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lotte karsten {christine daaé} ([info]still_lotte) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-06-15 14:55:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:christine daaé, cinderella

Who: Lotte and Hannah
What: Starting Operation Get-Lotte-A-Dog
Where: The animal shelter where Hannah Works
When: This afternoon
Warnings: Doubtful.

and Lotte had used it for errand running. After stocking up on groceries (with the singing, she was going through tea faster than ever) and heading to a fabric store for mending supplies, she’d worked on trying to adjust her costume for the latest production the dance troupe was a part of. An hour of dealing with her ridiculous lack of sewing skills left her all too eager to head out – the only other plan for the day had been to head to the animal shelter.

After emailing Diego about the idea a few weeks ago about the idea of getting a dog, Lotte continued to think of it as a better one. Having something to look out for would be good – possibly have her stop worrying about other things, like how she still did about James’ job or if Evie and Nicky down the hall were alright with money. She’d be doing something good – helping someone else without screwing things up – and maybe, it could provide some comfort in return.

She set out around one, using Google maps to find direction to where Hannah had said it was. She got there soon enough, heading up to the desk to say she was there to talk to Hannah. After being told to wait, Lotte took a seat, letting her legs swing from the chair taking the area in. There wasn’t a reason to be worried about this and for once, she was fairly calm.



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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-15 07:42 pm UTC (link)
Hannah really did mean to get another job, but it was just to hard to leave when the shelter was so understaffed. They needed her, and people aside she couldn't bring herself to leave the animals either. Picking up a second job seemed like her only option, but with thinking about taking classes... it was just too stressful, on top of that jerk living in the building and everything else.

She was trying to clean the cat's cages while a multitude of feline bodies clamored for her attention when one of the other workers poked their head in to tell her someone named Lotte was waiting for her. After placing the cats back in their respective cages, she headed out to the front area. She knew she probably looked a mess, with animal hair all over her clothes and frizzy hair, but it didn't really bother her. "Lotte?" She approached the girl sitting in the chair with a smile. "Hi. I'm Hannah."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-15 07:51 pm UTC (link)
Her eyes fell on Hannah as she came in and Lotte smiled at her. She got up and reached to shake her hand. It wasn't often that she was around people who weren't concerned about their appearance - the dancers spent more time in front of a mirror than practicing it sometimes seemed. Lotte thought it was a nice change from the norm.

She gave her hand a firm pump before saying, "Thanks again for helping with this." Her smile spread a bit wider. "I'm excited about this."

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-16 03:15 am UTC (link)
Lotte looked nice, she decided; even though you couldn't really figure out a person just by looking at them, first impressions went a long way. Hannah had a feeling she would do her best to take care of a dog, if she did decide to adopt one. "Oh, it's no problem. Not a lot of people want to adopt these days, so it's really nice whenever someone does."

She didn't want to hope too much, since it wasn't as uncommon as she would have liked to have people come in and never come back, but Lotte's enthusiasm was catching. "Being excited is good. Pets are amazing companions, especially dogs - you won't find a more loyal friend." She pulled a face, laughing. "Anyway, come on back and you can take a look at them. Are you interested in an older dog, or a puppy?"

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-16 03:34 am UTC (link)
"They don't?" Lotte asked, disbelief evident. "It seems like such a good idea - and there's plenty of reasons why to take one in..." It was a bit confusing actually - a puzzling, not very trying one that didn't involve being dragged from your room or magically turning into someone else. She welcomed it, with a small smile as she debated it.

She moved to head back as Hannah indicated, shrugging. "I was thinking a bit older? I'm not sure how well I'd do with a puppy." A slightly apologetic smile accompanied that. "What do people go for usually? Are there certain breeds or ages that are adopted more easily?"

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-16 05:02 am UTC (link)
Hannah shrugged, leading her down the hallway. "A lot of people just want something cute, without considering the fact that there is work involved. Once they realize that, well... they don't pursue it any further. There are too many unwanted animals and not enough people to want them." It was a constant struggle, and she saw far too many animals that had to be put down because they'd been at the shelter too long and there just wasn't any room. At first she'd taken it really hard, but after a while it just became part of her everyday life.

