Post by Munkustrap Etc. on Apr 24, 2007 22:19:29 GMT -5
((Before the Jellicle Ball, Alonzo and Munkustrap have a conversation as they prepare the junkyard for the festivities. This will be moved to Autumn in the Junkyard soon, but I'm putting it here now so you all can see it.))
Munkustrap balanced on the rocking chair near the center of the junkyard, hanging a strand of lights from a broken slat. "Here?" he asked, calling down to the dark twins who were in charge of the lighting. The two nodded in unison, thanking the Protector, and Munkustrap offered them a smile, jumping down. "No, really, it wasn't a problem. Let me know if there's anything else you need." With a wave of his tail, he walked off, checking in on each cat to make sure things were going smoothly. With the Jellicle Ball fast approaching, this wasn't a time for things to go wrong!
Alonzo was currently in charge of the ever-important tire. The very important tire where Old Deuteronomy sat during the ball; the tire on which a cat ascended to the Heaviside Lair. And he currently had a very big problem: somehow, a nail had managed to work its way into the tire, and it was deflating rapidly. Groaning, he tried to think of something to do...
"Alonzo." Munkustrap nimbly leaped onto the pipe next to the tire, looking at the black and white tom. "Everything going well over here?"
"Uhhh...well," Alonzo scratched his year, looking away from Munkustrap. "Actually...you know, what would you think of replacing the tire this year? With, perhaps....a, um," He glanced around. "A chips bag?" He asked sheepishly, saying the first object he saw.
Munkustrap blinked. "A... chips bag?" He jumped off the pipe and came up next to Alonzo, putting his paws on the tire. "I don't think Deuteronomy would appreciate trying to help a cat ascend to the Heaviside layer on a chips bag. What's wrong with the tire?"
"It's...sort of losing air. See, if you look on the other side, there's a big nail hole and...it's deflated, a teeny bit." Alonzo frowned. When had that nail gotten there, anyway?
Munkustrap pressed against the tire and frowned as it gave slightly under his paws. "Well, that's not good." He moved around, inspecting the hole with a frown. "Can we patch this, somehow? Or maybe... we might need to find another tire." He glanced over at Alonzo. "Or something else similarly dignified. Not a chips bag." He put his paw over the hole, furrowing his brow as he thought. "We don't have much time... mmm... the humans have a way of fixing their tires, I think, but only when they're still on their cars."
"Well...I'm sure there's another tire around! Somewhere..." His eyes swept the horizon. This was a junkyard, there had to be another tire! "Otherwise...I think there's a cinderblock somewhere around, it'd take quite a few of us to move..."
Munkustrap sighed. The tire had been the seat of the leader for longer than he had been a Jellicle. He didn't like the idea of replacing it with a cinderblock... but at least that was better than a chips bag. "Well, come on then. We need to find another tire today, so we can get it in place by the Ball. Unless Quaxo can fix this..."
"Do you think he could? I mean, do any of us know what he can do? He's really powerful....I wonder if he can fly. Or perform love spells...." Alonzo trailed off; he always got distracted around the time of the ball, being so excited and anxious for the events.
"He might be able to. His magic seems to be more about sparks and light... but a spark might be able to melt this rubber and seal the hole." Munkustrap looked over at Alonzo and grinned - the Jellicle Ball was his favorite time of the year too (aside from all the worrying before it). "Love spells, Alonzo? Why would you need something like that?"
Alonzo nearly choked. "Oh, I don't mean for myself! Heavens..." He blushed. "I mean, at least I don't think I'd need that. Queens seem to like me... they do like me, right 'Straps?"
Munkustrap laughed and leaned over to ruffle Alonzo's fur. "They adore you. Why, just yesterday, I heard Etcetera saying you were number five on her list of potential husbands, just in case the rest of us die."
"Five? Now, that's rather low...." He sighed. "Well, I am charming with the older queens, at least. I think I'll even bring a date to the ball this year - what do you think?"
"I'm sure Jenny would love to go with you, if you ask nicely, even if Skimble or Bustopher already asked her," Munkustrap said innocently. "I think Jellylorum's already agreed to bring Gus."
