Hannibal's house in the matrix, Friday morning

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal listened to the last of the radio. "So, we can add Zoe, Ringo, Kathy, Alana, and Electroclash," what a name, "to the list of people here. And apparently at least some of the students believe we're having an actual party, so our captors may as well."

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[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

Jono nodded and wrote down the rest of the names on a proper piece of paper, having smudged off most of the names he'd written down on his wrist in his sleep last night.

"Hopefully we'll be able to catch all of them outside of the next-level simulations that people have been getting caught in," he noted, frowning at the paper. It was a lot of names, but it was barely a fraction of the island's total population, so that was a... better sign than it could be. "And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to try to get caught in one of those myself, just to see what they're on about."

And to punch things. Also just to punch things.

[sharp_as_knives]

"I'll admit to curiosity," Hannibal said, "but it will be impossible to compare notes if everybody is in their own simulation."

Unfortunately. Hannibal rather detested being a team player.

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

Funny, that. Jono raised an eyebrow at him, and then shrugged his shoulders a little.

"Well, it'll be a fun trick keeping people out of simulations long enough to gather them and talk about our options," he noted. "There might need to be a few rescue runs into those bloody things all the same. Anders admitted that he was rather terrified in his when I spoke with him yesterday."

And yes, still with the 'Jono was looking for things to punch.'

[sharp_as_knives]

"If we can find a way into them, why not?" Hannibal shrugged. He wasn't averse to Jono punching things. "Shall we go searching for people, then?"

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"See if we can add any more to the list while we're at it?" Jono gave a little, decisive nod. "Beats sitting around here all day, waiting for things to get worse."

In fairness, after the announcement this morning, things had gotten worse.

Jono pushed himself quickly to his feet... and almost found himself pushing himself through the ceiling, leaping upwards a little (lot) more enthusiastically than he'd intended. He barely managed to avoid cracking his head open before coming down again and landing in an undignified heap on the floor.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL."

[sharp_as_knives]

Well, that was interesting. Hannibal raised an eyebrow at Jono. "You seem rather more jumpy than usual."

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

Jono answered that with a dirty look as he went to pick himself up off the floor, rather more carefully this time.

"Yes, I noticed."

Really. It had been hard to miss.

"If this is somebody's idea of a joke... take away one set of powers and then make me manifest something entirely different, I'm going to find them and... jump on them, I suppose."

That felt a bit more like something that would have worked better for him back when he had that tanuki tail and those fluffy ears going for him. That other time he'd been abducted. No, not that one. The other other one.

[sharp_as_knives]

That would be a story he'd have to tell Hannibal!

And Jono would have to forgive him not helping him up, but both of them ending on the ceiling didn't seem productive.

"Can you walk without flying up?" he asked. He pushed himself up abruptly (but carefully), and merely ended up no longer sitting on the edge of the desk. Ah, well. No jumping for him, it seemed.

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"There's a wonderful question that I'd love to give you an answer to," Jono replied, taking a careful step, and then another. "But given that I've had my usual powers for over a decade three lifetimes over and I'm still discovering most of what I'm actually capable of, and I've been aware of this particular power for all of thirty seconds now, I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you just yet."

Be nice, Jono.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Well, you might want to learn before we go outside," Hannibal pointed out. "Although you seem to be doing fine at the moment."

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"Honestly, I'd much rather learn outside than knock my head on the ceiling," Jono noted, looking sour as he rubbed at his shoulder, where he'd hit the floor first. "It'd probably be easier to stick a landing if I'm not playing ping-pong between the ceiling and the floor, at that."

[sharp_as_knives]

"That depends upon how high you end up going," Hannibal pointed out. He headed for the door, though, keeping half an eye on Jono as they went.

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"And if I splatter myself all over your front lawn on the way back down, at least I'll have done so without giving myself a concussion," Jono countered stubbornly, resolutely putting one foot in front of the other and keeping one on the ground at all times. Which was easy enough, really, just so long as he didn't get carried away somehow. "Trial by fire. Still a step up from the last time I discovered I had powers."

Spoiler: It was also the first time.

[sharp_as_knives]

"You gave yourself a concussion as well last time?" Hannibal asked, hiding a smirk. He opened the door, frowned, and got out an umbrella.

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"I would've happily traded in for a concussion and you know it," Jono grumbled, wrinkling his nose out at the weather. Or maybe at Hannibal's quip. One of those. "And isn't this lovely?"

Rain. Rain as a punishment.

