❪ event ❫ a moment in eternity

[natha]

TO THERE AND BACK     It has been a month of chills uncharacteristic of what you might remember as summer — cold days and even colder nights. The days are short and the nights feel eternal. With the recent disruption of the network and no sign of a resolution for the world outside of Nadril, one has to wonder what the future holds for El Nysa. What of Olympia, Wyver, and their residents? The animals you cared for - are they destined to remain as frozen as wretched Ysverai forever? What will become of the sleeping ones in Thesa when there is nowhere else to go but this icy city? Yet not all hope is lost just yet. The woman that appeared at the start of the network errors finally shows up again in another network post. Greetings to you all. I apologize for my abrupt appearance and departure before… My name is Nurray, and I am the closest thing to a monarch that you will find here in Nadril. Magda is... indisposed, so I am here to speak to you in his place. First and foremost, you will notice that your network devices are fully functional once more. Should you experience any further issues, please report them to me immediately so that it can be taken care of. Secondly… Investigating the strange frequency interference we've been experiencing has brought some troubling data to light. The passage of time outside of this colony has been halted, of course, but the hold seems... unstable. Whatever it is that Darma has done to contain the calamity, I doubt that it will last for long. Time is an unpredictable force, and attempting to control it can only have adverse effects on the world. You could stay here if you so chose, outside the reach of that magic... but to do that would be to abandon the rest of this planet to an unenviable fate. ...ah, but there is no need to take my word for it. You can see the effects for yourselves, if you wish — merely look outside. "Seeing is believing"... isn’t that the phrase? Nurray has a point: refugees have not been given a chance to see the outside. The frequent snowstorm barrier of Nadril has made it impossible to see what it's like beyond the colony. Soon after the network post, as though the snow has been "turned off," clouds will clear. With the barrier created by the snow gone, the red sun shines brightly upon the dreary city with its warmth. You can see a purple haze on the south horizon, a indication that Yservai wasn’t all just a dream. He's still there, so far away, yet so close anyway. Near the entrance, a mound of snow melts, revealing steps leading towards the underground. It seems to be a part of the subway station you might have found earlier during your exploration of the colony — this time, the station has been powered on. Two trains lie in wait — their destinations read: Olympia and Wyver. — El Nysa is waiting. FREEZE FRAME     The technology found in the subway station of Nadril is truly out of this world. The combined efforts of Natha technology and alien minds have truly created state-of-the-art transportation never before seen by the typical Nysan. It takes no longer than one hour for the intercoms to announce their arrival to the outskirts of the Dranbu Kingdom — though, even with the platform available, the train never stops; it instead continues for another half hour for it to reach the North Gate of the Olympian Empire, where it sits until it's time to return to the tundra. All in all, it takes a mere hour and a half for this high-speed subway travel from Nadril to Olympia. The second train does make a quick stop at the Olympian Station, but it will be another painless hour and a half until it reaches the jungle of the Wyver Kingdom. Because Wyver is its own island, connected only by a bridge, you might notice that a small part of the travel was underwater. The trip takes only a total of three hours, but there's plenty of time for sightseeing. After all, isn't that the whole point of this trip? BE STILL MY HEART. Leaving the train, you are immediately hit with the still, warm air of the underground. It's hot, much different from the winter of the north, but perhaps a welcome change. The station is old, but it still has a fairly new smell to it, and not just because it's been unused for so long. It feels out of place compared to the rest of this world, and this is especially true when you reach the surface. The entrance was hidden under the earth right near the North Gate. Upon leaving the station, you're immediately hit with the familiar wretched smell and atmosphere of the undead. Even if you're new, you won’tt be able to miss Ysverai, the risen Great Dragon. You see this massive creature on the horizon, mouth wide and ready to blast El Nysa into nothing. Yet he remains still — as are all the terrified residents of Olympia. You've only seen this on the monitors of Thesa Station, and now you're able to experience first-hand how utterly quiet and still the world is now. The native Olympians are all over — you see most of them running away from the Great Dragon. Others equipped their armors and rode their steeds straight toward the danger in hopes of protecting their Empire. And the civilians, having lost all hope, are huddled together — at least they would have been able to spend their final moments with loved ones. Up on Thesa Station, you felt dread when you'd observed Ysverai for too long — this remains true here. That dread reaches your heart and clutches it. You feel his pain and suffering, and for those too in tune with emotions, it may be too much for you to be near him. Best to steer clear from him, or perhaps return to the underground. There is much more to be seen, after all. PRAYING WITH FIRE. Another hour and a half south on the subway, and you'll reach the Wyver Station. It's far warmer here in the station this further south, but Ysverai's dread doesn't reach here. On the surface, you are instead immediately hit with the overwhelming humidity of the jungle. With summer in full swing, the layers you've brought with you from Nadril become a burden. In Wyver, the mood is far different. The Great Dragon Yservai was once a being that was respected and worshipped by the Wyver people — not to mention that the one responsible is none other than Prince Raysc — thus his revival is met with somber resilience. Most of Wyver natives, instead of running away, had gathered around fires in prayer. Trained dragons that were unaffected by Ysverai's influence bow by their master's sides in acceptance of what they feel in their heart is to come with the Great Dragon's final blow. You may even spot your own dragon, eyes beamed up toward Thesa, like it knows you were up there at the moment time stood still. It's hard to imagine where one can go from here. You might start thinking about clean-up efforts, how to achieve proper burials for the fallen ones... but with time frozen, you will find that you cannot actually move anything or anyone. It will be dusk, as Thesa's shines across the skies, when storm cloud gather before Thesa's light. And from the clouds is a familiar figure — Once again, she has descended. TIME & TIME AGAIN     Darma is glowing as bright as the naked