|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 3:58 pm
Mr. Darrow had showed up at the door, as expected. He had shown up to pick his pet dog up and take her home. That had been the plan. However, the plan seemed to change slightly as the short kindly lady who opened the door momentarily stepped outside to speak to the librarian alone.
It was outside of the home that Natasha explained to Tony the small bit of drama that had occurred while he had been away. Yvette had gone missing for a few days, and once she had been found, she had no memory of that time she had seemingly vanished. No matter how much she or her husband tried to get a straight answer from their daughter, they were unsuccessful. No amount of pressure would bring back the memories it seemed.
That in itself had been worrisome, but then there was a bit more.
Ever since Natasha and Alan had brought their daughter back home, she seemed to refuse to leave the house. It was fortunate that Yvette's boss at work was one of Natasha's friends. Mrs. Ortiga was more than willing to allow Yvette to take several personal days to try and sort out her emotions. Yet, it almost seemed as if her daughter was scared to set foot out of the house. Yvette wouldn't even take Dogby out now, leaving the task for one of her parents to tend to.
"...I hope I am not asking too much of you, Tony... but could you try to get her out of the house for a bit?" the woman kindly asked in her usual quiet voice. With that, she opened the door again and walked in before nodding her head towards the guest to do the same.
"...Yvette... you have a guest..." she called out towards another room on the other side of the rather small house.
Shyly, out of the other room peered a pair of purple eyes. Eventually, she stepped out, revealing she was holding the wriggling Dogby in her arms. Dogby had long known Tony was there and had been trying to escape so she could waddle over to him. Too bad for the corgi she had been claimed as an almost security blanket.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 6:22 pm
Tony frowned at the story. He hated that Yvette had been in danger while he was off in space. It seemed very likely that her ordeal, though completely separate, could be blamed on the same kind of thing. The dangers of Destiny City were largely unexplained and difficult to understand. Except for those who had double lives, like Tony.
He smiled softly, though, when she asked him to take Yvette out. He nodded his head, frown completely gone and any trace of his thoughts vacant from his sweet expression.
He stepped into the house when he was allowed to, politely, and smiled when he saw Yvette and Dogby. He realized that in the back of his mind he had been worried about the dog, hearing the story. He couldn't help it. He was a pet parent, and of course one of his many concerns had been for her safety.
"Yvette, would you like to come shopping with me? I'd like to get you a gift for taking such good care of Dogby." He smiled brightly, and Dogby yipped at him excitedly, her mind racing with the simple thought of 'master master master!' She wiggled and licked at Yvette, her escape efforts not too profound or difficult to overcome.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 6:41 pm
Dogby, despite all of the wriggling, was a very good security blanket. She was warm, soft, and gave kisses. She obviously had known that Mr. Darrow would come back for his dog, but now she felt as if she needed the little corgi more than ever. Stubbornly (for an Yvette that is), the girl continued to hug onto the dog closely. She wanted to shake her head and refuse as if she had a choice in the matter of returning the dog, but she knew it wouldn't do her any good.
Sensing the vague amount of tension that was starting to form, the girl's mother walked up to her daughter, stopping literally right next to the girl. In a soft tone that only her daughter could hear, she began to speak. "We've talked about this, Yvette. Dogby belongs to Mr. Darrow..."
The girl leaned into her Mommy's voice before replying in her own tiny voice that was meant just for her Mommy to hear. "...I don't want to go..."
One hand reached to the girl's hair and began to pet her in a soothing manner. "Mr. Darrow will make sure nothing happens... you can't just stay in the house for the rest of your life, Yvette..."
The girl didn't look very happy about it, but with a small nod, she began to toddle on towards the librarian, Dogby in tow. She stood next to him quietly, almost as if she was sulking about the whole ordeal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:07 pm
Dogby didn't mind being held hostage by hugs and cuddles, and she had decided she loved Yvette a long time again. Probably the first moment they met, as she did most people, but the weeks together had certainly solidified the idea. Still, she couldn't be blamed for loving and missing her master.
Tony laughed softly, shaking his head. He wasn't worried Yvette would try to keep Dogby, and knew that she loved animals dearly and wanted one. He wished he could have helped her there, but parting with Dogby was certainly not an option.
Still, if he could help her in another way, get her out of the house and give her something to lift her spirits, he would do so.
"I promise, you'll be just fine," he said with a reassuring smile. It was as true a promise as he could make, at least, and he did look like he meant it sincerely. That he was somehow capable of it, though she couldn't know the reason why. He would protect her because he was a knight.
When she walked to him, he offered her his hand.
