The Park, Monday Evening

[lockestheway]

Portals elsewhere might break, send you to the wrong planet, or leave you hanging; this one was forever faithful to its own schedule.

Sadly, for those denizens of the island who might have grown attached to their children, that meant it was time to say goodbye. The portal popped up blazing purple in the center of the park, calling to those it had taken here just a few days ago.

Time to go, time to go home, children.

[[ for your AU kidlet goodbyes! Sniff. ]]

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[trigons_child]

"I did not speak to all the children," Raven said, "but if Elizabeth and Dalia are anything to judge the others by, yes, they most definitely have loving homes. And very loving fathers."

She sent a gentle pulse of warmth through their joined hands. "I know it must hurt to see what could have been," she said quietly, "but I cannot help but be glad that in at least one reality, she was able to stay."

[furnaceface]

That was met with a tired sigh and a small nod. She had met Dalia, then. Jono wasn't certain if he was supposed to feel... awkward about that, or relieved that she knew what was eating at him, or... any one of a number of things. So he just settled for squeezing her hand gently.

"I think right now, I'm not entirely certain how to feel," he admitted. "Part of me just wants to know what he did differently, to make her give so much up in order to stay with him. Where I keep going wrong."

[trigons_child]

Raven shook her head. "No, you should not think like that," she said gently. "It was no failing on your part that made her unable to stay. From what I know of the Endless, they have extremely important duties to uphold, and if they ignore them, it can be disastrous. Perhaps in Dalia's world there was a loophole Didi could exploit that did not exist here...maybe a way of finding someone to take her place? Or a year in her time was a century in yours. That is much more likely, for I know how much you love her, and how much she loved you. If she could have stayed, she would have."

[furnaceface]

"She would have," he echoed, his other hand slipping into his pocket, closing around the letter that travelled around with him, there. "She invited me to go with her. Didi, I mean. And intellectually, I know why I stayed behind. But I regretted it, too."

He frowned a little, and then shook his head. Talking to Raven about his ex was... bad form. Probably. Even he wasn't entirely certain which way was up, these days.

"But I'll never know what made it fine for Dalia's mother to stay when my... when our... the Didi we both knew.... when she couldn't."

[trigons_child]

Raven couldn't quite regret his decision, though she understood his regret. But even if he had gone with her, Didi wouldn't have been Didi anymore, she would have been Death, and she wasn't sure how content Jono would've been with that.

"No, we will likely never know why it was different in that world," she said. And picking up on the awkwardness, she added, "And it is all right. I do not mind speaking of her, unless it makes you uncomfortable. I know she will always be in your heart. I would be more concerned if she was not."

[furnaceface]

There wasn't much left for Jonothon to do but nod his head a little.

"Thank you for understanding, then," he settled on. "It's something that... wasn't meant to be, anyhow. And she made certain that I understood that well before she ever left."

He sighed.

"I didn't let that slow me down for a minute. Stubborn plonker. What kills me is, I almost miss being that... impulsive."

[trigons_child]

"Then do something impulsive now," Raven encouraged. "The past cannot be changed, but the future is yours to determine."

[furnaceface]

"So people keep telling me," Jono replied, his tone more than a little wry. "Any suggestions? It's so... so bloody wide-open, I wouldn't even know where to start, these days."

Yes, it was perfectly acceptable for him to pressure Raven into college while at the same time being utterly stumped about his own future. Just so long as he acknowledged how utterly hypocritical he was.

[trigons_child]

"If I tell you, it is hardly impulsive," Raven said, shaking her head with a soft laugh.

She took a moment to give it some thought. "Teach a workshop this summer," she said. "Something about music."

[furnaceface]

"Me... teaching an actual lesson?" That caught his attention, at least. "I've done a fair bit of TA work between here and Xavier's School, I'll admit, but I've never actually had to put together a coherent lesson plan for anything that I was going to be teaching myself."

Which wasn't exactly a flat-out no, no. If anything, it was mostly just him squirming over the thought of standing up in front of a classroom, looking the way he did, with the inevitable influx of new residents to the island potentially sitting in front of him and staring.

So much for wanting to be impulsive.

[trigons_child]

"I could be your TA and help out," Raven offered, "but if that is too much, perhaps offer private lessons on playing the guitar?"

