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tonjavmooreTitle: Don't Ask Unless You Really Want to Know
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tonjavmoore
Prompt: Torchwood Lucky 7: The Sin of Sloth
Characters/Pairings: Gwen and the rest of the Torchwood Team
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Prior to Reset in S2. Pick your favorite time.
Word Count: 947
Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to the BBC and RTD. Sadly.
Author's Note: I'll confess. I love Meerkat Manor.
Don't Ask Unless You Really Want to Know
It was her own fault. Gwen knew that, but she resented it all the same. It seemed like such a harmless game when she suggested it. The others weren’t enthusiastic about playing (they usually weren’t, but she liked to stir them up now and then), but finally gave in as she knew they would. Jack was not a believer in team-building exercises, as his one attempt had led to them being nearly eaten by the Brecon Beacons cannibals. Gwen felt that they would be closer if they did them. She argued about it until he gave in, provided they a) took place in the security of the Hub, and b) did not waste too much time.
The rules she had made up were simple. Each person would liken their teammates to animals. Only mammals from Earth were allowed, to stave off any alien creatures Jack might have encountered in his travels and to keep Owen from using all snakes or insects. They had to choose four different animals, and the person they were intended for would then pick one of the four that they felt best represented them and the person who had chosen it would say why.
It started off all right. They sat around the conference table after lunch and took the envelopes that Ianto handed them. He had been designated keeper of the envelopes as he was the only one they trusted not to peek beforehand. Jack had volunteered to go first.
He slid the printed pages out. They had agreed to use a page from Wikipedia for their picks to avoid knowing who had chosen what. Jack glanced at the four pages and put one down on the table. “This one,” he said with a smug smile. It was a black leopard. “I’m guessing it was you,” he said to Ianto.
“How observant, sir.” They exchanged looks that Gwen swore were eye sex; she wondered that they didn’t need a cigarette afterwards. Ianto continued, “It’s rather self-explanatory. You’re exotic dangerous, and sneak around at night. Among other things.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.” Jack laughed. “Just for that, you’re next.”
Ianto extracted his sheets and studied them. He found the one he wanted and set it down. “You know I watch this show, don’t you?’
Jack’s smile became smugger. “I picked a meerkat because they spend the morning tidying up, just like you do. They then forage for food, like you do. And the males are fierce fighters when they need to protect the others in their gang. Just like you do.”
“I’d like to point out that if you take that analogy too far, sir, you will end up being the dominant female of our burrow.”
Jack held up his hands in surrender. “Dropping it now. Who’s next?”
“Tosh, you go,” Gwen said. She was bursting with curiosity about her own, but since this was her game, she was determined to be last.
Tosh sighed and opened her envelope. She looked over the pages and then put one on the table. “This is cute. Who picked it?”
“Me,” Jack said. “That’s a capuchin, one of the most intelligent of the monkeys. That picture reminded me of you when you’re chasing down a computer problem.”
She smiled shyly. “I like the others, too. Thanks. You all are too nice.”
“Ok, Owen, your turn,” Gwen said.
Owen grumbled under his breath. He didn’t bother to read the sheet, but just picked one and put it down. They all laughed. The picture was a mongoose. Owen glared at it. “Ok, who made me out to be Rikki-Tikki-Tavi?”
“Wow,” Tosh said, between giggles. “You’ve read Kipling?”
“I went to a ‘good’ school where they forced the classics down our throats.”
“Anyway, that was mine.” Tosh said. “You’re curious, you’re resourceful, and you’re not scared of snakes.”
At last it was Gwen’s turn. She pulled out her sheets. The first one showed a black Manx cat. Why a Manx she wondered. Because of the no tail thing? It was nice but she wanted something a little edgier. The second one was a ground squirrel. Cute, but not glamorous. The third was a galagos. Gwen did a double-take at the name and looked more closely. A bushbaby. The picture showed a wide-eyed animal jumping through the air. That was more like it.
The last sheet was a… She froze. How could someone…? How dare they…?
Gwen didn’t let any emotion show on her face. She put the bushbaby page on the table. “Oh, that’s mine,” Ianto said. She didn’t hear his explanation. Her blood was roaring in her ears. Memories flooded over her.
Her mother: “Gwen, this room isn’t fit for pigs to live in!”
Her roommate at uni: “Honestly, Gwen. You could at least make an effort occasionally.”
Rhys: “Is it so hard for you to put things away when you’re done with them?”
The others were leaving the conference room. She answered them mechanically, still too stunned to move. Through the class walls, she looked over at her workstation. Gossip magazines were on the floor in an unsteady pile. Chocolate wrappers littered the desk top and she could see the brown stain from a minor coffee spill this morning. She could see muddy footprints up to her chair from the Weevil hunt this morning. She remembered that after target practice yesterday, she’d left the guns out and hadn’t bothered to clean them.
She put the offending page down on the table. Maybe they had a point. Maybe that animal did represent her in a way. She looked at the picture.
It was a sloth.
Author:
tonjavmoore Prompt: Torchwood Lucky 7: The Sin of Sloth
Characters/Pairings: Gwen and the rest of the Torchwood Team
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Prior to Reset in S2. Pick your favorite time.
Word Count: 947
Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to the BBC and RTD. Sadly.
Author's Note: I'll confess. I love Meerkat Manor.
