trans_9 | House hunting [open]

John was getting sick of sleeping in those freaky beds. At least back on Moya he didn't feel like a human booger. Sure, the beds on Moya didn't have anything on a nice Earth mattress as far as he was concerned, but right now they looked a lot better than those....nostril chutes. John was sure there was some technobabble term for what they really were called. He'd gone past the point of caring.

So his mission today was basically something that involved a). a real bed (or the next closest thing) and b). preferably clothes. Good pair of pants. Something that didn't feel like it was willing to play condom for him whether he was ready or not.

(Yeah, he didn't like that thought either.)

John made it down to the City without any problems. They weren't kidding when they called it a city -- it was big, not town big. Actual city big. Big enough that you probably wanted a buddy on this field trip. John decided to go for someone who looked like he was human and not packing, jogging up to the guy.

"Hey, you know your way around here?" John slowed. "Don't suppose you found a motel or something we can crash in?"

Ian looked round at the other man. He shook his head at the question. "I haven't been here very long myself," he said, assuming from the way he talked that the other man had woken up at the same time he had.

"Don't you like sleeping inside a tiny, claustrophobic space?" he asked with a smile. He couldn't believe anyone would like it.

John laughed. "Sure, it's a lifelong dream." He already liked this guy's sense of humor. He held out his hand. "John."

He resisted the urge to say "John Crichton" more than he had to. Before it was just another name; now he was scared to go throwing it around in case someone put two and two together and went running back to people like Scorpius. Still, this guy didn't look much like a Peacekeeper. Kinda had this vague old school vibe about him. John couldn't quite place it.

He laughed at John's comment before shaking his hand. "Ian."

Like some other people he'd come across Ian was not about to ask John if he was human. It didn't matter for one thing.

"I'm looking for somewhere better to sleep myself. It's a big enough city, there ought to be something."

Ian. Nice, normal names. John could get used to this.

"Probably can't hurt to find a place to squat. I mean, I don't see anyone's names on them," John grinned. He wanted to say he cautiously felt at home around more humans. But it struck him as a case of too good to be true and he figured he better take it baby-steps slow. John pointed at one of the streets branching off from where they were. "We could hit that one up."

Low, squat, looked like any of the apartments back in Florida. John wasn't sure about Ian's tastes, but he wanted to take a look at how thick the walls were. He'd prefer something that wasn't, y'know, paper-thin and not much good in a firefight.

"Why not." He probably wasn't going to find anything that looked like home around here, but then they were on a spaceship. "If someone lives there their stuff'll be there." If they were like Howard and had accumulated a lot of course. Ian only had what he was wearing, plus the clothes he'd been given in Geartopia - minus the boots, which were more comfortable than anything he'd found on Stacy.

He tried the door of the nearest one and it opened. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. "Hello, anyone home?" he called. It didn't look like anyone was, if the emptiness of it was any indication. "When I find somewhere I'm going to put up a sign." Then no one else would do what they were.

Good point. Stuff in the house, probably counted just as much as them having their name on it.

John followed Ian as he picked a possible candidate and went for it. Couldn't say the guy didn't have guts, especially when the door just opened and you had no idea if there was a crazy nutbag inside with a shotgun. Or space shotgun. Space pulse shotgun. Whatever. John peered over Ian's shoulder, biting the inside of his cheek and -- wow. So far no intergalactic rednecks to chase them out.

"I'm sure we can beat back the mob of squatters trying to jump our claim," John said, unable to resist being a backseat smartass. Sorry, old habit. "Let's just make sure there's no critters here."

Critters. If there was anything he wanted to warn Ian about, it was how ridiculous space critters could get. You thought critters were bad on Earth? They got mean out in space. Also on crack. John takes point by edging into the room past Ian, his hand on Winona holstered at his hip as he scans the room for any sign of movement. Small living room...thing, remnants of a table. Smelled of old people in here. Nice.

"We're on a spaceship," Ian pointed out. If there was one thing they were unlikely to find, it was bugs. But all the same, he looked carefully as he went through the house.

The next room he came to was presumably a kitchen. Everything in it was gleaming silver and the appliances all had buttons on. Ian wasn't sure what half of it did. It all looked clean and unused - but that could just mean that whoever lived here hadn't used the kitchen. When he opened the cupboards he found they were bare.

"Does Stacy have bacteria?" he asked John as he re-joined him. It made sense, given that she was alive. He wondered if the bacteria could be the size of an insect, if everything was scaled up.

Yeah, like being on a spaceship suddenly meant it was all Trekked out and squeaky clean; John had learned the hard way that it wasn't much like that. He kept his hand on his pulse pistol, ghosting after Ian as the other guy took the lead and nosed about what looked like a kitchen -- or a least kitchen-ish enough for John to get curious despite himself. Way cleaner than the rest of the place, which was either incredible luck on their side or there was some reason his paranoia hadn't figured out yet.

"If she does, she didn't say in our wake-up call. God, I hope not," John made a face. "Last thing you want is your ship deciding you're suddenly the next flu."