eye can perceive. Her massive, true form floats before the world she's built from dust. Is this world salvageable in your eyes, Refugee? We held time in hopes that we fould find a way to dissolve this Ysverai back to the ashes from which he was reanimated. Unfortunately, we continue to be unseeing, thus uncertain of the future... after all, our powers are near depleted. Nurray was correct, Refugee, in that I cannot hold time for much longer. There is... another way, however. It is not ideal by any means, but we shall do what we must to keep Ysverai frozen. As for us... we have expended far too much of our energy — Refugee, I am too aware of the misfortunes you've experienced in your time here. I have failed in my promise to provide better living... perhaps, with more time, I may yet see a better future. Until then, I leave Thesa, our hearts, in your hands. Farewell, Refugee. Her brightness dims as she says her final words — at the same time, raises her arms, palms wide, then closes her hands into a fist. In that instant, time is resumed. It's slow at first, as though time is trying to catch up with reality. It takes a several moments until the slow-motion picture before them reaches normalcy. Darma turns her attention to Yservai, whose motion is also returning, but not for long. In her true form, they are comparable in size; Darma's glow continues to dim as she draws closer to the Great Dragon, and then she coils herself around him, holding him still before assimilating into the wretched creature. By the end of it, time has completely returned to normal, and all residents were able to witness the Natha holding time still for Ysverai — The process turns the Great Dragon, as well as Darma, into stone. HIT PLAY TO REPLAY     Darma has resumed time, and Ysverai is no longer a threat. However, it comes with a hefty price for the Natha. The massive, stone statue of Darma embracing Ysverai looms in the valley between the cities of Olympia and Wyver. It's no doubt an intimidating addition to the world, but there is some peace in knowing it's all over. When civilians finally come to, they can't help but look upon the statue in awe — and their respective cities. It's much to take in all at once. Much destruction has been wrought— buildings lay in ruin, and of the citizens still alive, many look to be in poor physical condition. 1. I. The Sanctuary has sustained much damage, and with the high demand of medical care, cannot serve as the central healing place for those in need. Instead, it is up to individual citizens to find resources and establish places of care. Those with a medical inclination or healing powers may set up medical tents, or work out of their homes. Not everything has been destroyed, and it is still possible to obtain supplies from the market or request them from The Sanctuary. There is also, unfortunately, the tragic task of transporting corpses to graveyards and giving fallen citizens a proper burial. The Temples thank you for your service. II. In order to have a functioning city again, buildings and facilities must be repaired and rebuilt. It's possible your own home was demolished in the battle. With so many important buildings needing to be repaired, city officials are too overwhelmed with the coordination of such tasks to double-check that buildings are restored to their original form. What's more, they seem to encourage design innovation, believing that a new, fresh look to the city will revitalize people's morale. Now is the time to put your own unique flair on the interior or exterior of Olympia's infrastructure. Even parts of the Palace need repair. Time has resumed, yes, but the magic that Darma employs isn't flawless. As powerful of an entity as she may be, to tamper with time is difficult. Some would say it defies the laws of nature. Nature seems to agree, and in the next few weeks, El Nysa will be facing a few hiccups as it finds its equilibrium once more and citizens try to return to normalcy. Strangely enough, El Nysa natives are not disturbed by the occurrence of these events. III. Characters may find that they occasionally (or frequently) suffer from lapses in memory. These difficulties with memory may range from light to severe, although they are thankfully not permanent. Within the span of a few minutes to a few hours, difficulties in remembering people and events are resolved. That isn't to say a similar problem won’t happen again tomorrow… IV. Is it just you, or is your housemate looking a bit old lately? No, it isn't just stress making some citizens appear older. For a short amount of time, some characters may find themselves advancing or regressing in age, both physically and mentally. This particular kind of time hiccup is rare and may be particularly disturbing to the affected person’s friends. Thankfully, there have been no cases of this effect lasting more than an hour. V. At times, it seems as though objects and people in El Nysa will feel a bit out of place. These are beings and things that belong to what some may call "alternate universes." Their presence is transient, and some will only appear for a few instances before returning to their rightful existence. The ones that linger a bit longer, however, may make your day more interesting. Before you stands a pet just like yours, except it talks...? Perhaps you'll meet another version of yourself, a more bloodthirsty version of yourself. Or maybe you'll run into a version of your friend that really enjoys your company. The possibilities are truly endless, and potentially mortifying. VI. Towards the end of the month, the frequency of the aforementioned disturbances will decrease. Following this will be an increase in a different sort of disturbance: one that will either make literal seconds seem like an eternity, or force you to move and talk at a speed you never thought possible. It's as though some higher entity is pressing the fast forward or slow down button on life, and considering your mind works at the same pace as normal, the phenomenon is as frustrating as it sounds. Hope you weren't planning to be on time for anything, because it might be awhile before the universe allows you to take that next step. But these phenomena does draw to a close — and with it, you may wonder what will happen now to those sleeping ones in Thesa now that Darma has turned to stone. After all, it will be near the time of which more refugees should wake... Repairs to Thesa Station should remain ongoing so long as parts can be salvaged from Nadril, at least. And with speed travel via subway possible, it should make travel far easier than ever before. Even with Darma gone, you will have to move forward. There is still much to be done. FINAL OOC NOTES     You may acquire REP for Nadril, and either Olympia or Wyver in this log. An AC-eligible thread for ONE (1) NADRIL REP POINT may be submitted HERE BY AUGUST 26TH, 11:59 PM EST. A second AC-eligible thread for 1 REP for either Olympia OR Wyver may be submitted HERE OR HERE BY AUGUST 26TH, 11:59 PM EST. Please direct questions to the questions thread below! Thank you! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[torchwoodteaboy]

