mercurio | 〈 meadowlark ic contact 〉

what are your feelings on burgers?

love them
dunno how i'm gonna feel about bug burgers but i'll take what i can get

first of all: gross

i know of a burger joint that does burgers with beans (ugh i know) but they taste a lot like the beef deal

[he slams down a gps for the other]

cool, see you there

[ He'll just take whatever he can get. Kate's not letting him raid the fridge at his leisure anymore, and also he just hates being cooped up inside all day. So eating out and hanging out? Way better. ]

[prompto's making his way there, bringing his camera along just in case now that he's tried it out in public and feels more comfortable about people being aware of him using his camera.]

[he glances around and steps inside the relatively small diner, deciding to sit at a booth to wait for tommy--even if he knows he won't be waiting long.]

inside looking at menu

almost there

[ SKIDS IN KRAMER STYLE. Okay, not quite, but he does push the doors open with a little more force than necessary. but this whole moving at normal human speeds thing isn't great. ]

Hey.

[prompto waves at the master skidder in greeting]

Sup.

[the place isn't that full which means they got the attention of the server aaaallll for themselves, for the most part.]

They got a combo offer. Try five burgers for the price of three, large fries and soda refills. You're a big eater, huh?

[ He'll go ahead and order that. And like another side of fries for good measure. ]

Oh yeah. I'm basically always hungry. Pretty sure my family woulda gone broke trying to feed both my uncle and me. [ and kate is already losing money housing him, sorry kate ]

Anyway, it's all good with me. How about you?

[prompto orders something a little less dramatic, a simple combo with a side of salad -- because you gotta keep healthy even if this is the future of bugs and beans.]

Can't relate, haha.

[he quips in an attempt for humor, knowing that if he goes ham on eating a lot--no matter how hungry--he'd pile on the pounds and hate himself for it. nowadays, he isn't as actively counting carbs or weighing the pros and cons on types of foods, but old habits die hard.]

Doing okay.

[noct's gone missing, but prompto tries not to think about it, offering a small smile instead.]

Been working on my CoolTalk since we last talked about social media stuff. It's a pretty decent platform with an easy interface.

[let's talk business, basically.]

[ That's something Tommy can't even fathom. Billy complains about his food intake and his jealousy and it's in one ear and out the other. ]

Good. Good.

[ Don't watch him eat though, you'll never want to eat again. He has manners but he also eats like he's starving. And with Billy he has no issue cramming food in his mouth and talking - because Billy is stuck with him and just has to endure it, but he is a prince and can muster decent manners in polite-ish company. ]

So, okay, remember how I was saying social media is powerful and all that?

Yeah, the prince back home got a social media account for less than a week before it had to be shut down for security reasons and people going wild about it. Specially girls. His follower count was at 4M and all he wanted was be part of the fish and wildlife community.

[and there prompto was, struggling with 2k followers in over three years of social media use...]

It's some powerful stuff. What've you got in mind?

And that's why you need to use a pseudonym if you're even remotely famous. Sucks for him though.

[ He drums his hands on the table, full of energy. ]

So Jughead - that's a hell of a name - was saying that it might be a good idea for us to get out ahead of the reveal. And I kind of agree, but I think we need some clout and a way to humanize us to a population that could see us as a threat. You've got a good eye, and it turns out that twins are super rare. Billy and I had to be really in-depth with our backstory.

[ He leans back in his seat. ]

So I'm thinking we combine our assets and see where it gets us.

The Crown was trying to be more accessible at the time, but he really hated it and was like, nah. Efforts turned to the king but he was hilariously too honest and earnest about how much he loved his son, so that got shut down quickly.

[he snorts into a hand, minding himself as the server puts down the soda for billy and a milkshake for prompto. sugar high? yes, please.]

[he's drinking from his straw, listening in.]

--hn. I thought about that too. I've actually met several people my age through the app even if they have no idea about our situation.

I think that could be our in.

Better to give it to someone who knows how to do PR instead of someone who's got way better things to do.

[ He grins ear to ear, taking a gulp of the drink. ]

Right?

Back home, my brother - different one from the one that's here - and I basically abuse the hell out of our diplomatic immunity for the sake of drawing attention to a disparity between the living conditions of the groups of people there. We met a bunch of people who shared our views by doing stunts like that and started getting a following. I'm thinking if we have a social media presence and come across as non-threatening and friendly, once we out ourselves it'll be easier for people to buy that we come in peace.

Huh.

[he thinks about it.]

[thinks about how his friendship with noctis brought some light to the situation of refugees and middle class, working families. why should it be weird that someone on a lower social circle befriends the crown prince? was the general gist of many magazine articles.]

[it made things a bit easier for people like himself. his neighborhood got a kick of better security, utilities services were getting upgraded in other ones, an attempt to embellish the uglier and sadder parts of insomnia.]

You guys wanna be the faces for this lowkey movement then?

If it helps, I'll do whatever I can.

[ Tommy spreads his hands - they move when he talks, he can't sit still. Can't stop himself from moving around. ]

Billy's a hero back home and our people are marginalized, and I'm royalty and in line for the throne, and my family is totally insane so we're always in the papers for something. Both of us are used to not having a lot of privacy. We got this.

You know... I'm starting to think that not being royalty is the least common thing.

[he half whispers this as the server goes past them to another table, eyes shifting towards them and then back to billy, shoulders hunched forward conspiratorially.]

[how should he be treating these people?]

At least we're not jumping blindly into it, I guess.

What's your story here, then? Guess we should at least be on the same page about that.

Our mom got pregnant without approval. Billy 'n me were born with retroactive permission, and the family stayed together for a few years before our parents had enough of each other and broke up. I went to live with Mom, Billy went to live with Dad. That's why we don't know everything about each other.

[ He's keeping casual as can be. Hiding in plain sight and all. ]

So I probably met you first. Billy's not as outgoing.

[prompto nods along at the explanation]

Yeah, I noticed he's more -- reticent? That's a word, right.

I haven't really thought out a background story for m'self, and I don't wanna make it super complicated or anything. But similar social circles, we met, we liked similar shit, and so we are doing this partnership stuff.

[keep it vague and general.]

[prompto smiles up at the server as she puts down their orders.]

--thanks!

[and gets a smile in return as he starts digging into his fries]

Just one thing, though. You guys be the models, I stay behind the lens.

Sounds legit.

[ Hold on, don't look. He's eating. He eats with as much grace as someone whose used to eating at supersonic speeds can possibly pull off.

And he has the manners to swallow before he starts talking. ]

Dude, why. Have you seen you?

Yeah, I've seen me enough times in a day. [he raises a hand, knowing he's going to get some kind of look at that] I just feel more comfortable when I'm handling a camera and not being part of the whole thing. I get really picky and self-conscious and end up hating every pic I'm in, so I try not to put too much of myself in it.

If that makes sense?

[a face]

[ That sounds like something Billy would say. ]

Yeah, I got it. You can be our mysterious camera dude.

[he smiles wide at that]

I like that! We can build like our own lore and character through our interactions, too! Break the fourth wall a little bit, y'dig?

Yup. And we can do whatever we want with it. And if it's good, it'll get views. If not we go back to the drawing board.

[ He's one hundred percent not bothered by any setbacks. That's just kind of how things go.

He'll hold out a fist for a bump like a loser. ]

[is he a loser if prompto immediately reciprocates that fist bump? his spirits seem high soon as he does so, however, and he's pulling out his camera and placing it on the table--foregoing his food for a bit.]

I could start taking pictures now! Do you wanna see the whole process, or do you wanna trust that I send you the best shots?

(no subject)

mutriarchy - 2019-03-18 01:40 (UTC) - Expand