"Not that old!" Alonzo said indignantly. "You know Jenny's my mother, 'Straps, don't tease me." His nose twitched in good-natured irritation. "I was thinking more along the lines of Cassie or Bomba."
Munkustrap snickered. "But it's so easy!" He shook his head as Alonzo mentioned the younger queens. "Bomba won't. Cassie probably won't mind, though. I don't think any other tom has asked her yet."
"Who's going with Bomba?" Alonzo asked curiously. He'd always flirted with the queen - he'd always flirted with everything pretty - but he'd never really thought of being serious. He'd just wanted to question about Cassandra...without seeming too interested.
"She's not going with anyone," Munkustrap said with a grin. "She mentioned something about how if Tugger goes solo, then so does she. You know how she hates for him to one-up her in being sexy." Munkustrap knew all this, of course, because he had asked her about it, last night, when they were lying together in his den.
Alonzo grinned and shook his head. "Oh, when will those two end their little rivalry? It'd be almost too hilarious if they ended up falling for each other - they never would, though, they'd be too explosive together."
Munkustrap gave a dramatic shudder. "Can you just imagine what their kittens would be like?" He liked both cats, but when they got together, things got a bit too heated for him. Adding kittens to the mix would only make a mess of things. Luckily, no children had resulted from their brief fling a little while ago.
His eyes widened at the thought. "Scarlet red, maned little things strutting around breaking everybody's hearts...." He shuddered as well. "Creepy."
"If they ever hint at wanting to mate with each other, we should discourage them," Munkustrap said. "Very thoroughly."
Alonzo nodded in agreement. "What about you? Are you taking anyone this year, busy as you are?"
Munkustrap shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I don't know if Demeter's even going to show up - you know how she gets - and Bomba's already turned me down." He offered Alonzo a smile. "Maybe I'll take one of the kittens... maybe I should chaperone Victoria."
Alonzo raised a brow. "Bomba, huh? I would've thought she'd have to break her 'single' vow for you." He grinned softly. "Isn't Quaxo watching out for her? They're dancing the Invitation, right? And then she has Plato for most of the night...."
"She's only going solo to the Ball," Munkustrap said. "She hasn't actually been single for a little while now." He nodded to the second part. "Quaxo is going to try, but he's still young himself. I think Tumblebrutus is going to help him, though. Maybe I'll take Electra. I think Tugger rejected her invitation - she was looking pretty crushed when I saw her earlier."
"I'm sure an invitation from you would cheer her up, then." Alonzo sighed. "Tugger really should be a bit sweeter to the kittens sometimes, he leads them on and then they just get upset..." He paused. "Did you say Bomba hasn't been single?" Alonzo asked curiously. "Are you two together?"
"They're bad enough without needing encouragement from him," Munkustrap said. "Things could get messy if they thought they actually had a chance... or they might calm down, if they got some of the attention they crave." He shrugged. "Bomba and I aren't officially together. Just unofficially, for the moment. I think it's more a case of Bomba wants to say she has a tom if Tugger shows off a queen, but hey, I'm not complaining." Munkustrap preferred simple relationships like that anyway, without all the hassles of finding a mate and settling down and having kittens.
Alonzo shrugged. "As long as you're okay with it, it sounds like a pretty good deal. Bomba seems like a good queen to be with that way - not too serious and all." He paused. "Do you ever think about getting a mate someday?"
Munkustrap shrugged. "Not really. It would be nice to have a family and kittens... but I don't think I'm good enough to juggle the responsibilities of being a mate and a father and the Protector. I'll just settle on the easiest of the three and leave it at that." He nodded toward the patched tom. "What about you? Do you want a mate?"
"Maybe some day. Not now, I'm still in my prime and whatnot." He grinned. "Settling down might prove to be a little difficult...for now. But, I suppose I'll be ready by the next ball. Sooner if I'm convinced so."
"So, what, in a year you'll be out of your prime?" Munkustrap made a face - he was only a year or so older than Alonzo himself. "Gee, thanks for calling me old..."
