"And you're sure you want that one?" a big two-legger said while Jak watched from just nearby.
He'd been separated from his peers for some reason, and was now sitting and watching a group of two-leggers, including the weird one from a few days ago, have a conversation. He couldn't understand a lot of it, but he listened anyway. Every now and again the little two-legger, who he remembered being called "Andi" by the big on, would glance over at him with mixed looks. At first it was ecstatic, then worried, upset, and back to ecstatic. He was kind of confused, but it was kind of amusing at the same time. At least he wasn't bored.
"That's the one," Andi replied. "I felt it, dad. That connection you said you felt when you got your very first mokai."
"What connection? It squirmed out of your hands and looked like it wanted to bite off the tips of your fingers after you 'gently' put it down."
Andi huffed, eliciting a sort of amusing yip from the pup, and his tail wagged a bit at the sight. "He was just uncomfortable!" she insisted, crossing her arms in the process.
The big two-leggers had a short laugh about it, and Andi made a pouty expression before glancing back towards Jak with a sad look. When she saw that the pup had a sort of smile on though, she cheered up a bit and turned her attention back to the big two-leggers. "I do want him though," she said, to which Jak tilted his head. Want who now?
There was a bit more discussion, and when they parted Andi came over to him and pet his head gently. The pup leaned into it, enjoying the feeling of her fingers in his fur. It was nice and soothing, and he liked it. She giggled and leveled her eyes with his. "I'm Andrea," she said with a smile. Jak blinked. "Andi for short though. Everyone calls me Andi."
Well at least she had formally introduced herself now. With a smile he seemed to nod in understanding, offering a bark and nuzzling into her hand. She giggled and continued to pet him while the big two-leggers continued about their business. There was a shuffling of papers and whatnot that he could hear towards the left, and some more conversation. Glancing back toward where the other pups were, he looked a bit sad. Was he leaving now? Did this mean he's never see his parents or sisters again?
Andi seemed to pick up on it and rubbed his chin. "Don't worry; you'll be here for a bit longer before we take you home permanently," she reassured him. He smiled, but only slightly. "We'll also bring you back from time to time. It's good for pups to mingle with other pups, so you can count on that." That got his tail wagging a bit, and she smiles. "Now I wonder if you've already got a name..."
At that she had wandered off, probably to speak to the big two-leggers again. His golden gaze followed after her, and then when she was out of sight the pup sighed and glanced back at the nursery he'd come to be so familiar with. He was excited to potentially have an owner of his own now, but at the same time he still wanted to stay. He liked it here, though the food could be a bit better. That was his only real complaint, and even then he'd still eat the slop because it was the only thing they served.
Soon enough Andi came back and leveled her eyes with his again. He stared back at the bright blue hues, blinking a number of times. Pretty, he thought with a smile. "Jak, huh?" she said, and he barked happily. It was nice to hear a two-legger call him by name, and nicer still to hear it from her. They hadn't gotten off to the best start, but she seemed determined to keep him and he could appreciate that. "I like it. Short, sweet, easy to remember." Andi laughed then and continued to pet him until the big two-leggers finally came back.
"Alright," the big one said with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "Everything's set. C'mon, grab him and let's get home."
So he would be leaving today. Well that was upsetting, and he looked to Andi to see if she would oblige. The girl made a thoughtful expression, and after a moment of consideration shook no. "I told him he could stay for a few more days. That's fine, right? Give him a chance to say bye to the others?"
A two-legger with a funny looking bar of fur under his nose nodded with a smile. "Of course it's fine, Ms. Beaufort," he answered. "I'll make sure he has a good last few days here in the nursery. When would you like to take him home though, so I can set a date?"
The conversation was kind of flying over his head, but he kept his eyes settled on Andi and the sight of her just reassured him. His ears flicked every now and again while his new owner thought about the answer to that question, her tongue sticking out as a sign of concentration. The pup barked in amusement, catching her attention for a second, and she smiled at him.
"I think maybe the day after tomorrow would be good, right dad?" she asked, regarding the big two-legger that she had come in with the last time. He nodded and reached over to lay a heavy hand on Jak's head. The pup pushed up on it so as not to be crushed, and the big two-legger laughed and opted instead to rub his chin.
"Just make sure you can pick him up next time, yeah?" he said to Andi, who smiled wide and looked back over at Jak. Big blue eyes stared back into his gold ones, and he blinked.
"I'm sure I'll manage just fine," came her answer. Jak felt his fur bristle at the idea of her picking him up again, and he would have tried to avoid it this time if he hadn't been set on an elevated sort of platform - maybe a table of some kind? Instead he had no choice but to let her try her hand again, but this time she made sure to ease her grip. He squirmed a bit when she lifted him at first, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as he remembered.
"See?" she said with a small smile, though he could tell she was a little nervous herself. While he hung there in her hands he wagged his tail a little to reassure her that he was fine, and returned the smile. "He's already starting to trust me."
Word Count: 1,123
