A Little Acceptance Goes A Long Way (Jonothon Starsmore)
| A Little Acceptance Goes A Long Way (Jonothon Starsmore) | |
|---|---|
| Date of Cutscene: | 28 September 2014 |
| Location: | Xavier's Institute |
| Synopsis: | Despite the fact that Jono's fiery face hasn't garnered a lot of Elite horror or revulsion, it's never really sunk in that the rest of the Multiverse doesn't automatically hate him for being dangerous to be around. The get-together after the "Pirates Be Problems" incident might have chipped away a little of that. |
| Cast of Characters: | 27 |
It's actually pretty late when Jonothon drives his motorcycle into the gate at the Xavier Institute. Which is pretty odd for him, he rarely has a need to stay out late. Aside from the ones at Xavier's, he doesn't have a lot of friends that would take him out drinking-- and he couldn't take advantage of that even if he did-- and as far as anyone knows, he doesn't have an off-world girlfriend. Doesn't mean that'll stop Jubilee from teasing him as if he did have an off-world girlfriend, though.
And sure enough, no sooner does he step into the common room than he is pounced by an enthusiastic black haired girl. "Hey Jon! You've been out for a while!"
"Yeah. I didn't miss anythin', did I?" Jono inquires. The girl's effusiveness doesn't seem to bother him. Maybe he's used to it.
"Nope!" She hops down from where she'd practically climbed onto Jono's shoulders. "Ess-ess-dee-dee." Then she flops down in a chair and starts to tick off on her fingers, "Let's see... Monet punched somebody through a wall-- again, Paige and Sam got into a fight and aren't talking-- again, and Everett got thrown out a window trying to break it up."
Raising an eyebrow, Jono ventures, "I feel like yer left an 'again' out."
A voice from the chair across from Jubilee, closer to the television, chimes in, "No. Everett usually has the sense not to get in the middle of a Guthrie family dispute." Jono looks up, to find the gray-skinned Angelo-- or 'Skin' as he was known-- playing a video game. "He had what 'Jubecita' calls a 'blonde moment'."
Jono shakes his head, but a smile pulls at the outside corners of his eyes. "...Barmy, the lot 'o yer."
"Oh, then you're right at home!" Jubilee insists, pointing at Jono. Then she notices something in his hand. "Hey, what's that?"
Lifting his hand, Jono displays the item. "A hat I nabbed off with today," he replies. "Place I stumbled inter earlier 'ad a problem with pirates. As in actual pirates, not that fantasy land knock-off rubbish. Helped some Elites punch pirates in the face, an' blew up a ship."
"Nice, a tacohat!" Jubilee squealed.
"Taco... hat?" Jono inquired.
But before he could ask, Jubilee bounded up from her chair, grabbed the hat from Jono, and plopped it on her head. It was a size or two too big and looked rather ridiculous. "Avast yee, scurvy dog!" she tried, in a bad pseudo-pirate accent. "Yee bettarr gimmie details, or it be the briny depths of Davy Jones's locker for yee!"
Jono sends Jubilee a look. "Yer missed 'Talk Like a Pirate Day' by more than a week, luv," he says flatly. Then he goes to sit in an unoccupied chair, noticing Angelo's paused his game and turns to look at him. "Like I said, problem wi' pirates. Give yer one clue: town 'as a ship they call 'Victory'."
"Oh that's just asking for trouble," Angelo states. "Let me guess, the pirates wanted to wreck the ship just because of its name."
Pointing at Angelo, Jono says simply, "Bang on the napper."
Jubilee, still wearing the overly large pirate hat, reclaims her seat. "So that's why you were gone all day, you were having an epic swashbuckling swordfight with pirates!"
"...Not really," Jono admits.
"Now you've got me curious," Angelo muses.
"The pirate Admiral lady invited everyone who helped out for drinks," comes the reply. Quickly Jonothon adds, "And before yer ask, no I didn't get 'er number. I didn't ask."
"Aw man!" Jubilee whines. "You went out for drinks with real pirates and you didn't invite me?"
Immediately Jono states, "Yes I bloody well did. I didn't want ter clean up the mess getting yer drunk would create."
Jubilee sputters. "Oh you are such an ass, Jon." But there's no malice behind her words.
Angelo asks, "So... what else was in it for you? I'm not aware you make a habit of drinking."
"Reward," Jono replies, pulling the old style leather bag the jingling coins were held in. He tosses the bag to Angelo for examination, since Jubilee has the hat. "An' no, it's not 'pieces o' eight'. It's a local currency called 'gil'."
"Big ceremony?" Jubilee inquires. "Bleh. Must have been boring."
"...Not... really," Jonothon admits. "They jus' sat there in the pub, drinkin' an' bein' rowdy for the most part. I floated about the place an' talked with some 'o the pirates. Apparently the good pirates run the city there, an' the ones we punched in the face were the bad ones."
Jubilee utterly freezes, and looks at Jonothon like he's just grown another head. She raises her hands, as if to say 'stop right there'. "...Wait. Wait wait wait. You mean to tell me... you actually mingled with living human beings? WILLINGLY?!" She flops back in her chair in an overly dramatic fashion. "Oh my God in Heaven, Jonothon E. Starsmore actually enjoyed the company of other people! Tell the Professor! Tell the X-Men! This must surely be a sign of The End of Days!"
"Bollocks," Jono says immediately, his tone flat, and sends Jubilee an equally flat look. "I was gatherin' info. Besides, I don't see what's the problem with wantin' ter get out every once in a while."
"Well, you have to admit, aren't exactly a social butterfly," Angelo points out. But still, he smirks. "Good to hear it though."
"Yeah!" Jubilee agrees, bounding to her feet and then bounding over to Jono so she can pull him in for a noogie, over his protests. "Definitely a step in the right direction."
When she releases him, Jono immediately puts his hair to right again. Well, whatever semblance of order it ever possessed. "It'd 'ave been rude ter jus' run out after they gave me money," he points out.
"Like you care about being rude?" Jubilee teases.
Jono just heaves a put-upon sigh, rolling his eyes. "Whatever. I'm gonna turn in." That said he turns towards the hallway. On the way he picks the hat up from Jubilee's head, to the tune of her disappointed 'awww!'. And then Angelo tosses the bag of coins back to him. "Night all," he offers with a wave. Angelo's 'Good night' in Spanish-- and Jubilee's voice demanding he bring her next time that place has issues with pirates-- fade as heads into the hallway proper.
But it's not to the boys' dorm he's heading. It's to the elevator. And then into the basement. Since that's where his room is. It's quieter. He's less likely to bother someone with his guitar. And it's safer that way, since the foundation of the mansion's been reinforced so nothing less than a nuke could damage it. Not too much longer and the hat and bag of coins is on a desk. And then Jono himself is soon flopped himself down on his bed and is staring at the ceiling.
Now that he has time to think, he finds it strange. While he's noticed that not a lot of people in the Multiverse seemed that upset with or frightened by his rather grotesque looks-- especially not the Elites, who had doubtless seen leagues worse-- it really hadn't hit him that there would be acceptance, even in the Multiverse. Not until that little get-together.
He hadn't actually told them why he wasn't drinking, that he was missing the required parts to drink. He'd said only that the drink 'didn't agree with him'. Which could have been easily rationalized as Jono being 'full of fire' and introducing booze to that would be a bad idea. But even still. The partial acceptance of his nature, so readily offered, felt...
Frightening. And awing.
But still. He had to admit, that impromptu get-together wasn't all bad. He... actually kind of enjoyed it, despite there being so many people there. Not that he'd ever admit it to anyone else, mind. He'd never hear the end of it.
Especially from Jubilee!
