[After an appropriate amount of time, Gepard sends two things.
First, a Gepard da Vinci, a work of art done in a few minutes. And the second is a selfie.
The selfie is of him looking faintly embarrassed, unconsciously so, because- well. He's not good at taking selfies of himself. But it's fine. He can send a selfie of himself to his...
Buddy. His eager buddy.]
If the drawing isn't enough, here's a selfie.
My client is here so I won't be responding for a while. Sorry.
[He doesn't have a client (yet) this is a lie, but it's a white lie so it's okay.]
[How's he supposed to choose which one to use as Gepard's picture in his phone? The little Gepard da Vinci is adorable, a cute little caricature of Gepard himself, but the selfie is equally cute. He looks faintly sheepish in the picture, as though he isn't aware of the fact that he's handsome in any light.]
[Is he not aware of the fact that he's handsome? No, no, that would be ridiculous. Hot people know that they're hot.]
[Sampo's left on read for about a half hour, and during that time Gepard draws and sketches, and doodles, and draws a bunch of eyes not for any reason - it's to give his fingers something to do as he ignores the fact he sent Sampo a selfie, and then he very determinedly tries to ignore that. Trying really hard to ignore it!
...he ends up with a page full of eyes, which looks either unfortunately creepy or fortunately artistic depending on one's perspective.]
[Sampo replies about ten minutes after Gepard sends his text— he does sometimes have to do work, even when he has pretty blonds texting him.]
that’s a lot of eyes
[If he didn’t know that Gepard’s an artist and thus would draw random body parts as part of the general practice of his craft, he might think that was pretty weird.]
Have you been doing the same kind of tattoos lately? Oh have you been getting a bunch of those cybersigilism tattoos??? It’s been blowing up on TikTok lately. Kids these days!
Personally, I don't like them very much, but that's just me! I think they look like those tribal tattoos that people got thirty years ago but with the middle not filled in.
[Trends go in cycles, they say. So maybe even in the world of tattoos, if you wait long enough, tribal will be back in style in one form or another.]
Not that you shouldn't give the customer what they want, but, well. We all know how well tribal tattoos aged! [Horribly.] You sound like you need some inspiration.
Don't worry about it! It'll be fun, and you can get some creative juices flowing or whatever your process is. Meet me here at like, I dunno, five-ish?
[Beep boop an address gets sent over to Gepard's phone. Now you are presented with a choice, Cute Blonde-- do you actually show up? Mull that one over for the next few hours or so.]
[If he does decide to show, the address that Sampo sent him is actually for a little coffee shop that's right across the street from the Belobog Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Surely that's just a coincidence.]
[He mulls it over and, almost at the last minute, he gets on a bus and heads on over.
The bus gets stuck in traffic, the bus is slow, the bus takes so much time that Gepard nearly gets off and walks back home no matter how long it might take - almost, but he's so far and the address so close. He tries to ignore the people on the bus. He tries to ignore the smell, or the fact he has no idea what it is he's doing.
He arrives at the address at 5:17, a bit out of breath because he didn't quite run, but he definitely hurried, fishing out his phone because he's sure that he left Sampo hanging for a moment too long and Sampo left, probably pissed off at him for wasting his time.]
[When the clock hits five and Gepard isn't there, Sampo doesn't think much of it. Who ever arrives exactly on time, right? Especially with bus schedules how they are, showing up five minutes late is basically the same as being on time. Besides, he'd said five-ish, not exactly at five. Five after, that's nothing to worry about. Ten after, maybe Gepard's just running a bit late. Fifteen and no text, and he's starting to wonder if he's really been stood up.]
[He'd decided to give Gepard until twenty after-- maybe half-past if he's really feeling a little pathetic-- before calling it. Any later than that and it's just sad, you're just that guy who won't admit that he'd been stood up. Thankfully, Sampo is spared this sad fate when Gepard does, in fact, show up, seventeen minutes late.]
Hey, there you are! [Gepard looks a little harried, like he'd been rushing to get here. Slightly out of breath, a little color on his cheeks, it's not a bad look for him.] Want to get some coffee or something real quick? I already got tickets.
[Another reason why he really hoped Gepard wouldn't stand him up. He was able to get the tickets for the conservatory half off through various... means, some of which he's fairly certain Gepard wouldn't approve of. So what Gepard doesn't know about won't make him side-eye his new acquaintance-slash-friend! Easiest way to do it.]
