Hannibal's house, Sunday

[sharp_as_knives]

Neither Hannibal nor Jono had wanted to camp this weekend, nor was either of them a particularly Easter-prone person, so a quiet day at home it was.

Or it would have been, except that Hannibal had finally gotten the last of the quotes from the contractors the other day. He now had several different designs of sauna to contemplate, as well as a selection of quotes for various heated-floor options.

His folder was fuller than it had been last week, though hopefully Jono was in a better frame of mind to deal with it. (And pay for it, because good lord.)

He'd better be, because Hannibal was coming at him with it now. And coffee, at least.

Oh, Jono...


[OOC: For him who's mentioned, though open for calls or whatnot, sure!]

Comments

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal chuckled and rubbed Joni's head again. "Shelving is good. And I'm willing to deal with an odd shape for the sake of two windowed nooks."

[furnaceface]

//One for each cat?//

Jono was grinning now, yes. Joni was purring up into Hannibal's touch, and Jono was reaching down to poke at the little jellybeans on the bottom of the paw that was trying to claim the papers.

//They'll certainly appreciate it.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"Not likely," Hannibal answered dryly. "Beethoven will claim one for his own, and then this little devil will join him. No matter which one he claims."

And if he switched, so would she.

[furnaceface]

She loved him! Him, and how much he hated her!

//Thus leaving the other one for the two of us, hm? Brilliant thinking, mate.//

Let's be real, though. The moment Jono and Hannibal were comfortable in the other nook, both the cats would be along shortly to join them.

[sharp_as_knives]

Very likely, yes.

"For as long as that would last."

And to be fair, Beethoven hated pretty much everybody except for Hannibal and occasionally Jono.

[furnaceface]

And Jono usually only when Hannibal wasn't around to witness it. To be contrary.

//I'd give it all of three minutes. But just imagine how blissful those three minutes would be before the cats showed up to scuffle over lap space.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Well, he didn't need Jono when Hannibal was around.

He did have Jono to thank for this lovely new house, but he also had Jono to thank for the Tiny Devil, so.

"They would be lovely." A thought occurred to Hannibal. "There's going to be cat hair in all of my paints, isn't there?"

[furnaceface]

//If you leave the paints in a place the cats can get to, I imagine so,// Jono agreed. //Maybe some of that shelving can be cupboard space, instead. Or we can be cruel and just leave that door shut. It isn't as though they don't have access to the rest of th'house already.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"That would probably be best," Hannibal agreed. He wasn't above cruelly forbidding them from one room. "So, for that build of sauna, with the flooring..." He set the two quotes together.

It was probably a good thing Jono didn't have a heart to attack.

[furnaceface]

//Gordon Bennett!//

THOSE WERE NOT REAL NUMBERS. REAL NUMBERS DID NOT GO THAT HIGH, DID THEY?

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal didn't laugh, but it was a near thing. "You're still not used to having money, are you?" He rubbed Jono's shoulder. "Compare that to your bank account; think of it as a percentage of what you have instead of absolute numbers," he suggested. "Does that help?"

[furnaceface]

//I try not to think about my bank account,// Jono admitted, eyes still wide. //I own two businesses, got one hell of a severance pay from the New Warriors, and then whatever it was that Karla was paying me and my wages as a teacher...//

It kind of made his head hurt.

//This is nothing, really. I know that. It's just... a rather large nothing.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal did chuckle at that. "A rather large, warm nothing."

[furnaceface]

//... In the end, that's going to be what wins me over,// Jono admitted, a bit sheepishly. //All of that warm.//

And it wasn't as though Jono made big purchases like this on a regular basis. Hell, he couldn't remember what the last big thing he'd bought was. Portalocity tickets and pre-booking a hotel room? That had nothing on this.

//Let's see what other layouts you liked. Maybe after I see a few, I'll be able to have an easier time wrapping my head around th'fact that this is the going rate for this sort of thing.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"Of course." Hannibal pulled the others and spread them out. "This one gives more equal space to each, but removes one of the windows to do it. This one..." well, it was fairly unimaginative.

[furnaceface]

//... That one is definitely a marginally more affordable box with some seats in it, yes,// Jono agreed, squinting at it. //I think at this point, if five figures are going into this project, it had at the very least better be attractive.//

He was getting the hang of having money! Look at that!

[sharp_as_knives]

"I very much agree," Hannibal said. "So, not that one." He folded it and set it aside, then pulled the different estimates for it and set them with it.

[furnaceface]

//Th'second one wasn't so bad,// Jono noted, tilting his head a little. //Are you showing these in order of the ones you want most to least?//

Because if there were any that were worse than the one they'd just looked at, they probably didn't have to bother.

[sharp_as_knives]

"The others weren't worth the paper it would have taken to print them," Hannibal said. So, yes.

[furnaceface]

//Then...// Jono rearranged the papers again, so that the two different sauna designs were side-by-side. //... You had me sold on the window nooks.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal nodded. "I see no reason to remove a window just to have a more square room." He set aside everything but the first design and grinned at Jono. "How is your head wrapping around it so far?"

[furnaceface]

//Slowly, but I'm working on it,// Jono decided, looking thoughtfully at the design again. //Helps a bit if I think less about numbers, and more about things like nooks and saunas, admittedly.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"In the middle of winter, there will be a very hot room in the house, with a relaxing atmosphere and warm wooden seats," Hannibal tempted him. "And just think of the possibilities for a sunny window seat with comfortable cushions."

[furnaceface]

//Good lord, you keep talking like that and I might have to start fanning myself.//

Sunny windows! Hot rooms! Hannibal was speaking his language, now.

//Alright, then. The contractor who worked on the conservatory, and we'll go with this sauna and the in-floor heating. Might as well get them both done by the one who doesn't charge sales tax and who we know'll do a good job. He offered a deal on both anyway.//

That felt weirdly like Making A Decision. Was this what normal adults did? Sat around talking about hiring contractors to do home renovations?

[sharp_as_knives]

It was, yes. And spending a lot of money! That was a thing that...well, normal-if-very-rich adults did.

Hannibal nodded. "I will let him know. Maybe if he can get it done after graduation, we could go to London meanwhile."

If everything went to plan. For them. And Fandom.