Alonzo laughed. "No, no...I mean, my prime'll probably last until I'm at least Gus's age." He winked. "And I'd say you've got a good couple of years left yourself."
"Bah. Cheeky little whipper-snapper," Munkustrap said, reaching out to shove Alonzo lightly. "No respect for your elders and betters."
Alonzo snickered. "Being barely a year older than me hardly makes you my elder, 'Straps!"
"I'm still your better, no matter how close our ages are, Alonzo!" Munkustrap retorted, and then gave into the kittenish temptation to stick out his tongue. Yes, the upcoming Ball did bring out the kitten in everyone.
"Pffft. I see no evidence to you be better. After all, I'm more handsome," Alonzo grinned teasingly. "Stronger, and clearly more charming. Face it, you've got the brains, I've got...everything else and then some!"
"Oh yes, much more handsome," Munkustrap said, reaching out to ruffle Alonzo's fur again, trying to get to stick up as much as possible.
Alonzo protested, backing away in order to avoid Munk's paw. "Hey, hey! I can't ask a queen out with stuck-up fur," He began to lick his fur down, glaring half-playfully at Munkustrap out of the corner of his eye.
"I was just trying to help your looks," Munkustrap said, grooming his paw. He held it out and inspected the black stripes. "I mean, we can't all have my looks..."
"Queens would be crying if we did." Alonzo replied. "They'd cry, 'oh, how I missed the white-patched look of Alonzo'...'why oh why didn't we savour the color of that Quaxo while we still could?.'" He imitated the "queens" in a high-pitched voice no female but a newly-speaking kitten would have.
"Quaxo?" Munkustrap shook his head as he smacked Alonzo lightly on the ears. "They'd be falling all over Bustopher, if they really missed the black-and-white. More than likely, though, they'd be all over Plato, Admetus, and Tumblebrutus, since there's nothing interesting about two silver tabbies."
Alonzo flattened his ears as Munk boxed them. "I think the kittens would have a heart attack to see no mane on Tugger. That would be the main problem....aside from the fact that it'd be terribly hard to tell who anyone was..."
"Hmm..." Munkustrap nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose it's a good thing that there's only one me, then."
"A very good thing," Alonzo agreed.
Munkustrap balanced on the rocking chair near the center of the junkyard, hanging a strand of lights from a broken slat. "Here?" he asked, calling down to the dark twins who were in charge of the lighting. The two nodded in unison, thanking the Protector, and Munkustrap offered them a smile, jumping down. "No, really, it wasn't a problem. Let me know if there's anything else you need." With a wave of his tail, he walked off, checking in on each cat to make sure things were going smoothly. With the Jellicle Ball fast approaching, this wasn't a time for things to go wrong!
Alonzo was currently in charge of the ever-important tire. The very important tire where Old Deuteronomy sat during the ball; the tire on which a cat ascended to the Heaviside Lair. And he currently had a very big problem: somehow, a nail had managed to work its way into the tire, and it was deflating rapidly. Groaning, he tried to think of something to do...
"Alonzo." Munkustrap nimbly leaped onto the pipe next to the tire, looking at the black and white tom. "Everything going well over here?"
"Uhhh...well," Alonzo scratched his year, looking away from Munkustrap. "Actually...you know, what would you think of replacing the tire this year? With, perhaps....a, um," He glanced around. "A chips bag?" He asked sheepishly, saying the first object he saw.
Munkustrap blinked. "A... chips bag?" He jumped off the pipe and came up next to Alonzo, putting his paws on the tire. "I don't think Deuteronomy would appreciate trying to help a cat ascend to the Heaviside layer on a chips bag. What's wrong with the tire?"
"It's...sort of losing air. See, if you look on the other side, there's a big nail hole and...it's deflated, a teeny bit." Alonzo frowned. When had that nail gotten there, anyway?
Munkustrap pressed against the tire and frowned as it gave slightly under his paws. "Well, that's not good." He moved around, inspecting the hole with a frown. "Can we patch this, somehow? Or maybe... we might need to find another tire." He glanced over at Alonzo. "Or something else similarly dignified. Not a chips bag." He put his paw over the hole, furrowing his brow as he thought. "We don't have much time... mmm... the humans have a way of fixing their tires, I think, but only when they're still on their cars."
