open | going to get my glossy 8x10s

[oomfies]

▶ WHO: lottie person and you!!!
▶ WHAT: intro & june catch-all
▶ WHEN: end of may thru june!
▶ WHERE: everywhere!
▶ WARNINGS: n/a but will update if necessary


1. the Good Parent™

[ Life as a mom sure is easy! At least, the first day of surviving taking care of this egg says so. Lottie looks positively chipper, maybe a bit too smug, as she strolls along with her little egg in her arms. But that isn't the only thing she's carrying.. There's a folder tucked into the crook of her arm, full of something. If you're walking and wonder, 'Why? What the hell is in there?' Well, you'll find out.

Turns out you've strolled just a bit too close for comfort, or Lottie's just too busy cooing over her new child to look where she's going, but you both bump into each other. The egg goes flying in the air, at the same time her folder does. And her new Maternal Instincts choose the egg over the seemingly endless amount of glossy photos spilling onto the ground.

Of the egg. Not even Lottie, just the egg. ]

Oh my god, [ She's barely noticed this, too breathless and peeved to really give it any acknowledgement. ] do you even watch where you're going?!

2. Currently Returning my Dragon,

a. [ Her dragon is not sleeping peacefully, hasn't slept peacefully, and, as it nudges her face, she thinks her dragon never will. Granted, it's trying to block her from breathing in any of the fur, which is nice, but not when it's blatantly overpowering her onto the ground of this stupid plane. ]

H-Hey! Stop!! Stop it!! [ She doesn't have any free hands to wrangle the dragon out of her way, too busy trying to protect her airplane food. Lottie already feels embarrassed - she can't control her stupid kid and she's perpetually on the verge of an allergy attack. So she looks to you for help, literally. She makes eye contact above the head of her dragon, putting the food in sight - ]

Hey, I'll share if you help!

b. [ With the camp set up, things do settle down a bit. It certainly isn't the hell that was the ride over here, that's for sure. And sure, she feels plenty thankful for that.. But it's hard to tell how thankful she is with the way she sits on a random log, hunched over. If you even so much as approach her she won't look up, simply letting her head dangle down between her legs and her hair mingle with the dirt. ]

I.. Totally lost it.

[ The way she says it is positively dramatic. And the worst part is? She won't even elaborate, too focused on her suffering and the bugs crawling around her to get another word out. ]

3. the Springs

[ Lottie is at a point of her life where any apprehension she might have to a public bath is just thrown out the window. She's tired, she's kind of angry, but mostly needing a warm bath. And she gets just that, finding a nice spot in the biggest pool, just soaking in the steam quietly.

But when she hears the signs of someone else come in, she perks up, both curious and suddenly worried about her appearance. She quickly fumbles for her things, leaning over the edge of the pool to grab at her bag and quickly tie her hair up. As unruly as she feels, she refuses to look even a percentage of that in front of company.]

I can move, if you want?

[ She makes eye contact with a small smile by the time you come closer, quickly plunging herself back in the pool before anything can be seen, and far more put together than she was when she walked in. ]

4. wildcard
[ or hit me up with a starter! if you want to hash things out specifically, feel free to pm or send a pp over to enoshima ]

Comments

2-b

[trenchdoting]

[A scruffy detective wearing a large green trenchcoat manages to spot the downtrodden woman while walking around with his dragon. He frowns deeply, as it seems like something upsetting has happened.]

L-lost it, pal? What're you talking about...? [Then he gasps as he settles on a possibility.] Oh no! Don't tell me that your dragon is... is... is no longer with us! [He starts shedding some tears just at the thought of it!]

[oomfies]

[ All she sees is his shoes, and those tiny dragon feet, through her hair, and even if neither are familiar it feels nice to vent out her troubles to someone. You know, even if she kind of forced the interaction herself. ]

No.. [ But even if that were the case (which is very well might be, she hasn't seen her dragon for the past hour after it ran off somewhere), she doesn't sound too sad or concerned when she answers. Not until she heaves a sigh, her fingers digging through hair. ]

I lost the signal for the internet.

[trenchdoting]

[As a new dragon parent, Gumshoe was overwhelmed with concern, as it was all too easy to imagine all of the worst case scenarios that a dragon child could experience. He braced himself, ready to hear the most heartbreaking story of all time...

...only to hear something completely unexpected instead.]

...Huh?

[A confused blink. He feels like he's missing something. He scratches at his head uncertainly.]

...There was internet up here?

[oomfies]

[ Lottie finally lifts her head up, looking all around terrible, nose a little red and brows perpetually furrowed. But just lifting her head isn't enough to completely clear her vision, since some of her hair is in the way. ]

Okay, it wasn't great internet but.. It was something.

