TITLE:-TORCHWOOD:-
IN THE BEGINNING WAS TORCHWOOD.
THE SAGA'S OF MAJOR LILITH LETHBRIDGE-STEWART.
(CHPT.10)
AUTHOR:- NEMOSANGEL
CHARACTERS:- CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS, IANTO JONES, MAJOR LILITH LETHBRIDGE-STEWART.
MENTIONED CHARACTERS :- GWEN, MICKEY, THE DOCTOR, MARTHA, ROSE, LILY-ROSE WREN, SIR ALISTAIR LETHBRIDGE-STEWART.
PAIRINGS:- JACK/IANTO
WARNINGS:- M/M KISSING, JACK NAKED (again), ALIEN TWEAKING
RATING:- T WORD COUNT:- 5015
SUMMARY:- SATURDAY... LILITH'S FIRST DAY WORKING FOR TORCHWOOD. A SECRET BASE UNDER CARDIFF, SHE HADN'T SEEN THAT ONE COMING. JACK NOW HAS THE BEGINNINGS OF A RECOGNISABLE TEAM FOR THE FUTURE. JACK IS DEEP IN THOUGHT, HE IS WORKING ON A NEW STAFF STRUCTURE... IANTO AND LILITH WILL BE HIS SECONDS. JACK IS GETTING MEMORIES FROM THE FUTURE FILTERING BACK TO HIM. THERE IS A GLIMPSE OF LILITH'S CARING SIDE AND HER ANGER AT TORCHWOOD 1 AND UNIT... AND SHE REALLY DOES NOT LIKE GUNS. THEN A CONVERSTATION ABOUT PERCEPTION FILTERS, A COLLAR AND BELL.
DISCLAIMER:- I DON'T OWN TORCHWOOD OR DOCTOR WHO, IT BELONGS TO R.T.D. & BBC. THIS IS JUST FOR FUN AND I HAVE HAD FUN PLAYING IN TORCHWOODS WORLD.
YOU KNOW THE DRILL... READ AND REVIEW... AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT IT IF YOU LIKE IT.
CHAPTER 10.
5.20am. Saturday.
Lilith's guest room. Jack wakes with a start, something had woken him, he is sure someone had cried out. Was it he? No, he does not think so, he slept well. Ianto stirs slightly, cuddling into him, his head on Jack's chest and their legs entwined. Was it Ianto that had cried out? No, he thinks it was more distant. He lays there listening, he is sure he can hear someone sobbing. Is it Lilith? It is female, it can only be Lilith.
Lilith is lying across her bed, her cover kicked off the bed, she tosses and turns, crying. Suddenly she is awake, she lays there breathing heavily. She looks across at the clock... 5.25am. That is the best nights sleep she has had in a long while. She gets up and changes from her sleep ware into a tee shirt and trackie bottoms. She goes down to her gym. She should not disturb Jack and Ianto as there is her study, bathroom and her daughter bedroom between them. Her warm up is some gently stretching excises then her rowing machine. She then moves onto her weight machine, a multi gym. She is soon lost in her workout regime.
Jack just lies there, enjoying being comfortable. He feels a lot stronger and contented... Contented? He looks down at Ianto laying on him... Yes contented. He gently kisses the top of Ianto's head.
"Morning my Cariad." Ianto whispers sleepily.
"Morning my beautiful love." Replies Jack. He is glad they have come clean about how they feel for each other; he can be more relaxed, not so guarded... They love each other!
They lay in bed for a while just happy with each other's company.
"I suppose we should get up soon." Says Ianto. "I shall need to go down to mine to change."
"I think Lilith is already up. I will get a shower while you go down to yours." Says Jack.
"Ok." Says Ianto. He starts to get up but Jack pulls him back, trapping him under his body.
"Not before this..." Jack kisses Ianto passionately. When they finally pull away from each other, they are panting, breathing heavily.
Ianto gently runs a finger along Jack's jaw, a smile on his face. "I will not be long. You will have to let me back in." He says.
"Ok my beautiful." Jack says.
Ianto slides out of bed and dresses in his clothes from yesterday. Jack lies in bed watching every movement Ianto makes.
"Shower Jack." Says Ianto.
"Yes ok." Says Jack getting out of bed. He stretches, he hears Ianto's breathing hitch up a notch at his nakedness. Jack smiles. "Whatever you say." He purrs.