In the mood for a little heart failure. Ianto has to smile at the way that John phrases it. Honestly, he had been thinking of making something for the other man himself -- by no means a chef himself, he can get by without burning anything and anything he sets himself to comes out fairly decent. But he's not really looking to get into any sort of argument to make John sit down and let him take care of him for once in his life. If he's in the mood for a night spent in together with their choice of greasy takeaway and each other's company, Ianto's hardly going to say no.

"Well," he replies. "I don't know about the heart failure. But the food sounds nice. What've you got in mind?" He recognizes that they're on something of a budget but. If he's looking to get a job, next time it can be his treat, he reasons.

[impavid]

"I don't really have anything in mind."

He flips the fridge closed again and turns to lean back against the counter, face scrunching.

"I'm not that hungry, but. Something easy, I guess?"

Not that anything they tend to eat is especially complicated, but still. He ambles back over and offers the bottle of beer he's holding to Ianto, letting the fingers of his free hand reach out to skim up and down the other man's arm.

"You got a preference, or shall we just flip a coin?"

[torchwoodteaboy]

He smiles as John holds his bottle out to him, accepting the offer of a sip of it and trying not to shiver in response to his touch. He likes this. This gentle and affectionate side of John that comes out when no one else is watching.

Flip a coin. He shakes his head at the idea of it but of course he wouldn't past the other man to do it either. Just as he wouldn't put it past him to offer to cook him a meal or fetch him takeaway when he'd had very little intention of eating any himself.

"I think we're going for minimum amount of effort at this point. The place on the corner shouldn't be too busy now. Are you sure you're alright with going out again, though?"

He reaches up with his own free hand to cup the other man's jaw. Tilting his head a little so he can look into John's eyes. He looks -- tired. He moves to run his hand through John's hair, before he moves to hand his beer back to him, flicking a smile. "You've taken your boots off and everything."

