sharp_as_knives | Post-Parents' Weekend destresser, Monday evening

Hannibal and Jono had both sent out e-mail to everyone they knew on the island, as well as posted in the school's boards, and everybody was invited. After this weekend, some of them seemed like they would need it.

Hannibal had a very well-stocked bar and wine cellar, there were darts and billiards and a card table downstairs as well as a media room, a music room and library on the first floor, outside decks on both if you didn't mind the flamingos, and of course, food.

Pork tenderloin crostini with cranberry pepper jelly
Pumpkin carrot soup shooters with coconut cream
Prosciutto, mango, and parmesan salad
Sweet potato ravioli with lemon sage brown butter
Mini beef wellingtons
Beef tenderloin with garlic and merlot jam
Chocolate and peanut ganache tartelettes
Chocolate orange mousse, spiced fruit brioche and yoghurt sorbet
Raspberry sorbet

[Open post! Everybody invited.]

Current Location: 22 Phoenix Place

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

furnaceface

//Ah! That's true, isn't it? I'll have to start doing just that more often. Hugs are rather important, after all.//

He gave her one more squeeze before putting her back down and giving her a smile.

//How're you tonight, luv?//

From:

that_oldsaying

Honestly, she felt kind of lonely once the hug was over.

Alluka hugged her bunny instead and, since she wasn't being kicked out, didn't say that.

"I'm okay," she said, smiling up at him. "Did you have this party to check on everyone?"

From:

furnaceface

//Something like that,// Jono agreed, crouching down slightly so that he could talk face-to-face with her. //Weekends like this one are often hard on a lot of people, both the ones who had somebody, and the ones who didn't. Those who had guests might need a chance to wind down after a stressful visit. And those who didn't...//

He reached for one of her hands.

//It's good to be reminded, sometimes, that we're not alone.//

From:

that_oldsaying

She looked down at her feet while he took one of her hands. Her bunny looked up at her.

"I wasn't alone," Alluka said softly. "Did you have family come?"

From:

furnaceface

//No,// Jono replied, after a moment's pause. //Friends sometimes visit, but family...//

His family hadn't cared enough to show their faces in the hospital when he was a hollowed-out husk just barely clinging to life in a coma. Why would they visit him now?

//I don't have much in the way of family, I suppose.//

From:

that_oldsaying

But family was supposed to love each other. Even hers loved her. Killua loved her.

Alluka knew that.

It was terribly confusing.

“You don’t?” she asked, peeking up at him. “Not even a mommy and a daddy?”

From:

furnaceface

Jono's shoulder hitched up a little at that.

//Not even a mommy or daddy. They're probably alive out there somewhere, though where they've been or how they're doing is anybody's best guess. It's fine. I mean, they decided they'd rather not have me as their son a long time ago. I've met people since who've been better family to me than they ever could be.//

From:

that_oldsaying

“Oh.”

Alluka had… there was something she wanted to say, but…

“Can we watch a movie together?”

Oh, Alluka.

From:

furnaceface

Jono blinked. That had come... well, slightly out of left-field, he supposed. But not in a bad way. He could almost imagine where the idea had found its roots.

//Of course,// he replied. //Here and now? Or would you like to have a proper outing, to go to the cinema later?//

A beat.

//Both is also an option.//

From:

that_oldsaying

Honestly, she’d picked it because it wasn’t what she wanted to say.

Words were hard and tangled up sometimes and sometimes she had to look at them sideways for a bit first.

Alluka giggled. “I want both.”

Both was good!

From:

furnaceface

//Both, we can do,// Jono decided, nodding and leading her to the television. //We can see what's on the telly. Maybe something'll catch our eye? What're you in the mood for, Sunshine?//

Jono could handle approaching things sideways.

He could also handle bending over to scoop up Joni on their way out of the room so she wouldn't make that bid for freedom while he wasn't about to stop her.

From:

that_oldsaying

“Something about kitties,” she decided, though really it was only because she was watching Jono and Joni that she suggested that in the first place.

Alluka wriggled onto the sofa and hugged her bunny. “Is Joni going to watch with us?”

From:

furnaceface

Jono took a moment to poke through a selection of Disney DVDs he'd picked up in preparation of those strange weekends with children visiting, or perhaps Karla bringing Kayla over, and surfaced, somewhat victorious, with a copy of that one about the cats who had been kidnapped by a jealous butler. That would do nicely.

