Portalocity Terminal, JFK, Thursday Morning

[life_inshadow]

... okay, so the thing about taking the first cheap portal she could find was that it meant the travel path kind of sucked. Tara had spent most of the previous day on some planet where the native life form and most of the fellow passengers appeared to be a blob of red jelly.

On the bright side, there'd been a Cinnabon outlet.

She'd made it to New York in one piece, though, and was now resting on a bench, waiting for Jono. The crowds were overwhelming after three months at home, but in a way the distraction was a relief -- it meant she wasn't getting trapped in her own head so much.

Furtively, she checked her phone. No calls from home so far. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

[OOC: For the dude on fire. NFB due to distance.]

Comments

[life_inshadow]

"We're in luck," Tara said, looking a bit amused. "Monkeys are the closest thing. So how are you going to m-make a monkey out of them?"

[furnaceface]

Jono blinked, realizing at just that moment that perhaps he hadn't thought that one out so very well at all.

//By... attempting to be a bigger monkey than they are, of course.//

Yes. That would go over well, for sure.

[life_inshadow]

"Uh-huh." Tara was trying very hard not to giggle now. "Well, at least there's glass between them and us so they can't charge you."

[furnaceface]

//Do you suppose that'll save me?// Jono looked very thoughtful for a moment, and then, almost managing a grin (at least around the corners of his eyes), he reached up one hand to scratch at the top of his head.

And a moment later, reached up the other hand to scratch at his armpit, in one of those classic 'monkey' poses.

//Ook, ook?//

The things he did to get a smile out of his friends. Honestly.

[life_inshadow]

"Can monkeys hear you?" Tara wondered aloud, then turned to face the chimps. "He says 'ook, ook'" she translated, quite seriously. "And uh ... we admire you as cousins to humans."

[furnaceface]

//You know, I've never actually tried to communicate with an ape before?// Beyond humans, sure, but they weren't quite the same thing. //I suppose there is a first for everything.//

He looked thoughtfully at the chimps. And then glanced back at Tara.

//If I try to say hello to them and they end up rushing at th'window, I reserve th'right to scream like a little girl.//

[life_inshadow]

"At least if you do that, it won't hurt my ears," Tara said thoughtfully.

Then, more brightly: "But I'm sure they'll like you. They like, um, friendly people, right?"

And Jono was nothing if not friendly.

[furnaceface]

Oh, yes. Jono was perfectly friendly, if you didn't mind snark and fire.

//... I suppose that's true. Yer ears would be just fine.//

He was going to be kind and not mention things like nosebleeds and searing pain stabbing directly through the brain, and other such things that came about from being in psionic earshot of a screaming telepath.

//What should I say to them?//

[life_inshadow]

"I don't know," Tara said thoughtfully. "What would you want to hear if you were a monkey in a zoo?"

She wasn't kidding at all.

[furnaceface]

//Well...// Jono was actually going to think this one over. //I've never actually been a monkey in the zoo before. But I suppose some compliments couldn't hurt. They spend all day with small children beating on th'glass trying to get their attention, after all.//

It actually reminded Jono a bit of the paparazzi.

[life_inshadow]

"Tell them they have pretty fur," TRara agreed. "Oh! And that they seem, um, exceptionally clever? Everybody likes to hear they're smart, right?"

[furnaceface]

//I know I certainly do,// Jono agreed, looking thoughtfully at the chimps.

They did not seem to be flinging their business about, and so he wouldn't even feel put-off about telling a bunch of apes that they looked intelligent.

Even if he felt rather silly about talking to them at all.

//Er... Hello, there?// Yes. Yes, now he felt silly, speaking on an open channel between himself, Tara, and a bunch of large primates. //We couldn't help but notice that you all seem exceptionally well-groomed today. Prime examples of your species, in fact. All of chimpanzeedom should be very pleased to have such clever individuals among their number.//

Was it possible for a group of chimps to look terribly confused? These ones seemed to be pulling it off.

[life_inshadow]

"And you're so polite," Tara contributed helpfully. "You aren't, um ... you know, some chimpanzees kind of don't know how to keep private stuff private, but you aren't like that at all. It's ... r-refreshing."

This did not serve to make the apes much less confused.

[furnaceface]

Poor, poor things.

//Indeed,// Jono confirmed, feeling no less silly now than he had been before. //None of that untoward screeching and flinging of poop. Yer all rather well-behaved, actually. More than some humans that I've met.//

It was sad that this was true.

[life_inshadow]

"It must be hard," Tara added. "I mean, when you were little tiny chimpanzees in some jungle somewhere, you probably didn't think 'Hey, I should go live in a zoo, it'll be awesome.' But it happened. And you're -- dealing. I respect that."

The chimps still looked perplexed, and now the other zoo visitors were backing away too.

[furnaceface]

That suited Jonothon just fine. The fewer people lingering about, the better.

//I know I certainly would have lost my patience far sooner, mates. I don't take so well to people staring and pointing, you know? It can't be easy, but since you tolerate it so well... You've got real patience. Grit. That's something to be admired.//

A few of the apes started wandering a little closer to the glass, trying to figure out what the hell these two hairless pink things were getting at, here.

[life_inshadow]

Tara couldn't think of anything to add; she simply nodded and dropped back half a step, clasping her hands in front of her.

"I think you made them really happy," she decided, softly. "I just get that feeling, you know?"

It might have been witchy instinct. It might also have been wishful thinking.

Spotting a vendor, she added, "Would it bug you if I got some popcorn?"

[furnaceface]

Really, Jono was just thankful to not be talking to the chimps anymore.

//Not really,// he replied, shrugging his shoulders a bit. //People eat, luv. I'm used to it.//

Far more used to it now than he'd been several years ago, at least. And he certainly wouldn't begrudge her the popcorn right now even if he hadn't been. She sort of needed to indulge herself, he figured.

[life_inshadow]

"Not even why I was asking," Tara claimed. "I meant more like, do you have more to say to the monkeys? 'Cause you seemed to be getting on with them pretty well."

[furnaceface]

Jono blinked, taking a moment to get his head around that one. And then he laughed, or did his best impression of one, and reached with one hand to give her a playful little shove on the shoulder.

//I'm certain that they'll cope without more of my brilliant conversation, luv,// he replied. //It'll be difficult, but when popcorn calls, it really shouldn't be ignored.//

[life_inshadow]

"I know," Tara said, with a silly little smile. "But it has to be warm popcorn. Cold popcorn ... it's like it had all the fun surgically removed."

She headed toward the vendor to place her order, wallet in hand.

[furnaceface]

Jono ambled along behind her, hands in his jacket pockets. It had been ages since he'd had popcorn, and he couldn't help but be just the slightest bit jealous about it, but it wasn't one of those incapacitating things that had plagued him so much, years ago.

//If it goes cold, I'm certain there's a pond or something with ducks on it,// he noted. //Ducks like popcorn.//

It had been a long time since he'd fed the ducks, too. For... a few reasons.