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Ianto Jones | Torchwood (inasuit) wrote in parabolical,
@ 2009-02-05 13:10:00

Entry tags:

ianto jones, suzie costello

Who: Ianto Jones and Suzie Costello
What: Arriving
Where: Random street near shops
When: Evening
Rating: G
Status: Ongoing

The street Ianto found himself in wasn't, by any stretch of the imagination, the worst place he'd stepped into. In fact, on a cursory glance, it seemed an improvement on his previous locale.

Moments ago they'd been approaching the entrance of a sewer, the air stained with the pungent smell of rotten fruit, oil and failing filter conditions. 'They' being Ianto and the Weevil he'd been chasing in this case, since he had once again been roped into Weevil hunting (and not the good sort) on his own, and why the hell did the scavengers always have to head toward the sewers. Not that he was surprised - he'd only been trailing this one for a few minutes, but if there was one thing all the aliens who had plagued Cardiff through the years had in common, it would be their tendency to end up in one particular place, meaning: in the worst possible location which normally involved the maximum exposure to sewer muck, leading him into the dark, in the best position to lunge at him with the extra flavour of 'last second' which resulted in yet another close shave and impossibly ruined suit.

Things hadn't got that far, and now, with any luck, he was just in a different city because of the whims of the Rift, and not on another planet where cannibalism or something was the latest craze. Yeah, that would be the Jones luck striking, he thought to himself, a crease immediately appearing between his eyes.

Picking up an abandoned newspaper from the pavement, he held it up a moment while he managed to find the date. "Right..." he said slowly, jaw jutted slightly as he turned to survey the street, letting the paper fall into a nearby bin. There was nothing in the universe that couldn't be dealt with, and this wasn't even the strangest thing that had happened to him. No, there was nothing that should feel abnormal about this, he reasoned, ignoring the apprehensive feeling that had lodged something fist-sized in his throat.

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notstopfordeath
2009-02-05 09:09 am UTC (link)

Fate was a funny thing. Fate it seemed had sent Suzie Costello out for a litre of milk right at the appropriate time to hear the Welsh accent she knew well and to turn a corner just in time to see the paper fall into the bin.

She probobly should have been more serious around this particular newcomer, more wary, but all she could think of was that Jack was going to love this. And it was another for the Hub. Their teaboy. Oh yes. This would definitely proove interesting. And so she couldn't help the grin that crossed her lips.

"Ianto Jones" she asked, knowing this city sometimes produced lookalikes, But two Welshmen. It seemed a little far fetched even for LA. The telling thing, she supposed would be if he pulled a gun on her.

"Suppose you could say its been a while"

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inasuit
2009-02-05 10:05 am UTC (link)

More cautious at hearing his name in an unfamiliar city than the voice it was said with, Ianto's fingers instinctually ghosted over his hip to where his gun was stuffed into his belt. At the same time, a glance over his shoulder to see where it had come from showed him, more accurately, who it had come from.

If there was supposed to be some higher meaning that the first person he'd found, or rather, had found him, was this particular figment from his past, it was currently lost on him in his surprise. Still, under the circumstances in which they'd last seen each other, he wasn't inclined to make this the typical happy reunion

"Okay, I'll admit. This one has me stumped," he murmured, turning around to face Suzie fully. Seeing her standing there, talking vividly, made the impulse to ask her if she was still dead seem pointless. Either she was alive again - or at least in a state of living death, because being shot had never stopped Owen - or he was dead too, in which case the wariness to coldcock her with his gun until he could find Jack was the least of his problems.

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notstopfordeath
2009-02-05 10:15 am UTC (link)

Honestly, the calm response that was just so very Ianto only served to amuse her more. She took a few paces forward as she answered his question, ready to go for her gun if she needed to but sort of hoping she wouldn't. Much as Owen and Ianto had bickered he might be annoyed with her if she shot him, Jack definitely would be. Not that she much cared of Jack's opinion of her anymore but she did sort of care for Owen's.