He took it back about critters being the worst thing they could bump into. At least with critters you could see them coming and fight them off. But he'd run into a ship deciding she'd had enough, thank you, and he could tell Ian that it wasn't any fun. John opened what looked like a microwave from the outside, only for the inside to look like a Slinky had a wild night with silver Play Doh and on second thought, he had no idea what he was looking at. John checked it out long enough to make sure it wasn't ticking or making any ominous noises he should be aware of, the human glancing over his shoulder.

"I'm thinking kitchen or lab here."

He made a face, not liking the idea of their spaceship being ill. But it was a living creature and living things were ill from time to time, so he wouldn't be surprised if it happened. Perhaps he should ask someone who'd been here for longer if Stacy had ever been ill in the past.

"I wouldn't mind having a lab." There was one on the ship, of course, but imagine having a lab in your house! "Even if there isn't a kitchen you could still cook in here." Probably. If he borrowed a bunsen burner. Or if they could work out what any of these things did without burning the place down.

"I like it so far, but we ought to see if there are any bedrooms."

"Problem is finding even what you could cook around here that isn't that stuff in the Mess Hall," John couldn't resist pointing out. He wasn't entirely surprised the guy was a scientist, what with the whole lab thing; kinda just looked like that labcoat wearing type in John's opinion.

He went through one of the walls that hadn't lucked out like the rest of the place, this big gaping hole like someone had dropkicked a TV right through it. He guessed they could just say it saved on knocked out a wall the professional way. Bedrooms would be nice. Bedrooms without bedbugs or other critters would be even better. At this point he'd be happy with a couch. The hallway split into some smaller rooms. Most of them were filled with junk, like someone had been using them as storage.

"Any luck on your end?" John called out over his shoulder as he ducked into another room to investigate.

Ian was sure there were other things around to eat. No one would willingly eat that stuff for long without making an effort to find something else. And there were people here who'd been around for a while.

Having started at the other end of the hallway, the rooms Ian had found were different. Whoever had designed them had odd ideas of bedrooms. One had been nothing but cushions and bean bags, another had a hammock that took up the whole space and swung alarmingly when any weight was put on it. The third had bunk beds that were too short for any adult to sleep in.

"There are bedrooms," he called back. He opened another door to find a room that was decorated entirely in reds with a heart-shaped bed in the centre. "Oh, dear," he said and closed the door. "There are a lot of bedrooms. I'm just not sure I'd like to sleep in any of them."

"Maybe it's some whacky motel," John's voice echoed back. "'Course that doesn't explain the Gee Whiz You're a Scientist set back there, but it's all I got."

John came trooping back down the hall to join Ian, satisfied that at the very least it was critter-less and if there were any booby-traps, he'd lucked out and hadn't gotten any to the face. Not a bad way to start the day. As for the beds, well, not much you could do if they didn't fit - although there was always throwing the mattresses on the floor and making a bachelor pad that way -- and anyway, it wasn't like this was the first choice they had to go with. John did make sure to snag what looked like an old car battery sitting in the bathroom next to the shattered toilet, shouldering it as he rounded the corner and caught sight of Ian.

"You never know when you'll need one," John said, before Ian could ask what he could possibly do with a car battery on a space ship. He tipped his chin toward the door. "Let's keep looking."

"Maybe it's a motel for scientists. Or experiments." That might explain the bedrooms. If someone wanted to research on sleep or sleeping arrangements, this place would make sense.

At John's comment about the car battery he didn't ask. There seemed to be something about hoarding around here, although he wasn't about to start doing that sort of thing himself. A war was supposed to mean sharing.

"If there's one empty house there's bound to be another." The whole street seemed empty, Ian noticed when he looked down it. "Let's try the next one," he suggested.

The next one was also open. The front door opened straight into the living room, which had furniture but no belongings, which was a good sign. However, when Ian put a hand on the back of the sofa a little harder than he'd intended, a cloud of dust spread up into the air, making him cough.

The rather impressive medieval castle in the heart of the city - positioned between the train tracks and the river, a short distance from Escherville - was largely unoccupied and, consequently, quieter than many of the buildings in the city. It wasn't quite the same as being at home, but it was more than Elisa had dared to hope for when she'd first woken up from the pods.

Shortly after the false sunset, Elisa left the precinct were the security department was based and returned to Castle Wyvern. She'd intended to make sure that her beloved car - which Goliath had rescued from one of the lower levels during her time in the pods - was still in working order, but Bronx had greeted her with enthusiastic before she'd managed to cross the threshold and she'd been unable to resist changing her plans.

She'd thrown the gargoyle beast a stick to fetch, but what he returned with was an entire branch, dropping it expectantly at her feet.

"... you're getting closer."

Ian saw the beast before he saw Elisa. He'd been marvelling at there being a castle inside a spaceship and therefore not paying much attention to his surroundings. A big blue something was hard to miss however. He followed it to where Elisa was waiting, but he kept his distance, unsure about getting too close. "What is that?"