Ianto closes his eyes for a moment. "Jack..." He points to the on-suite.
Jack grins at him, blows a kiss and moves toward the bathroom.
Ianto now satisfied Jack is moving, going towards the shower, he leaves Lilith's apartment and goes down to his.
Jack showers then dresses. He puts his vortex manipulator back on, his watch and his gun belt. He then goes out into the living room, he can hear a clanking noise coming from a room on the other side of the living room, its door is slightly open. Jack goes to the door. He can see Lilith working out in the room.
Jack raises his hand to knock on the door but it freezes as he hears Lilith.
"Come in Jack." Lilith calls out.
How did she know...? Jack enters and what he sees he did not expect, it is a fully equipped gym, weights, benches, rowing machine, static bike, a speedball and a kick bag. Then down one side of the room are display cases with swords, knives, crossbows and other weapons. One case has a musket and several sets of duelling pistols. Jack does not know where to look first.
"Morning, did you sleep alright?" Lilith asks, just running through a karate kata.
"Yes thank you. Ianto has just gone down to change then he will be back." Says Jack, still looking around. "This is a surprise." He says waving his hands around.
"I did say I like swords and things." Replies Lilith, stepping forward with a punch followed by a snap kick. "Have a look."
Jack moves to the cases. There are a mix of swords, Japanese, Chinese, military and broad swords. "They are beautiful." Breathes Jack.
"Most are original, a few are replicas but they are all live blades." Lilith says.
Another case Jack looks at is full of martial arts weapons. "You are full of surprises." Jack says in awe, he has seen many things in his very long life but still the odd human can surprise him.
"I was the women's martial arts champion for the army when I was younger." Lilith says as she nods to one corner where there are thirty-two trophies and nineteen medals for a mix of marital arts, fencing and shooting.
This is all the things they could not get access to. "Amazing."
There is a knock at the apartment's door.
"That will be Ianto back. Can I show him in here?" Jack asks.
Lilith nods. "Of course you can." She feels comfortable letting these to males into her world.
Jack lets Ianto back in the apartment. "Come, see this room." Says Jack, excitedly leading Ianto by the hand back to Lilith's gym.
Lilith is kicking the hell out of her kick bag when Jack returns with Ianto.
"Wow." Says Ianto. "Remind us not to upset you." He says as he sees what she is doing. Then he allows his eyes to wander over the room, marvel. He wanders along the cases looking. "Can you use all these weapons?" He asks.
"Yes." Replies Lilith, stopping. "Right, I better get a shower. Then I will come and get us breakfast."
"Well, if I am permitted may I do breakfast for us while you get ready?" Says Ianto, hesitantly. People with OCD can get very possessive over things like their kitchens or how things are done.
Lilith looks at Ianto a moment. He understands, he will be respectful and tidy. She has to learn to live and trust. "I usually have toast but there are other things in the fridge or cupboards if you want something different." She says.
"Toast will be fine." Replies Jack.
"Then Ianto, you may do breakfast." Lilith says, taking another step along the road of trust and recovery. "There is fresh juice in the fridge and there is fresh coffee for the machine in the cupboard over the fridge."
"Ok." Says Ianto heading towards the kitchen. Jack follows him.
Lilith goes up to her room and into the bathroom. She showers and dresses... Well after some debate with herself about what to wear... She goes with a black trouser suit on her first day, the jacket is long and she wears a blue silk blouse and a pair of low black shoes, polished. She looks in the full-length mirror...It is the only time she looks in the mirror is when she is fully dressed... A broken body, a broken mind and emotionally broken! She picks up a black shoulder bag, placing her purse, mobile, brush, keys and a few bits of make-up. At the bottom of the bag is a telescopic nightstick, hidden in the lining but easy to get to if she needs to. She then goes down and joins her two guests.
Jack watches her, blue definitely suits her, it enhances the blue of her eyes even further. So his beautiful Ianto is dressed in a red shirt, which suits him and the beautiful damaged Lilith is dressed in blue that suits her. He is a very lucky man.
Ianto passes Lilith a mug of coffee as she sits at the breakfast bar that divides the kitchen from the living room.
Lilith takes a sip. "Hmmm, this is good." She muses aloud.
"Ianto is the best coffee maker anywhere." States Jack proudly.
"It is worth joining you just for the coffee." Lilith says.
Jack is sure he can hear a smile in her voice if that were possible.
