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 Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2024 7:10 pm
Trips to the dog park had been very few and very far between during the summer. This year felt particularly hot (though she honestly felt like that was the case every year…) and to save her pup from that level of suffering she often just took her on extended walks in the late evening, when the sun was setting and there was more often than not a pleasant breeze to help keep them cool.
It meant, though, that Lulu’s energy was never entirely expended, and while she was usually the best girl in the world, it seemed like her patience for being indoors had…waved, however slightly. Thankfully with the weather starting to cool, and having booked some time off of work, not to mention re-working her schedule to include a bit more space for rest and relaxation, Mel had a good feeling that would change soon!
Whether she took that time was still up in the air, but that was a problem for another day.
Today, Mel and Lulu very happily headed for the dog park, and (on the encouragement of a friend) she even texted Shelley with an almost-too-timid invitation to a random dog park hangout, followed by lunch at a nearby pet-friendly cafe. It was about time she started fostering relationships with others in the war. Not to say that she couldn’t have friends who weren’t, but who else could fully relate to why she was needing more and more time to decompress, between the stress of school, work, dusting youma, and doing her part in trying to keep Chaos in check?
Mel shoved the thoughts away after spotting Shelley as she rounded the corner, and gave her friend a bright smile and ever energetic wave in greeting.
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Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 8:50 am
The invitation had been a surprise, but a welcome one. Besides, Poseida needed some puppy playtime and more socialization was always good. For both of them. Heading out, she made sure she had her fanny pack and plenty of treats.
The walk to the park was a good one and by the time she got there and rounded the corner, she was all smiles and enthusiastically returned Mel’s wave. Once she was close enough to not have to yell, she grinned again.
“Hi Mel! This sweet little tripod is Poseida. She’s a little nervous around new people, but she loves other animals. Who’s your fuzzy friend?”
Shelley was already crouching, hand outstretched for introductions. She could feel her dog moving forward gently, eager to sniff noses and make friends.
“Honestly, your timing was pretty great. Today’s my day off from classes and volunteering and I was trying to think of something to do. This is perfect. How’ve you been, by the way?”
Her words rattled forth, with barely a breath between them. One hand had come up to rest on the otterhounds’s back, clearly protective. For the dog’s part, she was content to sniff and cautiously wag her tail.
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Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 7:51 pm
”Hi!” she greeted in turn, happy to see that Shelley was as energetic as she remembered from when they last met. “And hi, Poseida!” she greeted, eyes falling to the sweet girl beside her friend. Apart from smiling at her, though, Mel stayed back to avoid upsetting her.
“This is Lulu,” she shifted her focus after a moment, “my roommate and bestie.” Lulu stepped forward after taking her cue from Mel, sniffing curiously at Shelley’s outstretched hand. It wasn’t long before she was wagging her tail excitedly, and she stepped a bit closer, attention quickly shifting to the dog beside her.
“Oh! Well, I’m glad the timing worked out. Seriously, thanks for coming! And I’m okay, y’know. Same, same? Actually, I’d been meaning to reach out but my schedule’s been nuts, and honestly it felt…weird?” Mel laughed a bit shyly at that. “I just tend to separate the two…y’know. I’m trying to learn to not compartmentalize so much, though. Anyway, how ‘bout you? How’ve you been?”
Like Shelly, the words sort of came out like rapidfire. It was mostly her nerves, which she hoped would eventually go away over time.
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2024 11:15 am
"We do what we must to stay sane," Shelley replied, feeling philosophical. "I promise I'm not offended by you taking time for yourself."
She winked as she spoke before turning her attention to Lulu and
thumping her ribs gently.
"What a good girl! I'm sure if they could talk, she and Poseida would have some s**t to share. Between classes and volunteering at the animal shelter, my days have been pretty full. And, y'know, some little excursions after dark..." Shelley grinned at this, fully aware that if anyone had been close enough to overhear, she'd have likely been labeled as a delinquent. After another moment of loving on Lulu, the girl straightened up and gave her own dog an adoring look.
"Mostly, things are good. Po' has some rough days, but those are manageable and my folks help me out a lot. My mom actually scored some tickets for a wrestling house show and was asking me if I wanted to drag any friends along. Wanna come along? I promise my mom is pretty cool and 95% unlikely to say anything too embarrassing."
