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 Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 6:30 pm
Her head bobbled up and down a bit as they walked. "Yes... Azzo asked me to help with the costumes for the puppets... I'd do more if I could..." She definitely wouldn't have been able to play one of the characters. The children would probably not be able to hear her and would start complaining that they couldn't hear what was being said. It was less complicated this way.
The train to the children's section of the library lead off with Mr. Darrow, followed by Dogby, with Yvette pulling up as the caboose. Seeing all the toys and colors seemed to bring up some fond memories of when she was a child. She and Mommy went to the library as often as they could. Mommy always got her own books, just as she did now, but Yvette seemed to camp out in the arts and crafts section, usually snuggled up with an overly large toy as she browsed. Drawing books and simple sewing books were always her friend. In a sense, she somewhat wished she could go back to that simpler time.
Alas, there was no going back. Though, it wasn't all bad. She sorta kinda had a boyfriend now (even though Daddy would probably end him if he actually knew). And she had graduated high school. As the librarian signaled to the puppet show area, Yvette obediently trotted along after the corgi. Her eyes glanced about, giving the area a quick once over, her lips seeming to smile a bit larger than usual at what she found. "Oh... this is good!" she squeaked out to herself.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 7:44 pm
"Oh, I see! That explains the swatches, then," he nodded his head, putting things together. He hadn't been too concerned about the swatches, of course, but he was glad to see she was involved with the puppet show. He would be able to catch up with her a bit more, see how she and her family were doing,
Dogby's attention span was failing. In the bright area, she was alerted to the presence of many people she wanted to befriend and lick and sniff. Kids were the best, too. She wandered off and Tony didn't notice right away.
She was harmless, after all, so at least there was no worry there.
"I'm glad you think so!" He laughed, nodding his head. "I think it will be a good event, all told. The kids will certainly like a change of pace. Usually we have people reading, and they like it well enough, but a little interaction might be nice to have in here. I'm glad you're helping out, too. It's good to see you around again. I was beginning to wonder how you were getting on." He smiled warmly.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:56 am
Locating a table and set of chairs that were definitely much smaller than an adult should be seen sitting in, she set her purse down. Now that she was here and she had her swatches, the girl seemed to be doing much better. Her face still had a bit of red over the bridge of her nose, but aside from that, she seemed to have recovered nicely. Yvette could take her time before setting into work.
"It is nice to have a change of pace! Ever since I finished up high school, I've been a bit bored during the morning hours. I have work in the evenings, so that's still fine, but the mornings I usually don't have much to do." She paused for a moment as her eyes caught a glimpse of Dogby sniffing some young children further away. "I am glad Azzo asked me to help."
She smiled a bit before glancing to Dogby's activities again. "How have you been Mr. Darrow? Have you been busy with things other than Dogby?" Yvette couldn't help but giggle at the antics of the canine further away.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:42 pm
Tony smiled as Yvette sat at the table, knowing that there was no way that he could ever get himself down into one of those kiddie seats without hurting himself or profoundly altering his body structure for the worse. He did stand nearby, however, nodding his head as she spoke, smiling when she described her day.
"It will take some time getting used to, I think, but it must be nice!"
He rarely had mornings to himself, always coming in to open the library. Even on his days off he was up early, doing something. The only times he slept in seemed to be when he was hurt or when he was hung over. Both happened more often than he would ever admit to out loud, of course. Certainly not to Yvette.
"Oh, I've been fine. Same as always. Here at the library, doing... ah... librarian things. Dogby really is the biggest change in my life, besides uh... moving, but that doesn't seem to be too new. Just near the park. Dogby was a complete surprise, and she's always doing something new."
As he was speaking about her, the dog had found one of the stuffed toys he kept around for the kids to play with when their parents were getting books or they were bored with reading themselves and was staring at it. She wasn't chewing at it, or barking at it. She was crouching, ears slightly back, a look of wonder on her little face as she yipped at it, scooted forward, then decided it wasn't safe and bounced back. She didn't growl or look at all aggressive.
Tony was sure she didn't know how.
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 11:21 am
It really wasn't her business, but she was honestly caught by surprise at the mention of Mr. Darrow moving closer to the park. "Is it a good neighborhood? I heard there are all sorts of different neighborhoods near the park, some good, some not so good... Is it nice at least?" Even if in a less reputable neighborhood, it must have been nice living close to the park. It wasn't exactly the sort of luxury that Yvette had when it came to where she lived. Her luxury was the fact the bus stop was so close. It meant she could go away from her home quite easily.
There was one question that had managed to sneak its way into her brain. Something she had been wondering for a while, since Mr. Darrow had been in the hospital. "Um... youdon'thavetoanswerthis... but... um... did you ever meet that boy? Um... the one who... um... said he was your son?" She could have added the word "Mean" into the question a few times, but she decided it was best to not mention it. Her eyes sank to the ground pretty quickly, making it near impossible for her to see Dogby antics.
