((Paloma Salt continued from Black Box Ice Box))
Food was an important part of Paloma's life. Like yeah everyone needs to eat but but there was a difference between nutrient intake and actually appreciating culinary craftsmanship.
Though she fancied herself a chef (and a good one at that), Paloma enjoyed eating more than cooking, though it was hardly comparable. Cooking was an activity with planning, organization, movement, all kinds of stuff. Eating was just a pleasurable thing. Who didn't like good food? And people liked to talk about food too. So that's what she did. Her site had a solid audience for her restaurant reviews, which Paloma was proud of. And it gave her an excuse to eat out. A great plan.
The restaurant tonight was called 'Silk', which was a decent name. It advertised itself as a traditional Chinese style, so there wasn't going to be any chop suey or whatever. It was a nice-ish place, kind of homey, not too bright or gaudy. Paloma hadn't ordered yet; she'd only just been seated, but the waitress had complimented her minidress (with a very mildly accented voice) which was nice. Good service, personable.
Tonight she'd brought a friend, though. Paloma sometimes went with other people, just to get a second opinion and to have a nice time out with someone. Lyra was the lucky guest tonight. As far as Paloma could tell, they were basically a precious little marshmallow and had such an endearing sincerity. Paloma wasn't exactly a defender of the meek, shockingly, but since she knew about Lyra's gender thing she did try to be supportive. She didn't really get it, but like, if Paloma was a guy or had guy bits but was still her that sounded pretty uncomfortable.
They were also a great dinner partner because they had so much crazy random trivia in that blonde head of theirs. Paloma was amazed at all the myths and stuff they knew about. Actually, good thought..."Hey, idea. What if I did a series on mythological stuff or something, and like, you could be my resource. I think that'd be fun." Paloma sipped her water and glanced at the specials. She didn't know what any of these were, so at some point she'd need to do some deduction and/or Google-fu on her phone. No rush, though.
Lo Mein Event
pip pip pip p ip
((Lyra Doyle continued from life observes itself))
Oh, they hated this part of restauranteering.
Lyra lifted their glass of water to their mouth and took what was intended to be a sip, but which turned out to be more like a glug, as they scanned the menu. Unlike Paloma, they recognised basically everything on the menu, from trips to Chinese restaurants with their family or... comfort eating takeout, but that, itself, was the problem. How, exactly, were they supposed to choose something to eat when everything on offer was so good?
They peeked over the top of their menu to take a look at Paloma, hoping she'd be equally stumped, but she seemed perfectly at ease, calmly going over the options. Not a huge surprise; this was Paloma's whole thing, after all, restaurant reviews, so she was probably the master of picking something delicious at the last second without breaking a sweat.
Still, Lyra only just about managed to suppress a sigh. Paloma seemed so graceful and elegant and in her element, and Lyra just felt... kinda out of place. This wasn't even a super fancy restaurant; there were no candelabras or waiters in black suits and ties to sneer at Lyra in their outer space hoody, like last time. It was pleasant and warm and cozy, and the waitress had been cute and smiled at them, and they should have been right at home here. But they felt as though, any second now, they were gonna mess up somehow, and embarrass themselves and Paloma.
Whatever. Whatever! They weren't gonna let those thoughts ruin their meal. Paloma had been gracious enough to invite them out to eat with them, so they were gonna enjoy it! And, besides, they had much more important things to worry about. Like what starter they were gonna order! Spare ribs, or spring rolls? Spring rolls, or spare ribs?
Oooh, but there was prawn toast as well...
Luckily, Paloma was right there to save Lyra from their Sisyphean ordeal of forever choosing and then re-choosing. For the time being. They took another glug of water, and fixed Paloma with a big grin.
"Oh, that does sound fun! What sorta mythological stuff were you thinking of? Any specific time periods? Greek? Roman? Celtic? Aztec? Central African? Oooooh, or what about a series covering a whole bunch of different myths, like on mythological creatures across history? Whatever you need, I've got you covered"
Lyra couldn't help themselves from finger gunning at Paloma.
Oh, they hated this part of restauranteering.
Lyra lifted their glass of water to their mouth and took what was intended to be a sip, but which turned out to be more like a glug, as they scanned the menu. Unlike Paloma, they recognised basically everything on the menu, from trips to Chinese restaurants with their family or... comfort eating takeout, but that, itself, was the problem. How, exactly, were they supposed to choose something to eat when everything on offer was so good?
They peeked over the top of their menu to take a look at Paloma, hoping she'd be equally stumped, but she seemed perfectly at ease, calmly going over the options. Not a huge surprise; this was Paloma's whole thing, after all, restaurant reviews, so she was probably the master of picking something delicious at the last second without breaking a sweat.
Still, Lyra only just about managed to suppress a sigh. Paloma seemed so graceful and elegant and in her element, and Lyra just felt... kinda out of place. This wasn't even a super fancy restaurant; there were no candelabras or waiters in black suits and ties to sneer at Lyra in their outer space hoody, like last time. It was pleasant and warm and cozy, and the waitress had been cute and smiled at them, and they should have been right at home here. But they felt as though, any second now, they were gonna mess up somehow, and embarrass themselves and Paloma.