[...the fact that Sampo was still waiting for him, for him, is one of the most unintentionally seductive things anyone could do for him, and he just has to take a moment to, well, take in the fact that Sampo's there. Still there. And the blush on Gepard's cheeks is from the exertion in getting there on time, and the fact his brain needs to reboot is because of how he hurried.
...a breath passes, and his brain reboots.]
I'm sorry I'm late. [Yes, he's thinking again.] By the time I thought I should text you, I was crowded on a bus and could hardly reach for my phone. Coffee sounds nice. If you already got tickets, let me treat you? As an apology for being late.
[There's more questions he has, like...tickets for what, how did Sampo get them, when, what, wha, but one step at a time. They can take things one step at a time.]
Don't worry about it! You made it, right? That's all that matters!
[Gepard didn't stand him up, so he doesn't have to go home in defeat like a sadsack with two wasted tickets for the price of one. And he even graciously offers to pay for coffee, like a gentleman. What a nice guy! Sampo really has great taste in men, except that most good men don't have taste that includes Sampo.]
If you pay, consider your apology accepted! [Sampo will never turn down a free coffee. He pulls the door to the coffee shop open, holding for his generous coffee buyer.] After you! We have plenty of time until it closes, but I want to make sure you have all the time in the world to look around.
[It's for his art block, after all. It might take a little while to get over it.]
[That's so nice. Sampo is being so nice. In a slightly different lifetime, he'd be bracing himself, wondering what the catch was. Or he might be doing the smart thing and walk away again.
But there is what could be, and there is the life which Gepard is living right now. He just flashes Sampo a smile - small and relieved and happy - and walks right in.]
How did you find this place? [It's...nice. He likes it.]
[Gepard's cute when he smiles, sort of shy and sweet, and boy is Sampo weak to a cute blond.]
[Since this shop is so close to the conservatory, it's leaned in to the theme and turned its interior into a little conservatory of its own-- shelves full of potted plants of all kinds, big and small. From common jade plants to delicate orchids and everything in-between, there's a plant in nearly every spot that could reasonably accommodate one.]
I really only noticed it because of what's across the street! Which is where we're going, if you haven't seen it.
[Maybe Gepard never noticed that Belobog has a botanical garden, maybe he already realized that they're right by it and cottoned on to Sampo's plan already. He goes up to the counter to order, and the barista seems to already know him and his order, and rattles it off to him.]
Aha, that's right! You've got a good memory. [She turns to Gepard and asks what he wants-- what kind of coffee do cute blond tattoo artists drink?]
I'll have a... [Gepard eyes the menu, considers it, almost says his usual order - drip coffee, black, or if he's feeling spicy a latte - but at the last second his eye is caught by the coffee-of-the-month on the menu.]
...coconut cold brew? [Of note is how he says it: with abject fascination. He pulls out his cre-]
Sixteen ounces. [...pulls out his credit card to pay, unless-] You don't want anything else, do you, Sampo?
[For now. If he has his way, Gepard will be buying him more things another day, when they're on real dates. But that's something for Future Sampo to enjoy, Present Sampo has to rizz his way into getting a Cute Blond to take a chance with him.]
[It didn't take very long for them to get a coconut cold brew together-- just pouring it, really-- and a few minutes longer for them to finish up with Sampo's abomination of a drink.]
[It can barely be classified as a drink-- it's a potion of making your heart explode. A potion of fighting God at 2 AM in a Denny's parking lot. The baristas have to get all three of the espresso machines that they have back there going to produce the sheer quantity of coffee shots that go into this lone cup, along with an altogether frightening number of pumps from a bottle of white mocha sauce, shaken with ice but served in a cup that does not have any ice in it. It's a slightly creamy looking and yet somehow also slightly menacing beverage that lurks on the counter that it's placed on.]
[He doesn't, mainly because that abomination has such a vile aura that he can't quite bring himself to touch it. His coconut cold brew? Normal. Friendly. Inviting. It's a drink that wants to be friends, if but in a slightly professional way. A little bit of fun, a little bit of business.
Then there's that fucking thing which lurks on the counter, and Gepard just stares at it because it's so menacing. So ominous. It repels him.]
