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The puppy was incredibly excited. She had decided that snow was pretty much the best thing ever and wanted to go bounding away. Krishna pulled her closer to his feet in response, grateful that Richard had forgotten a leash and collar at the flower shop the last time he had asked his friend to dog sit. The collar barely fit on its smallest setting, so that meant the florist had to hold not only the leash but also half hold the collar as he pulled the Great Dane pup to the stairs.

Getting her to go up them, however, was far less of a challenge. The minute the Harlequin saw the stairs, she gave a happy yip and leapt for the bottom one. Climbing was fun, was the man with her having fun? She was having lots of fun. The florist kept a careful eye on her as they climbed, flatly relieved whenever his partner's door came into sight. Krishna immediately knocked as loudly as he could. There was no doubt in his mind that Richard was home. Richard was always home, these days.

As he waited, the florist checked his appearance. He had changed in the car into the last of his good, non-formal clothing. A red Cashmere sweater with black and white argyle print, the very sweater he had last worn for his date with Sekani (and that event was the only reason that the sweater had not been sold along with his other designer clothing.) A snug, but not overly tight, pair of black wool slacks. Black snow boots, a few seasons old, but still warm and serviceable. He had even tied some red ribbon around the borrowed collar, the only way to "wrap" the gift that he was delivering. They had to be appropriate for the occasion, both of them.

The rainbow-haired florist could hear the scratching from the other side of the door, which meant that Baldwin, at least, had come to greet him. His friend's disgruntled cry made Krishna c**k an eyebrow. Sure enough, when he twisted the knob he found it unlocked. This turn of events made him frown. Even in a nice neighborhood, leaving a door unlocked as practically inviting trouble. That his partner would not even get up to let him in was also indicative of a rather dark mood. Well, that was a fine way to treat someone who came bearing a gift!

Krishna could think of no better revenge, and warning, against leaving the front door open than to let his gift introduce herself. He pushed the door open just enough for her to stick her nose in and for him to stretch out his hand, hoping to give Baldwin some indication that it was not a threat that would soon be entering. The impatient puppy pushed the door open wider and sniffed at the nice doggie who was waiting on the other wide. Her tail wagged hard, thumping against the frame of the door. She wanted to go in and investigate and meet all the people and doggies that might be on the other side. The florist unhooked her collar from the leash and then released her completely.

The Great Dane shot through the door with an excited scampering of paws and nails pattering as she dashed. She paused long enough to say hi to the very big canine friend who already inhabited the house and to sniff at the floor but then she saw that there was a lump on the couch. She made a beeline for the lump and flung herself on top of it in an excited, yipping heap of black and white fur. The lump turned out to be a warm human! This was pretty much the best possible outcome. She wriggled closer to his face and began to lap at his ear, his forehead, his fuzzy red chin. She demanded all the attention! He was going to be new friend!

"There is a growth on your face." Leave it to Krishna to state exactly what needed to be said and nothing more. He entered fully now and did not offer so much as a glance to help Richard escape the wriggling dog that scurried along the length of his body. The florist closed and locked the front door and bent down to give Baldwin a pat to the head before heading straight to the kitchen. He was not too hopeful about the contents of said kitchen but it had simply become his habit to help himself to whatever food and drink Richard had available. "You look awful."

Krishna's nose wrinkled as he peered into his friend's fridge. Clearly, the general neglect had extended to the goods within aas well. Expired milk, moldy cheese, and tupperware containers filled with... various colored somethings. The only thing that looked marginally edible was the Subway sandwich still wrapped in its bag. He pulled it out and sniffed for freshness. Clearly tuna fish but.. very recent, not older than a day. Thank goodness. He immediately unwrapped the foot long and threw away the bag. He had no intentions of putting any part of the sandwich back.

"Not my dog," the florist pointed out before taking a bite of the sandwich. He chewed in consideration. He was not as much a fan of the Italian herb and cheese as Richard apparently was, but it did not ruin the satisfying saltiness of the tuna. Lettuce and tomato were a nice touch and, thankfully, were still fresh. Whatever difference they made have had in terms of taste when it came to sweets, at least they could share sandwiches with little fear of offending the other's mouth. Seeing Baldwin's distress, and hoping to force his partner to deal with the squirmy bundle a top him, Krishna tore off a piece of the sandwich and offered it to the Irish Wolfhound to keep him from interfering. "Your dog. Now get up."

The florist sat at on the chair across from the couch and calmly continued to eat the sandwich. The yet unnamed puppy stopped her assault for a moment to sniff the air... but then began to lick the fun man with the fuzzy face some more as she whined and yipped. Could they go and get some yummy smelling sandwich? Or were they just going to stay here and play? So far, she was having a great time!

Krishna nodded in satisfaction whenever the larger of the two dogs took the treat, almost as though giving him the permission he needed to wander off and begin to chew it. That the puppy was immediately interested in his food was an unintentional, but understandable turn of events. He had purposefully not bought any puppy food, toys, treats, or other things that his partner would need to take proper care of the animal. Whether Richard liked it or not, he was going to get up off of that couch and care for his new gift. The florist would not accept that after all the effort he had gone through that his friend would not welcome the sweet-hearted pup. He threw another crust of bread for the little girl so that the two dogs did not need to fight. If they both decided to share the mosels equally, then that was just as fine by him. If she could win over Baldwin, then wriggling her way into Richard's heart would be just that much easier.