Whatever. Whatever! They weren't gonna let those thoughts ruin their meal. Paloma had been gracious enough to invite them out to eat with them, so they were gonna enjoy it! And, besides, they had much more important things to worry about. Like what starter they were gonna order! Spare ribs, or spring rolls? Spring rolls, or spare ribs?
Oooh, but there was prawn toast as well...
Luckily, Paloma was right there to save Lyra from their Sisyphean ordeal of forever choosing and then re-choosing. For the time being. They took another glug of water, and fixed Paloma with a big grin.
"Oh, that does sound fun! What sorta mythological stuff were you thinking of? Any specific time periods? Greek? Roman? Celtic? Aztec? Central African? Oooooh, or what about a series covering a whole bunch of different myths, like on mythological creatures across history? Whatever you need, I've got you covered"
Lyra couldn't help themselves from finger gunning at Paloma.
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
How could you not smile at Lyra? That kind of enthusiasm was just so precious. Paloma chuckled and grinned back at their response.
"Oh my god, how am I supposed to pick? I don't know any of these." She laughed again. "There's what, thousands of years for like, every country ever. I might need you to narrow it down for me."
Paloma took another look at the menu as she spoke, not really reading any of it because they weren't English words despite being written in English letters. "Maybe it can be an ongoing thing, I dunno. And like, there's so many topics, I can't just do every myth."
Oh! Inspiration...yes! Paloma looked up at Lyra. "Ooh, what if it was like a bestiary? Like, I draw the, the hydra or the medusa or something, then maybe you and I could write up a mock biography. Like a myth textbook, but not boring."
That was actually a cool idea, she thought. Like one of those sci-fi things with pretend aliens.
"Oh my god, how am I supposed to pick? I don't know any of these." She laughed again. "There's what, thousands of years for like, every country ever. I might need you to narrow it down for me."
Paloma took another look at the menu as she spoke, not really reading any of it because they weren't English words despite being written in English letters. "Maybe it can be an ongoing thing, I dunno. And like, there's so many topics, I can't just do every myth."
Oh! Inspiration...yes! Paloma looked up at Lyra. "Ooh, what if it was like a bestiary? Like, I draw the, the hydra or the medusa or something, then maybe you and I could write up a mock biography. Like a myth textbook, but not boring."
That was actually a cool idea, she thought. Like one of those sci-fi things with pretend aliens.
Okay! Okay, they'd decided! They were gonna get prawn toast as an appetiser! Now that they were thinking about it more, they realised it had been a while since they'd gotten to have it, and you could only really get prawn toast at Chinese restaurants, so! The decision was made! Sometimes, when you'd be happy with whatever got put in front of you, you just had to make a decision and stick to it!
Now they just had to decide on a main course.
...
Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.
Lyra was severely tempted to smack their forehead into something, like the menu, or the table. They managed to just about resist that urge, and instead focused on what Paloma was suggesting. It took about two seconds for their expression to go from subconsciously distressed to wide-eyed and excited.
"Ooooh, yeah!" Lyra said, a little louder than strictly necessary. They were almost certain one of the waitresses gave them the stink eye as she passed by, but they managed to squash that self-doubt right back down, and continued talking in their excited tone.
"That'd be super fun, 'loma! Your art's so good, I'd love to see the manticore or a Jersey devil done in your style, and, ooh, you know who we've gotta get in there?"
This was the moment, in the anime of Lyra's life, where their eyes would be filled with stars.
"We gotta put the Tsuchinoko in there! We gotta! Oh, wait, d'you know what that is?"
Now they just had to decide on a main course.
...
Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.
Lyra was severely tempted to smack their forehead into something, like the menu, or the table. They managed to just about resist that urge, and instead focused on what Paloma was suggesting. It took about two seconds for their expression to go from subconsciously distressed to wide-eyed and excited.
"Ooooh, yeah!" Lyra said, a little louder than strictly necessary. They were almost certain one of the waitresses gave them the stink eye as she passed by, but they managed to squash that self-doubt right back down, and continued talking in their excited tone.
"That'd be super fun, 'loma! Your art's so good, I'd love to see the manticore or a Jersey devil done in your style, and, ooh, you know who we've gotta get in there?"
This was the moment, in the anime of Lyra's life, where their eyes would be filled with stars.
"We gotta put the Tsuchinoko in there! We gotta! Oh, wait, d'you know what that is?"
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Admittedly she wasn't too sure what Lyra was fretting about. To Paloma it seemed like being them must be like being on a roller coaster all the time. And they wore their emotions so upfront, it would be refreshing if it wasn't exhausting. It was sometimes tiring to see their mood fly all over the place, but right now Paloma was in a good state, and Lyra seemed to be doing pretty well too. Overall. Net positive!
Lyra also seemed to be down for Paloma's suggestion. That was encouraging; it wasn't like she'd not known it was a great thought already, but if her friend was super not-into-it then...well, Lyra was helping out, it would be good to consider their opinion.
