metalogs | cross the roofs

Who: Otto Octavius

doctopoda
What: June catch-all
When: June, pre-Kaijuu
Where: Excelsior
Content Warnings: none

i. excelsior, day, out and about

[Now that he's gainfully employed, Otto's starting to fall into something more like a normal routine.

You may see him out getting coffee at what's become his regular place, or doing some shopping. It's getting easier; the longer he's lived here, the more people in his neighborhood have gotten used to the sight of him.

Ever since the incident at Balthier's shop, though, things have gotten a little weird. There's been outcry against metas. He knew it existed out there, but he's only lived in Central City and here, where such things are less common; this is the first real anti-meta sentiment he's seen in person. He even passes a few little protest groups outside of the Guild buildings, his own home and the others near it. Yet somehow, he himself is excluded: he's a product of science, not natural-born, not magic.

A ridiculous distinction. Otto knows as well as anyone just how dangerous a rogue scientist can be.

Mostly, he does his best to ignore praise and protest alike. If he sees anyone nearby who seems upset by the crowd - or, god forbid, anyone who's getting yelled at by them - he'll go over to them, actuators curving protectively, though not too close.]

Come on. They're just looking for attention - don't give them the satisfaction.

ii. excelsior, night, guild housing

[Peter staying with Otto has been rather nice, actually - at least in Otto's mind. He spends most of his days at work, and Peter's often out on his own business at other times, so they don't see too much of one another. But when they do, it's nice to have a bit of friendly conversation. The place has felt empty since Norman left.

Even so, there's still evenings when he's left to his own devices, or nights that drag on as sleep eludes him. So there's also nights when a tentacled shape can be seen swiftly crawling its way up to the roof of one of the Guild-owned apartment buildings.

Once up there, he leans against the perimeter wall, lights a cigarette, and smokes it while looking out over the city. It's an awful habit, he knows; he went some thirty years without it. But then - as with so many things - but then there was the accident. He quit once. He can kick it again. Just...later, maybe.]

iii. wildcard

(( hit me up on

lluosogrwydd if you want to do something else! or just go for it, idk ))

Threaded | Flat

[When Otto initially picked Peter up to help him move into his apartment, there wasn't really a ton of discussion. It had been rather late, so Otto just showed him to his freshly made-up bedroom, let him know where the clean towels were, and left him to his own devices.

Honestly? A little weird!

Come morning, though, he's decided: it doesn't need to be awkward. Maybe this isn't where either of them thought they'd end up, but they should make the best of it. This can be fine!

The apartment is a little bit sparse. It's functional. There's a worktable in the main living area, neat piles of papers and a toolbox sitting on it; there's a small dining table with stools, and a particularly deep couch. Otto just doesn't seem to have put a ton of effort into personal touches or decorations. It makes a large place seem larger, a tad emptier.

In a lot of ways, though, that's not a bad thing for a guy with a lot of extra limbs. Otto is in the kitchen right now, scrambling eggs while an actuator makes coffee and two more handle the dishes. They're not usually all so active when he's just out in public, but in here he's got the room and the freedom - or, at least, he did? Hopefully Peter isn't wigged out by them.]

Good morning. You want some eggs?

[The room's pretty dim, the only light right now being what indirect sunlight filters in through the large windows on the other side of the apartment. That's why Otto's got his glasses off, for once; he glances at Peter with his actual human eyes!]

[ Otto is extremely easy to spot once Balthier gets outside, but it looks like the staff have accommodated him fine and put them in a corner with lots of space. The weather is good and the patio has plenty of plants and twinkle lights, which Balthier cares about mostly because it does a decent job of obscuring them. Still, as he smiles and walks over to take a seat, he throws up an illusion that will cause anyone who looks at them or interacts with them to remember two generic people. Definitely no actuators, definitely not Balthier's accent.

Having footage of himself flinging fire at the apparration of his father followed by the anti-meta sentiment in Excelsior had hit him hard. He's being a lot more careful. And if all he has are illusions, well, he'll wring them dry for what they're worth.

None of that makes it to his tone or face. He embraces Otto before sitting down. Ivalician custom, but, also it's welcome to just have friendly touch. He misses Fran terribly. ]

Otto, good to see you. I'm sorry it wasn't sooner.

[ Not an apology so much as genuine longing for a quiet, pleasant evening with company he cared for. ]

You holding up alright?

for Peter

June, post-Kaiju, dinner in Excelsior