After Miranda's call with UNIT, the courier had arrived and Miranda had left the package on Fish's work table. Ianto had gone to fetch breakfast and then had vanished down into the archives before Gwen and Fish arrived. Before either of her team mates could corner the Welshman, Miranda had herded the two of them into the boardroom.
"Where's Ianto, Miranda?" Gwen asked.
"He's down in the archives doing some filing. Understandably, he wants everything to get back to normal as soon as possible and that's what I wanted to talk to you two about," Miranda said.
Miranda pushed the two paper plates towards Gwen and Fish. Ianto had left their usual take away breakfasts in the boardroom. There was a bacon sandwich for Miranda. There was Gwen's cheese and egg whites on toast and Fish's apple pastry.
"I know that this may go without saying but we need to treat him exactly the same as we did before. He's still our archivist. He's still making the coffee, cleaning up after us and getting us everywhere on time," Miranda said indicating the food.
"Ianto went and got this?" Gwen asked, looking down at her sandwich sadly.
"And none of that, Gwen," Miranda said firmly.
"None of what?" Gwen said indignantly.
"Pity," Miranda snapped. "Ianto Jones is a proud man."
"He's doing okay?" Fish asked.
"And none of that as well," Miranda said. "For the time being, I need you two to pretend as if that night never happened at least for the next few weeks. And, no, he's not okay but he will be. He just needs time."
Miranda saw the two of them bristle and held up her hands calmingly and then put them flat on the boardroom table, leaning forward to make her point. "I know you two care about him. He's your friend, your teammate, you both love him very much but you cannot understand what he's going through in the slightest and I don't say that to be patronising or condescending."
She let the two of them absorb that for a few minutes before she spoke again, "On another personal note, there is some friction in Jack and Ifan's relationship. I'm not telling you both this for the sake of gossip. I'm telling you so that you're aware of it and so that you both know that it's also something we need to stay out of."
"What do you mean 'friction'?" Gwen asked.
Miranda sighed. She hadn't wanted to let Gwen and Fish know the extent but they would find out themselves eventually and it would be better if they got it out of their systems now. "Ifan is sleeping in one of the staterooms."
"WHAT?!" Gwen and Fish shouted simultaneously.
"Shhh!" Miranda said, trying to keep them quiet. Both men would be mortified if they knew she was telling Gwen and Fish about this. Miranda was often privy to more details about Ianto and Jack's relationship because she lived at the Hub with the two men. She had always respected their privacy and refused to gossip about their personal lives but this situation was different. "I don't know the specifics or what precisely happened but this morning before his first training session, Ifan came up from the staterooms. They always have breakfast together in Jack's office. This morning Jack was sitting at his desk alone, not eating. The two of them have been nothing but civil and polite to each other."
Gwen and Fish both seemed too stunned to speak.
"I know it seems like we should do something or try to help but Ifan is dealing with enough right now. I think that the last thing he needs is for us to start meddling in his relationship," Miranda said, "and without knowing the particulars there's a good chance we could make things worse."
"Poor Ianto…" Gwen muttered.
Miranda cast her a stern glance. "Gwen."
"Sorry, sorry," she said. "I can't help it! First his whole world gets turned upside down and Jack leaving him is just like kicking him when he's down!"
"That may not be what happened, Gwen," Fish said. "We can't assume."
"He's right, Gwen. We need to stay out of it. I mean it," Miranda said.
"Is that an order, Miranda?" Gwen asked defensively.
"No, it's not an order, Gwen. It's sound advice from someone who is way the fuck older than you are," Miranda snapped. She knew that Gwen meant well but now was not the time for her meddling. "That being said, there are some changes with regards to work that are going to begin as of now."
"What sort of changes?" Gwen asked.
"From now on, Ifan is included in 'The Warder's Orders'. Jack, myself or Ifan will take point on field missions and the immortal rota is being reworked to include Ifan."
"Oh, he is going to love that," Fish said with a chuckle.
"Also, within a week or so Jack and I will be working out a rota for some of the duties that, until this point, have been strictly Ifan's responsibility."
"What? Why?" Gwen asked, surprised. "I thought you said things need to stay normal."
