( hitch your wagon to a star )

[bottecellie]

the stargazing meme

oo1. comment with your characters
make sure to put names, series, & preferences somewhere!
you can use < ! > sans the spaces to make the comment "blank"
oo2. reply to others in character
oo3. use the rng and enter 1-10
oo4. play out what happens -- anything goes!
oo5. profit? oh yeah!

prompts

one → meteor shower you just saw a falling star! and another! make a wish!
two → aliens what was that? was that really? omg no way a ufo!
three → lunar eclipse you've been sitting out for hours, waiting for this. it's so cool!
four → comet does it move fast or slow? either way, it's amazing.
five → full moon the moon is so huge! just don't look too long, it's really bright too.
six → star dust anything can happen in space. make up your own plot!
seven → solar eclipse this might be happening in the middle of the day!
eight → planet sighting is that a new star? nope, just a neighbor in the solar system!
nine → constellations do you know the stories behind these odd patterns?
ten → deep space normal stargazing isn't that much fun. you got a telescope!

taken from here.

Comments

[no_heart_to_burn]

Yes, John, I am aware.

[He looks up at them, regardless... And after a few seconds, he's had enough. Yep. Boring.] ... In fact, they don't often do much of anything, do they? [Back to scrutinizing John.] Hence why I was looking at you, not the stars.

... Did you want to talk about human significance and the meaning of life or something like that?

[you_dont_work_alone]

I think you're missing the point. Even you said they were beautiful, once.

[But that was only a glimpse. Sherlock didn't appreciate them for long.]

Is that what you want to talk about?

[Or was he being sarcastic?]

[no_heart_to_burn]

[He was being somewhat sarcastic.]

No.

[Communication failure. Ugh. Time to try a different and more direct approach.]

While it's true that they are beautiful, it's also true that they don't tend to do much, so people only take time to look at them once in a while. I just wanted to know what sort of mood you were in to choose to sit out here in the cold, staring at stars, rather than sit inside on the couch, watching crap television and playing on the computer, like usual.

[you_dont_work_alone]

[John frowns a bit.]

I thought it would be good for you. After all, you know so little about it.

[Now he was teasing a bit.]

Sometimes, it's nice to turn off the telly and just get a breath of fresh air. Here, have some tea.

[He pours his friend a cup.]

Take a biscuit. Just.. you know, relax for a change.

[no_heart_to_burn]

I do know a lot about it, actually. [It was just the Earth-sun thing... which he will still argue: does not matter.]

... Thank you. [Said in response to the tea. In response to the stargazing, he mentally acknowledges that there is a sentiment, and while he still doesn't quite understand it, he can at least accept and appreciate. This he shows by actually looking upward at the sky and attempting to mirror John's relaxed demeanor. The attempt soon slips into a look of his typical melancholy, which might be an improvement over any earlier mania.]

[you_dont_work_alone]

[At least Sherlock did appear more relaxed. He wasn't jumping about, which was an improvement.

John drank his tea and set it down. After a few moments he reclined on the blanket to lie on his back and stare upward.]

This reminds me a little of the service.

[His military service, he means.]

[no_heart_to_burn]

[He smiles at that. He had actually figured something along those lines.]

Stars look like a mess without city light to drown out most of them. That being said, I imagine Afghanistan skies are much preferred when it comes to stargazing. [Indeed. London rooftops cannot be marketed as prime stargazing spots.]

[you_dont_work_alone]

You could see a million stars there, but they were the only things you'd really want to look at.

[Down on earth, things were a lot tougher.]

[no_heart_to_burn]

I see. [He pauses in order to search for an appropriate response. Afghanistan was a subject rarely touched upon by John, and he didn't want to ruin anything. It's hard. He opts for a "normal person response." Better trite than terrible.]

