[ ACTIVE / SEMI-OPEN ]

[impavid]

Who: John Sheppard & various (& maybe you!)
What: Various Stages On The Grief Arc: An illustration of John Sheppard being a disaster
When: Mid to Late November & Early December maybe
Where: Olympia & Dranbu
Warning(s): Some arm injury gore in one thread!


1. OLYMPIA -- Mid November
John is pretty sure he looks a mess to anyone who knows him, but that's precisely why he's avoiding most people who know him.

He's called out of work to give himself a recovery buffer and is taking a walk with Seren, who is completely oblivious to his problems. Seren is still a puppy, and her excitement for everything in their surroundings and for him to play with her is a good distraction -- even if he wishes she understand the word 'chill' on occasion.

The little German Shepherd is starting to grow up quickly, though. She's smart, smart enough John suspects to know exactly when she's just ignoring John's instructions. Old enough to know better, young enough not to care. Off the leash, she's skipping ahead of him with her nose to the ground -- sniffing for traces of other dogs who might have come this way. At this time of day there aren't too many, mostly people, and although she mostly just runs up and down finding things then bringing them to John (or John to them) occasionally she gets curious and bounces toward another human. Either because they smell interesting or have something with them that smells interesting.

Seren shoots toward the new person and bounces curiously while John jogs to catch up, jacket loose and unzipped over his plaid shirt and jeans.

"Hey!" he prompts sharply, and the puppy stops and looks over at him. "We talked about this, manners!"

Apparently bouncing at people is not a good display of puppy manners.

2. DRANBU -- Late November/Early December (specify before or after people change back!)
After having pretty much been holed up in Olympia drowning his sorrows for most of the month, once he finally makes it out to Josa Forest (initially to help Ianto, but then staying to sate his curiosity about what's going on) John realises he does... feel better. He probably should have come out sooner to give himself something to do, instead of just skulking around avoiding everything, but hindsight is 20/20 and all that. At the time he hadn't felt like he wanted to do anything.

Once he's there, though, actually exploring Josa Forest again after his initial trip out with Phoenix helps take his mind off things. The tree villages are interesting, and John picks through them as much to satisfy his own curiosity as to give him a reason to be --

To be away from things that he's absolutely not avoiding but also, is avoiding.

The markets of Dranbu, he notices, are very animal-focused. So after a long moment picking through things he catches the attention of someone and hesitantly asked:

"Do you have anything for dogs...?"

They point him further a long and John lofts an eyebrow curiously, turning and padding in the direction he's been pointed -- bumping into someone near a different stand along the way and setting his good hand on them apologetically to steady them. The marketplace is busy and also, not designed with space in mind. He supposes that's what comes of not normally having this many visitors.

"Sorry," he says with a wince, and bends to try and pick up whatever it is he made them drop. "Here, let me --"

Comments

[doubledoctornocitrus]

"Best restaurant?" That's promising. "And free food for a year when we win? That sounds almost too good to be true."

Though, he has traveled to the jungle full of literal beasts, sticky heat, possible giant blood-sucking insects, and very likely tropical diseases for free food, and at the rate that the locals seem inclined to feed him, he's not going to stop going where the food is anytime soon. With that in mind, a simple restaurant contest doesn't sound altogether far-fetched.

"Honestly, it's the least they can do to make up for half-starving us when I first woke up."

Which is to say he's on board.

[impavid]

Half-starving.

John gives Rodney a vague squint for that, because he suspects that's an individual Rodney problem rather than a global problem, before giving a half-nod of assent. Sure, Rodney, it can make up for that.

"Right!" He says, because it's easier to show willing if it helps Rodney go along with things. "So, I say we try it. We can always back out if it seems like it's not worth it."

So what's even the down side? If the food isn't great they can just claim they feel full of admit 'defeat', right?

[doubledoctornocitrus]

"Alright, alright. I'm in," Rodney says. What's he gonna do? Say no? Besides, John's enthusiasm is infectious, and Rodney's starting to perk up a little bit at the prospective of a glorious triumph after copious amounts deliciousness from this 'best restaurant.' This calls for a grand declaration. "It sounds like a challenge worthy of my unique talents."

Followed soon after by, "So where is it and when is it? Because if it's now, then we should get going, because I haven't eaten for...um." Irrelevant. Ignore him. "Now would be good."

[impavid]

For what? John squints sceptically at Rodney, imagining the answer might be 'a couple of hours', but decides not to push.

Now would be good, Rodney prompts, and John checks his watch thoughtfully. Now wouldn't strictly be bad for him, in all honesty.

"I didn't see any small print saying we couldn't try more than once," John hedges. Maybe that's worth asking about. Maybe if there is that kind of thing it'd be better to go back when he hasn't eaten in a while. You know, preparation. Still... "We could at least go scout it out," he suggests. See what the competition is like, what the current menu is like!

