InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "How about scaring it? ... BOO!"

Dr John H. Watson. (psychosomatic) wrote in expresslogs,
@ 2012-06-01 22:00:00

Entry tags:

!open, {john watson, {mandy slade

Who? John Watson & OPEN
Where? Sex shop.
When? Friday, late afternoon.
What? John's picking up a few... essentials?
Rating. It's a sex shop. Highly inappropriate? Hilarity overload?

Well, thank fuck Dino Land was over; running low on supplies in the middle of prehistoria was not John's idea of a good time. When the alarms had started going, he'd had to run for it. Fifteen minutes never seemed like such a short space of time - he'd made it back with less than a minute to spare, dashing up and down the train until he'd collided with Sherlock, clinging to him and laughing as the train started to move again. "Retrieval? 221b, here we come?" had been John's initial assumption, and admittedly... there had been a little bubble of excitement. Maybe it would work out, maybe they'd get sent back, maybe they'd remember it all and grow old together in Baker Street with a spare room... he didn't even have time for the negative possibilities to slip in before they'd arrived at their next stop. Distinctly not 221b, but nothing too shabby, either. A resort, of some kind.

They'd grabbed a few things, and headed off to check it out. They'd selected a beautiful room, one that almost put their stay at the Plaza to shame, with another bed that just begged for sex. Well, maybe it wasn't home, but he was sure they could get quite comfortable there. Pretty much everything was catered for, they'd been given a lot of new clothes, and for some reason they both seemed to have a great deal of 'credits' to spend on extras. Still, despite it being as close to perfect as was possible, John knew what Sherlock was like. It was too peaceful, it was too easy and calm... he was going to get bored, and when Sherlock was bored, he was an absolute pain in the arse.

At some point they'd split up to do a bit of exploring and shopping. John knew that he was probably going to spend most of his credits on medical supplies, but he did feel that it wouldn't be entirely selfish to spend a little on himself as well. Plus, he did have one good idea how to keep Sherlock occupied, and it was apparently something the resort was happy to help him along with.

So, Friday afternoon found John browsing what was on offer in the resorts more adult shop. Condoms weren't an issue, lube was an obvious essential, but it was handcuffs that were really taking his fancy. He'd done all right with the belt last time, but they had left his partner's wrists in a hell of a state for days afterwards, and although he apparently enjoyed being marked, John did end up feeling a bit of guilt over it. Handcuffs, though - he would still be marked, but it would be less of a burn. And he was sure he could leave him in handcuffs for longer without worrying about his circulation and all of those boring things. Would they be strong enough though? He clipped them closed, and gave them a good tug. They seemed pretty sturdy.

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divine_miss
2012-06-05 01:40 pm UTC (link)

Of course smokes had been at the very top of Mandy's shopping list. Then clothes and cosmetics--the people of the train seemed to have gathered a fair bit themselves, but having more options when playing dress up would help keep her distracted.

Speaking of distractions, there was one other shop Mandy knew she had to pop in to if just to see what new ways people had found for getting off since the seventies. In another life, she would have stocked up on rubbers, had a giggle at most the rest, maybe picked up a blindfold or something. But now...something inside her had kept balking whenever she'd thought of really chatting up one of the blokes on the train. Even if so few of them did themselves up proper, it was hard not to see something of Brian in them--the angle of their jaw, the way their lips turned up--her mind kept finding little pieces of him in them. The girls, too, though not nearly so much.

So now, she was thinking of just herself. She was trying to get used to that--not putting Brian and his life ahead of her own. It was harder than she would have cared to admit. But she figured any step in that direction was a good one, even if she was still wearing the damn ring. So here she was, eyeing the battery operated things with a quiet, almost sad little smirk touching her face now and then, when she noticed a man out of the corner of her eye. She vaguely recognised him from the train. Couldn't have come up with a name to match the face to save her life, though. Her curiosity got the better of her when she saw the cuffs--a bit ordinary for her own tastes, but to each their own--and couldn't help wondering which of the passengers they were meant for. She wandered closer, making as if to check out the leather cuffs nearby.

