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 Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:32 pm
Anthony Darrow was walking his corgi. It was not the most masculine activity he knew, but it did not hurt his pride too much. he loved his dog, and he liked making sure she was healthy. And she certainly drew a lot of attention, waddling down the street as she did, wagging her stub of a tail and looking at everyone like she expected them to stop and pet her.
And most did, so she got what she wanted.
The problem with walking such a small dog, who had such tiny legs, was that she tired out more often than not, and Tony still could not figure out how far she could go. It was like she always knew where 'half way to no where' was, and Tony always had to pick her up and carry her back no matter how careful he was to watch for any signs of fatigue.
There were none. She was just bouncing along and then plop, flattened out on the ground like a squirrel shimmying up a tree. She looked up at him innocently as he stared down at her, and he noticed the wag of her tail stump. He suspected she was messing with him, but she was too cute just to leave there.
"Come on, Dogby, get up. You're not tired, we went twice as far yesterday. Up, girl."
He tugged at the leash, but she did not respond with anything save a beleaguered whine. He was clearly asking too much of her, since she was now definitely exhausted and wanted to be carried. It was in no way a ploy just to have him pick her up.
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Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2012 2:46 pm
Fate deigned for the two to cross paths: Anthony on the manly mission of walking his darling manly corgi, and Esme on her way back home from school. Whether they had crossed paths before or not, Esme was uncertain. And if they had, Esme would later pout for a few seconds for not paying attention.
But this was the here and now. And right now, Esme stopped in her tracks upon seeing the insanely adorable creature sent from the heavens.
Man, did she LOVE corgis.
The girl in her teens squealed and trotted over to greet them. "Ooooooh hiiiiii cutie!" Or rather the dog, first. She crouched down to give the dog a scritch behind the ears. "Whooo's a good doggie? Whoooo's a good doggie~? You are! Hee!" Esme glanced up at the man who had to be the dog's owner. "What's his name?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2012 7:49 pm
It was a miracle. Quite suddenly Dogby had all the energy in the world, fully recovered from her near exhausted state. She bounced on her tiny legs, yipping excitedly and wagging her butt so hard she was wobbling.
Tony watched, not surprised but always amused.
Dogby loved attention and that was all she wanted from her new best friend. She whined and padded forward, trying to get up on her backfeet and get her nose close enough to Esme's face so she could give her some licks. Licking always encouraged more petting, as far as Dogby had learned.
"She's harmless," Tony offered, though who might be scared of a corgi as small as Dogby was he could not imagine. A mouse person? He smiled. "Her name is Dogby. She likes you."
It was a nice thing to say, and definitely true. Of course, it might detract knowing that Dogby literally loved everyone who so much as looked at her, and adored those that took the time to pet her. Her world, Tony imagined, was a very nice place.
But it wouldn't do for him, he didn't like people petting him.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:24 am
"Dogby," Esme repeated. "Oh my goodness, that's a brilliant name." She looked back at Dogby and offered up her face to get all the kisses. All of them. And Esme gave Dogby what she needed - all the more scritches that the dog could handle. "Nice to meet you, Dogby! I'm Esme. I like you too!" She gingerly reached her arms around to hug the dog, stopping only if Dogby would make any indication that she didn't want it. "Is your daddy good to you? Does he spoil you rotten? I bet he does. I would." Esme grinned up at the daddy in question. "She's so cute. I wish I had one."
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 7:26 pm
Tony was pretty sure Dogby was a terrible name, but he loved it just as much as he loved the dog herself, and that was quite a lot. He owed this unexpected source of joy to a friend of his, a young boy who had given him the puppy as a gift.
Of course, Tony still had no idea that Dogby was a stolen corgi, and likely never would.
"She's a doll, though I think she is perfectly aware of how effective her cuteness is on people, and she uses that to her advantage. Still, she's a good dog. I hear Corgi's are generally very good dogs. She is definitely spoiled rotten."
He grinned. She was the library dog, so every patron that came in to study, read, or browse the books saw and, usually, pet her. She loved it, and needed that amount of attention at all times. Even on his days off, when he didn't bring her to the library. It was a high quota to keep up with.
Dogby was currently cuddling against Esme as closely as she possibly could, all but hauling herself into the girl's arms. Tony watched with a smile, shaking his head. If anyone else tried anything so blatant they'd get the cops called on them.
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 2:36 pm
Esme laughed at that. "I don't doubt it." She looked back down at the corgi and touched her nose with hers. "But I mean, you don't reaaaaaally manipulate daddy? Of course not. Hehe." The girl looked down at her watch and scowled. Unfortunately, she never really did go to the library, so she didn't know Dogy was the library dog. She hated to leave so soon, but.. but.... wah. "I have to go real soon, but.. uhm... I'd really like to see you and Dogby again! Mister.. uh...?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:22 pm
Tony laughed and shook his head. Like Dogby would ever admit to anything, even if she could talk. All she did was look up with those big, innocent puppy eyes and pant with her little pink tongue hanging out, looking as deliriously happy as possible.
"My name is Darrow. Ah, Anthony Darrow. Most call me Tony. You can come see her again any time, at the Destiny City Central Library. She's there as often as I am, of course. I'm the head librarian there."
Dogby seemed to sense the air shift, noting the 'good bye' tone in Esme's voice. It was definitely not as wonderful as the 'hello' sound people made. She whined and whimpered, wiggling to get closer and maybe convince the girl to stay and pet her some more.