One on one wouldn't be as squirm-inducing as an entire class of 20 students, would it?

[furnaceface]

It would be far, far less squirm-inducing, by a long shot. Jonothon relaxed a little as the second option was presented, swayed on his heels for a moment, and then nodded a little.

"It's not exactly a long-term plan," he noted, "but... I might be willing to give something like that a chance."

Well, no, Jono. Long term plans really didn't have much to do with being impulsive at all, generally.

[trigons_child]

"Is not the point of being impulsive to not plan?" Raven teased, as if reading his mind. "If you were to plan this out, it would defeat the purpose of being impulsive."

Technically, telling him to teach wasn't very impulsive either, actually.

"But perhaps I could surprise you with something impulsive," she mused. "You would just have to trust me."

And she'd have to think of something.

[furnaceface]

"I would, wouldn't I?" Jono considered that for a moment, and then relented slightly. There was still a fair bit of melancholy eating away at him, but he had to acknowledge that his mood was somewhat lighter than it had been before. "Very well, Sunshine. Surprise me."

He'd work on being impulsive himself... sometime.

[trigons_child]

"I will," Raven promised, beaming. She had the first stirrings of an idea in mind. They'd long ago -- well, much longer for him -- talked about going to see Woodstock. She'd see if she could figure out how to arrange that.

"But then perhaps I will have to insist that you surprise me in return," she teased.

[furnaceface]

"I suppose this means I'll need to get creative?" Jono offered her a little, wry smile. He didn't exactly have anything in mind. Little inklings, mostly. But he was sure he could come up with something. "I can probably manage something, luv."

If nothing else, it would be practice. Being impulsive.

[trigons_child]

"I will look forward to it," Raven said.

The emotions in the park were starting to get to her, so she gently tugged at Jono's hand. "Would you mind walking me back to the dorms?" she asked. "I think I am starting to get a headache from all the emotions. Unless you would rather not be alone tonight. I will stay as long as you like."

[furnaceface]

Jonothon considered her offer for a moment, and then nodded toward the dorms.

"I'll walk you back," he decided. "I might have taken you up on the offer for company, but I've got a weekend of bring a father of five to attempt to sleep off, and I'm probably not long for the waking world myself. Let's get you someplace a little quieter."

[trigons_child]

"I am tired from just two," Raven said. "I cannot imagine what five would be like. You must be exhausted."

She was able to relax her shields as they moved away from the portal. All the sorrow (and relief) around them had forced her to keep them up and strong.

[furnaceface]

Jono didn't really have that problem, these days. Being surrounded by so many people and not hearing any psionic bleed from any of them was still somewhat... surreal.

He'd probably never be quite used to it.

"If I don't sleep for the better part of the week, I'd be surprised. They were handfuls, the lot of them. But... endearing ones."

[trigons_child]

"You are going to make me feel guilty for asking you to walk me all the way back to the dorms," Raven said lightly. Not really. Well, maybe a tiny bit.

"It was good to see Elizabeth again, though Eirene was a shock," she said. "But I cannot help but be relieved that I was not granted another appearance of Chuck's son." She shuddered a little; Anakin Bass was just creepy.

[furnaceface]

Jonothon couldn't help but feel rather fortunate that he'd never met Anakin Bass.

"Vedder didn't come back this time around," he mused. "Elle, Cash, and Everett were... a bit of a surprise. And it was good to see Elizabeth again. She certainly kept me on my toes the last time."

It had been years ago for him, but he remembered that child freaking him out on several occasions. Lovingly.

[trigons_child]

Raven shivered a little. The future that Elizabeth had painted during her first visit had been worrisome, but she thought it years and years away. She'd never taken into account time moving faster for Jono.

"I have a feeling she keeps her parents on their toes all the time," she said affectionately. "I hope she did not learn to teleport in the cradle. She is younger than I was before I learned to separate my body and soul and to move between dimensions."

[furnaceface]

"Well, I imagine she had one hell of a teacher," Jonothon pointed out, reasonably. "I think I'd have to be somewhat upset with you if you went and showed a toddler how to get anywhere she likes, of course."

There was a bit of tired teasing in that, yes.

[trigons_child]

"I would never do such a thing," Raven said, teasing right back. "It would be too awkward were she to teleport into our room when we thought we had some privacy."

Though at least with the flames it would be immediately obvious?