Shifting Ideas

Paige gaped. “Oh, okay. Well,” Paige blinked and tried to smile. Though she was still processing the scenario Tsuki said. “Umm,” She stood up, composing herself. “Thank you for the outing and stories. See you tomorrow at work?”
 
"Definately!" Tsuki said, hopping off her chair and gathering her purse. She quickly collected her trash. "Thank you so much for this, and I hope we can do this again sometime!"

She hurried to put her tea cup and trash in the appropriate receptacles. That done, she caught up to Paige again and opened the door for her. "You have a way home, right? I'm not just abandoning you here?"
 
With a laugh, Paige waved her off. “I know my way. Had to if I was coming with Maria.” She smirked, then smiled. “But thank for your concern. Now, hurry along. Next time is on me!” Paige said as she turned the other way.
 
Tsuki waved and fetched her bike. "Take care!" She hopped on her bike and adjusted her skirt before peddling away. Thankfully, she wasn't far from the shelter where she volunteered, but it was still good she'd thought to set that alarm. She didn't do many things outside of work and visiting her father, but she did allow herself this one thing! It made her feel so happy to visit the dogs.

It took her about fifteen minutes to bike to the shelter, and she paused to adjust her skirt and slip on an old sweater before chaining up her bike in the rack out front.
 
"Amor," Patricia called as she rocked side to side cradling a baby girl. "Tsuki is here." The girl cooed and smiled. "Are you excited to see Tsuki, Celine?" The girl in her arms bounced a bit and babbled incoherently a bit. Patricia giggled. "Me too, mija."

"I know you are, love." A man in a white coat and blue shirt came out of the office labeled as Dr. Ben Johnson, Vet. Ben approached Patricia giving her a kiss. "Thank you so much for coming in on your day off."

"Well when you wear my favorite shirt," Patricia slid her hand under the coat and patted him. "How can I say no?" She smirked as she trailed her fingers up his stomach. Ben's blue eyes went a bit darker. Though, he just rolled his darker eyes and then kissed the top of Celine's head. Celine giggled.

"Thank you for waiting with her little one." He moved back to gently hold the tiny hand Celine stretched out to him. "When Tsuki comes in you and mama can go home, okay." He told her excitedly.

"You're using your puppy voice, mi amor." Patricia sighed, but she wore a smile.

"No, I'm not," Ben said in a higher voice. Celine laughed. Patricia rolled her eyes as Ben smirked.
 
Tsuki entered the front office, still tying back her hair. "I'm here, Dr. Johnson!" she called then paused. "Oh, good evening, Mrs. Johnson. Hi, Celine!" she greeted happily, giving the little girl a wave. "I hope I am not late?"
 
“You’re right on time, Tsuki.” Ben smiled at her and stepped away from his wife and daughter. “Ella had a family emergency and had to leave early. So, my wife and daughter stepped in to cover so I would not bother you today.” Ben explained.

“How was your first day, Tsuki?” Patricia turned and faced Tsuki, turning Celine in her arms to do the same.
 
Tsuki hesitated. "It was... informative and interesting," she decided to say. "It is going to take some getting used to, and Mr. Gonzálezs will take some getting used to, but I think I can do well there. As long as I don't spill coffee or anything like that." She smiled a little. "So! What about the puppies? Shall I get to cleaning the pens?"
 
Patricia frowned as Tsuki described her day at work. Ben put a hand on Patricia’s shoulder. When she turned to him she saw him smile and shrug. But the soft squeeze of her shoulder anchored her in patience. She let out a huff relaxing, but mentally keeping note to talk to her nephew.

“The puppies are waiting for you.” Ben focused back on Tsuki, but his hand didn’t leave Patricia’s shoulder. “Then after you’re done, if you could just watch the front while I fill out more forms. Our Dalmatian was bought today.”
 
Tsuki nodded eagerly. "I'd be happy to! I'll get right on the cleaning so I can come watch the front." She bobbed a little to Patricia. "It was nice to see you again." With that, she hurried to the back.

There were not an insane number of kennels. Enough to house a fair number of dogs, but not so many that one woman couldn't clean them all herself. They were long, with lots of room, and a sliding divider offered the option to cut the kennel in half to get more spaces if needed or to close a dog in one half while the other half was being cleaned if it wasn't a dog that could be handled. Only five dogs were in today, and Tsuki set about cleaning with a zealous energy. This was something she could do and do well!
 
As soon as Tsuki was in the back, Patricia spoke.

"She looks stressed." Patricia shifted Celine in her arms when Celine reached for Ben.

"First days usually are," Ben said as Celine grabbed his hands. He waved them around, making Celine giggled as she held on tighter.

"He did something," Patricia grunted, making Celine freeze.

"Love," Ben stepped closer and rubbed her shoulder. "You can't make everyone happy," He put his forehead to hers. Celine cooed and leaned into Patricia. After a beat, Patricia let out a deep breath through her nose.

"I just," Patricia sighed "You know my family, mi amor," She caressed Ben's cheek. "They excel at pushing people away."

"Especially when they need them," Ben smirked as he kissed Patricia's hand. She pushed him away lightly, a smile on her face as Ben chuckled. He composed himself before continuing. "But Tsuki is able to persevere through a lot. She'll get through to Adam." Ben smiled, but Patricia still had a concerned frown.

"But what will he do to her?"
 
Unaware of the conversation out front, Tsuki put all the dogs in the other half of their pens and used the power hose to wash down the pens. Thankfully, through some miracle, all of the dogs had messed only one side of their cages and not the other, so she didn't have to worry about trying to play doggy roulette with them. Some of them really hated to get their paws wet, and so put up a fuss when she asked them to go into the wet half of the kennel.

