[OPEN] One of those days...

[widows_kiss]

Who: Natasha and [OPEN]
Where: the bar
When: backdated to this past Tuesday (5/20)
Rating: PG-13ish?
Summary: It's not every day your son shows up from the future. (At least, she really hopes not. Once was plenty.)
The Story:
Natasha's somewhat come to terms with the strangeness Wonderland seems insistent about dropping into their laps. Some of it is beyond expectation and for the most part she's done her best to roll with that, take it in stride, from people showing up from all manner of timelines and alternate realities, to talking to living breathing fictional fairy tale characters and even to her teammates and enemies belting out Disney ballads to one another without warning. She thought she was handling it fairly calmly.

And then James had shown up this morning with the information that he was her son - her and Steve's son. From the future. Oh, and in his world she gets to die somewhere in the next three years by a rogue AI out to destroy humanity. She was really hoping he was from one of those alternate realities like the one the female Hawkeye had arrived from, because if that was her fate... She really would have been much happier never knowing.

Not that she held any of this against the kid - she didn't - but it was still a lot to digest. Which was why she'd abandoned her usual haunts for the evening in favor of finding a stool at Ellen's bar. She'd tried spending the afternoon in training, trying to exhaust herself and outrun the circling thoughts, but that had been less successful than she'd hoped. Maybe the alcohol would do a better job. Not that she was one to over-indulge, usually. And it took a lot for her to get to the level of intoxication she was partially craving. She wasn't even sure that was wise, considering everything, but for one night, maybe she'd be a little reckless.

Still, she sent off a text to her teammates of 'Unless there's an emergency, I'm taking the night off. In the bar if you need me.' before she got started. Just in case.

Comments

[likesimpossible]

Of all the places there are in Wonderland, the bar's one of the few places the Doctor hasn't been. But he's never been unable to stifle his curiosity, especially when there's a door left slightly ajar, and so he just lets him in. He hangs out just inside the doorway, taking in the place with a slightly pleased expression on his face. The interior decorating's nice, and oh- Is that a person sitting by herself?

That seems like an opportunity to him, so he goes over to have a seat. Now, if he could just think of a good conversation starter.

"So, what's on tap this evening?" That's a thing that's said, right? It's a bar, and there's drinks, so it should make sense. Theoretically.

[widows_kiss]

She glances over when someone slides into the stool next to her, because it seems several of her teammates have taken her text as a personal invitation to come poke at her, not to mention the other few familiar faces who seemed uncannily adept at sensing that she was here for more than just an idle visit.

And while she purposefully doesn't do a doubletake at the man sitting beside her, he gets a slow blink for the briefest of moments before she gives him a crooked smile and inclines her head. She's very good at disguising most of her reactions, even with the unexpected Wonderland seems intent in tossing her way.

And his question does make sense, but it still makes her smile. "I'm not actually sure. I asked the bartender to surprise me and so far she's been doing a wonderful job at it. I just can't tell you what half of them are, or if they even have names."

[likesimpossible]

He gives Natasha a smile and a nod in return as he settles in, perfectly content to just sit here and take in the bar's atmosphere while also see about getting to know her a bit. Not that he plans on being nosy or intrusive, but it's possible to just ask a few questions and see where that takes them.

"Surprises are good, yeah. So what'd she make for you?" Admittedly, his knowledge of alcoholic beverages is a bit limited, and really, his drink of choice is a lime soda: a bit plain, but still very good.

It's been said that a person's drink can say a lot of things about them, and whether or not he really subscribes to that belief or not, he's still curious.

[widows_kiss]

"At the moment? I think I'm nursing a Jack and Coke," she muses, eyeing her drink thoughtfully before flashing him a grin. "You can ask for anything you like, though."

She hasn't met him before this, and while his face is familiar, she's still polite about holding her hand out to him in greeting. "I'm Natasha."

[likesimpossible]

"Jack and Coke, hmm? Sounds like an interesting combination, but I've always fancied a bit of lime soda." And having said that, he waves at the bartender and asks for the aforementioned drink.

He gladly shakes her hand and introduces himself in return. "I'm the Doctor. Very nice to meet you, Natasha."

[widows_kiss]

"The pleasure is mine, Doctor," she answers, giving him a faint smile as she returns the handshake, a hint of amusement when he orders a soda, though she doesn't comment on it. This whole thing is already feeling a little surreal.

"Are you out in search of your own distraction tonight then?"

[likesimpossible]

"Sort of, yeah. It's been a bit of a long day, you know, filled with all sorts of running around and exploring." It's really not an occupation, exploring, but it's just what he's always done.

Hopefully he won't ever run out of things to explore, or else he'll just get very bored.

"And what about you?"

[widows_kiss]

"Definitely here for the distracting," she answers with a rueful smile, taking another swallow of her drink. "Have you been here a while? Seems a lot to explore."

[likesimpossible]

"Is that so?" Well, a bar seems as good a place as any, if a distraction is what she's after. "Now, I don't expect you to say, if you don't want to, because we've only just met, but if you need someone to listen, I don't mind." He figures it's polite to just offer, and there's no expectations attached to that offer.