[impavid]

"So have you."

John lets Ianto tilt his head up, lofting an eyebrow at him and making a show of letting himself be examined. He is tired, though, and the smile he offers as he accepts his beer back is not quite full-force.

"Are you gonna race me for it?"

For the right to go to the corner shop and buy take-out, that is.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto can't help but raise his eyebrows at that.

"Race you?" he asks, a bit incredulously because Ianto can't remember the last time he's ever had to race someone for anything in his life. What are we, ten?

He lofts an eyebrow in return, his expression shifting to perhaps something of challenge as he asks, "Would I win tonight, if I did?" He can see right through you just now, you know, John. Maybe not always, but certainly tonight.

[impavid]

"Depends how quick you are."

How's John meant to know? Maybe Ianto is a four-time Olympic level shoelace tier and short distance sprinter. He takes another sip of his beer, reaches out his other hand to begin idly stroking through Ianto's hair.

"Depends how good a cheater you are," he adds, because John is absolutely not above cheating to get ahead. Sometimes it's the only way to win, after all, and sometimes winning is a priority -- honourable or not.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto has, for better or worse, not gotten into a lot of competition with John just yet. Probably because he's known that there isn't a lot he would win, and he isn't that much of a glutton for punishment. Not in this capacity, at any rate.

He flicks a smile at the other man, leaning into the hand in his hair before shaking his head.

"I'm not above cheating, when necessary," he admits. "But it's not worth it when I know you'll do so yourself. Go then. The sooner you leave, the sooner you get back, yeah? And if you don't buy anything for yourself I'm going to split my own meal, don't you think I won't."

He raises an eyebrow at the other man -- maybe that's more desirable anyway? -- before reaching out to steal his beer from him and take another swig. Speaking of cheating.

[impavid]

John lets him take the bottle without blinking, gently squeezes Ianto's upper arms before padding back over to begin pulling his boots back on.

"Alright," he accepts, "why don't you go grab a shower while I get this in then? And if you have any specific requests, now is the time."

Or else it's just going to be the same thing they always get, after three minutes of indecisively deciding if he should get something else for a change. He pushes to his feet, digs out his wallet and begins checking through with a squint to make sure he actually has enough cash on him.

[torchwoodteaboy]

"The usual sounds fine," Ianto replies, watching the other man pad over to slip his boots back on. He feels a little bad about the fact that he didn't win this battle, but there will be other times. He gets the feeling it would have been far too difficult to have been worth the gesture in the end.

Moving to set the beer down on the counter behind him (so he doesn't finish the whole thing while John is gone) he moves to lean against it.

"Maybe in this new place we're aspiring to, we can have a shower big enough that you could join me sometime," he muses aloud. His expression the picture of innocence. His thoughts anything but.

[impavid]

"Technically I could join you in that one, we'd just have to make sure we didn't really move at all."

Otherwise they'd be hitting their elbows on everything. John quirks him a lopsided smile and drags his jacket back on.

"You can have that if you want it," he adds, because there's more beer in the fridge and he doesn't mind. "Won't be long."

With that, he checks one last time to make sure he's got his wallet and keys before heading back out.

He isn't long, either, because they've just done a fresh batch of fries and everything and John isn't too fussy. He spends a full three minutes chatting while he decides if he does want something different before deciding he's too tired for all that and just getting one set of chips to share and some deep fried probably-chicken. He can pick at it, and he supposes they can do something with it if he doesn't end up eating it all. He feels a little woozy on the way back, but John puts that down to exhaustion and probably (ironically) not having eaten enough. He's setting everything down on the kitchen counter when the vertigo hits, and wobbling back across to his bed to shrug off his jacket and sit down when everything momentarily starts to grey out.

When his visit stops swimming, John finds he doesn't actually feel any better. What he feels, mostly, is confused.

[torchwoodteaboy]

"It's hardly ideal," Ianto replies, shooting the other man a look. Especially given the sorts of circumstances he has in mind for the pair of them. He flicks the other man a smile that probably says as much, before hiding the rest of his response in another swig of the open beer.

After Ianto figures he might as well get started with this shower if he wants to be finished in a reasonable time. John's not going that far after all, and he doesn't want to leave the other man waiting.

He strips off his clothes in the bathroom and brings in a spare change of clothes. Comfortable jeans and a soft button-down, which he half-tugs on from the shower once he's finished. A wall of steam follows him out into the main room as he steps out, running a towel over his hair, and the cool air is such a relief it takes him a moment to notice John has returned at all.