"Well... puppies usually get adopted faster, because of the 'cute factor'. The older dogs are overlooked most of the time, as are the..." She bit her lip, trying to think of a less ominous-sounding description. "See, some breeds have bad reputations. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans - half of it isn't even true, but people think they're vicious and dangerous." She shook her head, sighing. "But for an apartment, a big dog like that probably wouldn't be too practical." Even though her dog was a Lab, he was still a puppy, and who knew if she'd still be in Bellum by the time he reached full size?

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-16 05:23 am UTC (link)
Lotte kept besides Hannah, listening carefully to what they said. That part did make sense, in a troubling kind of way. There were enough examples in real life for that. People often picked things up on a whim - she'd seen that back when she was in Mrs. Cavanaugh's dance classes. Quite a few girls dropped out after the allure of the ballet wore off. "That's terrible," she said, with a slight grimance. It seemed like an even better idea now, that she was adopting from here rather than heading to a pet store.

Bad reputations made her wince for a variety of reasons. "They'd probably be too cooped up," Lotte guessed. As she'd gone and been friendly with a wolf (one who admittedly was human part of the time) the other day, those dogs didn't seem too disturbing to her. At least before she saw one. "I'd really rather look into a dog who isn't as likely to get a home though." She gave a small shrug.

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-16 07:08 am UTC (link)
She nodded, pausing to smile at a passing coworker and pulling open a door to her right. Immediately the sound of numerous barking dogs filled the air, but she was so used to the noise that it didn't even bother her as she led Lotte inside. "A bigger dog might get restless too, especially one that needs a lot of exercise."

Hannah led her down an aisle lined with cages filled with varying sizes and breeds - some were large and some were only puppies; some barked and reared up against the cage doors while others just sat and watched. She had a few dogs in mind, and stopped at the end. "This is Samson. He's been here for about a year... his owners moved and didn't want to take him with them." She gestured to her right, where a beagle looked up at the pair with trademark sorrowful eyes. "Then there's Prince, who's been here for just about as long." Next to the beagle's cage was a golden cocker spaniel, clearly more energetic than his partner. "There are quite a few who need homes, but these guys don't have too much time left... unless you wanted to look at some others," she added quickly, hoping she wasn't pressuring her into anything.

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-16 01:35 pm UTC (link)
The sound of the dogs didn't bother her - if anything, Lotte's smile grew larger. Nodding at Hannah, she half-listened to the explanation, eyes scanning the cages. As she looked over them all, her smile faltered slightly the amount of them hitting her. Her arms folded around her stomach, trying to stop the heavy feeling in her chest - she hadn't quite realize there were that many that needed homes, even if Hannah had said that.

When they stopped, she went to the wall of cages immediately. A hand was pressed to Samson's door first, tentatively to see his reaction. He shuffled forward, sniffing at it before settling down to look up at her. Her lips pressed together and she looked back up to Hannah. "How much time?" she asked warily. With a glance towards Samson, she moved to Prince repeating the same motion before asking, "Can I take them out?" Lotte added quickly, "I mean, not at the same time but...is there a place to do that?"

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-16 07:08 pm UTC (link)
She was quiet while Lotte studied the two dogs, trying to remain as nonobjective as possible - she'd learned early that being too overbearing made people nervous. She didn't want her to feel like she had to adopt out of guilt or anything like that. Still, it wasn't easy, especially when time was ticking.

Hannah bit her lip, wishing she'd never mentioned the time thing in the first place. "It's just-- we can only keep animals for so long, because we don't have a lot of room and we get new ones every day. But they still have time, so I don't want you to feel obligated or anything like that." She glanced around, hesitating only momentarily before making a decision. Lotte was nice and she genuinely cared, which was enough for Hannah even without an application.