"Yes that was my reaction too. Welcome to 2006 LA. I'm not sure how beyond we're supposed to fight some sort of battle between good and evil. And so you don't have to ask later. I'm not dead. Heartbeat, brain function all of it. And I don't know why. Now can we be civil or are you going to go for that gun."

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inasuit
2009-02-05 11:14 am UTC (link)

Listening to her explanation of where and when he was, made Ianto feel more grounded, and he took a second to absorb the news about a battle and her current state. He didn't know when the idea of something like that had become normal for him, but it was somewhat reassuring that she was alive, and not the alternative he'd imagined for himself.

He paused while he considered her truce, but soon relaxed his hand from his hip and held it up in an amiable gesture, accepting that if she was willing to be civil, then he would be too. Really, he'd had no personal grudge against her back in Cardiff. Hadn't really known her, and he'd missed what had been happening to her because of his obsession with his own secrets. He'd hidden himself from the others too, and the fact that it was all behind him now didn't excuse him back then. He was in no position to behave like he had more right to be alive than she did.

"So who are 'we'?" he asked, not stepping forward, but not backing away either. "If there's a fight, it helps to know the sides." He had no intention of sparring with anyone at that point unless he was pushed into it, but it would be better to get a grasp about the place, and more importantly, those in it.

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notstopfordeath
2009-02-05 11:28 am UTC (link)

She approved of Ianto, probobly bar Owen had more respect for him than any of the others. He was the one that just got on with things, just dealt with problems as they arose. Unflappable in her experiance and she had seen nothing to change that here.

"We...as far as you and I are concerned are as ever Torchwood. Owen is here" she said simply, pausing a few moments "...and Jack. For whatever reason the Hub is too. And thats where we are. Fighting some kind of good fight. Doing what we always do I suppose. The strange thing is the rest. Vampires and Demons, Even bloody Jedi and Superheroes from TV. Its a very strange city even by our standards. Good vs Evil. And us...I don't know, somewhere in between."

She let him process the information for a few moments, she had just pretty much delivered the LA is crazier than Cardiff sum up and done it with her usual style if she did say so herself. If he was alright with all this it would only confirm her Ianto is unflappable theory.

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inasuit
2009-02-05 04:03 pm UTC (link)

It was either relief, or the impossibility of it, but he found himself mildly amused that Owen had managed once more to keep on existing. Ianto made a mental note to buy him a drink once everything made sense again, if Owen could take it. Sounded like he deserved one. Ianto's mood took another sway toward relief when he heard Jack was there as well, but he swallowed down the lump in his throat when the hope that she'd say Tosh too went unanswered.

He slipped one hand into his pocket as he absorbed it all, although he doubted everything would kick in until he'd actually seen the others. Assuming that there was no Rift in the city, it didn't sound like its absence made a difference to the miscellany that turned up there. Pressing his lips together, the line of his mouth was thin at the concept of Torchwood being a buffer between unknown demons and superheroes. He pondered how the team were taking to that. Managing it, he trusted.

One thing for sure was that hearing the Hub was there shot down on impact any ideas of getting back to Cardiff, if that was even possible now. Wherever Torchwood was, he'd stay. He hadn't heard of buildings moving like that before. Temporal shifts where destroyed buildings reappeared, maybe, but just... moving. Well, if it could happen to people... Deciding to leave the logistic theories for later when he wasn't standing outside in the darkening evening with the threat of vampires and demons around, he took a step toward Suzie.

"Were you going somewhere, or can we walk and talk on the way back?"

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notstopfordeath
2009-02-05 04:29 pm UTC (link)

Owen had died...and now looking at Ianto she wondered who else they had lost, idly she hoped it was her replacement, she knew it was insane to be jealous, she had been dead. But even Owen had said many times how annoyed he had been that she was replaced so quickly. It had grated at him.

She doubted Ianto or Toshiko even noticed more than the empty workstation.