"Well...I'm sure there's another tire around! Somewhere..." His eyes swept the horizon. This was a junkyard, there had to be another tire! "Otherwise...I think there's a cinderblock somewhere around, it'd take quite a few of us to move..."
Munkustrap sighed. The tire had been the seat of the leader for longer than he had been a Jellicle. He didn't like the idea of replacing it with a cinderblock... but at least that was better than a chips bag. "Well, come on then. We need to find another tire today, so we can get it in place by the Ball. Unless Quaxo can fix this..."
"Do you think he could? I mean, do any of us know what he can do? He's really powerful....I wonder if he can fly. Or perform love spells...." Alonzo trailed off; he always got distracted around the time of the ball, being so excited and anxious for the events.
"He might be able to. His magic seems to be more about sparks and light... but a spark might be able to melt this rubber and seal the hole." Munkustrap looked over at Alonzo and grinned - the Jellicle Ball was his favorite time of the year too (aside from all the worrying before it). "Love spells, Alonzo? Why would you need something like that?"
Alonzo nearly choked. "Oh, I don't mean for myself! Heavens..." He blushed. "I mean, at least I don't think I'd need that. Queens seem to like me... they do like me, right 'Straps?"
Munkustrap laughed and leaned over to ruffle Alonzo's fur. "They adore you. Why, just yesterday, I heard Etcetera saying you were number five on her list of potential husbands, just in case the rest of us die."
"Five? Now, that's rather low...." He sighed. "Well, I am charming with the older queens, at least. I think I'll even bring a date to the ball this year - what do you think?"
"I'm sure Jenny would love to go with you, if you ask nicely, even if Skimble or Bustopher already asked her," Munkustrap said innocently. "I think Jellylorum's already agreed to bring Gus."
"Not that old!" Alonzo said indignantly. "You know Jenny's my mother, 'Straps, don't tease me." His nose twitched in good-natured irritation. "I was thinking more along the lines of Cassie or Bomba."
Munkustrap snickered. "But it's so easy!" He shook his head as Alonzo mentioned the younger queens. "Bomba won't. Cassie probably won't mind, though. I don't think any other tom has asked her yet."
"Who's going with Bomba?" Alonzo asked curiously. He'd always flirted with the queen - he'd always flirted with everything pretty - but he'd never really thought of being serious. He'd just wanted to question about Cassandra...without seeming too interested.
"She's not going with anyone," Munkustrap said with a grin. "She mentioned something about how if Tugger goes solo, then so does she. You know how she hates for him to one-up her in being sexy." Munkustrap knew all this, of course, because he had asked her about it, last night, when they were lying together in his den.
Alonzo grinned and shook his head. "Oh, when will those two end their little rivalry? It'd be almost too hilarious if they ended up falling for each other - they never would, though, they'd be too explosive together."
Munkustrap gave a dramatic shudder. "Can you just imagine what their kittens would be like?" He liked both cats, but when they got together, things got a bit too heated for him. Adding kittens to the mix would only make a mess of things. Luckily, no children had resulted from their brief fling a little while ago.
His eyes widened at the thought. "Scarlet red, maned little things strutting around breaking everybody's hearts...." He shuddered as well. "Creepy."
"If they ever hint at wanting to mate with each other, we should discourage them," Munkustrap said. "Very thoroughly."
Alonzo nodded in agreement. "What about you? Are you taking anyone this year, busy as you are?"
Munkustrap shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I don't know if Demeter's even going to show up - you know how she gets - and Bomba's already turned me down." He offered Alonzo a smile. "Maybe I'll take one of the kittens... maybe I should chaperone Victoria."
Alonzo raised a brow. "Bomba, huh? I would've thought she'd have to break her 'single' vow for you." He grinned softly. "Isn't Quaxo watching out for her? They're dancing the Invitation, right? And then she has Plato for most of the night...."