You know, if you ever wanted to talk... [Hm, awkward, trite, annoying.] ... About any of the things you looked at over there... [He's managing to gradually make it sound less forced.] Well, I'd be happy to listen, really. [In conclusion, he shows a small smile. What he said is true, after all. Sherlock likes stories, violent stories... And he also likes listening to John. With the display of concern now completed, he's gone back to staring at the sky.

The earlier disdain shown toward the activity has apparently passed.]

[you_dont_work_alone]

[John doesn't respond as Sherlock makes the offer. He just stares quietly at the stars.]

.....

[A few moments later pass and he coughs a bit. Wait. No. He's laughing. John is laughing at you, Sherlock, but only a bit!]

I'm sorry, but you're really bad at that.

[That offer of help was entirely unnatural for Sherlock, wasn't it! And that's what's so funny!]

I mean, thank you. I do appreciate it.

[Even if he has doubts Sherlock wants to hear John bemoan his old military service. That was in the past. It's probably as unimportant as the solar system.]

[no_heart_to_burn]

[No, he was serious...! ... And, also, as a matter of fact, very little is more unimportant than the solar system... Obviously.]

Thank you, John. [dryly] Your hurtful laughter has now given me an acceptable excuse to never try that ever again. Next time, I will remember this moment and choose to insult you instead. I'm not bad at that, after all, but then again it's also so much easier. [Nah, he doesn't really care if John laughs at him. But -- !]

Wait.

[Blink.]

... How was it bad? [Blink. He looks over at John, actually expecting an answer. By the time the question is out of his mouth, he can already feel himself losing interest. He mentally shrugs it off and copies John in reclining back on the blanket.]

[you_dont_work_alone]

I'm kidding!

[Sort of. John looks over at Sherlock when he joins him.]

You're just.. obviously not used to it.

[The look he gives Sherlock is warm, though.]

But I do appreciate it. The offer, I mean. I know you don't really want to hear about those things.

[no_heart_to_burn]

Obviously.

[pause]

... That's amusing because you must also know that I can always just tune you out when you start talking about things I don't want to hear about, so it doesn't matter.

[you_dont_work_alone]

Yes, I know that.

[John smirks a bit as he glances to Sherlock and then looks up at the stars again.]

You've been a detective for awhile. I'm sure you've seen some unpleasant things. They probably never bother you.

[no_heart_to_burn]

Yes, that's right. We've had this discussion before. Not being bothered is a valid response.

[you_dont_work_alone]

You'd make a hell of a soldier.

Except for the following orders part.

[no_heart_to_burn]

Only one out of eight combat soldiers show signs of PTSD.

[you_dont_work_alone]

Is that right?

[He's not sure what to think about that.]

[no_heart_to_burn]

Apparently, according to the news. You know how the news loves facts, especially when they can be easily summarized into 140 characters or less.

I'd make an average soldier, I'm sure. That's probably why I'm not one.

[you_dont_work_alone]

[He smiled a bit.]

The mind is a funny thing, isn't it. At least you cured me of my limp.

While waiting for the reunion @ Haven...

[no_heart_to_burn]

No, the mind makes perfect sense. People just don't like to use it. Are you really giving me credit for curing your psychosomatic limp, though? [Because he will take credit if it's offered.]

Re: While waiting for the reunion @ Haven...

[you_dont_work_alone]

Well...

[He thinks about it.]

Yes. I know you knew what you were doing when you had me running up and down the streets after that cabbie.

Re: While waiting for the reunion @ Haven...

[no_heart_to_burn]

[Nod in agreement.]

Which was fun. And you agree with that.

[He smiles, fondly, leaving any digressions on the vacuity of human existence in comparison to momentary adrenaline rush unspoken. Such things are obvious, and John obviously knows it too, even if all the noise from society and evolutionary psychology sometimes make him do stupid things like develop a psychosomatic limp... and choose to look at stars for an extended period of time.]

[you_dont_work_alone]

It was fun.

[He can't deny it. After a few moments he sighs.]

Well, we better get inside before we both catch a cold.