A pub, a pub, my kingdom for a pub (closed)

[splendid_roman]

Who| Ian Chesterton and John Watson
What| Two manly men in need of a pub
Where| In the capitol
When| After arena 6
Warnings/Notes| None

What Ian really wanted was a pub. Well, there were other things to, but a pub with proper beer would be a start. When he asked people told about various bars in the city, but he wanted a proper pub. In the end he'd been forced to wander out on his own. He struck lucky at a sign for "The Green Lion".

The sign itself gave him pause because it was so nearly right, but he gave it a go anyway and pushed open the door. Inside it looked like the sort of pubs he was used to, minus the smoky atmosphere. Although someone had gone over the top with the horse brass.

"I wonder what the beer's like," he said to himself as he stood in the doorway.

Comments

[splendid_roman]

"Probably," he agreed. "But if they can bring us back, even when we're so close to dying, what difference is it going to make?"

[drpsychosomatic]

"Oh, no, I was dead. Not close to, I was dead," John told Ian firmly. "Trust me. I've been close to dead before. This was... very different."

[splendid_roman]

Ian shook his head. "But you can't bring people back from the dead. Not and have it succeed that often with no side-effects." Although that made him wonder if there were side-effects he hadn't come across yet.

[drpsychosomatic]

"You can't generally snatch people up and transport them to some point in the future or an alternate reality or something either," John said. "Not that I'm sure they bring us back to life. I think we're new every time. Have you met Howard?"

[splendid_roman]

It wasn't the first time he'd been snatched up and transported to another time, but at least then he'd remembered the process, even if he hadn't believed it at first.

But he frowned at the idea of being new every time, which made even less sense. "No, I haven't. What do you mean?"

[drpsychosomatic]

John leaned in a little closer.
"Every time Howard wakes up in the Capitol after dying in the Arena, he's back to being in the same condition he was in when he was first brought here. It's quite dramatic- the kid was practically starving to death, before, and you can see his face shape change completely. It's not that he recovers from near-death in the Arena, it can't be."

[splendid_roman]

He frowned. That didn't sound possible the way he described it. All he could think of was that when the doctors healed him they also let him starve, but that seemed unlikely. "That doesn't make sense."

[drpsychosomatic]

"It's like they put our memories in a new version of the body we arrived in," John muttered. "I know it doesn't make much sense, but very little here really does..."

[splendid_roman]

He sighed. "I think I need another drink." It was the only way to deal with it. "Although it'll be hard to get drunk on this stuff." It didn't stop him from finishing it off and catching the barman's eye, though. "Want another?"

[drpsychosomatic]

"Wouldn't say no," John replied with a wry smile. "If you're out for getting bladdered, though, you'd be better off going to one of those parties they throw here. Been to any yet?"

[splendid_roman]

He shook his head. "They look a bit glitzy. And more tending towards cocktails than anything proper to drink." Although this beer wasn't much better, but when the barman put two more on the bar Ian slid one over to John and took a sip from the other. "Have you been to any?"

[drpsychosomatic]

"Yeah. Thanks."
He took his beer, tipped it in gratitude and took a sip, grimacing slightly. "Yeah, the last Crowning ceremony. They'd decorated it like Versailles and everyone was dressed like Marie Antionette. It wasn't all bad though.'

He'd met Effie there of course, and his outfit hadn't been too bad. He'd almost enjoyed himself by the end. He smiled.

[splendid_roman]

"There was that, but we were all forced to go to it." At the time it had been all new to him, but on the whole it had been over the top. "I suppose there'll be another one soon." He didn't sound entirely happy about it.