[Open/Closed] There is life outside your apartment...

[doubledoctornocitrus]

Who: Rodney McKay (doubledoctornocitrus) & Annie Walker (smithsonian), & TJ Johansen (stargatemedic), & Felicity Smoak (alergictonuts), & Ianto Jones (torchwoodteaboy), & Various/Open
What: November Catchall
When: Various dates in November
Where: Olympia
Warning(s): Rodney is basically his own warning. I'm sorry.



Evening, Olympia (Closed to Annie Walker)

"You!"


Apropos of Nothing (Closed to Felicity)

Are you planetside?

Do you have a roommate?


Re: Your Destiny. (Closed to TJ)

This time, Rodney avails himself of the tools he's given, and looks up 'Tamara Johansen' in the little social media applet that's been treating him surprisingly well. With her as a medic, he should have figured she'd work in a clinic, and it's convenient that she's actually in Olympia. And, well, it's also convenient that the clinic is in Olympia as well, because he's stopped off at the...healers(????) once or maybe twice and if Beckett had practiced mystic bullshit, this planet's idea of the medical arts is beyond the pale.

Regardless. Rodney shows up at TJ's work with a smile and asks for her specifically.


A Stopped Clock (Closed to Ianto)

Whereas Rodney had, prior to his discussion with John, resolved to be Nice(tm) to Ianto, the discussion had had the surprise side-effect of forcing him to realize he actually needed to make an effort. Conveniently, the cafe-like place within which the discussion took place has pretty good coffee, which is as good an offering as any. And...honestly...Rodney has next-to-no clue what Ianto is actually like or would actually like.

Which probably wasn't good, considering the whole vague hand-gesture-y situation.

Armed with cafe coffee not made by someone whose optimal brew was 'nearly caustic with pesticide levels of caffeine', Rodney attempts to hunt Ianto down using his vague recollections of things that weren't his work and were also people-related, all while nervously trying not to admit to himself that it's important to not fuck up this actual human relationship. It's not even his relationship, which is somehow worse, because if he fucks up then it's not him who is going to be suffering the most.

And so, Ianto, Rodney comes bearing one (1) gift.


Making a Racket (Open -- Thesean Starter Housing)

Rodney keeps odd hours, even considering that they're on new planet and sometimes it can take a while for daily circadian rhythms to synchronize with diurnal cycles. Which means he's up in the middle of the night and there's crackling noises and flickering light coming from beneath his door as he does the Mad Science thing. He's bound and determined to learn how to make this world's technology for himself--and then try and apply a bit of his own know-how to it. But to do that, he's gotta break some eggs. So speak.

It's just very, very late and the apartments aren't very far apart.


Wildcard (Open -- Anywhere)


[Poke me for a custom starter elsewise! I'll match brackets or prose. Plx plot with me. :D]

Comments

[smithsonian]

Jogging was a past time that Annie hadn't yet given up. The lack of an iPod, though? That made it far less interesting, unless she was purposely jogging through the forest and possibly risking injury.

For the time being, she was sticking to the main roads of Olympia and seeing what she could see, memorizing what was where in case it was needed later. What she wasn't, expecting, however, was a man on the side of the street to call out to her as she passed, as if he knew her.

She slowed to a stop, then let a smile play over her face.

"You."

[doubledoctornocitrus]

"You exist!"

Which had been a worry. After his conversation with Ianto on the various properties of the local wine, the idea that he might have simply...hallucinated her wholesale had crossed his mind. After all: hot, forward, blonde...

He hadn't gotten further than that before realizing she might not actually be real.

"Who are you?"

[smithsonian]

He confirms her existence with words and she can't help it; she huffs a laugh and steps even closer, hands on her hips, curious where this kind of conversation might go.

"I do," she interjects, motioning to him to indicate that he, too, exists, but before she can get that far, he goes on to ask her who she is. "I'm Annie. Annie Walker." She holds out the hand she'd been waving. "It's nice to meet you. You know, again."

[doubledoctornocitrus]

Rodney hustles toward her, his own hand extended. "Doctor Rodney McKay, it's a pleasure, Annie," he says with no small delight. He shakes her hand, brief and professional for all that he's still staring at her like she had just sprung miraculously from the ground. "It's wonderful to--" He gestures at her, a nebulous, enthusiastic flail encompassing 'see her,' 'experience her presence in real life,' and 'holy shit shake her hand.' He's animated, talking half with his hands. "You're very attractive even when I'm not shockingly high."

[smithsonian]

His enthusiasm is frighteningly amusing and she keeps up with his flail and his expression with a huge grin of her own, bursting into laughter at the end of his exclamation.

"You're still quite funny even when I'm not overwhelmingly drunk," she says in return, then softens her expression to take him in. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I have to say that it's nice to know that you don't hold me invading your personal space against me."

text; UN: overwatch

[allergictonuts]

Pretty sure most people are planetside if they're awake.

I don't have a roommate. Why?

text; un: phdphd

[doubledoctornocitrus]

You seem like you would be a tolerable roommate

[allergictonuts]

I make a terrible roommate. I'm up at all hours of the night, I'm not a neat freak, and there's not enough coffee in this place that I've found that'll make me even CLOSE to tolerable in the morning.

