fic: A Story to be Told 1/1 !crack!
Title: A Story to be Told
Author: A Lanart
Fandom: None. Maybe Doctor Who if you shut one eye and squint
Rating: G
Spoilers:
Characters/pairings: OC's only. Kind of.
Disclaimer: Aunty Beeb owns the Whoniverse,
Written for Day Nine at consci_fan_mo
A/N: This is pure crack. You know the way writers are always being asked 'where do you get your ideas from?' well the answer in this case is a bar. There is a touch of RPF in this if you look sideways, but it's so cracktastic I think it's still suitable for consci_fan_mo. This is the result of a discussion with one of my flist ages ago about why RTD seems to be obsessed with the name John and all its variations, as well as the surname Tyler. Please don't throw anything at me, it is very silly!
~*~
You find them in the strangest places; cosy bars that seem to be bigger on the inside, that are always dark and smoky even with the advent of smoking bans and lighting that doesn’t involve naked flames. They are full of nooks and crannies and people who seem to know each other while you’ve never seen them before in your life. What most people don’t realise is that often, they’re the same bar. It doesn’t matter where or when you’ve entered them, there’s a place in space and time that they all share, and if you’re lucky you can cross dimensions as easily as stepping up to the bar.
In one of these transdimensional bars are found a pair of friends who have a reputation for telling some of the tallest stories in the universe for little more than the price of another beer. Their names are John Tyler and Nils. John is overly loquacious and will tell anyone anything, even after only 1 drink but Nils will take his time before parting with any information. Nils likes beer, and doesn’t see why he shouldn’t make people pay for his stories. Over the years, one person in particular has frequented their little corner of reality, and he’s always been very generous with the beer. In payment they’ve told him some of their best stories, believable and not, which in turn has meant even more beer. It’s like a spiral dance, and keeps everyone very happy never mind the bar staff in wages.
It was a day like any other when one of their fellow patrons wandered past the table.
“Your friend’s back,” it commented, indicating the tall, bespectacled man with thinning hair with a vague wave of a tentacle before continuing on its way. The man soon appeared at their table, beer in hand, and settled into one of the free seats. They saluted each other with their glasses before taking a good mouthful.
“So how’re things, Rusty?” John asked, sociable as always.
“Going surprisingly well, actually. But it means I won’t be able to come here so often any more. Life is going to be very busy for me for some time I think. Think of this as a goodbye drink.”
“Never say goodbye, see you later is more than good enough,” said Nils, before taking another swig of his beer.
“You’re probably right,” agreed Rusty. “I’d love one more story though, before I leave.”
“We’ve still got plenty for you.” John said with a grin.
“This one’s a special request though, and I’m not sure you’ll oblige. I’ve wanted to hear it for so long, and I might not have the opportunity again.”
There was silence between the 3 almost-friends for a while as they applied themselves to the beer. In the end, it was Nils who made the decision.
“Go on, ask.”
“I want your story. I want to know why there’s a guy called John Tyler sitting in a transdimensional bar and I really want to know why Nils is just Nils.” There was laughter then from both John and Nils, but again it was Nils who replied.
“You can have your story, Rusty, but it’s going to need a lot more beer!”
“It always does!” Nevertheless, Rusty obliged and in return he got the story he’d been waiting to hear since he’d first bumped into John Tyler and Nils; their story...
~*~
Epilogue - A Curious Kind of Symmetry
Author: A Lanart
Fandom: None. Maybe Doctor Who if you shut one eye and squint
Rating: G
Spoilers:
Characters/pairings: OC's only. Kind of.
Disclaimer: Aunty Beeb owns the Whoniverse,
Written for Day Nine at consci_fan_mo
A/N: This is pure crack. You know the way writers are always being asked 'where do you get your ideas from?' well the answer in this case is a bar. There is a touch of RPF in this if you look sideways, but it's so cracktastic I think it's still suitable for consci_fan_mo. This is the result of a discussion with one of my flist ages ago about why RTD seems to be obsessed with the name John and all its variations, as well as the surname Tyler. Please don't throw anything at me, it is very silly!
~*~
You find them in the strangest places; cosy bars that seem to be bigger on the inside, that are always dark and smoky even with the advent of smoking bans and lighting that doesn’t involve naked flames. They are full of nooks and crannies and people who seem to know each other while you’ve never seen them before in your life. What most people don’t realise is that often, they’re the same bar. It doesn’t matter where or when you’ve entered them, there’s a place in space and time that they all share, and if you’re lucky you can cross dimensions as easily as stepping up to the bar.
In one of these transdimensional bars are found a pair of friends who have a reputation for telling some of the tallest stories in the universe for little more than the price of another beer. Their names are John Tyler and Nils. John is overly loquacious and will tell anyone anything, even after only 1 drink but Nils will take his time before parting with any information. Nils likes beer, and doesn’t see why he shouldn’t make people pay for his stories. Over the years, one person in particular has frequented their little corner of reality, and he’s always been very generous with the beer. In payment they’ve told him some of their best stories, believable and not, which in turn has meant even more beer. It’s like a spiral dance, and keeps everyone very happy never mind the bar staff in wages.
It was a day like any other when one of their fellow patrons wandered past the table.
“Your friend’s back,” it commented, indicating the tall, bespectacled man with thinning hair with a vague wave of a tentacle before continuing on its way. The man soon appeared at their table, beer in hand, and settled into one of the free seats. They saluted each other with their glasses before taking a good mouthful.
“So how’re things, Rusty?” John asked, sociable as always.
“Going surprisingly well, actually. But it means I won’t be able to come here so often any more. Life is going to be very busy for me for some time I think. Think of this as a goodbye drink.”
“Never say goodbye, see you later is more than good enough,” said Nils, before taking another swig of his beer.
“You’re probably right,” agreed Rusty. “I’d love one more story though, before I leave.”
“We’ve still got plenty for you.” John said with a grin.
“This one’s a special request though, and I’m not sure you’ll oblige. I’ve wanted to hear it for so long, and I might not have the opportunity again.”
There was silence between the 3 almost-friends for a while as they applied themselves to the beer. In the end, it was Nils who made the decision.
“Go on, ask.”
“I want your story. I want to know why there’s a guy called John Tyler sitting in a transdimensional bar and I really want to know why Nils is just Nils.” There was laughter then from both John and Nils, but again it was Nils who replied.
“You can have your story, Rusty, but it’s going to need a lot more beer!”
“It always does!” Nevertheless, Rusty obliged and in return he got the story he’d been waiting to hear since he’d first bumped into John Tyler and Nils; their story...
~*~
Epilogue - A Curious Kind of Symmetry