sharp_as_knives | Portalocity to Hannibal's home (where Jono hates the sun screaming) and back, Friday

Relaxed (and cheese-smell-free) after the week in remote Sweden, Hannibal smiled as he stepped through the portal to home.

His smile went away. "What is that noise?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

furnaceface

//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.

From:

sharp_as_knives

"You can do that at home," Hannibal pointed out. "I'm happy to show you whenever you like."

From:

furnaceface

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

There was no television involved! None!

From:

sharp_as_knives

"The novelty is in you actually learning to cook more things," Hannibal pointed out, smirking.

From:

furnaceface

//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.//

From:

sharp_as_knives

"But the students here would adore you," Hannibal pointed out. He stepped in their room and set down the carrier.

From:

furnaceface

//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.

From:

sharp_as_knives

Beethoven glared out the carrier door until Hannibal unlatched it. Then promptly turned around with his back to it and curled up in a sulk.

Hannibal smirked at both the cat and Jono. "You are. But everybody loves the person feeding them well. With the possible exception of cats."

From:

furnaceface

//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.

From:

sharp_as_knives

"And here I had thought it was simply because they were incensed to discover there were other things in the universe than themselves," Hannibal said.

He left Beethoven to his sulk and set his suitcase on the bed.

From:

furnaceface

//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.

From:

sharp_as_knives

Hannibal smiled at her. "And yet I feed her these days." There was clearly more there.

From:

furnaceface

//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.//

From:

sharp_as_knives

"And you everywhere else," Hannibal answered. "Or Beethoven. I'm well aware I come last in the household to this little lady."

He reached down to scratch briefly behind her ears. "Or possibly before the frog, these days. In gratitude for my service in mutiny." That food had been terrible.

From:

furnaceface

Well, you weren't meant to like the Friskies, Hannibal. Still, Joni did purr and bonk her little head against the hand that was giving her attention, anyway.

//Well, Joni and I do go way back,// Jono mused. //And when we aren't looking, I'm sure Beethoven tolerates her more than he'd care to let on.//

From:

sharp_as_knives

"I have no doubt of it," Hannibal said. He eyed Beethoven's grumpy back. "He reminds me of another well-aged, hairy being."

Had they ever seen Beethoven and Logan in the same place?

From:

furnaceface

//They'd probably both fit in the carrier,// Jono mused, tilting his head sideways to look at Beethoven thoughtfully. //Beethoven doesn't drink or smoke enough, though.//

Wonder why.

From:

sharp_as_knives

"I wouldn't allow him to smoke in the house," Hannibal answered. Because clearly that was the important thing here.

From:

furnaceface

//That's what the backyard is for,// Jono replied, shrugging. //Though I suppose we shouldn't be encouraging filthy habits, anyway.//

From:

sharp_as_knives

"Not unless he's paying his own veterinary bills," Hannibal said. He started unpacking and set his tablet on the bed. "Do you think we'll be drafted to teach while we're here?"

From:

furnaceface

//Well, if I stay here long enough, I might just bump into my usual day anyway,// Jono mused. //But for all I know, they might draft you into something. You probably have more formal education behind you than most of the faculty combined, after all.//

... Excluding anybody else with a doctorate, anyway.

From:

sharp_as_knives

"I could always start with first aid," Hannibal said somewhat wryly. This was, after all, the Jean Grey school.

From:

furnaceface

//Honestly, that might be the most important lesson they ever take in their lives,// Jono noted, shrugging his shoulders and then taking a seat on the edge of the bed. //Even after they leave here. The fun part'll be trying to figure out how to account for inhuman mutant physiology from there.//

From:

sharp_as_knives

"That largely would involve asking, I should think." Hannibal put his toiletries in the bathroom and came back out, shrugging. "If their patient is too far gone to communicate, they're likely past first aid."

From:

furnaceface

//Unless they've fainted,// Jono pointed out. //Or their mutation compromises their vocal cords. Perhaps they've blown out their bottom jaw and for whatever reason they don't remember they have telepathy?//

He shrugged. //Not to mention the wealth of students we have from here who aren't exactly masters of the English language yet. I'm hardly Xavier's only import from somewhere not America. 'Can't communicate' is sometimes the status quo around here even when there isn't an attack. Trying to cover as many bases as possible around here is more often than not the pragmatic thing to do.//