[PRP] dog days (Jordan, Nathaniel)

[prolixity]

There were puppies in the pet store window. Jordan slowed down, then stopped, looking wistfully in at the small, fluffy things. He wasn't going to go in, he told himself. He didn't have room for a pet in his apartment, and dogs were an extra expense. But he really, really missed the fuzzballs sometimes.

He stood and watched the puppies tumbling over each other, a small, fond smile on his face.

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

The pet store was a dangerous, dangerous place.

Nathaniel kept going back to it, in spite of this danger; he couldn't really help himself, because everything in it was simply wonderful, and his desperate longing for a pet or a companion was almost overwhelming at times, his empty apartment more pronounced than ever. He knew he couldn't afford a dog, and yet -

And yet, here he was, wandering down the street once more to find himself back at the pet store.

Except this time there was someone else there as well, looking at the bundles of puppies with a smile on his face. Nathaniel cast him a quick glance, then looked back at the window, his heart melting. One of the puppies was climbing over its siblings to get to the top, paws pressed against the glass.

"They're adorable, aren't they?" Nathaniel asked, somewhat wistfully. "I wish I could take them all home."

prolixity

 

[prolixity]

"Ridiculously adorable," Jordan agreed, watching the puppy conquer the puppy pile. "Man, I miss dogs. Don't really have the space or the time right now," he explained, "but watching the puppies is the next best thing. Oh noooo," he said softly as the intrepid puppy took a tumble, then laughed as it got back up and tackled a littermate.

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

There was a definite note of longing in Nathaniel's voice as he watched the puppies tumble over one another, his desire for one strengthening with each passing second. It was probably dumb, to keep coming here, but he couldn't quite help himself.

"I don't have the space or the money for one," he said ruefully, laughter in his voice as one of them fell on another. "I've always wanted a dog, though, there's just something so great about them. What type of dog would you get if you could have one?"

prolixity

 

[prolixity]

"My aunt's got three dogs, back home. They're a pain, but I miss them. I like small dogs," Jordan said thoughtfully. "Maybe a pom. No chihuahuas, though, they're bitey. But mutts are great too." He shrugged. "I've got a studio apartment, a job, and classes, so no dog for me now. Maybe I should volunteer at the shelter, I bet they need their dogs walked sometimes." He watched the puppies wrestling, and put his hand on the window for a moment.

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

"Poms are great," said Nathaniel agreeably. "I like small dogs too, but I think if I could get a dog, I'd get a nice big one, like a German Shepherd or a Husky or something like that. Maybe a pit bull, those always get a bad rep but they're such nice dogs, I had a neighbor once with one."

A laugh escaped him, rueful and wistful.

"Yeah, my apartment is one room with a bathroom and that's it," said Nathaniel, and then he added curiously, "Can you volunteer at the shelter to walk dogs? I've never heard of that before."

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[prolixity]

"Nothing against big dogs. German Shepherds and Huskies are great dogs," Jordan agreed. "I know a guy with a pit bull. The only danger you're in from that dog is getting licked to death." He laughed.

"I think so, anyway," he answered. "The shelter in my hometown brought people in to take care of and walk the dogs. It's worth checking out, right? If you have time for it, anyway."

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

"Yes, or being loved to death," Nathaniel said agreeably, laughing. "I find pit bulls just giant lovebugs, they are cuddly creatures; my neighbor's dog kept trying to bowl me over every time I walked past him on my way home from school."

The idea of volunteering at the shelter was a good one, his smile widening. "I have...well, not a grandiose amount of time," Nathaniel admitted. "But I could probably make time for dogs."

After a pause, he stuck out his hand.

"I'm Nathaniel, by the way."

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[prolixity]

"I love pit bull smiles," Jordan said. "Just this great big doggy grin, with the tongue hanging out. It's amazing."

He nodded. "I mean, it's only a couple hours here and there, I think I can squeeze that in."

He shook Nathaniel's hand agreeably. "I'm Jordan. Nice to meet you."

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

"Exactly," said Nathaniel, with a sort of pleased triumph. His dad had wanted a pitbull simply for the fact that it was a notorious fighting breed, which was a stigma that Nathaniel had tried to argue against. It's how you raise them - but as usual, neither of his parents had cared.

His hand fell away from Jordan's after he'd shook it, Nathaniel smiling.

"Have you been in Ashdown long, Jordan?" he asked curiously. "I've only been here a few years myself."

prolixity

 

[prolixity]

"A couple of years," Jordan answered. "I'm attending Rider-Waite. I'm originally from California, actually, it's a pretty big change." He tucked his hands in his pockets. The variety in the seasons was something he'd found he rather liked. Fall in particular was nice, with its cool temperatures and the blaze of autumn colors, unlike the slow browning of the world that had meant fall at home.

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

"I've never been to California," said Nathaniel, wondering how different the West coast was from the East. He'd never even been farther than Ashdown after having come from South Carolina, only catching brief glimpses of states as he and his parents had driven through them on their way up.

"Do you like livin' here, then?" he asked curiously, hoping he wasn't prying. "It's gotta be a bit of a change, right?"

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[prolixity]

"I'd never been to Massachusetts till I enrolled here, either," Jordan said with a smile. "Only to New York once. Family vacation, you know."

He nodded. "It's nice. The weather changes a lot more than it does at home. Where I come from, you get rain in February, and then most of the rest of the year it's clear and dry. Snow only in the mountains." He tilted his head a little. Nathaniel had said he'd only been here for a few years, too. "Where are you from? I mean, if you don't mind saying."

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

Nathaniel, who had never been on a family vacation, couldn't say that he did know; but he offered Jordan a smile anyway.

"I like rain, but I dunno if I could live in place that only rained," he said with a small laugh, thinking of Other Ashdown. "It would drown all of my plants, plus there's just something' nice about havin' the sun when y'can. Sunny days are good for the soul."

He hiked up his bag a little further, Nathaniel blinking at the other. "Oh, I'm from South Carolina. And a bit more of the East Coast, but mostly Carolina. I hadn't really gone anywhere else 'til I came up here."

prolixity

 

[prolixity]

"Yeah, me either. Constant rain just sounds like it'd get depressing," Jordan said. "You keep plants, huh?"

"Must be a change for you too," he offered. "Gets pretty hot down there, doesn't it?"

kuropeco