//God, yes. Please, let's.// Jono grabbed his suitcase, tucked Hendrix neatly under one armpit, and then picked up Joni's bag. //The sooner we get the hell away from that, the sooner we... well, don't have to listen to it, mostly.//

Which was a win in Jonothon's book.

Ah, but at least they'd shut up eventually, or wander off and scream elsewhere.

//Oh thank God,// Jono muttered, stalking across the lawn toward the mansion, equally relieved to hear that Joni was calming down a little, too.

"..." said the sun.

Jono gave his shoulders a shrug.

//Nothing that Logan saw fit to warn me about recently, and everyone looks more or less in one piece and in a decent frame of mind. I don't suppose, 'it's nearly the weekend' warrants a warning, does it?//

It was hard to tell around here.

//Safest bet,// Jono agreed, nodding down at one of the students as they came to investigate the cats. Of course now Joni was being a little angel, purring and rubbing her face against the fingers poking through the bars of her carrier.

Traitor.

//In is quiet. Definite points in favour of in, right there.//

//I can't imagine anybody will complain. And there's no shortage of hungry mouths here who'd be happy to enjoy your cooking,// Jono mused. //Should be easy enough to arrange, unless it's Doop's turn to cook, that night.//

Jono had no idea how to handle Doop.

//Careful, you'll end up with your own cooking show or something,// Jono teased, nodding again at the student before they wandered off to their next class. //I really wouldn't be surprised.//

//I'd probably watch it, anyway. Maybe I'd learn a thing or two about cooking something that isn't fish and chips or chicken tikka masala.//

Hannibal would pry Jono's greasy chip techniques from his cold, dead hands.

//You can,// Jono agreed, turning an amused look toward Hannibal, //but where's the novelty in that?//

There was no television involved! None!

//Which might even come in handy one of these days?// Jono tilted his head slightly. //I'll consider it, perhaps. After all, the only person I really have to feed, unless you count whenever it's my turn to cook for the cafeteria here, is you.//

//Do you mean to say they don't already adore me? I am pretty adorable, you know.//

Also modest.

Jono was clearly amused as he stepped into the room behind Hannibal and crouched down to unlatch Joni's carrier. Like a little tuxedo rocket, she was out of there without hesitation.

//They care,// Jono replied. //Or, at least, they understand that without us, they wouldn't eat. Which is why they get so irritated with us when we leave for more than one or two days at a time.//

Also because cats were contrary like that.

//Well...// Jono looked thoughtfully at Beethoven's carrier, and then shook his head and moved to set Hendrix on top of the dresser, hopefully out of reach of the cats. //Joni cares, anyway. She's needy.//

This could be observed in the way that she was winding around Jono's ankles, in fact.

//And that's because you took one look at the canned food and held a mutiny on behalf of the cats,// Jono teased. //I'm sure she appreciates it. She adores you when we're in the kitchen, anyway.//