"Hey," Ianto says, stepping towards him. "Shower's free, if you want?"

[impavid]

Ianto may only have known John five months, closing in on a sixth beginning soon, but that's five months of close company and living together. Five months is long enough to pick up on mannerisms, body language, and one thing is easy to learn about John -- when John is hurt, upset, vulnerable in any way the walls go up. He closes off, becomes tense, does his best to pretend like it's all nothing.

Which is why it may be a surprise to see the way John is sat on the edge of his bed, gripping the sides with both hands and trying to steady himself. He stays reeling for a long few seconds before the vertigo passes enough for him to take a deep breath and.... slowly try to work out what the hell is going on. He's sitting somewhere --

Somewhere that isn't Atlantis, somewhere that isn't the Daedalus, somewhere that isn't --

Shower's free? The panicked confusion is suddenly evident on John's expression as he surges to his feet (why isn't he wearing his tactical vest? His jacket?) and turns to Ianto (who the hell is this guy?) then, lacking his P90, John reaches for his sidearm and pulls it to train on Ianto. It isn't his sidearm, though, and the feel of the particle magnum in his hands stirs his unease higher.

He hesitates, drops his eyes to it, then fixes them on Ianto with a frown. It's at least set to stun for now.

"What the hell is going on here?"

[torchwoodteaboy]

As soon as the words are out of Ianto's mouth, Ianto recognizes that something is wrong. There's something about the look on John's face, the way he's holding himself, that instantly has Ianto on edge. It's not a look he's seen on the other man before, ever and he instantly surges into action himself. Moving to take another step closer, intent on coming to his aid in some way.

Which is when John pops up and pulls his gun on him, of course. Not the way Ianto had anticipated this interaction progressing.

Ianto raises his hands in front of him, instantly on the alert. It's not the first time he's ever had a gun pointed at him, but it's the first time it's ever come from John. Instantly very aware that he's nowhere near trained to handle any sort of face off with the other man, and his own stun gun is still packed in his bag from earlier in the day.

"John...?" he asks, carefully. "Why don't you -- put the gun down, yeah? Let's just. Talk. Did something happen?"

He tries to remind himself to breathe. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Slowly, slowly. This. Isn't what it looks like. Is it?

[impavid]

John?

He tilts his head at the use of his name, brow furrowing further. He reaches up to tap his radio, expression flinching on finding the earpiece missing, then scans the room slowly.

"I was wondering the same thing. Where is this?"

A location would be a solid start. None of it looks familiar, not even in style.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto can feel his heart starting to pound in his chest. Breathe, he chides himself. He notices that the other man still has done nothing to lower the gun.

Where is this? A simple question with a more complicated answer. But the fact that he doesn't know has alarm bells ringing all throughout Ianto's head. Surely he should know their room. It's one of the first places they settled, coming to the city. And how could he be here, if he doesn't know where it is?

Ianto casts a quick glance around the little apartment, risking the chance that John might shoot him in the process but if there's something in there with them that did this to him, then he wants to make certain that he's got sight of it before it catches him as well.

"Your room in Olympia," Ianto replies, looking back to him to see if it rings any bells. Fearing that it won't. "El Nysa."

[impavid]

Olympia? El Nysa?

John backs up a few steps slowly, half clocking his surroundings as he approaches the door and opens it cautiously to scan the street.

"Seems more like your room than mine."

Considering how Ianto is walking around with his shirt open, fresh out of the shower.

"How long have I been here?"

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto does his best not to react visibly to John's words when he knows in his heart that some form of them are coming anyway, but it still feels like a kick in the gut regardless. He wonders whether it would make any difference to correct him and point out that technically, they both live there. He feels like it would be opening up a vulnerability he doesn't quite feel strong enough to fight off just now though.

He swallows thickly, unable to move from where he's been effectively frozen in place while John paces to the door. Even though John is no longer actively pointing his gun at him. If he doesn't know Olympia, then he certainly doesn't know him.

"Five, six months nearly?" he replies, a little hoarsely. He hopes he can be forgiven, all things considered. This whole moment is a bit of a shock.

[impavid]

It may not be actively pointed at Ianto, but it's still out. John, who has just leaned back in from scanning the street, meets Ianto's eyes again and his expression clears in something akin to shock himself.

Six months? How?

Disbelief furrows his brow, and he tries to collect himself.