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 8:48 pm
"Oh, this one looks very nice," Tony said, smiling at her concern, "much better than where I was living before, at the very least. And that's a very big improvement." He chuckled. It wasn't much to say, of course, as he considered his apartment had been in one of the worst areas in the whole city.
He might have been a little biased against it, though.
At her next question he was surprised. After so much time, living with Nathan and dealing with his angry teenager attitude was almost common place now. As routine in his life as anything else, and he had almost forgotten, save for her reminding him directly, that there were still people who did not, in fact, know about the whole thing.
"Oh! Yes, I did. He, ah. He turned out... to actually be my son. I didn't know about him, which is why I was so... confused... when you mentioned him at the hospital. His name is Nathan. I mean, I'm sure you know, since you met him before I did. Uhm."
He chuckled and shook his head.
"It's a complicated... story. I'm sorry, I didn't even think to mention him! I'm so used to having him hanging around these days."
Dogby, meanwhile, decided that the toy was too scary, and she skittered off to hide under the chair Yvette was sitting on, nuzzling against her foot and whimpering softly, like a child who wanted attention after either being startled or doing something they knew they weren't supposed to be doing.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:46 pm
Though her eyes weren't looking up, her lips curved for a smile as he explained that his own living situation seemed to have improved. Even with the addition of a certain mean boy who she was not directly mentioning. Her first impressions with him really had left her feeling quite distressed for Mr. Darrow. It wasn't a feeling she could shake, even now as the librarian mentioned that he was used to the presence of a mean boy in his life. She wanted to ask the librarian if the boy had attempted to hurt him at all, but she swallowed the question down, leaving it as a lump in her throat.
With her eyes focused on the ground, it was hard to miss the Dogby that came running through her line of vision and underneath her rather short chair. And the corgi was making quite a fuss in that new hiding spot. She couldn't help but sympathize with that feeling of wanting to hide.
"Oh... um... Mr. Darrow... does Dogby like being held?" A single finger dwindled down to where the corgi was on the ground, stopping just short of her snout.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 10:20 am
Tony looked down under the short table to find his much smaller puppy hiding under the chair. Her bottom was sticking out where she couldn't get it all the way under the shortened furniture. He tilted his head, then looked up at Yvette with a smile.
"She does, though she also likes to lick and wiggle while being held. Just... a warning," he chuckled. Dogby was very affectionate. Overly so, in most cases, and he had a feeling she played up her fear or sadness or loneliness whenever she was feeling any just in an effort to get more attention.
But he had no proof of that just yet. And it was strange to think of his dog in such an conspiratory way. Again.
Dogby looked up at the finger and licked at it feebly, her little tongue only sticking out a little as she whimpered and whined to be picked up. She nuzzled Yvette's hand, trying to get her to pet her head or rub her large ears.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:11 pm
If there was someone this dog could manipulate with pathetic animal noises, it was Yvette. She never had to deal too extensively with animals while growing up, so she wasn't fully aware of the tricks or conspiracies they had tucked away for occasions such as this. As if she was a marionette being controlled by the canine, she easily picked up one hint and let her fingers drift to the pup's ear. "I don't think I'd mind a little bit of licking or wiggling..." she mused aloud.
However, that eventually seemed to not be enough. Dogby was still whining. With her non petting hand, she attempted to tuck her fingers under the "elbows" of the dog to try and scoot her out a bit further so it would be easier to pick the corgi up. The chair was already ridiculously small for her to be sitting in, but now she was bent down over the front of it while still seated. Her hair alone was getting everywhere, and in all honesty she must have looked like quite a strange sight.
"Come on out, Dogby..." the girl said in an effort to try and get the corgi to coorperate a bit more. This certainly wasn't very easy, that was for certain!
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Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:35 am
Tony watched as Yvette tried to comfort Dogby, who he was sure was just playing it up in her most adorable fashion. Of course, knowing, or thinking that, didn't help him resist her charms any more than Yvette might be able to. If Dogby whined, Tony pet her. If she looked scared, he comforted her. She had him around her paw.
Dogby, of course, was oblivious to any devious intentions, or thoughts of manipulation tied to her actions. She just wanted attention because that scary, not moving toy had scared her. Her life was a simple one, and she was happiest when she had company and affection.
Wiggling as predicted, she didn't make it too easy to grab her despite how eager she was to be picked up. Tony reached over and put a careful hand on Yvette's shoulder, just in case she toppled over too far in her efforts to liberate the tiny dog from under the tiny chair.
"Oh Dogby, you little cuddle monster," he sighed, once she did finally get drawn from her hiding place. She wiggled until she was in Yvette's lap, then nuzzled against her like a cat might. A very nice cat, of course. At least she was a small dog, and couldn't shove them both over in her nuzzling.
