Portalocity to Hannibal's home (where Jono hates the sun screaming) and back, Friday

[sharp_as_knives]

Relaxed (and cheese-smell-free) after the week in remote Sweden, Hannibal smiled as he stepped through the portal to home.

His smile went away. "What is that noise?"

Comments

[furnaceface]

//And that's because you took one look at the canned food and held a mutiny on behalf of the cats,// Jono teased. //I'm sure she appreciates it. She adores you when we're in the kitchen, anyway.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"And you everywhere else," Hannibal answered. "Or Beethoven. I'm well aware I come last in the household to this little lady."

He reached down to scratch briefly behind her ears. "Or possibly before the frog, these days. In gratitude for my service in mutiny." That food had been terrible.

[furnaceface]

Well, you weren't meant to like the Friskies, Hannibal. Still, Joni did purr and bonk her little head against the hand that was giving her attention, anyway.

//Well, Joni and I do go way back,// Jono mused. //And when we aren't looking, I'm sure Beethoven tolerates her more than he'd care to let on.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"I have no doubt of it," Hannibal said. He eyed Beethoven's grumpy back. "He reminds me of another well-aged, hairy being."

Had they ever seen Beethoven and Logan in the same place?

[furnaceface]

//They'd probably both fit in the carrier,// Jono mused, tilting his head sideways to look at Beethoven thoughtfully. //Beethoven doesn't drink or smoke enough, though.//

Wonder why.

[sharp_as_knives]

"I wouldn't allow him to smoke in the house," Hannibal answered. Because clearly that was the important thing here.

[furnaceface]

//That's what the backyard is for,// Jono replied, shrugging. //Though I suppose we shouldn't be encouraging filthy habits, anyway.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"Not unless he's paying his own veterinary bills," Hannibal said. He started unpacking and set his tablet on the bed. "Do you think we'll be drafted to teach while we're here?"

[furnaceface]

//Well, if I stay here long enough, I might just bump into my usual day anyway,// Jono mused. //But for all I know, they might draft you into something. You probably have more formal education behind you than most of the faculty combined, after all.//

... Excluding anybody else with a doctorate, anyway.

[sharp_as_knives]

"I could always start with first aid," Hannibal said somewhat wryly. This was, after all, the Jean Grey school.

[furnaceface]

//Honestly, that might be the most important lesson they ever take in their lives,// Jono noted, shrugging his shoulders and then taking a seat on the edge of the bed. //Even after they leave here. The fun part'll be trying to figure out how to account for inhuman mutant physiology from there.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"That largely would involve asking, I should think." Hannibal put his toiletries in the bathroom and came back out, shrugging. "If their patient is too far gone to communicate, they're likely past first aid."

[furnaceface]

//Unless they've fainted,// Jono pointed out. //Or their mutation compromises their vocal cords. Perhaps they've blown out their bottom jaw and for whatever reason they don't remember they have telepathy?//

He shrugged. //Not to mention the wealth of students we have from here who aren't exactly masters of the English language yet. I'm hardly Xavier's only import from somewhere not America. 'Can't communicate' is sometimes the status quo around here even when there isn't an attack. Trying to cover as many bases as possible around here is more often than not the pragmatic thing to do.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"If they've fainted, I'd recommend against doing much anyway," Hannibal said. "If their physiology is so different, you could accidentally kill them. And those without jaws don't need much first aid," he pointed out with a smile and a kiss to the edge of Jono's flames.

"Not knowing English is certainly a difficulty. Still, there is always signing. And I would hope the local language is one of the first things the children would learn."

[furnaceface]

//They make do as well as they can,// Jono agreed, //but people tend to learn pleasantries before they learn things like 'please don't amputate that tail, that's actually where my lungs are.' Even when they're mutants.//

He shrugged, and then leaned a little closer to Hannibal.

//Not that we have any students at the moment who have their lungs in their tails. I hope.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal raised an eyebrow. "Amputation is hardly first aid. Although a tourniquet is," he acknowledged. "Still, if they're bleeding out from their lungs, I doubt any attempted first aid could make things much worse."

It might kill them faster, but they might be thankful of it.

[furnaceface]

Jono just waved a hand at that.

//Bad example,// he admitted. And one that a few mutants on campus might even take exception to, come to think of it. //Though I suppose it might be best to leave any education about mutant-specific physiology to Hank, come to that.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"I was thinking more of things like how to stop bleeding and stabilize a broken bone, along with possibly how to recognize bleeding and bones as best they can," Hannibal said. "Although if Hank has baseline physical information for the students, it would give me more information to base that on."

[furnaceface]

//He could probably provide, if you asked him for it. The school has medical records for everybody, just in case. Hell, they've probably still got my x-rays in there, from the last time around.//

And that had been before the fallout that had Logan and Scott parting ways.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal cocked his head at Jono. "Would you like to take some more, for comparison?"

[furnaceface]

//The thought had actually crossed my mind,// Jono confessed. //I want to see just how far the repairs to my upper jaw have come, if nothing else. There's a difference there that I can feel. I know we've made progress. But being able to see would be... nice.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled. "My thoughts precisely." He squeezed Jono's arm. "But unpack first. Even if it's only for a few days, you shouldn't live out of a suitcase."

He'd said that a few times already this year, he was sure.