Summer 16 - Dreary Day Mingle

[kollomods]

[ It's another calm, quiet day on the island. Swedish summers are like this, from time to time. Cloudy, too cold to spend outside but not so cold that you can really cosy up under a blanket. Another gray, endless summer day, the kind school children dread. Even the birds are quiet.

The Community Center lies mostly abandoned, the only sign of activity being the steaming pots of coffee and hot water set out on the counter, alongside a small assortment of cinnamon buns and shortbread cookies. The locals are busy elsewhere. Come, sit. Spend some time together. ]

Comments

Christmas is over, work has settled down, illnesses gone... i'ts been a month.

[notrosesshadow]

[Gray, bleak, and cold. Could be London. Martha thought about going out, but a brisk walk around the cabins and she felt that it really was better to be inside. Well, there'd probably be something going on at the Community.

Of course, it was fairly quiet there too. She poured herself a cup of coffee and made her way to the library to find something to read. Perhaps it was just a cozy day. But even after browsing the books, none of those looked good either. Eventually she resolved to pacing from window to window, taking moments to stare out and sip coffee before moving to the next one.]

[readystopwatch]

[She’s not the only one with coffee and books on their mind. They seem the perfect activity for a day like today and after using the weather as an excuse to lay around in bed for longer than he normally would Ianto is up and at the community center, giant mug of coffee in hand. His caffeine intake has definitely increased since introducing a vampire into his lifestyle and sleeping habits.

He smiles as he catches sight of Martha by the window and wanders over to join her in admiring the view.] Rather a dismal day, isn’t it?

[notrosesshadow]

[Martha looked over from her window when Ianto spoke and gave him a half smile.] A bit. Good day for coffee.

Met Spike the other day.

[readystopwatch]

I can make you a cup if you’d like. [She knows about his whole coffee thing after all.

That comment gets a curious little quirk of his brow.] And? How did he manage the first impression?

[notrosesshadow]

[Martha looked at the cup she currently held in her hand and found it empty.] I'd like that. Thanks.

You had me worried, but he was on his best behavior it seems. And devilishly handsome as you said. Cheekbones that could cut glass. [She grinned as she said it.]

[readystopwatch]

[He’s on the case, as far as coffee is concerned and takes the mug from her with a smile. The coffee maker is close enough that he can glance over his shoulder and continue their conversation as he works.

It’s very odd to hear her say anything remotely positive about Spike and he’s doing his best to hide behind his usual bland sarcasm and not give anything away.] I think he’s making an effort for this place. Or rather we both are. I’m not always the most social myself. [He wants to ask more, to see if she approves of Spike, if she resents him for being with someone besides Jack but he tries to play it cool.]

[notrosesshadow]

It's easy to end up by yourself here. Far easier than it should be for a small island. At least, I've found it easy to go long stretches without talking to other people even though I share a cabin with four other people.

[Not usual for Martha to be so out of the way. But perhaps that was what she needed. She watches Ianto make the coffee and notices his... discomfort? Apprehension? There's something there...] You seem to have something on your mind. Want to share?

[burntviolet]

[ Hanako never thought a place that's usually noisy and packed with people could inspire so much loneliness once it goes desert. But it's a peaceful sort of lonely that she doesn't feel bothered by. It's not the sort of lonely that would add weight in her chest and inspire negative thoughts racing through her mind. Right now she feels at peace.

Silent as always, she's sitting at a table with hot green tea and some sweets, reading from an open book set to the side.

She thinks that maybe no one would get the idea of joining her, so she's blissfully navigating in her own world, unaware of anyone approaching. ]

[readystopwatch]

[She’s not the only one enjoying a quiet day indoors. Ianto has much the same idea - a cup of coffee and a book sound like the perfect way to spend this dreary afternoon. He glances around, considering finding a quiet corner to sit some in before deciding he might as well be social. He hasn’t met as many people here as he would have liked to and since they’re all trapped inside by the weather it seems like a good chance to meet a few new residents. So he approaches the first table he sees with a friendly sort of smile.]

Mind if I join you? I’ll do my best not to interrupt your reading.

[burntviolet]

[ ... She ought to learn, someday, that getting absorbed in a book while she's in a public place will bite her back when someone actually shows up out of nowhere and strikes up a conversation. The only hints giving out her surprise is a twitch of her shoulders and her head turning a bit too quick towards the man, eyes mildly blown wide in surprise.

Heart pumping in anxiety, she mouths something wordlessly before shaking her head. ]

I-I don't mind sharing the s-space. Go ahead...

[ A following apology for seeming scared dies in her throat when she realizes she's not sure how the man will percieve her reaction. ]

[readystopwatch]

[He feels rather guilty for interrupting her, seeing her startled reaction. He does his best at an apologetic smile, sitting down a bit awkwardly since it seems too late to leave.]

Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. It’s more crowded here than I expected.

[burntviolet]

No, I... uhm...

