[RL WITH JEEVES AND WOOSTER]

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto and Jack sat on the one stones outside the fountain at the center of the Millennium Center, waiting for Jeeves and Bertie Wooster to arrive. Much to Jack's chagrin, Ianto wouldn't let them wait on the invisible lift for the two men to appear--they were supposed to meet them there, not sneak up on them. It might have fit perfectly within Jack's style, but Ianto liked to be a lot more honest and up front with people, especially with prospective friends.

Ianto secretly wondered if this outing was going to count as a double date. He hadn't done anything like that since high school, or at least early university, but he didn't dare ask Jack. He still was a little wary of the fact that Jack was so much more experienced than him. Ianto liked to know everything he could about situations he was in, but he was finding out more and more that with Jack there were no answers, and though the surprises were pleasant, sometimes Ianto'd really prefer if he knew just what the hell was going on with the two of them.

"Shouldn't they be here by now?" Jack asked impatiently.

Ianto looked at his watch. "There's only a minute until 6:00," Ianto said in response. "I'm sure that Mr. Jeeves won't allow them to arrive any time other than the agreed one." He glanced over at Jack. "Be patient," he said, condescendingly. "It's not like you're ever on time, come to think of it." Jack made a face at him, but didn't disagree that fact.

((OOC: So, I figure the replying order should roughly go Jack/Ianto, Jeeves, Bertie, so as not to be too confusing, considering there are four of them. Anyway, enjoy~! I know I will. 8D))

Comments

[51stcentury]

"Well, I suppose so," Ianto said.

Jack continued ahead of the other three men, his greatcoat billowing out behind him as it was wont to do. Cardiff nightlife buzzed around them, and as they approached Jack's supposed destination, Ianto became more and more wary of exactly where they were. Wales is fairly gay friendly, so Ianto hadn't discouraged the other two from linking arms. But this part of Charles Street...men linking arms was innocent in comparison.

Ianto recognized the club right before Jack announced with a flourish and a rather mischievous smile, "here we are, boys!"

Club X, the front of the dance club read, Cardiff's Premier Gay Club. A Polysexual Venue, another, smaller sign read. Out front, a various assortment of people (men, women, trans, drag, etc.) stood waiting to get in. One man turned at Jack's voice, and gave him an approving look, before turning back to the door.

"Jack," Ianto said, his voice dripping with disapproval. "Are you quite serious?"

[callmebertie.livejournal.com]

At first, his eyes only bulged slightly as he gaped a bit at some of the people in line. When he got snapped at in return, his expression switched to a nervous smile. "Those are marvelous shoes." he managed.
In response, he first got a slightly suspicious look, which quickly converted to a grin. They gave each other a friendly nod.

Turning his attention to Jeeves, he patted him on the shoulder. "Just think of it as a fancy-dress party, Jeeves. Actually, I wonder if we're overdressed. Besides Ianto, we're the only one's in suits. And then, we're the only two in evening attire." Seeing Jeeves looking even more distressed, he hastened, "It's only an evening, Jeeves! An evening at a fancy-dress party."

Staring for a moment at the bum of one gentleman attired in tight red shorts, he muttered, "I bet you feel silly for the fuss you made over that lime green tie, eh, Jeeves? It could always be worse."

[51stcentury]

As they stood in line, a certain group of drag queens started to become very interested in the well-dressed gentlemen behind them. "Ooh, love the waistcoat," one crooned at Ianto, while another piped up "Give me a man in uniform any day--I'll show him what a real lady's like" and proceeded to whistle quite loudly at them.

"Jack..." Ianto said again, this time more of a growl and a whine mixed into one. Ianto hated places like this. He wasn't really even alright with the fact that he lo--was sleeping with Jack, let alone the whole "gay" subculture. It was a bit too much.

Jack looked at the three other men growing more and more uncomfortable in the line, and finally burst out laughing. "You guys are too much," he said, putting an arm around Ianto and the other around Jeeves, leading them out of the line and back out to the street. "You need to lighten up, you know," he said, "those reactions were too priceless."

"Yes, hardeeharhar," Ianto said acridly, elbowing Jack in the stomach--not hard, but enough to get him to let go of both Ianto and Jeeves. "Pull a stunt like that again, we'll leave you to walk back."

[callmebertie.livejournal.com]

His expression was blank for a moment, as he processed this new information.

Then he brightened. And began to chuckle.

"Ah, so that was a prank, eh? Just wanted to see how we would react? Well old top, I'm amused, but I think I'll have to tell you on the strongest terms not to pull anything like that on my Jeeves again. Or you'll face the consequences!"