What...is it? [Gepard reaches out ever so slightly for it, and then balls his hand into a fist and retracts it. It feels dangerous.]
[It is not coffee. It's what coffee becomes after its villain origin story. It's coffee that joined a cult and learned dark and unholy secrets. It's coffee that Sampo picks up like it's completely normal and takes a sip of without flinching.]
[This is, probably, a red flag. At the very least, it's an indication that Sampo is not a normal man, and one that Gepard should probably heed. Or not, whatever, it's his life.]
All good?
[Don't worry about the contents of his cup and what it might be doing to his insides. They've got plants to see, that's clearly the more important thing here!]
All good. [He says, as he takes Sampo by the arm, because if Sampo suffers heart failure thanks to that thing and passes out, he needs to be prepared to catch him before he falls and hits his head on something and suffers even more brain damage than he already has. Given that they're both holding drinks, this is the only way, and, yes, Gepard Landau is fully prepared to slam back his so he's in a better position to catch Sampo at the first sign of trouble.]
I'm excited. I haven't really gone much of anywhere in a long time - too busy with work. [And care packages for Lynx and all that, but Sampo doesn't need to know all of the details.]
[Go ahead, take him by the arm-- he just thinks it's cute and endearing. Sampo has no idea that Gepard secretly thinks that he's going to give himself a heart attack through caffeine overdose, though, really, someone should be looking out for Sampo's heart health, because he clearly isn't.]
[He leads Gepard across the street, over towards the doors for the Conservatory. They take his tickets at the door, and once inside, there's a wave of warm, moist air as they enter what's essentially a giant greenhouse. The first room has a welcome center with maps and a gift shop, and further in, it opens up into a palm garden set up with glass sculptures.]
So there's an exhibition going on for the next few weeks. [Sampo snags one of the maps as they walk by, just in case they get lost later.] Some famous glassblower has a bunch of sculptures set up in the greenhouses with the plants, it sounded like it would be nice to see.
[Meanwhile, here he is, wishing he paid more attention during CPR training, half-wishing he'd become a paramedic or something useful instead of an artist because if Sampo collapses because of a drink he bought he'd never forgive himself. But, for now, he's being cute and endearing.
There's a wave of moist, hot air, Gepard makes an appreciative noise as they enter and he promptly stops paying attention to Sampo because he's too busy taking in everything. Because he knew this place existed. He just was too busy with work and family and more work and more family, and while he's done things, he also hasn't done...things.
Well, anyway, after a moment, Gepard remembers that he's got a man on his arm and he really likes this man right now, actually, he's very charmed. A map is snagged.]
Do you come here often? [It seems like it. Sampo seems really well prepared given everything.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2024-09-24 03:21 am (UTC)[Also, very camera shy, so.]
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Date: 2024-09-26 02:40 am (UTC)[You're an artist, Gepard, surely you can whip up a cute little doodle of yourself to send to your new friend, right?]
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Date: 2024-09-26 02:55 am (UTC)First, a Gepard da Vinci, a work of art done in a few minutes. And the second is a selfie.
The selfie is of him looking faintly embarrassed, unconsciously so, because- well. He's not good at taking selfies of himself. But it's fine. He can send a selfie of himself to his...
Buddy. His eager buddy.]
If the drawing isn't enough, here's a selfie.
My client is here so I won't be responding for a while. Sorry.
[He doesn't have a client (yet) this is a lie, but it's a white lie so it's okay.]
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Date: 2024-10-01 04:45 am (UTC)[How's he supposed to choose which one to use as Gepard's picture in his phone? The little Gepard da Vinci is adorable, a cute little caricature of Gepard himself, but the selfie is equally cute. He looks faintly sheepish in the picture, as though he isn't aware of the fact that he's handsome in any light.]
[Is he not aware of the fact that he's handsome? No, no, that would be ridiculous. Hot people know that they're hot.]
Don't worry about it! Go make that bread.
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Date: 2024-10-04 03:15 am (UTC)...he ends up with a page full of eyes, which looks either unfortunately creepy or fortunately artistic depending on one's perspective.]
I think I'm in a rut.
[And sure, Sampo can see the page of eyes.]
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Date: 2024-10-07 03:24 am (UTC)that’s a lot of eyes
[If he didn’t know that Gepard’s an artist and thus would draw random body parts as part of the general practice of his craft, he might think that was pretty weird.]