"Ifan's sword training is going to be taking up a great deal of his time and energy and there is no reason that we can't step up to help him out a little from time to time," Miranda said. She had wanted to ease a number of these duties off of Ianto when she had first rejoined the team but it was Ianto himself who had been resistant to it.
Miranda held up her hand and started counting of points. "Dewi, Myfanwy and Janet's care, trash duty, the staterooms, the hothouse, fetching the take away and some of the basic Hub maintenance will now be rotated through the entire team, myself and Jack included. I'll get those rotas to the two of you as soon as Jack and I have them. Your input will be appreciated as well. Now, down to other business. Fish, UNIT sent over a package of various incidentals they'd like for you to analyse. It's on your desk and is now priority one. I'd like updates twice a day please. That's all for now, you're both dismissed."
Just as Fish and Gwen had gotten up from the table as Ianto came striding into the room with his tray of mugs. Gwen and Fish gave Ianto a nervous smile a piece and then hurried passed him. Miranda was happy to see that Gwen kept the pity out of her face. He turned on his heel to follow them with the coffee but Miranda stopped him.
"Hold up, Ifan. I have some things for you," she said. "You did well this morning. Your training will be every day except Sunday, five in the morning sharp and you have two weeks to read these."
She pulled out Jack's chair and transferred the small stack of books from the chair to the table. Ianto reached out and picked up the volumes.
"Sun Tzu, Augustine and Descartes?"
"Every other week, I'll give you a new set," Miranda said.
"I understand the gym, Mandy, but the books?" Ianto said, confused.
"The sword is only as sharp as the mind that wields it," Miranda said. She picked up a fourth book and laid it down next to the others. "You'll also be needing this."
"An English to Spanish dictionary?" he asked. "I already speak Italian and French."
"You're more than welcome to pick a different language provided I already speak it," Miranda said.
"What are my choices?" Ianto asked.
"Spanish, German, Russian, Mandarin and Japanese," Miranda said with a shrug. "There are also several dead languages that I still know."
Ianto's eyebrows raised. He hadn't thought of learning a dead language. He assumed Miranda knew some languages that were no longer spoken but he didn't see the point in learning one so he asked. "What's the point of learning a dead language?"
"Private communication. Codes can be broken. A language that has no translation assures comprehension and secrecy."
"What are my options there?" he asked, curious. He had a sudden idea. "What about your native language?"
"Most of my own language is lost to me, Ifan. I remember a few words and phrases but nothing more," she said sadly. "I know four dead languages fluently, Latin, Ancient North Arabian, Middle Chinese and Middle Egyptian. Most of the other languages I have learned, I have mostly forgotten."
"I'll think about it," Ianto sighed and tucked the pile of books into his arm. "It's all overwhelming, Mandy."
"I know, Ifan, you'll be fine."
"Wish I had that confidence," Ianto said. He took one of the books and started flipping through the pages with a raised eyebrow. "I've never been much for school."
"This isn't school, Ifan. There won't be any essays, or exams. I'm giving you these to read because I believe that advancing your education will help you survive the Game. Read them, don't read them, it's entirely up to you, but I highly recommend you commit the Sun Tzu to memory," she said with a shrug. "I saw that fallacy of a personal history you concocted for Jack - 'able student but not exceptional, one minor conviction for shoplifting in your teens, a number of temporary jobs, mainly a drifter until you joined the Torchwood Institute in London, junior researcher'." Miranda stared Ianto down. "Thinly veiled half truths and lies of omission are my expertise."
Ianto shifted his weight a little uncomfortably.
"I can do my own research," Miranda said sternly. "You were marked a gifted student but the classic underachiever. You were convicted for shoplifting, twice, not once. You took your A levels and did well but didn't move on to university immediately, taking a few temporary jobs. Your underachieving continued through university where you were recruited by Torchwood London before graduating for your nearly eidetic memory. Yvonne Hartman wouldn't have wasted you in the research department. She would have used you in any way she could and fed you a steady diet of Queen and Country. Sound about right?"
"Care to delve into my family history as well?" he snapped a little. When he saw the glare she was giving him, he added, "Sorry."
"It's all right," Miranda said. "Go on, take them coffee. Gwen and Fish un-caffeinated is a frightening prospect."