drear | cotton, wind, blow, blouse

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cotton, wind, blow, blouse

[ Nill introduced him to the agency, promising him that it wouldn't be a bad experience to just go in and talk to the guy. Apparently he trains some of the dogs himself, which is why there are so few to choose from, but even if it didn't work out on his first visit he'd help him in the long run. With Nill's experience in the field, Heine trusts her word.

That doesn't mean he isn't stressed about it. After years of coping with his problems by himself, asking for help or admitting he needs it at all throws of the precarious routine he maintains most days.

The appointment he makes is later in the morning to avoid crowds on their way to work. When he arrives he's not sure where to go and ends up waiting in the reception area, standing by an empty desk with his hands in his pockets. ]

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[ 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?

[ All the dogs were nice. Heine assumes they all have the possibility of becoming service dogs. Of them, Heine remembers one in particular. ]

The third dog. What did you call him?

Cerberus. I thought it'd be difficult to forget a name like that.

[Still, Eames grinned as he clapped Heine lightly on the shoulder, standing up.]

I like to conduct a house visit before I turn him over to you, and either me or one of my employees will drop by on the weekends to continue Cerberus' training. Would that be acceptable?

[ It seemed like Eames tried to give names that were hard to forget to all of the dogs, which ended up having the opposite effect.

But a house visit, then more training, then he'll have a service dog. Hopefully. If all goes well. ]

I start living with him immediately?

[ That seems... kind of fast. ]

Not right away. I need to do a home inspection first, then once I sign off he can go home with you. But at least today, I can give you a list of things that you'll need.

[He headed towards the door, knocking on it lightly to help Heine follow him out.]

Would this weekend give you enough time to get things in order?

[ The list will be a good start. Heine gets up, stretching automatically as he does. Sitting for any periods of time longer than 15 minutes tends to make old scars feel stiff. ]

Yeah, I can be ready by Monday.

[ Over the weekend he'll ask Badou to drive him to a pet store along with the grocery store. And on Monday he'll have—someone come over. Which is weird. The last person to visit was definitely Nill. ]

Who are the other people who train dogs here?

Excellent. Follow me, if you please.

[He headed back towards the front desk, where they had enough blind clients come through that he'd had some of their literature printed out in braille. It was expensive, but not as bad as buying the damned machine himself and typing things out. Besides, Arthur tended to find any typos he had done and needle him mercilessly about them, so it was best to leave such things to professionals.

He dug around for the pamphlets, answering the question breezily enough.]

Arthur and Ariadne. Most likely you'll meet them soon enough, since they cover for me if I can't make it to a training session. They're a bit cheeky, but good at their job.

[ Following Eames' voice and his memory of the hallways, Heine finds his way to the room, taking the pamphlets and tucking them under one arm for now. ]

What do you mean, cheeky?

[ Eames seems kind of... 'cheeky', himself. But if it's for this dog, ultimately, Heine thinks it might work out. ]

You know, too witty for their own good.

[He opened his schedule book, flipped to Monday idly.]

I'm open in the afternoon. Would two o'clock work for you? If not, Ariadne is working that morning, and you can meet her for yourself.

Afternoon works.

[ Heine doesn't always get up in the morning, let alone in a timely manner. He's more likely to be up at 2PM. ]

You have my contact information, right?

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