[ Hanako takes a look around, and sure enough there are more people than she noticed before. A glance at the time shows that she'd been engrossed into her book for almost two hours, and the remaining tea in her cup has gone cold. Ah. Well.

She shakes her head, struggling not to stutter too much although it's her default method of speech. ]

It's alright. I wasn't paying attention t-to my surroundings. Not your fault, sir.

[readystopwatch]

Must be a good book, then. [He certainly knows the feeling. He takes a sip from his own mug of coffee, setting down the volume he’s brought along and cracking it open. It’s a nature book, which is appropriate for someone who hates the outdoors and now finds himself stuck in the middle of it on this island.]

Ianto Jones, by the way. Nice to meet you.

[sparkandburn]

[ He's minding his own business, barely sparing her a glance as he enters the room. The weather has made him restless and while he's resigned to spending his days reading or exploring the island he's driven inside today, busying himself with nosying through the cupboards just for the sake of having something to do.

For a good while it's mostly quiet, with the exception of the occasional soft thud or clink as he puts something down, and then the silence is broken by a cacophony of noise as he triggers a booby trap left behind by the house gnome. Items clang and scatter, cascading down onto the floor. ]

Sorry.

[burntviolet]

[ Oh mother of god what the hell—

Hanako's heart leaps straight to her throat and she nearly jumps out of her skin when the rapid disaster explodes in her ears just as she was in the middle of a scene that enraptured her. Whipping her head towards the source and seeing the items crashed and scattered about, she slowly zooms in on the culprit standing there and apologizing and for long seconds she's unable to put words together, mouth babbling mutely while anxiety shoots happily up to the stars.

When she finds the power to speak again, it's just through a small and stuttered: ]

... O-Okay.

[ Long pause. ]

What happened here...?

[sparkandburn]

[ He may be apologising with his words but he doesn't look too apologetic, if we're being honest. If anything he's quite content to keep snooping about the cupboards. ]

Boobytrap. [ He holds out a string fastened to the inside of the cupboard door, the other end tied to a piece of wood. ] Quite clever, actually.

[burntviolet]

[ She throws a narrowed glance towards the cupboard, frowning as she slightly reels back on her seat. ]

Who would d-do something like that?

[sparkandburn]

Who knows. [ He continues his snooping, a little more carefully this time. ] You ever see anyone in here? Working the kitchen, I mean.

holiday madness mostly done, let's see about getting back into this thing

[dispare]

[She didn't feel like holing herself up in her room on this day, despite the weather making it awfully tempting to do so, so April had come out to see if there was anything going on. Barring some signs of activity—such as the food and drink that had been set out—it didn't look like there was, but that didn't mean she had to turn back and return to the cabin; she could probably find something to occupy herself with here.

She could be found just about anywhere in the center (or at least anywhere that she wouldn't immediately be shooed away) looking to see what she could busy herself with. So far, though, nothing particularly drew her attention, and she was almost starting to wonder if she should just return to her room anyway.]

[readystopwatch]

[Ianto has been just as keen to get out of his cabin and enjoy the day, weather or no weather. He’s spent most of the morning here in the community center, reading and drinking coffee but eventually his natural inclination to organize took over and now he’s found himself wandering around replacing abandoned books on the shelves or reorganizing things in alphabetical order. It’s his version of relaxing.]

Excuse me, do you mind passing me those? [A friendly sort of smile as he nods towards the stack of books on the table near her.]

[dispare]

[The moment Ianto had chosen to approach just happens to be one where April was beginning to get lost in her thoughts—and she hadn't really been expecting to be approached to begin with—so she startles a bit when he calls to her.]

Huh? Oh, uh, no, no, I don't mind. [She picks the books up and carries them over.]

[readystopwatch]

[He accepted the pile of books with a friendly, appreciative smile and begins flipping through them, sorting them into order.] Thank you. It seems a shame to leave them lying around in case someone else might be trying to find them.

[dispare]

Maybe whoever was looking at them before had to leave in a hurry. [Or maybe not. She doesn't know, she's only guessing at a possible explanation.

She also starts looking around a bit, to see if any other books have been left lying around. Helping clean the place up a bit wasn't something she'd been planning on, but it is something to do, and all she really cares about at the moment is not letting herself remain idle; the activity will keep her from thinking too much.]

Were there any others, or just those?

at the farm

[freedomordeath]

[ While the community center looks inviting and the library even more so, North actually makes the trek out to the farm in this dreary weather. Today being an inside weather kind of day, she figures it's her best bet to catch the farmer with some time on his hands.

She goes poking around the farm, finally making her way to the stables. ]

Excuse me? Mister Einar? Are you in here? I'd been hoping to speak to you.

[norrhamn_residents]

[ He is indeed in the stables, busying himself with some cleaning and repair work that always seem to be pushed off for later and then it rains and he remembers why he needs to stop pushing it off for later. The sound of her voice lures him out, wiping his dirty hands on his just as dirty overalls. ]

Oh, hey! What can I do for you?