Jon's apartment, Monday evening

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

It was hard to be more-or-less-politely anti-American while not also being overly imperialistic. Jon hoped he'd managed it - he'd bought and hung up a British flag, but the English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish flags were also stood around, as well as an Irish one in case Clare showed up and a few Canadian ones that if he were asked were totally there because Canada had been British during the American revolution.

There were cider and beer, and Jon could probably be persuaded to break out the gin and whisky if asked; there was no actual stereo, but his phone was hooked up to speakers and playing The Clash.

He couldn't think of anything else to do but wait. Parties weren't exactly his strong point. He hoped Irene was right and a small gathering was within his abilities.

He left the door open and desperately hoped somebody would come.


[Open post, open party! Americans will have to sneak in/crash, but all forms of Brits and aliens are welcome!]

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

"At least it was food related, I suppose?" Steven said. "They didn't swap out the flour with chalk or something."

[stykera]

"Mostly it was food," Stark agreed. "Some of it was medicine."

The Pepto-Bismol would haunt him.

[hasaknightjob]

"I imagine that's useful for anyone eating the wrong cupcakes," Steven said. "Unless it's the wrong kind of medicine like something to treat spots instead of antibiotics."

[stykera]

"I didn't put any medicine in any cupcakes," Stark said. Three guesses who might have done something unspeakable with Pepto-Bismol, Steven.

"I'd rather have them only made of food. And only sweet."

[hasaknightjob]

"Same," Steven said. "I don't mind a bit of adventure but I prefer it in things like seeing the world. Or other worlds as the case may be. Lana was saying Marc and I could visit her home sometime. Sounds absolutely wild. I mean normal for her of course but not for me."

[stykera]

"Lana is from another version of Rey and Anakin's world, I think," Stark said. "I haven't been there. Or many other places."

He'd only gone to a few other universes in all his time here.

[hasaknightjob]

"Apparently they have some sort of giant library," Steven said. Also she mentioned something about elite warriors but it was Steven so let's be real now. "I wonder what it's like. Not the library - well also the library, yeah. But differences between worlds. How is it that some can be so similar to others and some so different? Absolutely mental when you think about it."

[stykera]

If Steven went in that library he would never be seen or heard from again.

"It's very different here from home," Stark said. "But some places I've been from here were fairly close to here. I haven't heard of anywhere that was very much like where I'm from."

Except for the various realities Crichton had visited that were variations of their own.

[hasaknightjob]

"And that's mental in its own way, isn't it? Like there's Lana, Rey, and Skywalker - " Steven nodded at Stark to show he'd remembered the name this time " - and they're all from different versions of their home. At least I think they are. And here's you with only one version of yours far as you know. So does that mean their worlds have more versions or does it mean there's plenty of versions of everything only you personally haven't met the variations on yours yet?"

[stykera]

"Well, there was...Aeryn was here but she was a different Aeryn, from before I would have met her. And then there was another Aeryn here from after I met her but she still wasn't my Aeryn."

Stark had known several Aeryns. He occasionally feared what would happen if 2 or more were to meet.

"So there have been other versions of home but they may have just been different places on the timeline because time isn't so fixed as we usually think it is."

[hasaknightjob]

"That part doesn't bother me as much," Steven said. "Time not being fixed, I mean. Been like that all my life, really. If anything it's a relief to know it can be that way for other people."

[stykera]

"It can get confusing but if you just accept it it gets easier. But I don't recommend moving in time except in the usual way. It rarely goes well in my experience."

[hasaknightjob]

"I always intend to," Steven said. "And at least it's gotten better these days. Though that's another thing to think of as well, isn't it? Connor and I were talking about it earlier. The portals going to different worlds but times as well. Can't even imagine the work behind making sure those, well, work."

[stykera]

"I try," Stark admitted, "not to think too much on how the portals work. Perhaps I shouldn't be so trusting of them. I know others have had trouble but I've used them rarely enough that I haven't."

[hasaknightjob]

"I mean be fair I don't spend much time thinking about how planes work either," Steven said, by way of agreement. "Just happy to get where I'm going in one piece."

[stykera]

"I've never been on a plane. But I don't know how they work either."