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 Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 11:39 am
Alois panted heavily as he drew to a stop in front of the aged library of Destiny City. His insatiable german shepherd companion, Tschambes, seemed unfazed by the canicross run for the last six and a half blocks, but his owner had nary a moment for a smoke break. Warily, Alois unhitched the canicross bungee and strapped it around the nearest flagpole. "Platz." He commanded, watching coldly as his exuberant dog laid down on the rain-spotted concrete.
Upon reaching into his pocket, Alois discovered his pack of Marlboro Blacks were crumpled and wadded. He cursed his sister for picking up the soft packs, rather than the flip-top box. Last he remembered, he specifically told her what he was asking for, and naturally she was too scatterbrained to get it right. Did he have to hold everyone's hand? Was it really that difficult to get it right? Did he have to write it down for her in the future? At that rate, he should just tattoo it to her goddamn hand. Katarin could use the lesson in pain regardless. With an exasperated huff, he withdrew one of the cigarettes and lit up in the light rain.
Tschambes whined heavily as the smoke wafted in his direction, and he stared at his owner pitifully. To his dismay, Alois didn't bother to make eye contact. His owner was deep in thought; to Tschambes, that meant he was all but forgotten. With one last great whine, he rested his chin on the sidewalk.
"Halt den Mund." Alois shushed his dog harshly. Once the whining ceased and he'd replenished his dwindling nicotine reserves, he unwrapped the dog's canicross bungee from the flagpole and replaced it with a legitimate leash. The bungee was then loosely clasped together around Alois's neck. He checked the dog's pack for the pair of library books he'd rented, opened one to the middle section of the novel, and ground his cigarette butt into the page. After dropping the used-up cigarette onto the grass beside the flagpole, he led his dog inside to the warm confines of Destiny City's cozy library.
"Vhere the ******** iz ze book dropoff?" He asked his dog in a low mumble. He hadn't noticed any telltale slats on the outside, though he was more than accustomed to just dropping them onto the restocking rollers rather than dutifully following the rules. Still, he wanted to see the look on the librarian's face when he opened with a scathing review on their abysmally small foreign language section. "Tschambes, you're suppost to help me out here." Alois jerked on the dog's collar as he spoke to him.
Tschambes only looked at him pitifully, for as long as his stunted canine attention span could tolerate, before happily approaching any passersby and wagging his tail at them.
"Idiot dog." Finally he set his sights on someone who looked like they actually work there. It was an older man, sporting trimmed facial hair and a tired expression, who was restocking the shelves with newly returned books. "Hey, you." Alois approached as he spoke, woefully unaware of the companion dog cleverly hidden behind a short pile of books. "Vhere ze ******** am I suppost to return zese?" He brandished the books as he spoke, and regarded the older man with a borderline irritated expression.
Tscambes, however, was far too interested in the doggy scent he was picking up. He woofed happily before traipsing around the aisle, knocking around any unsecured books, on his hunt for the origin of the smell. Was it another canine buddy?
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:55 pm
Anthony Darrow was hard at work inside the library. He was seated at the front desk, typing furiously on the computer, surrounded by many small piles of books. And in between these piles, stretched out and curved in a way to fit in the space provided, was a small corgi. Dogby was sound asleep, ignoring the typing of Tony's fingers and snoozing leisurely in the quiet library.
It was always peaceful there, and Dogby loved being there with her master. She had it easier than he did, of course. He couldn't just sprawl out on a table and take a nap whenever he wanted to.
He got up once he finished what he was typing, grabbing a stack of the books, putting another stack on top of it, and moving off to begin putting them back on the shelves. He had to readjust their data in the computer, as the systems were changing and before he could change over he needed to be as up to date as possible, which seemed backwards and stupid but he wasn't the one designing computers these days.
Or any day.
Tony blinked when he heard someone cursing at him. It was a bit early in his day for that. He turned to look at the source, tilting his head.
"In the book drop off. That large box at the front of the library? There's one next to the front door, as well, though since you're here now I can just take them at the front desk." He smiled leisurely, and moved back to the counter, putting the rest of the books he had in his arm down. This woke Dogby up and she poked her little head up, then looked around when she caught whiff of another dog.
Her eyes lit up like a christmas tree. She made a horrifyingly far leap from the counter to the floor, one that always stopped Tony's heart to see her do. She scrabbled off after the dog that was quite a few times bigger than her, yipping excitedly as she went.
Tony watched as if in a daze, letting it dawn on him inexorably that this was probably not going to go well.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 8:52 pm
There was a drop-off box in front of the library? Well s**t, maybe he'd piss in it next time.
Alois practically tossed the books atop the librarian's counter and slackened his dog's leash as he put his hand on his hip. "Is your foreign language section always zat small?" He asked, his tone bordering on condescending. his parents' bookstore had a bounty of cultural treasures in many languages, perhaps one of the most worldly bookstores in Destiny City, yet their library lacked many a German novel. What happened to Goethe? Kafka? Obviously this library didn't find it suitable to keep these authors' works in their native tongue. Heaven forbid someone actually studying German wanted to read something of theirs.