"We'll just go and get you a present, okay? I think Dogby wants to thank you, too. She looks very well taken care of. I think I should return the favor a little bit." He smiled at Yvette's mom and nodded his head slightly, indicating that he had things under control. Probably.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:58 pm
The proximity to her master certainly seemed to cause the corgi to gain extra energy, wriggling even more in the girl's arms to try and get to her human. It was getting to be too much for poor Yvette.
No longer able to hold the dog in baby-pose, she struggled to get her fingers underneath the dog's "armpits" so she could hold the dog out a bit. "I... I uh... I think this belongs to you..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:27 pm
Tony smiled broadly and took Dogby carefully. She wiggled and yipped, and licked at his face as he pulled her closer, though she was no where near it. He laughed.
"Thank you, very much," he said to Yvette. He held Dogby in one arm and offered his hand to the girl again, leading the way toward the door slowly, encouragingly. She couldn't stay cooped up forever, even if she had had a difficult time of things recently. He wanted to give her a good memory, and maybe a visit to the local toy store would do the trick.
He had an idea to get her a gift she might like, in repayment of taking care of Dogby so well. The dog looked happy and healthy, after all, and even though she had only just come back to Tony she was wiggling to go say hello to Yvette again.
Addicted to love, that dog was.
Tony didn't rush Yvette, though, knowing she was scared and not wanting to force her out of the house if it was going to cause her more trouble than a new stuffed animal was really worth. The last thing he wanted to do was more harm than good, and he wanted to take care of her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:28 pm
A hint of a smile managed to find its way upon her face as Dogby pretty much spazzed into loving all over the librarian. It was sweet, but it only made her envious again. The smile soon enough seemed to evaporate from her features. Yvette looked to Mr. Darrow's offered hand, and at first she didn't seem to do anything. Yet eventually, her fingers snuck out cautiously, hovering near the hand for a moment or two. Once she seemed to deem this action safe, her fingers wrapped about the man's pinky and ring finger.
It was her signal that she was somewhat ready to get moving. He moved slowly, at a pace which seemed to suit Yvette at the moment to match her timid movements. Once she was out the door, she hesitated as the singular cement step came into view.
Did she really want to take that step? Mommy hadn't closed the door yet, so there was still time to go back into the house and resume hiding.
...but Mr. Darrow will keep me safe... Her fingers squeezed his two fingers slightly as she still hedged over this first step.
It'll be okay... Puffing in a deep breath, she then stepped down and onto the walkway that led to the street. As if that action in itself was too much for her to handle, she smooshed her face against Mr. Darrow's arm, hiding it from the world for now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 12:58 pm
Tony looked at Yvette, tilting his head to the side as she buried her face against his arm. He didn't know it, but Dogby was doing much the same thing, watching her curiously and not understanding what was going on. Dogby, though, decided to echo the gesture and pushed her face against Tony's chest.
Tony sighed.
He guided them both down the street. The store wasn't too far away, and he doubted he would get either of them into a car successfully at this point. He had his cane awkwardly hanging from the arm Dogby was held with. He could limp along just fine, though.
Soon enough, where 'soon' was a very generous word that accounted for far longer than was necessary if he had been able to walk at a normal pace, they drew near to the toy store.
"We're here, Yvette. There's a step here, I don't want you to trip," he said gently, having carefully watched the path for her along the way as she huddled against him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 4:58 pm
As they continued to walk down the street, a face eventually seemed to peer out from hiding. She almost seemed a bit surprised that the world outside of her house hadn't changed drastically since she had last been out. It really shouldn't have surprised her, but for some reason she was.
Upon the man's prompt, she looked down at the mentioned step. She made certain to lift her foot so she didn't place her foot down wrong and end up with a twisted ankle. That was about the last thing she needed right now.
Of course, she eventually chirped up with a pretty logical question. "...is Dogby allowed inside?" She was pretty sure there were laws about dogs and stores and whether or not they were allowed in normal stores.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 12:33 pm
"She's basically a doll herself," he said, smiling. "I'm sure she's fine."
He often brought Dogby into stores. The 'no dogs' rule often failed to stretch to small, cute ones, he found at least. And no one ever gave him trouble about her. They either politely asked him to tie her up outside, which he would do without argument, or more often they just gushed about the corgi and let him do what shopping he needed to.
She was a good girl, and liked riding in the basket of shopping carts. He did keep her on her leash, though, and made sure to loop it around the cart handle... just to ensure he didn't have a small dog shooting off under a display or something. Dogby's playfulness was often more trouble than not.
Once the small group was inside, Tony looked around in wonder. It had been some time since he had come into a toy store, not having much reason to these days. He was a little overwhelmed. There were a lot of damn toys. He stopped himself before he thought anything that began with 'kids these days'.