The rainbow-haired man sent Richard a glare but did not stop his chewing. Based on how poorly maintained the apartment and his own appearance were, the florist was certain that his friend had no right to be judging what someone else did and did not know. How did one grow a beard without realizing it until it was pointed out? No, in light of this reaction, it was tempting to just let the ginger continue to struggle with the problem for a little longer. If he had not been here specifically to help out the confectioner... he likely would have.

Swallowing down, he replied with a snort, "She is a pure bred Harlequin Great Dane. She is a gift, for you. You're welcome."

Sandwich finished, Krishna brushed the crumbs from his sweater and pants onto the floor. The maid would take care of it... if she was still in Richard's employ. With the general disarray of the place, it would be no surprise if the confectioner had simply neglected to pay her and, as a result, she had said she would not come until he gave her the monetary incentive. With a snort, he held down one of his hands, offering Baldwin some last sandwich smells and ear scratches while the two men had their "chat." It seemed as though he was going to be here for a while. "What is it, then?"

His friend did not have much of a chance to answer whenever the yet unnamed pup came running back in response to his movement. The smile that spread across the florist's face began small. With each wag of tail and struggle of Richard, the smile grew and grew, until it covered his entire face. With the weight distributed to a very sensitive area, he began to chuckle, his entire body shaking as he ran his free hand through his fluff of rainbow hair. The antics of the Great Dane pup would be funny on its own, but to see Richard finally acting, and in something resembling his normal manner, also added to his amusement.

Oh, how he had missed that false syrupy tone that dripped from his friend' s mouth. His laughter slowly subsided, and he responded simply, "But I did."

To many, the friendship that had grown between Krishna and Richard might be strange. Krishna was quiet, precise, professional - Richard was loud, fun loving, and casual. In this way, they achieved a balance that made them a good team. Yet, the two were evenly matched in many ways. Intelligence was one of them. When his friend saw through his plot, the florist did not deny it. He patted Baldwin on the head and shrugged. "And? It has worked."

"Refuse?" The word made Krishna laugh even harder, his golden eyes sparkling with a mischief rarely seen in his stony face. Both of his cinnamon colored hands were occupied in giving the dogs affection. One went behind Baldwin's shaggy ears while the other thumped against the puppie's chest. He indicated them with a jerk of his head, the layers of his rainbow hair falling slightly over his face. "No. You prefer big dogs. Baldwin adores her. More importantly..."

The Indian man shifted his arm slightly so that the Harlequin's face was once again facing the candy man. She licked at her chops and wagged her whip like tail, but otherwise looked directly at the bearded friend she had just left. "You like her, too."

If he hadn't, then Richard would never have held the puppy as close or as tightly as he had right before she made her way to investigate the sound of laughter.

The florist bit back another sonorous laugh at Richard's spoiled expression, but the amusement never died in his golden eyes. Yes, he was smug. Yes, he was relishing his victory. Shame, however, was a foreign emotion to him this day, and he made his feelings known when he snorted, "I would comment on your melodrama, but it is your core nature. It is... good, to see it again."

It was the closest he would get to expressing his true relief. He had missed Richard. He had missed the confectioner's mid-day interruptions, his late night calls, his vibrancy, his vitality. That Krishna had been able to get anything out of his friend beyond depression made the expense of obtaining the puppy well worth while. He was too private a man, had too hard of a time expressing his more tender emotions to directly say such things allowed. But he had been raised to believe that actions spoke louder than words.

"I'm sure she will, with proper training." Krishna rose from his chair again to go to the kitchen. The good part about 'losing' the dogs' affections was that t freed him up to once more raid for something to drink this time. Liquor had no appeal to him at the moment and, judging from the amount of sticky glass bottles, his friend was likely low even on his precious bourbon. He decided to stick with water - the safest bet. He even managed to find a clean glass, standing a lonely guard inside the cabinet.

Over the sound of water pouring filling the glass, he spoke calmly and clearly, "I trust you can provide for her. I will accompany you to the store to pick up supplies, if you are too... 'tired.'" And by that he meant 'too hungover to drive safely.' He was certain his partner would understand his meaning.

The florist snorted, refilling his water glass in the kitchen for a second drink and leaving his partner to contain the two excited canines. "I rarely regret my words." Partially because he spoke so very few. Partially because he intended to make those few words matter, so that when he spoke them they would not be wasted. Partially it was because the proud man lived life to the best of his abilities avoiding regret.

Were there parts of his life he regretted? Of course. He regretted his mother having to suffer through his fights with his father while she was sick. He regretted allowing his father to take Brahma away. He regretted not staying closer to Richard's side, so that he could have been spared some of the pain he had suffered. Yet, he did not linger on these regrets. He had done the best he could, in each situation. The mistakes had not been his alone. He had learned, would continue to learn, from them. Then there would be fewer regrets.

Krishna turned to face his partner at the lament of his car. He knew that his friend's ride had been crushed during the same incident that destroyed Sugar Shanty - he had simply assumed that the candy maker could rent a vehicle or borrow one from his family. "We will pick up a razor while shopping," Krishna replied finally. He finished off the glass of water he had been drinking and set the dirty dish among the piles of others that needed to be cleaned. "Get ready. I will watch the dogs." He was certain that he had enough room for the four of them in the delivery truck.