[Allan and Lou arrive the next day.]
My three o’clock can come in whenever they’re ready!
(She calls out from the office.)
@silent-and-deadly
I don't know if I can do this.
I'm gonna be here the whole time. You're going to be fine. I promise.
Y'mean it?
Yes.
'kay! I'm comin'!
Hi Lou! Hello Allan.
(A woman in her late 20s smiles up at them from her desk. She has blonde hair, tan skin, and dark brown eyes. She has the core of a shifter but it’s hard to tell what kind of animal.)
It’s a pleasure to meet you both.
(She stands up, offering her hand.)
[Allan shakes her hand.]
[Lou doesn't seem too keen on any kind of touch.]
Nice t'meet you too, ma'am.
My name is Dr Insogna, but you can call me Rosamie or Rosa if you don’t want to call me Doctor.
Allan told me you like to draw. What medium do you prefer? Colored pencils, markers?
Just graphite pencils're fine.
(She nods.)
Alright.
Where do you wanna sit? I have a bean bag, a couch and an armchair.
Beanbag please.
Go right ahead.
Allan, what about you?
I'll take the couch.
(She smiles and nods, getting the sketchbook and pencils for Lou.)
Here you are.
(She puts them on the small table next to the beanbag.)
Thanks.
If it’s not a bother, I do have a small form for you to fill out. It’s just stuff about why you’re coming, stuff you like to do, your family..
Is that alright?
Yeah. I can fill that out fine.
(She takes a form out of her desk and puts it on a clipboard before giving it to Lou.)
Okay, so you do the first 3 pages and Allan will the fill the rest out. I’ll be behind my desk.
(She smiles softly and walks away.)
'kay.
(She lets Lou fill out the form.)
Allan, how’s your day been so far?
It's been alright. Classes have been picking back up after the break and so I've been jumping back into the swing of things. Picked Lou up early from her classes and then came here.
How's your day been, Dr. Insogna?
I’ve been good. I’ve had a few clients today. I had to clean up the office a bit to make it more comfortable to teens instead of little kids with toys everywhere.
(She laughs a little.)
What do you do for classes? Do you go to DAMN?
I'm an engineering student at DAMN. I'm finishing up my third year of classes and then I'll be graduating next year.
Oh that’s great! I wish you luck.
I went to DAMN as well, and my shifted form is actually licensed to provide emotional support to my clients!
What do you want to do with your degree?
That's amazing!
[It's becoming pretty clear to her that he's masking a southern accent similar to Lou's.]
I'm looking to potentially open my own firm and go into work as a structural engineer.
I’m sure you’ll do great.
Do you wanna guess what I shift into? I know it’s a bit hard to tell.
(She jokes lightly.)
Can I also ask where you’re from? Just curious.
I'm able to parse that you're a shifter, but I'm not very good at getting into the specifics of people's auras. Sorry.
She's a sugar glider.
That'll do it.
We're both from Georgia.
Oh, how’d you figure that out?
(She smiles at Lou.)
Oh, Georgia!! That’s cool. I’m from Michigan.
One of the people in a club I'm in works with sugar gliders. They always kinda smell like them an' so do you.
What part of Michigan are you from?
I never noticed I smell like a sugar glider! Good to know. What kind of club is it?
Oh, Sault St. Marie. It’s a little small. Well.. would you consider 13,000 small?
Most shifters smell like a wrong version of their animal type. It’s a quiltin’ circle.
Considering it’s only a few thousand people smaller than where we grew up, I’d consider it pretty small.
Quilting! That sounds great.
Where did you guys grow up?
Richmond Hill.
Never heard of it. What’s it like?
Small.
Suffocatin’.
There are some good people there though.
Yeah. Thing is they’re dyin’ there. Most of the shit we’ve got there is school, Kroger, church, an’ the crick.
There is Denny’s and the library too.
Yeah, an’ folks who’ll eat ya’ alive.
Pretty standard stuff for a small town in the South.
Well, I’ve never been that south before.
We’re near Lake Superior so lots of tourists come to see that.
How long have you been in Dahlia?
A year in February.
About six years now.
Oh! How old are you Allan?
Twenty one.
Do you guys like it here?
Yeah. [Lou shrugs.]
Yes. It’s a very good place to live.
Yeah, I think so too.
Did you bring any snacks, Lou?
Some trail mix.
Ooh, does it have the M&Ms in it? Or is it just trail mix?
It's a pumpkin seed, walnut, an' cranberry trail mix. I don't like the kind with M&Ms 'cause the peanuts are almost always rancid.
I’m not a big fan of cranberries but that sounds good!
How’s the form going?
It's goin' alright.
Take as long as you need.
(She turns back to Allan.)
You told me you had a partner over the phone?
Yes, we got engaged in December.
Aw, congratulations!!
(She smiles.)
What kind of wedding were you guys thinking of?
We're planning on a summer wedding at the beach. We want to keep it to just our friends so it won't be particularly large. We haven't discussed much about the logistics yet since we've both been so busy, but I do like the idea of it being fairly laid back.
That sounds like a lot of fun.
How did you two meet?
We met at my job at the record shop. He had some questions about music and records in general and we got to chatting and really hit it off.
He sounds like a great guy!
Yeah, he really is.
Done.
Thank you, Lou! (She smiles and takes the form.) (Skip)
Thank you both for coming! It was a pleasure to meet the two of you. I'll see you soon.