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 Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:54 pm
Delphine was killing time before going on patrol. She didn't like to patrol any other time than at night, where she could at least hide herself a little more easily. So this twilight hour wasn't quite dark enough that she would patrol. Her family wouldn't expect her to be back until late (she was supposed to be at some supervised party), so she could kill a little time. Usually this would be done shopping, or going to get something to eat... but for some reason she had decided to lay down in a small meadow in Destiny City's park. There were a few people about, walking their dogs or holding hands with their loved ones.
Delphine could pretend they didn't exist, and when she achieved that it was really... peaceful. She could almost fall asleep (if she didn't have to patrol she might have let herself actually doze off some more). As it was, she needed to be wide awake. She needed to be prepared for tonight, in case she ran into anything. Youma were creeping up more and more, causing enough trouble to keep Delphine busy. Luckily there seemed to be more scouts showing up as well. They weren't the best group of senshi, but... they got the job done. If they learned anything from it, that would be good too.
With a small yawn, Delphine forced herself to sit up before she really fell into the temptation of resting. One hand lifted to rub at her eyes. She needed to stay awake. Damn, it was going to be a short patrol tonight, because she needed to catch up on some z's... Fortunately, she had gotten her homework done. If she hadn't, she'd have been in quite the bitchy mood already.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 5:44 pm
When Barnaby's mother had brought home the, at the time, small furball that was Minnie Mouse, she had warned him that if they spoiled the dog she would get out of hand very quickly. They had to be gentle, but firm, to make sure that by the time she grew big enough to bowl them over she would be obedient. So the redhead had done as he was told, never feeding her from the table and putting her to bed every night no matter how much she cried. But as time went on, the rules got more and more lax, and soon the mastiff was eating bits of his Captain Crunch every morning and hogging his sofa downstairs. Now, all she had to do was go get her leash from the hook upstairs and whine pitifully at his feet whenever she wanted to go outside.
Nobody could resist puppy dog eyes forever, not even Barnaby Price.
The big, furry dog trotted along eagerly at his heels, pausing to sniff at anything that looked remotely interested as her bundled-up owner sauntered after her. Mostly she went for fire hydrants, but children always caught her attention and she had to stop at each one to give a lick (whether they liked it or not). Delphine was no exception, despite not being a child, but she was sitting on a park bench which made her an easy target. Minnie trotted over, sniffed her shoes and then sneezed.
"Leave her, Mini Wheats. Not everybody needs you love," the redhead called, giving a tug on the leash.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 5:53 pm
There was a mutt at her feet.
While Delphine didn't hate dogs, she wasn't so sure she liked them. Cats were more her thing, they'd let you pet them when they wanted to be pet, and left you alone otherwise. Delphine didn't like animals that demanded constant attention (and at this point in her life she didn't have time to give all her attention to a pet). They had an old, nearly expired cat that roamed the house, but the creature was more of a b***h than Delphine ever could be. Still, compared to her grumpy a** cat, dogs still weren't better... even if they weren't horrible.
Her eyes narrowed at the creature sniffing her shoes, her nice shoes that did not need to be drooled on. The only hope of salvaging them was to distract said dog-beast with something it'd find more interesting. "Hello," she said, as friendly as she could be, leaning over to the dog to give her a friendly pet on the head. There. Delphine was in a good, peaceful mood. It was one of the rarer times that she didn't want to ruin it.
"It's fine, I really don't mind her all that much." She would mind if drool ended up on her shoes, but so far her shoes were safe, and so she was content.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 6:08 pm
Minnie's ears perked at the greeting and she eagerly switched from shoes to face. The girl's shoes, though they smelled of easily a thousand smells, couldn't possibly pet her, and she was rather partial to the latter action.
Barnaby hesitated for a moment, but decided that since the girl hadn't recoiled it was safe to stay. Then again, she hadn't exactly done the usual "oh it's so cute!" that most girls seemed to do at the sight of anything furry. But he would give her a minute to adjust. Not every girl could react appropriately at the sight of a very large dog. Perhaps he ought to invest in a pair of knitted booties for the tougher cases.
