Author's Notes – There's only gonna be one more chapter then it's done, wehoo!
Summary – The group plays Pictionary. It doesn't end well at all.
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'Jumping to Conclusions'
Jason
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(11:00 p.m.)
"Come on, it's the simplest thing in the world!" I find it hard to believe that whatever that thing is, that it is the simplest thing in the world. Especially with how many Xs and squiggles you used to cross out and emphasize certain parts of it Zack.
Laying long ways across the chair, Tommy looks less then thrilled with this exclamation. "A moose?" Oh yeah, okay I can kind of see the antlers and that might be nose of some kind. Though I doubt a moose has six legs.
Keeping an eye on her watch Trini shakes her head. "It has to be a movie title, remember." Rocky and Bullwinkle? Though I don't see anything that might resemble a squirrel.
Letting out a sigh and looking like he just wants to run out his time now, Tommy makes a lost hand gesture at Zack's frantic pointing. "Dr. Seuss?"
Titling my head to get a better look, I can see that, but- "Is that a movie title?" Maybe it's 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'?
Rubbing his eyes, the boy in green finally voices a sentiment that I couldn't agree more with. "Why can't we just go to sleep?"
Before anyone can answer Trini holds up a hand. "Time."
Throwing his hands up Zack finally clues us in. "'Jaws'! How hard is that to get?!" That's 'Jaws'? That's a shark? Maybe he drew it upside down.
Looking at Zack with a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion, Tommy finally shrugs at the still ranting boy. "It's hardly my fault you can't draw. My three year old cousin can draw a better shark than that." So that is a shark then?
"Oh like you're such the great artist." Sinking back onto the couch and polishing off his fifth cup of coffee I think it's time to cut him off. I've never even seen Zack drink one full cup and in the past hour he's nearly drained the pot.
"I'm not so certain, Zack. I really must concur that Tommy's last few artistic endeavors illustrating 'Green Eggs and Ham' and 'Fiddler on the Roof' were rather skillfully done."
Stifling a yawn, Trini rubs her eyes taking more then her usual second's time to translate Billy's statement. "He's a good drawer."
"Ah yes, but I think we can still beat you guys." Can't we just say they won and call it a night, Kim? Picking a card from the box, her face falls as she reads her selection. "Oh great."
Handing Kim the marker, Zack begins watching his watch ready to time her. "Okay, five, four, three, two…Go."
Beginning to scribble frantically on the clean sheet of paper, it looks like she's drawing a fish. Or is that a dog? Man none of us can draw. Whose idea was it to play this game anyways?
Waiting too long in making my first guess, Kim fixes me with a glare that says I better get with it. Fine, fine. "Little Mermaid?"
Looking at me indignity, I guess that wasn't right. Okay now she's adding some fangs maybe…is that dead body at its feet? Maybe it is a fish. 'Jaws'? No, wait we just had that. God I'm so tired.
"Dracula?" Going to assume that huff means 'no'. Giving her a shrug, I'm at a loss. "Is this even a movie I've heard of?"
Holding up a hand, Zack saves me. "Time." Time for bed is what time it is.
Tossing the marker at me, the tiny Pink Ranger really takes her games seriously. "Frankenstein!" Man Tommy's right we can't draw. Oh wait I get it that's the monster and the body is the doctor…or the little girl that accidentally dies. And the flowers in his hand that was part of the movie.
Shaking his head and standing, Tommy has apparently had enough of the game.
"Where are you going?" Be nosey Zack.
"Bathroom." Looking like he could say more, probably a rather stinging comment as I think we're all getting rather tired and cranky, the Green Ranger thankfully holds his tongue, simply settling for shuffling out of the room.
"Why are we still awake? I mean I get that before we became Rangers we could last most of the night, but come on, I'm ready to drop and you guys keep pulling out games." As soon as he gets back I'm going to go brush my teeth and go to bed. They can keep playing if they want, but between Rangering, school, not to mention mediating between them and Tommy, I'm beat.
"We're not tired." Right that'd be a bit more convincing if your eyes weren't half closed Trini.
"You've been yawning for the past hour." Turning to Zack who is now finishing off the pot of coffee, I'm once again struck with how odd that is for him. "And you, you've downed a whole pot of coffee."
Taking down her picture, Kim tosses it in the discarded pile with the others. "What can we say we're trying to be friendly. You know playing games, talking and all that. That is what you wanted right." Maybe, though none of you are still being too friendly. And playing games is fine, but we're all getting so tired everything we play turns into an argument of some kind.
"Yes assuming that's why you're doing it."
"It is, well okay and maybe we're just a smidge, teeny tiny smidge nervous about maybe going to sleep in the same room as him." Making a teeny tiny gesture with her fingers, Kim gives a nervous laugh at my look. "Just a smidge."
Leaning back into the couch, I press my hands to my face in an attempt to dull my slowly progressing headache. "You've got be kidding me."
"She is, I mean it's not like we think he'd actually hurt us." Okay, so then what is it exactly you all are so very concerned with, Trini?
"But?"
"Well, and bear in mind we like him. We do." Sure you do Kim. "And don't give me that look Jason because we're trying and you can't deny we're trying to trust him and get along with him." Alright in all fairness they have been, especially after your movie incident.
"Fine you're trying, so what is the problem?"
"Well it's just…our power coins are in our bags and um…" Power coins? This is about your coins? Clearly I'm missing something here. "It's just, well when he was evil, emphasis on the was, it's just he was kind of obsessed with getting hold of not just you but also your coin. Zordon even took note of it when we got him back." Well, alright so I can't deny the Pink Ranger's point on that one.
"Yeah okay, he did have some bizarre desire to get my coin. I think that's only because it was a way to get me once and for all, but you said it yourself Kim, that was when he was evil. Emphasis on the was. He's not now so why would he be after our coins anymore then he'd be after us?" Really getting sick of this conversation.
Exchanging looks, I hate when they do that, Billy finally speaks up. "Well it's just that it brings up the issue of if he really is on our side and for how long. We're not suggesting he's a bad person just that Rita's magic is powerful and he may be prone to a relapse or who knows still under some faint residual influence." Well I'd be lying if I didn't admit that that had crossed my mind maybe once or twice as well as Zordon's. But some things you just have to take in faith and I have faith in Tommy.
Looking uncertain, Trini runs a nervous hand through her hair. "He's been a smidge…testy tonight. And we were thinking that perhaps that might be a reason for it. It's almost like this night, it's a test to see if he really is truly free from her and on our side. I'm sure that's not what you intended it to be by any means, but in a way that's almost what it's coming down to." I hate to say this, but she's right.
"I understand your concerns, but I trust him. If something was wrong I think he'd bring it to us, or at least Zordon. And as for coins mine's up in my room, if he wanted it he could have grabbed it off the desk where I left it after my shower this morning. So when he comes back, we're going to go to bed and that is the end of it. And when you all wake up in the morning, power coins still here and throats still unslit, it'll prove he's with us and I don't want to hear another word about him, okay?"
"About who?" Busted. Let's just hope he didn't hear the rest of that. We really are going to have to put a bell on him.
"Huh, oh um my dad."
Coming fully down the stairs and flipping something in his hand, he seems unconvinced, but at least doesn't question it further. "Right." What is that he has?
Light catching the object, making its gold coloring shine, I'm not the only one that sees it now. Sitting up Kim is the first to find her voice. "What do you have there?"
Moving fully into the living room and more or less ignoring her question, he continues to flip the coin. It's his, it has to be his dragon coin. "You know it's really not smart to leave your coin lying around, Jason. You never know who could find it."
I hate being wrong.
To be continued………