As for the...the thing. "I have no idea, sorry." Paloma chuckled, folding up her menu. The waitress approached again, though, and Paloma hadn't actually seen what to order, so she quickly flipped it open and scanned it quickly.
Normally, she'd order a few different things--having a variety of samples was important if she wanted to do a proper review--but Paloma could probably ask Lyra about some stuff, and also she knew better than to order something without knowing what it was and get something weird like chicken feet or whatever.
"I'd like the Cha siu bao, the dumplings?" Paloma smiled at the server, and as soon as she left she gave Lyra a look of amused concern and asked, "Did I say that right? At all?"
Lyra also seemed to be down for Paloma's suggestion. That was encouraging; it wasn't like she'd not known it was a great thought already, but if her friend was super not-into-it then...well, Lyra was helping out, it would be good to consider their opinion.
As for the...the thing. "I have no idea, sorry." Paloma chuckled, folding up her menu. The waitress approached again, though, and Paloma hadn't actually seen what to order, so she quickly flipped it open and scanned it quickly.
Normally, she'd order a few different things--having a variety of samples was important if she wanted to do a proper review--but Paloma could probably ask Lyra about some stuff, and also she knew better than to order something without knowing what it was and get something weird like chicken feet or whatever.
"I'd like the Cha siu bao, the dumplings?" Paloma smiled at the server, and as soon as she left she gave Lyra a look of amused concern and asked, "Did I say that right? At all?"
"Oh, okay, SO, the Tsuchinoko is-"
Lyra was all ready to launch into a massive, incredibly detailed explanation of exactly why Paloma had to add everyone's favourite fat snake into their bestiary project thingy, when their waitress arrived, and they shut up in double quick time.
Listen. Lyra was weird. They knew that, and they'd not only accepted it, they'd, y'know, kinda embraced it. But only around people that they knew, and even then there was still a layer (a freakin' HUGE layer) of self-consciousness whenever they talked about something they were super interested in to someone they weren't super-duper close friends with. When there was a chance that a total stranger would overhear? Yeah, they were gonna shush real fast.
And also? They still hadn't decided on a main course, and Paloma was all calmly and politely giving her order and there were about 3 seconds for Lyra to read the entire menu and come to a decision, and now there were 2 seconds, and now there was 1, and-
"Can I get, uhhhhhhh..."
Oh God, they were turning into the living version of "Can I Get A Fuckin' Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh", right here in the middle of the restaurant. Quick, just pick something you liked, anything.
"... The, uh, the prawn toast as an entrée, and uh... the beef chow mein as a main course?"
Hehehe. Mein course. That made up for ALL of the stress Lyra had been feeling up to this point.
The waitress smiled and walked away, and Lyra started breathing again. That... could have gone a lot worse! Whoo! They looked up at Paloma and gave them a sheepish grin. Man. They really hoped that Paloma wasn't suddenly feeling an assbuttload of regret and embarrassment at having invited them along. They should have put something nicer on to wear. A sharp suit or dress always elevated you to a higher status, even if you somehow managed to spill your soup all over your dinner partner.
"I, uh, I'm not sure!" Lyra laughed in response to Paloma's question, quickly settling back down to a level of calm again. "It sounds right! I guess if they bring back a big bowl of rice you'll know you said something wrong. I wouldn't worry about it though, one time at McDonalds I called the server "Mom" when she gave me my order. I haven't been back in there since..."
Lyra idly broke open their chopsticks as they spoke. Y'know, they couldn't see Paloma ever stepping foot into a McDonalds in her life. Those were just two things that simply didn't go together. Like greasy fry oil and water. The mental image of Paloma attempting to step through the door of a Maccy Ds and getting forcefully flung out of it popped into Lyra's head, and they couldn't stop a snort-giggle from escaping.
"Oh, uh, right, the Tsuchinoko!" Lyra spoke quickly, trying to move on from their giggling over nothing as fast as possible. "So, the Tsuchinoko is basically this really really fat snake from Japanese folklore! It's got poisonous fangs, and it can jump about a metre or so in the air! Some of them are able to speak and communicate with humans, but they're, like, habitual liars and they can't stop drinking alcohol! I think they also have something to do with prosperity and wealth, but that might just have been in a video game..."
Aaaaaaaaaand breathe. Lyra took a big glug from their water glass, grinning at Paloma through the clear liquid.
Lyra was all ready to launch into a massive, incredibly detailed explanation of exactly why Paloma had to add everyone's favourite fat snake into their bestiary project thingy, when their waitress arrived, and they shut up in double quick time.
Listen. Lyra was weird. They knew that, and they'd not only accepted it, they'd, y'know, kinda embraced it. But only around people that they knew, and even then there was still a layer (a freakin' HUGE layer) of self-consciousness whenever they talked about something they were super interested in to someone they weren't super-duper close friends with. When there was a chance that a total stranger would overhear? Yeah, they were gonna shush real fast.
And also? They still hadn't decided on a main course, and Paloma was all calmly and politely giving her order and there were about 3 seconds for Lyra to read the entire menu and come to a decision, and now there were 2 seconds, and now there was 1, and-
"Can I get, uhhhhhhh..."