His tone was light and cheerful, but he was quite serious. Placing a hand on his valet's shoulder, he whispered for Jeeves' ears alone, "I know what you're thinking, Jeeves. I recognize that look. Hold off on thoughts of revenge, unless he does it again, eh? Then, I won't stand in your way, what?"

[torchwoodteaboy]

Jack was starting to calm down from his antics. "It's up there," he said, waving his arm in front of him down Charles Street.

"So help me god, Jack, if you even think of leading us to Minskys--" Ianto began, but Jack cut him off.

"No, no, no," he said, chuckling. "Even I have more class than that. No, we're going to Oceana. They're having one of their specialty nights--Classics. 40's through the 80's, or something like that. Don't really know specifics, but I figured those two," he said, nodding towards Jeeves and Bertie, "would rather enjoy it."

Ianto raised an eyebrow, blinking, before nodding. He actually had no objections to it, so he motioned for Jack to lead on. "No more pranks, Jack," he warned, to which Jack replied, "Yessir!" and saluted. Ianto just shook his head and turned to the other two. "Sound good to you?"

[callmebertie.livejournal.com]

"So, a bit of a nostalgia evening, then? I've been to a few parties like that! 'Gay nineties' theme, that sort of thing. It will be a bit queer going to a nostalgia bash in which the theme is the time I come from. A bit before my time, rather." He leaned onto Jeeves a bit, wearing a cheeky grin. "We'll blend right in, eh, Jeeves? Maybe we'll even recognize a tune or two!."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Jack was too far ahead leading on to hear the comment from Bertie, but Ianto cleared his throat at that comment. "Er, the 1940's through the 1980's--this past century, actually. After all, it is 2009. So, really, it's a bit after your time. Like...a glimpse of this world's version of the future, yeah?"

Ianto looked at the expression on Bertie's face at that. "I think you'll actually rather enjoy it. You both are music connoisseurs, I've heard, which is great. You'll be able to appreciate it more that way, yeah?"

[callmebertie.livejournal.com]

"Well, I'll say that I'm enthused! And, say, Jeeves," he leaned a bit closer again. "Those chaps in skirts reminded me of a few things. One of them being a performer in the New York clubs, or at least the more wild ones, now. She's taken to wearing suits and smoking. I think she may have changed her stage name to something more suited to fellow than filly. She's a real whiz at the piano, Jeeves. I should take you to see her."

And so, Bertie was nattering away.

[51stcentury]

After a minute more or so of walking, Jack stopped at the front of a brick building with bright blue letters up on top of a glass-windowed eatery nook that read "Oceana". "Here we are, boys," he said, smiling. Ianto wondered what the other two men thought about Jack calling them "boys"--technically, Jack was way older than them, but then they had no idea of that.

Jack led them in the front doors and into the dark room. The club was relatively crowded, but had a friendly atmosphere. As Jack snaked the group through the crowd to a table that he'd spotted to be magically available, Ianto thought he recognized the music to be a Benny Goodman big-band song, although he didn't recognize many of them other than his famous "In the Mood," which this definitely wasn't.

As they positioned themselves at the table, Jack turned to Bertie and Jeeves. "So," he said, "what do you think? Acceptable venue, or did I actually get it wrong? I don't usually get these things wrong, you know. I know how to socialize--been doing it all my life," he said with a grin.

[callmebertie.livejournal.com]

Bertie settled into his chair quite happily. "I hope what they play is good and lively, what? I feel like I could cut a pigeon-wing or two. But, first! I'd like some liquor to guzzle."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto stood up quickly. "I'll fetch the drinks then, shall I? I just need the orders from you two," he said, speaking of course to Bertie and Jeeves. He needed a moment to steel himself before he could really relax in an environment like this one.

"I take it you'll want the usual then, Jack?" he asked. Jack nodded, smiling a bit more calmly than he had before. He too was adjusting to being in the company of the other men--he hadn't done anything like this "night out" in at least a decade or so, and therefore was still a little rough around the edges.

Could you be more specific regarding the theme, Janto-mun? I want to know what song references.

[callmebertie.livejournal.com]

Bertie barely even noticed. Sure, being ordered for wasn't something he was used to, but he knew that Jeeves knew him.

Besides, he knew that most of what this place poured out was probably going to be a good deal better than the gut-rot bootleg most of the speakeasys had.

He gazed around the establishment, taking in the crowd. It was a mix, certainly, but there was a bit of a tilt toward a slightly more mature age bracket than himself.