Elisa greeted Ian with a smile when she spotted him, resting a hand on Bronx's head as the gargoyle beast regarded the new arrival with interest.

"His name is Bronx," she explained, "He's a gargoyle. And a friend. Don't worry, he won't hurt you."

Not without a good reason, anyway. In human terms, Bronx was the clan's guard dog and, because Elisa was part of the clan, he was just as protective of her as he was of the rest of them.

"Hello Bronx," Ian said to the gargoyle. He cautiously took a step closer. "I never thought that there would be animals here too." After all, they were on a spaceship.

At the sound of his name, the gargoyle beast - something like a dog, but with fangs and claws and ridges that were distinctly gargoyle - padded over to examine Ian. Elisa wasn't concerned. They were both good judges of character and she was sure than Ian would be fine.

"Neither did I," she admitted, "But I was happy to see another familiar face waiting for me when I found the castle."

He stood still, so Bronx could smell him. "That's good you have someone familiar. Have you found anyone else you know?"

"My best friend," she said, with genuine delight and genuine enthusiasm creeping into her words. (Although she wasn't entirely sure that that was the most appropriate way to describe their relationship after everything that had happened, it was true enough for now.) "Goliath. This is his castle."

He smiled at her delight. "I'm glad. So are you and Bronx living in his castle?" He looked up at the castle - it did look impressive. Well, it was a castle, after all.

"We are," she confirmed, "There's plenty of room."

She'd not actually spent much time in the castle when it had been in Manhattan. Goliath and the rest of the clan had been forced out of it soon after their arrival in the city, moving into the clock tower above the police precinct instead. But she knew how much it meant to them and her invitation had been another reminder of the fact that she truly was part of the clan, human or not.

"What about you? Where are you staying?"

Because, as she said, there was plenty of room if he felt like leaving the crew quarters.

"At the inn for the moment. The innkeeper has a parrot." You didn't come across many parrots, especially being kept by innkeepers. "But I'm looking for somewhere more like home." It was a big enough city, there were bound to be houses something like the ones in London somewhere."

"Well, the castle isn't piece of home unless you're used to it." (Even then, it felt strangely empty without the rest of the clan to make it feel like a home.) "And I'd have to run it past Goliath, but you'd be welcome to one of the rooms here."

"Thank you." He smiled, grateful for the offer. "I'm not sure about living in a castle," visiting it was one thing, living was something else, "but I might take you up on it if I can't find anything more like a house or a flat."

"I'd never have considered it back in Manhattan," she admitted, "But the people there make it feel like home."

She rubbed the top of Bronx's head against as she spoke.

"Do you want to come and have a look around? You'd definitely like the library."

Ian could make his home anywhere, but he had to admit that the people he was with did make a difference. But it was no use wishing any of them were here, apart from the Doctor, because they were probably better off asleep in the pods.

"I'd love to. I've never seen a library in a castle on a spaceship."

"I bet that was a sentence you never expected to say," she said with a laugh. It was certainly one that she hadn't expected to hear. It was a good job that she was good at taking things that would have one seemed impossible in her stride. "Come on in."

She turned to the main entrance, leading the way through the drawbridge and portcullis.

He laughed too. He certainly hadn't ever expected to say that sentence.

He followed her into the castle. "It's very impressive," he said. It was a proper castle, despite being on a spaceship. "Who built it?"

"It was built by Prince Malcolm of Scotland in around 971 AD," she answered. A proper castle indeed. "It was moved to Manhattan in 1994 by a man named David Xanatos. He's made a few modifications, but a lot of the original features have been preserved."

He nodded, but frowned at the news of the castle being moved to America. "I didn't think was enough space in Manhattan for a castle. Who allowed him to move it?"

"It's New York. Money lets you to do a lot of things." Elisa pulled a face that was only partially theatrical. She loved the city and she had dedicated her life to the pursuit of justice, but she wouldn't pretend that the system was perfect. "He shipped it over brick by brick and built it on the top of a skyscraper in the city."

"On top of a skyscraper?!" He looked around at the castle trying to imagine it on top of a skyscraper, but he couldn't. "It must have towered over the city."

"Definitely," she said with a nod, "But I guess it's one way of making sure you don't get bothered by the neighbours."

She glanced at Bronx, who had followed them inside, giving the gargoyle beast an affectionate smile.

"And being up on the rooftops was good for the clan. They tend to stick out on the streets."

"If they have pets like him I'm not surprised." He supposed the New York of the future was a little different from the one in the present. If they'd run out of space then the top of skyscrapers would be a logical place to build.

It wasn't just Bronx that stood out. Their own wings and claws tended to make an impression.

They'd reached the library while they were speaking and Bronx pushed open the door, allowing Elisa to follow him inside and hold the door open for Ian. Densely packed bookcases stretched from floor to ceiling, filled with volumes both new and old.

"What d'you think?"

Ian looked around in wonder, his mouth open at all he saw. "I do like it," he said. He smiled as he looked over at Elisa. "That's an incredible collection of books."

House hunting [open]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject