[RotM Prompt 1.86, G, paraphrased to within an inch of its life] Scene: New Year's at PrIME

[karaokedemon]

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache in my bones
At the end of the day
I take home my hard earned pay all on my own
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Can anybody find me somebody to love?

Comments

[blackribboner]

Lorne's physiology may have changed, but there was one thing that hadn't: someone was keeping an eye on him.

Someone was also very unhappy with the current state of affairs.

Someone had been insisting that he was working instead of moping as well.

...Someone is a little bit too honest with himself to succeed at the above, especially knowing that the arrangement was turning both of them into depressed hermits.

Knock knock, Lorne.

[karaokedemon]

Not expecting company, the knock comes as an obvious surprise, and he turns his head to the door. "It's open. Like seven-eleven, doll."

He takes a long, deep drag on his cigarette, letting it out slowly through his nose and mouth like something out of an old fairytale with scales and horns guarding something very precious. If only. When you can't even jokingly toss a metaphor at yourself, it's bad. You're so far beyond asking yourself how low you can go, you've sunk through the floor. Not even before the LOL would he make a good dragon. But then again, who's to say dragons are purely evil? Just look at Shrek.

If Lorne's feeling scatter-brained, it should logically follow that his narrative is.

But that's beside the point. The door's wide open, Lorne's indulging in one of his less admirable habits (it took him some time to get used to Human lungs, but he's beyond the coughing and hacking stage), and staring rather incredulously at his guest.

"Toto?"

[blackribboner]

'Toto', in turn, is staring at the cigarette. It smells like Sacharissa's office in here.

The necessary moments of O__o and o__O pass on both their parts, Lorne at his desk and Otto in the doorway. Then,

"What are you doing?" Which what? Otto couldn't tell you at this point.

[karaokedemon]

The window's open, anyhoo. Wouldn't want to stink up the place too horribly. Madeline would slap him silly. Or, you know, she wouldn't, but she'd tell him what's what, that's for sure. It's a bit chilly, but he's bundled up enough for it. It's a new habit. Before, he bundled up because layers are layers, and they are fabu. Now, he layers up because he gets cold.

"Preparing for the new year. Working. Smoking." Well, at least he managed three syllables, there. Once. Eyes shift. Heart beats. Fingers drum briefly on the polished surface of his desk.

"Sorry. I'll just--" One last drag, and the smushes it to a little mess on his makeshift ash tray. A saucer sans cup with some damp tissue paper works better than you'd think.

"Come in. Make yourself comfortable." Because manners are good, even if the familiarity of a close friendship would be so much better. In so many ways, Lorne just doesn't know how to act around Otto anymore.