Oh God, they were turning into the living version of "Can I Get A Fuckin' Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh", right here in the middle of the restaurant. Quick, just pick something you liked, anything.
"... The, uh, the prawn toast as an entrée, and uh... the beef chow mein as a main course?"
Hehehe. Mein course. That made up for ALL of the stress Lyra had been feeling up to this point.
The waitress smiled and walked away, and Lyra started breathing again. That... could have gone a lot worse! Whoo! They looked up at Paloma and gave them a sheepish grin. Man. They really hoped that Paloma wasn't suddenly feeling an assbuttload of regret and embarrassment at having invited them along. They should have put something nicer on to wear. A sharp suit or dress always elevated you to a higher status, even if you somehow managed to spill your soup all over your dinner partner.
"I, uh, I'm not sure!" Lyra laughed in response to Paloma's question, quickly settling back down to a level of calm again. "It sounds right! I guess if they bring back a big bowl of rice you'll know you said something wrong. I wouldn't worry about it though, one time at McDonalds I called the server "Mom" when she gave me my order. I haven't been back in there since..."
Lyra idly broke open their chopsticks as they spoke. Y'know, they couldn't see Paloma ever stepping foot into a McDonalds in her life. Those were just two things that simply didn't go together. Like greasy fry oil and water. The mental image of Paloma attempting to step through the door of a Maccy Ds and getting forcefully flung out of it popped into Lyra's head, and they couldn't stop a snort-giggle from escaping.
"Oh, uh, right, the Tsuchinoko!" Lyra spoke quickly, trying to move on from their giggling over nothing as fast as possible. "So, the Tsuchinoko is basically this really really fat snake from Japanese folklore! It's got poisonous fangs, and it can jump about a metre or so in the air! Some of them are able to speak and communicate with humans, but they're, like, habitual liars and they can't stop drinking alcohol! I think they also have something to do with prosperity and wealth, but that might just have been in a video game..."
Aaaaaaaaaand breathe. Lyra took a big glug from their water glass, grinning at Paloma through the clear liquid.
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Lyra was...not great at being put on the spot. Paloma was fine to just watch, though; as long as the poor thing didn't actually dissolve into a puddle or something, it was probably better to just not try to pick up the slack. Like, sink-or-swim, maybe?
"Oh, Lyra." Paloma smiled sympathetically. "I guess it's for the best. MacDonald's is, well..." Was it even real food? The fries were good sometimes and a sugary shake could be nice on the occasion, but she was reasonably confident that potatoes and dairy were not the main ingredients in either.
"Yeah, anyway." Paloma affirmed Lyra starting up, then listened patiently as they explained the Tsuchinoko. What a name. Paloma couldn't help but giggle at the description. What the heck were Japanese people thinking with this crap? None of those traits logically went together. Did someone spike the sake when that got thought up?
On the plus side..."That sounds weird as hell." Paloma sipped some of her water as well, clearing her throat after. "I'll have fun trying to draw it, though. Sounds like the deadbeat dad of snakes."
"Oh, Lyra." Paloma smiled sympathetically. "I guess it's for the best. MacDonald's is, well..." Was it even real food? The fries were good sometimes and a sugary shake could be nice on the occasion, but she was reasonably confident that potatoes and dairy were not the main ingredients in either.
"Yeah, anyway." Paloma affirmed Lyra starting up, then listened patiently as they explained the Tsuchinoko. What a name. Paloma couldn't help but giggle at the description. What the heck were Japanese people thinking with this crap? None of those traits logically went together. Did someone spike the sake when that got thought up?
On the plus side..."That sounds weird as hell." Paloma sipped some of her water as well, clearing her throat after. "I'll have fun trying to draw it, though. Sounds like the deadbeat dad of snakes."
-
Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
((Lori Martin start))
Lori huffed, pushing on the restaurant door with her right shoulder while cradling her pom poms in her arms and wearing a heavy-looking backpack. Lori was dressed in the workout sweats of George Hunter High: green track pants and a white t-shirt with fierce owl on it. She walked past the few other diners at Silk and went up to the bar, which was unoccupied. Lori tossed the pom poms on the stool next to her and rustled around the backpack for moment after unzipping it.
"Hey Greg," she said to the bartender as both a greeting and a manner of getting his attention. She smiled at him and pulled out a spiral notebook and a mechanical pencil. He dutifully, eventually, made his way over.
"Can I just get the lemon chicken, some rice and some of the green tea?" she asked, smoothing her pony tail down in the reflection of some of the bottles of liquor behind Greg. He scribbled the order down and started to leave, but she called out again.
"Oh! Could I please get the remote?" she said, tilting her head towards the tv above the bar, currently showing a soccer game with fuzzy reception. The bartender gave a fleeting look at the game, before handing over the remote.
"Thank you!" she called after him as he ran the order to the kitchen. Lori looked at the ancient television remove, which was covered in a protective plastic casing that was slightly peeling. After a bit of fumbling she navigated to the guide function and then selected "Mad Money," Hosted by Jim Cramer on CNBC. His tomato face filled the screen and she began scribbling down in her notebook. She raised the volume a bit so that she could write and listen at the same time.
