Icicle Inn, Icicle, Gaia, Monday Late Night/Tuesday Early Morning

[intraspective]

It was snowing. Again.

The locals had assured her that it would stop soon, once the temperature dropped further. Ino had smiled, thanked them, and as soon as she'd gotten away from them had thrown an entirely silent temper tantrum.

Ino was not built for cold weather and Icicle had nothing but cold weather and she'd been here for weeks already, ever since Homecoming. She was cold all the time.

To make things worse, everyone around here was obsessed with snowboarding. Obsessed. In its own way, this place was as big a tourist attraction as Costa del Sol or the Gold Saucer.

She glowered out the window, spitefully, at the snow. It didn't care.

Neither did Tseng, who was very nearly avoiding her calls to report in on her progress on the mission. He was never exactly chatty but now he was nearly as terse as Rude was. And Rosa had hung up on her twice already, which was a clear sign that something was going on.

Elena, at least, was still willing to talk to her whenever Ino got lonely enough to call her. She hadn't called Aerith, though Aerith would've talked to her. Given her mission and what she'd been slowly gleaning from the locals, talking to Aerith would be a bit awkward, so Ino hadn't bothered…

But now it was two in the morning and she was cold—even indoors Ino always felt like she was slowly freezing to death—and she wanted someone to talk to.

Well, he did say that I could call anytime…

[Expecting one, but open for calls and texts, sure!]

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[intraspective]

Ino scooped up the bonus kitten, because kitten, and followed after him.

"You know, I think I've noticed that," she said a bit whimsically. Ino would still be a terrible person to own a cat, which was why she didn't. Silly lived in hair usually, she couldn't likely do the same with a cat. "And you're my very favourite person right now."

Not that it was hard to be. Pretty much everyone was on her shit-list at the moment.

[furnaceface]

//Your very favourite? My, I must be doing something right, then,// Jono mused as he led the way up the stairs and into the... more than a little sparse... upstairs apartment. It was more storage space than living space these days, but he kept the living room functional, at least, mostly because they still used the upstairs space from time to time when the Boards themselves were in use. //Or everyone else is doing something terribly wrong.//

[intraspective]

"Pick the one that's more flattering to you," Ino advised, a bit ruefully. She swept the room with a glance. Eh, it worked. She'd bunked in worse places before. "The other way lies tears and tragedy."

[furnaceface]

//Well, it's good to know that I'm undeniably amazing, then,// Jono decided, a little smirk in his eyes. //Grab a seat, make yourself comfortable? I'll put on th'water and then set up the heater for you.//

[intraspective]

"You are a blessing and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise," Ino said, wandering over to the couch and flopping down into it. Carefully, though, since she was still snuggling bonus kitten. "I'm vicious! I'd win!"

[furnaceface]

//Now there's a fight I want to see,// Jono mused, ducking into the kitchen and pulling out the kettle. Poor kettle didn't see much use since he stopped having a mouth, alas. //That and the bewildered look on their face afterwards, when they're staring up at the sky wondering how they wound up on their back.//

[intraspective]

Ino laughed.

"It'd be a mystery with my name on it," she agreed. "And they'd have to believe you're a blessing then."

Because it worked that way, right?

[furnaceface]

//They'd be afraid not to,// Jono mused. //I'm not certain that they'd take it as a blessing that they were laid flat just for disagreeing with me.//

Kettle filled with water and turned on, Jono wandered out again to rummage for the space heater.

//I'm still not complaining.//

[intraspective]

"It'd be funny," Ino said, watching him. "Should I stop hiding on your couch and make myself useful?"

[furnaceface]

//Make yourself useful? Bah, you're a guest,// Jono replied, waving a hand dismissively. //Make yourself warm first, and we'll go from there. Anyway, you're Joni's, now. She'll cry if you put her down, just go ahead and try it.//

[intraspective]

"It would be the worst if she cried," Ino said, snuggling Joni some more and curling back up on the couch. She was still stupidly cold, though it wasn't that cold on Fandom or in here. "I wouldn't be able to cope with it. Tragic."

Which was funny, given what her job was.

[furnaceface]

Look, crying kitties were totally different from crying kiddies. It was science.

//See? So you've got no choice, really. Joni simply wouldn't stand for it.// A few moments of rummaging in the hallway closet, and Jono was pulling out the little space heater, heading back into the living room to set it up near Ino's feet. //There. That ought to help, at least some.//