Frankly, Shelley had rarely felt embarrassed by either or her parents, but she knew that some people could get a little side-eye-y if they caught her mom watching wrestling. Most of Shelley's friends in school had taken it in stride, but there was always some weirdo who found a suburban housewife screaming for blood to be deeply offensive.
"Hell, we might learn some new tricks," she added, mouth quirking in a little secretive smile. It never was a bad thing to learn new moves that could help in a fight.
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2024 8:21 pm
Mel’s smile softened at her friend’s words, and she watched as she showered Lulu a bit of attention. The pup was basking in it, of course, and when Shelley eventually moved away she turned her attention, and energy, to Poseida.
“They probably would, yeah,” she chuckled in agreement. “And I’m glad things are going mostly well for you two. All things considered, right?”
The mention of wrestling seemed to cheer her up all the more, and she gave a little nod of her head. “Y’know, I’m not into it myself, but I have brothers who are so I’m not totally unfamiliar. If you’re offering, I’d love to go! A change of pace might be a good thing right now, honestly.” Break the monotony, build up a friendship–it was a win-win as far as she could tell.
“And I’m not worried about your mom being there. If she’s anything like you, I’m sure she’s great.”
Mel gestured toward the gate. “Wanna head in?”
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Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2024 5:53 pm
"Excellent! I'll tell my mom so she can coordinate things," Shelley was delighted. Sure, she had her co-worker friends, but it just wasn't the same as a friend truly close to her own age and interests. "She'll be thrilled that I'm bringing a friend that's not four-legged."
Laughing easily, she tapped Poseida on the snoot and made a soft chirping noise. She'd decided that she'd use non-verbal sounds while training her dog. So far, it seemed to be working. Certainly, Poseida didn't flinch back the way she did when certain words were used.
Shelley was really going to have to track down the dog's former owner and punch them in the throat.
One more quick once-over of her dog and Shelley nodded agreeably. "Let's shall. I think the pups are ready to play."
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Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2024 7:38 pm
Mel gave a nod and headed for the gate after calling Lulu to her side. After walking through, she held it open for Shelley and Poseida, noting the chirping sound with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
“So besides wrestling and dogs, what else are you into?” she asked instead, because there was plenty she was curious about when it came to her new friend. Maybe later she could ask about her training methods for Poseida; she’d never seen it before, and a part of her had a feeling there might be some kind of story behind it.
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Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2024 8:52 am
Oh, it’s not just dogs,” Shelly said as she went through the gate. Pausing for a moment to unclip Poseida’s leash, she gave the dog’s ear a scritch and whistled softly. Taking her cue, Poseida gave a happy bark and tore off into the grass. “I just love animals, even the creepy ones. My parents have been helping me foster kittens since I was tiny and I have a whole menagerie at home. No kittens at the moment since Poseida has needed a lot of time to heal, but a couple of very old pitties, and a rosy boa. My tarantula passed away last year and I haven't replaced her yet. I’ve been thinking about getting a beardie, but they take a lot of time to train and I’m not sure that would be fair to the lizard or the others since I’m busier these days.”
Grinning, she shrugged helplessly at Mel before pointing to Poseida, who had decided to have the zoomies and was racing in a circle.
“And we’re heading into Spooky time, so I’ll have less free time once the Haunted House is up and running. Have you ever been? I think we’re still looking for volunteers and it’s a great crowd. They usually stick me in the kid friendly section, but I’m not a minor anymore, so I think this year, they might actually let me be scary.”
The sheer glee radiating from Shelly’s tiny frame was palpable. She really wanted to be a spooky spook for once. Or maybe she just had the soul of a true carnie and she could feel her Time approaching.
“What about you? Don’t be afraid to speak up, otherwise, I’ll chatter your ear off about critters and wrasslin’ and haunted houses and random shiny things I find,” the girl winked even as she chuckled, comfortable with having a little fun at her own expense. “So. Tell me about yourself.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2024 10:03 pm
Mel closed the gate once they were all inside, and then had Lulu sit before she crouched down to take off her leash and effectively gave Lulu her cue to go off as well. The pup gave a happy yip of her own before scurrying off, quickly spotting the zooming Poseida and following suit. Mel smiled in her pup’s direction as she stood up, and then her attention quickly shifted back to Shelley as she started listing off the different animals that were in her care.
“Wow,” she said, eyes wide with surprise. “That sounds so nice! I can imagine coming home must be a lot of love from the lot of them. I don’t think I could handle more than one, at least not if I’m living alone. I barely have enough time for just Lulu, with everything I have going on,” she gave a nod in understanding, “but I’m doing my best, so I definitely get that.”