[ She manhandles her hair away from her face, lifting it up to see bits of dirt and leaves stuck at the ends. ]

You're telling me you haven't tried to google something already?

time for lalli to learn about the important things: instagram and pizza

[ilves]

[Nothing in this world makes sense, in Lalli's humble opinion? Everything is bright and loud and so, so overwhelming; just walking down this busy street is confusing enough to give him a headache, which is why someone suddenly barking directions at him is... a welcome relief! Almost. Following orders is familiar, at least, even if Lalli doesn't get what, exactly, the green-haired person (weird!) actually wants him to do with the tiny screen she hands him. Something having to do with... pictures...

...Well, Lalli's seen a camera before, girl, and this ain't it! He holds it up to the light while Lottie takes a step back to pose, turning it this way and that way before he gives one of the buttons along the side a tentative poke. Whoa! His eyes widen as he watches the screen suddenly change, but wait up. Hold up. It's—]

Pfh. [Pfh!! He promptly lowers the phone, tapping the screen a few times before he scoffs and holds it back out for this stranger to take.] It's broken.

[It's not. Lalli is just, you know, technologically illiterate, and the phone is a) locked and b) upside down. Roast him...]

ive been ready for this my Whole Life

[oomfies]

[ Lottie already recognizes the problem before he can even announce her precious phone is broken. She un-arches her back, places her egg somewhere relatively safe (inside her jacket) and walks over to Lalli to confirm her suspicions. ]

..Dude, what happened? [ She sees exactly that - how the phone is upside down, how the screen is asleep - and she gives him a look filled with both disappointment and judgement. While Lottie doesn't make a show of it, she does make a point to do it a bit slower when she turns the phone right side up. ] Why'd you turn the phone like that?

[ She doesn't expect an answer, already moving to put her password in and back to the camera app. She opens up the gallery out of curiosity, finding out that the few pictures he did manage to take are upside down.. ]

What, why's it look like that? [ ..And blurry. ] I told you to press the button on the bottom of the screen to take the photos.. Not the actual button on the phone. Do you need a refresher again..?

[ilves]

[He turned the phone upside-down because he's an idiot! ...And because he's, um, never seen one of these things before in his life, but he's too busy watching her zip from one thing to the other to even bother making an annoyed noise. So the pictures he "took" are all... inside this thing? Wild...

But he straightens up with a quiet huff when she mentions a refresher, because, um? Um???]

No. [Yes. Dear God, yes.] I did hit the button? That's why you're there.

[In the pic that's, you know, still on the screen, but that he points to for that Added Emphasis. Look at that!]

There's nothing wrong with it. It looks just like you.

[Flipped. Blurry. Caught in mid-blink, just for good measure. This is probably the least flattering picture he took, and he thinks it's fine.]

[oomfies]

[ Lottie's about to correct him and give him an explanation anyway, because good lighting comes and goes and she's trying to take advantage of it while it's there, but she experiences a shock so powerful it stuns her into silence. ]

...You take that back!

[ She shoves the phone back to him, with it set on the camera. There's prolonged eye contact set his way as Lottie walks backwards (you know, to keep staring at him until he apologizes) to the spot she was posing at earlier. ]

That photo's like that because you can't take a good photo! I do not look like that!

1.

[polypeptide]

[ Egg parenting has hit him pretty hard too. Hard enough to help distract him from his agitation of being a more recent arrival on an alien planet. Also hard enough to make him equally likely to not look where he's going when walking.

His grip on his egg stays firm, and there's never a moment of fumbling to catch it, though he does brace himself to lunge forward for her egg if he needs to.

Turns out he doesn't, but those photos are going to scatter into the four winds if they're not collected fast. He mutters a quick-- ]

Ah-- Sorry.

[ As he kneels down to try and one handed scoop up what pictures he can. He's apparently not done making her life miserable right now, however, because he's definitely putting his fingers right on those glossy top sides and leaving smudges. ]

[oomfies]

Oh..

[ She doesn't expect the sorry, her anger quickly fizzling out. That is, until she sees what he's doing as a way to make all this up to her - ]

..Oh my god.

[ There's a photo with the egg wearing a cowboy hat, another with it sporting a mustache, even one where arms are taped at its side to look like it's flexing.. Truly, the list goes on, and Lottie isn't sure if she's mortified by the fact this guy's just grabbing them (and possibly seeing them!!!) or the fact she sees smudges on those photos. ]

Stop!! [ She pushes past her embarrassment, instead waving a hand in his direction to get his attention. ] Drop those! [ Then, she offers her child towards him. ] And hold my egg, I'll pick it up!

[polypeptide]

[ He didn't expect to be yelled at over pictures, but he's quick to let go everything he's holding, which doesn't send a few drifting a little further away. It seems like the egg would be more important than some pictures, especially considering the pictures are all over the egg, but--

He takes her egg in his now photo free hand, trying to puzzle out what her reaction was all about.