Don't Ask Unless You Really Want to Know
It was her own fault. Gwen knew that, but she resented it all the same. It seemed like such a harmless game when she suggested it. The others weren’t enthusiastic about playing (they usually weren’t, but she liked to stir them up now and then), but finally gave in as she knew they would. Jack was not a believer in team-building exercises, as his one attempt had led to them being nearly eaten by the Brecon Beacons cannibals. Gwen felt that they would be closer if they did them. She argued about it until he gave in, provided they a) took place in the security of the Hub, and b) did not waste too much time.
The rules she had made up were simple. Each person would liken their teammates to animals. Only mammals from Earth were allowed, to stave off any alien creatures Jack might have encountered in his travels and to keep Owen from using all snakes or insects. They had to choose four different animals, and the person they were intended for would then pick one of the four that they felt best represented them and the person who had chosen it would say why.
It started off all right. They sat around the conference table after lunch and took the envelopes that Ianto handed them. He had been designated keeper of the envelopes as he was the only one they trusted not to peek beforehand. Jack had volunteered to go first.
He slid the printed pages out. They had agreed to use a page from Wikipedia for their picks to avoid knowing who had chosen what. Jack glanced at the four pages and put one down on the table. “This one,” he said with a smug smile. It was a black leopard. “I’m guessing it was you,” he said to Ianto.
“How observant, sir.” They exchanged looks that Gwen swore were eye sex; she wondered that they didn’t need a cigarette afterwards. Ianto continued, “It’s rather self-explanatory. You’re exotic dangerous, and sneak around at night. Among other things.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.” Jack laughed. “Just for that, you’re next.”
Ianto extracted his sheets and studied them. He found the one he wanted and set it down. “You know I watch this show, don’t you?’
Jack’s smile became smugger. “I picked a meerkat because they spend the morning tidying up, just like you do. They then forage for food, like you do. And the males are fierce fighters when they need to protect the others in their gang. Just like you do.”
“I’d like to point out that if you take that analogy too far, sir, you will end up being the dominant female of our burrow.”
Jack held up his hands in surrender. “Dropping it now. Who’s next?”
“Tosh, you go,” Gwen said. She was bursting with curiosity about her own, but since this was her game, she was determined to be last.
Tosh sighed and opened her envelope. She looked over the pages and then put one on the table. “This is cute. Who picked it?”
“Me,” Jack said. “That’s a capuchin, one of the most intelligent of the monkeys. That picture reminded me of you when you’re chasing down a computer problem.”
She smiled shyly. “I like the others, too. Thanks. You all are too nice.”
“Ok, Owen, your turn,” Gwen said.
Owen grumbled under his breath. He didn’t bother to read the sheet, but just picked one and put it down. They all laughed. The picture was a mongoose. Owen glared at it. “Ok, who made me out to be Rikki-Tikki-Tavi?”
“Wow,” Tosh said, between giggles. “You’ve read Kipling?”
“I went to a ‘good’ school where they forced the classics down our throats.”
“Anyway, that was mine.” Tosh said. “You’re curious, you’re resourceful, and you’re not scared of snakes.”
At last it was Gwen’s turn. She pulled out her sheets. The first one showed a black Manx cat. Why a Manx she wondered. Because of the no tail thing? It was nice but she wanted something a little edgier. The second one was a ground squirrel. Cute, but not glamorous. The third was a galagos. Gwen did a double-take at the name and looked more closely. A bushbaby. The picture showed a wide-eyed animal jumping through the air. That was more like it.
The last sheet was a… She froze. How could someone…? How dare they…?
Gwen didn’t let any emotion show on her face. She put the bushbaby page on the table. “Oh, that’s mine,” Ianto said. She didn’t hear his explanation. Her blood was roaring in her ears. Memories flooded over her.
Her mother: “Gwen, this room isn’t fit for pigs to live in!”
Her roommate at uni: “Honestly, Gwen. You could at least make an effort occasionally.”
Rhys: “Is it so hard for you to put things away when you’re done with them?”
The others were leaving the conference room. She answered them mechanically, still too stunned to move. Through the class walls, she looked over at her workstation. Gossip magazines were on the floor in an unsteady pile. Chocolate wrappers littered the desk top and she could see the brown stain from a minor coffee spill this morning. She could see muddy footprints up to her chair from the Weevil hunt this morning. She remembered that after target practice yesterday, she’d left the guns out and hadn’t bothered to clean them.
She put the offending page down on the table. Maybe they had a point. Maybe that animal did represent her in a way. She looked at the picture.
It was a sloth.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-27 07:37 pm (UTC)Too fun.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:18 pm (UTC)Thanks so much for reading!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-27 07:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-27 08:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-27 09:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:23 pm (UTC)Glad you enjoyed that exchange. I was such a fan of Meerkat Manor and when I thought of an animal for Ianto, that was a natural.
Thanks!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-28 01:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:25 pm (UTC)I'm not telling who it was. Could have been any of the three of them.
Thank you!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-28 08:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:25 pm (UTC)Thank you!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-28 01:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:28 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading and commenting!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-28 05:36 pm (UTC)loved what the others picked for each other.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-28 08:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:32 pm (UTC)Glad you enjoyed it!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 02:52 am (UTC)I really enjoyed this!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 03:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-01 04:33 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-02 08:03 am (UTC)I love what you did here, and how you made it a team-bonding fic at the same time.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-03-08 03:53 pm (UTC)