3 ♊ Take your dark days

[iitrebel]

Who: Artolo Apemis and any Pride who will put up with him for an extended period of time
What: Art is going lion shopping. This is not slang of any sort. You've been invited.
When: Throughout the day of February 11th
Where: Roman's Animal Sanctuary
Warnings: None planned. Feel free to treat this as a mingle log

For there to be any extended space in Vista City, things tend to be... crowded. It's the obvious solution when a city gets big enough. Roman's Animal Sanctuary has the delightful honor of having established a space the size of a baseball field some time before the city swallowed it up. The problem became when they needed to expand, but simply couldn't.

The solution: Get with the times and build upwards.

With high ceilings on all floors meant to cycle through different times of day in accordance with actual daytime, enormous windows, and certain measures taken to mimic appropriate weather, Roman's is half a zoo (to help fund its upkeep) besides just being an animal sanctuary for various abused or abandoned animals of the more exotic sort.

This includes lions.

Coincidentally, lions are why you're here.

Somehow, one Artolo Apemis has invited you to go what he called "lion shopping" and that, as it turns out, is not slang even remotely. Roman's been alerted of this high profile visit from a bunch of Pride jackasses, and is more than happy to allow the musicians to check out some of the staff areas behind the scenes instead of just being stuck in the public areas. Yes, you can feed the publicly approved llamas and goats plus large animals with sharp teeth. Under strict supervision, of course.

Comments

[twoscompany]

Two?

[Well, that does mostly get her attention towards Artolo's quest. She turns fully towards him.]

They'll let you do that?

[iitrebel]

Apparently?

[Easing up minutely, he gives a jerky shrug.]

Apparently the higher ups like me, for some god forsaken fuck of a reason.

[twoscompany]

I see. My condolences.

[Good lord, which is worse? Lesedi hating you, or liking you?]

I guess that begs the question where you're going to keep them. You've optioned them with your bandmates, I hope?

[iitrebel]

[He'll get back to you on that one, Garnet.]

I already know. There's this house, blah blah, let's just say it's covered, alright? The only reason I'm even getting the house is to store the somehow legal exotic animals.

[twoscompany]

...The label's letting you get a house?

[wait WHAT?!]

[iitrebel]

[YEAH, HE KNOWS]

More like, just, 'land', but there's a house on it, so...

[twoscompany]

No wonder you think they like you. They clearly do!

And you really get to live away from the tower? Damn.

[iitrebel]

For a while now, actually. See Cat Pit apartments.

But I don't think I'll move in permanently.

[A glance back towards Tooru, fingers jittery against one knee. It's obvious why.]

[twoscompany]

[She saw that. Hmm. Maybe...?]

Especially if you're alone. Even if you have pets, it would probably be lonely without someone living with you, right?

[iitrebel]

Ha. Maybe. [The jittery rhythm he's tapping on his knee doesn't let up.] But if it's the wrong kind of person, you'd be better off dead than staying with them for eternity, right?

[Kind of a severe leap, but there you go.]

[twoscompany]

I'm sure you can find the right person. Maybe they've been here the whole time.

[iitrebel]

...Trying to play matchmaker or something?

[twoscompany]

Maybe, maybe not. In any case I don't think I'm the only one who's noticed where your eye's looking.

[iitrebel]

Wow, yeah, my bandmate's leg is broken and I'm making sure he doesn't break the other one, such a weird course of action to take, I know.

[twoscompany]

You can always keep an eye on him at your house, then.

[iitrebel]

We have work to do. And... [A grimace.] I'm not sure if An would be up for letting me steal him away from the penthouse.

Him and Mai are sorta... under house arrest.

[twoscompany]

...Oh.

[Of course they are. Why wouldn't they be...]

I tried.

[iitrebel]

What, tried throwing a smokebomb at Santiago's head? Yeah, don't do that.

[There's no need to be a shit, but he's still not over that. Worse is, he suspects he would probably be the kind of asshole to do the exact same thing if he'd been in the situation.]

[twoscompany]

I was trying to find a way to help you out.

[Which didn't work.]

In any case. Lions.

[iitrebel]

Right.

[Even as he squints at her, the action somewhere lost behind his shades.]

Lions.

[twoscompany]

...Lion cubs are cute.

[From zero to awkward and back and then we're back to awkward! Yay?]

[iitrebel]

Yeah.

[This is so awkward.]

...I know a chick who likes cats. So.

[twoscompany]

Oh? Who?

[iitrebel]

She's dead by now.

[It slips out of his mouth before he can consciously think of an answer, completely automatic. At the same time, something in him knows that's true. The demon chick with the orange horns and love for cat puns is dead.]

[Olivebloods don't live as long as seadwellers something in his head murmurs, bitter and tired.]

[twoscompany]

...Oh. I'm sorry.

What band was she in?