He supposed it didn't really matter. Going by his date of birth, after all...

...hm.

"Oh, I say." Bertie muttered, "Time travel is dashed confusing. I mean, am I younger than most of the people here, or am I older?

"Janto-mun"? I...really like that! 8D

[51stcentury]

Ianto nodded, and headed off to the bar to buy said drinks, leaving Jack to answer Bertie's question.

"You can't think of these things in a linear time line," Jack said. "That's where it gets confusing. You need to think in numbers of years rather than specific dates." He chuckled to himself. "Hell, if you thought in dates, it would be dozens of centuries before I was even born yet."

He smiled at the two of them. Best use the time as wisely as he could while Ianto was still out getting drinks. "It's nice, though. You two, being as open as you are--it's really quite unheard of for the 20's. Even in the 21st century, people still really aren't comfortable with themselves really. Ianto for one..." he said, trailing off. Ianto had his reasons to be insecure, and Jack certainly couldn't fault him for them. He just wished... "I just wish he felt more comfortable in his own skin, y'know?" he said, lightly.

((Okay, so... xD; Really, I went online trying to find a venue that would be a dance club/nightclub/bar that didn't play all hip-hop and such, as that's not really any of their scenes. And the ones that don't are really more gay/drag type venues. So I found Oceana, which looks nice, and has theme days, and Jack loves his 40's and 50's, so. Voila. Basically, any hits of the 40's through the 80's are free to play. For example, Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald are going to play at some point (Ella for a slow song), because they're fabulous. So...yeah. xD;; Just good hit songs. Frank Sinatra, the Moody Blues, Steppenwolf, Jack Jones, the Beach Boys, Beatles, Elvis, etc... "Oldies" if you will, but the crowd isn't that old, because no one above 45 really goes to a nightclub like this one. A lot of explanation, but, does that help? :P;;))

I feel like going 'whoo' for being first. :p XD

[callmebertie.livejournal.com]

"Well, a lot of my chums are involved in the arts in some shape or style. Actors, painters, poets, novelists, singers, those sorts of folk. Everywhere else there always seems to be a lot of fuss over that sort of thing, but in the entertainment crowd..." he shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's a bit strange, but...the people I know, that I consider my friends, they don't seem to care one way or the other, as long as you're not screaming it at them. Still, it pays to be cautious, you can never be entirely sure what a person thinks on the matter until you say something. The real threat is blackmail, really. Someone who doesn't like you finds out, and holds it over your head." He looked down, a sad look crossing his features.

"I've decided that I can't tell my friends. I don't think any of them would mind, actually, we all were at Eton, after all. But not a one of them is terribly good at keeping their lips sealed."

He brightened, suddenly. "But as for the skin bit. Might as well be comfortable, what? It's not like they're selling new ones at the corner shop!"

No, really, no one has. You're the first! 8D

[51stcentury]

Jack chuckled. "Well, no. I don't think Ianto wants to trade being himself. He's just so young still, only 26, and he has no idea what to do with himself. It's really quite sweet, actually," he said, smiling. "It's not in me to hold back so much, though. 51st century was a bit open. No labels or categories to have to fit into, and I think that's really his problem, categories." Ianto was an archivist that couldn't categorize himself, and was therefore struggling, Jack imagined.

"Anyway, enough about me," Jack said, waving his hand in front of his face. "Bertie, what do you like to do with your time? You mentioned actors, painters, poets? Funny you should say that. I've known a few men of that sort. Christopher Isherwood, for one, but you wouldn't know him yet. Marcel Proust, though, I'd imagine you'd be familiar with--great kisser. Didn't last, though; he was really immature. And insufferably miserable. 'Only in suffering do we realize beauty,' I mean, really?"

[callmebertie.livejournal.com]

"Oh, Jeeves, what has become of you? He did mention earlier that he was a timetraveler, if in a roundabout way..." Bertie frowned slightly, unsure of himself.

[51stcentury]

Jack smiled faintly, looking down at his hands clasped in front of him on the table. "Yep, Proust," he said. "As for how long I've lived..." He glanced up at Jeeves, a dark, foreign look in his eye. "Too long," he said with a secretive smile, "but at the same time, not long enough."

Ianto returned at that moment with drinks, before anyone could question Jack's answer anymore. He handed them out to everyone, before sitting down next to Jack. "Sorry it took so long," Ianto apologized, "the bartender seems to be training someone new. We were just lucky that none of our orders were too difficult to make."