The Bookworm Strikes Again (open)

[first_in_time]

Who: Barbara and Anyone
Where: The Media Library and possible roaming
Summary: Research, tea, discussion and all that jazz. Feel free to simply come and bug her.
Warnings: None

After watching the Daligig slaughter the previous crew twice, Barbara went in search of any kind of material on the Daligig, Stacey, pod-popping and the crews which had traveled on Stacey. She didn't expect to find much more than what GLaDOS had told her but it was worth a look. Especially with all this talk of rebellion and distrust.

So, in a corner of the Media Library Barbara sat with piles books, stacks of visual recordings and audio recordings, plus pot of tea which had been sitting empty for a while. She was lost in her own world, memorising what she could and trying to gain a better picture of the ship, the war and everything else which could be considered relevant.

Comments

[first_in_time]

"The fact that you're coping so well is, well. Admirable, really," Barbara gushed, "and I wouldn't trust Stacey, either. Not with something like a spare leg."

Their tea arrived in beautiful pots with matching cups, saucers, small milk jugs and sugar bowls. Barbara thanked the waitress and rearranged her own things the way she liked them. Then folded her hands in her lap to let the tea settle before she poured.

"What do you usually drink at home, if you don't drink tea?" she asked by way of continuing the conversation.

[boobhat]

"It's not really all that bad. There's a lot of people back home that lost limbs to the dragons--like Gobber. He was the blacksmith I apprenticed under. He was missing a hand and a leg," Hiccup explained. "And mead usually. Beer. Wine on special occasions. Water sometimes, but you know, that was always risky unless you boiled it and that was a lot of work when you could just drink mead."

[first_in_time]

"Right." She supposed that wasn't as complicated as it sounded. Or perhaps she was tired. Whatever the reason, tea would fix it.

The aromas from the teapots began to waft around them as Barbara poured their tea, starting with Hiccup's.

"Try that as it is, then add sugar or milk if you want."

[boobhat]

Hiccup blew on it until it was cool enough, tried it, wrinkled his face in a rather comical way, but then added some sugar and milk. Then he tried it again, still wrinkled his face, and added a whole lot of sugar and milk, until it was less tea with milk and sugar and more milk and sugar with tea in it.

He seemed to like it then, taking a nice, long sip and then looking relaxed after.

"Okay, okay, I'm starting to see the appeal now. Not bad."

[first_in_time]

Barbara laughed, only having added a dash of milk and a teaspoon of sugar to her own tea.

"If you want to drink it properly, you'll have to ween yourself off the amount of sugar and milk you have."

[boobhat]

"Forget propriety when you can put sugar in everything," Hiccup joked. "We didn't have sugar back home." Just honey. "Or cocoa. Or potatoes. Or tomatoes."

He paused. "Or, you know, running water, refrigeration, penicillin, anesthesia of any kind, or any real concept of sanitation, but I still think my favorite thing is the sugar."

[first_in_time]

"So you're enjoying the many things Stacey has to offer thanks to various civilisations," Barbara smiled.

[boobhat]

"I've enjoyed the people from different civilizations, too. I grew up in the same village for my entire life. To see the world out there--to see the other worlds out there--is amazing."

He shook his head slightly.

"I never imagined the universe could be so big."

[first_in_time]

"Did you feel a little overwhelmed at all?" Barbara had felt overwhelmed on her first adventure and, to an extent, her second as well.