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Who: Oliver Day (

oliverplus) and Sebastian Flyte (

fruitbrandy)
Where: Oliver's favourite pub in Gondolla and presumably a bar in Oxford
When: Sometime after their first conversation
What: Oliver and Sebastian have a surprise (and accidental) meeting off the Plane
Warnings: Alcohol and male bonding

Oliver finished leaving a message for Anna and then slipped his datapad back into his pocket. She'd be expecting him at home, and after the day he'd had, he wasn't ready to go there yet. She'd be worried that he was planning to spend the evening in the pub alone--again--but he knew her well enough to know she wouldn't protest or come after him. And what he really wanted right now was a little time to himself. Anna was always willing to listen to his work woes, but lately his life had become more complicated than refugees who weren't getting their credits. And there was no way he was going to breathe a word about that other place he ran away to--not to Anna or anyone else--so he was much better off alone and away from prying questions for a while.

So it was that, with domestic worries out of his mind, he turned to the bartender. "One pint. Oh, and some chips." Good chips always made a bad day better, after all.

Waiting for his order, he relaxed on the stool, turning around to survey the other occupants of the pub. Even after a year, he hadn't really started to socialise with the other regulars, but people-watching was always a fun way to unwind. And when your life had you tired, it was nice to shift your focus to someone else's.

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"What, you haven't tried it yet?" Oliver asked incredulously. After all, Sebastian had arrived here first, hadn't he? But trying something new was often more fun when you were all in it together, so he couldn't complain. "Well, guess we'll take your friend's word for it, then!"

When Sebastian turned toward the bar, Oliver watched curiously, following his gaze, but all he could see was a bartender preparing drinks for other patrons. He focused on downing the rest of his first drink as he waited for an invisible glass to appear in Sebastian's hand. He wanted to be ready to properly appreciate whatever a Brandy Alexander was like.

He couldn't help his look of surprise when two glasses did appear seemingly out of nowhere, but he quickly shifted it to a grin, accepting one of the drinks. "To luck!"

"Oh, no, I have, but it was on Anthony's recommendation. I liked it. I rather think Charles wouldn't. And I don't know your tastes." Sebastian smiled, though, and lifted his glass.

"To luck."

And without a thought about the people who were looking at him, Sebastian tilted back his drink and enjoyed Anthony's suggestion.

"I'm not picky! But it does look awful fancy," Oliver admitted, wondering if he was even going to taste the brandy around all that creme.

But he grinned at Sebastian, tilting back his drink and giving it a try. He swallowed, enjoying the taste of it for a moment before he lowered his glass. "It's not very strong, but it's got good flavour. Not bad," he said with a smile.

"Good!" Oliver's happiness was Sebastian's own, or at least it spurred his on, and he was more generous in his drinking as a result. "I don't know if it was fancy. I wonder. It was supposedly invented at the wedding of the Princess Royal, so perhaps it was, or perhaps it isn't and this is false advertising to excuse unreasonable prices. Oh well. I suppose prices are always unreasonably high."

Sebastian's grasp of economics was weak at best, but this didn't stop him from making general observations on it based on the chatter of his friends.

Oliver took another drink. It wasn't really to his usual tastes, but company was three-fourths of pubbing, so the taste didn't matter that much. He couldn't help a wry smile at Sebastian's comment on economics, mostly because Sebastian struck him as the sort of person who didn't have to pay much attention to prices. Still, he had a point about the drink. "Yeah, I bet just a rumour of that would drive prices up, let alone if it's true. Hey, how'd your friend know about this, anyway? Did you say he was at the wedding?"

He remembered Sebastian making a comment to that effect earlier, but he'd been so distracted by the unexpected meeting that it hadn't really registered until now. He supposed it was just a bit more evidence as to the prestige of Sebastian's social circles, but he couldn't help feeling a little awed anyway. He'd met royal families on other planets, sure, but there was something about the idea of knowing the British Royal Family that struck him with a perhaps-childish wonder.

Sebastian nodded. "Antoine tends to be," he said, because it was the truth. That's just how Anthony Blanche was. He knew anyone and everyone and had affairs with all people one was meant to have affairs with, not to mention quite a few that one wasn't meant to engage. While most greeted this with some fear and admiration, Sebastian took it in along with everything else that Anthony was and accepted it as part of Anthony's 'charm.'

Sebastian's attention shifted and suddenly focused on a question that he felt he must ask. "What is it like in Birmingham in whatever year you're from? I've never been there nor to your year, so I wouldn't know anything of it. It's like a different planet for all the good experience does me."

"Wow," Oliver remarked. He looked curiously at Sebastian. "Hey...do you know the royal family?" It was a silly question, really--it wasn't like it would mean anything if Sebastian said yes. But meeting someone who knew the royal family was somewhere on his unwritten list of "things that will probably never happen to me," and he couldn't help wondering if he'd just blown that one out of the water.

