Hard choices leave you with nothing [for slayers_desire]

[fractured_agent]

It's been a while since Jack needed a stiff drink, and he usually abstains in case the Doctor picks that moment to return. But after a day like today... sometimes he can justify letting himself slip a bit.

The rest of his team is sent home, and the Hub is empty, save for Jack and the pterodactyl roosting in her eyrie. Leaving him alone with only a drink and his memories for company.

He looks down at his wristcomp. Very few times has he been able to call anyone for help, since his time at Torchwood began. And it still doesn't quite work... but he's spent too much time with only his thoughts for company. He's terribly lonely, in the way that only the immortal truly know, and right now his heart is aching for the loss of Estelle.

He calls up April's number, before he can talk himself out of it.

Comments

[slayers_desire]

"Thanks Jack."

[fractured_agent]

"No need to thank me. Different species have different diets; that's just the way the universe works."

[slayers_desire]

"Not everyone is so understanding. So I appreciate it."

[fractured_agent]

Jack is one person she'll meet who would never judge a person for what their biology demands of them, having been raised in the far future amongst a multitude of species as he was. The rest of Torchwood are a bit more prone to being weirded out at first, but if they ever do learn about April in that way, they'll get used to it fast.

"Speaking of which, sorry if the old smells here bother you at all," Jack adds. His own senses are a little sharper than a contemporary human's, but sometimes he can't tell if it's just memory or if the scent of blood is still noticeable after all these years.

[slayers_desire]

"I did notice the blood first thing when I entered. But I wasn't bothered by it..."

[fractured_agent]

"Because it's not fresh?" he guesses. The blood scent in the main area is several years old, at least. It's difficult to clean out of concrete and stone, and it isn't strong enough to bother his human employees, so he hasn't gone through the effort to get rid of it completely.

[slayers_desire]

"If it was fresh, the temptation would have been worse."

[fractured_agent]

"I'll keep that in mind. I don't plan to have anyone bleeding in the Hub that much, but this job is unpredictable." And if anyone's going to bleed in the Hub, it's probably Jack, at that.

[slayers_desire]

"That is one good thing about working with so many super-enhanced people on our team. Not a lot of bleeding on the job..."

[fractured_agent]

"Must be nice, being part of a team like that." Jack likes working with ordinary humans, but he definitely misses being part of a more diverse team. The Time Agency didn't discriminate based on species, and that's one of the only things he misses about it.

[slayers_desire]

"We are lucky to have the team members that we do have."

[fractured_agent]

"I got to meet some of them at that party of yours... maybe one of these days, you can meet mine." The Hub seems so empty when they're gone. It's just Jack and the pterodactyl, the only permanent residents of Torchwood Three.

[slayers_desire]

"I would love to meet your team members."

[fractured_agent]

"I could introduce you to Myfanwy, if you want," he says with a smile. She's not really a team member, more of a team pet, but Jack's come to know their mascot quite well in the time they've had her.

[slayers_desire]

"The pterodactyl? That would be awesome!"

[fractured_agent]

Jack reaches into his desk and pulls out a foil-wrapped package. "This is the secret to lifelong friendship. Dark chocolate, good for bonding with anyone but canoids."

[slayers_desire]

"I am a little surprised she eats chocolate."

[fractured_agent]

"Everybody likes chocolate," Jack says reasonably. "Ianto found her first, and I guess she developed a taste for it."

[slayers_desire]

"How does it work?"

[fractured_agent]

"Just follow my lead." There's an area in the center that isn't as crowded as the areas with the desks, where wire catwalks pass over the moat around the sculpture. Jack leads April over there and breaks off a large piece of chocolate, then whistles upwards. "Hey, girl. Got a treat for you."

There's an answering skraaaw from above, and the dark shape flies out of the eyrie in the upper wall. She circles the sculpture once, head turned sideways as she looks down at them, then swoops down to land heavily on the catwalk. She's as tall as Jack, though her wings make her look much larger before she folds them up.

Jack tosses the chunk of chocolate onto the catwalk in front of her. Her little eyes follow its movement, and her long beak lowers to snap at it.

[slayers_desire]

"Wow. She is impressive." April stands back, respectively of the creature.

[fractured_agent]

The pterodactyl tilts her head back, letting the chocolate fall into her mouth easily. Then she looks at the two of them again, head tilted like a bird's.

"Ever since Ianto found out she likes chocolate, we use that as a way of introducing her to Torchwood personnel," Jack says, although it hasn't been long since she's become a part of the Hub team. "It helps her identify who's not a stranger." He nods towards the rest of the chocolate in April's hand. "Now, you."

[slayers_desire]

April takes the chocolate from Jack, and smiles softly at the pterodactyl in front of her. Then throws the chocolate onto the catwalk, mimicing what Jack had done previously.

[fractured_agent]

Myfanwy's birdlike gaze follows that down too, and she snaps it up too. Jack takes a few steps forward with his arm outstretched, moving slowly so the pterodactyl can see what he's doing. She makes a grumbling noise, but allows him to touch her neck. "She pretends she doesn't like to be petted," Jack says over his shoulder to April. "But it's mostly a show."

[slayers_desire]

April takes a few steps forward, moving slowly too. "Will she let me pet her?"