The Perk, Friday Evening

[furnaceface]

It had been a few weeks since Jonothon had set foot on the island, and, while he hadn't exactly been in any hurry to return here after the last time, especially since there was so much work to be done in Kaeleer, his power packs didn't last forever when he was using them so regularly. He had to return to somewhere with electricity to charge them, and the island was pretty much it.

So, while his power packs were charging at the Boards, he was sitting at the Perk, where the lights were a little less dim, quietly flipping through a journal full of notes he'd been keeping over the past few weeks with a coffee close to hand. Just because he wasn't currently sitting in the middle of the war didn't mean he had to leave it completely behind, after all. There was work to be done.

And hot coffee to be appreciated. Thoroughly. It was winter in Glacia now, after all.

[Open perk!]

Comments

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

The door to the perk opened quickly as a blur of black rushed into the store. A slightly smoking blur.

As soon as he was indoors, Drac removed his cape from over his head and straightened his hair. The smoking stopped and he flicked a piece of ash off his shoulder before walking up to the counter. He gave the barista a very large and fangy smile. "A large coffee please. Very dark."

What? Have you ever tried the coffee at the hotel?

"Sir. We're a non-smoking establishment." The barista blinked and passed him a cup at the same time as she pointed to a small tendril of smoke coming off him.

Drac looked down and made a face as he patted out the small smolder still healing under his cape. "Yes. Well, I couldn't wait until the sun was completely set or you would be closed. My apologies. It will stop momentarily." He paid for his drink and turned to find a table.

[furnaceface]

Jono was so giving you a wary eye, Drac.

"Funny, they never pulled that 'no smoking' thing on me, back in the day," he noted with a raised eyebrow. "But then, I suppose I kept mine under wraps, too. And wasn't exactly a regular."

No, he really didn't expect the guy to know what he was talking about. At all.

"Never figured the coffee here was worth burning over, though. Even if I haven't had a decent cup of it in ages."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"I am afraid that the way that this island runs, almost anything I want is something I burn for." Drac nodded and his smile grew as he realised who the young man looked like. "Are you perhaps related to young Evan Sabahnur? I am one of his teachers."

[furnaceface]

"Er..." Right. The little bloke whose first name was the same as Jono's middle name. "Evan, right? Distantly. I suppose we're cousins, of a sort."

It was complicated. Genetically, they were probably something more like twins, at least now that Jono was more or less an Apocalypse clone, himself. Bloody... blood.

"I have yet to really have a good conversation with th'lad, mind. I've been told he's a good kid."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

Drac nodded. "You looked to be the same type of monster, and this is rather a small island, so forgive my rudeness in asking. He's an excellent student. Very conscientious and always on time and cooperative. I've made him my second assistant for the class; you should be very proud of him." Drac certainly was! The only one on the island he spoke more highly of was Mavis.

"May I join you? My name is Dracula. Count Dracula."

[furnaceface]

... Monster? The introduction had Jono's eyebrows raising a little all over again. He'd met a Dracula. He'd carried around a neat little pair of tooth-shaped scars on his wrist for a while after that meeting, in fact. This man... was not the Dracula he remembered.

Far too pleasant, and not entirely in that seductive, predatory way, either.

"Er, it's a pleasure," Jono replied only slightly awkwardly, nodding toward the seat across his table. "I'm Jonothon. Starsmore. Owner of th'Boards here on the island, and teacher up at the school, when I'm not off playing soldier in other worlds."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

Definitely not the same Dracula, and why on earth would he be seductive to a man?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Starsmore." Drac noticed a slight tension at the mention of his name, but took a seat. "I'm afraid I am not about the town much during the day, so I am not sure what the Boards are?"

[furnaceface]

"The theatre right down th'street, actually, if you follow Unicorn." Jonothon nodded out the window, and then he shrugged his shoulders. "It hasn't really been open much this summer, day or night. I'm hoping to change that soon, but I can't really make any plans for the fall productions until things settle down some in the Territory I've been spending my time in. Bloody shame, leaving the place stagnant like it is, though. I've had my autumn production picked out since late Spring."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"Theatre?" Drac was interested, despite himself. "The motion picture type or the proper kind?" Someone was old school.

[furnaceface]

"Stage and curtains," Jono replied, not quite able to resist the urge to grin. Dracula or not, this man's priorities were right, at least. "Much as I enjoy film, I'm a much bigger fan of live performances, whenever I get the opportunity to enjoy them. They're a rarity around here, though. It's not like there's a wealth of touring performance artists wandering across Fandom Island."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"It's been a while since I've been to the theatre." Drac leaned slightly back to muse fondly. "Fatherhood and work seem to fully occupy my time. You say you have a production planned for the fall? May I ask what it is?"

