❪ 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

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[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.

[impavid]

Ianto thrashes and John curses, trying to steer him toward and out the door.

"So we find a way up, a ship or something -- if we supposedly share this place you must know I'm a pilot--"

That seems like pretty entry-level John Sheppard material, after all. If Ianto feels comfortable enough to be walking around half dressed and maybe even steeling his t-shirt from the looks of thing then surely he'd know details like that?

[torchwoodteaboy]

"I know you're a pilot," Ianto throws back, twisting again in the other man's grasp. "I also know that they haven't given you your own transportation back yet. So I don't know what you think you're going to do. Repossess someone else's? Not everyone else is a pilot out there, you're going to have a hell of a time finding anything."

It's not entirely bluffing. There's only one easy way back and forth from the satellite, and that's teleporting there. Which Ianto isn't about to tell the other man he's able to do all on his own. Not and risk him disappearing on him entirely. He's just got to hope that John doesn't find any convenient Gundams lying around. Or that he doesn't realize his abilities with technology have, as Ianto understands it, gotten something of a boost.

[impavid]

"I'll find something," John begins , but Ianto is still struggling and that's frustrating. He lets out a sharp breath of irritation and gives Ianto a shove toward the wall so he can pin him, lifting his gun again.

"All right," he says finally, "if you really know so much about me why don't we prove it?"

Which will mean he needs to ask something that isn't public knowledge. What is team look like, their names, Atlantis -- that's all things that someone setting him up could easily know. So John tilts his head, and instead asks:

"When's my birthday?"

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto cries out as John shoves him against the wall, but he stops struggling. He knows a gun when he feels one, particle -- blaster or whatever the fuck John calls that one or not.

God, he feels sick. This can not be happening. And of course Ianto probably knows the other man better than -- he'd like to think better than anyone down here anyway. But he has to ask the one question he hasn't a clue as to the correct answer to.

Ianto lets his eyes fall shut as he drops his head forward against the wall.

"I don't know," he answers, honestly. More than a little angry at this point himself, letting the tone boil out through his words. "It's never come up. You didn't even know mine. Not that you know anything about me at this point." Or care, from the sound of it.

[impavid]

"Well I guess we can't be that good friends, then. Come on, if we're living together you can do better than that. I'll give you another: favourite movie? Sports team?"

Not that -- either of those would mean anything to someone who wasn't born in the Milky Way, which he's assuming this guy wasn't, but John doesn't much care. He's already half assumed Ianto is lying, that this is some kind of trick.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto lets out a noise of frustration at the continued line of questioning. If that's what all John thinks is important then it's news to him.

"Do you see a television around here?" he asks. Unable to help bucking against the other man's grip because yes, alright, he is definitely angry now. He's not going to get anywhere but shot if he fights with him now though so after a moment he settles back against the wall, breathing hard.

"Look," he says. "Your favorite sport is college football, alright? American football. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm Welsh. You've never told me before because I doubt it would have made a whole hell of a difference one way or the other!"

[impavid]

Welsh.

It's true that John had picked up on his accent, although he isn't quite good enough to identify it as definitively Welsh without prompting, but he hadn't thought --

"Are you telling me you're actually from Wales?"

Is -- he would have told him if he was on a gate team, right? He wouldn't have let it get this far? Then who --

John eases back his grip and turns Ianto so he can read his expression better, as if that might help him somehow. He's still keeping him pinned, though, he doesn't totally trust him yet.

"What's your name?" he prompts, "and who are you working for?"

[torchwoodteaboy]

Are you telling me that you're actually from Wales? Ianto has to roll his eyes at that one, which John should be able to see quite clearly now that he's spun him around.

"Of course I'm from bloody Wales, where the hell else would Welsh people come from, Narnia?" Ianto barks out, his blue eyes snapping at the other man as he does. He clenches his jaw, angrier than he thinks he's ever been, because this is not how this evening should have gone, and if he's lost that -- if he's lost everything they had, everything they might have been, with no explanation in the least -- then yes he has a right to be angry.

"I don't work for anybody," he replies, trying to collect himself enough to respond. "I don't know what sort of game you think I'm playing here, but it isn't like that. My name is Ianto Jones, and I... We're supposed to be friends."

