Nico Summerby (high_jinks) wrote in theprofslounge, @ 2009-06-27 03:33:00 |
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On some mornings Nico Summerby felt a sense of purpose, that get up and do something productiveness that didn't happen more than three times a year given how very not a morning person he was. Also, he had a sister that had decided that he needed to be shaken by the shoulders somewhere near the (butt)crack of dawn for a brisk jog. He didn't know how 'brisk' applied, but common turn-of-phrase seemed to favour that choice of adjective. Case in point: most of the first two weeks had been decidedly murderous, and only lately had he achieved something like an ability to run and not feel like each breath could be his last. The only brisk part about those mornings was reaching the water fountain in the park, and letting the water run over his face before Charity hooked him back onto the path. Either way, being pushed to one's feet and out the door before fully awake tended to cut off the chances of sinking a hold on that purposefulness. Things began at 'undead' on those days and usually wandering upwards to 'decently alive'. Typically. It had been better since the summer holidays began. Kind of. The difference about today was one simple thing: he'd decided that being alone at home sucked. It was known before then, but actually sitting down and looking around and telling oneself that a situation was indeed the pits was the stepping stone to then doing something to fix it. It was the nature of the solo life, really. Charity lived across the street, Emily lived across the greater metropolis, Manny was with Charity, Boba Fett (being made of various plastics) didn't count, most of his mates were out and about, and being student-less was about the worst part of it all. It was all of the above that had led Nico up the front steps to Charity's, sorting out the lock, and entering some time later in the day. "Char?" he called out as he retrieved the key and pocketed it. The mission he was about to go off on definitely required back-up, after all, and there was only one person he trusted to cover him. Manny straggled into the front room, wagging his tail. Though it was clear he was excited, he wasn't nearly as hyperactive as he usually was. With a low woof!, he plopped his butt down on the cool tile floor. Clearly he wanted a pat on the head. "Hey Nic! Bedroom!" came Charity's voice from down the corridor, directing him right where he needed to be. With Sunday's official change over to Summer Time, Charity swapped clothes around in her closet to find her summery items easier. That and she had a few new purchases that she was organising into her line-up. Today was definitely a summery, bright-coloured sun-dress and a pair of casual sandals kind of day. Casual was up for debate, given the gold nappa leather heeled sandals were 3 1/4 inches tall, and cost more than 200 pounds. Charity poked her head out of the door, smiling at her brother. "Just finishing up a few things in here. Come on in." "All right, Manny?" Nico asked, grinning down at the Dalmatian as he dropped a hand loosely atop the dog's ears and ruffled the short fur between them. It was up to Manny to follow after, though, as Nico slid his hand away and made his way toward where Charity was hiding out. Things to do, after all. Nico could hear the tread of paws behind him as he entered Charity's bedroom, finding her in the midst of clothes and shoes, which was all just so expected by now. He inched his brows upward as he looked at her closet, then to her, then back to the closet. Long ago he had accepted that he would never understand the need for that much stuff to wear, but it was still mind-boggling whenever he saw the collection. "You know, I'm not even going to ask," he eventually (and smartly) decided. "Almost done, then? Because the world awaits, and..." He waved his hand around. "All right, I didn't think up anything clever. If you need a moment to grab your sun parasol, your majesty, I think we can shove off directly after that." For the full effect, he sent Charity a wide smile. She'd probably roll her eyes or sigh, but he knew she had to expect that of him by now. "Shove off where?" Charity's mouth puckered in confusion. Did they have plans that day? She didn't remember anything. Blast, she really should keep a diary of her schedule to keep track of these things. Her memory for appointments and photography dates was good, but everything else went right out of the window. Stepping away from the customised closet (which was really more like half the room), Charity took a pair of earrings off the earring tree and slipped them through her lobes. "Shite, Nic. Did I forget that we were doing something?" "What?" Nico pulled his attention from what appeared to be a fraction of her shoe collection. How did anyone have that many shoes? He still had the same pair for everyday use since he'd bought them three years ago, and never felt the need to buy any more than that. "Oh, no," he returned after realising what the question was. "It's more fun when I show up with announced plans," he admitted with a shrug. "Aaaand... I only decided we were going about an hour ago." Feeling something nudging him in the