A Celebration in Store [open]

It was around the time where evening turns to night and the streets lit up around Cardiff. It was actually very pretty, considering the usual circumstances and Toshiko wandered around the streets, musing over every little detail around her. There was a flower in the window of someone's flat, a single rose that had just freshly been picked - the dew made it sparkle in the city lights. One of the signs of the local bakeries had letters etched off so that it now said "Bum Breads" (instead of Bumble Breads) and it made Tosh smile.

Swinging her purse by the short strap, Tosh spotted the newly opened Pub and decided to take a gander inside. She hadn't really planned to be out that evening, since she was going to stay home for a quiet read, but the night called her out. There was something in store and Toshiko refused to miss it.

She entered through the double doors and walked to one of the booths in the corner. This place was fairly decent. Actual modernly tiled floors, leather in the seating wasn't ripped to shreads. Better than the one the gang usually went to. After ordering a drink, Tosh just sat back and watched the commotion at work. It was a good birthday after all...

Angelina waltzed into the pub, unsure of where she was actually going. It wasn't very clear to her, the definition of pub, but she knew enough to know that such was a place where people usually went after work, and had drinks. Trying her hardest to blend in with the humans, she did the same, and she was trying one different pub each day, which was the reason why she'd ended up in this new place today.

She walked up to the counter, looking around her trying not to arouse suspicion, and did her best to imitate the other patrons.

"William Lawson's on the rocks." The man beside her asked. Angelina made the exact same hand gesture the man had made, and the bartender walked up to her.

"I'll have what that man just asked for." She said, still scared, still wide-eyed. The bartender noticed her deer-on-headlights look, but didn't say anything. Soon, he was back with the whiskey.

Angelina took one large sip of the unknown liquid.

Fire. It was like fire in her throat. Down her throat, even. It burned, and it went all the way up to her nostrils, and burned on her tongue, as well. Angelina couldn't help releasing a guttural loud sound, much like a wounded feline.

"MY STARS! HOLY GALAKLAV!" She screamed, tossing the glass away instinctively.

Upon hearing a glass fall to the floor and shatter, what sounded like a cat whine and a woman scream, Toshiko was not quite sure what had just happened. Instinctively, she got up and pushed her way through to where she had heard all the yelling.

"Are you alright?!" she asked, quickly grabbing some random person's water and giving it to the woman. Touching the woman's forehead, she felt cold, yet not sweaty. Was she sick? Tosh pondered at what could have happened for her to have such a... reaction.

"Do you need me to call someone? Family? Friend? Hospital?"

Angelina tried to talk, but she was drinking water at the same time, and although she got confused for a moment and stopped doing anything (keeping the water in her mouth for a while), she chose to drink it first, and speak later.

"It was this drink, it's acid, it burns, I didn't know, I didn't know!" She said hysterically to the woman who'd come in aid, shaking her head negatively, with eyes wide open. She asked for more water my pointing at the now empty glass, and gasped a few more times. "Am I going to die?" She asked the woman fearfully.

"It was this drink, it's acid, it burns, I didn't know, I didn't know!"

Tosh couldn't help but just stare at the woman's frantic antics. When the woman pointed at her glass, Tosh looked up a the bartender, who's eyebrows were raised. "More water, now!" Tosh snapped. Instantly there was a newly full glass and Tosh handed it to the woman.

"Am I going to die?"

Tosh shook her head. "No, no you won't die. It was just alcohol." She tried to calm the hysterical woman, but nothing was quite helping and people just kept staring.

"What?" Tosh asked, looking around. "Never seen a person get alcohol poisoning?" She knew that wasn't the case, but it was something to throw out to the rudeness of the other patrons. Soon enough they all went back to what they were doing and Tosh focused back on the women.

"My name is Tosh and I think we should head over to the hospital. What is your name?" Being calm was the key to the situation.

Angelina nodded and drank the whole water at once, decompressing her chest once she was finished. It wasn't burning so much, now, but her throat still felt strange.

She looked up to see everyone staring, and she felt quite intimidated by all those stares.

"I know, just alcohol, but it burned. I just asked for what that other man was having, I didn't know..." Angelina told the woman - she'd said her name was Tosh, better not forget. "There's no need to go to the hospital, I feel alright now, and if I'm not going to die..." Angelina giggled nervously from the adrenaline discharge. She looked at Tosh timidly. "I'm Angelina."

"There's no need to go to the hospital, I feel alright now, and if I'm not going to die..." Angelina giggled nervously from the adrenaline discharge. She looked at Tosh timidly. "I'm Angelina."

Tosh looked at the woman speaking and paused for a moment before nodding. "Hello Angelina," From almost dying to giggling, there was no doubt in Tosh's mind this Angelina was... different. But it didn't matter, as long as she was okay, Tosh was cool with it.

She didn't just want to leave the poor girl, so Tosh decided to be polite and ask her to join her at her table. "Would you like to join me?" She pointed to the corner booth. "I'm sort of having a bit of a celebration and it would be nice to have some company." Tosh smiled.

Owen walked into the bar, scanning for Tosh. He found her with a woman he'd never seen before and walked over to them.

"Hey, Tosh, I'm not late am I? Who, uh, who's this?" he said, looking between the two of them.

The bar door opened again and Tosh looked over to see who it was. It was Owen. She waved him over, but he had spotted her already and was walking towards the table.

"Hey, Tosh, I'm not late am I? Who, uh, who's this?"