[furnaceface]

'Fatherhood' was also not something Jono would ever associate with the Dracula that he knew. Go figure.

"Either meta for RENT, or Jeckyll and Hyde," he offered. "Not sure if you're familiar with either. Both are musicals, one's a little more contemporary than the other."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

Drac's eyes widened in surprise. "Actually! I saw Jeckyll and Hyde in London when I was younger (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde_poster_edit2.jpg)."

"Though I don't recall it having much music in it. And at the time, I was rather interested in music."

[furnaceface]

"I'm still rather interested in music," Jono smirked. He couldn't help it. Music! "And there have been several different versions of the show. They all tell th'same story, of course."

He gave his shoulders a half a shrug.

"The music in this particular version is rather moving, actually. I could just as soon do one without, but my strength really lies more in music than the usual stage direction, and this would be the first musical I'd be giving a go at on my own since inheriting the building."

Showcases didn't count.

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"My apologies, Mr Starsmore." Drac held up a hand. "I didn't mean to offend you! I should have said, when I saw the play I was still performing. At that point in my life I would definitely have noticed if there was music in the play."

He looked at the other man curiously. "The story remains the same? It sounds fascinating. And you say you have had no performances recently?"

[furnaceface]

"Not since spring," he agreed easily, clearly not too fussed one way or another about what version of Jekyll and Hyde Dracula here had seen. "I'd like to change that as soon as possible, but I've been off fighting a war. Difficult to give something like that the attention it deserves, when I'm away so long at a time."

Hell, he'd passed his cat off to one of his best friends while he was away, because he couldn't even be sure that he would come back, each time he left.

"I could pull out the script for you before I head back to the front, if you'd be interested in giving it a look-over. It comes with th'sheet music."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"That would be wonderful!"

Uhm. Drac? You're squealing like a schoolghoul, there.

He coughed and sat back, much more subdued as he added, "provided that you have the time and spare script, of course. I wouldn't want to put you out."

Drac sipped at his drink. "Should I ask about the war you say you are fighting? It seems rather odd that a musician would be fighting."

[furnaceface]

"Well, I'm not bringing the script with me to war," Jono pointed out. "You can borrow my copy, so long as you return it."

There was a pause before he added, a little more wryly, "And I suppose it would seem odd, wouldn't it? The war is a dirty one. A Territory's rightful heir trying to claim her place as Queen years after her uncle committed regicide. But the Queen in question was practically a sister to me through school, and for all that I'm a musician, I've been... predominantly a soldier for nearly as long."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"Reality does have a way of interfering with the way we want things to go."

"Still, if you don't mind, I would like to see the script." Drac nodded. "I myself run a hotel, back in Transylvania, so I'm finding myself with more time on my hands than I am used to, despite my classes."

"It would be a pleasant way to pass time."

[furnaceface]

"Feel free to head back to th'Boards with me when I head back, if you'd like to pick it up, then. Or just give me your address and I'll drop it off for you before I leave the island," Jono offered. "It's a fairly quick read. Let me know what you think of it when we see one another next? I'm really the only permanent employee at the Boards, so I don't actually have a proper dramaturge."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"I have a suite at the hotel. It's... an interesting comparison, living in another's establishment." Drac's smile was very friendly, despite the small glint to his fang. "If you're willing to stay here until the sun is down, I will gladly walk with you."

"You don't have a staff? So how do you stage your productions?" Even Drac's band had had roadies! Zombies, but roadies.

[furnaceface]

"I can wait," Jono replied. "I'm in no hurry to get anywhere, really."

He smiled faintly. Shrugged. Why not? Even if he was Dracula, he seemed to be decent company.

"We get a few regular volunteers," he added. "Billy, one of the students from the school, has stage managed for me a few times. And Kenzi's been willing to run bloody near any errand I throw her way. And then generally I can grab someone to take care of lighting, costuming, and sound, and I worry about assembling the sets, more often than not."

But yes, even a show that involved two rehearsals a week and one actual performance was more or less a full-time job for Jono.

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"So it's all volunteer and student run?" He recognized none of the names, sorry. "It sounds like the town enjoys getting involved in the theatre. That's unusual for a town so full of children, isn't it?"

[furnaceface]

"I haven't a clue," Jono admitted, his smile going a little wry. "I went to high school here, so this is more or less my basis for comparison. And, if I recall correctly, most of the performers here then were students, too."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

Okay, that was a little scary. "You went to school here?"