Wait.

Were you asking me to be your roommate?

[doubledoctornocitrus]

I was sounding you out.

Maybe not a neat freak, but do you enjoy tidying things?

[allergictonuts]

I tidy my OWN things.

Are you looking for a housekeeper?

[bellare]

Frank has never been much of a sleeper. Not a good one, anyway. And without booze to lull him into a comfortable stupor, he's more alert than ever in this new place. A place in space, he keeps having to remind himself. Shouldn't his ears pop from the altitude or something? They probably did on the ascent, but of course, he doesn't remember that part. He keeps hearing a noise in the hall and assumes it's in his head the first tenish times. Or at least, would prefer to assume that it is. Because as awake as he is, that's worlds away from wanting to be up and out of bed.

Around the dozenish crackle, however, Frank can't take it anymore. He needs to know what's up. He pulls on a shirt and makes his way down the hall, realizing only belatedly that he really should have put his boots on to investigate. He's done more with less, but that still doesn't make it ideal. He pauses outside Rodney's door once it's obvious that's where the noise is coming from, watching the light flicker ominously under the gap. He's suddenly reminded of his crazy neighbors back home and has to crack a private smile, just for a moment, where no one can see.

He clears his throat before projecting his best Cop Voice, back flat against the wall out of habit in case there's something dangerous inside the room or on Rodney's person as he emerges. "Everything okay in there?"

[doubledoctornocitrus]

"Black magic and mad science," Rodney mutters to himself, hunched over tubes and whatever that he's not sure ever properly worked, considering he found the thing in an alley bin. He feels a little bit like a college student again--a much less well-funded one, at least--scrapping for odds and ends. It's terrible and nostalgic both.

He's just noting down some values on his tablet when a man with a Very Serious voice in the hall startles the thing right out of his hands with a clatter. Yelping, he recovers it and spends a hot minute making sure it's not broken, considering it's the only one he's ever likely to get his hands on ever again.

Leaving the tubes-and-things glowing on the table behind him, Rodney trundles to the door and cracks it open to eyeball the hallway. Strident and a little irritated, Rodney asks the apparently empty hallway, "Who's there?" Just what he needs, the deep, manly-voiced version of ding-dong-ditch.

[bellare]

He worries his lip as Rodney opens the door. It doesn't sound like he's packing, but he'd really like to not be wrong today. Still, Frank unfurls from the wall and slides silently in front of the other man. He also looks like no threat, but again, it's not a risk he's willing to take so he's staying on point until it's absolutely certain the threat is either neutralized or all in his head.

"Depends who's asking," he replies predictably, trying to get a peek inside the room. It does indeed look like mad science and black magic, not like he's an expert on either.

[doubledoctornocitrus]

Well that was. Spooky. And deeply alarming.

When the stranger basically appears from out of the shadows at the side of his door, fully formed like some sort of square-jawed specter of vengeance, Rodney makes a very undignified noise and slams the door in his face.

"Nobody's asking!" Rodney yelps through the door. "Everything is fine!"

The mish-mosh of magic and electronics punctuates his words with a particularly inspired crackle-pop.

[bellare]

Spooky and alarming are kind of his hallmarks, but Rodney will come to learn that eventually on his own. Frank sighs at the door being slammed in his face, but otherwise remains impassive. He could've been gentler on approach, he realizes, but Rodney also could have been dangerous. He looks down at himself in jeans, a t-shirt and nothing else and has to admit that even to his own warped standards he seems completely insane. Mostly because he is, of course, but that's not even close to the point.

"Don't blow yourself up in there on my account." What's this guy making? Bombs? He's the last person that's going to judge Rodney unless he's a terrorist of some sort. But it's just a hunch: he seems pretty jumpy for a terrorist. So here it goes, reaching out to other humans. He really hopes he doesn't regret this instantly. "I'm gonna make some coffee and come back. How do you take yours?" Hopefully that's friendly enough??? While also letting the good doctor know he's definitely not dropping this.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto can be found where he often is in the middle of a workday -- at work. Which is to say, behind the counter at the cafe/bakery he's found a position at for the past few months, making coffee, busing tables, and serving drinks and pastries.

He's not expecting a personal visitor, busy with a customer and their order at first. Pulling the customer's drink and setting it on a tray with the pastry they had ordered. Glancing down at the note of the name the order was under (this isn't Starbucks with printed labels, thanks very much), before looking up to call it out across the shop.

Which is, of course, when he spots him.

"Rodney?"

[doubledoctornocitrus]

The fact that Ianto apparently works at a cafe (the name of the place had sounded vaguely café-like now that he thought about it) daunts Rodney for all of a second. He's going to learn things about Ianto whether anyone likes it or not. And now he knows that Ianto works at a café. That Rodney is bringing a competitor's coffee into.

Doesn't matter.

"Ianto!" Rodney says in reply, because if he keeps using his name, it will become permanent and he won't have to fish for it. His tone is a weird mixture of false-jovial and man-on-a-mission, loud and cutting and unrepentant, and he bulls his way toward the counter that Ianto is tending with coffee and determination.

