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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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 Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:28 pm
Raina knew what the go grab the flyer comment meant--it meant that she wasn't getting a dog today. Her shoulders slumped a little bit, hoping that her begging might have worked, but it seemed like it had fallen flat. Maybe it was better that she ask Mama, though, anyway. If she asked her directly and then showed up with a puppy later, her mama wouldn't be so surprised!
It was a perfect plan and there was definitely nothing wrong with the assumption she made.
For a moment, she set down the puppy she held in her arms and headed over to ask for a flyer. The puppy followed after her, wagging its tail and barking excitedly. An adventure!
While his sister (and apparently some other dogs) seemed distracted for a moment, Ignacio tucked his phone back in his pocket and looked down at the dog in front of him. She seemed pretty calm. Calmer than some of the other dogs in there, at least. It wasn't like she was low energy, though, and she was still reacting to being pet, being fed, being talked to. She seemed sweet enough.
Ignacio was torn because he wasn't sure if he could handle it, wasn't sure if he wanted to handle it, but Richard seemed up to the task.
He also seemed up to the task of trying to flirt but that was another problem entirely.
He chose not to acknowledge the flirtation when he replied aloud, "I mean, do you think we could handle it? I didn't intend to come home with a dog today exactly, but..."
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:28 pm
Richard was sitting cross-legged on the ground by this point, scratching behind both of the dog’s ears at the same time. Luckily, Raina’s antics seemed to have pulled the attention of some of the other dogs, so Richard wasn’t being immediately mobbed for sitting down. “Well, I can probably bring her with me to work if you can’t.” They could always crate train her or rely on her being house-trained—she seemed likely to be anyway—and just leave her at home, but Richard wasn’t terribly keen to do that. He did notice Ignacio’s lack of response to his comment and, paired with the questions, Richard surmised that Ignacio must be nervous about the concept of adopting a dog.
“I can take her on runs with me at night, too, so there’s that. And so could you, if you wanted.” He gently tapped the dog’s nose. ”I know you don’t always like me running by myself.” While he wasn’t sure if this dog was the “guard dog” type, she was still a dog and would hear other people before either of them did.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:29 pm
Ignacio snorted, "Arra, I'm an actor. Please. She could stay in my dressing room."
The aforementioned she shifted a bit, deciding that since Richard was giving her more pets, clearly she should encourage it. She got up from in front of Ignacio, trotted over to Richard's lap, and plopped herself down. If she was a cat, she might have been purring. As is, she just seemed content.
That didn't exactly assuage his nerves, and Ignacio couldn't articulate, really, why he was frightened. Richard didn't know what buzzed around in Ignacio's mind because Ignacio had set up a wall between them years ago, and holding everything back behind it got harder by the day. He sighed quietly, glancing to the side for a moment in an attempt to gather himself and calm down a bit.
He bit his lip, noticed Raina was coming, and quickly turned back to Richard and said, "No, I don't, but she's not exactly a guard dog--"
"What'cha talking about?" Raina plopped down in front of the two of them, somehow having another puppy in her arms now. "I think she's cute! You should get her."
"Raina, it's not tha--"
"She's cute!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:29 pm
Well, she would probably still have to be crate trained, possibly, if they brought her around their jobs, just in case, but that was certainly a good point. And that was honestly more just in case they had a long, packed day and weren't able to take breaks every couple hours to entertain her or see if she needed to go out. Not that Richard would leave her in the crate all day, either, but it might also make her feel more secure than just being tied up on a leash or--
Oh, she was in his lap now. There was no hiding the grin on his face as he ruffled her fur and played with her ears. He was delighted, and it showed. He hadn't checked, yet, how old she was, but she was probably full-grown, so she was the perfect size for this as she was. Enchanted as he was by the furry friend soliciting affection from him, he didn't notice Ignacio's closing off, or the way he bit his lip, nor did he hear Ignacio's sigh.
Well, he was right that she probably wasn't a guard dog, Richard pondered as the siblings conversed, but she was still a dog in general. To be honest, she didn't need to be willing to attack someone for them, just be able to let them know when someone was around that they couldn't see or hear. He was pretty sure she could be trained to be an alert dog, if it wasn't something she did naturally already.
"She is pretty cute," Richard agreed, chuckling, "and I don't really want an attack dog anyway."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:30 pm
"See? Arra agrees with me!" Raina nodded emphatically, before pointing out her arm as well as she could with a puppy in her arms to point at the dog in Arra's lap. "She's a cutie. You should adopt her!"
Ignacio chuckled, though the sound might have been unusually nervous. He needed to get that under control. For a moment, he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. It would be fine, right? The dog wasn't going to die of an attack or anything any more likely than it would die of an attack out here in the pen. If he somehow died out there, anyway, maybe the dog would be of a comfort to Richard.
That was dark.
He wrung his hands behind his back, before shifting to look at Arra. "Do you want her?"
Raina squealed, hugging the puppy she was holding to her chest. The puppy barked happily and wagged its tail, not really knowing what was going on.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:30 pm
Richard noticed the nervousness, but also noticed Ignacio trying to ground himself, and so opted not to comment on it for now. He would ask him about it later, when they were alone, so as not to worry Raina. He also didn't want to embarrass Ignacio by pointing out his anxiety in public. He tried very hard to conceal it, after all.
Did he want the dog? He looked down at her, tapping her nose again. He thought it over as he scratched behind her ears and under her chin. Richard's parents would be more bemused and amused than anything, he knew, so he wasn't worried about that. They would be able to keep her with them one way or another, so that wasn't a problem... She was clearly at least okay with kids, because she wasn't at all concerned about Raina's high energy nearby...
He chuckled, skin reddening a bit. "Well, yes."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:31 pm
"Then we'll get her." And that was that. Raina squealed so loud he could have sworn his eardrums ruptured, possibly unnerving a couple of the dogs nearby. The rescue workers around her glanced over to her and shushed her, but she was already putting down the puppy she was holding and putting her face in the face of the dog in Arra's lap and fluffing up her fur. It was so long and fluffy!
"Aren't you a cutie? I love you, Luz!"
Ignacio snorted. "I think my hermanita has named our dog..."
She cooed at the dog again, ignoring Ignacio's remarks in favor of petting the dog enthusiastically.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:31 pm
Richard's eyebrows raised as he chuckled. "I mean, we can override her. She is our dog." Well, not quite. Richard had to extricate himself so that the paperwork could actually be signed and the adoption fee actually paid. It was hard to convince himself to move, however, with the aforementioned dog still sitting in his lap with Raina fussing over her.
"Alright, I need to stand up now. C'mon, scoot a second, please."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:32 pm
Raina attempted to wrap her arms around the so-called Luz and pluck her up, but it didn't work particularly well considering she wasn't exactly powered at the moment. The dog barked at her and scooted, figuring out what the signal was, before settling herself back down between Raina and Ignacio.
"Well," Ignacio laughed. "I guess we can get to paperwork then..."
Or Richard could... Hopefully it wouldn't take long.
He was still nervous about this, honestly, but Richard seemed pretty confident about this. And it would be fine. What was he being nervous for? He had always wanted a dog when he was younger, though perhaps that want had faded a bit with all of his other distractions. This was functionally a dream come true.
And she ... was pretty cute.
Ignacio scratched the dog behind her ears, and she barked happily at him, her tail wagging.
Maybe she had chosen them for a reason, anyway.
It'd be fine.
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