"Of course. Just let me grab some leashes, and we can take them out back. They'll like the exercise." Samson and Prince were both friendly with other dogs, so she didn't see a problem with taking them both out. She disappeared into a back room for a minute before returning with two leashes, clipping each onto the dogs' collars. Clearly thrilled at being out of the cages, the two dogs sniffed each other before turning their attention to Lotte. "Did you want to hold one?" She offered Samson's leash, smiling encouragingly. "The door to the right leads outside."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-16 07:22 pm UTC (link)
Maybe at another time, Lotte could have been aware that there was a bit of manipulation in the mention of time. She was too easily trapped in things or led astray because of guilt - her constant apologies were proof enough of that. But she remained unaware of it, truly wanting to adopt someone who was less likely to get a home - it made more sense. If she was looking for company, the least she could do was give a home to a dog who needed the same and wasn't likely to get it.

Her lips pressed together, nodding, before turning back to the dogs. The explanation made sense and she added, "I don't - really. I was just curious." Usually she was better at restraining it, if it was bad.

She waited until Hannah came back, fingers poking through the cages' holes to see if that was better. She jumped back once Hannah returned, smiling sheepishly. Taking Samson's leash with a grin, she went to the door Hannah indicated. Once outside, Lotte looped the leash around her wrist before going down to her knees on the ground. A better chance to get acquainted with them. After a fair amount of sniffing and ear-scratching, she looked up at Hannah. "How long have you been working here?"

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-16 08:46 pm UTC (link)
Hannah couldn't help but smile at the way Lotte jumped, but it wasn't patronizing; she just thought it was funny how some people seemed to think they weren't allowed to get too close. It wasn't a zoo in that sense, and long as it wasn't done with the intention of annoying the dogs she didn't mind. She tugged on Prince's leash and followed her outside, letting him sniff around a little - she'd let them off their leashes once Lotte was a little more comfortable. The backyard area was fenced off so the dogs couldn't escape, but she knew that enthusiastic dogs could sometimes take people off guard when loose.

Samson seemed to like Lotte, and the possibility of one of them being adopted was looking more and more likely. "I've been here... oh, almost a year. I started months before moving to Bellum. It was after--" She paused, realizing just how close she'd come to saying after I was released from the institution. "After leaving somewhere I'd been for a while," she finished lamely.

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-16 09:13 pm UTC (link)
Loosening the leash from her about her wrist to give Samson some more room, Lotte moved to her feet. He began to sniff around and she watched him, amused for a moment before looking to Hannah again. An eye-brow rose at the pause, but Lotte didn't ask. It wasn't really her business and there was always the possibility she wouldn't like the answer. "It's pretty close to Bellum," she said with small smile.

Samson tugged on his leash and she followed him, her mind did go to the fables - it was really terrible how she instinctively guessed people by it. Even if people had proven that they weren't like their fables. But it wasn't as if Cinderella could have come from somewhere bad, if she wouldn't say what it was. And even if she hadn't met Nick, if she was his friend it wasn't likely that it could be anything bad.

After checking with a glance to see if it was alright, she moved towards Prince. "Why's Prince here? Is he like Samson or was there something else?"

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-16 10:17 pm UTC (link)
She was grateful that Lotte didn't press further at her slip, and she nodded. "I guess that was part of the reason I chose Bellum." She frowned, momentarily puzzled. "It just seemed like a nice building, but I guess it was more than that." It couldn't have been coincidence, after all, that they all ended up here. The question was, were they their fables before or only after they moved in?

Hiding her past didn't seem as important as it once was, but so far only Boyd and Nick knew about her being committed - well, now it was just Nick, considering Boyd had left for who-knows-where. "Prince was abandoned. We got a call about a stray and picked him up. Whoever had him before didn't treat him so well, and he was really nervous and withdrawn at first. He's come a long way." If she could have, she would have taken him home herself; but one dog in an apartment building was almost too much. Hannah offered Lotte his leash, trying to avoid getting it tangled with Samson's.

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-16 10:45 pm UTC (link)
Her lips pressed together in thought, before shrugging. "I moved in following a friend - it really did seem unassuming at the time." Lotte looked down at the dogs for a moment, feeling a bit wistful of how she'd been only six months ago. She'd been less afraid then and in a way, more so than now - if someone had told her about the incarnates the day she'd moved in, she would have moved out. Now it just seemed normal and she was one of those who warned those who moved in.