Is there something about the photos that he's missing, or...? ]

[oomfies]

[ She doesn't directly say anything about how low-key displeased she is about all this, except for the look she sends his way after she confirms he's holding her child correctly. In fact, she makes sure to not say anything, at all, as she collects the photos.

Mostly because she is 1) glancing up at him every few seconds, and 2) gathering these photos so delicately it'd be comical if not for the weird tone of the situation. Lottie's still picking them up, but has calmed enough to start (what she deems) meaningful conversation - ]

You're a dad now, dude.. You need to be, seriously, more careful how you walk!

3!!

[raptura]

Oh! I didn't realise--

[Pucci hastily averts his eyes, not that he actually gives a rat's ass. He works with prison inmates of both sexes on the regular, after all; there's not much that can phase him about a naked body anymore. Or mostly-naked? He didn't exactly try to look, either.

He's not a creep.

He'd also like to soak, and Lottie here looks the exact kind of neurotic that he can really dig his little claws into, so there's no obvious rush to turn the other way and walk back out, either. Nope, he's going to put his bundle of things down on the edge of the spring and sit there, legs dangling and gaze distinctly still on Very Polite Levels. Thank you Jesus for letting him have the foresight to actually wear bathers to the spring tonight, amen.] ...I'd probably prefer the company, if that's alright with you? Being left to my own thoughts for too long has never been a healthy habit for me; I tend to get angry about things that never were.

[Not what he'd like to say to a stranger, but whatever. Humanity, flaws, all that stuff simply makes him more approachable, doesn't it? The thought makes him smile far too warmly at Lottie, trying to take her measure and see if that little truth hasn't thrown her off too much.] I'm Enrico.

[oomfies]

[ She appreciates him trying to save her some dignity, it makes her think that making coming to the hot springs wasn't such a terrible idea, impulsive as it was. Her main worry was.... The people. Being a recluse like herself means the last thing she wants to do is talk with someone, much less in the state of undress she's in. ]

..Ugh, no, trust me, I totally get it. [ But it's the call of someone like minded that gets her to be a little less apprehensive. After all, even if she'd never admit it herself, she tends to get the same way. Man, why didn't she think of that?! Just.. Bringing someone here! ] I've had at least, like, three breakdowns already and it's not even funny.

[ And after saying that bit, she remembers why she's here by herself - she knows no one on this trip.

..But maybe she can change that? This guy doesn't seem too bad, and he has a nice smile, at least.. Pretty people need to stick together, right? ] I'm Lottie Person, but you can call me Lottie. It's good to meet you, Enrico. [ She gives her own smile, and although it's smaller, she makes up for that with her gesturing for him to join her. ]

Oh, and, uh, go ahead and come in! You know, whenever you want, I mean.

[raptura]

[As he listens, for the briefest moment Pucci's reminded of-- No, no. Never mind. He'll have to watch that DISC later and shake himself free of this nonsense. Right now, he has to listen and nod, eyes twinkling with an understanding he'll never admit.]

The joys of having an over-active, overly critical brain, right? I haven't reached critical levels yet, but the dragon business kept me from that, thankfully. [Without further ado, he slips into the water proper and tips his head back, unable to hold in a sigh of relief. God, let him never reproduce. He's not made for actual parenting.] ...Thank you for letting me in here though, Lottie. That's not the only reason it's a pleasure to meet you in turn, but it helps.

At least the 'out in the complete wilderness doing some Bear Grylls nonsense' part is over. Between you and me...I don't think my shoes will ever be the same again, and I have no desire at all to think about the state of my robe or pants. [He tips his head just to shoot her a wry little grin, before reaching back to pat his bundle of clothing for emphasis.] A pearl of wisdom, if I might; do not wear $800 pants and your best loafers to chase after a dragon that spits up gunk every time you tell it no.

1/2

[oomfies]

[ Lottie snorts - the dragon business only served to help her hit critical levels as soon as she stepped foot on that plane. So she simply nods, rubbing at her face in pain remembering that awful, awful experience. ]

Yeah.. This is probably the only good part of this dumb trip!

[ Even the whole bubble room business is just.. Too out there for her. At least this is quiet, relatively safe by all magical standards, and warm in comparison to the Bear Grylls Experience™ he talks about. Lottie watches him, eyes moving between him and his clothes, the scowl on her face softening to something more relaxed. ]

[oomfies]

[ Truthfully, she looks a lot less pressed only because her brain is actually putting two and two together... ]

Oh my god, wait, like.. Designer, from Earth?! [ He did just reference a celebrity that she knows!! She scrambles a bit closer to him, feeling some disbelief but still just as excited. ] What brand is it? I didn't get to bring any of mine! I mean, I got abducted right after some bad stress hives.. [ She pauses, inhaling a bit too quickly when she replays what exactly she said in her head. And then, a second too long after, she continues firmly - ] ..Well, I just left a pool party and got home. S-So I wasn't wearing anything good when I woke up to this place!

