In Front of Groovy Tunes, Saturday Late Afternoon

[furnaceface]

The thing about the welcome picnic, especially with Jono rocking the old Chamber look again, was that it had a funny way of kind of... dragging him back into a somewhat more nostalgic place. There he was, surrounded by people he didn't know, who all looked varying degrees of lost. He kept his wrappings on securely, because he didn't want to freak out too many normals on their first day on the island, and he didn't exactly go out of his way to talk to anyone that he wasn't expected to talk to.

Just like old times.

The other thing about it was that it just didn't have the same draw for him as it did for most people. Tables of food weren't really something that grabbed his attention, except in all of the worst ways, and so somewhere near the end of the picnic, after a few hours of mostly just standing off to the side and people watching, he decided it was time to leave.

As it turned out, nostalgia was an insidious, clinging thing. When he passed by the Groovy Tunes on his way back to the Boards, he took a moment to stop and look in the window. The place was dark inside. Hell, he didn't even know if anyone still opened it, these days. But it brought him back to his own high school days, when this and the library kept him busy around classes and the occasional bout of running off as part of the cavalry to help save some friend's world or other. It had worked out pretty well for him. He got to listen to all the music he wanted, he got the employee discount, and it let him be close to something he was passionate about without anyone expecting him to get invol--

//... Bloody hell.//

Who was he going to have to visit to get his hands on the keys to this place?

[OOC: Mostly establishy, but open if anyone's meandering around the Groovy Tunes!]

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[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy had had enough of the picnic and the cold was starting to get to her, so she headed into town to run her errands quickly so she could get back to her room and warm up before she turned into a popsicle.

Walking by a darkened shop, she nodded at the man standing there. "Hey, Jono," she said without thinking or even really looking, then stopped and turned back. This was not the Jono she knew and yet her nose told her it was, despite the other scent about him.

"Jono?"

[furnaceface]

Jono tried not to wince. He really did. He put forth his best effort, even bunched his shoulders up a little, because somehow that was a better reaction than flinching. But, in the end, when you only had so much face left to betray you, there were only so many options for it to go with when it ultimately did so.

Jono winced. And then he turned to face the owner of the familiar voice.

//Mercy, luv. Er... Good afternoon.//

See, if he could follow up that wince with completely casual conversation, then all would be well.

... Somebody was stuck at the 'denial' stage of that whole 'coping with change' thing.

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy frowned. "Sorry, I just..." She wasn't sure quite what to do. Was she supposed to notice that he was different? It wouldn't be the first time she'd 'seen' something she wasn't supposed to.

Sometimes her nose let her see through glamour that she wasn't exactly supposed to.

"Are you fae by any chance?"

And then she frowned again. It had been a long time since someone had spoken to her in her head. Not since she'd been in Montana with Bran. She hadn't even noticed for a moment that he was doing it.

"I'm... wow, I'm sorry, I just..." she rubbed at her head. "Am not quite sure..."

[furnaceface]

//No, not fae. It's me. Still me.// The casual approach wasn't working, here. Jonothon hadn't really expected that it would. //Little thinner, little less blue. Still me.//

She was reacting well, so far! Dracula had tried to put him out.

//Long story.//

[walkswithcoyote]

She looked at him uncertainly. "I know it's still you. I... are you all right? You seem..." What was her nose telling her? It was hard over that added scent of, well, burning sort of. "Sad, maybe? Can I help?"

[furnaceface]

Sad was a good start. Awkward, maybe. A bit lost as he went through a lot of the motions around the island, trying to get his bearings again.

//I'm not sure, honestly,// he admitted, cramming his hands into his jacket pockets. //There's not really anything to be done for the most obvious problem. Hell, I'll even get used to it again. It's just...//

He fell silent, struggling to find words.

//It complicates things.//

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy could pretty quickly figure out at least some of the implications of it and her heart hurt for him. She wanted to be like a little kid and stamp her feet and yell that it wasn't fair, but she knew too well just how unfair life could be and that railing against it certainly wouldn't make Jono feel any better.

"I... can only imagine," she said finally, feeling like that was a ridiculously stupid thing to say. But then what do you say in this sort of situation? She bit her lip. "If there's ever anything I can do or that you need... You've always been so good to me."

[furnaceface]

//Thank you, luv,// Jono replied, the words feeling warm and grateful as he spoke them. //At the moment, like I said, nothing really leaps to mind. But...//

He turned to look back into the window of the Groovy Tunes, thoughtfully.

//... I might be looking for a few extra pairs of hands to help me move some things, at some point. We'll see.//

[walkswithcoyote]

"Offer stands," Mercy said evenly, smiling as the feeling of the words came to her.

She showed him her hands, still smiling. "Anytime you need them. I'm a lot stronger than I look." Quicker, too, but he already knew that part.

[furnaceface]

He did. He was still sometimes a little dumbstruck by the fact that she'd trusted him with that sort of secret at all, back before she announced to her peers that she wasn't exactly human. He was a little dumbstruck whenever any student trusted him with knowledge like that.

