drear | cotton, wind, blow, blouse

That's me.

[Trusting that Heine could follow him since he seemed to be in the lobby alone, without any assistance, he started back towards the offices. His shoes squeaked slightly against the polished floors, and he turned over his shoulder to continue talking.]

Nill gave a rather glowing recommendation for you, but all the same, I figured we could sit down and have a chat so you know what you're getting into. Would you like anything to drink? Tea, coffee, water?

[ In a completely unfamiliar location, Heine unfolds his cane for usage. He follows Eames' voice through the halls. The place seems relatively spacious. He doesn't hear any dogs... yet. ]

Water's fine.

[ When they come to a stop in another room he collapses the cane again to hold, pausing in the doorway. Around people unfamiliar with being unsighted and what level of guiding is appropriate, Heine still feels awkward about asking—but he's also not going to risk hurting himself for the sake of pride. He did enough of that when he was younger. ]

Where's the chair? [ A number of steps to the front, he assumes, and uses his hand to feel out the back of the seat and sit down. ]

Nill told me that it would be... a commitment.

[Eames ducked down to grab a water bottle from the mini-fridge in the room, setting it down in front of Heine's chair. He hadn't thought about saying where the chair was, a bit embarrassed at his lack of foresight, but it seemed like Heine could navigate just fine. So instead, he decided to get down to the spiel.]

It is. Particularly with service dogs who need to be trained for psychological conditions, it's important for there to be a strong bond between owner and dog. It'll be a year to two years of training, and if at any time you decide to back out of the training, the dog will suffer for it.

[He settled down into his chair, flipping open Heine's file so he could take notes as they talked.]

It's not something to be done lightly, but if you see it through to the end, it's very rewarding.

[Then, just to check in, he asked:]

Thoughts so far?

[ He can hear the sound of something being set down and he thinks it's probably the water. But asking for it or taking it without confirmation opens him up for more, opens him up for negotiations that he's not sure he wants yet.

One year of training, even two, make sense. But is he ready for that? Is any animal ready to put up with his shit? ]

How is it rewarding?

[That wasn't the first question that Eames was expecting, and he arched a brow slightly as he considered Heine across from him.]

It might sound corny or stupid to say, so bear with me: you have another living being that loves and supports you and is constantly happy to see you. You have another reason to wake up in the morning, care for yourself, and start to like yourself again.

[He paused, shrugging.]

Of course, it's all entirely subjective. But I haven't had any complaints yet.

[ Subjective is one way to look at it. Sentimental is another—at least it seems that way to Heine, right now, hearing Eames' words and thinking about what the process of training the dog, or any dog, might be like. ]

Then how many service dogs have you trained?

I've trained thirty seven personally so far, but I do have two staff members who each have trained a dozen dogs. We're focused more on quality than quantity.

[That being said, Eames leaned back in his seat, regarding Heine thoughtfully.]

So why do you want a service dog?

[ Thirty-seven with up to two years of training for each one. People must see the point of committing, if he's had that many people go through the process. Heine is thinking when Eames asks him a question of his own. ]

Needing another reason to get up in the morning. [ After the deadpan delivery, Heine admits, ] That's what Nill said. And my therapist suggested it.

[ Though not precisely in those words. ]

Do you agree with them?

[Because while Nill was a whip smart young lady who could read people in a way that Eames found a little unsettling at times, and while he was sure Heine's therapist was just as educated, at the end of the day, they weren't the ones committing to this.

It wasn't like Eames was hurting for people to train these dogs for, and he wanted to be sure Heine was here because he wanted to be.]

[ Heine's first instinct is to say no, that he doesn't need anyone or anything to help him.

But the truth is different from his instinct to be defensive. Sometimes Heine does need something else to get him up in the mornings. Sometimes it's Nill, or Naoto, or even Badou if he's going to meet them, and sometimes there's nothing and he doesn't get up at all.

He does like dogs.

(He would like being able to function regularly better.) ]

...yeah. [ Heine shrugs, but his voice is firm. ] It would help.

[It didn't sound like Heine was lying, and considering he hadn't objected to anything he'd said so far, he decided it would be fine to proceed to the next step.]

All right then. We have a few dogs here, if you'd like to get a feel for some of them. I can bring them in here if it's easier, but it is quicker to go in the back and go along the rows of kennels.

We can go to the kennels.

[ Maybe once he's there he'll get a better sense for it. Or a dog will get a better sense for him, or something. Heine takes out his guiding cane and extends it, beginning to lever himself up to follow Eames' directions to the back wherever the dogs are. ]

The kennels just twenty steps forward. There's a bench you can sit on while I let them out. Right now we have eight dogs in training, though if you don't feel a connection with any of the dogs today, I am scouting more candidates.

