logs | off she goes ✨ november catch all

[ Once again, she finds herself overdressed. In a sea of people wearing plaid socks with sandals, she is wearing what she hopes is her most inconspicuous pair of heels (they are not). She, at least, has a mind to throw some pants on rather than the skirt she almost went with — the air is cold and oddly biting, out here at the docks. It's the beginnings of night, and everyone in this bar is rowdy and she's feeling spectacularly out of place with her full face of makeup and hair vibrant green.

She's made her mark at the bar, having arrived earlier than the time they agreed to just to scope out the place. Lottie truly meant to contact him earlier but.. Nerves, life, local beheadings at the function, etc. This is the first time she's even left her house since the incident, visibly antsy and suspicious.

Because, after all, just because she's been recommended this bar doesn't mean she can't do a little digging, right?? Right.

So far, all she's found out is that some people smell like fish, and the view of the water is nice when there's no one blocking the way (this is rare). And that the drink the bartender gave her is a bit bitter, but apparently a fan favorite? She's swirling the contents of the drink in the air, texting Zagreus with the other hand when it's close to their meeting time:

hiii i'm here! at the bar lol

And without much preamble, since she very much thinks she has the time, she begins an age old process: the selfie. Lottie visibly sits up straighter, tugs at her blouse every which way until it's just right, arm angled for the perfect photo. But she doesn't take it, no — she's too busy spinning on that bar stool for the perfect lighting, tilting her head every so often in appraisal or irritation at what she sees. ]

[Overdressed, meet underdressed.

Not that Zagreus knows what exactly makes one underdressed or overdressed anyway. Everyone is entitled to their own expression, and he's from a place where skulls, spikes, gold bands, jewels are just uniforms, and even Goddesses decide to eschew clothes altogether (looking at you, Aphrodite) in favor of some strategically placed hair.

After waving his goodbyes to the fishmonger and patting the pouch at his waist full of coin, he feels the device in his pocket thrum and he whips it out.

Oh! It was today and he's late! It's a good thing he's close by and doesn't take much time to find the bar. The crowd is rambunctious enough for him to spot it, and it's not very far from his own little flat. He's seen it every now and then, passed by the establishment, and probably sold a fish or some clams to it for their snacks. He doesn't really remember; his unlife has been a blur.

Spotting Lottie isn't difficult, even within the crowd. Her hair stands out, for sure, but it's more familiar than anything else. It had reminded Zagreus of a sweet, hard-working gorgon back at home, and he only positions himself so he shows up over her shoulder in the 'reflection' on the screen, a hand waving and his smile beaming, honest and glad he's finally meeting someone who was so nice on this device in person.]

Lottie? Hello, there. It's Zagreus.

[ Lottie's too busy deciding whether tilting her head to the left, or right, looks for a better photo to immediately notice Zagreus saunter into frame. He's perched in the open space beside her wild mane of hair and shoulder, her eyes wide when she catches a glimpse of him. Her thumb doesn't stop in time, snapping the photo and immortalizing his little wave along with her surprise into the gallery of her phone. She swings her arm down, thumb itching to open it and take a look, but all it does it anxiously hover over her screen as she turns around to face him.

Turns out, even if she did look, it really wouldn't prepare her for.. Hm, well.

Isn't.. Isn't he cold? Subconsciously, she cradles her phone against her own chest. ]

Hello.. I mean — [ She breathes out, loud enough to be heard over the commotion but still Lottie's own brand of soft: ] Hi, Zagreus.

[ She pulls herself together fast enough to not seem like a complete weirdo, matching his smile when the sincerity of it hits her. Here she is, staring at his single (1) tit, when he's happy to just be here with a friend.

Man, this is taking her back to meeting all her blogger friends for the first time. The realization that they're real and not a face on her screen. Steadily, she's excited, too. ]

It's really nice to officially meet you in person. [ She leans over to take her sweater off the stool next to her (the very real, very reliable way of saving seats!). ] Thanks for coming!

[Thank Ancient Greece, Lottie, and the fact that he's a human furnace. His feet are gaining some activity then like a dormant volcano, the glow steadily increasing across the days he's been here, recuperating slowly, and so is his resistance to the cold. Not that he doesn't feel it. He just doesn't get as affected as most.

He sits down on the stool next to her, the bartender flashing recognition in his eyes—not that he's not easy to recognize, anyway— and Zag tilts his head in reply. It's the first time he's been to this bar, but it's the first time he's an actual customer.] Oh, thank you for inviting me. [His smile widens, obviously happy to meet a friend and trying something new.

He's been doing that a lot, here. Go figure.] What are you having? What's good here?

