he has never been so humiliated

[parked]

That virus was awful. At least it prompted me to actually go through that creepy "meme" and take stock of my life. I'm more than a little concerned that some of those prompt "fills" weren't too far off, but I'm going to erase that fact from my mind.

So, at least that answered some questions as to whether or not the next virus was going to be worse than being turned into a kid. It was.


[LOCKED TO JACK HARKNESS]
And now that all I have to deal with is my immense humiliation by your hands, Jack, I really did want to talk to you. How are you, after your visit to the hospital?
[/LOCKED]


((OOC: Strikes hackable if you feel like you want to make even more fun of Sulu.))

Comments

[parked]

And I understand that. But there's a difference between naturally dangerous and recklessly dangerous. Believe me, I know first hand that there's a difference.

But, you're the boss. I just hope that next time, you... think about what you're doing before you do it. It doesn't hurt to be a little cautious, especially when you have no idea what might happen.

[51stcentury]

What does it even matter to you? Okay, yes, you had to make a trip and probably lose some hours of free time. And Ianto was a little bit less than himself, I get that.

But why are you telling me what you think I should and shouldn't do?

[parked]

I didn't have to make the trip, and I didn't waste any time by doing so. He wasn't a little bit less than himself, either. He was a wreck, because you didn't think about how maybe things wouldn't be so easily fixed as they would be if you got... I don't know. Shot, stabbed, beheaded, any of the thousands of things that can kill a man.

So I'm telling you what I think, because I care about Ianto. I wouldn't hesitate to show up again if a similar situation arose, but that doesn't mean that I want one to.

[51stcentury]

So, what, you're like his guardian angel now or something? His fairy godmother, swooping in to make things all better with the flick of your Starfleet issued magic wand?

[parked]

No. I'm his friend.

[51stcentury]

You're an annoying bastard is what you are

[there is a pause in responding, in which Jack has a breather and goes out to brood on a rooftop for a little while, before returning with a rare apology]

Look. I'm sorry. I messed up. It was just a phone call, I was hoping that I could talk to whoever was on the other side of the line, get some information out of them. I didn't expect things to work out the way they did.

((strikes = deleted))

[parked]

Truthfully, I can understand why you did it. My crew is known for warping into a crisis situation with only sheer luck on our side, after all. It was just... very disconcerting to see Ianto like that, and to see you like that, really, even if I don't know you very well. I'm usually not one to beg for caution, so I'm sorry for how harsh this has probably come off. It just worried the ever-loving crap out of me.

[51stcentury]

Damn. I kind of vaguely remember him giving me that speech, but otherwise things are kind of fuzzy. You're not really supposed to be aware of the situation when you're in a trance, y'know? It was really that bad?

Don't mean to ask you the same question over and over again, but. I'm trying to get a feel for the situation, here. You know he'll never tell me these things. The only time I've gotten a confession like that out of him was when he thought I was unable to hear a single word he said.

[parked]

Yeah. Human faces generally don't look right without expression on them, if that makes any sense, and your eyes were open with blown pupils - it was really disconcerting.

Yeah, I figured that out pretty quickly. Honestly, though, I have a feeling if you actually sat down with him and had a conversation about this kind of thing, he'd open up pretty quick.

[51stcentury]

Well. Hopefully my mouth was closed, at least? I'd've hated to have lain there catching flies like a big blow-up doll, or something.

Then I'd have to be the one bringing the topic up, though. We're not. We're not very good at communicating to each other verbally. When there's the need, there isn't the time, and when there's the time... It's not easy to discuss these kinds of things between the two of us. But. I'm getting that you probably already got that as well.

[parked]

Yes, your mouth was closed, don't worry.

I had a hunch. You might try starting with an expensive dinner and equally expensive wine. I bet you could get something out of him if you tried.

[51stcentury]

Well. I guess that some things were still working in my favor, at least.

Yeah. Like that would work. I've eaten dinner with Ianto a million times before. Never once has he ever decided to open up to me over a carton of fried rice. What would a bottle of fancy wine do to change anything?

[parked]

The man wears nice suits. Trust me, a bottle of wine will do wonders. Takeout isn't exactly romantic, you know.

[51stcentury]

Yeah, well. Takeout is all we've managed so far. And what do his suits have to do with anything? Not that they aren't nice. Although, I'm proud of you to be able to recognize that they are.

[parked]

He likes things that look good and make him feel good. It wouldn't kill you to try being fancy, would it? And what's that supposed to mean? Of course I recognized that.

[51stcentury]

No, it wouldn't kill me. I just don't see the point. He told me once that he didn't want me going out of my way to do special things for him, "I'm not a woman, Jack", so. I haven't.

Because you were so flustered the last time I mentioned how nice he looked in them. And said something about how you'd never noticed them before. Of course.

[parked]

I see.

I wasn't flustered. And not noticing how nice someone looks isn't the same as not noticing that the clothes are nice, you know.

[51stcentury]

And what's that supposed to mean?

It isn't? Because I'm pretty sure looking at the suits means that you have to look at the person wearing them as well. Or maybe I'm mistaken, and the suits are just walking around all by themselves...

[parked]

Nothing.

I can look at people without forming an opinion on how attractive they are. It's just one of my many talents.

[51stcentury]

Oh, really now? We're playing things like that?

Look. I was in the military. I'm onto you, here. Either you really are talented, and possibly a saint or a eunuch or something along the same lines, or you are lying through your teeth, because I know how things work there.

[parked]

It's just that, in my experience, someone saying "don't go out of your way" usually means that they want you to. But, Ianto would probably be up-front with you, right?

Just call me St. Sulu, patron saint of obliviousness. In all honesty, I just don't focus on looks.

[51stcentury]

He should know better than to tell me things if he doesn't mean them. I'm not a mind reader or anything even remotely close to it. My psychic levels are not strong enough in the right areas for that.

If you don't focus on looks, then, St. Sulu, what do you focus on?

[parked]

I agree, he should.

Honestly? You'll laugh, but usually I'm more interested in personality and intelligence than how someone looks.

[51stcentury]

Ianto Jones. Glorious, wonderful, expressive man, but when it comes to what he really wants, he is pretty damned tight-lipped.

I'd laugh, but then personality and intelligence are important as well. But I appreciate how a person looks. The 51st century is, well, will be different in the way we judge what is attractive and what isn't, after all.

[parked]

I guess he just doesn't want to be an inconvenience.

I can appreciate how people look as well, but going by my own standards, that's generally the third thing I look at, instead of the first.