Groovy Tunes, Sunday

[furnaceface]

Jono was in a pretty decent mood today. He had his wrappings off (having Seivarden staying at the house for the past few weeks had kind of meant that he'd been wrapped up far more than usual), and he'd worn one of his long coats with the deep pockets, entirely so that Joni could tag along by riding in one of them, peering out at the world the way she used to when he was... bigger. And more blue.

She couldn't wait to get out and explore, given that she had always been familiar with the space and now it was different. So at the first opportunity, she wriggled her way out of that pocket and was plodding around the space, sniffing here and there, clearly wondering what the hecky was up with all the other place stuff being in the this place place.

At least until Jono started distracting her with the laser pointer dot.

Groovy Tunes was open, and it had a kitten.


[OOC: Open with kitten, like it says on the tin!]

Comments

[rebelseekspizza]

Near closing time, Dante pushed open the door, looking... not the worse for wear, exactly, more like he'd been poleaxed.

"You still do free booze on Sundays?" he asked.

He was not here to talk about whatever the hell his Sunday had been. But free beer and music? Hell yeah.

[furnaceface]

Well, that was an opening line. The kind Jono knew well enough, so he gave a little nod and gestured with a thumb toward his old box office.

//There's a minifridge in there that has a few cool ones in it,// he shared. //Keep them on hand for just such occasions. You're welcome to pick away at it whenever you're in, but at least let me know when it's getting low so I can restock, mate.//

And don't get completely trolleyed while working, but Jono hoped that part was common sense.

[rebelseekspizza]

... Well, it was on this side of 2016. Dante nodded. "Awesome," he said, vanishing into the box office for a long minute until he found something drinkable.

[furnaceface]

//And watch you don't step on Joni while you're in there,// Jono called after him. //I think she found one of her old toys under th'desk.//

[rebelseekspizza]

"How many cats you even have, man?"

Dante reemerged holding a bottle of beer, the cap of which he was prying off with his fingers.

[furnaceface]

//I have one, Hannibal has one,// Jono replied, shrugging a little. //That's pretty much our limit. Why?//

Joni was just very spoiled.

[rebelseekspizza]

'Why' would've been 'because Dante desperately needed something to talk about that wasn't his day'.

"Just wondering how all the cat toys got in here," he said. "Pretty sure Blondie and Lachlan don't get theirs all over my place."

[furnaceface]

//I used to live upstairs,// Jono replied with a shrug. //Joni would keep me company when I was down here pulling theatre shifts. And...// He waved a hand toward her as she plodded out of the office, a catnip mouse in her mouth. //She's spoiled rotten.//

He'd happily admit that.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Aw, see, you gotta let cats be cats," Dante said. He leaned against the counter. "Let 'em find their own toys."

[furnaceface]

Jono actually gave an amused little something-like-a-laugh in reply to that.

//I don't know, mate,// he said, watching Joni flop over and start bunnykicking the toy, //she seems happy enough with that, to me. That, and any cardboard box I make the mistake of leaving open, generally.//

[rebelseekspizza]

"Happy 'cause she's spoiled," Dante informed him, taking a swig of his drink. "You and Anders, man. If we left both of you alone in a room with a bunch of kittens, we'd come back to fat-ass cats."

[furnaceface]

//Very happy ones,// Jono replied cheerfully. //Though Joni seems to be doing fine to me. I've had her since I was in high school myself, you know.//

And had been mostly left to his own devices in the process.

[rebelseekspizza]

"So she's old as fuck?" Dante said.

[furnaceface]

//Let's just say she's lived a very full life for such a tiny kitten,// Jono confirmed. //I don't think she'd give Hannibal's cat a run for his money, though. I figure she's just been taken well care of by the island, if not by me.//

[rebelseekspizza]

"Lecter's got an older one? Or just a tougher?" Dante asked, leaning back against the counter.

He was eyeing one of the remaining few records.

[furnaceface]

//Little of both, I think,// Jono replied, shrugging. //I pulled him out of a house fire in Kaeleer a few years back, and he was already old then.//

Guess who was not mentioning that he'd started that fire in the first place. Guess.

//I figured one cat was already my limit, so to Hannibal he went.//

And then they'd gotten married anyway. So.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Still wound up in your house," Dante said.

He took another swig of his beer. "Fuck, now I'm trying to remember where Anders got Lachlan from."

[furnaceface]

//Lachlan's his cat, then?// Jono kind of smiled a bit at that, as best as he was able. //Why am I not surprised Anders is a cat person?//

[rebelseekspizza]

"Cat person in overdrive," Dante said. "He lives for cats. The nerd."

... who he was very fond of.

"We actually picked up Blondie because I figured dragging him to a cat café would be fun."

[furnaceface]

//... That would be fun,// Jono decided. //And dangerous. I don't think I'd be allowed to go to one of those for fear of me smuggling a few back with me.//

This was the guy who now had a tank in the house because he'd come home from a Portalocity stopover with a stowaway frog.

[rebelseekspizza]

"They have one in DC and they're opening up a new one in Baltimore," Dante said, making an amused noise. "Pretty sure most of those cats need a home."

[furnaceface]

//... Well, I'm doomed. How many cats you figure we can fit in here before people start to complain?//

He wouldn't.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Like six if you sell them as rat hunters," Dante said sagely. "Maybe let them make big eyes at people coming in here."

[furnaceface]

//If they're anything like Joni, they'd be very good at that.//

Joni, who was now stalking his foot. And here was Jono, giving his toes a wiggle, because of course he was going to encourage the impending mauling of his shoe.

//Anyway, I've always had a soft spot for the big eyes.//

[rebelseekspizza]

"Blondie's queen of those," Dante said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

He tracked down a picture of a small, elegant white cat with huge eyes and held it up for Starsmore.

[furnaceface]

Jono blinked at the picture. Stared for a moment, and then kind of got a stupid look on his face as he went, //Awwww.//

So sue him. He was a sucker for the big eyes.

//Got that down to a science, doesn't she?//

[rebelseekspizza]

"Oh yeah," Dante said, snickering softly. "She can get just about anybody to give her half their food."

[furnaceface]

//I'm afraid I'd have to disappoint her,// Jono said lightly. //Maybe. I, uh...//

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the little baggie of dried fish bits he carried around for Joni. And immediately, she had scaled his leg halfway to the knee.

//Maybe not too out of luck.//

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante snickered, grinning down at the cat. "Yeah, you better come bearing gifts if you ever stop by the new place," he said. "Cats won't let you in without some."

[furnaceface]

//Should I ever pay you a visit, I solemnly swear to bring proper tribute,// Jono said, giving a nod that was just as serious as that promise required. And then reaching into the bag and pulling out a few fish bits, because he was never going to get his leg back otherwise. //The cat gods demand it, and all.//

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante swept through another few pictures in his phone, then landed on one of Anders at the cat café, literally covered in cats. "Don't wanna wind up like this," he said, holding it up.

[furnaceface]

Jono looked at the picture, and then tried like hell to not just project a jumble of incoherent mind-workings that equated to something somewhere between a cackle and an exclamation of delight.

//Oh no,// he agreed, once he managed to rein himself in, //we definitely wouldn't want that.//