He wasn't always right, but what he was good for was the Cramer bump. If he said to buy any of the stock she had in her portfolio that mean it'd get a bump from the recommendation and would raise in value temporarily. A good time to let it go if she wasn't married to the stock.
Lori huffed, pushing on the restaurant door with her right shoulder while cradling her pom poms in her arms and wearing a heavy-looking backpack. Lori was dressed in the workout sweats of George Hunter High: green track pants and a white t-shirt with fierce owl on it. She walked past the few other diners at Silk and went up to the bar, which was unoccupied. Lori tossed the pom poms on the stool next to her and rustled around the backpack for moment after unzipping it.
"Hey Greg," she said to the bartender as both a greeting and a manner of getting his attention. She smiled at him and pulled out a spiral notebook and a mechanical pencil. He dutifully, eventually, made his way over.
"Can I just get the lemon chicken, some rice and some of the green tea?" she asked, smoothing her pony tail down in the reflection of some of the bottles of liquor behind Greg. He scribbled the order down and started to leave, but she called out again.
"Oh! Could I please get the remote?" she said, tilting her head towards the tv above the bar, currently showing a soccer game with fuzzy reception. The bartender gave a fleeting look at the game, before handing over the remote.
"Thank you!" she called after him as he ran the order to the kitchen. Lori looked at the ancient television remove, which was covered in a protective plastic casing that was slightly peeling. After a bit of fumbling she navigated to the guide function and then selected "Mad Money," Hosted by Jim Cramer on CNBC. His tomato face filled the screen and she began scribbling down in her notebook. She raised the volume a bit so that she could write and listen at the same time.
He wasn't always right, but what he was good for was the Cramer bump. If he said to buy any of the stock she had in her portfolio that mean it'd get a bump from the recommendation and would raise in value temporarily. A good time to let it go if she wasn't married to the stock.
Yeah, that was pretty much the reaction Lyra had expected, the moment they’d brought up McDonalds. And in all honesty, they couldn’t blame her. They loooooved McDonalds, loved it a lot, but they’d also be the first to admit it didn’t actually taste all that good. They served ‘burgers’ in the loosest sense of the word, and Lyra hadn’t thought it possible to screw up a milkshake before they'd tried a McDonalds one, but you know what? Sometimes you just needed an unhealthy, artery clogging meal to get you through the day.
Their fries, of course, were legendarily good. That was worth the trip in and of itself.
Paloma’s reaction to the Tsuchinoko was much more positive, however, and that big big grin remained on Lyra’s face, even after they put their glass back down. Stuff like your minotaurs and your chimeras and your Jersey devils were all well and good, but if they really wanted to make this bestiary pop, they needed to add in the reallyweird stuff, the tsuchinokos and the elwetritschen and the wolpertingers. Bring ‘em in with the half-human-half-lions. Keep ‘em hooked with fat snakes.
“That’s basically what it is, yeah!” Lyra said, giggling, already painting a picture of what Paloma was describing in their head. “It just rocks up to the mythical snake party totally wasted already, embarrassing the heck outta Ouroboros and trying to flirt with Quetzalcoatl and-“
Lyra realised they were getting drowned out somewhat, as the television set playing behind them steadily revved to a louder volume. They turned around in their seat, looking up first at the TV itself, where a man who really needed to calm down and do some breathing exercises had replaced the dire soccer game from before, then at the culprit for the change of channels.
Oh. Lori. Yeah that’d explain it. Lori was… eeesh. Going solely by their political views, they should have been the firmest of friends. But, unfortunately, that wasn’t all that comprised Lori. She was also made up of pushy, aggressive negativity, and that got tiring fast on a good day alone. And even though Lyra knew it was unfair to tar the entire squad with the same brush, they couldn’t shake the association with Ivy and her ilk.
Lyra sighed gently, then turned back to look at Paloma, sheepish little smile on their face.
“Guess that’s our fault for sitting so close to the bar, huh?”
Their fries, of course, were legendarily good. That was worth the trip in and of itself.
Paloma’s reaction to the Tsuchinoko was much more positive, however, and that big big grin remained on Lyra’s face, even after they put their glass back down. Stuff like your minotaurs and your chimeras and your Jersey devils were all well and good, but if they really wanted to make this bestiary pop, they needed to add in the reallyweird stuff, the tsuchinokos and the elwetritschen and the wolpertingers. Bring ‘em in with the half-human-half-lions. Keep ‘em hooked with fat snakes.
“That’s basically what it is, yeah!” Lyra said, giggling, already painting a picture of what Paloma was describing in their head. “It just rocks up to the mythical snake party totally wasted already, embarrassing the heck outta Ouroboros and trying to flirt with Quetzalcoatl and-“
Lyra realised they were getting drowned out somewhat, as the television set playing behind them steadily revved to a louder volume. They turned around in their seat, looking up first at the TV itself, where a man who really needed to calm down and do some breathing exercises had replaced the dire soccer game from before, then at the culprit for the change of channels.
