There's something familiar about this place.

[stopwatchesandcoffee]

Who: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Tim Drake, Aisling
What: New Brew gets a somewhat surprising visitor
When: November First, before closing
Where: New Brew
Warnings: Overly Emotional People and broken family reunions

It's a really nice coffee house. Ianto could almost imagine it was designed with him in mind. Small, isolated, not much room inside and a very well taken care of and nice looking service bar. He almost laughs to himself that the place feels like home. Exactly the sort of thing he would look for, if he had ever opened a coffee place of his own. It is like this strange hell dimension is tormenting him with things he never accomplished, and never will, now that he's dead.

He runs his hand over the door before letting it shut, glancing around as he makes his way to the counter.

"I've been told this is the place to go, for good coffee."

He doesn't sound particularly optimistic about that.

Comments

[chronosexual]

Jack looks simultaneously amused and offended by the remark. "I'll have you know that I'm learning how to properly care for a coffee shop and make drinkable coffee at the same time." He leans against the counter and watches Ianto fret over his tie, unable to keep himself from smiling, even when he wipes his face with his handkerchief.

"But you've got me. I keep myself very busy, as I'm sure you can imagine." He cranes his neck to look about the shop, and when he lowers his voice to speak next, his forefinger has caught the waistband of Ianto's trousers and has tugged him close. "I could show you, if you like."

[stopwatchesandcoffee]

If anyone was wondering if Jack was still capable of sending Ianto from composed to flustered in 0 seconds flat, the answer was yes. He stumbled on his words, setting the glass of soda water down while one hand went to the back of his head.

"Jack."

That was a warning and a protest all in one word.

"Not here."

Yes, he missed Jack. Yes he had already more or less exposed himself vulnerably, emotionally, in a public place. But no, he was not going to let Jack get away with that blatant of suggestive flirtations in a public place around strangers.

"Do I even want to know?" At least he shifted to a teasing tone, there. That was progress. He wasn't getting defensive which meant Ianto just might believe Jack wasn't keeping busy by sleeping around.

Maybe.

[coimiceoir]

A scratching sound came from the shop's door, accompanied by a soft whine. There, looking distinctly sad to be left outside when clearly everything worth seeing was inside, was an enormous white dog. Not just the yellow-tinged cream of your average creature, but a pure, almost faintly blue white that practically shone in the sunlight. She sighed, her shoulders heaving, and nosed the handle of the door, which she barely had to stretch to reach. Whenever someone made eye contact, her pointed ears pricked up and her fluffy tail began to waves leisurely. Won't somebody let her in? There's no doggie-door on this place!

[chronosexual]

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." Jack winked at Ianto, just as he heard something from the front door of the shop and was greeted with the familiar sight of Aisling in her dog form. "Oh. And I keep a dog now. Her name is Aisling." He released Ianto, somewhat reluctant to do so at first, and hurried to the front door to open it for her. He looked positively ecstatic when he greets her, his smile growing exponentially. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been quite so happy. Probably after he'd asked Ianto to marry him.

[stopwatchesandcoffee]

The dog caught Ianto off guard. He watched Jack with Aisling with some surprise, but Ianto wasn't as standoffish about animals as he tended to be about people.

He had always been a big fan of Myfawny. At least until Jack had used her to try to murder a slightly homicidal Lisa. He tried not to think about that, though.

"Aisling is a beautiful name." Something he might have picked, himself, honestly. But...

"She looks a bit like a wolf."

[coimiceoir]

The big animal playfully dropped her chest and danced about Jack, gently roughhousing before licking his hands. She even tried to get in a good swipe at his face here and there when he let his guard down, but it was clear that she was just playing. She didn't actually mean to hurt him. She only paid him mind for a minute or two, though, and calmed down quickly.

Quietly, almost shyly, she stepped forward, tail swishing slowly. Hello there...

[chronosexual]

Jack laughed through Aisling's play, shaking her about playfully and scratching her on the chest and behind the ears. He kissed the top of her head and stood up, making his way back to Ianto and ignoring the other patrons who might have been alarmed at such a large animal being brought into the shop. "She's much more than that. And she's very sweet. Very protective of her family and the things she likes. But she's not dangerous or anything. Go ahead and pet her if you want. She won't bite you."

[stopwatchesandcoffee]

The look Ianto gave Jack could most closely be compared to an 'are you serious right now' expression. Sure they had tackled a dinosaur together but Ianto hadn't exactly stuck around to pet her when they brought her down. More than anything it had been a way in with the Torchwood branch.

Still, he cleared his throat and looked down at the nervously wagging canine, reaching out a hand for her, open palmed and not too quick.

Jack could say she didn't bite all he wanted. Ianto wasn't risking it that blatantly.

"You actually got a dog."

There might have been a touch of skepticism to that comment.

[coimiceoir]

Keeping her teeth firmly under cover, Aisling reached out to sniff his hand politely, then slowly ducked her nose to butt her forehead against his hand, betting pets. The trick was to keep her overwhelming enthusiasm under control. She had to be calm. Quiet. Sweet. Not spook him. He didn't remember her. And no matter how pleased she was to see him, she couldn't forget that. So, gentle and easy and charming it was. She was just a polite dog, eager to please and even more eager for this nice new friend of her owner to scratch behind her ears.

[chronosexual]

"Why are you surprised?" Jack raises an eyebrow to Ianto and folds his arms. "We've kept pets before. And besides, look at how sweet and friendly she is. It's like the two of you are family already, with the way she's acting with you, anyway."

Jack snuck back around the counter, and returned momentarily with a flaky pastry that had been split in half and covered with honey. "If you're still unsure, give her one of these. She loves honey. Isn't that right, Aisling?"

[stopwatchesandcoffee]

"I'm not sure either Myfawny or Janet qualify as pets, Jack."

Still, Ianto does stroke the top of the large canine's head, rubbing the soft fur behind her ears like a man who has had dogs before. He frowns at Jack about the pastry, but indulges both him and Aisling by offering her the sweet treat.

[coimiceoir]

Her eyes drift close with a soft sigh as he seems to instinctively find the best spots to rub, and she leans into it. But when Jack brings out her favorite treat, she can't help beating her tail on the floor, wriggling a little. She prances a little, but waits till Ianto offers before delicately taking it from him. She didn't even devour it on the spot! Look at her self restraint! Instead she takes a moment to wind around his legs and retires to her customary spot just behind the counter, out of the way of the customers and, coincidentally, where she could see the whole shop. Only then did she proceed to set the pastry on her paws and happily demolish it.

[chronosexual]

Jack watches with a certain fondness, watching the two interact, at least from Ianto's perspective, for the first time. It's strange to see Ianto so shy around Aisling, but he has to remember that Ianto isn't used to interacting with such large wild animals. Aliens, sure, but for the most part, they were predictable. But wolves? Who knew? Jack does, of course, but he's also been quite spoiled with Aisling's presence.

"There, see? Perfectly well-behaved. Something I thought you might appreciate, Ianto." He winks at him and laughs gently. "She likes you."

[stopwatchesandcoffee]

"She is a very sweet... dog."

Ianto couldn't help the smile that came to his face. He watches the canine wander off with her prize, glancing around for sight of Tim. He turned back to Jack, and really it was that he did know more about wolves and large dogs that had had him nervous. But not so shy as to avoid the brief interaction.

"Is this a Rift's doing?"

Had they fallen through one somehow?