Jono's Apartment above the Boards, Sunday evening

[trigons_child]

When the auditions seemed to be winding down, Raven went to Il Pollo to fetch some Italian take out. She dropped off Troy's portion with him, then headed upstairs with her and Jono's food to wait. She happily passed the time playing with Joni.

She hadn't brought his belongings yet; she was just going to just teleport back to her room to get it all when she was ready to surprise him. Of course she had no idea someone had spoiled the surprise, KARLA.

Comments

[furnaceface]

"Well, if you say so." He poked at the lettuce for a moment with his fork. And when it didn't leap up and bite him or something, he skewered a little bit and actually ate it.

Tasted... lettucey. There were probably words for these things that he'd pick out again, beyond the basic 'sugar is sweet, pepper is hot' stuff. For the time being, he'd go with 'not bad' and just keep eating.

"So, this surprise of yours," he ventured, as he went back to poking at the food on his plate, "you didn't go through much trouble getting it, I hope?"

... Look, he'd still act surprised. And there was no denying that he'd be pleased to see his Stratocaster again.

[trigons_child]

"It would have been worth any effort put into it," Raven said, "but no, there was not any trouble." Well. Troubling things, yes, but it hadn't caused them much difficulty in retrieving his belongings.

She finished up her salad and moved on to the lasagna. "Oh, this is very good," she said. "I think you will like it."

[furnaceface]

He offered her another tired little smile at that, before trying the lasagna too. It was... definitely rich, but not the same way as the hot chocolate that Ronan had almost floored him with the other week. Cheesy. Good.

So help him, it took focus to keep from just scarfing it back once he'd tasted some.

"It is good," he agreed, after a moment. "You chose well, luv."

This was all so... domestic that it seemed practically surreal. Just sitting down at the table and discussing food with the girlfriend. Did people really do that sort of thing?

[trigons_child]

Raven might have forgiven him for eating it too quickly, just this once at least. She was anxious to give him his guitar, after all.

"Thank you," she said, happy he was enjoying it. "It was either this or sushi, but I was not certain you were ready for that yet." Her tone remained teasing, but she couldn't help but think it was strange to be so domestic as well. Certain never a position she expected to be in with Jono.

[furnaceface]

"I vaguely remember just how thoroughly wasabi punches you in th'mouth," Jono shared, working his way steadily through the lasagna. "From that one, er, weekend here, a while back."

Back when apparently sushi was a suitable payment for almost anything. This island. Honestly.

"Lasagna was probably the better choice here. I was nearly floored by th'curry, after all."

[trigons_child]

"And I would certainly not wish to incapacitate you tonight," Raven said, dunking her bread in the tomato sauce before taking a bite. Mmm, garlic.

She wanted to ask him how he'd been doing, but that might turn the subject to less pleasant things, and she could hardly adopt the attitude Karla had advised and then present him with what she'd retrieved for him. So afterward she would. For now she could keep up idle chatter.

[furnaceface]

"Only brief incapacitating," Jono protested mildly, watching her dunk her bread into the sauce and then following her lead.

... Garlic. Jono was making the mental note that he needed more garlic in his life. A lot more garlic in his life. And not just because of his familial aversion to vampires, at that.

"I'd only writhe about for a little bit, I'm sure."

[Bedtime in a huge way over here. SP?]

[trigons_child]

Garlic was wonderful. Raven's deepest regret about being a vegetarian was that she could never enjoy Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic.

That it supposedly would repel vampires didn't escape her, either. She practically embraced that.

"Then I will have to learn to tell food-induced bliss from a true illness," she said playfully. "I would never wish to sit back and wait for you to recover if you were truly in distress."


[I was just about to chase you in that direction, as I should be there myself. :) SP is yay!]

[furnaceface]

"I should think if anybody can tell the difference, it would be you," Jono pointed out, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Or does food-induced bliss not tend to happen often?"

He wouldn't be surprised. Most people had a bit more experience with their tongues than he did, by his age.

...

Which was a thought that he was not going to repeat aloud, for dignity's sake.

[Yay! G'night!]

[trigons_child]

"I have not seen it happen terribly often, but I have felt it myself," Raven said. Chocolate was usually responsible. "The difference should be actually truly easy for me to feel. In fact" -- she got a mischievous glint in her eyes -- "it should be a feeling I can induce in another, if I so wish."

If she was feeling particularly evil that day. Well, good evil, not evil evil. Big difference.

[furnaceface]

"So can fresh fruit," Jono countered, his tone deceptively light.

Somebody did not have a slight case of powers envy, shut up.

"Which we might need to make an evening of sampling, at some point," he continued, mostly so that he didn't finish that sentiment sounding too butthurt over the powers loss. "It's been entirely too long since I've actually had a strawberry, for example."

[trigons_child]

"That is something that will definitely have to be corrected," Raven said, delighted by the idea.