"She likes saying hi to anyone. Minnie, don't sniff so much." He gave the leash a little tug, and the mastiff reluctantly took a step back. "Sit and play nice, okay? I'm sure the uh… nice girl doesn't want your fur all over her clothing."
The mastiff simply stared at Delphine, tail wagging furiously. Her, shed? Never!
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 6:21 pm
Delphine was careful to keep her head tilted high, just in case the dog stuck her nose too close, or decided to try and lick her. Delphine was perfectly fine with huge and furry beast so long as it didn't ruin her clothes or her face. She placed her hands on either side of Minnie's face, effectively holding her at bay, while looking like she was petting her even more. Really, all she did was scratch her fingers a little behind the dog's ear, and Delphine was sure that would make the creature happy. "Your master is right, I hope you know. If I go home covered in fur I will be very unhappy."
She frowned disapprovingly at Minnie. That was right, dog, she was setting boundaries right now that would last throughout their interaction. "She's not so bad," Delphine mused, leaning back in her seat, hands leaving Minnie for the time being - now that the boundaries were set, she was hoping she wouldn't be assaulted by an over-happy mutt.
"I'm Delphine," she introduced. Really, she might as well. So long as the dog wanted to stay here, the owner of said dog would as well. Besides, she was in a good mood. It was safe enough to risk conversation. Maybe by the end of the day she wouldn't have blown up at someone for something stupid.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 6:43 pm
One of Minnie's back legs twitched when Delphine found an itchy spot, scratching the air when the other teen continued. Aaaah, that was the spot!
"Barnaby and Minnie," he gestured to the dog as he said her name. Hopefully she wouldn't say anything about the rather inaccurate name. He had thought it would be funny, when he was younger, to name the mastiff something that people wouldn't expect. Not only did Minnie sound exactly like 'mini', but the name could further be shortened into "mouse", and then of course his favourite "Mini Wheats." It was kind of like naming a small dog Killer.
Eyes darting from his dog to the girl, Barnaby tipped his head as he tried to remember if he'd seen her before. "You uh…don't go to Meadowview, do you?" Dumb question, but the redhead was absolutely certain he would have remembered seeing a girl with hair those colours. Unique hair always caught his attention, more often than pretty faces, and Delphine's hair was no exception. Blue and black wasn't something you saw every day, even in a place like Destiny City.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 6:51 pm
Delphine tried not to grimace at the unfortunate names both boy and dog had been given. Barnaby's name was bad enough that she couldn't even thinking about Minnie's name. Barnaby reminded her of Barney, the giant, purple, ***** dinosaur. He liked meat - and no, not the kind of meat you cooked. Really, the poor kid had to been born under unfortunate circumstances (and now she was finding it really hard not to imagine his skin with a purple tint). "Do they call you Abe, for short?" Oh dear, she hoped so. She hoped it wasn't Barney, it was just so bad that she HAD to care for the other guy's emotional well-being.
Barnaby, really?
Unable to resist, Delphine leaned forward again to scratch Minnie in that same spot. It was a little amusing, to say the least, to see the dog's leg twitching in mid-air with enjoyment. Delphine was beginning to like dogs a little more, if only for the reason that this dog had yet to misbehave. Delphine's opinion could really change in a split-second, though. "Oh, no, I go to Crystal Academy. So, I take it that you go to Meadowview." The co-ed school, the school some Crystal girls wished they could go to. Delphine didn't, she didn't need the distraction of 'boys', and the peer pressure to go and find one to date.
Sorry, she really didn't have the time, nor did she really want to have a boyfriend hanging over her shoulder twenty-four seven.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:22 pm
For a moment Barnaby simple started at Delphine, not sure if she was being serious or not. "Uh… no? They don't usually call me anything for short. Just Barnaby or my last name, Price. That's all." And here he'd been worried about her reaction to his dog's name. There were times that his mother had named him something normal like "Robert" or "Joseph." At least then nobody would associate him with the infamous giant, purple dinosaur. But, she was a girl, so he might as well be accommodating. "You can call me Price if it's weird."