Oh. Lori. Yeah that’d explain it. Lori was… eeesh. Going solely by their political views, they should have been the firmest of friends. But, unfortunately, that wasn’t all that comprised Lori. She was also made up of pushy, aggressive negativity, and that got tiring fast on a good day alone. And even though Lyra knew it was unfair to tar the entire squad with the same brush, they couldn’t shake the association with Ivy and her ilk.
Lyra sighed gently, then turned back to look at Paloma, sheepish little smile on their face.
“Guess that’s our fault for sitting so close to the bar, huh?”
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Paloma had no idea about any of the other snakes Lyra had started referencing-wait, was Ouroboros the one that ate itself? Wasn't it in that Dan Brown series or something? Not that she'd read them. God no. It also didn't help that the TV in the background had jumped up a bit, making a big difference since it was right behind Lyra.
Paloma sat up to see past Lyra. She hadn't even noticed what was on before, but now it was some kind of color commentary? No wait, it was 'Mad Money', featuring a man way too emotionally invested in his job. It looked like one of the cheer girls was there, too. Lori? Paloma would never say it aloud, at least not with Lyra around (whom she was pretty sure was allergic to nasty commentary) but Lori struck her as kind of white-trashy and conceited.
Actually, Paloma was kind of surprised that she was apparently following this guy's commentary. She wasn't nosy about people's grades or anything but Lori wasn't a great student. Except in math, which...actually made sense if the economy was probability and money based. Which it was, mostly, except for the people involved. But there was math.
Whatever. Lori might be an aspiring she-wolf of Wall Street but this was a public place and her angry guy was intruding on their conversation. Lyra was of course not going to act on it, but Paloma was glad to intervene on their mutual behalf. "We're allowed to sit at this table, she doesn't own this side of the room. Lori!" Paloma's normal volume went up as she called out the other girl's name, craning her neck and leaning on the table with her hands to get a better view. "That's so loud, can you turn it down please?" She said please, and Lori was even closer than their table, so how loud did she even need it to be?
Paloma sat up to see past Lyra. She hadn't even noticed what was on before, but now it was some kind of color commentary? No wait, it was 'Mad Money', featuring a man way too emotionally invested in his job. It looked like one of the cheer girls was there, too. Lori? Paloma would never say it aloud, at least not with Lyra around (whom she was pretty sure was allergic to nasty commentary) but Lori struck her as kind of white-trashy and conceited.
Actually, Paloma was kind of surprised that she was apparently following this guy's commentary. She wasn't nosy about people's grades or anything but Lori wasn't a great student. Except in math, which...actually made sense if the economy was probability and money based. Which it was, mostly, except for the people involved. But there was math.
Whatever. Lori might be an aspiring she-wolf of Wall Street but this was a public place and her angry guy was intruding on their conversation. Lyra was of course not going to act on it, but Paloma was glad to intervene on their mutual behalf. "We're allowed to sit at this table, she doesn't own this side of the room. Lori!" Paloma's normal volume went up as she called out the other girl's name, craning her neck and leaning on the table with her hands to get a better view. "That's so loud, can you turn it down please?" She said please, and Lori was even closer than their table, so how loud did she even need it to be?
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Lori's scribbling was interrupted by a voice from behind her. She continued to write as she turned around, taking notes without looking at the page. It was Paloma, the girl named after a cocktail, asking her to turn the television down. It figured that kids wouldn't understand the importance of the work she was doing now. Lori looked at the table and rolled her eyes, all the while writing. The man had left her a tea pot and a cup, ask she'd asked.
"Yeah, alright," she said, thinking that Paloma could have been a little more polite with her request.
Lori grabbed the remote and turned the volume down 10 notches, bringing the booming voice down considerably.
"There you go, Salty," she said, smiling at the table and discretely hitting the volume up one notch with her pinky.
"Yeah, alright," she said, thinking that Paloma could have been a little more polite with her request.
Lori grabbed the remote and turned the volume down 10 notches, bringing the booming voice down considerably.
"There you go, Salty," she said, smiling at the table and discretely hitting the volume up one notch with her pinky.
Lyra gave Lori an appreciative smile, one that looked perfectly genuine and earnest until you started to look closer at it. That was when you noticed that the corner of their mouth was twitching and the smile wasn’t reflected in their eyes, because behind them, they were starting to scream internally.
How had they described Lori earlier? ‘Pushy and negative,’ something like that. Make that ‘unnecessarily pushy and negative’, and she was showing off exactly why she’d garnered that reputation. It was the small things that Lyra noticed; the little eyeroll, the pencil glued to the notebook even as she was talking to them, calling Paloma ‘Salty’…
If it had just been Lyra sitting by themselves… well, they wouldn’t be worrying about this no matter what, because, hahaha, like heck they would have worked up the nerve to ask Lori to turn the TV down if they’d been eating alone. But they were sitting with Paloma, and as much as Lyra loved the girl, she had a tendency to be… blunt. Hasty and short and maybe just a tiny bit rude, maybe.
