Ianto and Sam, Cardiff

[likesthecoat]

The Hub is a bit dark, with the blue lights from the computers playing off the walls, and a soft glow from the greenhouse above the central area. Ianto flicks on a few more lights so they don't trip over the steps and their own feet, and calls, "It's just me, I brought a friend, we're going to look for things to fight demons!" in a tone that suggests he doesn't expect anyone to answer.

The others must have left for the day already, and Jack is probably on a roof somewhere.

"Let me get a notebook and we can get started," he tells Sam.

Comments

[gavemea_45]

He goes still, his gaze never leaving the creature above them.

"You're serious."

[likesthecoat]

"Utterly. We've kept her here safely for years.

"She's trained to only eat food covered with a special protein sauce. And chocolate. She likes chocolate."

[gavemea_45]

He relaxes his grip, and takes his glance from the pterodactyl--

--seriously, a pterodactyl?--

--to give Ianto a rueful, sheepish look.




"... sorry. It's just..."

A beat.

"... a long story, kinda. Um, just, remind me to tell you about the time Dean and I went to help Ray Stantz out with an invasion of prehistoric creatures in New York?"

[likesthecoat]

Ianto blinks a few times, and then laughs.

"I have no idea who Ray Stantz is, but that sounds like a hell of a story. You're definitely telling me that.

"Come on, this way to her nest. You can give her the chocolate." He leads Sam up another set of stairs.

[gavemea_45]

"You don't? Oh man, you've seriously got to meet him, he's amazing--"

He breaks off right there and stares at Ianto.

"-- wait, what?"

[likesthecoat]

There's a supply cupboard near the nest. (Not too near.) Ianto opens it and takes out a Cadbury bar. "Chocolate. Preferably dark."

[gavemea_45]

"You want me. To feed. Chocolate. To the pterodactyl."

Sam looks as though he doesn't know whether to laugh or run for his life, although laughter's got an edge.

"Ianto? Your job may just be crazier than mine."

[likesthecoat]

"I've been told that before."

Ianto gets more supplies out of the cupboard, including a squeeze bottle of the barbecue sauce. The pterodactyl knows it's feeding time: she lands on the edge of the nest with a great swoop of wings, and makes little clicking noises as she edges her way closer to a feeding trough.

[gavemea_45]

"I can see why."

He keeps one wary eye on the creature as it lands, but doesn't otherwise react.

Not overtly, anyway.

"... so I'm probably gonna be sorry I asked, but -- how'd you guys get a pterodactyl?"

[likesthecoat]

"She must have come through the Rift," says Ianto, "and I found her soon afterwards and lured her into a warehouse with chocolate."

He presses a button and several large--food items, let's just leave it at that--tumble into the trough. "We have quite a few creatures to feed--automation is the only way to do it.

"So then Jack had a tranquilizer dart, so we ... tranquilized her, got her back here, and ... kept her." He's leaving out a great many parts of the story, but Sam doesn't need to know about fifty-first century pheromones.

He covers Myfanwy's food with a liberal dose of the barbecue sauce, and murmurs, "You're a good girl, yes, eat up," as she starts nosing her food.

[gavemea_45]

"You... kept her."

He eyes the pterodactyl again, then shakes his head and laughs.

"Dean's never gonna believe this."

[likesthecoat]

"Well, we couldn't give her to the zoo," Ianto points out, and steps back as Myfanwy starts eating with enthusiasm.

It gets a bit messy.

[gavemea_45]

"No, I guess you couldn't at that."

Sam makes a slight face at the mess, but holds his ground.

"So this is part of what you do every day?"

[likesthecoat]

"It is. It's actually rather relaxing, in its way. It's like walking a dog."

He looks at Sam. "I won't make you feed her the chocolate. BUt if you want to, you certainly may."

[gavemea_45]

"A very big, winged dog," Sam points out, right before he gives Ianto a wry look.

"And have you think I'm chicken? No way, man. Tell me what to do."

[likesthecoat]

"I wouldn't try to put her on a leash, no.

"Have you ever fed a horse lumps of sugar? It's sort of like that. Offer it, let her take it, and try not to flinch."

[gavemea_45]

"I haven't exactly spent much time around horses."

Still, it can't be that hard, right?

Sam starts unwrapping the chocolate bar.

[likesthecoat]

"If she bites off your fingers we can probably regrow them."

Yes. Ianto is sometimes very evil.

[gavemea_45]

"... boy, you're just all kinds of reassuring."

Dust couldn't be drier.

He crumples the wrapper up and shoves it in a pocket, then holds the chocolate bar in his left hand and eyes the pterodactyl.

[likesthecoat]

Ianto chuckles and moves closer to the dinosaur, speaking to her in soothing tones. "Hello, girl, it's just me and my friend Sam. Sam's going to give you chocolate because you're such a good girl."

[gavemea_45]

Myfanwy makes a inquisitive clacking sound, and tilts her head to the side in order to give them a beady-eyed look.

Sam takes a breath, then steps closer and holds out the chocolate.

[likesthecoat]

"Don't be afraid," says Ianto softly, to both of them.

[gavemea_45]

"Nothing to worry about," Sam assures him. Whether that's true or not, who can say?

He keeps his eyes on the pterodactyl, though, even as he takes another step forward, bringing the chocolate closer.

"Uh, Myfanwy? ... sorry about, er, almost shooting you."

[likesthecoat]

Her beak darts out and nips at the chocolate bar.

Ianto is visibly trying not to laugh. It's a bad idea to startle a dinosaur.

(Probably also to startle a nervous Winchester.)

[gavemea_45]

Ianto is a very wise man.

Sam jerks back a little, and the chocolate bar snaps in two, leaving half in his hand and half in her beak.