"I don't mean to keep you," Tony said apologetically.
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Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 4:39 pm
Nnnnnng, that cute puppy whine. Nnnnnng, that apologetic tone Tony gave her. Can't .. resist.. "Ooooh, y'know, I guess I don't really have to go," Esme said quickly. She was never really one to keep commitments unless they were really important anyway! "So wow, you're the head librarian, Mister Darrow? I gotta admit that I don't really go to the library all that much. Uh.. I never.. " She stumbled over her words, blushed a deep red. "My father once said that a library was for idiots and Communists."
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:26 am
Tony shook his head and laughed.
Dogby was awful, she really was. She was a terrible, manipulative demon dog that would, undoubtedly, one day rule the world with a horde of helpless minions at her beck and call.
They were all her slaves, whether they knew it or not. though sometimes it was nice not to admit it, and just live in peaceful obliviousness.
Tony's eyebrows lifted at that comment.
"Idiots and Communists? Sounds like your father... well. I don't think he quite understands what... uh..." He had to cut himself off twice before he made a joke about someone he didn't know. He was not trying to be offensive, and he was supposed to be an authority figure at the library and he had slipped into that mode a bit. Not casual, can make awkward jokes that are usually terrible anyway mode.
"That's alright! I'm sure Dogby will somehow hunt you down when we're out on our walks," he chuckled. The corgi certainly liked her new friend.
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 12:26 pm
Esme put up her hands defensively, waved them in the air as if to repeal all the evil bad stuff that she just said. "Not that I think that you're an idiot or a communist, Mister Darrow! Not at all! I mean, it's not like my dad's around anymore anyway..." Her tone had taken a bit of sadness when she said that. But it went right back to being cheerful. "I'd love to go to the library too! And see you and Dogby again." Esme reached down to scritch Dogby behind the ears. It seemed like the best thing to do. Terrible, manipulative demon dog and all.
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 12:20 pm
He laughed and shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. He tried not to get offended too easily anymore. Mostly because he got insulted a lot, and if he always let it get to him he would be miserable and defeated at all times.
And he just could not get through his days like that.
So he took the bad in stride, and tried his best to be friendly regardless. He had his shortcomings, though he didn't think he was an idiot or a communist as far as he knew. He'd been called worse, though, so he was not too fussed anyway.
"I'm sorry," he said, when he realized she was sad. Dogby whined, though it was likely more coincidence than anything else, "and you're more than welcome at the library. Or you can stand outside it, and I'll bring Dogby out for you." He smiled teasingly, hoping to lighten the air a bit before they parted ways.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 2:11 pm
Esme laughed, brushed off the momentary melancholy that she felt just seconds ago. "I won't think that I'm an idiot OR a Communist if I come in. Even if that IS true, I will be the happiest idiotic Communist on the face of the planet!" the girl proclaimed and laughed again. Dogby whined, so it was time to give her a little extra attention. That attention was a real big hug and a kiss on her adorable demon dog head. "Did you hear that, Dogby? I'm going to become a Commie JUST for you! I hope you're happy! Are you haaaappy?" Oh gosh she wanted a dog and/or a super corgi like that. Nnnnng. "When do you work? I wanna make sure that I see you when I come in." She'd have to squeeze it in between dinner and energy draining, but seeing Tony and Dogby would be WELL worth it.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 6:29 pm
"Almost every day, except sundays. And even then sometimes... I'm there a lot, so it's more likely you'll show up when I'm working then when I'm not." He laughed, not having thought about it in terms of hours for a long while. It was just his routine, and he liked doing it. Plus he got paid for it, which was more than he could say for his patrols.
So it worked out for him in the end.
Dogby wiggled in excitement, more about the hug than the promise of communism. She yipped and tried to reach her nose close enough so she could lick Esme. But even that was short.
He gave her the library hours, which he was firm about because after he closed he went out to do his own patrol: stop people from draining energy. He had no idea she was someone he would have to look out for, and never would.
Such was life.
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:46 pm
"Great! Awesome!" Esme exclaimed after Anthony gave her the hours. Maaaybe she could squeeze in a few days during the week for visits. Maybe. Or it'd have to be Saturdays. No rest for the Dark Mirror senshi. No rest at all. But that was okay! She beamed as she looked back down at her watch. "I guess I really should be off. I'll get the third degree from my brothers if I'm not home soon. I'll be seeing you two later?" She gave Dogby one last scritch and stood up to peck Anthony on the cheek with a kiss. Oh my!
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Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 10:56 am
Tony looked bright red by the time she pulled back from him, his embarrassment settling in the blink of an eye. He sputtered something incoherent and nodded his head, scuttling down the street a few steps before he mastered himself, turned back, and waved.
"It was nice meeting you, and I know Dogby will look forward to your visiting the library."
He smiled and let the awkwardness pass. He was very good at being embarrassed but at least he was learning how to shake it off quickly and not fall all over himself too much.
He looked at Dogby, who was sitting and not walking despite him taking some steps. She was at the end of the leash, staring at him as if he had forgotten the arrangement. He sighed and walked back to her, picking her up and hoping Esme wasn't watching.
Dogby wore the pants in this relationship, that much was clear. Once she was settled in his arms, though, he could actually move off.
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