Hannibal's house and totally not Jono's, Thursday evening

[sharp_as_knives]

Since they'd returned to their actual home (Hannibal somewhat amused at Jono's embarrassment over calling it that), Hannibal had done quite a bit of cooking, and resting, and working out, and catching up on things, and being sat upon and/or glared at by cats. Jono had been doing much the same, but with less cooking and far more brooding.

Today, he seemed to have spent most of the day in the basement level, working off his mood by alternately focusing furiously on billiards and beating the hell out of the heavy bag. Hannibal was frankly surprised that neither the bag nor a billiard ball had been put through the wall yet.

And while the focus and working off energy were good in theory, neither of them seemed to be helping him much. So, Hannibal would simply have to intervene.

When he came downstairs, he brought a good-sized mug of coffee and a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries. He did, after all, know his audience.

Comments

[sharp_as_knives]

"I was thinking of a computer program to do the listening," Hannibal said. "Or you could hire some students to listen; I imagine they'd be pleased for the chance of a job."

It was easy to find people buried after an earthquake or avalanche, though.

[furnaceface]

That was true enough. And uses like that would probably occur to Jono more easily once he was a little less keyed up than he currently was.

//... I could even hire some students to program a computer to do the listening,// Jono allowed. //Lord knows, that isn't something I can do myself.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"Nor I," Hannibal agreed. He put a hand on Jono's shoulder and stroked his flames idly. "You do realize that some of them are likely to want to help?"

[furnaceface]

//I know...// Hannibal's hand in his flames was soothing, and Jono found himself leaning forward slightly before he even really realized it. //If I were to get them involved, I'd have to be that much more careful about what messes I go dashing into. Lord knows I'm not going to take them somewhere when there's a chance that we'll be attacked by Doctor Doom just because we decided to rescue children from a burning school bus on Latverian soil or something.//

... It could happen.

Maybe.

[sharp_as_knives]

"We'll stay well away from any place with people named 'Doom'," Hannibal answered. "It would probably be good for them, though. Many of them have a lot of energy and very little focus."

[furnaceface]

//Oh, I know it. I don't think the makeup of the student body has changed all that much since I went to Fandom High myself, after all.//

Jono was going to just sort of lean forward more, so that he could bonk his forehead against Hannibal's arm. Hi, arm.

//There used to be a Reserves group among the students, back then. For those of us who wanted to do more. Not sure what became of it. The students who were running it must have just moved on, I suppose.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"I spoke about that with Karla, I think." Hannibal shifted to better support Jono. "That sounded more like something to protect the island from things like last week, though."

[furnaceface]

//That was what it was intended for,// Jono agreed, //but even just attending meetings once a week gave a lot of us some focus. I found it especially useful so soon after I manifested, knowing that I could be of some use even the way I was.//

He shrugged a little.

//There were people there who were just as unsure about themselves as I was. That meant a lot, back then.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"And now you've a chance to pass on anything you learned to a new set of students," Hannibal said. "To give them focus as well. Looking for places you can help should decrease the danger and allow you to be more flexible in your approach. Not to mention, it won't mean waiting for things to attack."

[furnaceface]

//... The waiting is the worst part,// Jono admitted. //Once things are attacking, usually that's when it all gets straightforward. But making certain a pack of students is combat ready is... nothing I want to be a part of. Been there, done that already. Humanitarian missions seem a bit more reasonable.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal nodded. "It will make them somewhat more ready for dealing with problems, and give them more confidence, without bringing them onto a battlefield. At least, not intentionally."

[furnaceface]

//The fewer children I have to lead out on a battlefield...// Jono tapered off at the thought, and then just shook his head. //I've already done that too many times. It never ends well. 'It could be worse' is a bloody poor measurement of how bad things have gotten, when you're talking about life and death.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"Not always, but I take your point," Hannibal said. "And I'm in no hurry to send you to a battlefield, either."

[furnaceface]

//Mm,// Jono replied, nuzzling in close. //I'd likely come back, but there are no guarantees what shape I'd be in if I did.//

Terrible shape, at least in his mind. Almost certainly.

[sharp_as_knives]

Ah, but then Hannibal could have so much fun putting him back together!

"So, humanitarian missions instead." Here, Jono; have another strawberry. "Will that satisfy your need for action and altruism?"

[furnaceface]

//For action and altruism, certainly. And there's always Fandom if I really feel like I need to punch something.//

Like the heavy bag! Or dinosaurs!

[sharp_as_knives]

"I imagine there may be punching from time to time in your endeavors, even if only of inanimate objects." Hannibal nodded at the heavy bag. "Have you had enough of that for now, though?"

[furnaceface]

//For now...// Jono nodded his head just a little. //Now seems to be as good a time for a break as any, really.//

He was at least somewhat less frustrated. That was a step in the right direction.

[sharp_as_knives]

"We could try other ways of exhausting you, if you'd like," Hannibal suggested.

Then, after a beat, "A run around the island, perhaps?"

[furnaceface]

Hannibal, you continued to be terrible.

//Started my day with two of those,// Jono replied, though it came along with a wrinkled-nose look for that tease.

Hannibal, you knew what you did.

[sharp_as_knives]

Always.

Hannibal grinned. "Perhaps we can find something else, then." He rubbed Jono's shoulder. "Or we could start with a massage?"

[furnaceface]

//That could get interesting...//

Considering the burns? It could get very interesting.

Note, of course, that this was not a 'no.'

[sharp_as_knives]

"Could it?" Hannibal grinned. "Let's try it, then."

[furnaceface]

//Look at you, always knowing exactly how to get me to stop pushing myself too bloody hard,// Jono murmured, leaning for a moment more before pulling himself back up to his feet. //Lead on?//