"It's been about half a year now, six months. Blimey, time does move quickly." Granted, things in Wonderland haven't exactly been dull in those six months, but still.

[widows_kiss]

"No kidding," she agrees wryly, a touch of humor in her voice. "I suppose that could be either good or bad, considering. And I appreciate the offer, really. I'm just trying to wrap my head around a particular brand of weirdness Wonderland tossed in my direction today. I'm usually better at handling surprises, but this one was fairly impressive."

[likesimpossible]

"Weirdness? On top of the occasional bizarre event, you mean? Seems to me that this place has no qualms at all about pulling out all the stops when it comes to the events." Breaking Wonderland up into little pieces was definitely something, and no small feat either. He's tempted to say that he bets nothing could top that, but why give the powers that be ideas? There could be prying ears everywhere, or at least that's what he thinks.

[widows_kiss]

"No, it does seem to enjoy the bizarre for that, I agree." Seeing Steve and Loki sing Disney ballads at each other was an example all on it's own.

"This didn't have anything to do with the events, though. It was more personal, I suppose." She pauses, then shrugs, figuring it's a little silly to be vague. "My son from the future arrived this morning. One I haven't had yet. Or might not. We're still trying to figure out the alternate universe angle."

[likesimpossible]

"Oh, well, that's- that's very personal, yeah." And he can imagine how shocking that must have been, and still is. "Timelines are funny things, aren't they? It's why people have got to be careful with how much they meddle with them, or if they do at all." Oh, he knows how slippery they can be, and how much care has to go into it, when people become involved with time.

"But for some reason, this place isn't affected when timelines converge." It's odd, but he's starting to accept it.

[widows_kiss]

"I'll have to take your word for that," she drawls, taking another sip of her drink and shooting him a wry glance. "This is the first time I've ever had to mess with timelines and alternate universes. Back home, we only had the one to deal with, at least as far as I knew. Things only moved in one direction."

[likesimpossible]

"Too bad I can't show you. When I was brought here, I came without my ship. It's very sad, really." He misses the TARDIS greatly, and that hasn't changed, not in the weeks and months since his first arrival. "Well, they probably still exist. They just haven't been uncovered yet, and perhaps that's for the best."

[widows_kiss]

"That is sad. Then again, if you had, I doubt we'd all be here, so I suppose it was clever planning of them," she drawls, her voice dry as she shakes her head in frustration at being held here, so effectively cut off from... well. Everything.

On the upside, she'd sort of just been offered a ride in the TARDIS. Which is something even she would be reluctant to turn down.

"Yeah, I'd have to agree. Things are complicated enough with only one direction to worry about. We've had our hands full with just that."

[likesimpossible]

"I know, it'd be too easy, far too simple. And, between you and me, I like a good challenge. Only, I'm still working things out. No leads, you see."

There's got to be something to pick up on, but nothing's revealed itself yet. But it's only a matter of time until something shakes itself out. And yes, he did sort of offer her a ride in the TARDIS, at least to get her out of here. If he had the TARDIS, he'd gladly use it to get them all back home, if he could.

"It's a bit dangerous, having to deal with multiple timelines. The chances of causing a time paradox or other problems with time are very, very high." It's like trying to walk through a field and not step on any bugs.

[widows_kiss]

"So do I, although I think this place might take that to an all new level of extreme," she drawls, taking another sip of her drink, looking exasperated for a moment. "And yes, that. Not something I think I'd want to mess with, normally. Again, something else this place has taken to extremes. Although apparently nothing here effects back home. Which is good, I suppose, since my friends all come from different times."

And there's a chance she might die in a year. Not that she wants to think about that too much. Alternate reality. That's the explanation they're going with.

[likesimpossible]

"It seems to take a lot of things to new levels of extremes, yeah," he says, nodding as he takes a sip of his lime soda. "But if that's really something we can believe, that nothing we do here has any impact on things back at home, then I can't see what there is to worry about."

Only, he knows it's not really worth that risk. What if it's not true and things that occur here have repercussions for their respective worlds? He'd rather not find that out.

"But I've got a friend here called Martha, and she's from my future. It's a bit maddening, really, since she knows things that I don't." And they've decided it's better to keep it that way, but it does drive him a little bit mad.

[widows_kiss]

"I'm afraid I have a large problem with taking anyone at their word," she drawls instead, taking another drink, a hint of cynicism in her tone. "Of course, none of us really have a way to prove that from in here, do we? Then again, how much might have been changed just by us being dragged here in the first place?"

[likesimpossible]

"Well, and I don't blame you for that at all. Of course I don't. That's why I said if that's something we can believe, because the way I see it, why would we believe that?" Where's the proof, the confirmation that it's actually the way things are?

"Have you ever spoken to any of the people who are supposedly running this place?" He's heard mentions of them being around, and occasionally speaking to people, but nothing of significance has ever come out of his conversations with them.