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Post by Jewel on Nov 10, 2019 10:55:07 GMT -6
Call him a soft touch, but Jewel couldn't ignore the scrawly note. There were plenty of other notices posted on the board - help with training, help with subduing, help getting an Estharne kitten down from a tree - but none of them struck him in the way that the kid's did. A rakai-sarane puppy in need of some holiday cheer? He'd never seen one before he'd looked at the photo, and was pleasantly surprised. It was cute. No one was asking him to slay a dragon or wrestle a bear, so why not? He had time.No mention of a reward, but he was sure they could work something out.Deciding on who to bring with him had been a challenge. There was no way to tell what the problem with the puppy was, and if it was sick, he hardly wanted it spreading to his kennel if it turned out to be contagious. Nonetheless, turning up with a pet of his own sounded like the best tactic to make everyone feel more comfortable. Who, though? Eilonwi was too stuffy, his Haraichu too mischievous. Aurora would scare the kid half to death.Then, there was Mollie.(1)
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Post by Jewel on Nov 10, 2019 11:08:55 GMT -6
Mollie was ideal. Yes, she was a Gallor, but she hardly looked like one - she was an oversized puppy, and even though she likely wouldn't fit into people's houses, it was impossible not to enjoy her presence. Dogs were dogs were dogs, right? Jewel hadn't considered that perhaps a young creature would be intimidated by her stature, so would have to take that as it came. It would be fine. What was the worst that could happen? He'd taken a note of the address, and had collected Mollie in the early afternoon before making his way there. The note had still been up when he went past, so he assumed that no one else had claimed the quest. Even if they had, he didn't have anything else going on. From the little he knew of the city, he recognised their area of residence as middle-of-the-road; it was no affluent suburb, but wasn't miserably poor, either. It was thus even harder to ascertain what the problem might have been. (2)
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Post by Jewel on Nov 10, 2019 11:19:06 GMT -6
Mollie was thrilled to be away from the chaos of the kennel, her tail lashing from side to side in her excitement. Wow, it had been a while since she had been outside with Jewel! He'd warped some smooth rope into a makeshift leash and collar for her - finding one the right size for a Gallor was proving to be a challenge - and was being pulled along the sidewalk by her. Even if he dug his heels in and tried to tug her back, there was no hope. " Mollie, c'mon!" He groaned. " You're gonna set a real bad example!" She cared not. It was a relief when she took interest in sniffing at the ground, meandering along at a slower pace instead of yanking Jewel's arm out of the socket, so he let her be and focused on searching for the right house number. They'd arrived on the street faster than he'd anticipated thanks to her speed. " Number fifty-two... where are you..." The houses were recent builds, by the looks of things; definitely popped up within the last ten or so years. The downside to that was them looking almost identical. " Sixty seven? I must be close, surely..." (3)
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Post by Jewel on Nov 10, 2019 15:05:41 GMT -6
The house in question was on the other side of the street. Jewel had wanted to make Mollie sit at the curb, but it proved a useless endeavour - she was too excitable, and hadn't been taught the command regardless. God, he needed to work on those things. She was picking up the pace again when they reached the right gate. It was a nice enough property. The front garden was well kept, with some blooming flowerpots sat on the windowsill; the grass bordering each side of the path to the door had been trimmed, and was dotted with daisies. No signs of wear and tear. That was a good sign! If they had needed credits to settle an issue with Poppy, it would have been a different story. Jewel was just about making ends meet as it was. " Will you even fit through this gate?" He opened it up and observed the gap. " I feel like your butt's gonna get stuck..." (4)
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Post by Jewel on Nov 10, 2019 15:12:05 GMT -6
As it happened, Jewel was correct. Mollie's front half managed to sidle through, but her haunches were the problem - she was a little too broad to squeeze through without effort, and the sensation of getting stuck frightened her. " Come on! It's alright, Mollie, it's alright," He coaxed, patting his thighs with his hands. She looked at him, dubious. "I promise it's fine. Let's go, girl. We've got a puppy to see!" As if she was even going to get into the house. Well, they'd cross that bridge when they came to it-- there was plenty of time, after all-- " Excuse me!" A shrill voice had Jewel whipping his head around in direction of the house, and Mollie froze, her ears drooping. " What are you doing-- what is that?!" A woman was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, staring at the pair with a look that could wither plants. It wasn't going to be an easy ride, then. Mollie whimpered, lowering her head towards the ground, and backed up a few steps until she was safely in the street and not on the stranger's property. (5)
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Post by Jewel on Nov 11, 2019 10:39:39 GMT -6
Damn. Jewel had to turn this around, fast - he switched his expression from mildly horrified to a charming grin as quickly as he could, and raised a hand to rub the back of his neck in a nervous, boyish gesture. " Ah, I'm sorry, ma'am," He said, practically simpering. " I didn't mean to worry you. We saw a letter posted to the quest board with this address attached, and thought we'd come to help." The woman looked perplexed. Hadn't she been aware that her child had been writing letters to the Light, begging for help? How could such a thing have escaped a parent's notice? " What letter? I didn't send any letter," She sniffed. With one more scathing look up and down, she waved her hand dismissively. " Go away. You must have read it wrong." Maybe he had, then. There were no signs that she had any children, and she hardly seemed the maternal type from first impressions. Jewel had been prepared to offer a final apology and get out of there, but then he heard scampering, and a tousled black head of hair popped around the doorway. (6)
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Post by Jewel on Nov 11, 2019 15:54:22 GMT -6
" Woah!" The unruly hair belonged to a child, around hip height, who was staring in wonder at Mollie. " Look how big that puppy is, mama!" " Yeah, very nice," His mother conceded with painfully false enthusiasm. " They're just leaving. Come back inside." " No! I wanna say hi!" There was no stopping him. The boy raced out, on socked feet, to greet the strange looking Gallor, whose tail had begun to wag once she had been positively acknowledged. Finally, someone nice! She leaned her head down so he could scratch her behind the floppy ears - ah, that was fantastic. Everything had worked out, after all! " This is Mollie," Jewel said with a smile. " And I'm Jewel. What's your name, buddy?" " My name's Byron!" The kid gave him a toothy grin in response, and stuck out a little hand for Jewel to shake, which he did. " Do you know my mom, mister Jewel?" (7)
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Post by Jewel on Nov 12, 2019 11:09:20 GMT -6
" No, he doesn't," The woman was quick to snap. Jewel winced. It looked like the charm offensive wasn't going to work on her - more was the pity, since that was the main tool in his arsenal. Neither did Mollie's cuteness make any impact. What the hell was he supposed to do now? " Get in, Byron. We don't have time for this." Byron faltered in his petting, and looked back at his mother, tense. Mollie nosed at the small of his back. Emboldened by her gentle support, he took a deep breath. " Did you come about Poppy?" His voice was far smaller, more self-conscious; he looked ashamed. So, he really had sent the letter without his family's knowledge? The prospect surprised Jewel less after witnessing the woman's harsh, impatient behaviour. " He really needs help. Can you help?" There was no promise that he could. To begin with, it wasn't likely that he'd even get through the doorway. Even knowing that, and knowing it was a headache that probably wouldn't be worth the bother, Jewel found himself unable to abandon the kid. " Yeah. Yeah, we'll help." (8)
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