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

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!

From:

that_oldsaying

Alluka tilted her head back to look up at him.

“If you have an enemy, you should kill them,” she said, with the air of someone quoting someone else. “Because they’ll always come back.”

Murder was clearly the most effective solution.

From:

furnaceface

Well, it was certainly the most final.

Jono looked down silently at Alluka for a long moment, before venturing, //I suppose that would depend on the enemy. Murder isn't always a punishment fitting of the crime.//

Not one word, Hannibal. Not one.

From:

that_oldsaying

Her Papa Jono really was the silliest.

“I guess so,” she said doubtfully, but not willing to argue with him when she felt so warm and comfortable and there was a cute movie on.

From:

furnaceface

//It depends on the enemy,// Jono murmured. //Killing one person will often end with several more looking for your head. It might solve an immediate problem, but it can create a bigger one down the road.//

Oh boy. He was defaulting to 'be smart about your murder' instead of trying to explain that human lives had value. There was something about assassin talk that brought out the Weapon X in him.

He reached to scratch Joni behind one ear. She was a fairly good touchstone to the less... coldly pragmatic corners of his mind. All the more important with somebody nuzzled against his side calling him Papa.

From:

that_oldsaying

Was it? When she was more used to the idea of murder than the idea that human lives had value?

Alluka yawned and tried to pretend that she hadn't.

"Maybe," she allowed. "I don't know about how that part works."

From:

furnaceface

//Maybe we can talk about it more,// Jono murmured softly, calming down to the combined power of a purring kitten and a sleepy little girl, and some jazzy tune about how everybody wanted to be a cat. //After the film? I wouldn't want you to miss anything important, Sunshine.//

And he needed to get his head on straight again, if they were going to talk about the intricacies of murder. Or. Something.

From:

that_oldsaying

"Okay," she said agreeably, resting her head against him and humming along with the song. "I like this movie."

From:

furnaceface

//It's a good one, isn't it?// And Jono, so help him, was putting an arm around Alluka's shoulder and half-hugging her close while they watched the movie. //Excellent if you like cats.//

Or found family.

From:

that_oldsaying

Or both! Both was also good in this case.

Alluka sighed and relaxed completely. Hopefully Jono wasn't going to mind being used as a napping station because she was so, so close to falling asleep on him.

Joni was already sleeping, even.

"You like cats," she murmured. "And Dr. Lecter likes cats and I like them too."

From:

furnaceface

//Well, then we've all got excellent taste, I'd say.//

All the more reason for them to stick together, right? For the cats?

//I think Joni would be inclined to agree.//