leg, Nico looked down to find Manny had followed. He leaned down to scratch the dog's neck, taking a half-kneel so it wasn't as large a reach. "To the animal shelter," he finished, not that there was any lingering mystery. Charity stopped at the words 'animal shelter'. A pet meant responsibility just as much as it meant companionship. Eyeing him critically for a moment, she tried to figure out where the sudden need for an animal came from; that was the only thing she could suss out. He certainly didn't want to go for a leisurely visit. Still, she had to ask, "And why are we going to the animal shelter?" "Because they have animals there," Nico countered, rolling his eyes up and shaking his head. Hardly a second later, he shrugged the mild exasperation off. Nodding toward Manny, he continued, "You've got a mate at the ready every single time you walk through the front door. I get back to my flat, and..." A shrug. "Bit quiet. Sort of depressing. And you... are giving me a Look. What did I say to deserve the Look?" "Well, it's kind of random, isn't it? I know you said something the other day when we were talking about Manny, but I hadn't realised you really wanted to get a dog." Charity grabbed a bag from her closet, and with a flick of her wand, everything jumped from one purse to another. Nico was lucky he'd caught her in an organised mood; she was ready to go before she got the last few words out. Striding up beside him, she hooked her arm through his. "What sort of dog were you looking for? I don't think they make one that looks like the big hairy bloke in Star Wars, though we could probably find you something similar." "Not really." He'd only just gotten to leaning against the door jamb after remembering he was waiting on Charity, and that usually meant she needed to gather half her worldly possessions before stepping out of the room. Only, she'd grabbed her purse and hooked him by the arm before he could get properly settled. He only looked lost for a moment before picking up his step beside her. "I mean, it's sort of been on my mind for a while," Nico explained. Grinning over at Charity, he nudged her in the side with an elbow. "And you're supposed to be able to read my thoughts, Char. What sort of twin are you? Really, though -- I tossed it around a few times during the school year, but now on the hols -- can't really sort out any valid reason to stall. I've got time enough on my hands to see the dog settled in, and that --" He straightened up, as if taking immense pride in himself. "Smacks of responsibility, doesn't it? Go ahead, you can tell me how mature and adult that is. I promise the world won't end. "As for what kind?" He looked thoughtfully at the open space in front of them. "I got as far as dog-like and stopped. That's why you're coming with." "It does smack of responsibility, Nic. Not gonna lie, that was totally my first thought," she said, nudging his side with her elbow. "Come on then, let's go and get you a dog. Something you can cuddle and nap with, because let's face it, you're not going to go jogging with that dog. Think Manny would take offense at that." "You," Nico started, pointing alongside at her and looking particularly smug, "were impressed, you mean." Maybe they weren't her exact words, but he felt he could draw the lines and pick his own conclusion. "All right, all right," he replied as Charity nudged him. "We're off in three... two... one... energise." For few conversations could go without some sci-fi reference whenever Nico was on the job. Soon as the world stopped spinning, he slipped his arm from his sister's and nodded toward where the front of the building was. Merlin knew they were beyond the years of holding hands and all that. She could catch up. They may not have been her exact words, but he'd nailed it on the head. Charity was massively impressed and proud of him. When the world came back into focus, she ruffled the hell out of his hair with a big grin. "What does that even mean?" she asked when she fell in line beside him. "'Energise.' Where the hell did that even come from?" Flattening down his hair with some success -- it was getting on the longer side of how he liked it, and wasn't cooperating entirely -- Nico resisted flipping Charity's into her face. It wouldn't do to prove maturity for once, then to sully up the victory five minutes later. "It means you need to watch Star Trek," he replied without missing a beat. At the main entry, Nico pulled the door out, bowing and gesturing for Charity to go ahead first. Then, of course there were the papers to do, and the explanations, and Charity looking bored every time he glanced over to her, but Nico figured the hoops had to be jumped, and he made a valiant effort to keep interested. At least it wasn't too long before they were let back to see the dogs, most of whom had taken note of visitors and were right up against the bars of the cages, bounding up and down excitedly. Oh...kay, well, there had to be one or two that were peacefully waiting in their cages, right? There did seem to be one down at the end laying down by himself, as Nico's eyes scanned along the rows. "Hey, Char," he called over to her. "Over here first." "Leave it to you to pick the lazy dog," Charity answered, but