"Never could get into handcuffs," she said, musingly. "Always a bit too worried about losing the key to enjoy them properly."

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psychosomatic
2012-06-06 09:56 pm UTC (link)

John had been so lost in his (frankly filthy) thoughts that he hadn't noticed anyone approaching, so when Mandy spoke to him, he panicked slightly. He almost dropped the cuffs, catching them again a little awkwardly; he could feel himself turning rather red with embarrassment. He did manage to laugh it off, turning to her with a sort of guilty smile.

"Err, hello!" he chuckled; for goodness sakes, he was thirty-eight, and getting all flustered because he'd been caught looking at handcuffs. And it certainly didn't seem like the woman was judgemental or anything. Calm down, John. He cleared his throat, relaxing a little again. He didn't really recognise her; perhaps she was quite new, the train had gone a bit passenger-crazy recently.

He wanted to respond in some light-hearted way, but everything that was going through his head was either verging on creepy or entirely too much information. "Maybe the risk is part of the attraction," he admitted eventually. There, that wasn't too bad at all.

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divine_miss
2012-06-08 08:27 am UTC (link)

Mandy laughed warmly. "Perhaps, for some." She ran her finger along the linking chain between two leather cuffs, wishing she could clearly remember any number of people besides Brian as she did. Conversation, that would do it.

"First time in a place like this?" she said, keeping her tone light and most of the amusement kept in check. She knew she must have been like that, at some point she could no longer clearly remember. And at least he wasn't making for the door, something she'd seen a fair number of men and women do in her own time, scared that someone might have seen or heard a bit too much and would get violent or some other rotten nonsense.

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psychosomatic
2012-06-08 07:16 pm UTC (link)

"In some kind of sentient, other-world train resort? Yeah!" he joked, trying to make light of the situation. It was really the best he could do now; there was no point in making a big deal out of it or anything. That would just be stranger than anything else. And what did he have to be ashamed of, anyway? It was hardly the most unusual thing.

He smiled, giving his head a shake. "Yeah, I suppose. Always seemed a bit seedy back home. And I suppose I never really had a reason," he explained. John certainly had more than his fair share of notches on his bedpost, but honestly it had all been quite vanilla before Sherlock. Perhaps he just felt more comfortable, now- it was different, actually loving his partner for once.

"I'm John, by the way. New victim?"

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divine_miss
2012-06-08 11:56 pm UTC (link)

Mandy laughed, surprisingly bright. "Right,got me there. First me as well, then." And, oh, wasn't that novel? Been quite awhile since she could say something was a first, until the train. "Much more familiar with the ordinary kind, though. Well, for a given value of ordinary, I suppose."

She dropped the leather cuffs with a mischievous smile. "Mandy, delighted to meet you, John. And yes, been here--not quite two weeks? Yourself?" She supposed he must have been here a deal longer, from the way he'd referred to her.

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psychosomatic
2012-06-09 05:52 am UTC (link)

"I must be making an excellent first impression!" he joked, holding up the cuffs for a moment before deciding to put them down, rather than just hold onto them awkwardly for the rest of the conversation. He moved along a little, half-browsing as he spoke - he felt more and more ordinary by the second. He didn't know what half of the stuff was meant to be used for, honestly.

"Umm... about five months now," he told her; it was as close a guess as he could offer her, time tended to have very little meaning on the train. "Which can't be reassuring at all. Have you been getting on okay, all things considered?" he asked, not really sure how well things could go on a time-travelling train, but some people seemed to have it better than others.

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divine_miss
2012-06-09 08:02 am UTC (link)

Mandy giggled. "Oh dahling, believe me, you're doing just splendidly. I have had much worst first meetings, let me tell you." She thought of Curt, slumped against a wall barely concious. Her heart ached a bit, remembering how she'd laughed at him. "Although to be fair more of those involved any number of conciousness altering substances."