[ Ah, yes.. His feet. Lottie will definitely find a way to ask about that later.

(Hm, actually, no, she maybe won't — that's weird and she can use her imagination for once.) ]

Oh, it's, uhh.. [ She takes a moment to pretend to recall the name of the drink (yes, Lottie is exactly that type of person, not wanting to seem too eager or too quick to reply.. because she is!!!! And also she's never been here before, oops). ] It's called 'Catch One'. It's their special of the day.. Kinda bitter but, it's blue?

[ She holds the glass up for him to see what she means, and it's true! The drink itself is a vibrant blue reminiscent of the sea. It almost sparkles in the lighting it catches, and if he looks between the floating ice there's.. A gummy shark!! How dangerous, but cute. And hilariously in theme with the fact they're sat pretty on a dock. Lottie seems to think so, because it's the only thing she's actually got since arriving here.

The drink is placed on the coaster, the straw sat inside the drink spinning around the glass idly as she suggestively, definitely curiously, slides it in his direction. ]

Want a sip?

[He peers curiously at the drink, a little blink of recognition when he sees the gummy floating within the cubes—ice, he knows that's ice, now— finding the little fellow adorable. The godling leans in closer, a moment of hesitancy, mostly because he can afford his own drink, and he knows prices are steep in this underworld.

Once she does give him some reassurance, he cradles the glass carefully and sips at the drink, cautiously removing the straw and placing his lips on the brim.

It's… sweeter than he thought, his eyebrows arch, a little surprised, and he licks his lips as he slides the drink back, a little giddy and signaling the bartender to give him one of those, too.] Oh, this is actually quite nice! What makes it blue, do you know?

[ A hand flies to her mouth when she sees him process the flavor, a grin behind her lip and a laugh near teetering out of it. The hand that's free reaches out to bridge the gap and take her drink, gaze drifting back to the bartender already grabbing a glass similar to her own to make his order. ]

I think it's one of the mixers in it? Can't be a juice.. [ Lottie turns back to him look at him, ] An alcohol, maybe..

[ The bartender is busy at work, already in the process of adding said liqueur from a bottle that's about halfway empty. She squints in its direction, as if she can magically read the label if she tries hard enough (she can't, her vision isn't That Great!!). ]

Both? Probably both.

[Probably both! He's squinting at the bottle, too, and it's not because she has great vision, the label is, indeed, worn out, and most of the letters have peeled off. Still, it didn't really matter, and after the bartender slid the drink to Zagreus with a nod, he raises his glass—gently so as not to topple, the cup is filled to the brim.]

Here's to you, Lottie. [He clinks their glasses.] For helping me out with how to work with a phone. Very thankful that you did.

[ Huh...???? A hand flies to her chest, ]

Moi?

[ Wow.. He's clinking their glasses? Over him learning how to use a phone?? In her honor??? Lottie, belatedly, nods, surprised but happy to accept his praise. She certainly isn't going to tell him to stop, but she is actively fighting against the urge to blurt out whatever her goblin brain desperately wants to say (it mingles between 'ha ha, nice, butt dial anyone yet?' and 'tell me more.. more things about me I mean'). It's after she finally takes a sip of her drink, lightly scrunching her face in he process, that she speaks. ]

It's no big deal!! Honest! Everyone should know how to text.. It's like, a basic human right or something. [ She grins, the warmth of the alcohol hitting her. She shivers, ] How's it been, by the way? Been taking care of her?

Of 'her'? [He parrots softly, eyebrows arched as he sips through the straw (and if there's a mention of how silly he looks doing it, it'll only get a laugh). He was unaware that people attributed gender to their phone, but it must be the same as people do with ships, or so he heard. He brings a bundle of fabric up, setting it on the counter between them and unwrapping it to show the cellphone in there, unscathed.]

Is it normal that she keeps trying to slip off my fingers? [He perks up.] Oh! I did almost— ah, what was the name— buttdial, isn't it? I almost did that once. Would be embarrassing if it did happen, but I stopped it before it would actually call anyone.

Edited 2022-11-08 13:10 (UTC)

[ Considering all of her various... afflictions, Lottie seems like someone who might know how to deal with the gradual, floral shutdown of lungs that's going around. At first he'd assumed it was some bizarre, magical bug going around the gallows, spreading between inmate to inmate, but even after his escape he's been seeing signs of it: people coughing into their hands, a few petals flying free from their fingers.

So that brings us to the present: him, watching her rifle through the tinctures and potions that she's bought, stifling a soft cough before speaking over the clink of glass. ]

...Do you think there's really a cure out there?