Among. Other things.

[impavid]

Ianto Jones.

John's expression had pinched in irritation at Narnia, but the name feels familiar. The name feels familiar, and John's grip on Ianto falters as a wave of vertigo overtakes him again.

He lowers his gun, finger away from the trigger, and holsters it before he accidentally shoots someone -- takes an unsteady step back. Ianto Jones, why is that name familiar? Where does he know it from? IOA? No, he said he didn't work for anybody, so why...?

Since I know her name, I might as well know yours. I feel as if it's only polite.

Teyla? In a --

John feels the tragically familiar sense of unsteadiness that means he's in danger of meeting the ground sometime soon, only now he's stepped away from any supporting structure that might hold him up.

[torchwoodteaboy]

John starts to sway in place and Ianto makes the choice to step forward and reach for him, even though he knows it's a risk at this point. Something's wrong. Something was wrong even before this unsteadiness had started. People don't just up and forget like this, not even when they're tired. Did he fall? Hit his head on something? Did someone drug him? Ianto's mind runs over endless possibilities as he slips an arm around the other man's shoulders to brace him.

"Hey, easy," he murmurs, doing his best to guide him to the edge of the bed, which is again thankfully not that far away, given that John hadn't succeeded in dragging him out the door. "Sit with me, sit. That's it." Ianto eases him down before sinking down to kneel in front of him. Hovering, uncertain whether he's even able to touch him or whether that would set the other man off.

"John?" he urges, chancing a hand on the other man's knee.

[impavid]

He's too unsteady and confused to bother fighting, and as Ianto guides him down John rubs at his face to try and clear the fog. The presence of the other man is familiar, and reassuring despite everything else.

"Give me a minute," he says, and the tone of his voice has changed -- it's gone from angry challenge to the light, reassuring one he uses for phrases like don't worry about it and you okay buddy? and sure, it'll be a piece of cake.

John's still wavering, but at the very list now he's sitting down he can feel it all begin to settle.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto doesn't understand enough of what's going on to know what the tone of the other man's voice should mean, but he. Appreciates the fact that he isn't interrogating him anymore, and he hopes that isn't just because it looks as though he's about to pass out. The fact that John isn't fighting him or protesting his touch means that he does have the leeway to allow himself more, though.

Tentatively, he shifts closer to the other man, rubbing his hand against his leg reassuringly. Doing his best to still be on his guard in case he has to leap back out of harm's way for any reason, but wanting to be close. Maybe it will help...?

"John?" he tries again, after a long pause, looking for some sign of -- anything, though recognition would be the biggest relief at this point.

[impavid]

"Yeah," John manages weakly, "just a little spinny. Give me a minute."

He reaches out for Ianto tiredly, slides a hand over his shoulder and then around to cup his neck -- a gentle attempt at easing some of the concern he can see in the other man's posture. Can feel in the way he's hovering over him and touching him.

"What did I tell you about being on the floor," he tries, and though he's aiming for more energy in the chide it still sounds a little off.

[torchwoodteaboy]

It sounds off, and John looks -- well, not well -- but the reference to a previous conversation of theirs is such a relief that Ianto could cry with it. (He doesn't. He's not there yet. But if that had gone on any further than who knows.)

He reaches up to run his hand along the line of John's arm, before pushing himself up to sit beside the other man on the bed and tugging him in for an embrace.

"Christ," Ianto breathes, slipping one arm around his waist and the other to the back of his neck. Holding him steady in his arms as he tucks him in close. "My god, John. What...?" He supposes he should probably hold off on the questions until he's less likely to pass out on him, so he cuts himself off, running his hands through his hair. There's no sign of an injury on him, but who knows what that means in the long run.

[impavid]

"Hey, hey, easy..."

John blinks and loops his arms loosely around Ianto, tugs him gently to encourage him over into his lap so he can hold him more comfortably.

"I'm fine," he soothes, and tips his face into Ianto's shoulder comfortably as they slowly recover. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine."

Or at least, he seems to be now -- which doesn't explain what happened. Still, one thing at a time...