then she actually saw the dog and realised that it wasn't lazy. There was something wrong with it. She could tell by the way its tail was wagging, and it occasionally scooted itself forward with its front paws. It wanted to get up, to fend for attention. "Okay, I take that back. The poor thing... I wonder what's wrong with him?" Charity dropped to her haunches in front of the cage; she might love dogs, but there was no way she was propping her bare knees on what was likely really filthy floor. "Hey boy. What's wrong, sweetheart?" The fact that Something Was Wrong in that cage occurred to Nico halfway to it, as well. He knelt beside Charity, watching the black and white dog try to make it way over. "He looks happy, at least?" The shelter employee had gone back to the front as a couple had come in, excusing herself and leaving Nico and his sister to look around, as it were. That was the trouble about volunteer places, Nico supposed. Always short on help. Still, Nico looked down toward the entrance to the kennels, just to see if she had reemerged to ask about this bloke. His eyes met with a laminated card hanging off the top bars of the caging. Grabbing it, he could see the bold print at the top reading 'SORRY'. Worth a read, at the very least, Nico figured as he rose to his legs again to reach it. "Sorry if I don't get up," he read aloud. "My name is Jackson, and I'm a Border Collie. I was born with Hip Dysplasia, which is why I might not stand to say 'hello' in return. I came from a loving family and am housebroken, but my condition has worsened to require surgery --" He stopped, looking down at Charity. This was the stuff that broke hearts. "Require surgery with steep costs. Although my caretakers here at the shelter do what they can to keep me comfortable, I am in need of the operation and a master that is willing to cover the expen -- oh, bloody hell. Cover the expenses so that I can have a happy, healthy chance at life." He let his arm go slack once finished, the card still clutched in it, and dropped back down to look at Jackson, who had gotten almost up to the bars. Reaching a hand through, Nico patted the dog's head. Not once had that tail stopped wagging. Charity hated that she could spend years making friends with a person, and not once get choked up over their stories. A lot of it was due to the fact that she seemed to have shut off anything beyond Anger, Humour, and ahem, Horny. But damned if a dog's story didn't just kill her. "Get him," Charity snapped, though it was mostly because her damn throat was tight and she thought her voice might betray the emotion built up in her. "Nico, if you don't get this dog, I'm going to get him. And I don't care how much money is needed; I'll help you." She didn't even have to tell him that; as the dog turned his head to lick the underside of Nico's hand, even thirty years' worth of heart-wrenching stories didn't build up the resistance to this one. He always was the more sensitive of the twinset, and he hoped the small wipe of his eyes on his shirt sleeve wasn't noticeable to his sister. Maybe he didn't have the world's greatest salary, but for the right cause -- and he was certain this qualified as that -- it wouldn't be a stretch to tap into savings and maybe not order out as much for a while. God. Like he could ever say no to this dog now. "Yeah. We should uh... we should go find the girl," he managed to say as Jackson hobbled the last few steps to lay down against the bars. Nico didn't move, though, inwardly justifying the lack of getting up because Jackson had done the work to shift over to them. To walk away from the bloke just didn't seem right. The worker would have to come back around, anyway. At some point. "I'll get go and get her." Using Nico's shoulder as a stepping stone, Charity pushed herself to her feet. She'd seen Nico's slip, and thought that maybe she should give Nico and his new pup a few minutes to bond a little without Nico having to keep some brave front for his sister. Merlin only knew how many times she'd seen him choke up. Before turning to grab the girl who'd ushered him through the paperwork, Charity told him, much more earnestly and less demanding. "Seriously, Nic. I want to help financially." Not because she didn't think that Nico couldn't handle the responsibility (how long had he saved up for Boba Fett, after all?), but because she did have a heart. It might be three sizes too small, but it was there. Nico didn't look fully around to Charity, instead keeping his eyes low enough to be addressing her feet. Emotional as he knew he was, he still retained a small amount of pride that insisted he could keep from letting on about it. Even the fact that Charity knew him better than anyone didn't stop that stupid habit. He gave a nod. "All aces," was the short reply in what Nico felt was his usual speaking tone. Later they could sort everything out on numbers, if she honestly wanted to chip in. He listened only as long as Charity's footfalls took to fade out and get buried beneath the chorus of barks that had started as she retreated, before giving his eyes a one-handed wipe. When he noticed the set of brown eyes looking at him through the cage, he pointed meaningfully back. "Not a word, you." |