Tony laughed and shook his head, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Hopefully she doesn't get in the way of any of the preparations. I'll make sure she's in the back, or at the very least on her leash, when the performance actually happens. Lest a puppet scare her and she whines the whole way through."
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Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 12:26 pm
Somehow, the corgi managed to finally get pulled out somehow from under the chair. It took a lot more work than it probably should have (and if Mr. Darrow hadn't assisted in the subtle manner he had, she might have fallen forward as well), but now she had a Dogby in her lap. Now that the girl was right-side up again, her hair looked like an absolute mess, with pieces of it stringing in random directions.
That wasn't important though. She had a Dogby in her lap. A warm, squishy Dogby that the girl couldn't help but try to cuddle, even after the dog seemed to have gotten a bit comfortable.
"Th-that... that would be a good idea. Some children get scared by puppets, so I can only imagine some dogs get scared by them too!" And since the corgi had been frightened by the nearby overly large toy, Dogby seemed like a likely candidate to be frightened by puppets. The girl then turned her attentions to the dog. And in a voice that was even sweeter (and obviously her "I am talking to a doggy" voice) than usual, she told the corgi "If you weren't color blind, I'd get you to help me out with this... yes I would! Yes I would!" Her fingers attempted to pet the pup with each Yes I would she said. In all honesty, she was quite jealous of Mr. Darrow right now. It wasn't hard to make this girl jealous though when it came to pets. Yvette had no pets, and other people did have pets. And with how she was interacting with Dogby, it was obvious she was the sort of person who wanted one.
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Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 9:48 am
The Librarian nodded his head. He had no doubt the little dog would get scared by a puppet. Or at least she would act like it, if it meant some attention. But that was only what he thought she was up to, and as cute as it was, it was also giving her a lot of credit. She was, after all, a very simple dog.
She delighted in cuddles, and she licked at Yvette happily, yipping sometimes and wagging her bottom.
Tony smiled. He had that voice, as well. Everyone did, he imagined, when they were talking to an animal. Even if it was slight, there was some inner mechanism that said 'voice a little higher, this is a dog'. A strange, learned behavior, maybe.
He didn't know. It didn't really matter, in the end, as it was rather interesting to see how everyone spoke to Dogby. She didn't notice, either, liking the higher voices because they were friendly. She settled down and curled up against Yvette, sitting in her lap without any indication that she was aware her new bed might want to get up any time soon.
"Will you be here a while?" Tony asked, looking at the colored pieces of fabric and then at Dogby before settling on Yvette. His thought was clear. Yvette was trapped by his dog. "I can take her if you actually just wanted to take a look at the space. She's... ah... a lap dog."
He chuckled at that.
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 1:27 pm
As her fingers continued to spoil the pup with petting, the girl's head bobbled up and down. "Yes, and Dogby should be fine. I can sit here and take the notes I need to. I think I can see everything I need to from here." It felt kind of nice having the corgi in her lap. It felt like having a warm pile of mush on her lap. Not that mush was nice, but the warmth was a nice thing.
"...when I finish up here, do you want me to bring her back up to the front desk?"
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 2:21 pm
Tony smiled and nodded his head. He was sure Dogby would be happy to be able to stay with Yvette, rather than going back to the boring desk with Tony, where there were no pets for her to have and he got distracted with work all the time.
This was much nicer.
"If you could, that would be good! She'll just get into trouble if she says in here," he laughed. Dogby trouble wasn't the worst out there, though she had a habit of running under shelves and making him look like an idiot trying to lean down and get her to come out with sweet words and the promise of doggy treats.
He moved to leave Yvette to her work, smiling and nodding in parting.
"Thank you for looking after her. I'm sure she will behave herself." At that, Dogby nuzzled against Yvette and then tried to like her face, making Tony laugh and shake his head as he walked toward the front desk.
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 6:23 pm
"I-it's no problem! I'm glad to help!" she called out with a slight wave of her hand, watching as the Librarian walked off. Once he was out of sight, the girl then turned to the small table nearby. Careful to not jostle the dog too much, she proceeded to get to work. Her job today wasn't too difficult. All she was doing was comparing the swatches of cloth with the vicinity. After she did this, she took a few notes and moved onto the next swatch. All the girl was trying to do was pick the best colors for the setting that didn't clash drastically and would give the best affect possible.
It didn't take too long, even with Yvette occasionally pausing to give Dogby some head scratches. Soon enough, all of her swatches had been accounted for, all of her notes had been taken, and all of her belongings were packed away in her bag. Now she just had to sort with the issue of giving Dogby back (though she secretly wished she could stuff the dog in her bag too).
"Upsie Daisy!" In perhaps an overly careful manner, the girl scooped up the corgi and flipped her so she was being held almost like an infant in the crook of her arm. Hoping the dog wouldn't be too upset with her, she then trotted back to the front desk, ringing the bell when she arrived.
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