The Dog Days Are Here To Stay... [Open!]

[tarnishedbadge]

Levi had never had a pet growing up. His father was very much against the idea of animals living in the house. Not even a fish. Oh, Levi had family pictures of himself playing with a dog but it was always that of a family friend, borrowed for the express purpose of the photo-op. The appearance of being the sort of family that had a boy that played with a dog was perfectly fine.

Now though, he had Osha. While technically not his dog the lovable animal was his for the moment as Lara hadn't come back from her trip yet. She'd be back soon, but not soon enough. He missed her, the sort of missing where none of his food tasted quite as good as it used to and listening to music just wasn't as enjoyable. It was pathetic but he didn't really care.

Osha was a nice distraction though, which was why he was out at the park now playing Frisbee. It was amusing to see the giant animal racing around like a big puppy, snagging the disc out of the air in as dramatic fashion as possible. His cat, because apparently Levi had a cat now too, looked on completely unimpressed, spending more time grooming itself than anything else. He should probably come up with a name for it but nothing had stuck so far.

"What about Catniss?" he asked, looking down at the animal as he tossed the Frisbee for Osha. "Never mind, you don't even get the pun. Bruno maybe?"

The cat stopped preening long enough to give a loud yell then licked itself again.

"Okay, apparently not."

Comments

[louise_abasi]

It had surprised her how much she had enjoyed walking a dog. Although the Middleton personnel was probably still trying to clean dog hairs away from everywhere and anywhere. "Heeey, you big fool."

Lou waved at Osha. "And Osha as well. And - cat, Levi?"

[starsfallen]

"LouLou!" It strikes Corry that she hasn't seen Lou since - everything happened. Since Joseph and the kidnapping and she had thought it so strange at first that Lou hadn't even checked in while she was recovering (the papers had certainly made sure everyone knew what happened) but Corrine's state at the time didn't allow her to think about it too much. And then someone had said she was away, which certainly explained that, and Corry hadn't seen Lou anywhere after, but Corry hadn't realized just how long it had been.

"LouLou, it's been ages!" She forgets if she was upset at her. She thinks she was, possibly, but it was ages away and a lifetime ago. And besides, Corry is covered in slobber from an overly adoring dog and how can one be anything but happy in that state. "How have you been, darling?"

[louise_abasi]

"Corrine!"

How could she have forgotten to find Corry after this entire mess? Louise gave it just a second thought (-so much dog drool), before she hugged her little girl. "How have you been?"

[starsfallen]

Corry hugs her tight, it's good to see her Skip to My Lou even after the whole unexplained disappearance. "Fine, grand, just great." She ends the hug with a pat on the back and a grin at Lou, sheepishly wiping the remnants of dog slobber from her face. "I mean, there were some rough times there - but I just finished filming. Ophelia, my first job back - Oh, Lou, it'll be amazing! It's on track for the festival circuit!"

She takes the woman's hands in hers.

"And did you hear, a date with me went for quarter of a million dollars!?" She winks. "Guess I'm still worth something yet. But you, LouLou. Please tell me you'd run off to Italy in the arms of some dashing man during all this time."

[louise_abasi]

"You did Ophelia? You love that character!"

It's so much easier to focus on someone else, especially if it's a ray of light like Corry Flynn.

"There was an insane amount of money thrown around, that's for sure. Which is good for Riley, but somehow I feel guilty towards all the poverty in our country that it was just for a museum.
It made me extra determined to pick up my Pro Bono work soon again. I mean, you probably read about me, my hubby Grant Middleton will make sure I don't have to want for anything anyway."

[starsfallen]

"As if you claim no credit for that. Before you, I'd never even looked at the character beyond the lines.

Corrine nods, still smiling brightly. "If it helps, I donated just as much to Habitat for Humanity last year. There's enough good to go around. But if you want more, you should talk to Eli. He was always in to that sort of thing."

And with the mention of Grant, Corry burst out laughing. "You mean your hubby like Leslie's mine? My dear Skip to My Lou, I'm desperately disappointed I wasn't invited to the wedding."

[louise_abasi]

"That's awfully sweet of you, and I wouldn't have expected anything less, Corrine."

Louise nods. "It was shot gun, both of our parents are vehemently against it. You know my mother will never allow me to settle with anyone who is not at least fifty percent French and I think Lily has eyes on someone else for her only son as well. But let's not gossip more than necessary."

[tarnishedbadge]

"You're hilarious, Lou," he said, grinning at her even as he rolled his eyes. Levi glanced down at the cat who was purring loudly, rubbing up against his leg. If he didn't know better he'd also say the cat was glaring at Lou.

"And the cat just keeps following me so I sort of adopted it for the time being."

[louise_abasi]

"I gave up on law and decided I'm going to be a comedian, you should be flattered that you're my first subject."

She looked at the cat. "Is it a guard cat? Because suddenly I feel worried about my cheekiness."

[starsfallen]

"Osha!" Corry is walking into town, en route to a meeting with the Sirenhouse redesign contractors. The next phase of development is pending. Plans have been layed out - blueprints of dreams and grand visions, and tomorrow they begin to tear down what cannot be saved and strengthening the foundations to rebuild.

Osha bounds toward her in a haze of fur and wagging-tail. Ever since the dog gently snuggled her through her relapse, waiting patiently by Corry and Lara's side as the violent emotions and violent sick passed, the girl and the canine had shared a clear bond.

Corry gets down on her knees and wraps her arms around the dog as she is completely slobbered, paws on her shoulders, tongue and wet nose and whimper greeting her with love. "It's good to see you too." When Osha finally takes a step back, offering a happy whimper in hopes of more attention, Corry turns to Levi.

