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Even if my name isn't on the list, it doesn't make me any less cautious about the whole thing.
Isn't that usually what people say about this kind of situation? You're right, yeah but sometimes, a little positivity can go a long way.
Don't even know why I said that. I sound like one of those bloody self help books.
Humour me. How bad can Boston get?
Isn't that usually what people say about this kind of situation? You're right, yeah but sometimes, a little positivity can go a long way.
Don't even know why I said that. I sound like one of those bloody self help books.
Humour me. How bad can Boston get?
[ The tension's finally draining from his posture, and even if he just looks defeated and meek as a result, he's at least more casual now - and maybe more open. The hesitant shields he'd thrown up didn't seem to last long. ]
Yeah, I'm not sure if I'd count on it. I'm clearly not going to be winning any friend of the year awards any time soon.
[ But whether Tosh knows it or not, hearing this from someone else is a point in Aidan's favor - not really enough for Josh to forgive the whole corpse thing, but now he feels partially responsible. It's hard to hold grudges when you helped sink the boat. ]
You seem... weirdly calm about this whole vampire attack thing. Your job back home must have really screwed with your sense of normal. [ Wait, that sounds rude. ] I mean, in a good way. [ ... wait. ] Actually, no, I guess there is no good way. I just mean a lot of people probably wouldn't worry about the vampire's well-being first.
Yeah, I'm not sure if I'd count on it. I'm clearly not going to be winning any friend of the year awards any time soon.
[ But whether Tosh knows it or not, hearing this from someone else is a point in Aidan's favor - not really enough for Josh to forgive the whole corpse thing, but now he feels partially responsible. It's hard to hold grudges when you helped sink the boat. ]
You seem... weirdly calm about this whole vampire attack thing. Your job back home must have really screwed with your sense of normal. [ Wait, that sounds rude. ] I mean, in a good way. [ ... wait. ] Actually, no, I guess there is no good way. I just mean a lot of people probably wouldn't worry about the vampire's well-being first.
You wouldn't be the first person to get caught up in your own problems and not see the ones your friends are having. Especially when they do their best to hide the fact they're even having problems. [ She feels really bad about how guilty the whole situation seems to be making Josh feel. ] Hey, sit down and have some of these snacks you brought, yeah?
[ Then she can't help laughing a little because, wow, has he hit the nail on the head. ] It really has. I don't...know that I even feel like I live in the same world as other people, most of the time. And it's not like Aidan is at the top of the list of Worst Situations I've Ever Put Myself In. At least he cared enough to warn me off and hold himself back. I dated a woman once who turned out to be an alien that planned to rip my heart out and eat it. And I still sort of feel bad for her. Worse for me, but she was stuck, you know? Just wanted to get home.
[ Then she can't help laughing a little because, wow, has he hit the nail on the head. ] It really has. I don't...know that I even feel like I live in the same world as other people, most of the time. And it's not like Aidan is at the top of the list of Worst Situations I've Ever Put Myself In. At least he cared enough to warn me off and hold himself back. I dated a woman once who turned out to be an alien that planned to rip my heart out and eat it. And I still sort of feel bad for her. Worse for me, but she was stuck, you know? Just wanted to get home.
Edited 2012-11-28 20:49 (UTC)
[ Wow, heart eating. That is pretty hardcore. He looks appropriately - surprised? Impressed? Confused? Probably a mixture of all three. No wonder she wasn't shocked by a plain old vampire. He's still a bit anxious and fidgety when he sits on the opposite bed at her behest, leans forward and locks his hands together to make himself sit still; but it's pretty much back to his baseline levels of energy. Still not up for space snacks, though. ]
You really take that "professional empathy" thing to new levels, don't you? [ It's a joke, but he means it as a complement. And the fact that she's just come out with the alien thing - which was mostly confirmed, just withheld from the network - it's another show of confidence, just enough for him to hedge a bit further with a serious reply. ] Sometimes I think life would be a lot easier if I got better at holding grudges. Sympathizing about assholes is kind of exhausting sometimes.
[ Of course, "assholes" is proxy for "monsters" here, but that might stand out a bit. ]
You really take that "professional empathy" thing to new levels, don't you? [ It's a joke, but he means it as a complement. And the fact that she's just come out with the alien thing - which was mostly confirmed, just withheld from the network - it's another show of confidence, just enough for him to hedge a bit further with a serious reply. ] Sometimes I think life would be a lot easier if I got better at holding grudges. Sympathizing about assholes is kind of exhausting sometimes.
[ Of course, "assholes" is proxy for "monsters" here, but that might stand out a bit. ]
[ At least they're making progress. It's funny how Josh's nervousness over the whole conversation helps Toshiko feel a little more at ease, like she needs to keep her head so she can be reassuring. ]
It gets tiresome, yeah. [ OWEN. ] But I mean, when you think about it...we all have something in common. Humans and other...not-human beings, that is. We all want the same things. We want to be safe, and healthy, and cared about by someone, and have a home. And we're all curious and we feel pain and fear and... I don't know. It sounds a little weird, I guess. But I've always found it fascinating that you can take two sentient species that seem completely alien to each other, and find these core similarities. Like there really are universal constants in life, and I guess I like that idea.