[doubledoctornocitrus]

"Well if you don't want to go now, you can just say so," Rodney says, reasonably, if a bit tetchily. He sees that 'scouting' comment for what it is. A stall. "You were the one so enthusiastic about it a moment ago. I merely thought that since you were attempting to convince me of it and I'm not currently in the throes of a project, that this was another one of your spur-of-the-moment schemes."

Yes, schemes. One of the ones that Rodney is going to avoid saying he enjoys at all costs.

"I didn't realize it was going to go on for more than a day. Maybe I'm busy today."

[impavid]

Maybe he's busy today? John turns a frown on Rodney for that.

"I'm thinking!" he protests, "we've got to be tactical about this. There's a year of free food at stake here! If they won't let us go more than once and enter then we need to maximise our potential, you know. Skip breakfast so we can eat more!"

Competitive eating is a serious sport, Rodney, you can't just turn up and expect to win. You have to have a strategy, and John is all about strategy. Sometimes. Selectively.

[doubledoctornocitrus]

Alright, maybe Rodney deserved that frown. He meets it with a lofted chin and a cat-like avoidance of acknowledging that he'd produced any such inanity. And John's point was a good one; if they really wanted to win, they were going to have to go about this with at least a modicum of forethought.

"Oh. That's. A good point, actually. I did have breakfast." And elevensies, but that's simply because his blood sugar had started dipping early and it was imperative that he remain well-fed or he might get a reputation when his mood inevitably followed his blood sugar down.

"Okay. So we scout now and perhaps eat later. That sounds sensible enough."

[impavid]

"Right!" John says, because he knew Rodney would have had breakfast. Probably more than just breakfast, probably at least half someone else's breakfast. "So, we scout it at, take a look at what's going on. You know, see if we need to book in or something. Then we plan the best day to come."

You know, the day when they can commit to being there long enough to eat a ton of food. At a point when they may then need to go lay down and not move for a long time right after, so preferably not on a lunch break and not when they need to be up early the next day. John gestures for Rodney to follow and starts walking, because they can walk while perfecting this genius plan.

[doubledoctornocitrus]

"An actual plan," Rodney says, walking and talking because he's capable of both. Of course, before they take off, he grabs a jacket and tucks his ubiquitous tablet inside. As if he's going to risk being either chilly or bored, even if they're just going to see a restaurant about a contest. "You know, this might be the most coherent plan you've come up with in years."

Rodney's more concerned with putting himself together and trotting after John than the words that are coming out of his mouth.

"Where did you hear about this, again? I certainly didn't see anything about it, and I might consider this something relevant to my interests."

[impavid]

The most coherent plan. Words hurt, Rodney! John narrows his eyes at him sideways, and just for that he's not answering any further questions.

"I have my sources," he says loftily, as if he might have some secret network of informers all over Olympia. In fact, the guy at the bar told him but you know. That's still a source. He still has sources, that tell him things. While he's buying drinks. "You might too if you left the office more often."

You know, mingled with the world. Talked to people... in bars. The bar thing might be a sticking point, but John's trying to hold the high ground here so he's sticking to this point for now.

[doubledoctornocitrus]

"Sources," Rodney scoffs. But clearly the man did, indeed, have sources. Well, fine. Rodney will find sources of his own, thank you very much. "Maybe I will." And then he blinks. "I leave my office. Lots of times. I have a lab--a very small lab, granted, but a lab nevertheless--set up in my apartment in lieu of a roommate."

That's probably not what John meant.

"And I get coffee."

A little better?

The place they're headed doesn't seem to be all that far; the market district is just around the corner from where they're ambling along, and Rodney can hear people.

[impavid]

A lab in his room -- John is absolutely not surprised. Of course he has a lab in his room. Of course he does.

"That doesn't count," he protests, "you have to be in places with other people, Rodney, that's the point. You know, talking to them! That's how you learn things."

By drinking in bars. Listen, it counts, and John has yet to be knocked from this high ground so what Rodney doesn't know won't hurt him.

The market is noisy, though, so it's hard to keep up the debate (argument) without borderline yelling. John weaves his way through the crowd, indicating for Rodney to follow, then finally stops outside a nice looking building -- large windows, neatly up-kept, carefully tended to flowers outside. There is, in fact, a poster up communicating exactly what John had been trying to explain: the possibility of winning a year of free food is, in fact, real.

A year of free food. It's gotta be worth it, right?

[doubledoctornocitrus]

"That sounds like a poor return on effort," Rodney says. He scrunches his face up. Talking. Yeach. And then you have to remember details about the people you talked with. The horror. "And I am getting to know Ianto. And other people." Like. Two. Maybe three whole other people. He thinks he's doing very well, thank you very much.

Following John, however, is much less of a hardship, especially when he breaks through the crowd for Rodney. Even so, Rodney still has to apply his shoulder at least twice and apologizes at least once. The restaurant that's their definition is quite nice, and whereas Rodney had been interested in the abstract before, now he's genuinely enthused.

"Oh, look, there we go. It's...we should go in." He peers at the poster, blocking the way in for the people behind them. "It's just today?"