Shifting Ideas

George opened his mouth to chew out Reuben, but then he smiled sharply.
"You know what, Reuben?" George sauntered over towards Reuben. "That's an excellent idea. We'll close shop early and go get ice-cream. How does that sound?" If George added that he would stop by the hospital too, well, even Reuben would start questioning him. Getting ice-cream with a friend (which there was a parlor by the hospital) and then just hanging out after the friend left wasn't suspicious at all!
 
Reuben jumped a little when George started toward him, expecting to get yelled at. Then he relaxed a little when George agreed! George almost never liked his ideas. "Okay!" he agreed eagerly. "That sounds great!" He hesitated only a little as he glanced around. It probably wasn't a great idea to close early, but he didn't want George to yell at him now that he was acting friendly. "I'll close up!"

It only took a few minutes of the large fellow scurrying around to get everything ready to close. He was careful and meticulous about everything - probably the only reason he hadn't been fired yet. Then he made certain he had his wallet and locked up behind them. Time for ice cream!
 
By the time Adam wrote and edited the first half of the proposal, and drafted an agreement for an illustrator change for Emma and Paige, it was dark. Very dark. "I was a lot slower than usual," He chided to himself. He stretched his back, the cracking bringing a sigh of relief, but making his head throb a bit more. He still didn't feel well, but the itch in his skin grew more. Adam opened the door and glanced out. No one was in the hallway, Glen alerting Adam that everyone except the night guard went home. Adam went to his car in the garage. He could go home and then go out for a jog. But that was so far away, and he was itching for a jog now. Going back into the office, he locked his keys in his desk, changed in the bathroom (he threw his clothes, he had more), and then snuck out of the office.

No one even noticed the tall skinny Leonberger dog leaving Enchanter's Inc.
 
Not too far away, Tsuki was finishing up dinner with her father. It was a sparse meal, thanks to his highly restricted diet, but good, in its way. Once everything was cleaned up, she sat drinking tea with him and talking about little things.

"This new job... it is a publishing company?" Papa asked uncertainly, the cup shaking in his hand.

"Yes, Papa. It is a very prestigious job. I am helping one of the owners," she explained.

"But not with the books? Fetching coffee and food? You can do better," Papa frowned. "You should be running the company! The owners should fetch you tea and coffee."

Tsuki smiled fondly at her father. "Maybe someday, Papa, but right now, i do not know how to run a company."

"Ah! I see! You are going to study how it is done. Then you can either start your own or take over that one. That's a good girl," Papa said with a cunning smile.

"Right, Papa, I will totally take over the company. That will be easy in a couple of years!" Tsuki giggled. She finished her tea and stood. "I need to go now, Papa, but I will see you tomorrow, okay? I will call to let you know." She leaned over and kissed the top of his bald head. "Please be nice to the nurses, okay? I don't want to get any phone calls about you misbehaving and sneaking out or similar antics, okay?"

Papa grumbled but nodded. "Alright, alright, but there are so many rules they have! They never let me have any fun."

"Once you are well, then I will bring you home and you can do whatever you want," Tsuki promised.

Papa smiled sadly up at her. "We both know that will not happen, baby girl."

Tsuki frowned. "It will happen! You are getting better every day. Just listen to the nurses, okay?"

Papa reached out for her. "Tsuki..."

She patted his hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, Papa." She turned and hurried out before he could see her tears.

The nurse didn't comment on her wet eyes as they checked her out. She dried her eyes fitfully as she walked out of the long-term care facility and walked slowly toward her bike.
 
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George had sent Reuben off, claiming to meet a girl. Which wasn't a lie. He currently was staring at that girl right now. He licked his lips as he watched her get to her bike, alone in the dark. He could smell the dog off of her from his hiding spot near her bike. It angered him, but he kept his cool. He couldn't scare away his prey now.

"Tsuki!" George stepped from the shadows he was hiding in and stepped between her and her bike. "What a pleasant surprise." George's smile was sharp.
 
Tsuki jumped in shock, instinctively gripping her bag's strap. "George!" she gasped. "George, you scared me." She took a couple of steps back, her heart rate shyrocketing. He was bad enough in the shop, but they weren't in the store anymore. They were alone in the dark. This... did not look good.
 
“I’m so sorry, Bella.” He stepped closer to her. “I just got so excited to see you. Ever since you started your job, I don’t get to see you.” He lifted a hand to stroke her arm.

Despite his different form, and his excitement being out, he was very humanly aware. The scents, the sounds, while heightened were new to him. Except one. Adam froze. The familiar scent of clean breeze cut with the tangy scent of fear, and a musky overwhelming scent. It was as if the musk was trying to consume the familiar scent. Adam followed the scents. He didn’t like the tang or the musk.
 
"It's Tsuki," she corrected firmly as she neatly stepped out of range of his touch. "Please forgive me for being rude, but I have had a very long and exhausting day. I just need to go home, now." She started to move around him, trying to appear casual while not turning her back on him. One hand slipped into her purse, trying to find her tiny, hand held taser.
 
“Come now, Bella,” George took the wrist inching into the purse. Can’t let prey fight back. “Aren’t we friends?” George smirked as he leaned close to her. Then he jumped back as a loud bark echoed in the parking lot.


