(no subject)

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

It's not fair that Peter's sore even in his dreams. He shuffles, wincing, toward the nearest booth, and flops gracelessly into it.

Sitting down. It's good stuff.

[OOC: I may be slow! In tagging, not on-the-uptake. Though I may be that too.]

Comments

[forced-pilgrim.livejournal.com]

Monkey clambers over the edge of the table, and slowly begins to cross the vast formica expanse.

Monkey is trying being very, very small today. Or for now, anyway.

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

Spider?

Peter's nose migrates closer to the table.

[forced-pilgrim.livejournal.com]

Spiders have more legs than Monkey is currently having.

A very tiny paw waves to Peter from nose-height.

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

Not a spider.

A tiny...monkey?

Peter wonders if he's finally cracked. "Hi," he says, because it's only polite, even if it is a hallucination.

[forced-pilgrim.livejournal.com]

"Hello," Monkey says. Loudly. Because why be consistent when you can be... not consistent?

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

Peter jumps.

Monkey's voice isn't tiny.

(There's this joke about two muffins sitting in the oven. Says the first: "Wow, it's hot in here." Says the second: "Oh my god! A talking muffin!")

"You can talk," says Peter.

[forced-pilgrim.livejournal.com]

"You can talk," Monkey counters. Is this is an obviousness contest?

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

"Well, yeah..."

He frowns. "Hey, do you know that other monkey? He's...bigger than you. A lot."

[forced-pilgrim.livejournal.com]

Monkey stares at him with tiny, blank black eyes. "I'm Monkey!"

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

And there was a Nathan walking past. He then paused.

"Peter? You all right? Any news?"

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

Peter is surprised to see him, and it shows.

"Nathan," he says. "Hi."

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

Nathan was a little surprised too, but still been thinking about recent run-ins and conversations.

"Hi, and you haven't answered my question."

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

He shrugs, and looks down at the table, where his hand's still wrapped around a glass of water. "I woke up."

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

"And? ...You took off, didn't you?" Nathan grimly asked with his hands on his hips.

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

Peter runs a weary hand over his face, and waves the other one at the seat opposite, and looks at his brother.

"Yeah. I did."

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

Nathan sighed, and finally came over to sit down at the offered seat.

"Dammit, Pete. I told you not to. We'll figure something out."

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

"You told me you were gonna have me committed," Peter says flatly.

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

This seems to be Matilda's Concern For Others Week.

"Hello? Peter, isn't it? Are you all right?"

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

"Fine," he says grimly, without looking up. "New training regimen."

It's true!

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"...Oh. Does it preclude waffles and/or hot chocolate? You look like you need cheering-up food."

She hovers uncertainly, wanting to give him a hug but having been taught a lesson in Dismissal From Adults by Nathan yesterday.

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

Peter drags a hand across his forehead and looks up. "I'm all set, but if you want 'em feel free." There's an old-fashioned bottle of soda by his arm; he reaches for it. "And I'm really okay, just tired."

And mildly grouchy, but not particularly unhappy.

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

She nods and sits across from him in the booth, then makes a particularly hopeful face at a waitrat. The waitrat squeaks affirmatively and gives her a ratty thumbs up, then runs off.

"They know me too well here," she says cheerfully in the time it takes for the rat to return with a large mug of hot chocolate. "Also I am probably going to have no teeth left by the time I'm twenty."

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

"You should really floss," says Peter, with the wisdom of twenty six and still chewing. "No reason not to, right?"

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I do. There's a limited amount flossing can do against the sheer amount of hot chocolate I drink around here, though. It's too delicious to let be, I'm afraid."

Conversationally, after a sip of hot chocolate: "I met your brother."

[morelikeasponge.livejournal.com]

Peter hasn't seen his brother since -- well, technically since he collapsed on the stairs outside the Odessa police station.

"Yeah?" he says, glancing back at her. Ordinarily the mention of Nathan would get a smile from Peter, or at least some pretty obvious sulking; now he's just calm.

Matilda has no way to know this, of course. There's nothing but mild curiosity in Peter's voice when he says, "You met Nathan?"