At Sebastian's question, however, Oliver's curiosity faded for the moment. "Uh..." He took another drink, delaying as he tried to scramble to remember what he'd told Sebastian before. Then again, now that he'd started properly explaining himself to people--well, if not properly, then at least a fair bit closer to properly--he should probably go ahead and make the distinction. "I was last in Birmingham in 2006. I live elsewhere now--in the 27th century. So I guess it depends if you wanna know about Birmingham in the future or an actual other planet in the way future. What do you think?" He smiled wryly, trying to cover how awkward the topic made him feel.

"Oh, I like to leave all the London hostesses and high society affairs to mummy and Julia, but Prince George only came for the evening and I escaped to the gardens as soon as I was done with the greeting and eating. I imagine that was a bit cruel of me, as Bridey is such a bore. Poor Prince Henry is about Bridey's age and I was meant to keep Prince George entertained, so perhaps it was kinder of me to have left them at least each other for staving the dullness of it all off. Julia's still so cross she can't marry them. It's all perfect poppy."

The meandering monologue was delivered with disinterested sincerity as Sebastian, ever the child, was preoccupied more with the arrangements of pleasures than possible social prestige. More interesting to him was Oliver's situation, or rather, the opportunities it provided. "Then could you tell me about both? I've never known either of them."

It seemed ridiculous of him to question Oliver's situation when he had been brought to the Astral Plane.

Oliver, admittedly, couldn't quite follow Sebastian's monologue, and his curiosity insisted that he ask at least a couple questions to attempt to clarify it a bit. "Is Julia your sister, then? Who's...uh...Bridey?"

But Sebastian's question to him was, in its own way, even more complicated than working out the social goings-on of a group of people he didn't know. How did you explain the 21st and 27th centuries to someone from Sebastian's time? What would most of it even mean to him? Still, he couldn't avoid the question now--not when he had Sebastian's interest.

"Well..." he began eloquently, fumbling for words and wishing he'd studied modern history half as much as he'd studied classical history. "Birmingham'd probably look huge and very metal in 2006, compared to the 1920's. Cars everywhere. Telly. Microwaves. Lots of new things! Uh..." Oliver trailed off, not really sure how to begin to explain any of the technology. Maybe it was best to leave it at that for now and move on to something else. Maybe things that were uniquely Birmingham? Sebastian had asked about the city specifically, after all, and he didn't want to disappoint.

"The Bull Ring's one of the big attractions--it's a huge shopping centre. Well, for the second time since your time, even. Oh, and we've got Botanical Gardens, too! Not to mention Cadbury World. Are you a fan of chocolate?" He grinned, starting to feel a bit more at ease, though the topic was still very awkward for him. Better not to pause now. "And there's Millenium Point! There's a planetarium there. Not to mention an IMAX theatre! Movies in three dimensions, with colour and sound and about as close to life as you can get. I think you'd find it rather amazing." He continued grinning as he spoke, but he faltered slightly after that, remembering a particular IMAX-viewing experience with one Chloe Elliot, and his smile became fond but sad. "I...don't know what else to say," he said quickly, fumbling for something to pull his mind from those particular memories. "I guess...if you went there, the BT Tower'd stand out, too. It's the tallest building in the city--31 stories, which isn't much in the 21st century, really. The world's very tall and metal all over in 2006. I mean...I'm not saying that in a bad way. It's just...I don't know. Home." He stopped again, wondering briefly how it could have become so hard to describe Birmingham. Had it really been that long? No, it wasn't that. He still remembered it, in complete detail, but those memories weren't easy to share anymore--not with anyone on Gondovan, and certainly not with someone from the 1920's. So much of the meaning was lost.

Then again, he was at even more of a loss as to what to say about Gondovan. "You're gonna have to help me with the 27th century, 'cause I don't even know where to begin," he said, smiling awkwardly. "I guess...I live on a little planet--almost all desert. It's got one sun, a sky like candy floss, and two moons. There's even more technology there than in the 21st century, but they tend to gravitate toward making everything smaller instead of larger and more impressive. Well...I guess that's really just because the settlements on Gondovan are relatively small." He paused again, taking another drink of his Brandy Alexander as he waited for some indication from Sebastian as to what else he might want to know.

"Brideshead. My older brother."

It was harder to grasp at the description of 2006 than the 27th century alien planet, perhaps because there were fewer words foreign to him, but what he couldn't understand he filled in with imagination and extra helpings of jumps of logic. He said, "Are their gardens on Gondovan?"

"Ohhh." Oliver had a feeling he should have been able to work out that relation on his own, but he definitely wasn't used to the workings of nobility. "How's he feel about your nickname? Or does he get that from most people?" he asked, smirking slightly.

Sebastian's question, however, caught him off-guard. "Well...I know they've got food production outside the city, so there are those sorts of gardens. But as far as flower gardens to walk through...I don't know. I haven't heard of any."

