Portalocity, Sunday afternoon

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal often adored surprises. Especially for other people. All he'd told Jono was to dress in comfortable but presentable clothing, meet him at Portalocity, and be prepared for a day off the island.

And not to bring the banjo. Honestly, Jono.

"Ready?"


[OOC: NFB for distance once they leave, but that they went somewhere is fair game. Open for interaction before they go, why not?]

Comments

[furnaceface]

And once the first book was done - after several interruptions from excited children who wanted to ask questions along the way - and the kids were clamouring for a second, Jono couldn't help but turn a look in Hannibal's direction.

//Pretty sure I'm addicted to this, mate. You've gone and created a monster.//

Just saying.

[sharp_as_knives]

"It's all a part of my nefarious plan," Hannibal answered. "To make you enjoy yourself."

[furnaceface]

//Ugh,// Jono replied, not all that disgusted, really, but the situation seemed to call for it. //Bloody dastardly.//

He held up a second book.

//Coyote, next?//

Look, it wasn't poop!

[sharp_as_knives]

"Why not?" At least it wasn't poop. Hannibal found a second copy of it and flipped to the first page of story.

[furnaceface]

Jono was going to try to get away with a lot on the grounds of 'not poop,' for as long as he possibly could. And he would use these nefarious powers to...

... Pick really cute looking children's books to read. How diabolical.

//Excellent. Well, then...// He looked back out at the kids. //Settle down and we'll start on the next one.//

[sharp_as_knives]

By the time they finished that one (and several more interruptions and explanations), Maria was signalling that their time was over, and Hannibal set the book aside and thanked the children, solemnly shaking one boy's hand before being all but tackled by a tiny girl with a huge smile.

[furnaceface]

And please excuse Jono, but he was going to just take a moment to ever-so-casually take a photo of that, because HOW EVEN COULD THAT MUCH CUTE BE OKAY.

Ahem.

//I think that went over well,// he decided, before a little boy who was missing his two front teeth started asking Jono all sorts of questions about what his favourite animals were and how he learned to make voices like that and how to spell his and Hannibal's names because he was going to draw him a picture of the coyote like they read about, and had to know how to address it to them when it was done.

Jono was kind of melting a bit.

[sharp_as_knives]

"I believe so." Hannibal patted the little girl's hair and set her down. "Thank you all," he said to the children.

"And thank you both!" Maria grinned at them and started clapping, leading the children in a round of applause.

[furnaceface]

Jono was so awkwardly scratching at the back of his neck at that. Applause? It wasn't that it had even been a long time since he'd been applauded - between the Boards and whatever appearances he'd made as the General in Glacia, he was fairly used to it, after all. But he hadn't been expecting it, here.

He was kind of basking in it, honestly.

//Well.// He looked at the group of kids, and then at Hannibal. //I'm hooked. You've created a monster.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"So you said." Hannibal grinned at him. "Can this monster wait until next week for more?"

[furnaceface]

//I think I might manage,// Jono decided, looking thoughtful. //If not, you might find yourself being read to for no discernible reason throughout the week.//

Going to bed at night? How about some Goodnight Moon? A trip to the garden might require some The Giving Tree for good measure. Cooking dinner? Time for a dramatic re-telling of The Little Red Hen.

[sharp_as_knives]

The Giving Tree - that was the one with the anthropomorphized tree the man ate and chopped up a little at a time, wasn't it? Hannibal might enjoy that one.

"I'll hide all of our books," he said dryly. "Or I'll leave you to explain it to the squirrels."

[furnaceface]

//I'm sure the squirrels can figure out that I enjoy books,// Jono decided. //If they can't, I'll just read to them, too.//

That would fix things, right?

[sharp_as_knives]

"I should like to see that." And take pictures.

[furnaceface]

//Well, maybe I'll give it a try just to see what happens, then,// Jono teased. //I wonder if the squirrels like Vonnegut?//

Or if the squirrels could comprehend Vonnegut, for that matter.

[sharp_as_knives]

"It would probably depend upon how gossipy the book you choose is, and how drunk they are," Hannibal pointed out. "But remind me to bring a camera."

[furnaceface]

//I'll make a note to set one up first. Though, unless you're borrowing it from Barry, it'll be liable to just look like a long silent film about me sitting around staring at squirrels.//

And where would the fun be in that?

[sharp_as_knives]

"You're assuming the squirrels are just going to be sitting there." The reading wasn't liable to be the most interesting part of it.

[furnaceface]

... And now Jono pictured it.

//Oh. Oh lord.//

Yeah, book readings for drunk rodents. That would go over swimmingly.

[sharp_as_knives]

If the squirrels started swimming, Hannibal was sterilizing the bathtub. "Precisely."

[furnaceface]

//So... it'll be a reading well away from the house,// Jono tried, instead. //Possibly I can coax the flamingos away as well.//

Or else he'd just end up surrounded by trolleyed squirrels and teal deer. One of those.

[sharp_as_knives]

"You could lead them all away like the pied piper."

Hannibal was finding this very amusing.

[furnaceface]

//I'll find a book about rum running. That ought t'do it,// Jono decided. //Though if I'm remembering the story right, the piper had a rather high price for his services, in the end.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal shrugged. "Only because he wasn't paid what he was promised. If the squirrels agree to pay you, get half in advance," he suggested.

The squirrels almost certainly wouldn't offer.

[furnaceface]

//They might offer to share their rum,// Jono mused, tilting his head a little. //They used to offer to do that all the time, back when I was a radio regular. Had them trained to bring me coffee, instead. If I was going to get up early to read their bloody notes, the least they could do was get me a coffee, preferably one that didn't already have squirrel spit in.//

...

//None of these things are very useful to me now, granted.