When he gets there, because he's not ordering anything, he stops right up by the counter and ignores the looks he gets from the other patrons. And, well, Ianto. He slaps on a smile that is maybe 80% fakey-awkward and declares, "I brought you coffee."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto takes in the sight of the other man standing there with the coffee he's brought and the look on his face and is at once slightly pained, confused, worried, and uncertain of the other man's appearance there. Glancing aside, he shoots his coworker an apologetic look -- it would seem like he's going to have to take his break early today -- before he turns to duck out from behind the counter.

"Here, ehm," he gestures the other man away from the line of patrons he's just stood in front of and towards an empty table. "Let's. Let's sit, yeah?"

He waits until Rodney's joined him before he raises his eyebrows at the other man, unable to help but ask, "Is... Everything alright?"

[doubledoctornocitrus]

Rodney follows, ignoring the people in line, everyone behind the counter, and anyone curious enough to be following their progress from where they're seated. He's fighting impatience, so that when they finally get to the table, he thumps down into his chair with obvious relief and plants the coffee he'd brought square in front of Ianto.

"There," he says in satisfaction. "That's yours."

Waving away Ianto's question with a, "Yes, yes, everything's fine," he takes a moment to gather himself. Then lifting his chin as if that would give him any more authority, says, "It has come to my attention that you are sleeping with John and I still know next to nothing about you."

Which, granted, isn't fine, but nothing's on fire.

[stargatemedic]

Though she's not expecting him, she can't say his arrival is exactly unexpected. After he'd helped her with the dragon teeth pulling adventure, TJ had a feeling that she'd see him again - sooner rather than later. When she hears someone asking for her specifically, she recognizes the voice and turns, the expectant expression on her face almost passing for a smile.

Almost.

"Rodney," is her greeting. Not 'Doctor McKay', since they'd gotten past that during their initial discussion. "What brings you into the clinic today?"

[doubledoctornocitrus]

The lack of title has him gritting his teeth, but he is trying to be friendly. It makes his smile not quite a smile, but it's close enough. And he's not unhappy to see her. He's sought her out, after all.

"When's your break? Or when are you done?" He realizes a beat later that that's very blunt and probably moderately rude, and adds, "I can bring you...whatever the next meal is? Lunch? If you have time to talk?"

Okay, maybe that's less rude and more bribery, but he's on a mission.

[stargatemedic]

TJ honestly doesn't notice his discomfort at the lack of his title as her eyes are elsewhere, but when she looks back at him, her smile is a bit more genuine. Nothing about what she'd heard about the man from their previous lives had ever indicated him doing something for another person - especially if it involved food.

"I can take my break now if you wanna go and grab something," she offers instead, her gratitude over his over evident on her face. She doesn't think of it as rude and has no idea it's bribery.

[doubledoctornocitrus]

"Yes, perfect," he says, "That would be good. I'm not sure where there's a good place around here. You're a bit further afield than I usually manage, and it's only been, oh, a month or so? So really, that's still part of the time when you're figuring out what places won't get you mugged and what other places have the best coffee..."

It's a ramble, no doubt about it, accompanied by his usual speaking hands. She just...looked glad to be accepting, and now he's feeling a bit guilty for having an ulterior motive and that makes him...a bit more talkative than he probably otherwise would have been.

"This is a nice place, though. Not nearly as barbaric as the usual Olympian idea of healthcare."

Making a Racket

[faceofbeau]

The good news is, the racket isn't disturbing Jack's sleep, given that he doesn't actually sleep. Rather, it's something that catches his attention as he's headed towards the little place he'd been told was his. It's not everyday you see sparks through the crack of a door and hear something that sounds perilously close to explosions coming from an apartment in the dead of night. He's curious, enough so that he pauses outside the door to watch and listen for a moment. Well, there's no actual explosions happening, or at least none big enough to exceed the apartment itself. But- it's something of a welcome distraction from his intended plan to spend a few hours at his place 'resting' before heading back out again, so before he can think twice about it, Jack raps lightly on the door, his voice amused as he calls lightly,

"You alright, in there?"

[doubledoctornocitrus]

The only reason Rodney even heard the call was the tiny pop, sputter, spark, and puff of blue smoke that cut out most of the light and all of the crackle. Swearing to himself, he pulled off his poor excuses for safety goggles and tossed them into the mangled remains of the tubes, metal bits, and wires that had at one point been some sort of Olympian electronic thing. He missed the knock in the flicker-flash of experiment failure, but he heard the voice.

"Yes, fine!" Rodney calls, way too loud for the kind of apartments they have and the hour that they're at. "Go--"

He cuts himself off when he finally sees the time on his phone. Jennifer would scold him to be polite, and so he tromps to the door and actually opens it to peer at the person in the hall.

He does not finish saying 'go away.' He's annoyed, but half of that is having made an erroneous assumption as to the tolerance of the element he'd been testing, and now that he has junk instead of something useful to work on, he needs a distraction. So he says, only slightly more curious than hostile, "Do you need something?"