...

"They do let us leave here, yes? It's not a trap for us monsters?"

*coff*paranoid*coff*

[furnaceface]

"Erm... No, it's really not a trap," Jono replied, not touching that 'monster' comment for love or money. "I left here for about six years before circumstances back home led to me having noplace else to go. Now it's mostly just home. Nothing more insidious than what you've probably already been told about anyhow, I'm sure."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"So," Drac sat back, confused. "It's really what it seems? A place where monsters and humans... get along?"

[furnaceface]

Jonothon gave Dracula a knowing smile at that.

"It's hard to get your head around, isn't it? I know I had trouble with it at first, too. People new to the island still stare, sometimes, but I really haven't had any trouble with humans who don't know what to make of me. Hell, the worst I had to deal with in high school was a teacher who was endlessly, shamelessly curious about my physiology. No outright persecution, though."

And do be fair, back in high school, he'd been telepathic and on fire. He couldn't even blame Holmes for being curious.

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"No persecution. Some of the students in my class have come to me, mentioning that they are afraid. Is that from their home towns, then? I can say to them that this is a safe place for them?"

Not that he was going to, since he still didn't fully trust humans, but if there was a chance.

[furnaceface]

"In my experience, most of that fear comes from where they came from before here," Jono agreed. "I remember being a kid, wrapping my face up and pretending to be a mute burn victim the first few days I was on the island. Didn't last long. My sign language is rubbish."

In that he didn't actually know sign language.

"I've seen a few people come out with what they really are around here, over the years. A sorceress, a shapeshifter who can turn into a coyote. Several mutants not unlike myself. I know of a few more yet to feel comfortable with the idea, but they're warming up to it, I think."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

Drac nodded. "I will admit, I don't recognize some of the types of monsters, here, but there should be a place where they feel safe. I intend my classroom to be that."

[furnaceface]

"Just as mine was," Jonothon replied with a little smile. "One of those students who had been hiding what she was actually outed herself in my classroom. It was... an honour, really, that she felt safe enough there to do so."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"One of mine lost control of her shapeshifting in class and ran from the room in fright." Drac lifted his cup, sipping thoughtfully. "She is doing much better now, but she needed that reassurance that she wouldn't be shunned."

"There doesn't appear to be as strong a sense of community among the young ones. They act so isolated and alone."

[furnaceface]

"Too many of them have only ever known loneliness," Jono noted. "I was the same way, when I arrived. But at least I had friends here who wouldn't tolerate me hiding myself away all of the time."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

Drac nodded and grinned. "Then I will keep doing what I have. I wanted to make a safe place for my daughter and all monsters, so I built my hotel. Until we get back, my classroom will be their safe place."

Unless you were Derek.

[furnaceface]

Eh. Derek was...

Derek.

"Good to know I'm not the only one aiming toward something like that around here," Jonothon admitted. "I mean, I know most teachers around here are concerned for the well-being of the students, but not nearly enough of them really understand where it is they're coming from when they're afraid, like that."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps it comes from lack of personal experience?" Drac pondered a moment, then shrugged and lifted his cup again.

[furnaceface]

"It's not experience that I would wish on anyone," Jono noted. "But it certainly would be helpful, while teaching around here."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

Drac nodded again and sipped his coffee for a moment.

"I hate to say it and sound rude, Mr Starsmore, but it's a pleasure to meet someone of a like mind."

"Our talk this evening has made me miss my friends much less. Thank you."

[furnaceface]

"But of course," Jono replied, smiling a little. Dracula or no, this was a good man. Or else a very convincing actor. "And... if you ever notice a light on in the office at th'Boards, feel free to stop by to chat. I'm not around often these days, but when I am, that's usually where I'll be."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

He was an AWESOME ma... well, monster, technically, but still.

"I certainly will! Once I've learned where it is, of course. And if you don't mind late visitors. Sunlight and I don't get along very well, you may have noticed." He waved to where his shoulder had been smoking earlier

Not that there was any sign of anything, but still.

[furnaceface]

"I'm usually up late," Jono replied, waving a dismissive hand. "You'll hardly be cutting into my beauty sleep or anything of the sort, so long as there's a light on."

[bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com]

"Another who enjoys the night," Drac's smile broadened. "Then I will watch for your light."

He lifted his coffee in a toast. "When I know where your theatre is, of course."

[furnaceface]

"Perhaps you'll have figured it out by the time I'm in town next," Jono chuckled, lifting his own coffee. "It's a small enough island, I've got faith in you, mate."