It gets tiresome, yeah. [ OWEN. ] But I mean, when you think about it...we all have something in common. Humans and other...not-human beings, that is. We all want the same things. We want to be safe, and healthy, and cared about by someone, and have a home. And we're all curious and we feel pain and fear and... I don't know. It sounds a little weird, I guess. But I've always found it fascinating that you can take two sentient species that seem completely alien to each other, and find these core similarities. Like there really are universal constants in life, and I guess I like that idea.
[ There's a part of him that wants to hear that, wishes he could believe it right along with her, but he's a bit too far gone for that level of optimism. Still, it's reassuring to know she's so open-minded. ]
You really feel that way? I mean, don't get me wrong - it's very noble and kumbaya of you, but from my experience sometimes there are things that just want to make people suffer. [ Not strictly true - there were human motivations behind almost everything, but it wasn't enough of a justification for Josh. ] Where I come from it's not so much aliens as it is monsters. It's kind of hard to hold out an olive branch when someone's unapologetically living off the blood of the innocent.
You really feel that way? I mean, don't get me wrong - it's very noble and kumbaya of you, but from my experience sometimes there are things that just want to make people suffer. [ Not strictly true - there were human motivations behind almost everything, but it wasn't enough of a justification for Josh. ] Where I come from it's not so much aliens as it is monsters. It's kind of hard to hold out an olive branch when someone's unapologetically living off the blood of the innocent.
I never said we were all capable of joining hands and getting along. Just that there are some fundamental things that make us alike. I wouldn't be at all good at the job I've got back home if I thought sympathy and diplomacy was always the answer. I guess one of those things we all have in common is that we can all be right bastards, too.
[ And isn't she being a little hypocritical, lecturing about universally shared qualities when she'd shoot Josh where he sits if she believed he was an honest threat to her life in that moment. Or to someone else's. ]
It isn't noble at all. It's interesting, scientifically. And it makes it easier to empathize. But as much as I feel sympathetic toward Mary's plight, for example, being lost on an alien planet? I'm not sorry that she's dead. She was dangerous, and murderous, and it had to be done. If she hadn't picked me, someone who knew the right people and had the right resources, she'd probably still be out there killing people. I don't think you have to believe an entire population is bad, to understand that the ones who do bad things have to be dealt with.
[ And isn't she being a little hypocritical, lecturing about universally shared qualities when she'd shoot Josh where he sits if she believed he was an honest threat to her life in that moment. Or to someone else's. ]
It isn't noble at all. It's interesting, scientifically. And it makes it easier to empathize. But as much as I feel sympathetic toward Mary's plight, for example, being lost on an alien planet? I'm not sorry that she's dead. She was dangerous, and murderous, and it had to be done. If she hadn't picked me, someone who knew the right people and had the right resources, she'd probably still be out there killing people. I don't think you have to believe an entire population is bad, to understand that the ones who do bad things have to be dealt with.
[ Oh. Yeah, that's slightly less kumbaya. But he's got no right to even feign surprise at that kind of realistic approach, because it's not like he's never killed to keep others safe. ]
I retract my broad statement, then. And while I'm now slightly terrified of you, I'm glad you know when to draw the line. [ The terrified comment is said as a joke, mostly. As far as she knows he's got no reason to worry about ending up on the wrong end of those tough decisions. ]
So what is the line for you, if you don't mind me asking? I mean, just how morally grey can things get before you're okay with them being dead? [ Because this is extremely important to his continued survival on this ship, apparently. He'd like to know where they stand, werewolf to alien hunter. Gosh this is a relaxing tea party. ]
I retract my broad statement, then. And while I'm now slightly terrified of you, I'm glad you know when to draw the line. [ The terrified comment is said as a joke, mostly. As far as she knows he's got no reason to worry about ending up on the wrong end of those tough decisions. ]
So what is the line for you, if you don't mind me asking? I mean, just how morally grey can things get before you're okay with them being dead? [ Because this is extremely important to his continued survival on this ship, apparently. He'd like to know where they stand, werewolf to alien hunter. Gosh this is a relaxing tea party. ]
[ She can tell it's a joke, and yet. She probably could have approached that in a less in-your-face way. Oh well, there are reasons Tosh isn't the public relations department of Torchwood.
So she half grins and half grimaces, and shrugs one shoulder. ]
Um. Ideally I'd really like to not ever be in a situation where anyone has to be dead? It's not exactly the career path I imagined for myself. I guess so long as this hypothetical person isn't on a killing rampage or trying to invade and enslave or eliminate the population, then everything's good. Not like there aren't all sorts of aliens coexisting peacefully. Or monsters I suppose, for that matter. I mean obviously. But someone has to keep the world safe from the ones that want to hurt and destroy, right? Not really something the police are generally equipped to handle.