Have you been doing the same kind of tattoos lately? Oh have you been getting a bunch of those cybersigilism tattoos??? It’s been blowing up on TikTok lately. Kids these days!
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Date: 2024-10-10 03:11 am (UTC)[And he can take that as he will.]
I thought I'd add to my flash sheets, but, as it turns out, I don't have any ideas of what to draw.
I know the tattoos you're talking about and I thought I'd start there, but as you can see I didn't really go anywhere with this.
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Date: 2024-10-10 08:37 pm (UTC)[Trends go in cycles, they say. So maybe even in the world of tattoos, if you wait long enough, tribal will be back in style in one form or another.]
Not that you shouldn't give the customer what they want, but, well. We all know how well tribal tattoos aged! [Horribly.] You sound like you need some inspiration.
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Date: 2024-10-11 02:06 am (UTC)I could use some inspiration.
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Date: 2024-10-13 01:53 am (UTC)[It's not a date. Really! It's just a friendly dude helping out another dude with his problem. Totally dudebro things. Nothing to see here.]
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Date: 2024-10-14 02:16 am (UTC)[Wow, it sounds like Sampo's doing a lot for him. Wow. He's going to give Sampo an out.]
I wouldn't want you to to go out of your way if it's too much trouble.
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Date: 2024-10-14 02:28 am (UTC)[Beep boop an address gets sent over to Gepard's phone. Now you are presented with a choice, Cute Blonde-- do you actually show up? Mull that one over for the next few hours or so.]
[If he does decide to show, the address that Sampo sent him is actually for a little coffee shop that's right across the street from the Belobog Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Surely that's just a coincidence.]
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Date: 2024-10-14 03:15 am (UTC)The bus gets stuck in traffic, the bus is slow, the bus takes so much time that Gepard nearly gets off and walks back home no matter how long it might take - almost, but he's so far and the address so close. He tries to ignore the people on the bus. He tries to ignore the smell, or the fact he has no idea what it is he's doing.
He arrives at the address at 5:17, a bit out of breath because he didn't quite run, but he definitely hurried, fishing out his phone because he's sure that he left Sampo hanging for a moment too long and Sampo left, probably pissed off at him for wasting his time.]
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Date: 2024-10-18 05:25 pm (UTC)[He'd decided to give Gepard until twenty after-- maybe half-past if he's really feeling a little pathetic-- before calling it. Any later than that and it's just sad, you're just that guy who won't admit that he'd been stood up. Thankfully, Sampo is spared this sad fate when Gepard does, in fact, show up, seventeen minutes late.]
Hey, there you are! [Gepard looks a little harried, like he'd been rushing to get here. Slightly out of breath, a little color on his cheeks, it's not a bad look for him.] Want to get some coffee or something real quick? I already got tickets.
[Another reason why he really hoped Gepard wouldn't stand him up. He was able to get the tickets for the conservatory half off through various... means, some of which he's fairly certain Gepard wouldn't approve of. So what Gepard doesn't know about won't make him side-eye his new acquaintance-slash-friend! Easiest way to do it.]
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Date: 2024-10-19 01:28 am (UTC)...a breath passes, and his brain reboots.]
I'm sorry I'm late. [Yes, he's thinking again.] By the time I thought I should text you, I was crowded on a bus and could hardly reach for my phone. Coffee sounds nice. If you already got tickets, let me treat you? As an apology for being late.
[There's more questions he has, like...tickets for what, how did Sampo get them, when, what, wha, but one step at a time. They can take things one step at a time.]
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Date: 2024-10-19 02:10 am (UTC)[Gepard didn't stand him up, so he doesn't have to go home in defeat like a sadsack with two wasted tickets for the price of one. And he even graciously offers to pay for coffee, like a gentleman. What a nice guy! Sampo really has great taste in men, except that most good men don't have taste that includes Sampo.]
If you pay, consider your apology accepted! [Sampo will never turn down a free coffee. He pulls the door to the coffee shop open, holding for his generous coffee buyer.] After you! We have plenty of time until it closes, but I want to make sure you have all the time in the world to look around.
[It's for his art block, after all. It might take a little while to get over it.]
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Date: 2024-10-20 02:33 am (UTC)But there is what could be, and there is the life which Gepard is living right now. He just flashes Sampo a smile - small and relieved and happy - and walks right in.]