"Oh," she said, softly. Weaving Samson's leash around Prince's, she managed to pass Samson over while taking Prince. She went down on her knees there, scratching at his ears and shaking her head. "I wouldn't have guessed, from how is now," she said as he gave a short bark. She smiled, a hand moving to side

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-17 12:25 am UTC (link)
"I remember a time when the weirdest thing about the building was the elevator." She laughed a little at the memory, slightly wistful. Even though she wouldn't change anything that had happened since she moved to Bellum, it was amazing how strange things had gotten in a matter of months. Now all the new tenants thought they were insane - until they found out the truth for themselves, that is.

Hannah wound Samson's leash around her hand, crouching down to scratch absently behind his ears. "The first couple months were hard, but all it takes is a lot of patience and kindness. He just needed to see that not all humans were going to hurt him." She watched the two of them, biting back a smile. "I think he likes you."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-17 02:40 am UTC (link)
"It seems like ages ago," Lotte said, shaking her head. Right after she'd moved in though, James had talked about strange memories - discounted as hallucinations. The black-out had been soon after as well. She scratched at Prince's ears a bit more, as he began to pant in the heat. "Would you still have moved in?" she asked, looking up. "If you knew about the fables beforehand?"

She bit her lip at that, finding something familiar about that - though what it was, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She knew that - she still trusted people. Must have reminded her of something she read or listened to once. She pushed the thought aside, smiling up at her. "You think so?" She had unintentionally paused in her scratching when she did that, but Prince had pushed his nose against her hand, asking for her to start again. Lotte didn't try to hide her grin, continuing again. "They're both lovely."

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-17 04:40 am UTC (link)
The blackout had been her first real indication that something was wrong, and from there it just seemed to get worse. Still, Hannah knew her fable wasn't half as bad as some of the others - other than her stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella really didn't have any enemies, and none of them were in the building anyway. The question still made her think, though. "I don't know," she said honestly. "Probably not, but then again I probably should have moved by now, considering all the things that have happened so far." She couldn't even explain why she stayed, not really. "Would you?"

It wasn't that Samson didn't like her, but for some reason she felt that Prince and Lotte would get along well. It was that unexplainable something, but she thought it would sound too strange to mention. "They are," she agreed. "It's hard to choose - I usually want to take all of them home." Samson lost interest in the patch of grass he'd been sniffing and wandered over, looking for a little attention of his own. "You don't have to choose now, obviously. A lot of people take time to think and then come back."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-17 05:16 am UTC (link)
"The sane people would have," Lotte said, something wry crossing her face. Normally she was concerned about being not crazy - because of the voices and so on. This was a different type, remaining where there was danger and people could get hurt. But if she left, wouldn't someone be injured as well? Her scratching of Prince's ears grew more earnest at that troubling thought. "I can't imagine moving now, either." A pause, before she shrugged. "I don't know either. I probably wouldn't have believed it."

Lotte shook her head, moving one hand from Prince to Samson as he came over. She glanced between the two, smiling again, "I can imagine, especially if they come in that often..." She trailed off, looking at the two again. Nodding thoughtfully she said, "That's probably a good idea. I have to fill out other paperwork first as well, right?"

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-17 06:15 am UTC (link)
"I guess none of us are very sane, are we?" She shook her head, laughing a little. To the outside world they would all be labelled insane, but at least it wasn't some kind of hallucination that only she was experiencing. That much was comforting. "Maybe things will get better," she said suddenly, even though it was said half-heartedly. These days she didn't really believe that it could get better.

"Right." Hannah got to her feet, nodding. "I can get it for you to take home if you want, just to look over while you think."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-17 06:27 am UTC (link)
Maybe elsewhere Lotte would have given a tight, smile but she was trying to relax. She laughed slightly as well, mouth twisting. "I guess not." She'd like to be sane in terms of Bellum though. At the comment that things might get better, Lotte looked up. Would it? People seemed more used to what the fables did - they made plans now. They were fighting the crime in the building with arresting the man in the penthouse. "Maybe," she said, quietly. Christine's hopelessness made her think not for her, specifically.

She rose to her feet a moment later, brightening again. "I'd like that."

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-17 06:25 pm UTC (link)
She could tell Lotte didn't believe things could get better any more than she did, but it wasn't too surprising - positivity could only go so far for so long. Shrugging it off, she tugged gently on Samson's leash to nudge him back towards the building. "We can bring these two back inside, then, and I'll get you the paperwork."