"I was going for milk actually. We've run out shouldn't take but a minute then we can head back together. I'm sure they'll be delighted, should I call ahead or do you want to do the showey entrance from the lift?"

She did sort of want to see Jack's expression, he probobly wouldn't bother to thank her. Not her, why would he. But Ianto seemed willing to work with her and she knew Owen was. Owen maybe even if she shot Jack in the head for kicks every once in a while. she set off walking a little ways toward the nearest store.

"All in all it takes a little getting used to. Talking to Superman or Batman that sort of thing. its not supposed to be normal I suppose and it does take you out of reality a little, then it just sort of becomes reality"

She paused, spotting the shop just ahead but remembering the other thing about LA. The things that hadn't left her thoughts since they had shown up. The topic of course close to her heart.

"Oh and there are something called Lazurus Pits, you climb into one and it'll heal any ailment. Could lead to immortaility theoreticly."

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inasuit
2009-02-07 11:34 am UTC (link)

"You don't need to call," he replied, not wanting to disturb them in case they were in the middle of something vital, and he was going to see them in a while anyway if all went to plan. He offered her the smallest of wry smiles, adding, "I'll just take the quiet way in; I can't pull off the showy entrance half as well as Jack."

He shoved both hands deep into his pockets, and hunched his shoulders against the cold air before following Suzie. The Lazarus Pits, however, had him tilting his head toward her. If they really did possess those properties, they sounded incredible. But the cautious side of him - and that was quite a substantial side - was already determining how they'd be best in the right hands. If he was honest with himself, he didn't quite trust the idea of Suzie studying them.

It had been a long time, but he hadn't forgotten her dedication to the possibility of being able to bring people back to life, so it wasn't lost on him how much of a temptation such a phenomenon might be. True, he didn't know nearly as much about what had gone through her mind as Jack did, only the lengths she had gone to, and what she had been willing to sacrifice to seek that end. Understanding her reasons didn't mean he'd agreed with her methods, even then.

"Just like the glove could have led to immortality, theoretically," he stated, and raised an eyebrow questioningly with the knowledge of how that had turned out.

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notstopfordeath
2009-02-07 10:08 pm UTC (link)

"Exercising Caution then, alright we shan't call ahead and we'll take the long way in. Don't much like that lift anymore as it happens"

Bad memories went with it, that was where she had shot Jack, that was where he had then gotten back up. Immortality and he didn't deserve it. Not at all. She chose the milk with little preamble and paid for it, leaving the shop as quickly as she had entred it before deigning to answer his question about the Pits, and about the glove.

"No could about it, It brought me back didn't it...that was a start. It was giving me Gwen's life...poor Gwen Cooper, but that was fair in some ways, she had replaced me, and she wouldn't have...died, not really, a part of her would have lived in me. But think about the possible benifits every murderer could die to restore his victim, fitting isn't it. And it wasn't theory"

There was a fervor in her eyes even now when she talked about the glove, something she tried to hide. But then Ianto had always been perceptive when he'd bothered to try. Off in his own little world most of the time, she supposed that was lucky.

"But then you and Tosh destroyed it, and Jack won't let me near the other, so you needent worry. "The pits are different anyway. They do seem to be able to restore the dead, rolls back the years for the living, cures any ailment, a so called miracle. Naturally none of us trust it one bit. Owen's been anlysing it and Jack's been information gathering"

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inasuit
2009-02-09 09:29 am UTC (link)

Continuing to listen to Suzie and her notion that a part of Gwen would have kept living through her, Ianto considered that Suzie's determination melding with the compassion he'd learned to admire in Gwen would be an eventful happenstance. But he had no interest to find out how that would have ended up, if things had been allowed to get so far. If that thought was applied to the other theory she seemed to approve of, then a part of every murderer would live in the victims that came back. In his reckoning, the aliens were enough trouble without a world where that was allowed to happen.

