To be honest, the Tosh rubber duckies line was originally Gwen, but Tosh got almost no rules so I gave a few of Gwen's to her. I always overlook her, poor woman. And that particular paragraph, with the tense change, is one I keep meaning to go fix...

I perhaps should have played more with Ianto's motivations for hiring Nicholas -- in my head he's gotten a taste for field work, as brutal as it is, and he's also getting completely overwhelmed by doing the field work as well as the sweeping up and coffee and all. And while Jack may hire on a random-meetings-in-parks kind of a basis, Ianto would be much more likely to place an advert.

In the original draft, Nicholas is one of four or five candidates they've called for a final interview -- he's not even the most qualified, he's just the only one who reacts appropriately to the tour of the Hub. :D They want someone who is quiet, discreet, and makes sure things get taken care of as efficiently as possible; that's where Nicholas's service-school training comes in, and his Library Science degree ensures that he'll look after Ianto's beloved archives properly. *grins*

This is all good stuff to think about though -- you are by no means being a pain!