She shrugged, eyeing the merchandise as she walked along. Oh, humans could be so wonderfully creative when they wanted to be. "All right, I suppose. I mean, home's not terribly exciting or enjoyable at the moment, so a break is quite welcome. Obviously I would have preferred to have some kind of notice, but," a helpless wave. "Now that I'm relatively certain this isn't some incredibly intense trip, I think I'm buggering on all right."

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psychosomatic
2012-06-10 08:19 pm UTC (link)

John couldn't help but smile; she had a very warm, appealing personality. Instantly likeable, although he imagined that she could probably be slightly intimidating under the right circumstances. If it hadn't been for Sherlock, he definitely would have been flirting by now.

"Well, now, I don't have that excuse," he sighed. Not that he ever had done drugs, and if he did, he was sure the result would be a million times worse than browsing a sex shop. He picked up another object, staring at it for a moment or two as he tried to work out what exactly it was for. He dropped it again, moving along, observing a selection of whips. Probably too reminiscent of Ms Adler to be bothering with. Then he was into the territory of gags and nipple clamps and as much as Sherlock enjoyed it rough, this was perhaps too rough. He'd yet to figure out the boundaries.

He nodded along as Mandy spoke, understanding the conflicting feelings - you weren't supposed to enjoy being kidnapped by a time-travelling train, but as things went, it wasn't terrible. "I know what you mean. And this is pretty nice as stops go. I guess everyone's all paranoid. Don't see the point, myself," he explained. He was going to enjoy the holiday until he was given a definitive reason not to.

"Where's home?" he asked, conversationally. Her accent was rather difficult to place.

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divine_miss
2012-06-10 10:50 pm UTC (link)

Well, at least she could still bring people 'round well enough, and without the name or prestige to help it all along. Maybe she would be able to make a go of it all again--whatever that wound up being.

"I suppose I'm not as worried as all you lot since I haven't been around nearly as long," she said with a twisted smirk. "Probably jixing myself saying that."

She sighed, running a finger along the handle of a small paddle, resisting the urge to test its weight in her hand as she no longer had a use for such a thing. Picking up his question, she sighed, "Been living in London for seven years," She let the accent fall totally, then, "but I'm from Rhode Island originally."

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psychosomatic
2012-06-12 08:31 pm UTC (link)

John gave her a mischievous grin and a shrug. "Mm, beware, you may be it's next victim!" he teased with a fake look of horror.

"I've still to figure out what behaviour it rewards and what it punishes. The train does seem to like me, though. I've been given two presents from home already- well, three if you count my partner actually!" he explained. It was strange; some people received nothing, and John seemed to... be almost taken care of by the train. Hell, it had even sent Moriarty home again after John had punched him one. Even the nasty parts seemed to always have some kind of moral lesson behind them.

"Ah, good old London town," he smiled. "Home sweet home for me as well," he explained, although his accent had probably given that much away. It seemed further out of reach every day, but he was finding that he minded less and less every day, as well.

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divine_miss
2012-06-12 08:58 pm UTC (link)

Mandy giggled, shaking her head. "Well, it will have to be quite creative if it wants to screw with me more than life back home already has. And maybe it's just waiting to spring something dasterdly on you to make up for all that kindness."

She smirked a bit at the word 'partner'. "Oh? You're lucky then. I've run into a few already who've got...someone back home." She tried telling herself, whenever this came up, that she had Curt still. That even if he was just a friend, that was important. But...she shoved her left hand in her pocket, wondering once more why she still kept the damn ring.

The thought of London actually made her heart twist a little. "Yes, I've always been quite fond of it. Not sure how much longer I'll be staying though--if and when the train pops me back, that is."

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psychosomatic
2012-06-12 09:35 pm UTC (link)

"Mm, that's what I thought, too," he admitted, still smiling despite the sombre truth behind it. Then again, he supposed his worst experience on the train so far had actually been caused by another passenger, rather than by the train itself. "Creativity is something it has in abundance. No doubt it's about to rain down hell on me," he agreed with a soft laugh. If he gave it a chance, that was. He wasn't entirely sure he was going to bother getting back on board again.