"Well, 'Brideshead' is a bit of a mouthful, isn't it? We've all been calling him Bridey as far back as I can remember." But the topic of his family was not a point of great interest to Sebastian, so instead he considered what Oliver had said for a moment.

He thought, then said, "Perhaps you could build one."

Oliver frowned. He knew what the climate was like on Gondovan--not to mention the soil. And the developments. Where would someone build a garden? And why, when there were so many people still fighting to have their basic needs satisfied?

"Maybe," he said, not wanting to admit to Sebastian that he didn't see how it could happen any time soon. "Are you good with plants?" he added, hoping to shift the topic a bit if he could.

"Not very, I'm afraid. Mummy always says I'm too careless for it. It's why I've never been allowed a pet." Sebastian delivered this all carelessly, but perhaps he was not as ignorant to the implications of his words as he might seem, as he added, "She's so sweet. She knows it would be awful for me if I let anything get hurt, and of course she loves animals very much herself. Sometimes I can play with Julia's dog. I've always wanted a pet lion. I'd name him Jeremy. Do you have any pets?"

Oliver couldn't help thinking that, if Sebastian's pet of choice would be a lion, maybe he was better off without one. He was a bit ashamed of himself for that, though. It was sad that parents would keep their child from a pet--especially if a sibling had one! "Not right now, but I had a dog once, when I was little. His name was Mars."

"Tell me about him," Sebastian said. "I don't suppose you've ever been to Mars. Have you? I wonder if the canals are really made by people." He had set down his drink and now was watching Oliver, his feet swaying back and forth, his head tilted. For someone who hardly ever attended his lectures, Sebastian had a far-reaching curiosity that seemed to take up with anything different and potentially interesting.

"I haven't been to Mars, no," Oliver admitted. He gave Sebastian a sheepish smile, scratching his head. "Actually, we got Mars when my brother and I were still really little. He was a chocolate lab, and we decided he looked sorta like a big Mars Bar, so that's what we named him. He was just a puppy, so he really did nothing but run around and chew on things. We liked to chase him. Broke a few things around the house that way, but it was worth it." He smiled fondly at the memories. "What's your sister's dog like?"

"I don't know. Tiny and furry and a Pekingese." And then, because he thought it true, he added, "But of course it would be." He thought for a moment, looking up at the lights, then looked back at Oliver, perplexed. "What is a Mars Bar?"

"Oh? The right sort of dog for its owner, you mean?" he asked curiously. "What's its name?"

At Sebastian's question, his eyes widened in disbelief. "It's a chocolate bar, with like...caramel and nougat. Have you not had...ohhh!" He shook his head, smiling sheepishly. He should have known. "Must not've been invented yet. Sorry 'bout that. You'll have to try them when they do come out!"

"Darling, sweetheart, and dearest from how you hear Julia refer to it. Now that I think on it, that's much the same way she refers to her people." Sebastian waved this off in favour of chocolate bars.

"Do you know when they do? I wonder of the kitchen on the Plane would have one. I hate waiting for anything. It gives me wrinkles." He drank from his Brandy Alexander, heedless of the liver poisoning or thinning hair that it might give him.

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like quite the character, your sister."

He thought about that. As far as he was concerned, Mars bars had always been around, but he had an admittedly narrow perspective on the issue. They weren't even something that he'd looked for during his forays into the recent past.

"I could try to find out for you? But I bet the kitchen'd have them! It seems to have everything else. Wanna find out?" he asked with a grin, excited at the prospect. "Well, next time we're on the Plane, anyway."

"Why not go now?" Sebastian stood as he said it, mainly because he still hadn't learned how to get to the Plane without actually taking a step. He set his Brandy Alexander (now empty) on the counter-top and smiled at Oliver.

Oliver blinked, surprised at the move, but he stood as well and grinned back. "Sure, why not?" He took Sebastian's arm, not yet having mastered the art of appearing where he wanted to on the Plane. "Let's go together."

Sebastian was used to that sort of gesture, so he didn't miss a beat, saying, "Here we go," as he stepped forward and onto the plane of stars. How he wished for a painting of it! But that could be done later, because he was going to try a 'Mars Bar.' "Which way is the kitchen, do you recall?"

Perhaps distressingly, Sebastian could only find his way to the bar automatically.

For Oliver, it was the first time he'd accompanied someone to the Plane. As such, he was a bit surprised to find they'd arrived. He couldn't help but stagger a step, flailing slightly for balance at the sudden appearance of the rather-disorienting starry landscape. But once he'd gotten over his initial surprise, he quickly recovered his composure. He let go of Sebastian's arm, taking a thoughtful look around them. "I think...it's over that way. Somewhere." He started walking in a somewhat arbitrary direction, hoping he had it right. If not, he figured they'd work it out soon enough.