"I aim to please." Says Ianto with a slight bow.
"Hmm..." Jack starts to make a comment.
"Jack!" Lilith and Ianto say together.
Ianto and Jack laugh. Lilith feels a warmth spreading through her. These two males make her feel safe and comfortable even though she knows that she is joining an organisation that deals with danger. She watches as the golden aura around Jack swirls around him as he laughs. Ianto's aura is a mix of royal colours, blues, green and purple which is very much like hers, the only real difference is that Ianto's is also flecked with the gold from Jack's aura. Jack is basically rubbing off on him. Their laughing is like music, relaxing, breaking down her emotional barriers. At this rate she could... might smile by the end of the weekend.
Ianto and Lilith clear up. Jack watches, fascinated. They move around each other, their movements similar, neither colliding into the other. He is hoping she will work this well with Gwen. They have common ground, they both have someone outside Torchwood. Gwen has Rhys and Lilith has her daughter. They will have to come up with a cover story for Lilith. Gwen's cover story for Rhys, before he found out about Torchwood, was that she was special ops on detachment from the police. Lilith will have to have something different, which allows her to be on call twenty-four hours a day. He will come up with something by the end of the day.
7.20am.
Jack looks at his watch. "Right, are you ready?" He says. "I want to get you shown around the place, a workstation sorted for you and a staff file started before Gwen gets in."
"Ready boss." Says Lilith.
"Sir." Says Ianto.
"Oh wait." Lilith says. She goes over to the guest bedroom and comes back with the black sack, which holds Jack's blood soaked shredded clothes. "I take it these need to be incinerated?"
"Yes." Replies Ianto taking the bag from Lilith. "Can't be to careful. Don't want anyone getting hold of Jack's blood."
The three leave Lilith's apartment and head towards The Hub. They enter through the tourist office.
Lilith feels a mix of apprehension and excitement, she is not sure what to expect. A secret base under Cardiff... She did not see that one coming.
The cogged door rolls open with flashing lights and an alarm sounding. Jack enters first then Lilith and Ianto.
"Welcome to our world." Says Ianto with a smile.
Lilith takes a few steps in and looks around, "It is huge." Looking up.
"This is only the main working area." Says Jack. "There are several levels below and miles of tunnels with rooms off them."
Lilith takes another few steps forward. "We are under the water tower." She says recognising the base of it.
"Yes." Replies Ianto.
Up on the platform high above them Myfanwy hears Ianto. She gives a little squeal and takes to her wings.
Lilith watches amazed. "That's a... That's a Pterodactyl." She breaths.
"Yes." Replies Ianto.
"That is Myfanwy." Says Jack.
"Myfanwy... You named a Pterodactyl, Myfanwy?" Says Lilith in disbelief.
"Ianto named her. She came through the rift and we look after her. She tolerates us but she loves Ianto... Well his chocolate." Explains Jack.
"So the rift isn't just open to space but time as well... Right?" Lilith asks looking at Jack and Ianto.
"Yes." Says Jack. "And possibly parallel universes, different timelines."
"Does it just flow one way?" Lilith asks.
"No." Says Jack honestly, he has learnt some secrets are more dangerous if not known by his team. He should have more faith in them. Just because he keeps a secret does not mean his team will be safe. This is the beginning of a new era for him, he will become more open, less secretive especially with Ianto and even Lilith. Secrets do not keep the team safe but the right information does... Well, safer, for they know what they are up against. Earth needs protecting. Jack realises something else watching Lilith's face, full of emotion, wonderment, it is the most animated it has been.
"So it can take things from here?" Lilith says.
"Yes. We do try to minimise the damage but sometimes... Well people go missing too." Says Jack.
"Not good." Says Lilith, realising the implications, all those worlds out there, places that would be so hostile to a human... Terrifying.
"Ok, Ianto if you take Lilith on a guided tour of the main parts today then through the week you show her everything else." Says Jack.
"Everything?" Repeats Ianto.
"Confirmed." Replies Jack. Jack wants Lilith to know everything about The Hub and what it contains, it's workings. Ianto had carried it all while he was away, never letting on to the others, keeping his secrets and Torchwood's. Now it will never fall to just one person. He did think of telling Gwen once but came to the conclusion she just was not the right sort of person... She would not be able to cope with what must be done. So he and Ianto have been the only ones to know everything but he is going to have a total overhaul of how this place is run. Everything changes.