"There were -- people with me. A -- big guy with dreadlocks, a -- pale guy, blue eyes, Canadian, kinda cranky...."

He studies Ianto's face, looking for anything like familiarity. Anything that might help him puzzle out what the hell is going on here.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto takes the liberty of slowly lowering his hands to his shirt and, if John isn't about to shoot him, carefully button himself up. Maybe he might not have minded having so much of himself bared in front of the other man, and maybe John might have even enjoyed it too, but right now? He's obviously got other priorities. And asking about his friends? There is definitely something wrong here.

"I'm sorry..." he says, after a moment. "They're not here, John. They haven't woken up yet."

There. Does he know anything about this planet, this situation, or has something happened to wipe it entirely from his memory? And is this permanent? Being Torchwood, Ianto's automatically thinking Recton, but. It can't be, can it? He didn't have any on him, and any of the Torchwood supplies would have to be allotted to him, the same as any of the rest of their things. John couldn't have gotten hold of some himself without knowing. Could he?

[impavid]

Something about the way Ianto keeps saying his name is putting him on edge. It's familiar, and John doesn't even recognise this man or this place. He doesn't remember. He doesn't remember.

"Woken up?" he prompts, and his unease translate into tension again. "What the hell do you mean woken up? Where are they!"

Since this guy clearly knows who he's talking about. John lifts the particle magnum again and snaps it over stun.

"Start at the beginning."

What the fuck is going on?

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ah. And the gun is back pointed in his direction. Perhaps, he supposes, not the best choice of words. Although now he knows that John doesn't know anything about their situation, at least. Which -- really isn't good, if he's got a gun pointed at him. Ianto stops where he's been fussing with his buttons and raises his hands in front of himself again.

"I -- I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't..." he starts, but isn't sure that asking John to stop aiming the gun at him is really the right call to make, especially when the other man is this fired up.

He lets out a little sigh, wondering where the beginning even is. He supposes that's as good a place to start as any.

"What... Is the last thing you remember yourself?" Ianto asks, cautiously.

[impavid]

"Nothing about you or this place," he responds, and his eyes skim the room again. He can smell food, something that he suspects is greasy take-out. There are two beds. The one near the door, the one he'd been sat on, has things on it that a distant nagging feeling warns are his.

"How did I get here?"

There, a good place to begin. The guy is so far not giving him much in the way of information, but direction might help. Direction might start him talking, maybe.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto can smell the food too, which means that John made it there and back knowing what he was doing, at least. The issue, or whatever problem John had run into, had happened here. Which is probably the most unnerving thought of them all really. The last thing he wants to happen is for him to lose his own memories to. Then they would really be out of luck.

"Look," Ianto says, trying to placate the other man. "It's a bit of a long story." He doubts anything along the lines of 'your world is gone' is going to help matters in this situation so he avoids that route, instead going with, "There are these beings. They call themselves the Natha and they've rescued all of us from. Something awful. Your friends are fine, really. That's just what I meant. They haven't woken up from stasis yet."

[impavid]

Woken up from stasis yet.

John's frown deepens as he tries to process this. Stasis? Why stasis? Unless -- they were injured in the collapse, and that's why they needed rescuing? Which --

He lowers the gun and inspects it more closely. Doesn't Ronon's have a bound handle? Did he take it off, or is this -- Larrin's? Did he steal it off a different traveller? He swallows and his eyes scan the room again, looking for more clues. His jacket and tactical vest are on the bed he'd been sat on, but there's a t-shirt that he's pretty sure is his on the other one too. Why does he have that here? Why --

There's too many questions, too much unknown, but John has one important priority and that involves reaching out to grab for Ianto and drag him toward the door.

"Alright then, you're going to show me where these stasis pods are."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto's stomach lurches as John reaches to grab for him, trying and failing to jump back and keep himself from the other man's grasp. John's never been angry with him, never gotten physical anyway, and Ianto knows that if it comes down to an altercation he probably won't win. John's faster, stronger, he has every advantage save perhaps weight on him. And he's got a gun. That doesn't stop him from struggling, though.

"Don't -- stop!" he cries out, lashing out perhaps a little bit more emphatically than the situation might require, but he’s getting fairly stressed at this point in his defense. "You can't just -- they're up on the bloody satellite, John, you. You should know that -- why...?" Why doesn't he? What happened? Dear god, don't let this be permanent, this is by far the worst re-introduction Ianto could ever have imagined in his life.