[He opened the door to the kennels, tapping on the bench as he passed it so Heine could have an idea where it was, before heading to the first kennel. While they kept it as clean as possible, it still smelled overwhelmingly of dog and cleaning products. A few of the newer dogs barked excitedly upon seeing Eames, but the ones further along in their training sat down obediently, tails wagging as they waited for instructions.]

First up, I have Ms. Goldie. She's been training the longest.

[Dutifully she trotted out to sniff at Heine curiously.]

[ Sitting on the bench will be safer than standing and letting dogs bump into his legs and possibly throw him off balance. Heine finds his way to it after reaching the kennels, settling himself and making himself comfortable while Eames brings the dogs over. ]

Golden retriever?

[ Heine asks rather dryly, holding a hand out for the already obedient dog to investigate. ]

What gave it away?

[Eames asked in mild amusement, letting them get acquainted with each other for a few minutes. While Ms. Goldie was a good first start, it didn't seem like they clicked like Eames would want before he would suggest her. The second dog, Sargent Pepper, was much the same. He hadn't been losing hope, but the third dog in the line up, Cerberus, was mostly passed up because of his name.

When he brought him out, Eames settled on the opposite end of the bench, watching curiously. Cerberus wasn't as trained as the first two, so was more prone to sticking his face into people's laps for pets.]

The uncreative name.

[ With a quiet snort, Heine strokes her head a few times. She's soft, friendly, and well-behaved, but he doesn't feel the connection. Maybe he won't ever feel a connection and he'll figure out this doesn't work for him after all.

But his pessimistic expectations don't become reality. When the third dog approaches, Heine feels a difference in the way he comes up and sticks his face rather more aggressively against his knee. Heine carefully finds the space between his ears and scritches at the short, bristly fur. ]

Who's this?

Don't be rude, her name fits her very well.

[Also look, not all dogs could be named after mythological beings.

Eames perked up slightly when Heine showed more interest in the third dog, laughing slightly at his question.]

Cerberus. He's not as well trained as the others, but he's a good boy. If strong willed.

[ Heine makes an affirming sound, a hm while he scratches behind Cerberus' ears and listens to him snuffle and lick his palms.

It's not easy to tell how happy the dog is when he's not all that familiar with them and their body language, but Heine thinks he's happy. Cerberus seems comfortable in rubbing his head on his knee and whoofing quietly. ]

How strong willed?

Very. One of the most stubborn dogs I've had to train.

[It had taken him a long time to get through the basic commands, but Cerberus had the right temperament for a service dog, not to mention he was smart. He had to wonder if Cerberus' slowness at being trained was just stubborn obliviousness or if he got bored and kept forgetting commands. Either way.

He paused, not wanting to just make it seem like Cerberus was a handful, since this was the most interested he'd seen Heine with all the dogs so far.]

But once he's trained, he'll be a very loyal and protective dog.

'Once he's trained.' [ Heine cups Cerberus' muzzle and lifts his head to face more towards Eames, to better convey his mock-suspicion. ]

So this is a two-year training kind of dog?

Yeah. The two before him have been with me longer, so they wouldn't take as long.

[He moved to stand, scratching Cerberus behind the ears fondly.]

Let me bring out the next one.

[ Heine lifts his hand from Cerberus and returns to a more neutral position. He did like that dog, probably more than he's liked any other dogs, but he was only the third out of the selection Eames apparently has.

Going through the rest of the tenants of the kennel, Heine's opening up more to the idea of training and buying a service dog. Eames was right. There's something about dogs, their non-judgmental natures and willingness to reassure him even on their first meeting.

Once he's met all the dogs Heine pauses. The dogs were all nice, but it was definitely Cerberus who was the easiest to connect to. Something about his personality, if not his looks. ]

Is there any trial period?

[Even though it felt slightly useless to do so, Eames brought out the rest of the dogs, but none of them seemed to make Heine as relaxed as Cerberus had. He supposed, given how Nill dressed, Heine would have a certain style he was drawn to.

At the question, he sat down on the bench near him, humming slightly.]

In a sense, yes. Some dogs aren't cut out to be service dogs, and usually they wash out in a few months of training.

[He paused, so that there would be more weight to his words.]

But a service dog isn't something I would recommend getting if you're thinking it's going to fail already. If you wind up regretting getting one, the dog suffers for it too.

[ Heine doesn't quite move away from Eames, though the instinct is to draw into himself. He can't help being this tense. Eames isn't familiar at all yet. ]

I don't think it's going to fail.

[ Heine tilts his head down slightly. He wants help. It's just hard to admit it or reach out for a hand. ]

Yeah. I think I'm ready.

[The first step to getting help was admitting there was a problem, and from what Nill had told him, such a feat was like pulling teeth to get from Heine. Except in pulling teeth there were tools, schools you could go to in order to learn the correct way to pull teeth. So when Heine ducked his head down, Eames nodded, even though Heine couldn't see it most likely. A small hum escaped him, a thoughtful noise, just to let Heine know he was listening.]

Wonderful. Did you like any of them?

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