zathras said, provided Zathras said exactly what he was told to say, "he told Zathras to wait for you. Told Zathras to wait for 'Ianto Jones'."
The human straightened visibly, a good sign. "He told you to wait for me, specifically?"
Zathras nodded, "Yes, Zathras was told you would come, that Zathras needed to be here."
"You can send me home?" The human's voice was hopeful, at least if Zathras was understanding the human correctly. Best not to consider other possiblity.
"Yes, come with Zathras, Zathras will take you to machine." Zathras had said that Draal would know what needed to be done. Zathras was not certain what Zathras had meant, but it was best not to question. Zathras had studied the great machine, had known things beyond zathras' understanding.
"The machine?"
Humans questioned things much more than Zathras, it took them much longer to do things as a result. "Yes, machine. You must come with Zathras now."
The human hesitated again, watching Zathras warily, as through he expected Zathras to do something. Zathras did not think he would ever understand humans. It was a relief that once he had done as Zathras had told him, he would would not have to spend so much time around them as he had while waiting for this one.
"Ok." The human nodded finally, taking a final long drink from the glass that he was holding before standing up and moving away from the bar. Zathras saw it check inside it's overcoat for something, but he did not comment. If it made the human feel safe it was a good thing.
The human, 'Ianto Jones', was acquried, now all Zathras needed to do was get the human to Draal, then he could return to Zathras and help with the machine. There was always much work to be done.
Author: weaselett
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Vague spoilers for Babylon 5 and for Torchwood seasons 1-2.
Word Count: 558
Summary: Zathras waits in a bar.
Author's Notes: Written for A Ficathon Walks Into A Bar - unbeta’d (if you spot any mistakes let me know).
Zathras was very good at waiting, provided he had a reason for waiting. But Zathras was thankful when the one for whom he been waiting arrived, human bars were very strange places.
"Zathras has been waiting for you." Zathras smiled happily at the young human, remembering what Zathras had told him. This human had been displaced in time, through almost no fault of his own. It was Zathras's job to see that he was returned to where he was meant to be.
"I'm sorry, but you must have the wrong person." The human was very polite, more so than many in Zathras' limited experience of humans. It was a nice change.
"No, Zathras has right person." Zathras tried another smile, it was best that the human didn't see Zathras as a threat. It would be very difficult to do what he had been told if the human decided not to trust him. "You are," Zathras hesitated, wanting to be sure that he said the human's name right, pronunciation was very important, "Ianto Jones."
The human stilled, clearly surprised. Zathras hoped it was a good surprised, not a bad surprised. Bad surprised always ended badly for Zathras.
"Zathras was sent to wait for you."
"You're Zathras?"
Zathras smiled, nodding encouragingly, pointing at himself, "Yes, Zathras."
The human glanced around the bar, clearly uneasy, through under the circumstances, Zathras thought it was a sensible reaction. "Who sent you?"
"Does not matter," Zathras made it clear that the human would infer a certain meaning from what Zathras said, provided Zathras said exactly what he was told to say, "he told Zathras to wait for you. Told Zathras to wait for 'Ianto Jones'."
The human straightened visibly, a good sign. "He told you to wait for me, specifically?"
Zathras nodded, "Yes, Zathras was told you would come, that Zathras needed to be here."
"You can send me home?" The human's voice was hopeful, at least if Zathras was understanding the human correctly. Best not to consider other possiblity.
"Yes, come with Zathras, Zathras will take you to machine." Zathras had said that Draal would know what needed to be done. Zathras was not certain what Zathras had meant, but it was best not to question. Zathras had studied the great machine, had known things beyond zathras' understanding.
"The machine?"
Humans questioned things much more than Zathras, it took them much longer to do things as a result. "Yes, machine. You must come with Zathras now."
The human hesitated again, watching Zathras warily, as through he expected Zathras to do something. Zathras did not think he would ever understand humans. It was a relief that once he had done as Zathras had told him, he would would not have to spend so much time around them as he had while waiting for this one.
"Ok." The human nodded finally, taking a final long drink from the glass that he was holding before standing up and moving away from the bar. Zathras saw it check inside it's overcoat for something, but he did not comment. If it made the human feel safe it was a good thing.
The human, 'Ianto Jones', was acquried, now all Zathras needed to do was get the human to Draal, then he could return to Zathras and help with the machine. There was always much work to be done.