Lyra really, really hoped that today wasn’t one of those days where that tendency came to the forefront, because then they’d be right in the crossfire when all they’d wanted was to have a nice meal with a good friend, and then they’d just be staring forlornly into their chow mein. Lyra wasn’t great at dealing with confrontation (and that was the understatement of the Since Time Began), but maybe they could play peacemaker via distraction instead.
And just like Paloma didn’t seem like the sort of person to set foot into a McDonalds, she also didn’t seem like the sort of person who’d spend much time on the internet where ‘salty’ was a common enough term.
“Thanks Lori!” Lyra said, a big and proper smile now on their face, now that they were imagining Paloma wearing a Monster snapback, digging into a box of chicken nuggets, and spamming Twitch chat with the salt emote.
"So, um, anyway!” Lyra continued, turning back to face Paloma, hoping their food arrived soon so there’d be an even better distraction. “I can get a huge list of stuff that we could add to the bestiary, if you’d like! Make sure you don’t make any plans before you read it, it’s gonna be long!”
How had they described Lori earlier? ‘Pushy and negative,’ something like that. Make that ‘unnecessarily pushy and negative’, and she was showing off exactly why she’d garnered that reputation. It was the small things that Lyra noticed; the little eyeroll, the pencil glued to the notebook even as she was talking to them, calling Paloma ‘Salty’…
If it had just been Lyra sitting by themselves… well, they wouldn’t be worrying about this no matter what, because, hahaha, like heck they would have worked up the nerve to ask Lori to turn the TV down if they’d been eating alone. But they were sitting with Paloma, and as much as Lyra loved the girl, she had a tendency to be… blunt. Hasty and short and maybe just a tiny bit rude, maybe.
Lyra really, really hoped that today wasn’t one of those days where that tendency came to the forefront, because then they’d be right in the crossfire when all they’d wanted was to have a nice meal with a good friend, and then they’d just be staring forlornly into their chow mein. Lyra wasn’t great at dealing with confrontation (and that was the understatement of the Since Time Began), but maybe they could play peacemaker via distraction instead.
And just like Paloma didn’t seem like the sort of person to set foot into a McDonalds, she also didn’t seem like the sort of person who’d spend much time on the internet where ‘salty’ was a common enough term.
“Thanks Lori!” Lyra said, a big and proper smile now on their face, now that they were imagining Paloma wearing a Monster snapback, digging into a box of chicken nuggets, and spamming Twitch chat with the salt emote.
"So, um, anyway!” Lyra continued, turning back to face Paloma, hoping their food arrived soon so there’d be an even better distraction. “I can get a huge list of stuff that we could add to the bestiary, if you’d like! Make sure you don’t make any plans before you read it, it’s gonna be long!”
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Ugh, really. 'Salty', as though this was elementary school. God, that brought back bad memories; turns out little kids lose the ability to say words with 3 syllables in them.
Paloma was tempted, sorely, to get into it with Lori. She'd made a perfectly reasonable request, and been met with attitude. The nerve! But, at least she'd turned it down at all, and she could tell Lyra was pretty unwilling to engage. That was pretty typical of Lyra, and Paloma didn't want to drag her friend into a conflict when it seemed like the poor thing might just wither away.
"Yeah..." Paloma turned and looked back at the door she believed led to the kitchen, feeling impatient at their meal. It hadn't really been that long, but it didn't seem like the place was that busy, so it was annoying. "Sorry, what did you say? Uh, if you made a list that would be great, I don't know a lot of these things, y'know."
She was pretty sure Lori had turned up the volume at some point. Paloma's gaze drifted towards the bar, scrutinizing Lori for any sign of continued remote control creeping. After a moment she turned back to Lyra. "You want to like, write up some descriptions for them too? Like, not just for me but to put in with the pages when they're done? Like, with numbers and stuff."
Paloma was tempted, sorely, to get into it with Lori. She'd made a perfectly reasonable request, and been met with attitude. The nerve! But, at least she'd turned it down at all, and she could tell Lyra was pretty unwilling to engage. That was pretty typical of Lyra, and Paloma didn't want to drag her friend into a conflict when it seemed like the poor thing might just wither away.
"Yeah..." Paloma turned and looked back at the door she believed led to the kitchen, feeling impatient at their meal. It hadn't really been that long, but it didn't seem like the place was that busy, so it was annoying. "Sorry, what did you say? Uh, if you made a list that would be great, I don't know a lot of these things, y'know."
She was pretty sure Lori had turned up the volume at some point. Paloma's gaze drifted towards the bar, scrutinizing Lori for any sign of continued remote control creeping. After a moment she turned back to Lyra. "You want to like, write up some descriptions for them too? Like, not just for me but to put in with the pages when they're done? Like, with numbers and stuff."
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
((I'm so sorry guys v_v))
Lyra thanked her and Lori turned back to her work. It felt very phony and she hated fake people who were nice to her face when she knew they thought she was trash. She just knew that's what Lyra thought too. It set her in a bad mood, Lyra and their phony smile. Paloma didn't say much either, but the way she looked at her also set her on edge. She surreptitiously knocked the volume up one more notch.