"Shall we." Ianto says, indicating for Lilith to go to the left. "This is the main working area." He starts as the pair move off.
Jack watches for a few moments then he goes up to his office... He is working on a new staff structure but it will mean something's will change... Like Ianto and Lilith will be his seconds, officially, on paper and signed by the crown. Technically Lilith out-ranks him in military terms but he believes this will not be an issue between them but then, he grins to himself, a little power play can be so engaging, he likes a challenge. He could always pull the age thing on her or... He smiles a secret smile. The twenty first century is when it all changes... It is changing... Now! Things are now in motion for the future. He now has the beginnings of a recognisable team for the future.
Jack brings up the internal CCTV, he watches as the pair go through the place. They are just entering the first level of the cell area. Three of the cells are occupied, one by Janet and the other two, by two recently caught Weevils.
"This is Janet." Says Ianto, stopping in front of her cell.
"You named a Weevil Janet?" Says Lilith, moving closer to the observation panel of the cell, studying her.
"Yes, she has been with us for a while now." Explains Ianto. Ianto's headset buzzes. He touches a button on it. "Yes Jack?" He listens. "Ok we are on our way." Ianto replies. He looks at Lilith. "Jack is waiting for us in the boardroom."
Jack watches the pair as they make their way back up to the main part of The Hub. Lilith seems relaxed, asking questions that Ianto answers. A couple of times Ianto glances up at a camera as they pass them. Jack sees just the slightest of smiles grace Ianto's face as he looks. Ianto can sense him watching them. Her name echoes out from the future... She will protect them. They can protect Earth because of her, she will achieve great things. What is going on? Why is he drawn to her? No not in that way... Well... There is only Ianto for him but she seems to fit with them, she is right... With her it is a relationship of true friendship with both of them. Technically The Doctor is his oldest friend then there is Rose, Mickey and Martha but up until now Ianto has been a true friend and now he feels Lilith... god his mind is rambling. He switches the screen off as he hears the pair approaching. He knows Lilith is going to have a tough time as she faces certain things, he does not know what yet but.. Things are filtering through... Time travelling can be a bitch especially to the memory.
"I had not thought of getting paid as well." Says Lilith as the pair enters the boardroom. "Yes I will give you my details Ianto." She had not discussed monies with Jack.
"Well, what do you think of the place?" Jack asks,.
"An interesting mix of steam punk colliding with sewer rat and just a dash of sci-fi." Lilith says matter of fact.
"Steam punk?" Repeats Jack.
"Yes Jack." Says Ianto. "The Victorian influence... Wood and brass... It is the modern term for it. I will explain more later Jack." Ianto looks at Lilith. "We still have many of the original Victorian features, which includes Jack."
Lilith looks at Jack. "Really... So I guess you are... What? Nearly a hundred and fifty years old in linear time." She muses.
"No, only parts of my life have been lived linear... Then I have also been buried for nearly one thousand eight hundred years, one moment alive the next dead." He shudders at the memory. "Though it does get a little difficult to keep track when jumping backwards and forwards in time." Plus, he thinks, when a whole year is wiped from time... The year that never was for most.
"So does your species age slower or is it a side effect of the other?" Asks Lilith.
"The other." Replies Jack, without thinking, answering honestly. "I do age but very, very slowly now."
"So for the first part of your life you aged normally?" Lilith says.
"More or less... There were a few hic-cups when I worked for The Time Agency." Replies Jack.
Lilith shakes her head. "No... Still cannot get my head around it. Need time to process all that information." She says, her mind wants to process all the information but... but there is something... Time... Time... Memories... trying...
"Take a seat." Says Jack.
Lilith sits. Ianto goes to the other side of the table and sits. In front of Jack are several plastic bags with the Torchwood logo on.
Jack picks up the first bag and empties the contents onto the table. He moves the contents over to Lilith. "Your works phone, already programmed, my number is one on the speeds dial. Ianto's is two, Gwen's is three and I have already put Mickey's in yours, which is four. Plus your blue tooth headset that has been... " He looks at Ianto with a grin. "Tweaked."
Ianto blushes as he remembers the tweaking.
"Tweaked with alien technology." Says Lilith.
"Or tweaked by an alien." Jack laughs, still looking at Ianto.
"Jack concentrate." Says Lilith.