"She's only going solo to the Ball," Munkustrap said. "She hasn't actually been single for a little while now." He nodded to the second part. "Quaxo is going to try, but he's still young himself. I think Tumblebrutus is going to help him, though. Maybe I'll take Electra. I think Tugger rejected her invitation - she was looking pretty crushed when I saw her earlier."
"I'm sure an invitation from you would cheer her up, then." Alonzo sighed. "Tugger really should be a bit sweeter to the kittens sometimes, he leads them on and then they just get upset..." He paused. "Did you say Bomba hasn't been single?" Alonzo asked curiously. "Are you two together?"
"They're bad enough without needing encouragement from him," Munkustrap said. "Things could get messy if they thought they actually had a chance... or they might calm down, if they got some of the attention they crave." He shrugged. "Bomba and I aren't officially together. Just unofficially, for the moment. I think it's more a case of Bomba wants to say she has a tom if Tugger shows off a queen, but hey, I'm not complaining." Munkustrap preferred simple relationships like that anyway, without all the hassles of finding a mate and settling down and having kittens.
Alonzo shrugged. "As long as you're okay with it, it sounds like a pretty good deal. Bomba seems like a good queen to be with that way - not too serious and all." He paused. "Do you ever think about getting a mate someday?"
Munkustrap shrugged. "Not really. It would be nice to have a family and kittens... but I don't think I'm good enough to juggle the responsibilities of being a mate and a father and the Protector. I'll just settle on the easiest of the three and leave it at that." He nodded toward the patched tom. "What about you? Do you want a mate?"
"Maybe some day. Not now, I'm still in my prime and whatnot." He grinned. "Settling down might prove to be a little difficult...for now. But, I suppose I'll be ready by the next ball. Sooner if I'm convinced so."
"So, what, in a year you'll be out of your prime?" Munkustrap made a face - he was only a year or so older than Alonzo himself. "Gee, thanks for calling me old..."
Alonzo laughed. "No, no...I mean, my prime'll probably last until I'm at least Gus's age." He winked. "And I'd say you've got a good couple of years left yourself."
"Bah. Cheeky little whipper-snapper," Munkustrap said, reaching out to shove Alonzo lightly. "No respect for your elders and betters."
Alonzo snickered. "Being barely a year older than me hardly makes you my elder, 'Straps!"
"I'm still your better, no matter how close our ages are, Alonzo!" Munkustrap retorted, and then gave into the kittenish temptation to stick out his tongue. Yes, the upcoming Ball did bring out the kitten in everyone.
"Pffft. I see no evidence to you be better. After all, I'm more handsome," Alonzo grinned teasingly. "Stronger, and clearly more charming. Face it, you've got the brains, I've got...everything else and then some!"
"Oh yes, much more handsome," Munkustrap said, reaching out to ruffle Alonzo's fur again, trying to get to stick up as much as possible.
Alonzo protested, backing away in order to avoid Munk's paw. "Hey, hey! I can't ask a queen out with stuck-up fur," He began to lick his fur down, glaring half-playfully at Munkustrap out of the corner of his eye.
"I was just trying to help your looks," Munkustrap said, grooming his paw. He held it out and inspected the black stripes. "I mean, we can't all have my looks..."
"Queens would be crying if we did." Alonzo replied. "They'd cry, 'oh, how I missed the white-patched look of Alonzo'...'why oh why didn't we savour the color of that Quaxo while we still could?.'" He imitated the "queens" in a high-pitched voice no female but a newly-speaking kitten would have.
"Quaxo?" Munkustrap shook his head as he smacked Alonzo lightly on the ears. "They'd be falling all over Bustopher, if they really missed the black-and-white. More than likely, though, they'd be all over Plato, Admetus, and Tumblebrutus, since there's nothing interesting about two silver tabbies."
Alonzo flattened his ears as Munk boxed them. "I think the kittens would have a heart attack to see no mane on Tugger. That would be the main problem....aside from the fact that it'd be terribly hard to tell who anyone was..."
"Hmm..." Munkustrap nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose it's a good thing that there's only one me, then."
"A very good thing," Alonzo agreed.