Hannibal's house, Saturday

[sharp_as_knives]

It had taken entirely too long for Hannibal to do what he needed in Sidra, but he was back finally. He texted Jono from the Portalocity offices before he headed out. For once Fandom was the warmer place. Not warm, though, so he was very glad to get home and warm up.



[OOC: For the one mentioned!]

Comments

[sharp_as_knives]

"I had noticed." Hannibal squeezed Jono's hand, running his thumb along the back of it. "I consider it one of your many fine qualities."

[furnaceface]

Heh. That was sweet, actually, and Jono looked vaguely amused as he squeezed Hannibal's hand in turn.

//Maybe I'll take up skydiving,// he decided. //Or... that one where people are just gliding on these ridiculous-looking wingsuits. Or base jumping. I should take up base jumping. That's practically the polar opposite of stagnating, I should think.//

Also a good way to become a bloody smear somewhere.

[sharp_as_knives]

"You do have the advantage that it's unlikely to kill you," Hannibal pointed out. "I'm not certain how stimulating it is intellectually, though. Have you considered parkour?"

[furnaceface]

//Considered it,// Jono agreed, //have done some ridiculous acrobatics over the years. Never really had the chance to put the two together, before. Our teams generally either had flyers who could just drop us off where we had to be, people who could teleport, or else I was the one who could fly.//

God, he missed flying.

//... I like that though. Parkour. Maybe I will.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"I'll join you; we can take lessons right after sign language," Hannibal suggested. "I've always wanted to learn to leap from a building."

No, he really hadn't.

[furnaceface]

//It's an excellent way of passing time, so I'm told,// Jono replied, managing a bit of a smile. //But, lord, you must be tired. Is there anything I can get for you? Portal lag is bloody brutal.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"You mean I must be tired to suggest learning parkour myself?" Hannibal asked with a chuckle. "I rather think I would manage well enough. But yes." He ran a hand over his face. "I haven't slept in far too long. Perhaps a nap would be in order." He eyed Jono; he didn't look precisely refreshed himself. "Would you care to join me?"

[furnaceface]

//I...// Had never been asked that question before. In his life. Huh. //Would love to. I think a bit of-// cuddling //-sleep would probably actually do me some good.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal delicately freed his leg from where Beethoven had already curled into it and pushed himself up. He eyed Jono. "Do you think you can get free?"

[furnaceface]

//I suspect it'll involve claws,// Jono mused, //but that's a risk I'm willing to take.//

Beethoven was already stirring, giving Hannibal a dirty look for daring to disturb his comfortable spot. Now was as good a time as any for Jono to just stand... leaving Joni mewing her protest as he did so. Sigh, cats.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal gave them a look of reproof. "I might feel sorrier if I didn't know you will both be up in that bed as soon as we are, if you're so inclined."

[furnaceface]

//No force on Earth can possibly keep them off of it,// Jono agreed. //Except possibly a shut door. They haven't evolved thumbs yet. But then there'll be yowling.//

Cats. Honestly.

[sharp_as_knives]

"True." Because cats. "So, shall we?" After traveling to Glacia and the Keep and back and almost two days spent on acquiring the little pouch in his coat pocket, Hannibal was quite prepared to nap for a bit before anything else.

[furnaceface]

//Let's, then,// Jono agreed, slipping an arm easily around Hannibal's waist. //I could use a nap, myself.//

It was still weird and fascinating that somebody had asked him if he wanted to take one with him, for the record. But welcome all the same.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal could simply have thrown Jono over his shoulder and carted him off, if that would make it easier?

He let his own arm settle about Jono as they headed upstairs. "I should also mention, Raven gave me a letter to deliver to you. It's in the bag with your books." He hugged Jono tighter for just a moment. "I warned her I would not press you to read it, but it's there should you want to."

[furnaceface]

Easier and hilarious.

//... Ah, yeah?// Jono's brow furrowed a little as he walked with Hannibal up the stairs. //I don't suppose you know what it says, do you?//

He was not terribly keen on reading it, admittedly, but he wasn't going to not. Even so, a little warning beyond 'it's from Raven' would probably do him a world of good if he wound up opening it and it turned out to be a diatribe about babies or something.

[sharp_as_knives]

"An apology, I believe. Beyond that, I couldn't say." He led the way into the bedroom and toed his shoes off to set in the closet.

[furnaceface]

Jono, for once, had already taken his own boots off and left them at the door. Like an adult who was faced with a clean floor and nobody to take his boots off for him.

//Fair enough,// he replied, nodding a little. //I'll read it when we're awake again, then. I won't be heading to Kaeleer again any time soon, there's no reason for me to read it right this minute, anyway.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Well, Hannibal had been very busy! His boot-removing duties had simply had to fall beside the way.

He hung his jacket up and started changing into pajamas. "It still makes you uneasy being there?" he surmised.

[furnaceface]

Jono nodded his head tentatively in reply. And then, after a pause, he decided to clarify further.

//That. Very much that. And... Karla terminated my contract.//

So, uneasy being there, and he really didn't feel as though he had much business just dropping in, either.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Terminated it?" That got Hannibal's attention. He sat on the bed and looked at Jono expectantly.

[furnaceface]

//Apparently her conscience couldn't take it anymore,// Jono mumbled, shrugging out of his jacket and fumbling distractedly with his belt. //Or... my heart isn't in it or I didn't argue enough to keep it or something. She decided it would be selfish to keep me on, and she cut me loose.//

It felt like being punished, to Jonothon. Like he'd failed Glacia and Karla in some huge, glaring way and maybe he was the only one who couldn't quite piece together how. He'd been gone too long. He shouldn't have run when things with Raven began to threaten to hurt him far more than he thought he could tolerate. He shouldn't have taken time off after Kayla's birth. Something.

He hadn't done good enough at something.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal gave Jono a look of mild reproof. "So, she didn't terminate your contract so much as she allowed you to do so."

[furnaceface]

//She ordered people to stop contacting me. Handed the contract back. Came prepared to argue that it had to be done.// Jono shrugged his shoulders a little, looking... at another wall, then. Hannibal had excellent walls. //Look, it doesn't matter, alright? Contract's been terminated, whether it's for my own good or not. It's all for the better one way or another, I'm sure.//

It still hurt like hell, but Jono wasn't feeling up for explaining all of the intricacies of why it felt less like a reprieve and more like a punch in the guts just then.

[sharp_as_knives]

"If you keep staring at the walls, I may have to take up painting them." Hannibal stood and settled his hands at Jono's waist.

"You promised to do everything in your power to help Karla; it hurts to think you couldn't do enough. It feels as though you have failed a friend and broken a promise all in one. It will be difficult to get through. But think of this: if Karla believed you had failed her, broken your promise, would she remain your friend?"

Hannibal might not know exactly what had happened, but he felt confident that Karla still thought very highly of Jono.