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Ianto Jones is writing in his diary and having coffee.

There's a lot of catching up to do--things happen fast sometimes, and it wasn't but two pages ago that he was missing Jack and wondering what he'd say if Jack ever returned, and now...

Well, Ianto doesn't use a lot of exclamation points, as a general rule. But one or two may have turned up in today's entry.

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"Colorization," says Ianto faintly. "Don't tell me you can control the weather, too."

Puck looks shifty.

"I shan't tell you, then. As a courtesy."

Ianto chuckles dryly--very dryly, Sahara-dryly--and sips his coffee again.

"One of these days I hope I'll get used to all the magic in this place."

"And on another day," Puck replies, more or less in kind, "I hope to grow accustomed to all the mortals."

"I would have thought you would be already," Ianto remarks. "Don't we outnumber you?"

He grins.

"Oh. Rather."

"And yet we're still disturbing." He tsks.

"Oh, did I say 'disturbing'?" Puck laughs.

"On the contrary, I find you simply delightful."

Ianto tilts his head. "Then you are accustomed to us."

"Indeed not," Puck says, shaking his head with a smile.

"After all, one may find any number of surprises and vagaries of chance to be delightful, if unlooked-for."

"Oh." This actually makes him smile. "That's good, then."

His own smile brightens in return.

"And what do you do, good Master Ianto, when you are not regaling our ranks with coffee?"

"Defender of the earth," Ianto says. It's his automatic answer now, here.

"Which also involves making a great deal of coffee."

"Does it?"

Puck blinks owlishly.

"What do you defend it from?"

"Alien invaders, mostly. Sometimes human threats." He pulls down his shirt collar and points to a small, thin scar on his neck. "Coffee fuels the others on my team, and when they're done I clean up."

Puck leans forward and peers at the scar curiously.

"Who gave you that?"

"Cannibals living near the Breton Beacons in Wales."

Enough time has passed he can be calm about it.

"No, they're not common in my day and age."

"Cannibals!"

Puck looks delighted.

"How preposterous. I am quite pleased to see you have escaped undevoured."

"Thank you," Ianto says, dry as a martini.

Which sounds good right now.

"Bar, I'd like a martini, please. Three olives."

Bar provides and Ianto has a sip.

Not to be outdone, Puck murmurs:

"Bar darling, coffee and cream? If there is chocolate and cayenne pepper in, so much the better."

A mug promptly appears.

It is much larger than you might consider advisable. Puck smiles incandescently.

Okay, that got Ianto's attention.

"Cayenne pepper?"

"Care to taste?"

He holds out his mug with improbable steadiness, considering it's about the size of his head.

"Thank you," Ianto says and has an experimental sip, swishing the coffee around his palate to savor all its tastes.

He gives the enormous cup back. "Interesting."

"Interesting?" Puck repeats archly, in a rather-too-good imitation of Ianto's voice.

His eyebrows arch, before he drops it all in favor of a pout.

"I have learnt that when a man of your approximate era and presumable education says 'interesting,' what he really means is 'terrible.'"

"I'm not wild about cayenne pepper with chocolate," Ianto says. "If you're going to go spicy with chocolate, I prefer chili or nutmeg, and then pair it with espresso.

"Quality, not volume."