"Hey Owen! No, you're just in time," Tosh watched Owen's face as he looked between her and Angelina. "Owen, this is Angelina. Angelina, Owen." Tosh emphasized upon the last 'Owen' with her eyes and tone of voice, hoping Owen would pick up there was nothing going on. She patted the seat next to her for him to join; she had quite an interesting story to share.

"H'lo," Owen replied politely. He took the seat beside Tosh. "So, what's up?"

Angelina smiled politely at Tosh, not able to remember how to show appreciation for someone in "human". It would come back to her eventually, she thought. The nice woman had invited her back to her table, and since Angelina had nowhere else to go, and clearly, nothing else to do, she accepted, nodding, and sitting down.

A man approached their table, and although he seemed to know Tosh, Angelina broadened her gaze at him, for he was looking at her suspiciously. Tosh introduced them - He was Owen. He sat down besides Tosh, and Angelina, trying to be polite said "Hello!" pleasantly, certain that there was something one should do with their hands when greeting someone for the first time, but not sure what that was. She eventually decided on giving Owen a thumbs up - with both thumbs - and a broad grin.

Owen cocked an eyebrow at Angelina, slowly turning his gaze to Tosh, with a look that said 'Um... What?'

Tosh looked at Owen's confused face and shook her head. She turned to Angelina. "Angelina, how about you get the drinks? Something of your choice that isn't alcohol." She smiled.

Turning back to Owen, Tosh lowered her voice. "If you're looking at me like I know what's going on I don't. She's apparently allergic to alcohol and is a bit shaken up."

Angelina nodded in agreement and stood up from the table, walking back to the counter. As the bartender saw her there, he smirked.

"I'm not serving you alcohol this time." He joked. Angelina smiled, unaware of the joke.

"It's okay, I'm not here for alcohol. I'd like three Red Bull's, please." She asked, politely, glad she remembered "please" and "thank you", two very important expressions in everyday life.

The bartender nodded, and asked that she waited for a bit, because he needed to go get them from the pub's storage fridge, since it wasn't something patrons asked for frequently. Angelina shrugged, and sat at the counter, waiting.

"If you're looking at me like I know what's going on I don't. She's apparently allergic to alcohol and is a bit shaken up."

"...Right. Anyway... uh, where's everyone else?" Owen looked around the pub, still a bit confused by this Angelina person.

"...Right. Anyway... uh, where's everyone else?"

"I guess they're running late..." Tosh mused. "You know Jack, he could have any reason to be late... not to mention we're here a bit early, I said nine o'clock and it's only eight forty-five."

Toshiko wondered why Owen was early for once. Nothing to do or just ready to get pissed? She shook her head. She'd never be able to figure that man out... and she wasn't sure that she wanted to.

But like Owen, she was confused about Angelina. What could've made her so wary about alcohol and why did she act so... silly?

"Is it really that early?" Owen said, looking at his watch. "Well, why we're waiting, can I be the first to buy you a birthday drink, Tosh?"

Angelina quickly walked back to the table, trying very hard not to drop any of the Red Bulls.

"Here you go, no alcohol." She said, pleasantly, putting one drink in front of Owen and Tosh, and then sitting down. "Are you celebrating something?"

"Well, why we're waiting, can I be the first to buy you a birthday drink, Tosh?"

Looking at Owen, Tosh grinned. "Of course! Nothing too over the top though, I'd like to be awake the rest of the night." She joked, playfully.

"Are you celebrating something?"

Tosh saw Angelina was back and nodded. "It's my birthday today," She still got excited for birthdays - Tosh didn't see them as turning older, but as a year wiser.

There was a big bang outside and Tosh jumped, looking out the window. She watched as people ran around in chaos, some of them even looked injured. Smoke was coming from one of the buildings across the way and Tosh was able to grab Owen's attention before he got up.

"We should probably go see what that was."

Angelina grinned, excitedly, and clapped. "Happy birthday!"

Everything was going smoothly, until they heard that bang outside, and Angelina jumped from her seat, doe-eyed. She swallowed hard, and ran outside, curious but not prudent, as usual.

Owen looked at Angelina oddly again. Who is this person?

Thankfully, a loud bang outside distracted him. He and Tosh exchanged glances before getting up and heading outside.

Angelina looked up at the dark sky, as people around her screamed and ran away. She saw Tosh and her friend coming outside as well, but didn't say anything. Could this be it? Could this be one of her brothers, or someone from her home coming to get her?

She was grinning up at the sky now, hoping really hard that that was the case.

Outside the air was filled with dust and particles flying everywhere and Toshiko covered her mouth with a spare scarf she had. She looked over at Owen, giving him another, hoping he would take it.

"Angelina!" She cried out. "You need to get back inside!"

Tosh quickly pulled out her cell phone and called the Hub. "Ianto? I need you to see what that large object was that hit the streets. We'll try to be over there as son as we can, but traffic is pretty much chaos."

Looking back over for her co-worker, she didn't see him. Where did Owen go?

Upon getting outside, the first thing Owen noticed was that the street was filled with dust and debris. The second thing he noticed was a woman trapped under some of that debris. Instinctively, he ran over to help the woman, looking for wounds. The woman started screaming. "It's okay, it's okay," he reassured her, "I'm a doctor, I'm here to help."

Angelina heard what Tosh had said like it was in a great distance. She was coughing a bit, but the dust didn't affect her as much as it did human beings - her home planet was quite the dusty place. It even had fluff.

"It's alright, Tosh! They're coming for me!" Angelina cried out, actually believing what she was saying. "It's my family, it's got to be!"

Angelina grinned at Tosh like an idiot, and gave little jumps of excitement.