Ianto looked over to say so, but then, for a single second he thought he saw a furtive gleam in her eyes. Staying quiet, he wondered if it had really been there, or if the night was just playing tricks on him. His reply was to uncomfortably adjust his jacket collar instead, deciding against saying anything that would provoke an argument. He'd feel better having such a conversation once they were somewhere light and warm, and more importantly to Ianto, familiar. There were few places he could account that to other than the Hub.

Privately glad that Jack wasn't letting her near the other glove, but having the tact not to mention that, he guessed that Jack's idea of information gathering didn't equate to his own, which was probably for the best in this situation. Ianto's contact lists and usual suspects would be useless now.

"Best to concentrate on dealing with those pits, then. If they're public knowledge, I can't imagine the masses staying away for long."

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notstopfordeath
2009-02-09 04:16 pm UTC (link)

Suzie recognised the queietness for what it was. Ianto didn't agree with her but for the sake of Torchwood and their teammates he'd say nothing. Keep the peace.

"They haven't been, people have been dunking themselves in and out of the thing"

As they neared the secret entrances leading to the Hub Suzie paused beside the slab which was the lift momentarily spooked by it. It was where she had died.

"You wanted to go in the other way?" she said finally letting him walk ahead of her.

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inasuit
2009-02-09 07:18 pm UTC (link)

"Well, that's not encouraging to hear," he replied after a second of silence, deigning not to overreact with that understatement. "At least it should make studying the effects easier." He just hoped that the team's distrust of the pits hadn't meant they'd tried getting too close to test them, which, admittedly, wouldn't have surprised Ianto. It wasn't the worst method of investigation they'd ever embarked on.

Coming to a halt in front of the lift, surveying the area, it was unusual and a touch disorientating to see the familiar structure in an unfamiliar background.

"This way." Taking heed of Suzie, he strode past the lift. Surely it wouldn't be too much to think that whatever have brought the entire Hub there may have decided to bring the old tourist office entrance too.

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notstopfordeath
2009-02-09 09:07 pm UTC (link)

"So far we've determined a temporary insanity in most cases, violence. But in other cases nothing at all. I'm trying to work out statisticly if one goes in with a mental inbalance do they come out sane and thereby escape the temporary madness, and Owen's trying to work out the chemical composition. I think its driving him slowly mad. Its oddly fun to watch" she joked.

They arrived at the Tourist office which had indeed come along for the ride. The Rift never failed to amaze her.

"Its like I never left..." she added walking in after Ianto "Though I suppose I didn't 'leave' did I. Torchwood employees never can"

She followed Ianto, both of them able to do this little journey on autopilot so often had they done it. Though Suzie much prefered the lift, Or she had before she died beside it. That did sully it just a little

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inasuit
2009-02-12 06:07 am UTC (link)

Temporary insanity and violence - that was the sort of catch Ianto had expected there to be. Perhaps one day they'd come across a phenomenon that didn't eventually threaten or explode or try to snack on them, or worse. Ianto didn't hold out much hope for such, but that didn't prevent the corner of his lips raising in the smallest of smirks at the familiar notion of Owen getting irritated over something he couldn't work out. Ianto knew better than to repeat the gesture in front of him, though.

Deciding to turn to one of the other significant issues on his mind, he glanced across to Suzie, and asked, "How much do you know of everything that happened to the rest of us after you were-" Ianto groped for the right word as he strode purposefully into the tourist office. Shot? That might still be sore point for her. Killed? But then, in which instance (although there really hadn't been much space for catching up the second time she'd been alive).

"Since back then?"

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notstopfordeath
2009-02-14 03:26 pm UTC (link)

The pause actually made her turn, Ianto making the decision to be polite about what had happened to her.

"After I took six bullets to the chest from the man that recruited me, you mean? Only what Owen's told me which is only that he died. That there was another glove"

A glove the was still here. A glove that was still here Jack used it to bring him back only like me it didn't cut out. It kept him going only unlike me he was...dead. Physically dead. I know he died properly died and so did Tosh"

She shook her head not wanting to think about that anymore.

"Nothing other than that? What else happened.? Or is that a whole other can of worms you don't want to open."

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