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Having cast off the tyranny of shoes, Neric is curled up in a chair by the fire with a cup of tea, a plate of cookies and a book on first aid.

Reading has never come easily to him, so it's slow going. He had skimmed ahead, looking at the pictures, but they were unsettling and so he has gone back to the reading.

He wouldn't mind a distraction at all.

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Dogs aren't unsettling!

Alright, so quite a few people find Doberman dogs a bit unsettling, but this one's all floppy-eared and cute. And sitting very nicely for the gal in the pin-and-patch covered bomber's coat as said gal gets comfy on the couch. Praises and a kong treat reward this bout of goodness, and the over-decorated gal settles into her own book.

He's never seen a dog before, not in person anyway, so he can't help but stare. Not a frightened staring though, mostly just curious. Eventually his curiosity turns to the dog's owner too, and he offers a bit of a wave.

"Greetings, friend."

Ace looks over from her (admittedly deeply dry) book on temporal physics.

"Hallo, don't think I've seen y'about before. Y'new, or am I bein' unobservant again?"

"I was here for a while, and then I was away for even longer, and I've only recently come back. So I suppose I am new, in a way." He smiles a bit. "I'm Neric."

"I'm Ace. An' this here is Magic." Magic, being a dog who knows how to take a cue, wags her tail hopefully at Neric and gives him a soulful stare with her big brown eyes.

"It's nice to meet you both," he says, holding a hand hesitantly toward Magic. She's a lot bigger than the pets his people have, but she seems friendly enough, or at least he hopes so.

"Have you been here long?"

"Oh, ages an' ages. Seems like, anyway." Magic will do most anything for scritches. Thus, if the strange guy is going to hold his hand out, she's going to wiggle herself right up next to his chair and lick his hand encouragingly.

He hadn't expected the licking--most of the pets his people have are birds, or like rabbits or small monkeys, none of which lick. So there is an awkward, startled moment before he tries petting instead.

"It seems to be a very good place for that," he says.

"For... bein' here a long time? Is for some folks. I know some good folk here, an' it's a good place t'get away from m'work."

Unless it follows her.

Bloody Daleks.

Magic leans into the petting contentedly. She's found a new person to give pets - life is goooooood.

"There are good people here, yes," he nods in agreement. "What kind of work do you do?"

Petting, he can handle. He never had a pet of his own, but he has been around other people's pets.

"Little of this, little of that. Mostly pyrotechnic work, 'cept when it isn't." Ace... really doesn't explain at all. "Always been a bomber."

"...I have no idea what any of that is," Neric admits. "Is it like working with metal? We have metal now, back home. My people are still getting used to it."

Jamie has to search a while before he remembers the other boy's name - it's been a long, long time, for him - so it's with some triumph that he eventually raises a hand in greeting and says, "Hullo - Neric, isn't it?"

It has been a while for Neric, too, but he smiles a bit and waves. "Jamie--and yes, it is. How have you been?"

Jamie flops his hand in mid-air, in a vague so-so-ish sort of gesture.

"I've been wandering for a bit - I actually tripped out the door the first time I left, really embarrassing," he says, with a grin to show he doesn't mind people sharing the joke at his expense. "What about you?"

"Tripping isn't so bad, as long as you don't get hurt. I tripped on the way in, my first time here--flat on the floor. It was very awkward," he says with a quiet chuckle.

"Things are better now than they were, and I think they're going to get better still."

Jamie's smile brightens.

"I'm glad to hear that," he says, honestly. "Your people all getting along all right, then?"

"They managed," he nods. "It wasn't easy, there were a lot of troubles, but I think they'll be just fine, now. The factions broke up, and people have chosen peace."

"Let me tell you," Jamie says, rather fervently, "it's good to hear a bit of good news. I'm really glad."

Beat.

"And have you gone on to teach anyone else the ancient and noble art of baking cookies?"

"I didn't have time," he admits, "and I'm not going back. But I think I will learn more so I have something to do while I'm here... I think I'd have better luck with it here anyway. There are better supplies for cooking than we had."

"Sure, they've got loads of stuff here," Jamie agrees, after a beat, but his eyebrows have gone straight up.

"Not going back? Ah - if it's a touchy subject, I won't ask, but -"

"My people are very... sheltered," he says quietly. "And I've been tainted by being here, by seeing things that my people have no concept of. I've already lost my powers, and I'm just not natural there anymore. I don't belong there."

Jamie's gaze drops for a moment.

But it's your Home, he wants to say - but he doesn't.

Instead, looking up again, light: "Well, there's worse places than here to be, come to that. And the number of people coming and going all the time, who knows what worlds you'll get a chance to see."

"It isn't a bad place at all, if you're going to be in one place. I've met so many nice people, too... do you know Ravin? She's letting me stay with her. I've never stayed with anybody before."

Jamie shakes his head.

"I don't know the name."

He grins. "Nearly everyone I've met's been really friendly, too - well, maybe not friendly, always," he amends, thinking of X, "but good people, specially once you get to know them. Interesting, too."