Groovy Tunes, Tuesday

[furnaceface]

Jono... really didn't have the heart to say no, at the best of times. He was probably one of the biggest pushovers on the island, wrapped up in a leather-and-flame package that he could only hope would hint to the contrary. And most people saw through that anyhow.

Most polar bears as well, apparently, if the small collection of Coca-Cola bottles that he was amassing were any indication.

He couldn't help it. They gave him sad, sad polar bear eyes when he tried to say no. And so he'd give in, add another bottle to the growing pile on the counter, give them a CD by way of saying thank you, and send them on their way.

... He suspected that they were coming in now just for the free music.

[Open and flying freeee without OCD!]

Comments

[trigons_child]

On her way to work, and conveniently before Karla might be coming by, Raven stopped at Groovy Tunes because she had something Very Important to ask Jono. Or gently beat him into submission as the case may be.

"Hello, Jono," she said happily, coming over for a hug. It was cold outside and Jono hugs were warm, after all. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she had a bottle of coke in one hand.

[furnaceface]

Jono hugs were warmer than the average hug! Especially when he was well aware of the chill outside, and could raise the temperature of that mess of a chest of his in order to be a little extra toasty.

See, Raven? He totally cares!

//Morning, luv,// he greeted, giving her a little squeeze before levelling an amused look at the bottle. //I see you made a friend on th'way?//

From the look of the countertop by the till, Jono had made at least five friends so far. That number would grow.

[trigons_child]

"I thought the poor bear was lost and wished me to help him return home," Raven said, "but he seemed content to merely give me a bottle and then go on his way."

She glanced at the bottles on the counter and smiled. "And I see he has been here to visit you as well, or his companions have been."

[furnaceface]

//I think there's a small army of them,// Jono mused, looking at the bottles and then shaking his head a little. //There was one point where there were three of them, all lined up for a turn. I don't really have th'heart to tell them that I can't drink their Coke.//

[trigons_child]

"Perhaps you can bring them back to the dorms to share then," Raven said. "Or to Bon Temps on Thursday?"

Raven was so smooth.

[furnaceface]

//Bon Temps? Sookie's home?//

He'd been there all of once in his lifetime. His general impression of the place was, 'too much of a hick town to even be considered a hick town.'

//... Why Bon Temps?//

[trigons_child]

"Did you not receive Sookie's invitation yet?" Raven asked. "She has invited us to join her in Bon Temps for Christmas. I would like to go, but only if you wish to as well."

She wasn't batting her eyes and being shameless yet, but give it a few minutes if he proved resistant to the idea.

[furnaceface]

//I... perhaps don't check my e-mail as frequently as I should,// Jono admitted, a little sheepishly.

Mostly because, this time of year, he wanted to avoid anything that might allow anybody to try to coerce him into being social, humbug that he was.

//I wouldn't want you to miss out on my account, though, luv...//

See him resist! To the best of his ability!

[trigons_child]

"I am not entirely certain who Sookie invited," Raven said, "but I am certain it will be her and Bobby, of course, and Karla and Warren, and perhaps Tara and Kennedy and Emma as well. I have never truly celebrated Christmas before with friends." Or a boyfriend, which is why she was giving Jono hopeful eyes.

[furnaceface]

... She was doing that girl-eyes thing.

Jonothon's one secret weakness was the girl-eyes thing. He was immune to parasitic spores, laser-fire to the chest, and the common cold, but girl-eyes...

//I'm... not really... I mean, Christmas isn't... I don't...//

Sigh.

//When are we leaving, luv?//

Pushover.

[trigons_child]

Raven gleefully bounced on the balls of her feet and gave Jono another hug. "Sookie said she and Bobby are going Wednesday, and that we are welcomed to join them on Thursday," she said.

[furnaceface]

There were worse ways to spend a holiday that Jono didn't particularly care for, he supposed, projecting a small sigh as he returned the hug.

//I'll try not to be too awkward about it,// he promised, sounding pretty awkward about it, at least.

[trigons_child]

"You will be among friends, what is there to be awkward about?" Raven said, sliding one hand up to play with the hair at the back of his neck. Clearly she didn't know about sleeping arrangements yet.

[glacial_queen]

Even if Jono hadn't been expecting Karla to swing by today to ask about her totally-not-bad-well-maybe-kinda-ish-favor-thing, her special take on carols would probably let him know who his next visitor was.

"Dashing through the snow! In a something something sleigh! Over the things we go! Laughing all the way! HA HA HA! Bells on thingies ring! Making something bright! O what fun to something sing! A slaying song tonight--that's morbid."

[furnaceface]

//Sleighing, luv,// Jono corrected, peering over what was about a dozen Coke bottles now and looking only a little exasperated. //To ride. In a sleigh. Pulled by horses.//

He was going to have to get her lyrics for this one too, wasn't he?

[glacial_queen]

All the songs, Jono. All the songs.

"Oh," Karla said, stopping to consider that. "I guess that makes sense, what with the sleigh in the beginning. But what are sleighing songs exactly?"

So far, Karla's favorite part of the song were the HA HA HA's.

"Kiss kiss, Jono," she said, coming further into the store. "I've been listening to Christmas carols."

[furnaceface]

//Really? I didn't notice.//

Truly.

//And I think, so far as sleighing songs go, you've managed to put an interesting spin on the only one I've ever known of.//

Well, okay, there were others. And they all seemed to be Christmas carols.

[glacial_queen]

Even in Glacia, where sleighs were a legitimate means of transportation, they didn't have songs about it. Really now.

"Yes, I have," Karla said, coming up to lean against the counter. "And I found another weird overlap. We have a song called 'O Winsol Tree'. So I can sing along with that one."

[furnaceface]

//... That's almost bloody eerie,// Jono decided, blinking. //Winsol? That's yer holiday in Kaeleer, innit? With trees and everything?//

[glacial_queen]

"It's the holiday where we dance and celebrate for the glory of Witch!" Karla nodded happily. "We have ornaments and balls of witchlight and hang pockets of candy from the boughs and everything. Maybe I'll see if Sookie will let me hang my ornaments up on her tree. I haven't been able to hang them in years."

[furnaceface]

//Well, we do decorate our trees as well,// Jono mused, shrugging his shoulders a little. //I can't imagine Sookie would take issue with you decorating hers up.//

It would be mighty miserly of her if she did, and Sookie really didn't strike Jonothon as the type.

[glacial_queen]

"Are you coming?" Karla asked, making a mental note to vanish her ornaments before tomorrow. "Sookie mentioned she'd invited you."

Karla was also giving Jono puppy-eyes. On the off-chance Raven hadn't been by yet.

[furnaceface]

DAMN YOU FEMALES AND YOUR GIRL-EYES.

//She did,// Jono replied, with that slightly hunted look that he got when he was contemplating whether or not he would rather take his chances with the bears outside. //I haven't checked my e-mail, but Raven filled me in.//

WITH THE GIRL-EYES.

[glacial_queen]

"Does that mean you're coming?" Karla asked delightedly. "Oh, I hope so! We'll all have some much fun together!"

[furnaceface]

//Yes,// Jono sighed, hanging his head a little in utter defeat. //I'm coming to Bon Temps for Christmas.//

All he had to do was be there, right? He didn't have to, like, be social or anything? There were plenty of people who he could point at as a distraction before running for his life, after all.