"So you've got pet duty while Lara's away?" She scratches Osha behind the ears. "Glad to know you're in good company."

[tarnishedbadge]

"I think it's more that Osha has boyfriend duty while Lara is away," Levi admitted.

It was good to see Corry. She'd been through a lot in such a short amount of time, the sort of thing that lesser people might have just crumbled under but she seemed strong and like she had a good support network. He was glad for that. Lara seemed to really like her and care for her.

"What are you up to today besides showing me up in lavishing Osha with affection?"

[starsfallen]

"It's good to see you too, Levi." Corrine sits on the ground and lets Osha curl up in her lap, filling it several times over. And it is good to see him. The trauma of their first encounter is fading into a distant nightmare, and while it still rears on unexpected occasions, she's taken great strides in moving on. And the characters within it - the brave detective, the fellow captive, are more and more real individuals (ones she'd quite like to know better considering what they all went through together), and less the reminders of what once came to pass.

She beams up at him.

"Well, thanks to your magnificent Lara, I'm off to settle final plans with the Waterhouse contractors. Once the blueprints are approved and the survey results are presented, we start construction. - They start construction, and I sit back and watch dreams unfold."

[tarnishedbadge]

"Lara told me about that, she was happy to help you purchase it, she could tell how much it meant to you."

It would give her something to be busy with too, which he was sure she needed. When she was acting more she had seemed to be doing it constantly. While a bit of a break would be nice he couldn't imagine Corry just lounging around, doing nothing for very long.

"I imagine it's going to keep you busy for a long while. But in a good way."

[needleandink]

Adrian heard the cat's yowl and turned in that direction on his way back from a coffee fix at Quill. He hesitated, only briefly when he saw the dog, but once again, he'd noticed it too close to make any difference. The dog would have caught his scent by now. He saw that cat, too, so maybe this one wouldn't go batshit upon seeing him like most dogs tended to.

[tarnishedbadge]

Osha gave a loud bark at the man and stopped chasing the Frisbee to stare at him but other than that he didn't move, too well trained not to do anything unless commanded. It did make Levi curious though. The cat, meanwhile, just butted its head against his leg.

"You seem to have caught his interest."

[needleandink]

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Adrian commented back, recognizing the guy as one Anna had pointed out to him. He bent down to scratch the cat behind the ears and down along the body and tail. "Cats like me, dogs, as a rule, want to chase me up a tree."

He straightened and held out a hand. "You're Levi, right? I'm Adrian Smith. it's good to meet you."

[tarnishedbadge]

"Osha is usually pretty good with people," Levi said. The fact that she wasn't made him a bit wary. Not necessarily suspicious but definitely paying more attention than he normally would.

"And it's nice to meet you, although I'm not sure how I know you?"

[needleandink]

"We've never met, but my girlfriend, Anna, pointed you out," Adrian told him, his tone lazy and easy, but all of him bracing for whatever response he got.

[tarnishedbadge]

"Ah, yes. Anna is a good friend. All of us at the station think very highly of her," Levi said. Odds were that Anna would choose a good guy but Levi wanted to make a point.

"That's the police station. Where we have lots and lots of guns," he added, pausing a moment before grinning. "I'm kidding, guns leave way too much forensic evidence."

[asharpertongue]

Lara hadn't bothered going to Watersong or even home longer than to change her clothes and dump her bags before she headed to the park. She'd been getting update texts and emails from Levi since she'd left so she knew where he and Osha would be.

Two weeks away. Two extremely stressful and complicated weeks. Now all she wanted to do was to see them and be revel in the feeling of being home.

Pulling up to a secluded spot in the parks parking lot, she watched the big dog running Levi ragged for a while before getting out for a closer look. Apparently Levi had a good enough arm for Osha and the dog barked her deep bass delighted bark whenever he paused to tease her with fake throws before sending her across the park with a real one.

Levi had his back to Lara as she snuck up behind him, pausing when she was a step behind his left shoulder, grin on her face.

"So i've been replaced by my own dog then, huh?"

[tarnishedbadge]

Levi knew that Lara was there, feeling the almost comfortable sensation of her mind getting close to his. It still hurt, but only a little bit, and it was a familiar feeling that was fading. After two terrible weeks apart it felt good to have her so close. It was also difficult not to just spin around and kiss her, as much as he wanted to.

"I dunno, she does use a lot of tongue when she kisses," Levi said, grinning as he took a half-step back. "But she does fetch really well."

[asharpertongue]

It was almost impossible to resist the urge to touch him. Lara swayed towards him as he stepped back before she caught herself, not wanting the instant tension that had sprung up around them to break just yet. She'd missed this teasing in the taught and tense weeks she'd just spent wrangling sirens.

"Ah. I completely understand. She's probably warmer than me too on those chilly nights on the sofa."

[tarnishedbadge]

"Don't be ridiculous. She's slept on the bed all this time, completely spoiled in every way I could manage," he said, grinning over his shoulder. He could feel his heart stop for a moment, his breath taken away at seeing his mate again.

"I do miss the soothing sounds of your snoring though."

[asharpertongue]

"We probably shed the same amount of hair though so at least that was familiar for you." Lara said, looking up at him, desperately happy to see him again.

[tarnishedbadge]

"Only hers doesn't end up in the shower drain," he said, taking another step back so that his body was pressed up against her. Levi would smell her, that scent of ocean and something else that was so unmistakably her. He'd missed it while he was gone, catching a scent every now and then off of her pillow and just aching with the need to see her again.