"Or perhaps a picnic if we have a nice day before winter settles in," she mused. "Fruit and cheese and even wine if I am careful."

Depending on where they were, she could give some teal deer a nice buzz.

[furnaceface]

Drunken deer would be kind of hilarious.

"That would be... I'd like that, I think," Jonothon decided, working on a smile again. It was a tiny bit strained, and just as tired as he'd been when he'd come through the door, but, hey, attempt made. That was something. Right? "Worse comes to worse, we could probably just have our picnic indoors. On th'stage surrounded by our winter sets, once they're built, perhaps."

It would be romantic too, right?

There could be mood lighting. And music!

[trigons_child]

Sure, he thought that now, but wait until the drunken alot showed up, too.

"I think that would be wonderful," Raven said. "A winter picnic without the cold."

She could see how his smile was strained, and she was tempted to fuss. But she remembered her conversation with Karla and tried a slightly different approach. "Now please finish your dinner so I can give you your surprise," she said. "I cannot wait."

Hopefully giving him his guitar back would bring a real smile to his face.

[furnaceface]

Finish your dinner. Bloody hell, Jono hadn't been told to do that since he was five. He blinked a little, and then looked down at his plate.

"I could reheat this," he offered, staring down at it.

It was good, but really, he'd had something to eat at the Perk around noon, and he wasn't about to completely fade away or anything. Probably.

[trigons_child]

"I am sorry, I should not be trying to rush you," Raven said, feeling bad about her words. "I should not be so impatient."

[furnaceface]

Jono grimaced a little, and then shook his head.

"No, it's fine. I know you didn't mean it like..." He shrugged, trying to get that grimace to look like a smile that was at least a little less pained. "I'm sorry, luv. I'm just rotten at table manners, I think. Little bit out of practise, you know?"

He skewered a little more of the lasagna on the end of his fork, and then lifted it up slightly between them.

"Cheers?"

[trigons_child]

"I --." She caught herself before she said "I understand," since Karla had said she shouldn't do that. Which she really didn't like.

Instead she did the same as he, catching a chunk of lasagna on her own fork and raising it to tap against his. "Cheers," she said, smiling at him.

[furnaceface]

Jono's smile was a little more genuine for a moment at that. He hadn't really been expecting it, but it was...

Well, it kind of let him repress long enough to get through dinner, at least. He nodded, and then got back to quietly eating, focussing on the flavours instead of worrying too much about the myriad other thoughts that tried to crash down on his mind.

Shouldn't take things so personally, Starsmore. You probably look stupid when you chew. Was melted cheese always this stringy? Hopefully I didn't get any meat on her fork when we tapped them together like that.

Mm, garlic.

[trigons_child]

Jono was lucky Raven couldn't read minds. She'd be sorely tempted to thwap him. Though she would be touched he was worried about accidentally getting meat on her fork. He was such a considerate boyfriend!

She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin when she'd finished, hoping she didn't have sauce smudged on her chin. "When you are ready, you must stand up, and close your eyes, please," she said.

[furnaceface]

Jono still had a bit of food to go, lettuce, a bite of lasagna, the last of his bread, all of which was being stuffed into his mouth pretty much all in one go at that.

Now be probably looked stupid when he chewed. But, well, he didn't really want to hold her up any longer, either. He had a vague idea of what she was surprising him with- Karla had handed him the Ramat Stone personally, after all- but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little excited about it.

"Right then," he announced, pulling himself to his feet and shutting his eyes. "Surprise me, Sunshine."

[trigons_child]

"I will be right back," Raven said, rising to her feet. "Do not peek!"

Jono would have felt a whoosh of displaced air when she teleported back to her room. It only took a few seconds to pick up his guitar and the box of keepsakes and teleport back, though she once again felt dizzy when she reappeared. She shook it off and set the box down at her feet.

"Hold out your arms," she instructed, bouncing on her feet with eagerness.

[furnaceface]

Jono wouldn't dream of peeking, honest. Smirking a little, sure. Holding out his arms like she'd told him to? Absolutely. Peeking? No, not so much.

"Holding out my arms," he reported, in case, for whatever reason, she had her eyes closed too.

What? It wasn't like he could tell! He wasn't peeking!

[trigons_child]

Raven gingerly laid the guitar across his arms, keeping her own ready just in case it started to slide toward the floor.

"There," she said, beaming with happiness. "You may open your eyes now."

[furnaceface]

Jono couldn't help it. At the familiar weight of the guitar settling in his arms, his lips turned up in a little smile. He really hadn't thought that he'd ever see it again, right along with everything else that he'd left behind at Xavier's.

It wasn't a surprise, per se, when he opened his eyes to look at the cherry-red Stratocaster in his hands, but he did let loose a low whistle, smiling appreciatively as he ran his fingers over its body.

"Bloody hell, I've missed this."