She finished up washing down the kennels while the dogs barked and yipped excitedly. One dog, a collie-type fellow, barked excitedly, trying to bite the water through the cage wall. Tsuki smiled as she put away the hose. Maybe if that one had decent leash manners, she'd ask if she could take that one to the beach on their next "field trip" day.

The washing done, she went through and made certain each dog had a proper ration of water and food. One old dog got a special diet with extra egg in it, so she went into the storage room and prepared that special. It did not take much extra effort, and she soon had his dish down and waiting. Only then did she open the dividers, letting the dogs out into the whole kennel once more. As expected, a couple of dogs felt the water on their toes and acted as if she'd pour acid into their kennels, giving her the most pitiful looks their doggy eyes could manage until she couldn't help but laugh. She went through once more, checking each dog and looking them over for any hidden injuries before heading to the front. It was amazing how animals could hide little wounds from even the most attentive of humans until they were really sick. She made notes on the clipboard for volunteers by the door separating the kennel from the rest of the shelter then went up front.

"Dr. Jonson? The dog in kennel four, the old one? He still hasn't been eating much. He didn't even sniff at his food this evening," Tsuki called as she walked up to the front office.
 
"Again," Ben sighed. "Thank you, Tsuki. I'll go check him and see if I can at least get him to eat a bite." He kissed Patricia's cheek and Celine's forehead before going to the back. Patricia watched Bem walk away. When she was sure Ben was out of hearing range, she focused on Tsuki.

"Thank you for everything you do for my husband, and now my nephew. I know both of them, especially my nephews, can be a handful." Patricia looked down, shame shining in her eyes. Celine cooed softly.
 
Tsuki frowned a little. Why did Patricia seem ashamed? "Please, Mrs. Jonson, it's alright, it really is," she tried to reassure her. "They are not so bad. A bit challenging, yes, but I have no doubt that I just need to get used to a few of his quirks." She hesitated, tipping her head. "Wait..." A connection finally linked in her head. "Were you the reason why I got the job in the first place?" she asked, surprised and a little flattered. "If so, thank you for putting a word in for me. Whatever other challenges are in store for me, it's better than my old job with that smarmy tomcat slinking around."

She blushed slightly but couldn't make herself apologize. George was a smarmy old tomcat, and Reuben deserved a better friend than him. She hoped someday Reuben would realize that and find a better friend to hang around.
 
Patricia laughed and nodded her head. This seemed to brighten Celine's mood as well.

"Well, I'm glad there were no tomcats lurking. Though I do know Lucas could give them a run for their money." Patricia mumbled the last part as an afterthought before focusing back on Tsuki. "But there's no need to thank me. I was just hoping that with a better job you could be able to help out your father more and get what you need to live a blooming life. Even though my nephew has, as you say, a few quirks." Patricia smiled. Celine giggled when Patricia was finished bouncing in Patricia's arms, seeming to agree. "So," Patricia started slowly. "I know he did some things that bothered you. Tell me what do I have to lecture him about."
 
Tsuki smiled, unable to help herself. These two were so happy it was contagious!

"Thank you, ma'am, really, I appreciate it so much, but I think it'd be better if I didn't tell you and dealt with it myself," she said. Then she paused. "Well... then again... Lucas González, uh, I would not mind if you mentioned to him that certain people really do not like getting stuck in elevators alone with him," she said hesitantly.

Technically, Lucas was not her direct boss, meaning she didn't think he could fire her unless he convinced her direct boss to fire her, and she really didn't think going to HR after one time was the answer, but if he did that again, she might, whatever the consequences. She didn't want to admit how badly that move had scared her.
 
"Lucas," Patricia groaned. "I'm so sorry about that Tsuki, Lucas can get a bit, impulsive. And his father has done it before, unfortunately." Patricia grumbled. Then she composed herself. "His ear will get chewed off, I assure you." Patricia's voice got a bit deeper, almost a growl. Celine jumped a bit, making Patricia adjust her hold on Celine.

"And your job is secure, trust me," Patricia assured with knowing eyes. "So if something is too frustrating or makes your job worse, feel free to tell me. No one has to bear things alone." A gentle smile came over Patricia's face as her eyes became somber.
 
Tsuki flinched back a little when Patricia seemed to literally growl. Oh dear, Lucas apparently made Patricia very mad. She hadn't meant to stress her or the little one. Yet, it was nice to have someone so solidly in her court.

"Thank you, Patricia," Tsuki said meekly. "I can't tell you what it means... I don't know what I did to earn your support, but thank you." She blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay and turned away. "So! That's enough chat about the other job. What needs to be done here?"
 
Patricia kept smiling, but she cradled Celine closer to keep herself from reaching out to Tsuki. Clearing her throat, she focused on answering Tsuki’s question.

“Well, Ella left early and we sold a Dalmatian. I was watching the front and Celine, so I couldn’t get the goody bag together. Ben was going to give it with the rest of the paperwork. Can you make it?”
 
"Absolutely!" Tsuki nodded. "I can do that without a problem. Celine, you did a good job watching after everything." She winked then headed around the counter.

The goodie bags were easy enough to put together. A few coupons from participating pet stores, a few treats, two medium toys since it was a larger dog, and lots of informational packets as well as a "thank you for adopting a dog" pamphlet. Tsuki enjoyed putting together these bags, though she did have to wonder about the coupons. It was a nice gesture, but half of them were to the most expensive pet store in town, and half of those were to cat items. They weren't very good, either, only five to ten percent off for most of the items, but oh well. It was the thought that counted, right?
 
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