Hannah couldn't help but grin as she led the way back inside - at least there seemed to be a good chance that one of the dogs were going to be adopted, which was a success in her mind, however small. Putting the dogs back in their cages was always the hardest part, but she managed to get Samson inside with minimal difficulty. "Sorry," she said quietly, as she always did, before turning back to Lotte.

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-17 07:11 pm UTC (link)
"Alright," Lotte said with a smile. She gave Prince one last rub, before getting to her feet. Though he looked up at her with an expectant look for a moment, he followed her into the building, after Hannah.

She passed Prince over, a bit wary on getting him inside - and a bit scared of any goodbyes. She'd come back of course, for one of them - unless she didn't fit the requirements. Her arms went across her chest, hugging herself as a tight smile crossed her face. "It's fine - I wouldn't want to go back in either." It surprised her that she didn't even think of Christine as she said that - it was a bit of relief not to make the instant connection.

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-17 07:54 pm UTC (link)
She could understand why Lotte didn't want to put him back in herself - everyone always felt a little guilty, whether it was their first time of their twentieth. "We try to let them out as much as possible, but some of the dogs don't get along well with each other, so we can't always take two or more out at a time." Once Prince was back in his cage, she tossed the leashes back where she'd gotten them from and started down the aisle.

"So, once you've made your decision, just bring the completed paperwork back - oh, and usually we'd send someone to check out your apartment, but since I live in the same building I can just stop by. If you don't mind," she added. "As for references, you could use that friend you said you moved in with."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-17 08:06 pm UTC (link)
Lotte nodded, before following down the aisle. "It's rare to have a group that mixes well together," she said with a shrug. She tried not to look too long at any of the other dogs in the cages though - she didn't want that addition of guilt onto things, even if she knew Samson and Prince needed homes more than most. The whole thing was hard to comprehend.

"That's just fine," Lotte said with a smile. She'd been on a cleaning spree lately, the worry leading her to it. Dog-proofing it couldn't be hard. "Is there a form for her to fill out or do you need to talk to her?" She tilted her head to the side, adding. "She works late, but is in 501. I don't think she'd mind..." Lotte would ask though, because it was polite.

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-06-18 04:43 am UTC (link)
That was something animals and people had in common - Bellum was proof enough of that. Sometimes things were calm, but when those anon posts had taken place it was like a virtual massacre, not to mention the fact that someone seemed to get hurt every month. It took the concept of personality clashes to a whole new level.

Hannah shook her head. "No, there's no form for her. If I could talk to her, though, that would be good enough. Just let me know if she's okay with it - I don't want to go knocking on her door out of nowhere." She didn't know who lived in 501, but then again the fifth floor seemed to be fairly quiet, which probably said a lot about the people who lived on it. If she worked late, disturbing her sleep probably wouldn't be very welcome either.

She pushed open the door and smiled at the woman behind the front desk, gesturing towards Lotte and asking for the necessary adoption forms. There were a few forms she'd have to fill out herself, but that was after she talked to 501 and saw the apartment. "Here you go." She smiled, handing her a stack of stapled forms. "It was really nice meeting you, Lotte."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-18 05:00 am UTC (link)
Lotte nodded thoughtfully. She didn't see why James would have a problem with it - even if things were hard to predict with her these days. If she was busy, she could surely ask someone else who'd been by and knew her long enough as well. Valerie crossed her mind briefly, before she pushed it aside. She hadn't talked to her foster-mother in months, still pushing it off after their last disastrous encounter. "I'll let you know," Lotte said, giving Hannah another nod. "It shouldn't be a problem."

She took the forms, glancing briefly over them before looking up. With a final grin, Lotte said, "You too. Thanks for taking the time for me." She gestured at the papers in her hands, "I'll get to work on these right away." She gave a final wave before slipping out to the streets, heading back to Bellum. Her steps were light as she clutched the papers towards her chest. There was a certain feeling that came when you felt like you were on the way to doing something right that was impossible to crush. Lotte made a note to cling to it for as long as she could.

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