"It's like back home."

[sharp_as_knives]

"And you're a veritable rain of London sunshine." Hannibal gestured at Jono.

And then he was. Or rather, it was. A cloud appeared a few feet over Jono's head, 'raining' sunshine down on him.

Well, then.

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"What? I..." Jono blinked and squinted upwards. "... I suppose that's one way to spare me from needing an umbrella."

Always looking on the bright side, that Jonothon.

[sharp_as_knives]

He wouldn't have much choice now!

Hannibal thought about it and tried again - trying to stop the rain didn't work, but trying to get it to rain sunshine did. Which didn't exactly make sense, unless...

It started raining frogs.

"Il pleut des grenouilles," Hannibal said, smirking.

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

And then there was a frog. On Jonothon's head. And a few more. In fact, Jono was standing there, looking decidedly unimpressed, as he was pelted with small amphibians.

"Ha. Ha ha."

See how thrilled he was, Hannibal, with your wordplay?

"Brilliant. You know, I used to keep frogs, in a tank at the Boards? And that's where I liked them. In the tank."

Not falling downthebackofhisshirtohgod--!!!

Jonothon had many regrets, many of which all had apparently brought him to this moment in time.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal reached out and caught one, supporting it nicely as he stared at it. It stared back. He set it down.

"I've never kept frogs myself, although with the price of frogs' legs, perhaps I should."

He eyed Jono's wriggling for a moment, then sighed and reached for him. "Hold still before both you and the frog end up jumping too far."

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"Hnngh," was Jonothon's super intelligent reply as he leaned forward to let Hannibal go digging down his shirt. "Mine were not exactly the edible sort. Probably. I don't know that many people eat tree frogs."

He hoped not, anyway.

"Can we go back to the sunshine? I was actually quite alright with the sunshine."

Weirdly enough.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal got the frog out and concentrated long enough to change the rain into sunshine again. The frog blinked in the brightness.

"Did you have frogs for any particular reason?"

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"A friend of mine got a wrong shipment of them at his business," he explained, heaving a little sigh of relief as the frog was liberated and the rest of them hopped away, confused. "And they made a bid for freedom. He threw in a terrarium for free if I took a few of the little buggers off his hands since they happened to be eating his cricket stock, which he had intended to order."

[sharp_as_knives]

"I often think running a business in Fandom must be an exercise in frustration." Hannibal set the frog down.

"Where shall we start first? Shall we go side to side, or in a grid pattern, or head first for the people we know are here?"

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"Waffles and syrup. From the ceiling. The Importance of Being Earnest."

Just saying.

"I'd say we go for a grid. I'd sooner pick up stragglers than go looking for those who have already made contacts who know to look out for them," Jono added, eyeing the sunshine speculatively for another moment more before shrugging and starting to walk. Careful of any frogs, of course. "My biggest concern are any possible students who've camped out in the dorms and aren't fully aware of what's going on yet, though I suppose they're also the ones staying the most out of trouble, I don't want them coming outside into pure chaos unawares."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hm. If this were a simulation of Fandom...

Off to the side it started raining waffles and syrup. And quickly stopped; that would be very messy. Hannibal tried again, and got a rain of plastic toy pistols.

He sighed. "I was trying for actual weapons. I suppose we can't have everything. Start at the south gate, then?"

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

Jono nodded his agreement, casting a bemused glance at the toy guns. Well, then.

"I suppose we can't, though I suppose you could get some use out of that power even so. Banana peels where the Zin are walking, perhaps." Because hey, it was a classic. "And the south gate seems as good a starting point as any."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Or olive oil." Because Hannibal was less about classic cartoons and more about practicality. "Or frogs." It had certainly stopped Jono.

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

Bah, Hannibal. Ruin the little fun Jono was letting himself have.

"I'd say an olive oil slick on those cobbles wouldn't do much good," he mused, "though it might give them a difficult time holding on to their weapons."

...

"Which the oil might ruin, come to that."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Slugs?" Hannibal suggested. They would be slippery and distracting!

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"Ugh," Jono replied, because that about summed up all that needed to be said about that. "Perfect, so long as you keep them away from me."

Not that he was easily grossed out, really, but he didn't want to be stepping on the bloody things, either.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Tripping you up would defeat the purpose," Hannibal agreed.

[inner-fire.livejournal.com]

"Slug rain," Jono mused, shaking his head as they walked. "Hopefully the real Fandom doesn't take notes while we're in here."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Let's hope it never finds out."