fandomhigh | Library [01-31]

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Library [01-31]

Ugh.

A whole lot of ugh.

Jono wasn't being particularly productive today, no. Mostly because, in spite of his best efforts (he'd even hopped into the shower back at the dorms, clothing and all), he still reeked of fudge. His turtleneck had fortunately been black to start with, so he didn't have to worry about it staining, but yesterday's adventure in the dunk tank meant that his eyes were now open to his desperate need to expand his wardrobe.

And so he'd brought a bedsheet with him to cut into strips once his actual duties around here were finished.

... Look, have you ever tried to find enough leather to wrap yourself from waist to nostrils with? It was both decidedly not easy, and decidedly not cheap. He'd make do with dark cotton until something better came around.

[Open!]

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The going is slow, because he's paranoid that he's somehow missed a spot and that he'll smear (slightly toasted) fudge all over something irreplaceable.

Sookie was a naturally early riser, and after her morning coffee, she decided that today was a day to go get a fresh bunch of library books.

"Morning!" she chirped as she wandered in, and then paused, sniffing lightly. "...do I smell burned chocolate?"

//Adventures in hot fudge dunk tanks,// Jono sighed, tugging at the corners of his turtleneck. //I thought I'd gotten it all, but apparently I was mistaken.//

It was more likely that the fudge had actually just settled into the fabric of his shirt, and was going to stay there for quite some time, really.

//How are yer today, gel?//

She winced in sympathy. "I'm fine. Just returning books and getting new ones and...stuff," she replied, deciding she'd stretch her telepathic muscles a little later. "But hey, you're a way better sport than I am, for even getting up in the dunk tank thingie! I spent most of yesterday freezing my butt off and eating cotton candy."

//Th'freezing part came after my first fall into the tank,// Jono shared. //For all it's nice and warm when yer up to yer chest in chocolate goop, it cools down bloody quickly once yer climb out again. Yer weren't missing out on anything, trust me.//

He hadn't even wanted to sit at the dunk tank. But apparently the powers that be had other plans.

Sookie frowned. "I hadn't even thought of that. It doesn't seem like a nice thing to put people through in the middle of winter! I bet people're gonna get sick."

Jono was going to do his best to keep from visibly cringing at that idea.

//Cor, I hope not. I'd be th'one person on the island who can't take any sort of medication,// he said.

Not that he was going to come down with a cold or anything. It wasn't as though he had lungs to cough with, really.

"Oh no, not you!" Sookie said emphatically. "You look healthy as a horse! You just smell like chocolate. But I'm sure someone'll get the sniffles and be miserable for a week. Maybe it'll be Professor Skywalker. That'd make his class way less intimidating."

//Wot, Ben's granddad? Yer find him intimidating, luv?//

This was something like a revelation to Jono. Of course, Jono had never taken one of Anakin's classes, either.

Maybe someday, he'd learn.

"He's helped me when I've needed it, with the...you know, telepathy and the stuff you saw when we were getting Bobby," she admitted, "but he's totally scary most of the time. Or at least he wants you to be scared of him. I think it's a respect thing. Or else he just likes swooping around in a cape."

//If there's one thing I've seen entirely too much of in my lifetime already, it's people swooping about in capes, tryin' to look bigger and more terrifying than they actually are,// Jono decided with a bit of an eyeroll. //I'm not really in a position to talk about people wantin' to look frightening, though.//

Really. He did scary very well when he wanted to.

//But he gave yer help with yer powers? Then he can't be all that bad, really. More likely than not, he's tryin' to hide his squishy interior under a stompy, angry outer visage.//

"I suppose," she said thoughtfully. "For what it's worth, I don't think you look frightening at all."

But then Sookie had seen lots and lots of scary things, anyway. Her definition was a bit skewed.