[ People had made claims, but he's not sure how much of it is snake oil. Guess they're about to find out. He sounds exasperated for being sick, annoyed at the hoarseness of his own voice. ]

I've never heard of a plague involving flowers, even in tales of whimsy.

[ He does look silly, but Lottie keeps the thought to herself, too amused to really ruin the moment. Especially since she is extra elated at seeing the phone in question causing that crinkle to his brow — he's using cloth to protect it? That's so.. Interesting?? She leans over to inspect it, like it's some kind of widely sought after treasure.

And then, she laughs. It's a combination of hearing the musing of what buttdialing was called and actually saying it that broke her. ]

Ohmygod — already?? How? Did you see who it was calling??

[ In the weirdest of ways, even though she doesn't know anything about Dimitri, she feels her most comfortable beside him. Maybe it's because she was literally in his body and the fact she knows how great his lungs felt.. Or maybe it's because he was literally in hers, fully understanding just how terrible her own was.

..Is, she corrects herself, when her tongue runs over her teeth and she tastes copper. It feels nice, having that odd understanding between them and being able to ask for guidance. It's why she worked so hard to gather everything she's taken so far to mitigate her symptoms, all her findings out on the table. The ones that taste like bubblegum are in their own category, the shittier ones the opposite direction. And the mystery potions are situated in the middle.

Still, it is chaos. But not to her eyes, at least. She grabs a flask, one with a blue colored liquid sloshing in it. ]

That's because it just.. Doesn't exist. Stuff like this comes from bored people on the internet.

[ She forgets if he knows what the internet is or not, but she doesn't care. Just grabs a little shot glass and pours the liquid out right under the brim. ]

But.. I think there is. Some of the stuff I've been taking slows down whatever is happening inside me. [ She explains, rubbing at her eyes beneath her glasses. The glass is handed gently towards him, ] I can still feel it, though.. Like, growing.

My shield instructor. Well, that's not quite right. [He's chuckling throughout his explanation, amused at his mishap and delighted that Lottie finds it funny, too. Zagreus squints at the mid-distance, trying to figure out something that's honestly not difficult to explain.] Rather, a friend who decided to teach me how to use a shield for defense.

[He pressed on it when fishing at the pier because a fish was escaping between his fingers.] I wasn't aware it happened so often. Thankfully the sound was loud enough for me to hear it.

[ Not the squinting!! Aughhhh, she snorts, a hand swinging up to cover her face because she doesn't mean for the sound to come out. But she's still smiling, eyes crinkling with mirth. She finds herself giving a nod, and a nod again, like agreeing having shield obsessed friends is normal. ]

Damn! Your friend must be devastated at that missed call. Any vibes at your training sesh?

[ She says vibes like it's something he should look out for, like its a fiendish little imp that'll trudge on through with its own shield. ]

It'll get you like that, though. At least they didn't pick up and listen to you! That's the worst.

[ It's always easier to open up when someone takes the first step, giving a little. And in their case, that first push was an outright shove, one neither had invited. But now that there's no headless murdering horseman chasing after them, it's... nice. In its own way. He doesn't have to admit his own deficiencies, the aches of old battles and stiff scars, the way some of his senses are dulled. There's still some secrecy in not laying out explanations for it all—he doesn't know why she breaks out into hives or anything—but the latent understanding is a comfort.

Even if he still doesn't totally understand. He doesn't know what an internet is. If only he also inherited her pop culture knowledge. He eyes the flask she's plucked up before he takes the... shot glass. lottie why this glassware ]

Mm. Growing is a good way to put it.

[ Terrible as that is. He takes a little sip. It smells slightly chemical, even if it tastes like nothing to him. ]

I hope it hasn't caused you too much pain, at least. [ her lungs already seemed kind of. broken. ] You seem to be taking it in stride. As much as one can, anyway.

[His eyebrows arch when he's about to take another sip from the straw. Pursed lips and nipple out, he really doesn't care if he does look silly. There's already too much toxic masculinity in Ancient Greek Myth and Society anyway. ]

'Vibes'? [He chews on his lips absently, both because the drink really is syrupy and trying to remember if he did learn about that word in his newly-discovered lingo lexicon.] Not quite sure what you mean.

[ Can Zagreus get anymore absurd and hilarious without even trying? Absolutely. He absolutely can and it's destroying Lottie. She is trying very hard to be normal and answer his question properly, and she does so!!

After taking a very long sip of her drink, that is. ]

You know? Vibes.. They can be good or bad or like, just weird. It's like, a feeling. Or an intuition. [ She waves a hand around, dabbing her lips with her napkin. ] Something in the air?