He was momentarily distracted by Minnie, who was clearly enjoying the ear scratch as long as Delphine was willing to provide it. Her whole body was tilted towards the scratching hand, foot now kicking through the air like she was trying to imitate a kangaroo. The redhead couldn't help but chuckle at her. Silly dog. Tricks are for kids.
"Yeah, that's right." Aaah, so she was from Crystal. Was he surprised? Not really. But he rarely assumed things about other people when he could help it. Just because she didn't squeal about cute things didn't mean she was automatically come from the prissy school of Destiny City.
Barnaby shifted his weight to his other leg and stuck his free thumb in his pocket, using the movement to ensure that he didn't get cold from standing still. Might as well keep talking if he was going to stay here. "You out here waiting for someone, or something?" Lame conversation starters were lame, but Barnaby wasn't exactly well known for his skills with the ladies. He rather preferred they just talk to his mastiff, to be honest, but Delphine didn't exactly look like the type to coo senselessly at a dog. It was a major bummer.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:30 pm
"Price, that's perfect!" It was a little preppy, but so much better than Barnaby. The kid had the good fortune of at least having a salvageable last name. Delphine would have felt even worse for him if his last name wasn't something they could work with. She'd just forget his first name, because every time she remembered he gained a purple dinosaur suit. Delphine couldn't take the boy seriously otherwise, and hell, she'd probably laugh at him until he walked away in embarrassment. So, Price it was, Price it would be, at least for however long they chatted. Delphine still had some time to kill before it got dark.
...Oh, she should maybe shoo him away before it got too dark. He might be the chivalrous sort and try to escort her home. Right, she'd send him on his way soon enough, or come up with a good excuse that will be enough to satisfy whatever 'protect the fair maiden!' urges he could have.
"Ah no, neither of those. I'm just sitting out here to enjoy the time alone. I've got a noisy family, so it's nice to get away every now and again." It was just her brother and her parents - but then again, Damon was enough of a pest to drive Delphine away for a few hours. "I'll head back soon enough, but for now I kinda enjoy being out here." Her lips quirked into a very, very small smile at Minnie's antics. Fine, fine, she got it, keep petting the dog. That was what The Dog wanted, and that was what The Dog would get.
"She likes attention, doesn't she?" Delphine gestured to Minnie with her free hand.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:40 pm
Whew. Problem solved, at least temporarily. So long as Delphine didn't start making jokes about The Price is Right they'd be all set. (Not that he wasn't, always right, but he tried to keep name jokes down to a minimum).
Barnaby blinked at her answer, and couldn't help a sheepish grin. "I guess I've sort of ruined your alone time, huh? Sorry about that." He had thought she was waiting on a park bench for a family member or perhaps even a boyfriend. But he supposed girls did need some "thinking time" every now and again to sort through their feelings. Secretly, he was almost positive she was just criticising every other girl's clothing whenever they walked past her, but he wouldn't have admitted that even under duress. There were some things you just never said to girls.
Glad to return to the topic of his dog, he nodded his head. "She does. Give her a rub and she's your best friend for life. It's what makes her good for visitations. But we're lucky I didn't bring her ball with her, otherwise she might be bothering you to throw it." A game of fetch would definitely get Delphine's clothes very furry and very slobbery.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:47 pm
"Don't worry about it, I don't mind. Time away from my family doesn't necessarily mean I have to be alone. Your company isn't that horrible." She scrunched her nose just a little bit as she thought of all the company she could be having right now that she'd prefer not to. There was always Alkaid, Sirius, that chick from the mall, some negaverse lieutenant... Yeah, Price's company was far more preferable right now, when she compared it to other people. So, she wouldn't chase him away just yet.
"Ah, yeah, I would not have appreciated being made to play fetch." She could grimace at the thought of all that slobber over her hands and clothes. Gross. She'd chase Price away just so she could transform and get out of her dog-defiled clothes. "These clothes are my good ones, anyways." Well, she didn't feel like appearing to be the complete and total b***h that most people knew her to be.