At the word 'lucky', John gave her an almost dreamy smile. God, he made himself sick sometimes. "Yes, I am. I think I would have lost the plot by now without him," he admitted, rather too honestly. Sherlock made anywhere feel like home. Sometimes, the train felt more like home than London did, ironically enough. "I don't know how some people are coping. Some things I never even think about - the passengers with kids back home, for example, it never even-" he stopped short, realising he could well be making a horrible faux-pas. Perhaps she had a family waiting for her. "Oh, God, sorry- do you- sorry, I'm being terribly insensitive," he apologised. "Like I say - some things just don't cross my mind!"

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divine_miss
2012-06-12 09:52 pm UTC (link)

Him? Well, things must have been progressing in some way, if John was able to so freely admit he was shopping for a him in a shop like this that actually had a proper storefront and all. She almost smiled at that.

A little sound that might have been an attempt at laughter escaped her mouth when he mentioned people back home. "No worries there. I ah...haven't had someone waiting for me in quite some time. Actually," this time she did laugh, shortly. "Always seemed to be the other way 'round. Used to being the one doing the waiting."

She forced a smile,

"I'm quite glad for you and your...fellow, though, and I do hope that blasted train doesn't put you through too much hell." She'd say the same for herself, but really, she'd probably just laugh at anything it threw at her at this point.

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psychosomatic
2012-06-13 11:43 am UTC (link)

John nodded along, a hint of sadness in his expression.

"Ah, I see," he responded softly. And he did. He knew that feeling far too well. With Sherlock here with him, he very much doubted anyone back home would miss him if he never returned. Mrs Hudson, perhaps, but she was just another person he never would have known without his partner. He'd been one of the only soldiers who didn't receive regular letters, who had no reason to skype or email... the times he'd walked off the plane, he hadn't ran into anyone's arms. The time he'd been carried off, that much was even more evident. Oh, but that was all in the past. And here he was, standing in the middle of a sex shop, looking as if someone had just trampled all over his heart.

He forced a smile in return. He hadn't meant things to take such a personal turn.

"Ah, well. It can try! It hasn't broken us yet, and well, there's always a way to distract yourself-" he joked, holding up a particularly painful looking device as an example. He glanced over at what he'd chosen, and couldn't help but laugh. "Hmm. Maybe save that one for a particularly bad spell," he teased, placing it down again.

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divine_miss
2012-06-14 01:22 am UTC (link)

Mandy heard the sadness in his voice and waved it off, a gesture of 'it's all right', even though it really wasn't. Then she laughed, shaking her head at the toy John held in his hand.

"Definitely not my preferred method." She wouldn't mention that, anymore, her preferred method had been various types of intoxication. "Of course, we've all got different...tastes."

A little bit of sadness slipped into her gaze then, but she shook it away with another bright grin. "I should leave you to finding the perfect thing for your man. Do be careful," There was something in those three words that spoke of more than sex, of what the train or people could do to each other that wouldn't heal with lotions, but she tried not to think about it too much.

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psychosomatic
2012-06-14 11:10 pm UTC (link)

"Apparently so!" he responded; he was certainly getting more adventurous in the bedroom these days, but there was still a lot of 'tastes' he wasn't sure he'd ever understand. Honestly, sex had been his preferred method of distraction for some time. It tended to be the recreational activity of most of the army lads (although not with each other, that point should be clear!) and since John had never taken recreational drugs, and he wasn't a big drinker (given his sister's problems with alcohol) he had been perhaps one of the more... active of the group. It was different now, though. It was completely different.

He just caught the hint of sadness and no more, but if he brought it up he was just going to end up laying his own baggage on the table as well, and really, a sex-shop wasn't exactly the place to begin some sort of weird therapy session with a woman he'd just met. Like a typical Brit, he was glad when the smile was back in place, covering up any potentially awkward situation.

"All right, well it was lovely meeting you, Mandy. I'm sure I'll see you again," he told her, giving her a polite nod. "I will, and you take care, too," he replied, pretending that he didn't hear anything more in her words than the face value.

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