[ Lottie, at this point in time, realizes how weird she might be coming off with how eager she is. As much as she misses the feeling of designer clothing in her grubby paws, it isn't hers, and they're still technically strangers just chilling in a tub. The realization is plain as day on her face as she scoots back, bringing a hand to fiddle with her hair. ]

Uh, if you tell me what the damage is, I can maybe give you tips on how to clean it?

cyrus

[oomfies]

[ It's a relatively nice day out, all considering the wackiness happening on the daily for the Moonblessed.

Lottie plans to take advantage of a peaceful day like this by going out, looking nice, and taking some good photos of her food. And, luckily for her, Cyrus happened to be free - which means she won't feel judged for taking pics that are integral to her brand! Well, won't feel too judged, she means. ]

Heyy, sorry I'm late. Couldn't find Junior here for like, an hour, but I'm here!

[ She waltzes up to the table Cyrus sits in, having already gotten a staff member to set up a chair that's deemed Egg Safe™ by the manager. Lottie stands there, waiting for the employee to be done before addressing her friend, a smile on her face. ]

How are you? Have you ordered yet?

[acquittals]

[Nah, Cyrus won't judge considering she considers this a part of who Lottie is and appreciates her for it. Given her upbringing, she never really cared to wear dresses, or fashionable clothes for that matter, so it's kind of fun to follow someone who does and who cares about it. In way, it makes Cyrus care.

Anyway, Cyrus is at the meeting place, her egg beside her in one of those Egg Safe Chairs­™ as she waits for Lottie to show up. Though she uses that time to scour the menu because she may need to whittle down what to order. She's not in the Cordis cycle and she doesn't want Lottie to think she's an absolute pig. Which, she totally is an absolute pig.

So with Lottie arriving, she frantically closes the menu because she doesn't want to admit how long she's been staring at the items, trying to figure out what she wants because five of the entrees sound so good right now.]

Hey Lottie! I'm doing pretty well. I haven't ordered since I was waiting for you.

[She totally would have ordered ten minutes ago if she fucking made up her mind on what to eat. That and not wanting to look like a pig.]

[oomfies]

[ Lottie smiles at that - even though none of her old friends are here, she's always going to compare her new ones to them. They would've already ordered without her, probably finished their food, and start talking about things she just doesn't care about. ]

Did you find anything that looks good?

[ Which is why she smiles a bit wider, content at how things are going so early into their hangout. She reaches out for her own menu after that, just to kind of give a cursory gloss over the drinks. ]

I didn't really look over their menu online but they had a lot of good reviews. [ She sits opposite to Cyrus, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she scans the pages. ] Were you feeling like food food or more like appetizers? I think I could go for anything.. But I for sure want a drink.

[acquittals]

Well, I'm trying to decide what sounds the best out of a few of these things.

[She'll act like she's just having trouble deciding, which is a half truth, but also she wants to order the pasta, the pizza, and that steak. While anyone else would find that all way too filling, Cyrus would probably down that in no time at all.

Pasta sounds like a mess, pizza one eats with their hands, so maybe steak is the good way to go?]

I'm thinking the steak, so I guess food food is what's sounding good to me. Oh, but we can totally order appetizers, too! [Please order appetizers... a steak's not going to be filling enough for her...]

What kind of drink are you thinking of? I might get a beer to go with this...

kerra

[oomfies]

[ It's late at night - not ungodly late at night, but late enough to where most people are getting ready to go to bed. Not Lottie, though, and she's hoping that's the same deal with Kerra. Her co-parent is off doing something else tonight, and since Lottie is feeling particularly bored and tired of egg-sitting - ]

are u awake??

[ She sends out a text to Kerra's device, and follows up with another not a second later. ]

wyd

tex

[erranthero]

[Lottie's not wrong. Kerra's one of those people that doesn't sleep normal hours, anyway. Her device buzzing is a welcome distraction.]

Yes.

Sitting here flipping through the holonet. Bored.

You?

[She may have 'googled' that last line.]

[oomfies]

[ It's ok.. Lottie had to google what ''holonet'' meant since she's so used to her own lingo that she refuses to adapt to anything newer. ]

thinking abt ordering some pizza
also bored! lol and kind of sick of hanging out w my kid
how's your egg doing btw??

[erranthero]

[The Star Wars internets.]

Egg's wrecking me, but pizza sounds good.
You wanna hang, do that moonlacing thing to get these eggs to stop draining us?