Meanwhile, Tschambes happened upon a delightful little treasure hidden amongst the books. He wooed happily as he discovered the other dog, and wagged his tail with such energy that he inadvertently rearranged an entire shelf in a new and interesting horizontal fashion. "Woowoowoo!" He exclaimed, jumping around the other canine.
Alois was largely unimpressed by his dog's exuberant show, and nary bothered to tug on the leash. He ignored the dog entirely and continued to berate the library's selections. "Perhaps you'll come up with somezing wors reading in ze future. At zis point, I'm better off reading online." Not that it cost him any money to rent from the library, despite the fines he might incur form putting his cigarette out in a particularly abysmal novel, but he was interested to see just how much of a pain in the a** he could be before getting thrown out.
Not only that, but his dog was more than happy to rearrange the library in a way that made sense to canines.
Tschambes was already standing on emptied shelves and using them as a springboard as he traipsed about the cramped confines of the aisles between the shelves, and his attention constantly shifted to the library's corgi. "Woowoo!" He exclaimed happily, chancing a sniff of the other dog. With another grunt and a bark, he attempted to play wrestle with his newfound friend. Aside from treats falling from the heavens, nothing could possibly make him happier. Though, his owner scratching his ears and telling him what a good boy he was wouldn't hurt.
However, Alois was far from providing such treatment at that moment. No, he was quite busy shifting against his excitable dog's weight while he pranced about the library, though he was quite practiced at the struggle to remain standing while enduring Tschambes' bursts of happiness. How irritating. He could correct the dog, but he rather enjoyed seeing the ambient destruction his canine companion wrought on the place. Perhaps the librarian was enjoying it too?
As a final taunting gesture, Alois plucked another cigarette from his pack and tucked it in the corner of his mouth. He knew damn well that libraries were no-smoking areas, but there was no law against unlit cigarettes.
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 10:27 am
Tony was not unused to entitled patrons thinking the library should be built to their specifications, and he knew well enough that some people were never satisfied, regardless. He shook his head.
"We do what we can, I'm afraid. I'm sorry you did not find what you were looking for," he said with an apologetic look. He took the books, knowing full well the foreign language areas of the library were well supplied.
Some people just lacked the ability to find what they were looking for, and threw fits instead of asking for help.
Dogby yipped eagerly, sniffing at the other dog in wonder. She wagged her tail, which was mostly just wagging her whole butt because her tail was just a little stump. She yipped and bounced with the much larger dog, looking more excited than she had in a long time, which was really impressive for her because she was excited all the time.
"If that's the way you feel," Tony said with a nod, not feeling inclined to bend over backwards for rude patrons. He had plenty of polite ones, and they could afford to lose the business people like this brought in. Maybe the world, in general, would be a better place if this guy stayed at his computer. He looked at the dogs, though, distracted and, really, more interested in them, anyway.
"Dogby, what are you doing?" he called, hearing her excuse for a bark, which she usually did not do.
Dogby accepted the challenge of a wrestling match despite the fact that she was about the weight of the German Shepherd's leg. Maybe less. She could still take him though, she was pretty sure, and she bounced around like a crazy rabbit before she bounded toward the bigger dog and bounced directly off his forelegs. What she was trying to do was anyone's guess, but she wiggled around on her back with her tongue lulling all over the place, clearly the happiest dog in the world just because she was playing.
Tony smiled and shook his head. He ignored Alois' behavior, if only because Nathan had trained him well as far as kids acting out for attention went.
"I think our dogs might be getting a little too rambunctious," he said, nodding toward the duo. How nice it must be, to get along with anyone and become fast friends at the drop of a hat. He could learn something about life from his dog, he supposed, but it wasn't that easy for humans.
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:51 pm
Clearly this encounter wasn't going as Alois planned. He had fully expected to be kicked out of the library at this rate, possibly fined, and threatened with legal action, yet the librarian brushed him off without even batting an eyelash. What the hell is this? Was he on Xanax or something? "Wis' service like zat, I am surpris't you haf customers. At all." Alois regarded the librarian coldly. Apparently all the chiding and chastising in the world wasn't going to get under his skin. Definitely had to be on drugs of some kind. Maybe Alois should get ahold of some.
And apparently the cavorting canines were more worthy of the librarian's attention than he was. What, did this guy not give a s**t that the dogs were making a mess of the place? "Yeah, so?" He simply discarded the leash on the ground to allow Tschambes to play without worrying about tugging his owner across the aisle. "In Germany, we say 'bellende Hunde beißen nicht'. Barking dogs don't bite. Osserwise you might haf' a lawsuit on your hands from zat ten-pound sausage you call a dog." He clicked his tongue to punctuate his statement.
