xp_logs | Match and Jono | Late Night/Early Morning Meeting

They're walking the halls.... at night.

A late working day meant that Match was coming home well after the sun had set. But a messed up circadian rhythm meant that he was wandering the halls stealthily — or as stealthily as a teenage boy could. He didn’t expect to see anyone else, but wasn’t surprised. “Oh, sorry, is it… cold out? I mean, scarf?”

Jono paused and tried to remember the sign for no, but ended up shaking his head. His brow furrowed and finally he decided to press against the scarf to show that he didn’t have a jaw. But only for a second, the longer he held it the less he felt he could breathe.

Ah, Match nodded in understanding. “Yeah, shit happens. Match,” he offered. “You’re… a mutant, yeah?” Oh god, oh no, why was he still talking? “Of course you are, I don’t know why I said that, but I did. And now I’m still talking. Can you…. Talk?”

Jono shook his head again and pulled out his notebook and pen, flipping to a blank page and writing. Jono. Can’t talk, no vocal cords.

A snap of fingers brought a small flame to life on the tips of his fingers as he squinted at the page. His mouth moved, trying the words before he finally nodded. “Because the no jaw thing, okay, makes sense. Sorry, ‘m being nosy, that’s rude innit?”

Jono nodded and then pulled the notebook back to write another message. You’ve got fire too? I can’t take off the bandages or flames everywhere. Jono tugged down the scarf to show the make-shift bandages underneath.

Match’s brows knitted together, head tilting slowly to the side but he thought he got the gist of what had been written. “Yeah, got arrested, lived in the sewers in Chicago and now I’m here. I’m… better now, almost never accidentally light shit up.” It was true, the fire damage hadn’t been him — it’d been that girl. “I got food at making fires stop when some crazy ninja broke in.”

Gave ~~my girl~~ my ex 3rd degree burns and permanently disabled her. Shit’s fucked. Jono wrote carefully. He needed to stop thinking of Gayle as his girl- she threatened a restraining order against him when he tried to apologize. That ship had sailed.

A slow swallow as Match stared blankly at the words presented. Most of it had been understood but... 'prematurely' what did that mean? Clearing his throat, he nodded slowly. "Shit is fucked, sorry, bro. Fire's no joke and sometimes ya evolve real sudden. You... you okay? Like, that sounds like a lot."

In lieu of a real answer, Jono once again pressed the fabric of his scarf against the remnants of his throat and face. He stared and Match for a moment with a raised eyebrow as if to say, What do you think?

A grimace formed slowly, regretfully as Jono reminded him of his injuries, and Match slumped a little into himself. "Sorry... yeah, that's... I mostly meant in like your mental health, but, the jaw thing, yeah. Have you, uh, been introduced to Sooraya? She worked with me, picked me up when I started my house on fire, and, like, she knows her mutant power talk."

ono wrote slowly, hoping to make his handwriting more legible. No, just met the uh purple skinned handyman? Also just got here a few weeks ago.
He paused a moment then added. I am the pinnacle of mental health. I even go for walks sometimes.

“Madin,” Match interjected instantly when he read ‘purple-skinned’. “They’re cool too, they were in Chicago with me, and now they’re here.” After a moment of his own, he nodded. If the older guy’s written statement was meant to be sarcastic it went entirely over his head. “That’s good, then. I hear walks are good for that. I don’t got no mental health, I mean… wait, no mental health problems I mean.”

I go at night when I don’t have to see anyone. Jono wrote, then shrugged before adding more text. I’m from England.

“Oh yeah, there’s time difference, huh?” Another nod, which could be mistaken for sagely if not given by the gangly teen. “I used to keep weird hours before I got a job. But now I’m an investigator and find lost dogs… and other things. I don’t like the picture jobs. Feels creepy. I’m talking a lot, ain’t I?”

I used to be in a band. And worked in a bookstore part time. Now I’m just here. Jono wrote. I helped Madin with the windows? I guess that was almost a job.

"Hmm, yeah, you should talk to..." Match trailed off, frowning as he thought, before deciding to suggest the teacher man to Jono. "Kyle, if you're cool to do, like, stuff around the grounds. Or... there might be a library? Like for a job? I think I heard something but not entirely sure."

LIBRARY. Jono wrote immediately in big bold letters, complete with an underline. I have no useful skills outside of music and books.

"Okay, damn, calm down. I think, honestly, that's also a Sooraya question to get that connection then." Match paused to take out his phone and scroll through his contacts. "Oh Angelo, he's a lawyer here, also was in Chicago... huh, weird. You got a phone or just wanna jot their numbers for connections? I'll give you Kyle too, just in case, because he knows things I think."

Yes, I have a phone. Then, as an afterthought. Thank you. Maybe your number too? I don't really know anyone here yet besides you.

"Oh, yeah, we can chill if you want, I’ll give you Cats’ number too because she’ll try and meet you, but I’ll tag along so she ain’t weird… er than she could be. That sound cool?” And Match did his best to not sound too excited, to have a cool and collected appearance.

Jono’s brows furrowed again as he held out his phone and then signed, “cat?” by holding both of his hands up near his face and imitating whiskers. At least he was pretty sure that’s how you signed “cat”…… it has been a while since he’d tried to learn BSL and he hasn’t tried all that long.

“Yeah she can be a cat too, sorry, Cats is Catseye, uh, Sharon, she’s a cat but a person, and she’s purple- and she’s my wife.” Match added quickly as he imagined Cats’s indignity at the fact being forgotten.

Jono blinked and then quickly scratched out a message on his notepad. YOU’RE MARRIED?! YOU’RE WHAT? 17? THE FUCK?

“I’m 18, I’m an adult and a private investigator.” Match asserted. “So I can provide for her, and our kittens when we had them before Kyle made us give them up.”

Jono dropped the notebook in shock and then scrambled to pick it up. WHAT

Match opened his mouth before closing it and going over what he'd said. "...Which part, sometimes I say things and then other people tell me it's not normal. I don't know why I say some things, but it just comes out. The job or the kittens?"

Kittens. Jono wrote, staring at him in disbelief. I’m 6 years older than you and I shouldn’t have kids. WHAT.

“Oh, well Cats found them after the flood- when you meet her you’ll understand. It’s, they weren’t mine, biological like, but, I mean, they’re cool kittens, even if Lightning McQueen gave Cats an eye infection. And I’m just saying shit again, I should stop. You should talk to Sooraya or Angelo or Kyle though.” And Match exhaled, finally everything said. Probably.

Jono stared at him a moment longer and then nodded slowly in faux understanding. Everything he'd learned about the teen in this conversation was about as clear as mud with the exception of the fire part. But at this point he was used to feeling out of his depth- being mostly unable to communicate in a way that others had patience for had made that his reality for the past year. Moving continents and then finding himself surrounded by mutant craziness had only exacerbated the issue.