She gestured toward a nearby table and took a seat before glancing around for Lulu, who was now wandering about the park, sniffing this, that, and the other. She seemed to be staying within close proximity of Poseida, though, as she moved in the same general direction.
Mel noticed the energy with which Shelley spoke of the haunted house, and while she was glad to learn more about her friend she had to give an apologetic smile and gently shake her head. “Mm…honestly, my friends have taken me, but I usually chicken out right before I go inside. I’m horrible with scary stuff, so I usually appreciate this time of the year from a safe distance, or behind a pillow during movie nights.” She laughed lightly at that, and then hummed thoughtfully as Shelley turned the conversation a bit toward her.
“As for me…well. Let’s see. I’m a grad student at DCU, in the forensic sciences program. In line with that, I’m interning at the DC crime lab. Work and school take up a lot of my time during the year, and the rest of my time I try to split between basically everything else. Lulu, of course, then there’s yoga, kickboxing, cooking, time with friends, and solo R&R. I have a friend that’s told me I worry too much about work and school, so I’m trying to be better about that.”
She shrugged at that, feeling a bit lame suddenly as she summed her life in a nutshell. It sounded so…boring? But of course, it wasn’t like she go on and on about her knight life out in the open like this.
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2024 10:00 am
Well, heck. Shelly listened intently, nodding along as Mel spoke. It was too bad that haunted houses scared her, but not everyone liked jumpscares. Or being chased by chainsaw wielding maniacs.
Man, she hoped they’d let her be the chainsaw wielding maniac this year…
Still. “Well, if you ever want to see the other side of the scares, let me know. Working the house is a totally different vibe and we’re all pretty good at weeding out the sadistic assholes.”
Shelly’s tone probably said more about those sadistic assholes than mere words could have ever conveyed. Along with how they might have been weeded out. Taking a seat across from Mel, saw Poseida frolicking with Lulu and let out a tiny snort laugh.. It was good to see the otterhound playing like that given her fairly traumatic life up until she’d been rescued. Turning her attention back to her friend, she listened carefully. Grad student? Oh wow, Mel was older than she looked. But forensics? And she was working in an actual crime lab??? Okay, that was very cool.
Mel also seemed to have a helluva lot more on her plate than Shelly ever had. Eyes twinkling, she schooled her expression into one of serious concern (though she couldn’t stop her lips from trying to twitch into a smile).
“Googly moogly, when do you, sleep, Mel? But seriously, that all sounds like you have a pretty good work-life balance going on. And of course you’re going to think more about work and school! You’re a grad student. You have a lot going on in those areas and probably will until you graduate!”
Shelly was sure that this friend of Mel’s meant well, but between everything the other girl had listed, plus any knightly activities… She was halfway wondering if Mel ever did sleep.
Shaking her head before tilting it quizzically, Shelly studied her friend carefully before saying, “I think what matters more is how you feel about it. If you think you have a decent balance going on, keep with it and don’t worry too much about other people’s opinions. Mom used to tell me how her big brother always gave her s**t for liking wrestling since they came from a pretty well to do family and he was worried about public perception. To hear her tell the tale, she kicked his a** so hard that the stick he had lodged up in there fell out and he was a lot more chill after. If you’re happy, who cares about what other people think?”
Frankly, Shelly was impressed. It was so cool to have interesting friends!
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2024 9:23 pm
”Earlier than most, I think,” Mel laughed in response. “I spread things out as evenly as I can, but it’s pretty challenging to balance. It’s a lot of time management, and sticking to schedules. Growing up, I never thought my life would be as structured as it is, but it’s…working, for the most part.”
Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Lulu and Poseida zooming around with some of the other dogs in the park, to which she smiled before turning her attention fully back to her friend. Hearing her recount something her mom told her, Mel couldn’t help but smile a most amused smile. “I already can’t wait to meet your mom,” she giggled, and after they subsided she went on. “He was probably trying to get me to be a little easier on myself when he said that. I was venting a little bit about work. I took on a lot of extra shifts during the summer, so he was encouraging me to take a break if I felt like I needed it.” She was smiling fondly as she spoke, the memory of that conversation a rather good one considering what she learned afterward.
