| Date: 30 December 2007
Characters: Estelle Cole, Gwen Cooper Location: hotel bar Link to IJ: thread #22685 |
 Estelle didn't want to admit it at first, but she'd been disappointed when she'd returned home. She'd missed the sense of adventure that surrounded the mysterious place. Still, it was good to feel like she was helping out with the war again. Things weren't going well at all.
It was with mixed emotions that she returned to this place out of time. She reclaimed "her" room and headed down to the bar to see who else was there. |
 Gwen was there. Gwen had a beer (that was not green) and a seat at a table. She was presently staring off into space, but she was there. |
| Oh! Someone she hadn't met yet! Estelle went to her table and smiled.
"Do you mind if I join you?" |
| She snapped out of...whatever she was thinking, looked up at the other woman and put on a smile. "Not at all. Please. I'm only using the one chair." |
| "No one here from your time either?" she asked as she sat, smoothing her skirt under her. |
| To the point. She didn't mind that a bit. "Oh, no, there's at least one here," she answered. "Though I couldn't say where he is just now." |
| "Oh! That's ... well, I was going to say it was wonderful but I guess that depends on your point of view, doesn't it? I'm Estelle." She offered her hand over the table. |
| Gwen took her hand before the name sank in. She didn't flinch so much as she looked a little closer. "Estelle. Your last name wouldn't happen to be Cole, would it?" |
| "It is!" she exclaimed, surprised and a little pleased. "How did you know? Oh! Did Jack tell you? Or perhaps the Doctor?" |
| "Jack," she agreed. That was the easiest answer. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Gwen." |
| "It's nice to meet you, Gwen," she said. "Have you been here long?" |
| "I suppose that would depend on whose timeline we're using," she said cheerfully. "What about you?" |
| "I was here before," she said. "And then I went through a door and I was home again, just like that. I've been gone for weeks, I guess. Well, as you say, probably not in this timeline." |
| "It might have only been a moment here," Gwen agreed. |
| "Don't you find it a little queer?" she asked. |
| There went her eyebrows again. "What? A portal where all these times come together that we can just pop in and out of?" She went straight-faced. "That's not normal?" |
| Estelle laughed.
"Yes, all of that. Or maybe it is normal in your time." She took another look at Gwen's clothing and her face. She didn't look too out of place, but neither had anyone she'd met. Certainly not from the '40s, as she was, but still. |
| Gwen gave in and grinned. "No, it's not normal. It's a lot queer, honestly." |
| "Do things like this happen to you often?" |
| "Recently? Yeah. How long have you known Jack?" |
| "I just met him here," she said cheerfully, then leaned in. "He's quite handsome, isn't he?" |
| "Oh, he's a looker all right." |
| "And brave." She sounded entirely earnest. |
| "Oh? What's he done?" He must have done something to make her feel that way. |
| "Volunteered to fight with our boys!" |
| Ah. Right. "That is brave. He'll be all right, though. He's a lucky one, our Jack." |
| "Maybe he's a charmed one," she said. |
| "That's a good word for him." Or cursed, possibly, but she'd save the explanation. |
| "How well do you know him?" she asked curiously. |
| "Oh, he's a friend. And my boss," she added with a little smile. |
| "Your boss?" |
| "Mm. I'm... his assistant. Secretary. Getting things in order before he...goes." |
| "Oh! I didn't know American volunteers had that sort of help!" Estelle said. "It's lovely. Or do you work for the war department as a whole? That's what I do." |
| "...something like that, yes." |
| "I imagine it's a little different. After all, the U.S. hasn't officially declared yet. But I'm not ashamed to admit that I hope you do." |
| Right. American. "Oh, I'm. Sure we will." Terrible. Terrible at this. |
| "How long have you been in America?" she asked and them smiled. "Your accent doesn't sound dulled. Then, I imagine there's not a lot that can dim the way we talk." |
| Well, that was a help. "Not long," Gwen said, tucking hair behind her ear. "Not long at all, really." |
| "Why did you go?" she asked. She figured the other woman had been running from the war but it didn't seem polite to say so. |
| "My family suggested it." She wrinkled her nose. "I think they're trying to protect me." |
| "Many families are," she said sympathetically. "My parents didn't want me to come to Cardiff." |
| "Why did you come, then?" |
| "I wanted to help," she said simply. "Cardiff was a compromise from London." |
| "Well. Then we're on the same side." |
| "Well I should hope so!" |