Tschambes' excitement increased tenfold when the leash dropped to the ground, and he howled happily as the corgi collided with his front legs. He headbutted the other dog lightly, as he'd learned from a young age to play gently, and pawed at the corgi's butt. He jumped over dogby and sniffed the old girl once again, then wooed with unmitigated fervor. Even as he wagged his tail, books went flying in their playful romp through the aisle, and Tschambes hadn't a care in the world. How could he with a new buddy around? On top of that, his owner didn't mind! What a wonderful day! It could be his birthday, all over again! After another excited woo, Tschambes rolled over and pawed at the upside-down corgi.
Alois couldn't help but smirk from the display. He leaned against the librarian's desk and folded his arms while he watched the dogs. "Maybe I should leaf him here." Heaven only knows what he'd save on dog food and vet bills. "The hell is your dog's name? Tschambes likes him more zan usual." Typically his german shepherd exhibited a degree of aloofness when in the presence of another dog, but this one seemed new and exciting for a reason unbeknownst to Alois.
If that librarian was as carefree as he appeared, then certainly he wouldn't mind an overly excitable new dog on his hands. As a bonus, Alois could sleep soundly that night. Course, the day that happened would be the day that curried sausage fell from the sky like manna from heaven.
Too bad.
Then again... he could go for a smoke and leave the dog there to wreak havoc on the place. But what if something happened to Tschambes? Oh ******** it, the dog could take care of himself. Alois pulled his lighter from his pocket and turned his attention to the older man once more. "I'm stepping out. Tell him to platz if he's an a*****e." Without waiting for a response, Alois attempted to leave the confines of the aisle.
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Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 1:15 pm
"Her name is Dogby," he said, knowing the name was a bit stupid, but he had never been good at naming animals. Or anything, he supposed, though he hoped the trend wouldn't continue when his child was born in the coming months.
Maybe he would let his wife handle the naming.
He imagined ten points was a generous estimation, though he hadn't really weighed Dogby recently. She did have her stumpy little legs, but her body was round and solid enough, for how small she was. She wasn't far, but Corgi's weren't built with lithe frames.
Dogby was in heaven, playing with the bigger dog and convincing herself that she was more than a match. Look how light the other one pawed at her! That meant she was just doing too good and they were destined to be best friends forever because they got along so well. Dogby's logic was mostly the same in any situation.
Friends and fun forever.
She didn't notice the destruction of the aisles, mostly because she was small enough to avoid most of the books. She saw the dog roll over and bounced on him immediately, yipping happily.
Tony watched them, amused and mortified at once. There was going to be a lot of picking up to do. He moved to stop them, but realized too late that he was being abandoned.
"Hold on a minute, you can't just leave your dog here," he called helplessly, moving to try and catch Dogby and pick her up. He looked at the much larger dog, not quite sure how to handle it. He was very used to small animals.
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Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:23 am
Tschambes was more than happy to roll over and play victim for the other dog. What fun it was to have a new companion! He wooed loudly in defeat, and melodramatically pawed the air. After a few seconds of playing the scene, he rolled back to his feet and wagged his tail enthusiastically. The day was complete - not only did he get a walk with his owner, but he met a new friend! His owner should stay here forever so they could play every day!
Once Dogby was snatched up by her owner, Tschambes looked up at him quizzically. Why'd he do that? Didn't he see they were having fun? He grunted at the man questioningly, and walked up to sniff him.
"Hm?" Alois stopped and turned toward the librarian, flashing him a smirk. "Oh, I can't leaf' my dog here, but you can? Sounds fair." Alois whistled for his dog to follow. "Maybe you should let that sausage out once in a while. You sink it likes laying around wis' nos'ing to do?" He strongly disliked dog owners that dragged their companion around, only to leave it to its own devices and force it to endure boredom for several hours a day. The dog should play, should be free to roam around and find enrichment in games. But no, that one was simply stuck in the confines of the library, desperate for attention. If he had enough compassion, he'd just take the corgi with him.
The German shepherd abandoned his quest to retrieve the corgi from the hands of his owner, and trotted to Alois's side. He gave one quick bark to signal his goodbye to Dogby. Though he wanted to stay and play, orders were orders and they sadly had to go home. It would've been better if his owner just lived here. Tschambes couldn't figure out why Alois didn't just bring his stuff to the library and stayed there. What a shame.
"By ze way, my name is Alois. You'll be seeing a lot of me, so get used to it." He didn't bother to elaborate on why he'd visit the library so often, and he didn't think the older man needed to know about his parents' bookstore. If his folks wanted to do business with the place, he'd best leave that information out. "And try to let zat sausage of yours out sometime. Or maybe I should bring Tschambes more often?" He smirked once more and waved mockingly.
After reattaching Tschambes' leash, he headed for the door. He paused, and turned toward the librarian one last time, seeing an opportunity for a final jab. "And you should check page 53 of zat book I gave you - I sink you'll find an appropriate revision." Afterward, he departed with his neurotic dog.
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