So she half grins and half grimaces, and shrugs one shoulder. ]
Um. Ideally I'd really like to not ever be in a situation where anyone has to be dead? It's not exactly the career path I imagined for myself. I guess so long as this hypothetical person isn't on a killing rampage or trying to invade and enslave or eliminate the population, then everything's good. Not like there aren't all sorts of aliens coexisting peacefully. Or monsters I suppose, for that matter. I mean obviously. But someone has to keep the world safe from the ones that want to hurt and destroy, right? Not really something the police are generally equipped to handle.
[ Even if it's a sensitive topic for him, he appreciates her commitment to the cause. He wants to ask if that's why Aidan got a free pass, if she knows anything about his history, but - dangerous territory, and not his business to go into. The police comment makes him grimace slightly, but that's mostly because his experience with the police back home tends to involve them having fangs. ]
Yeah. No, that's completely reasonable. And brave. [ Because it is. If he weren't in the middle of this crap, he wouldn't want anything to do with it. ] So say, theoretically, there was an - alien - with a condition that caused it to hurt others. [ Totally subtle. Luckily his previous theoretical questions lead into it well enough to not be blatantly obvious. ] And they were trying to manage it, keep others safe, but they made - mistakes. [ Understatement. ] What side of the line would that fall on? [ He suspects he knows, based on her lenience with Aidan, but it's probably a good idea to be sure about these things. ]
Yeah. No, that's completely reasonable. And brave. [ Because it is. If he weren't in the middle of this crap, he wouldn't want anything to do with it. ] So say, theoretically, there was an - alien - with a condition that caused it to hurt others. [ Totally subtle. Luckily his previous theoretical questions lead into it well enough to not be blatantly obvious. ] And they were trying to manage it, keep others safe, but they made - mistakes. [ Understatement. ] What side of the line would that fall on? [ He suspects he knows, based on her lenience with Aidan, but it's probably a good idea to be sure about these things. ]
Try to help them. [ The answer is immediate. ] I think I've given you a really bleak view of what things are like back home. We have lots of contact with aliens who aren't harming anything, and it's not as though we're trying to keep the Earth pure and human-only, or something ridiculous like that. I kept dating Mary after I found out she was an alien, after all. Didn't know about the heart-eating thing until it was almost too late, but that's on me.
[ The mention of 'mistakes' makes her fidget uneasily, realizing she's been sounding pretty self-righteous about things. ] Everyone makes mistakes. If there were no second chances, I'd be a prison cell right now. Sometimes you just do the wrong thing for what you think is the right reason, or you just flat out do something you regret. That's probably one of things that connects us all too.
[ The mention of 'mistakes' makes her fidget uneasily, realizing she's been sounding pretty self-righteous about things. ] Everyone makes mistakes. If there were no second chances, I'd be a prison cell right now. Sometimes you just do the wrong thing for what you think is the right reason, or you just flat out do something you regret. That's probably one of things that connects us all too.
[ And now you're back from scary territory and into compassionate but smart territory, good job Tosh. His response, however, isn't remotely immediate. He's quiet for a while as he processes that, weighs the fact that she already knows about Aidan - and the fact that nobody really knows about Josh except... other monsters. While that's probably the safest situation for him, he's not so sure about the rest of the ship.
He's calm and steady when he finally speaks up, though there might be a tiny grimace in his voice. Not something he'll ever be keen to say out loud, really. ]
... what do you know about werewolves?
[ And, just for the record - totally going to come back to that prison cell thing later. ]
He's calm and steady when he finally speaks up, though there might be a tiny grimace in his voice. Not something he'll ever be keen to say out loud, really. ]
... what do you know about werewolves?
[ And, just for the record - totally going to come back to that prison cell thing later. ]
Not for me, thanks. They're really not my thing.
So, things like gang warfare, gun crime? Or are we talking about other supernatural things?
So, things like gang warfare, gun crime? Or are we talking about other supernatural things?
If it's the best way to describe it, yes.
What kind of supernatural creatures are we talking about?
What kind of supernatural creatures are we talking about?
I don't think I did actually.
Vampires exist. Witches, demons, wendigos, werewolves. The list is extensive.
Vampires exist. Witches, demons, wendigos, werewolves. The list is extensive.
I only really found out when I about eighteen, maybe nineteen. You probably know more than most.
I understand how you found out about ghosts but what about the others?
I understand how you found out about ghosts but what about the others?
You seem to be able to handle it. Knowing that iron is a way to fend off ghosts and how you saved me from being possessed.
[She won't forget that.]
Another supernatural roommate?
[She won't forget that.]
Another supernatural roommate?
[ And now it's verging on not his business to tell, so- ]
Mostly just the ghost. She's had a few friends over, though.
And thanks, I'm glad you think I'm capable. Can't remember if I asked this before, but is everyone used to them where you're from, or are you part of a secret club? More of a secret club where I'm from, for the record.
Mostly just the ghost. She's had a few friends over, though.
And thanks, I'm glad you think I'm capable. Can't remember if I asked this before, but is everyone used to them where you're from, or are you part of a secret club? More of a secret club where I'm from, for the record.
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