"Ok but you really are a spoil sport." Says Jack looking back at Lilith.
"Alien can tweak later." Lilith says with a wink to Ianto.
Ianto blushes even more.
Jack laughs with his whole being.
Still no smile reaches Lilith's face but she feels... that warmth. She looks down at the new phone and headset. She then looks up at the pair. "But then it could be human tweaking alien later." She says still without a smile but the humour is not lost on the pair of lovers.
Ianto laughs. "I am liking her more and more Jack." He says.
Jack laughs. "Oh yes and at least Lilith makes it fair." Jack empties the next bag. He passes it to Lilith. "Your ID. Ianto will go over all our codes and protocols later."
"Ok Jack." Replies Lilith.
The third bag Jack keeps his hand on. "This is your gun but... " He starts.
Lilith goes pale and shakes her head. "No." She whispers.
"I know." Says Jack. "I will keep it until such time that you are ready for it."
"I... I don't know whether I will ever be ready." Lilith replies.
Jack realises guns make Lilith more than just nervous. "It is ok... When you are ready we can help you a little at a time. For now you will be with someone who has a gun out on a missions, you can use weapons that you feel comfortable." Jack moves another bag slightly forward. "What about a stun gun?" He asks.
"I don't know. It is still basically a gun but..." Lilith looks at Jack. "It will be a starting point I suppose."
"We will take it slowly... We don't need to rush it." Jack says understandingly. "We can start with the stun gun. I will put it on a small table in my office then every day I want you to start off with just touching it."
"Touching it?" Lilith says with a slight panic.
"Yes, just touch it, just once a day. Then we will go from there." Says Jack. "Either myself or Ianto will be with you when you do it."
Lilith relaxes a little. "Ok."
"Also, may I have your permission to tell Gwen about the gun part?" Jack asks as Gwen will need to know.
"Yes Jack and about my OCD so she does not take offence over my hand washing or anything else she might find odd." Replies Lilith.
"Thank you." Says Jack. "I know this is a personal question but how many times do you see your therapist?" He asks.
Lilith looks puzzled for a moment. "Oh you mean my nut doctor." She says.
"I was being polite." Says Jack.
"No need to be polite. I see her now twice a month. Not that it is doing any good. She just goes around in circles. She does not understand nor has she ever been in situations where... well... " Says Lilith struggling to find the words that don't remind her of...
"Hostile situations." Says Ianto quietly.
Lilith looks Ianto. Jack can see a similar haunted look in their blue eyes.
"Yes, hostile situations." Repeats Lilith.
"Right twice a week we are going to sit down and talk. Talk about anything and everything with the aim that one day we can talk about those events that have affected us, frightened us, scared us emotionally. We will work them out together, support each other. We can't discuss the stuff we see and do here with outsiders so we have to keep it to ourselves or discuss it with each other." Jack says looking at both Lilith and Ianto. "We have all witnessed and experienced traumatic events. We have that in common. We will understand each other. Whatever we talk about stays amongst us in this room."
Ianto's eyes water... Jack. He breaths in deeply. Does he really want to face...? A single tear rolls down his cheek. Suddenly he is aware that both Lilith and Jack are touching him. Lilith had got up and gone around the table to him, her arm over his shoulder and Jack is holding his hand.
Jack notices that Lilith has responded to Ianto's despair... She is not emotionally closed down as he feared... The response of the caring mother is still there... The 'mother instinct', as he calls it, can over-ride most things, even a traumatic event and this is how Lilith has carried on where others of her unit have fallen because of her daughter... While Ianto had shown Lilith around he had managed to find out about some of her men, as their files were not so highly classified so he could access them. Only three had remained in the army, two with desk jobs and one, when he was sent out for another tour out in Afghanistan under fired, proceeded to shoot two of his new comrades and his new commanding officer, screaming they were not going to take him alive, in the end he was shot by an MP. Those others that survived from her unit are either now dead, suicide, retconned, in a mental unit or under therapy like Lilith. All showing signs of post-traumatic shock to one degree or another basically the same story as the survivors of the Torchwood 1 staff.
"Sorry." Says Ianto.
"Ianto you never need to apologise to me." Says Lilith "It was not your fault... You were not the one making the corporate decisions. Those that run Torchwood 1 like Ms. Hartman, were playing god... They thought they were being so bloody clever. They died, running and screaming." Lilith winces at her own words. "And we were left to clear up their mess. UNIT were no better that day."