Adam was closing in on the hospital, making his legs pump faster. Despite his body being tired, the need to protect the comforting scent pushed him forward. When Tsuki, the assistant better than he deserved, and an unknown man appeared in view, Adam let out a warning bark. In a leap, his lean skinny body was between Tsuki and the man. Braced for whatever the man tried to do.

“What’s this Tsuki? Adopting strays?” The man sneered. Adam growled in response.
 
Tsuki leaned away from George's advances, her hand still scrabbling in her bag. Where was it?? She couldn't find it! The book kept getting in the way! "George!" she faltered.

The sharp bark of a dog released her from her fear for a moment. The dog jumped between them, and she gratefully moved back a bit. She stared down at the furry beast bewildered, but thankful.

"What's this, Tsuki? Adopting strays?"

"Yes!" Tsuki blurted. "This is... Cupcake," she said the first word that came to mind. She and Papa had had cupcakes as a special treat before she left. "She's new, and she's very jealous."
 
Cupcake? Really? Adam glanced back at Tsuki, his eyebrows raised.

“She?” Adam faced the man again and bared his teeth. “I’m pretty sure it’s a he, Tsuki. And you smell too clean to have a mutt.” While Adam agreed, it was a bit offensive. He was pretty clean. The man bent over and glared at Adam. “Why don’t you go dig in a dumpster mutt?” The man hissed, his odd musk growing.

Adam gave a low bark. You do it.
 
"I had her - him - bathed, and it is really none of your business," Tsuki snapped, getting tired of this. "George, this is the last time I am going to say it. Please let me leave. I am tired, it was a long day, and I just want to go home. So excuse us!"

Determinedly, she started walking toward her bike again. She gave up trying to find her taser, instead holding the straps on her purse so she could easily swing it like a weapon. She pretended this was so she could put it in the basket of her bike.
 
Adam noted how the tangy note in Tsuki’s scent became spicy as she snapped at the man, George. Which was understandable, because as soon as Tsuki walked past Adam, George went for her.

“Tsuki,” George didn’t get to finish what he was saying. Adam gripped George’s wrist roughly with his teeth, but ensuring to not break skin. George hissed and screeched as he tried to throw Adam off, but Adam twisted. Pulling George away from Tsuki. Then something happened that Adam never would have expected, cat-like claws came from the man and went into his shoulder.

Adam yelped as he felt a burning sensation in his shoulder and he fell to the ground. George ran away.
 
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Tsuki stood frozen for a moment. What had just happened?? Then she turned to the dog. Was he bleeding? She'd thought George had just hit him! She ran the few steps and dropped to his side. She parted the fur as she tried to get a good look.

"What happened? What did he hit you with?" she worried aloud. "You poor thing! You were just trying to help!" She bit her lip, trying to think. "Okay. Vet. We need to get you to the vet now."

Grabbing her purse, she dumped it out to find her phone and called a taxi. While waiting for the taxi to arrive, she called the closest vet's office. Closer was better than known at this point. This skinny little thing looked clean, but also like he'd been underfed and not well cared for all around for a long time.

The car arrived, and Tsuki had to talk fast to convince him to help her get the dog into the back seat with her. She had to pay extra with him grumbling the whole time, but at least he didn't drive off. She remembered at the last second to grab her purse and scattered items from the ground, then they were on their way to the vet's.
 
When Adam was eight or nine, he found a box of kittens on the street. Feeling bad for them, he tried to drag the box to a shelter. One of the kittens scratched his eyebrow. Still Adam took the box to the shelter, even with a burning bleeding cut. He felt embarrassed by the whole thing and didn’t tell anyone else, until the next day when his eyebrow was swollen and red in both forms. He still had a scar.

So, when this big cut felt like that tiny one, Adam didn’t fight Tsuki as she took him to the vet. He did try to limp and carry himself for her. He could practically engulf her standing on his hind legs. He didn’t want her carrying him. Or to get blood on her clothes or the taxi. Curling in on himself in a painful, but conservative way. Plus he owed it to her for putting her in this position.

Granted, he could do without all the strangers. The grumbling taxi driver that smelled like tobacco. The weird George guy. And even when they arrived at the Vet’s, it was someplace he didn’t recognize. Still, he came so far with Tsuki, he couldn’t stop now.
 
When they arrived at the vet, Tsuki paid the fair then scrambled out of the cab. She turned and helped Cupcake - er, the dog - out of the car. She could barely get the door open while helping the dog get inside. It was an awkward tango, but thankfully, the vet was there to help.

(And... I'm honestly a little unsure what to do here.)
 
“What happened?” The woman vet cooed as she bent down towards Adam. Adam turned his snout away from the woman’s mixed animal scent. “This dog doesn’t have a collar, miss. We can’t examine strays.” There was a faint heaviness in her scent. Adam was glad that she was at least sincere and professional.
 
Adam noted that he would have to pay Tsuki back. Especially since this was a more upscale clinic. The woman looked around the clinic. There wasn’t anyone now, but Adam had seen cars in the parking lot as they came up.

“Okay,” She sighed. “If you don’t mind me looking. I’m still training, but I can say a walk-in came in, looking to get a simple check up.”
 
"Yes, please, thank you," Tsuki sighed in relief. This was seriously going to eat into her budget, but she couldn't very well leave this poor best alone after if had tried to help her. It was only right. If she had any other options, she'd take it, but that cut already looked bad.
 
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