Keelin Banks is looking for balance (beyondheryears) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2012-01-26 18:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | #flashback, #solo, keelin |
now i guess it's all so strange
WHO | Keelin and Pugsley (NPC)
WHERE | Keelin's old apartment
WHEN | June 18, 2009; Afternoon
"I'm running late as it is, Mum. I'll ring you after the meeting, alright? I need to make a good impression. Love you, too." Pressing the end call button, Keelin ran a thumb over her phone's screen. "Shite." It was already a quarter after twelve and the meeting started in forty-five minutes. She needed to get to Scarlet Oak in under that amount of time. Thankfully, Scarlet Oak wasn't huge, but it was still new and Keelin had a bad history with getting lost in new places. Placing her phone in her purse, she ran a mental checklist to make sure she had everything she needed. Keys, wallet, notebook, pen, phone... She didn't want to look like a fool at the meeting, even though she had already met with the staff at Scarlet Oak High School a few times before. She was still new and had not been officially 'welcomed' as a staff member. Purse on her shoulder and shoes on her feet, Keelin glanced around her apartment before she stepped outside. It was full of cardboard boxes, barely giving evidence that she had ever lived here. She was a little sad about leaving her home, but she couldn't deny that she was excited about her new job. Running her checklist through her head once more, she locked the door behind her. She shook the handle just to make certain that the door was locked and then turned to head down the hallway. 'Yer a wizard, Harry.' "I'm sorry, what?" Brow furrowed and eyes wide, she looked around the hallway. There was no one near her. 'I said "Yer a wizard, Harry." But that's not true. You're not Harry. Or a wizard. A witch, yes, but wizard no. And you are very clearly not an eleven year old boy. Which would be weird.' "Who said that?" Keelin wasn't amused in the least. Whoever was playing a prank on her needed to just leave her be -- she was already running late. 'That'd be me. Down here!' A sharp bark followed the statement, causing Keelin's gaze to drop down to the floor. There next to her foot was a small puppy with round brown eyes. What... She didn't have time for this. Dogs couldn't talk and she had a meeting to get to. 'I know you don't believe it, but it's true. Name's Pugsley. You're a witch named Keelin and I am your familiar. Also. You're really tall. I mean, I know I'm small and everything, but you're abnormally tall. Sure you don't have giant blood in you? Kidding. But seriously. Don't ever fall on me.' Keelin could only blink down at the pug. She knew that animals couldn't talk. She knew! Not that she was one to argue what was normal and what wasn't. She knew she could do magic, if that was what it was called. As she stared down at the puppy, she tried to fight believing this voice in her head was actually coming from the dog. It was ridiculous, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it was right. Kneeling down to get a closer look, she pulled her hair to one side, as if it helped her concentrate. "You're kind of rude, aren't you?" 'You say rude, I say honest. So where are you going? You look nice. Take me with you. We can stop by this great smelling deli two blocks down. I don't know if it was salami or what, but it was like walking past heaven in a shop. It's a good plan. Let's get going!' Pugsley's tail, if you could call it that, was wagging back and forth cheerfully as his tongue slipped out of his mouth in his excitement. "I'm late. I have a meeting. And what do you mean you're my familiar?" Yes, she was puzzled, but the strangeness of everything seemed to be less of a concern. The oddness of sitting here talking to a dog was ebbing away the longer she sat there. 'You know. Familiar. Like friendly animal companion that helps you do magic and stuff? Kind of a protector and blah blah blah. I don't know how you don't know what a familiar is. Haven't you ever heard of witches and their black cats before? Only, I am way cooler than a cat. Any cat. Even black ones.' "Yes, I know what you mean, but..." her words trailed off as she sat in disbelief. She had a familiar. She was a witch? Was that even possible? She knew the answer to that before she asked it. She couldn't believe it. "You're going to protect me?" She couldn't hide the hint of a chuckle in her voice or the slight curve to her lips. The thought of the tiny, hyperactive dog protecting her was just too laughable. 'Hey now. I'm from New York. I walked all the way here. That's right. You try traveling for three days being this size. No easy feat, let me tell you. And this is the thanks you give me? Well fine. Whatever. Not like I care.' As if to prove his point, he waddled away to flop onto the ground, his general disposition seeming like it had been deflated. Keelin immediately felt sorry for the tiny dog and took a quick step to his side. "I'm sorry. Pugsley, right? I didn't mean to offend you. I'm honored to have such a valiant defender by my side. But now, I really am late. And you can go with me as long as you can promise to behave yourself. I'm meeting with future coworkers and I need to be well liked. Or at least decently appreciated. We can stop by the deli on the way back." Pugsley hopped onto his feet without second's hesitation. His tail was wagging in a flurry of movement and he proceeded to bounce around Keelin's kneeling form. 'You won't regret this. OH! New job? What're doing? I'll be good. I promise. Are we taking a bus? I like buses. When I'm not in the road. Can I poke my head out of the window? What are you waiting for? Let's go!!' Keelin couldn't contain her laughter as she reached down to pick up her familiar. He was so small, there was no way she could have kept track of him without holding him. "You have to promise not to embarrass me, though." 'Oh no worries there. I'm like the Casanova of dogs. People will be in love with me and there will be no embarrassment whatsoever.' His reassurances seemed to settle Keelin for the moment. How was she to have known that halfway through the meeting he would have been distracted by a bird outside of the window or that he would realize just how small his bladder was. She didn't even know how quickly she would come to love him, even despite these events and his quirks. |