Hannibal's house (where Jono probably despairs of the flower arrangements), Wednesday evening

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal had spent most of the day on the phone with florists and the cake shop, the hotel and banquet hall, and a few of the guests, arranging some last-minute things. And brushing the cat, because biology waited for no weddings, and he had to keep the shedding down.

Now, he was reading and listening to Bach, sipping some very good tea.

It was a good day.


[OOC: Open post!]

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[sharp_as_knives]

That really didn't explain Hera.

"An almond is a tree nut," Hannibal explained. "Technically a seed, but yes, quite nutty. The amaretto, then?"

[uncertain_dume]

Hera balanced out all the sweet things. Easy.

"The amaretto, please," Kanan decided with a nod. "I might have to get my own sambucca at some point, but I better pace myself a little better tonight."

Since he was in polite company, and all.

[sharp_as_knives]

The politest!

Hannibal poured a measure of amaretto into Kanan's mug, then put both bottles away and gathered up the glasses.

"And none for you," he said, as Beethoven leaned forward on Kanan's shoulder to sniff it.

[uncertain_dume]

"Sorry, pal," Kanan said apologetically as he held the mug away from that sniffing nose. "None for you. Doctor's orders."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal ruffled Beethoven's fur as he walked past. "Let me put these in the dishwasher, and we can sit on the covered porch if you like."

[uncertain_dume]

"That sounds great," Kanan replied, grinning a little. "A little fresh air to go with the coffee actually sounds kind of nice."

He really needed to spend more time outside.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal put the glasses in to wash, got himself some coffee, and opened the door, only his reflexes saving him from being bowled over as Joni sped for the porch.

[uncertain_dume]

Which was quite an accomplishment, given her size!

"I didn't know they came rocket-powered," Kanan quipped with a laugh. "I'm guessing she likes the smells, huh? And maybe watching the birds."

She was a cat. Her motives weren't really mysterious, or anything.

[sharp_as_knives]

It was all in where she was when his foot came down. She excelled at that.

"Mostly she enjoys stalking any bugs that get through the screen," Hannibal said. Because she was fierce! "But so long as she's out here, I needn't fear for the quail."

[uncertain_dume]

"Bugs that get through the-" Kanan blinked as he stepped outside, and then couldn't help but laugh a little. "Oh, the screen."

He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but actual mesh was really not it.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal looked over, curious. "Something different where you're from?"

[uncertain_dume]

"A bit," Kanan admitted. "Force-fields, generally. It'll take a while to get used to this planet's slightly more... analog solutions to keeping things out that you don't want getting in."

Or bridges. But even Kanan could see the flaws in having a bridge that would disappear if something cut the power.

[sharp_as_knives]

Because Kanan wasn't insane.

Hannibal smiled. "Your world - or galaxy - is more technologically advanced. But I often enjoy the analog." He sat and waved Kanan to a seat wherever he liked.

[uncertain_dume]

"It has its charms," Kanan allowed, heading for a chair and making himself comfortable. Being mindful of the cats as he did so, of course. Beethoven immediately took this as an invitation to crawl back into the lap before him, which only got a slight 'oof' out of Kanan. "It does still take a bit of getting used to."

[sharp_as_knives]

"I imagine it would," Hannibal said. "If it helps, remember that we can get nearly anything here. If the world the island is attached to - wherever that happens to be - doesn't have something, there is always Portalocity."

Hannibal had a somewhat biased view of their reliability, based on his own experiences. Surely Jono's were the fluke.

[uncertain_dume]

"... Portalocity?"

This was the first time anybody had mentioned Portalocity to Kanan.

Ever.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal raised an eyebrow, realizing that. "A business across the street. They offer portals to and from a nearly unlimited number of other worlds."

[uncertain_dume]

Well. Now Kanan felt stupid. He sort of stared at Hannibal for a minute. And then his face twisted into something not completely readable.

"... So... I could have... gone home a month ago."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Perhaps," Hannibal answered. "There are those people here who, for one reason or another, are unable to get portals home. I have no idea if that applies to you."

[uncertain_dume]

"Yeah, well, neither do I, since this is the first I'm hearing about it."

Kanan sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. The annoyance was clear in his voice, though it was more over the situation as a whole than it was at present company.

"I suppose I'll have to pay them a visit."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal shook his head, but after all, it had hardly been his duty to inform Kanan of this. And it was hardly Fred's fault Kanan had been more interested in directions to the bar.

"If you go straight down our street, then cross the intersection, they're on the left," he said. "Although they may be closed at the moment." He honestly wasn't certain what their hours were, but he wasn't losing a dinner guest to something that could wait until tomorrow.

[uncertain_dume]

Why not? It wasn't as though Kanan hadn't been gone a month already. Might as well stay a little longer.

"Thank you," he sighed, shaking his head. "I suppose finding out now is better than never. And here has been... mostly okay, I suppose. I wasn't expecting to find myself here, but flying explosives back and forth for miners wasn't exactly my life's dream, anyway."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled. He couldn't be expected to waste an opportunity like that. "What was your life's dream?"

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan let loose a little chuckle at that. Oh, he'd leave himself wide-open, but that didn't mean he was going to make this easy for you, Hannibal.

"Definitely not teaching teenagers with attitude on a strange island drifting through space," he shared. "Though sometimes I miss having a little excitement in my life, I don't exactly miss it enough to go hunting for it."

Said the guy who had 'suicide flyer' as a job description before coming here.

[sharp_as_knives]

Easy things were often dull.

"I doubt you'll miss it for long here," Hannibal said. "I never saw myself ending up in a place like this, either. Then again, I had never known that such a place could exist. My own dream involved many fewer teenagers, yes. And decidedly fewer aliens, mutants, and people doing magic."

He hadn't, after all, known any better.