"Oh. And, um, speaking of my powers," she added a bit uncomfortably, glancing at the library before just switching to talking in her head. << Um, since you were the only one there when I...manifested -- still getting used to that word -- do you have any, um, advice, or anything? I talked to Bobby about it and I've trained a teeny bit with Jaina, but you seem like the best one to talk to, period. >>

Edited 2010-01-31 17:37 (UTC)

For what that first statement was worth, Jono nearly smiled. He wasn't going to admit it, but anyone who didn't automatically shrink away from the sight of him tended to get firmly and solidly tacked into the list of people that he didn't hate.

It was a short list.

//Advice?// He made certain that his voice now was just for her to hear. //Yer don't seem to be runnin' from it. There's a start.// A pause, while he gestured to another chair behind the desk. //Take a seat?//

She did, awkwardly crossing her ankles and folding her hands in her lap. << I don't see the point in running from it. It's a thing I have to live with now. I might as well try and get some use out of it, you know? >> she admitted.

//Well, then yer already makin' more sensible choices about it than I ever did,// Jono replied. //Mine terrified th'livin' shite out of me. Hidin' from it just meant that I did more harm than good, for a while.//

<< I mean, don't get me wrong, it's scary and I keep thinking I'm gonna zap someone without meaning to. But I've always been weird. This is just a new weirdness, >> she said with a little shrug. << What happened with you, if you don't mind me, um, asking? >>

//I don't mind yer asking,// he stated, furrowing his eyebrows a little and turning his gaze toward the desk. //Just, it isn't exactly a pleasant story, either. My powers didn't wait until they'd prove to be useful before blowin' a hole in me from nose to navel.//

In fact, on a scale of one to ten, one being the best timing, and ten being exceptionally bad, Jono was going to have to rate this particular experience somewhere firmly in the realm of thirty-two.

... Which could have been slight exaggeration. This was Jonothon, after all.

<< I think most 'How I Turned Out to Be Just That Special' stories aren't very pleasant >> Sookie offered, biting her lower lip lightly. << 'Least in my experience. >>

Jono nodded faintly, closing his eyes for a moment in order to work on sorting out his words. Words, sometimes, were difficult beasts to grasp at.

//It... wasn't much of a surprise, finding out that I was a mutant. It's a hereditary condition, and me granddad was one. A fire-breather, actually. Being a mutant was somethin' I figured I could handle since I was little. But yer can't really prepare yerself for this.// He lifted a hand, gesturing to his face. //I wasn't the only one to get hurt, when this happened.//

And that prompted a deep ache in Sookie -- something sort of like pity, but more sympathetic. << How old were you? >> was the question she finally settled upon.

//Seventeen,// Jono replied. His shoulders lifted slightly, as though he was attempting to brush it off, only this was something that never really did just drift away, no matter how many times he tried to shake it. //It's been maybe... about a year, now. Enough time to accept that this is my life. Not nearly enough time to be used to it.//

<< I'm not sure we ever get used to this stuff >> she offered. << I've been telepathic since I was born, and sixteen years later I'm still not sure I'd ever choose this. But I think -- I hope -- that over time things get become more acceptable and less strange and invasive, at least to those of us dealing with it. >>

//Honestly, I'd almost settle for all th'messy little pieces bein' picked up, at this point.// He tilted his head a little sideways, glancing at her. //I've spent more time runnin' since this happened than actually dealing with any of it. I can't bring myself to go back to London after this. And th'one who I hurt... Well. There aren't even words, really.//

'Sorry' would have been a good start, perhaps.

Sookie was hesitant to say anything at all, but she ventured, << They have to understand it wasn't your fault, don't they? >>

[sigh, I must be off to work. SP is made of rainbows and sunshine, though?]

//In an ideal world? Sure.// He glanced up at her. //And I want to think Gayle is better than th'rest of them. That she knows better than to think I'd ever hurt her on purpose. Only... then I ran away.//

Which pretty much won him the 'selfish ass of the year' award, and he knew it.

//I have no idea what she thinks. I can't imagine I'm terribly deserving of her understanding, either.//

[SP is sunshine and rainbows and sparkly happy things!]

Library [01-31]

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