//I appreciate it, luv. I have to do some digging about, see who I need to get in touch with, do more paperwork than I'd care to... But I think my stay at the Boards is just about over.//

He didn't think anyone could really blame him for making that decision.

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy looked unutterably sad for a moment, imagining what he'd lost and how hard it would be for him to stay at the Boards.

"I understand," she said quietly. She understood losing what you loved and having to leave a place that had become home because of it.

Still, she managed a smile for him. "Think of all the headaches you'll be missing."

[furnaceface]

//No more waffles raining down on opening night,// Jono replied, almost wistfully. //No students arguing that they don't want to be a part of my stupid play in th'first place...//

He'd only gotten a little of that over the years, at least.

//No more costume mix-ups...//

[walkswithcoyote]

She blushed and made a face. "Hey! Once I decided to do it I gave it my all! I just didn't want to have to audition."

"And the horrified look on Dracula's face when he saw me in that Clara costume... totally worth it."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal had spotted Jono at the picnic, but hadn't managed to make his way over to him yet. Just as he was finally going to, Jono was leaving.

After a look around the picnic to assess the level of interest, Hannibal picked up his things and followed Jono at a reasonable distance. He waited until Jono's student had left, then stepped a bit closer and waited to see if his company might be welcome.

[furnaceface]

//Good afternoon for just standing a stone's throw away from it all, isn't it?//

Jono hadn't turned around before speaking. Hell, he wasn't even completely certain who he was speaking to just yet. But he could tell there was someone there, and had been for some time, and now that Mercy had moved along, he felt like he ought to say something.

He glanced over his shoulder, and then gave his head a short nod in greeting as he placed the face.

//Hello, Hannibal.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"Hello." Hannibal nodded back and stepped closer. "I wasn't sure if you would want the company or not. If you'd left to get away from the noise, I didn't want to make it worse."

[furnaceface]

//It was less the noise, and more just... standing around. I can people watch for a while, but I figured I wouldn't be terribly missed if I left a little early.// Jono turned to face Hannibal properly, hands in his pockets, looking a little less out-of-sorts than he'd been a few days back. //Anyone who might want to talk to me knows where to find me.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"We do," Hannibal agreed. He reached into his bag and pulled out a thumb drive. "I found quite a bit of information on trauma and reconnecting to your body. Also some suggestions for calming and focusing." He held it out.

[furnaceface]

Jono eyed the thumb drive before taking it. He was just fine with any sort of hands-on machinery. Ask him to take apart a motorbike and put it back together, and he'd be happy to.

Put him in front of a computer, and he'd stare stupidly at it for an hour before reaching for the mouse.

//Thank you,// he said, though a touch awkwardly. //I know how difficult it can be to find focusing exercises that don't involve breathing...//

Because that was one more thing on a long list of things Jono didn't do, these days.

[sharp_as_knives]

At least he wasn't trying to nail it to the wall.

"I might be able to find more if I knew more about your abilities and limits," Hannibal answered. He paused for a moment as if hesitating. "Is it still too early for the big questions?"

[furnaceface]

Jono knew better. Tablets on the walls were just tacky. He'd probably start with some sort of mount- would one balance on a decorative plate hook?

//I suppose that depends on how big,// he replied, hesitating for a moment in turn. //You can always ask, and... if it's not something I feel comfortable answering, I'll let you know. 'No' is a word I've picked up and used to some effect over the years.//

Fortunately.

[sharp_as_knives]

It probably would, but that would make it difficult to use.

"It's a very useful word," Hannibal answered. He thought for a moment, then gestured at the street. "I have quite a few questions," he said, almost apologetically. "Perhaps we could relocate somewhere warmer and more comfortable?"

He would suggest the coffee shop or hotel restaurant, but...well. "One of our offices? Or my house, if you'd like to get away from the island for a bit."

[furnaceface]

Jono's first impulse was to pipe up and point out that the Boards were just a few doors down. He caught himself in time. A conversation like this was likely to be, right near the very thing he was spending days away from home to avoid... Probably wasn't the best idea, no.

//Our offices are much closer,// he noted. //I think there's a bit of business I would like to stick around the island for. Assuming the person I want to speak to is available over the weekends, anyhow.//

And he hated wrestling with e-mail. And he couldn't use a phone. His options were limited.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal nodded. "Offices it is." He eyed Jono as they headed back toward the school, and opted to start - he hoped - small. "Does the cold bother you?"

[furnaceface]

It was small enough, really, a question that Jono had clearly heard more than a few times.

//To some extent, yes,// he replied, his own eyes on the ground as he followed along beside Hannibal. //The mess that looks like fire... it technically isn't. I can make it warm, which takes care of some of the trouble, but I still feel the cold like anyone would, in my hands and feet and so on. Most of where I'd benefit from the heat, I can't really feel anything anyway. More cold.//

Numbness. There wasn't anything there to feel.