OTA

[alcuin]

It had been a while since anyone had randomly recognized Alcuin. He credited this in part to the fading memory of the city (despite the tabloid flair-up around the holidays), and in part to his decision to cut his hair. He'd also taken to wearing glasses, which were a prescription weak enough that he'd typically gone without them in the past, but he was spending considerably more time in front of a computer these days than he had when Anafiel was alive. Maybe it was a little Clark Kent of him, but he definitely wasn't noticed as much this way. And it wasn't even just being recognized, but he also got less attention. Which caused... more conflicting emotions than he would have anticipated.

In any case, this all resulted in his looking like a rather normal young man sitting at an outdoor cafe drinking coffee and reading a copy of Jon Ronson's new book So You've Been Publicly Shamed. It struck a bit of a chord with him, to be honest. He was glad he hadn't spent much time on social media last year. He really didn't want to know what Twitter had thought of him.

The cafe was busier than usual, perhaps due to the weather being nice, and it was a Friday just late enough for people to skip out of work early. He reached over and took his bag out of the other seat at his table in case anyone wanted to join him, as there were no more empty seats around.

Comments

[im_torchwood]

"I'm not? What am I?" he asked, realizing he was opening himself up to the unknown- something he didn't normally do.

[alcuin]

"At the very least," said Alcuin, "you're unusually observant, and perceptive. And you're good at deflecting, which is why I'm a little surprised you asked that question. But I can tell you're very smart, Captain, and I see the military training written all over you." He shrugged then, with a little smile. "But the charm isn't an act, either. And you are very charming."

[im_torchwood]

Jack smiled for a moment, took a sip, then blinked slowly.

"You're a lot more observant than your average uni student. You're pretty enough for fame, but you've got a dark past, hmm? Death? Murder? But you want to help rather than hide. And you're sweet. Really sweet."

[alcuin]

Alcuin cast his eyes down for a second, then looked back up at Jack. "Thank you for ending on that last bit," he said with a wry little smile. "You're not far off. But I'm afraid that the dark past has rather precluded my fame from anything else." Like anyone who met Alcuin these days, the captain could find out everything about him with a Google search, so he saw no need to be coy.

[im_torchwood]

Jack didn't like doing searches unless he had to. It removed all the personality from the matter.

"What happened?" he asked directly.

[alcuin]

Alcuin paused a beat before answering. "My... the man that I loved, he was murdered in front of me. They thought I did it, for a long time. I was kind of raked over the coals in the media."

[im_torchwood]

"So when are you writing the tell all book? When the libel lawsuits are settled?" he asked.

[alcuin]

Alcuin blinked at him. "Ah... no. I'd rather just put it behind me, as difficult as that has proven to be."

Of course, if it was just the murder, he was sure he'd have been long forgotten by now. It was the salaciousness of the prostitution angle, the whiff of incest. In truth, Alcuin had been asked to write a book. Also to do pornography. He had no interest in either.

[im_torchwood]

"That's not a very market driven response. I thought everyone chased the almighty pound," Jack said, too placid to sound cynical. If anything, he sounded tired.

[alcuin]

"I... don't really have to worry about money," Alcuin admitted. "But even if I did... no. I'm just glad that I don't get stared at on the street anymore. And it's been at least six months since there was a picture of me in a tabloid." He said the last bit with a note of bitter humor. "But, see?" He slid the glasses back on. "Just call me Clark Kent." He quirked a smile.

[im_torchwood]

"I do my best to avoid the tabloids," Jack said. "I like to look at real news."

None of which, he was aware, was "real".

[alcuin]

"A good policy," Alcuin said. "Me, too." His coffee was nearing the dregs, and he swirled it a bit in his cup now. "Tell me, is it venturing too much towards small talk for me to ask what you do for fun?"

[im_torchwood]

"I collect artifacts. Old things. Odd things no one would look twice at," he said. THere was enough truth to it that it wasn't a lie, but it was hardly what Jack did for pleasure.

[alcuin]

Alcuin looked genuinely interested at that. "Like what?" he asked. Not just polite, but he really wanted to know. He had an appreciation for art, but he didn't think that was quite what Jack was talking about.

[im_torchwood]

"Rocks," he said flatly. "Lots of rocks."

[alcuin]

Alcuin laughed. "All right. There is beauty in everything if you know how to look."

[im_torchwood]

Jack looked directly at Alcuin with a smouldering look in his eye.

"Some things are more beautiful than others."

[alcuin]

Alcuin was certainly not unaccustomed to being thought beautiful, directly stated or not. But that look, from that face, was enough to make his pulse flutter slightly.

"I... take it you are an appreciator of such things as well?"

[im_torchwood]

"Oh, yes. I like to keep an open mind where beauty is concerned," he smiled. "What do you think?"

[alcuin]

"Of an open mind? I find that to be quite beautiful."

[im_torchwood]

"Kindred spirits," Jack said, then laughed a little because it amused him just how often he found himself having things in common with young men. Much younger men.

[alcuin]

Jack's face lit up when he laughed, and it made Alcuin smile back at him. "What?" he questioned pleasantly.

[im_torchwood]

"Nothing, just...thinking," Jack said with a smile. "It's been more than a decade since I've really been able to go out to dinner. See the sights. Relax."

[alcuin]

"Really?" said Alcuin. "You should." He brightened. "What are you doing right now?" He paused. "Sorry, not to seem creepy, I just mean the London Eye isn't far from here."

[im_torchwood]

Jack's smile didn't fade though the mention of the Eye only made him think of the Doctor and of Rose and of the file he'd read about the Nestene Consciousness. But surely that little problem was completely sorted...

"That sounds like fun," he replied.