Jack can hear the bitterness, the anger in Lilith's voice and he had noticed that she had winced at her own words. He looks at Ianto, sometimes he forgets just how young he is, he has had no military training as such and has seen things that could snap a human mind. His beautiful Welshman. Lilith is that little older, had military training, seen some terrible things, even possibly party to something terrible that day... There is something... It is possible that her trauma is worse than Ianto's but she hides it by going to comfort Ianto... She does not want to face it yet... Jack had learnt a lot from just this... Humans are amazing... They are fragile but a few find ways to cope and hopefully over time recover.
"Thank you Lilith." Ianto says in a near whisper, he had allowed his professional mask to slip.
Lilith goes back to her seat and Jack remains holding Ianto's hand.
"Lilith I have come up with a cover story for your daughter or anyone else that asks... You are working for a security company. You are working as a consultant and trouble-shooter. That is why you are on call twenty-four hours a day. You could be called away in the middle of the night or be away for a few days at a time. You were offered the job after talking to a neighbour, Ianto, who also works for the company." Says Jack, it is very close to the truth.
"Yes that is workable and when you think about it, Torchwood is a security firm... It protects the Earth and its people, plus protecting alien life from humans... That is security." Says Lilith agreeing with Jack.
"Right, Ianto is going to take you down to get you set up with a workstation, the one next to his. He will set up your staff file with you. Then by that time Gwen should be in and then we can have a staff meeting." Says Jack.
Both Ianto and Lilith stand.
"Ok." Says Lilith as she follows Ianto down to the workstations.
"This will be your workstation." Says Ianto. "Lets get you logged in as staff, log your retina so the security cameras recognise you so you get access into the base."
The pair work together doing all the admin. part of the job.
"Next of kin is your daughter. Right?" Says Ianto. "Or your grandfather?"
"My daughter, yes. She will be looked after if anything happens to me?" Lilith says, under no illusion that she is embarking on a dangerous path.
"Yes. We can fast track getting your monies released to her and we will take care of any arrangement. We would take care of her" Says Ianto. "I will personally see to everything for you."
"Thank you Ianto." Lilith says. Lilith then sees the pendulums on Ianto's workstation. "You really were spying on me." She says as a statement.
Ianto blushes slightly at being caught. "Hmmm yes... We were intrigued, I was." Ianto says picking up the silver and crystal pendulum. "We wanted to find out what and who were dealing with. We did not register any technology but the pendulum, was reacting to certain areas."
"What is with those areas? Am I allowed to know?" Says Lilith.
"Perception filter." Says Jack behind the pair, making both of them jump.
"Jack!" Ianto says, turning to him. "Collar and bell." He threatens.
"Meow... Can I have some...?" Starts Jack.
Ianto goes bright red knowing all to well what Jack is implying. "Jack!" He hisses.
Lilith looks between Ianto and Jack... Jack obviously makes a habit of creeping up on Ianto. Hmmm... She can help Ianto out with that. She can feel that new warmth again. "Jack... Perception filter?"
"Oh yes." Jack looks at Lilith. "Right, that night with the pendulum in front of the water tower, the pendulum was reacting to one of our entrances, a lift. Did you see anything in that space?"
Lilith thinks for a moment. "Well... I know I was trying to investigate that area but my eyes just did not want to focus on the area, they kept drifting... My senses were telling me something was there and so was my pendulum. I just could not concentrate on the area.
"Shall we call it a travelling box for now, landed in the area a few times now, which has a very powerful perception filter, it makes the mind see what it thinks it should and not what is actually there. It has left an imprint in theses areas. I was actually standing on that spot so you got my coat wet." Explains Jack.
"I knew something was not right. Well you know I can use the cards and the pendulum, I also can see auras so to some I am a sensitive. I can also sense things like danger." Lilith looks at Ianto. "Tell me how did you get on with the pendulum?"
"A little to well... I even got Gwen to fill some mugs up with water then cover them." Says Ianto.
"That is good practice. You got them all right?" Says Lilith.
"Yes." Ianto replies. "But then my grandmother followed the old ways... I was intrigued to know how and why the pendulum works. I would like to do some more work with it though."
"I can help you if you wish." Says Lilith.
"I would like that." Replies Ianto.
Suddenly a soft grinding sound comes from the area of the cogged door, announcing it is about to open.