He was old enough.
"I think this is the way we want to go," he said, having an idea. He knew Yvette loved Dogby, but couldn't have her own dog. Or his, as it was. So he would get her a little, much easier to care for version of her, if he could.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:19 pm
Yvette's natural habitat was in a sewing and crafts store. It was because many times going there and buying the base materials was cheaper than buying clothing or toys. So it wasn't a surprise when the girl's eyes grew to practically saucer-size as she saw the walls and walls of toys in the building. It wasn't just stuffed animals (which were what she considered to be toys), but there were plastic toys like action figures and preschool blocks, plus stacks and stacks of prepackaged cards. To the far corner seemed to be an electronics section for the people with their video games. There was even a section dedicated to birthday party decorations. Apparently the term "toy store" didn't mean you could only find toys there.
"D-do... do kids really play with these sorts of things?" She wasn't specifically asking anybody in particular, more asking her question to herself really. Some of the so called toys just seemed too small to really be something to play with. Heck, there were even "toys" that looked as if they were meant to be guns. So where as Mr. Darrow might not have said it, the girl clinging to his arm soon enough said what was technically on both of their minds.
"...kids these days..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:18 pm
Tony looked at Yvette when she spoke, just glad that she had. He smiled at her, shaking his head.
"Your guess is as good as mine is, I think. I can't believe how many different kinds of toys there are. This place seems far too large. It's hard to think all these aisles are filled with toys and games and things. Ah well, I'd better not say anything about my own childhood. I'll feel ancient."
More so than he already felt, at least.
Smiling at her, he guided her to the stuffed animals, after getting lost through the legos and taking an accidental scenic route through the shockingly pink barbie aisle. Eventually, though, he managed to find what he wanted without breaking down to find a map or, more likely, ask someone who worked there where to go. He was like a typical TV male in that respect.
Asking for directions was just not fun.
He looked around to plushies to find something he thought she might like, though first, so she wasn't clinging to him the whole while and if she found something else she might like better than the gift he had in mind, he said, "you can pick something you'd like, if you want. I'd like to thank you for taking care of Dogby. I thought maybe," he found the doll he wanted, a little plushie that looked like a corgi, and he held it up to the real dog to check.
"I thought you might like a much easier to care for version."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:32 pm
Her head bobbled up and down as her escort pretty much said what was on her mind, but in many more words. It made her feel awkward. Even as a child she didn't have too much experience with toy shops. Her toys came as presents on birthdays and Christmas, both of which came about the same time of year.
The Barbie aisle probably intrigued her more than it should have. It probably had more to do with all of the doll outfits than the dolls themselves. Did little girls really play with dolls that dressed in such a manner? Did they really buy new dolls every time they wanted a new outfit for their collection? That almost seemed like a waste to her.
"They could just sell the outfits by themselves..." she mused quietly as Mr. Darrow continued to lead the way.
Once the pair (or rather, trio) had stopped, it seemed as if the librarian had enough. She didn't want to let go of his arm, so as he went to pick something up, she was tugged along, stubbornly holding onto him. She was able to catch a glimpse of what he picked up, and almost instantly her cheeks felt wet from tears.
"R-r-really?" she asked timidly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 1:06 pm
Tony could not remember when he had been super into toys. Surely he had been, every kid was at some point, but it had been such a long time that the feeling of drive and need for toys had long since faded. He could remember what toys he had played with, of course, just not that feeling he could see kids get.
Yvette was probably right. They could just release the outfits, but then they wouldn't be able to charge as much. Tony mused about that.
"Yes, of course," he said, handing her the corgi plushie. It was very close to Dogby's size, and they would have to juggle dog and toy for a bit to get things situated. Dogby was trying to sniff the plushie, wiggling and looking at it with an eager interest, nose working over time to sniff it.
It didnt smell like a dog, but it looked like one. She wanted to chew on it, or sit on top of it. She liked to lay on pillows and fluffy things, after all, and she wasn't the most destructive of dogs anyway.
Thankfully. Tony wasn't sure if he could handle a chewer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 12:18 pm
The moment the toy was offered to her, her arms wrapped about it and squeezed for what almost seem like dear life. This was her doggy. Never mind the fact there was a pile of the exact same sort of toy nearby (all toys being the mass produced variety these days). This one was hers.
If Mr. Darrow ever thought he had seen waterworks with this girl, he had a surprise coming. Even though the quiet girl had already been crying slightly, Yvette was soon enough crying in an almost uncontrolled manner. She was getting tears all over her new toy (Dogby could probably smell it in the toy's fur). It was almost like she was a small child again, and she had completely shut down just so she could cry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
