Town Hall, Friday Morning

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

He'd had a good run here at Fandom. A really good one.

But to all things came an end. Living in Baltimore had drawn Cable further and further away from the island. With Wade's help, he'd found ways to fortify their position that still complied with this baseline Earth's laws-- ways to keep Jan safe until she could do what had to be done.

Honestly, if he thought about it now, keeping ties to Fandom was downright irresponsible. It would be a great deal harder for their enemies to find them if they stayed away from multiversal hubs.

And so today he came back to Town Hall to make preparations, gather his things, and put the last hand to his plan to net Fandom a mayor worthy of its eccentricities. He left messages for a few people - on island and off - packed items into a few boxes. Switched off a few safeties. Destroyed a few (but not all) of his files.

This era was ending. He was, as always, prepared for the next.

[[ and with that, cable's leaving to make way for a new mayor! if you want to walk in to talk to him, or think he contacted you, the post is open. this is your last chance to talk to him before departure. he's had a good run, but he's done. ]]

Comments

[furnaceface]

Jono could thank curiosity and the fact that Town Hall was just down the street from the Boards for the fact that he noticed the light on in there that morning. And, figuring that it was either go and investigate or else return to figuring out how best to get maple syrup out of lacy dresses, he wandered by. The door wasn't locked, it was Town Hall, why not?

"Cable?" Well, there was a face he hadn't seen in a while. And a welcome one, though he did give a sidelong glance at the boxes, and that glance was followed shortly after by a small frown. "I'm not interrupting anything here, am I?"


[NATE NOOO. *clings to his face*]

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"I'm just packing," Cable said, his face all friendly-benevolent-smile. "Clearing this place out."

Finding the most incriminating dossiers and taking those with him. That kind of thing.

[[ SORRY. ]]

[furnaceface]

"Well, yes, I gathered that," Jono replied, returning Cable's smile with a wry twist of his own. "Had enough of our little island, then?"

The time came for everyone to leave for good around here. Jono knew that. But that didn't mean that he necessarily liked it.

Cable had saved his life. Had even been something of a mentor to him, once. Jonothon didn't forget things like that easily.

[*SOBS FOREVER*]

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"I have to prioritize Janice over everything else," Cable said. He put a couple of USB sticks into one of the boxes. "Now that Wade has quit his position here and we've moved off-island... well, there is only so long I could have lingered responsibly."

There were new mutants coming in almost every semester. So far, they'd avoided anyone who'd try to track Jan down. So far.

[[ *gives a tissue* ... *and big mutant hugs* ]]

[furnaceface]

Jonothon gave a faint nod. Really, he couldn't argue with logic like that, much as he wanted to try. Janice was an important little girl. Any mutant who had been around her for any length of time could tell that. Some just chose to accept that a little more thoroughly than others.

"Makes sense," he admitted, though somewhat grudgingly. "It'll be a shame to see you gone for good, but for Jan's sake, it's good you are."

There was a moment of awkward hesitation before adding, "Place won't be quite th'same without you about, though."

[*Biggest mutant hugs!*]

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"I think you'll all get by well enough," Cable said. That there in his voice was an almost fond note. "Though if you run into trouble, there's a weapons cache in the preserve I can give you the coordinates for."

Sharing guns was Nate's way of showing he cared, Jono.

[furnaceface]

"That would be appreciated," Jono admitted, because he understood these things and wasn't about to turn down any contingency plan that was offered to him. "This place never goes for too long without running into trouble, after all. They'll serve their purpose sooner or later, I'm sure."

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"Probably sooner."

He knew the island.

He reached down behind the desk. "Root beer or actual beer?"

[furnaceface]

"Actual, if you don't mind," Jono replied with a wry smile. "I haven't been th'root beer sort for a long while."

He actually couldn't remember ever being the root beer sort. He wasn't entirely sure if that was old Weapon X reprogramming at work, or if he'd just always been a rotten kid.

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

This was Cable's last day as a mayor. That involved PR. And non-alcoholic options.

"Good choice," he said, opening up the mini-fridge. He pulled out two beers, tossing one towards Jono. "Catch. And let's talk."

[furnaceface]

Of course Jono caught. Anything less would be unnecessary alcohol abuse.

"Thanks," he said, opening his and lifting it in a sort of toast-turned-salute. "Anything in particular you'd like to discuss?"


[Wee pause in pinging while I trudge to work in the snow!]

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"What are your plans for the future?"

Cable opened his bottle open with a flick of his metal thumb, raising it to match Jono's salute.

[furnaceface]

Jono fell silent for a moment at that question, giving it the consideration it was due.

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that that doesn't seem to involve playing soldier in one form or another," he admitted. "Continue teaching, continue running the theatre, certainly. But there's always something going on back home, and Karla will be graduating and inciting a civil war of her own..."

He obviously didn't sound thrilled about any of that. Resigned to it, maybe. War was going to be his life. He was a weapon.

So it goes.

[sith_happened]

Anakin arrived carrying a small stack of construction paper drawings. "Juliet made these for your daughter," he said. "She also said that she'll be the better assassin. Well, she completely mangled the word assassin, but I think that's what she meant."

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

Cable - benevolent friendly smile and all - looked up from his current task of heaping disks that had absolutely nothing to do with the island's machinery, honest, into a box. "Tell Juliet thank you," he said. "And she's still invited to Jan's party next month."

[sith_happened]

"Is Wade going through with buying an island to put it on?" Anakin wondered.

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"No, he's saving that for the birthday party," Cable said blandly. "This is the first pre-birthday party."

Askani preserve him, he would never understand that battle.

[sith_happened]

"Well, naturally," Anakin said just as blandly. "I was going to get Juliet a planet when she turns five. I don't want to spoil her too badly."

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"Please don't inspire Wade to steal a solar system," Cable said. "I've got enough trouble without angering our celestial neighbors."

[sith_happened]

"I'll send him some suggestions in a different galaxy," Anakin offered helpfully. "What's your next job going to be?"

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"Sitting at home looking after my kid," Cable said, closing up the box he'd been filling. "I have enough money stashed away to last us a while."

[sith_happened]

"When you start talking back to Diego and Dora, it's time to go to the park," Anakin advised. "Trust me on this."

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"Done the stay at home thing?" Cable guessed.

His stay at home thing would probably wind up involving more guns. Because life.

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "My wife was on a bus with Obama for much of the election," he explained. "There was a lot of coloring."

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"Coloring," said Cable.

Most people would reserve that tone of voice for, say, 'fighting aliens'.