“You’re right, though! I am happy, but I do sometimes consider what my family and friends think about certain things. I know they care about me, so it’s all well-meaning, but I definitely still do what I believe is best for me.”
Mel leaned over the table then, and nodded toward Shelley. “Going back to your haunted houses, though, if you’re inviting me to see backstage and stuff, I would love that! It sounds like a lot of fun, and…it’s less scary, right? Since it’ll be people putting on make-up and costumes and they’re not trying to chase me with a prop or scare me or anything like that?”
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Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2024 9:41 am
Eyes narrowing slightly, Shelly listened to Mel and then, after a moment, nodded in satisfaction. She clearly had a good head on her shoulders and knew things to watch for when it came to taking care of herself. She'd be all right.
"Well, if you ever reach a point where you can't tell those well meaning people no, just hit me up and I'll be happy to wade into the breach for ya," she said, winking. "I have strong opinions when it comes to anyone trying to take advantage of good will."
Doing her own little check on the pups, Shelly felt rather pleased that Mel was interested in the behind the scenes part of the haunted house. Besides, if she knew how the back end worked, maybe the rest of it wouldn't feel so scary to her.
"I was and I am. Set up is a lot of fun and it's good to see how things are laid out before we turn off the lights and add the scares. It's definitely much less scary since you can see how jerry-rigged everything is," Shelly laughed a little at this. "Hard to be scared of foam board and doctored up plushies. And like I said, it's usually a good crew of people and we work hard to weed out the assholes."
Now Shelly's face went a little hard as she growled faintly under her breath. "We do our best to avoid being a second McKamey Manor. And not to brag or anything but I have personally beaten the s**t out of one jackass who thought he could get away with being a sadistic edge-lord."
Sighing a little, Shelly gave Mel a sheepish smile and shrug. She didn't want to scare her friend away from the idea, but she also wanted to be completely honest.
"They won't intentionally try to scare you but one or two would think they were being playful and flirty and might pretend chase you while armed with a rubber chicken. But the rest of your assessment is pretty spot on. We do a lot of rehearsals because we want to be and stay safe. Besides," she added brightly, "I'm going to make it super clear that you're my pal and if anyone tries to ******** with you, they'll have to answer to me. I take care of my people."
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Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2024 9:37 pm
”Thank you, I appreciate that.” She smiled warmly at her friend, and though they were just getting to know each other a little better she had a feeling Shelley truly meant that. Mel couldn’t help but feel fortunate that she was surrounded by such good people. “And you too, y’know. If you ever need a friend, I’m always around. Don’t hesitate to call or text me.”
Scaredy-type that she was, the blonde leaned in and listened carefully as Shelley answered her question. It was something she was curious about; behind the scenes footage were some of her favorites, and while she’d heard it said that it ruins the magic on the screen, she honestly felt that the opposite was true. At least for her it was. The more she knew, the more impressed she was by the final outcome, and by the people that put in the work.
“Count me in, then,” she said, smiling wide and bright. “That sounds like a really good time, but I’ll probably still get scared even if it is a jerry-rigged whatever.” She laughed at that, having long since embraced the timid side of herself. She tried to be better about it, so to speak, but there were just some things she’d never get used to.
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Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2024 8:18 am
Grinning and bouncing a little in her seat, Shelly pumped her fist in the air before laughing.
“Awesome! You’re gonna love it, I promise. We go live in early October, so I’ll call you once I can talk to the folks in charge and find out a good day and time for you to visit. And if you do get a little scared, I can at least show you all the ways it’s really okay. Hell, I’ll even make you a t-shirt proclaiming you to be a badass.”
All smiles and sunniess now, Shelly did a quick check on the dogs, noting that they seemed to have gotten their zooms out. Poseida, at least, seemed content to loll in the shade nearby and thump her tail into the grass.
“Whatcha think?” she asked pointing to the pups. “Think they’ve got their silliness out so we can grab a bite?”
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Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 12:20 am
Mel couldn’t help but laugh lightly when Shelley pumped her fist in the air. She loved her enthusiasm, it was nice to be around such a positive energy. “Sounds good!” she replied with a little bobble of her head. “I never thought I’d ever say this about visiting a haunted house, but I’m looking forward to it!”
She followed the other’s gaze to their pups, who were now just relaxing in the shade, and again gave a nod. “Yep, seems like they’re done. At least for now,” she added with a giggle, because she was certain Lulu would find a second wind if given enough time.
“Are you okay with that cafe I mentioned?”
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