She thinks she's better than me? Well we'll see when I have a pretty penny from my Herbalife short-
Herbalife, it seemed, had shot up. That was going to cost her. Lori was completely befuddled. How could a pyramid scheme that sold people bullshit weight-loss pills skyrocket? Her other stocks would make up for the loss, but this really enraged her. Lori blamed the stupid masses. She thought the general public wouldn't be so stupid as to go in droves to get stuck in a weight-loss scam, but as always, people never failed to disappoint.
"Ugh!" she shouted in disgust, balling her fists so tight it snapped her pencil in half. "People are such idiots" she fumed.
Lyra thanked her and Lori turned back to her work. It felt very phony and she hated fake people who were nice to her face when she knew they thought she was trash. She just knew that's what Lyra thought too. It set her in a bad mood, Lyra and their phony smile. Paloma didn't say much either, but the way she looked at her also set her on edge. She surreptitiously knocked the volume up one more notch.
She thinks she's better than me? Well we'll see when I have a pretty penny from my Herbalife short-
Herbalife, it seemed, had shot up. That was going to cost her. Lori was completely befuddled. How could a pyramid scheme that sold people bullshit weight-loss pills skyrocket? Her other stocks would make up for the loss, but this really enraged her. Lori blamed the stupid masses. She thought the general public wouldn't be so stupid as to go in droves to get stuck in a weight-loss scam, but as always, people never failed to disappoint.
"Ugh!" she shouted in disgust, balling her fists so tight it snapped her pencil in half. "People are such idiots" she fumed.
Oooh, they were definitely getting hunger pangs now. They could feel their stomach complaining at them; they loved Chinese food dearly, but they were sorely missing the bread basket found at any other restaurant right now. They just hoped that Paloma hadn’t heard it. Thankfully, Lori’s TV show was still kinda loud, just not overbearingly so anymore; hopefully that had masked the grumbly noise.
Fortunately, Paloma’s next question brought the smile back onto Lyra’s face, and they traced their finger along the rim of their water glass, bouncing eagerly in their seat. Man, they were super looking forwards to getting round to this little bestiary project now. Well, uh, ‘little’ probably wouldn’t be the right word at all. There were about a hundred creatures and mysterious beings crowding around in Lyra’s head right now, and that was just taking into consideration the cryptids of North America.
“Oh, absolutely! I can do that no probs at all! Some of the numbers might be a lil tricky, I don’t think Odysseus really took into account exactly how tall Charybdis was, but I’ll give it my best guesstimate! You might, uh, also have to be my copy-editor for this, trim stuff down. I’m not good at keeping things contained.”
Lyra’s grin turned sheepish as they raised their glass to their lips, tilting it up at the exact moment Lori decided to yell. Lyra jumped in surprise, yelping into the glass, and to their horror, they saw water slopping out of its vessel and splashing across their side of the table. They hurriedly put the glass down and went to grab their napkin, and their heart sank again as they shifted, and felt the water soaking into the front of their hoody.
“Oh, come on…”
Jeez. Lori did realise she was in a restaurant, right? You couldn’t just hoot and holler like you were back home watching a football game, or robot duel. Well, you could, but then people would be justified in giving you the stink eye, like Lyra would definitely be doing if they weren’t preoccupied with mopping the table down, or if they didn’t feel rude for doing so anyway.
Ugh, they really didn’t feel like taking their hoody off today, but the alternative was the constant feeling of water seeping into their clothes. Caught between a rock and a. Well. A damp place. They guessed.
Fortunately, Paloma’s next question brought the smile back onto Lyra’s face, and they traced their finger along the rim of their water glass, bouncing eagerly in their seat. Man, they were super looking forwards to getting round to this little bestiary project now. Well, uh, ‘little’ probably wouldn’t be the right word at all. There were about a hundred creatures and mysterious beings crowding around in Lyra’s head right now, and that was just taking into consideration the cryptids of North America.
“Oh, absolutely! I can do that no probs at all! Some of the numbers might be a lil tricky, I don’t think Odysseus really took into account exactly how tall Charybdis was, but I’ll give it my best guesstimate! You might, uh, also have to be my copy-editor for this, trim stuff down. I’m not good at keeping things contained.”
Lyra’s grin turned sheepish as they raised their glass to their lips, tilting it up at the exact moment Lori decided to yell. Lyra jumped in surprise, yelping into the glass, and to their horror, they saw water slopping out of its vessel and splashing across their side of the table. They hurriedly put the glass down and went to grab their napkin, and their heart sank again as they shifted, and felt the water soaking into the front of their hoody.
“Oh, come on…”
Jeez. Lori did realise she was in a restaurant, right? You couldn’t just hoot and holler like you were back home watching a football game, or robot duel. Well, you could, but then people would be justified in giving you the stink eye, like Lyra would definitely be doing if they weren’t preoccupied with mopping the table down, or if they didn’t feel rude for doing so anyway.
Ugh, they really didn’t feel like taking their hoody off today, but the alternative was the constant feeling of water seeping into their clothes. Caught between a rock and a. Well. A damp place. They guessed.
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017