"Your dog isn't so bad, you know. I usually prefer cats - I have a cat, but she's a rightful b***h every day and every night. Dogs seem... so needy. I wouldn't be able to tolerate so much attention." In small doses, like right now, it was fine. She was happy enough to pet Minnie and give her the attention she desired.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 1:29 pm
It was sort of a compliment, in a round about kind of way. The redhead simply grinned back in the hopes that that would be thank you enough for not saying something like he smelled or he had a stupid name. No doubt, had he said something back like 'you're company isn't so bad either' she would have terminated their conversation in an instant.
At the mention of them being her good clothes he gave a soft chuckle. "Most people would say that dogs can't tell the difference between regular and good clothes, but I think they can. In my experience, they seem to go out of their way to get the good clothes dirty but leave your regular kind alone. It was smart to use the ear scritch tactic to keep her occupied otherwise she might have put her head on your lap." Luckily Minnie was too focused on the pats to be listening for new ideas.
"Well, needy is… probably a very accurate word," Barnaby admitted with a lop-sided grin. "Her needs are fairly simple though. Walks, food, love, and the entire sofa. My mother grew up with a dog in the family, so she thought that we should have one too. I've never had a cat before, but I hear some of them are pretty nice. Is yours indoor or outdoor?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 3:45 pm
Her expression turned into a scowl at Price's words. Really, dogs could be the damnedest creatures sometimes. Sure, cats were the same, but she was sure that her cat didn't lay on her good clothes just because they were good. Perhaps Delphine should have worn more casual clothes today, but she enjoyed looking somewhat nice from time to time. "Well, I'm glad my clothes haven't been ruined yet. I wouldn't say I'd be in any favorable mood to your dog otherwise." Still, she did pet Minnie as if she liked the dog. Minnie hadn't done anything to warrant her immediate hate, so Delphine would play nice still.
"It's like taking care of a baby, a baby that never grows up, and certainly smells worse most of the time." There, just the hint of a smile was back on her face, and she scratched behind Minnie's ear just a bit more affectionately. "My cat is an indoors cat. It'd probably get gobbled up by a hawk or something if we let her outside. She's old and grumpy, so she just lays around the house and spends... half of her time asleep." The cat was really more of an ornament by this point. Delphine could hardly remember a time when it wasn't laying around, meowing irritably at anyone who passed them by.
"But... I'm probably taking up your walk time, aren't I?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 4:14 pm
Cats smelled? Go figure. He hadn't known about that little bit of information. Barnaby had always thought people had cats because they didn't smell half as bad as dogs did, but perhaps he'd been wrong on that count. Perhaps he would ask Sue, if he saw the other teen again. He had proclaimed himself a lover of cats as well. There seemed to be a lot of cat lovers roaming around Destiny City these days, or maybe he and Minnie were just meeting all of them. At least the mastiff had better luck with this one. Delphine hadn't acted like she was going to gnaw her shoes off.
Some boys would have gone for a classy line about how a girl could never take up his time. But Barnaby merely gave her a half-shrug. "It's okay. I should probably go though, before it gets too dark." There was a moment of hesitation as the redhead pondered his last question. Finally, in his best casual voice, he asked, "You don't want a walk home or anything, right? You're cool?"
It was always best to ask.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 4:21 pm
She saw this coming, knew that he'd be the polite sort of guy to ask her. Delphine didn't think it was to take an opportunity to spend more time with her, just Price being nice and making a kind gesture. Delphine would have turned him down even if she didn't have to patrol tonight, more out of habit than to actually be mean. With a smile, she shook her head, "I'm fine. I've got a flashlight with me if it gets too dark before I decide to go. No worries." She finally stopped petting Minnie to give Price what could be considered a dismissive wave. Delphine almost wanted to ask for his number - he hadn't gotten on her nerves, and she liked him and Minnie well enough. But, she held back, if only because she really shouldn't be making time for new friends. Delphine needed to focus on her work as a senshi.
"I'd tell you to be safe, but I imagine you'll be fine with Minnie. She at least... looks intimidating." And if he really did run into trouble, Delphine would be in the area, and she wouldn't hesitate too much to save him if he got into some mess. It was the nice part of her showing, really. Now, if only that nice bit of her showed up more often, people might actually LIKE her.
"See ya, Price."
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