It was a very similar situation to what happened last time. Except instead of just testing out silly technology, there was money in it this time. At least there could have been. Sebe told Bahlo enough about how she could definitely make a splash in the toony modeling scene even with just one shoot. And though Bahlo wasn’t typically into modeling, she did enjoy photography. But that’s all she was doing this for: A toony picture.

At the actual location, Sebe said “So it’s just a piston.” She looked at the apparatus in the small, white room. It was just a glass tube with a piston in it. “Beneath is a scanner, and being a machine for models to be pancaked in, there’s usually two passes. Also why I gotta be a bit of a spotter: To flip you over and press the button a second time. You uh, don’t mind your underside and paws being captured like that?” She shrugged. “Well there’s nothing to show. Just a round end. And ok: My paws, Sebe?” Sebe blushed. “It’s common! Common enough at least -”

“I know a lot of toons have a proclivity towards it. It’s all good. Let’s go.” She made her way into the chamber, and gave a thumbs up as she said all this…

“Oop, wait a second.” Bahlo said this right as Sebe pressed the button. The bear wanted to say something, but figured the point would be moot. They saw after the fact that the dragon had dropped the flower in their horn, and bent down in the chamber to pick it back up (the chamber ironically being large enough to accommodate such). What actually happened was that while backing in, the stem pushed against the back and out, but regardless: In the two seconds that she leaned down, picked it up, and fastened it back in her horn while leaning over, the piston was up against her rear.
She had instinctively done several things just fast enough upon feeling this: She stepped backwards, one foot pressing against the wall of the chamber, and the heel of her other did too. Her arms flew out in front of her towards the ground. Lastly, she gasped as her palms and the ground quickly met. In one more second the piston had gone from the half-way point to three quarters of the way down, and most of her body was pressed into a puck-like shape. It finished the job in just one more second. She made a grimace assuming this was a sort of botch. What rubbed it in was that the piston lingered for quite a bit in the proper ‘pancake’ depth it plunged, and the scan occuring. Gave her just a bit more time to contemplate.

Sebe came in quickly after the piston raised and the scanner passed through. They picked up the dragon pancake, holding her facing them. “I’m sorry, I froze up and didn’t know what to do because I had already pressed the button before you said to hold on.” The dragon pancake looked a bit unhappy, but far from discomforted. “Ah, it’s alright.” The bear was surprised. “Oh you can finally talk now while you're flat. Cool. But yeah, we just start over then?” Bahlo took a moment. “Yeah I guess I’ve been flat enough by now, but… I want to actually see the picture. Cause I don’t know what I look like right now.” Sebe obliged. “Oh, sure.” a bit awkwardly carrying the dragon disk over to the computer side of the room.

After some click throughs, they finally got the image and turned the pancake around so she could see. The two looked at it. “I mean, it’s not the typical pancake you’d see most do, but-” “I like it.” Bahlo cut Sebe off. “Yeah, I think it’s still pretty good! Atypical, but it’s like you’re packing all the detail in one side instead of half-and half. Which… yeah all your details are on the side with your face.” Bahlo tried nodding before realizing she couldn’t, so quickly settled for just saying “Yeah exactly… Could uh, we actually get one more? I want one where I’m smiling, too.” The bear took a second.

“Not sure how we’d get the swirly eyed reactions, but sure.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
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... Commission for  Bahlokmul