How did you find this place? [It's...nice. He likes it.]
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Date: 2024-10-20 02:52 am (UTC)[Since this shop is so close to the conservatory, it's leaned in to the theme and turned its interior into a little conservatory of its own-- shelves full of potted plants of all kinds, big and small. From common jade plants to delicate orchids and everything in-between, there's a plant in nearly every spot that could reasonably accommodate one.]
I really only noticed it because of what's across the street! Which is where we're going, if you haven't seen it.
[Maybe Gepard never noticed that Belobog has a botanical garden, maybe he already realized that they're right by it and cottoned on to Sampo's plan already. He goes up to the counter to order, and the barista seems to already know him and his order, and rattles it off to him.]
Aha, that's right! You've got a good memory. [She turns to Gepard and asks what he wants-- what kind of coffee do cute blond tattoo artists drink?]
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Date: 2024-11-07 03:33 am (UTC)...coconut cold brew? [Of note is how he says it: with abject fascination. He pulls out his cre-]
Sixteen ounces. [...pulls out his credit card to pay, unless-] You don't want anything else, do you, Sampo?
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Date: 2024-11-14 03:01 am (UTC)[For now. If he has his way, Gepard will be buying him more things another day, when they're on real dates. But that's something for Future Sampo to enjoy, Present Sampo has to rizz his way into getting a Cute Blond to take a chance with him.]
[It didn't take very long for them to get a coconut cold brew together-- just pouring it, really-- and a few minutes longer for them to finish up with Sampo's abomination of a drink.]
[It can barely be classified as a drink-- it's a potion of making your heart explode. A potion of fighting God at 2 AM in a Denny's parking lot. The baristas have to get all three of the espresso machines that they have back there going to produce the sheer quantity of coffee shots that go into this lone cup, along with an altogether frightening number of pumps from a bottle of white mocha sauce, shaken with ice but served in a cup that does not have any ice in it. It's a slightly creamy looking and yet somehow also slightly menacing beverage that lurks on the counter that it's placed on.]
[Don't mix up the drinks, Gepard.]
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Date: 2024-11-14 03:26 am (UTC)Then there's that fucking thing which lurks on the counter, and Gepard just stares at it because it's so menacing. So ominous. It repels him.]
What...is it? [Gepard reaches out ever so slightly for it, and then balls his hand into a fist and retracts it. It feels dangerous.]
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Date: 2024-11-14 03:47 am (UTC)[It is not coffee. It's what coffee becomes after its villain origin story. It's coffee that joined a cult and learned dark and unholy secrets. It's coffee that Sampo picks up like it's completely normal and takes a sip of without flinching.]
[This is, probably, a red flag. At the very least, it's an indication that Sampo is not a normal man, and one that Gepard should probably heed. Or not, whatever, it's his life.]
All good?
[Don't worry about the contents of his cup and what it might be doing to his insides. They've got plants to see, that's clearly the more important thing here!]
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Date: 2024-11-14 03:54 am (UTC)I'm excited. I haven't really gone much of anywhere in a long time - too busy with work. [And care packages for Lynx and all that, but Sampo doesn't need to know all of the details.]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-14 04:03 am (UTC)[He leads Gepard across the street, over towards the doors for the Conservatory. They take his tickets at the door, and once inside, there's a wave of warm, moist air as they enter what's essentially a giant greenhouse. The first room has a welcome center with maps and a gift shop, and further in, it opens up into a palm garden set up with glass sculptures.]
So there's an exhibition going on for the next few weeks. [Sampo snags one of the maps as they walk by, just in case they get lost later.] Some famous glassblower has a bunch of sculptures set up in the greenhouses with the plants, it sounded like it would be nice to see.
[And, y'know, good for the old art block.]
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Date: 2024-11-17 04:19 am (UTC)There's a wave of moist, hot air, Gepard makes an appreciative noise as they enter and he promptly stops paying attention to Sampo because he's too busy taking in everything. Because he knew this place existed. He just was too busy with work and family and more work and more family, and while he's done things, he also hasn't done...things.
Well, anyway, after a moment, Gepard remembers that he's got a man on his arm and he really likes this man right now, actually, he's very charmed. A map is snagged.]
Do you come here often? [It seems like it. Sampo seems really well prepared given everything.]
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