//She might,// he replied, popping the disc in and making his way back to the sofa to sit down beside her, setting Joni down in his lap. //Or she might wander off. Up to her, really.//

Though, for the time being, she was kneading at his knee with pokey little claws.

From:

that_oldsaying

That would do excellently.

Alluka promptly cuddled herself up against Jono, and determinedly did not look at him, in case he minded that. She reached out to pet Joni, hoping she’d be allowed.

“I hope she stays.”

Not that that meant anything, when it came to kittens, but she hoped anyway.

From:

furnaceface

Honestly, so soon after talking about his family? The cuddles were more than welcome. Jono even leaned back her way a tiny bit, so she'd know he didn't mind. Joni, meanwhile, had just found a reason to stick around. She was getting attention! She nuzzled her tiny face upwards and purred into Alluka's hand.

//I think she might stay for a while if you keep that up,// he mused, smiling down at them both. //She does like making friends.//

From:

that_oldsaying

Alluka giggled and kept on petting Joni.

“I like making friends too,” she said conspiratorially to Joni. “Especially when they like me back.”

Because she was pretty sure a couple of the people she treated as friends were still making up their minds about her.

From:

furnaceface

//Pretty sure Joni's smitten already,// Jono shared as the previews ended and the opening song began. Lots of cute cats and snippets of random French, naturally. //But then, she's fairly easy to win over. If she does wander off, I'll find treats you can feed her later, how's that sound?//

From:

that_oldsaying

What about treats for Alluka, though?

“Like the best plan,” Alluka decided, tilting her head up to smile at Jono for a moment before looking back at the movie.

She had no idea what the random French even was, but the kitties were adorable! Alluka approved!

From:

furnaceface

There were plenty of treats back in the other room! Jono could go and get some, if Alluka wanted them!

It would mean the cuddling would have to stop and they'd need to transfer the kitty over, though.

//Well, good.//

Yep, sittin' and watchin' a sitting cat movie with the wee baby girl.

From:

that_oldsaying

Yeah, no.

Alluka would rather have cuddles than sweets right this second. The movie was adorable and she had both Jono and Joni and she felt safe and warm and...

Loved, really.

“My favourite’s the princess kitty,” she said, after one of the songs, not taking the eyes off the screen. It was obvious which one was the princess kitty. “Which one’s your favourite, P-papa?”

Ah, yes, that was what she’d wanted to say earlier. Maybe he didn’t have a mommy and daddy, but he could have her, if he wanted to.

From:

furnaceface

And there went Jono's heart, leaping up into his throat again. It didn't matter that he had neither. He knew what he felt, blast it. Of course it took a lonely little girl to remind him what 'heartsick' felt like.

//I think I like the orange one,// he said after a pause to get his bearings. //The street cat, the one that takes them in.//

Found family.

From:

that_oldsaying

But was it a good thing, that he was feeling that now?

“I like him too,” she admitted. “I like all of them, except the butler guy.”

Because the butler guy was mean.

From:

furnaceface

It was. It was a complicated thing, but it was a good thing. A... kind of a warm thing.

A kind of a twisty warm thing. The sort that had Jono wanting to curl around her and keep her safe forever, and run and hide and cry and throw up for fear that he'd do something terribly wrong, and it was all making him a bit dizzy, so he leaned a little closer to her, maybe to reassure her that he understood what she'd offered and yes, she was perfectly welcome to be his found family. Maybe to reassure himself that it was okay.

//They're all good kitties,// Jono agreed, right about the same time Joni gave a stretch, yawned, and plodded over to curl up in Alluka's lap, instead. //The butler's terribly unpleasant, though, isn't he? I hope he gets what he has coming to him in the end.//

Idle babble while he worked on getting his brain to settle down.

He had no idea what he was doing.

From:

that_oldsaying

That was okay! She wouldn't know any better!

Alluka snuggled into him and then blinked down at Joni and carefully rested a hand on the kitten, not wanting to disturb her, but wanting to touch her all the same.

“They could hire my parents,” she said, like it was totally reasonable for a bunch of cats to hire assassins to kill a butler. “That’d fix it. And then all of them could go home and they could bring their new dad with them.”

From:

furnaceface

Well, that had Papa Jono's guts twisting a bit in a whole different way.

//I suppose they are rich cats,// he hedged, glancing at Alluka sideways. //They could probably afford an assassin or two if they felt it was necessary. But they might get out of this yet.//

Without murder, even!