[ She frowns when she sees him take a sip. Her hand gently guides the glass further towards his lips, as if insisting down it, take the whole thing. A full glass of water is nearby for this express purpose!! ]

I'm constantly on something 24/7.

[ Lottie supplies, opting to not lie and tell him it hasn't caused her too much pain.. Because, well, it has. There's no way around the fact that her throat is always unbearably sore and it hurts to breathe a little too fast, a little to eagerly. She figures he can guess the extent of the damage having a garden grow inside her has already done, after all. ]

I'm used to being on some kind of medication so this is pretty normal for me.. Not the flower stuff, obviously. [ She admits rather reluctantly, ] Warm water has definitely been helping.. Humidifier. Soups. Broths. Anything that gets your nose runny..

[ Bossy... It's sort of novel being told what to do when he's been ruling a nation for years, though. So when prompted, he drinks the rest down smoothly (if there's any benefit to ageusia, it's not needing a chaser with bitter medicine), wondering absently what this tonic even does.

At least Lottie seems to know what she's doing, though he's not sure that's a good thing. He sets the glass down with a quiet clink, looking concerned. ]

Are you ill... constantly?

[ The flowers he can understand; there's no need to explain how uncomfortable it is when something pricks inside of you like thorns, the uncomfortable pressure of leaves and petals building up until they're coughed up. But he's usually healthy otherwise. And he doesn't know what the science of an allergy is. His world probably still thinks it's a random fun quirky weakness of the human body. ]

A feeling during practice... [Leaning his chin on the heel of his wrist, he frowns thoughtfully, trying to recall that. Shalem had looked very okay during the practice following that blunder, or so he seemed. He wonders if he should have let it ring and actually called him, but he supposes that he's used to this kind of thing happening, too.] I don't think so. I met him the next day, and he didn't say anything about it. Then again, he knows I'm new to this.

Why, though? [His mismatched eyes flit over to Lottie, who looks so at ease in this kind of setting that he wonders if this is something everyone else on the surface does.] Are there supposed to be?

[ Woah, his eyes (said like someone who is surprised by everything, despite fully knowing the story behind them).. But also, ]

..Vibes?

[ Wait a second — she completely forgot that this was about his practice to begin with!! She waves a hand, ]

No, Zagreus, it was.. I was joking about vibes with your tutor.. Because of the butt dialing, so, I don't know? [ In a much smaller voice: ] It sounded good in my head? [ And then louder, ] It's normal for there to be no vibes, too! If you met him that's completely normal.

[Nodding through her explanation's ups and downs, Zagreus takes what Lottie says to heart, learning a totally new thing and a diligent student if he just puts his heart on it. He finds himself arching his eyebrows as he realizes how the social dynamics regarding the phone work and laughs.] Oh! I see!

[He gently tips his head and equally tilts his glass against hers.] I'm sorry you have to spell everything out for me, you know? I've realized I'm incredibly sheltered, so you've been very helpful. Thank you.

I.. I refuse to use fish blood!

[ It's said, after a few solid seconds after she's released herself from her stupor. A lot of it was comprised of thoughts like, 'is he for real?'.. Another was, 'it can't be real?'

Really, even the fact that Callisto came back from his side of the market (they had decided to strategically split up for more information gathering, 90% was his idea and the 10% remaining was Lottie choosing the market on the docks) with this information is both good news and bad news. Good, because more remedies exist out there to rotate between in case the ones she has turn stale, and bad because holy shit gutting a fish. Lottie opens and closes her mouth once more, seemingly at a loss for words still. ]

I refuse to believe fish blood can.. Work.. It can't? Can it?

[ This is Not the Flex It Should Sound Like And Yet ]

I mean...

[ She gives a wave of her hand, half because she doesn't want him to know the extent of her troubles and half because.. Well, there's no point in lying and saying no when it comes to him. She can say she's healthy all she wants, but he was physically there. Inside her (not like that). And she knows for a fact he understands what living normally is like.. ]

I mean yeah.. Not on purpose. It's just.. How I am? [ Ugh, this is so.. Weird. To explain. Especially since she doesn't want to say the "A" word (allergies). This must all sound weird and avoidant, or mystical.. One of the two! ] A lot of it is conditional on weather.. Or what I eat. Sometimes how I feel.. Like those hives you got.

off she goes ✨ november catch all

𝙯𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙪𝙨 🍻

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nov event stuff!

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SLAYYY

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im CRYING..NOT THE NIPPLE!!!!

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lottie would have a field day with all the nips out in ancient greece

she'd be FLABBERGASTED!! bamboozled. shocked

ofc she would <3

𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤 💉

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