aterat | 001 [Closed] Enis versus Dog

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001 [Closed] Enis versus Dog

Who; Enis Edrin & Pretzel Watts.
What; A pup looking for his old friend.
Where; As Enis is on her way from her new job to the Blue Building.
When; Now-ish.
Warnings; Max cuteness + grumpy beauty.

It didn't take her long to get acclimated to the city.

Enis took the logical approach and pushed any unsightly feelings out of sight. She had a new job at a strange apothecary working under a woman who appeared to rely on the combination of magic and chemistry. It was easy for Enis to convince her of her usefulness. Now she only needed to keep living, but that only made her distant feelings more difficult to disregard.

What was she doing here? What was the point? She was going to die but not until every instance of her father was wiped from the earth but none of that mattered here.

Enis was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the dog that began to follow her. It annoyed her but she wasn't about to take out her frustration on an innocent animal. She glared down at the dog and attempted to shoo it away with the wave of her hand. "Go away. I'm not playing with you."

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Pretzel was… a strange canine. He seemed normal enough, but the pup had a penchant for getting out when he wanted to and finding people when he caught a familiar scent. Sure, Llewellyn had been training him to do just that… But the getting himself places without either of his fathers was odd enough.

He had a mind of his own, often enough, and was so very eager for friends.

So… However he’d gotten out and away from Llewellyn and Rhy, he’d wasted very little time in following after Enis when he caught her scent. She had been, after all, one of his most favourite humans after his fathers! And she hadn’t been here before. He was sure of that much! Her trail had never been there. It had disappeared at the Sphere one day, and now suddenly it was here!

So the pup ignored her wave, tail wagging eagerly as he let out a few short barks and continued to follow.

It was almost as if to say, Friend! Hello, friend Enis! I’m happy to see you again! You were hiding! Do you have treats???

Enis quickly realized that the dog hadn't bothered to heed her warnings. It wasn't like she was going to do anything to the dog for following her. She had a weakness for animals and their sweet blind innocence. Humans weren't like that.

"Look. You're cute but you don't want to follow me." She had no memory of giving him treats in the past but she had a bit of bread in her backpack from lunch. With a quick motion, she tugged off a piece of the bread and tossed it to the dog. "There. You got what you wanted. Go."

She was nearly at her apartment, surely the dog wouldn't follow her all the way there.

Pretzel jumped a little when she tossed the bread, catching it in his mouth and gobbling it up in mere moments, as he continued to follow her. Yes, he had wanted a snack from his friend… But he was still excited to see her, and excited to make up for lost time!

Plus, it wasn’t hard for the dog to figure out where they were going. They were going to the ‘Messy Not Home’ place where his father spent some of his time when Rhy was busy and he needed to store things. The pup figured that she must be going there too! Maybe she was going to visit, which was great because it saved Pretzel another little game of ‘find father.’

So, yipping at her happily in thanks for the treat, he just trotted along on his short, stubby legs.

"Good catch." She mumbled, uncertain if it was normal to speak to dogs like this. It was a really good catch for a dog with such short legs. Enis absently wondered if he had been trained however the thought quickly fled her attention as the dog continued to follow her.

She ignored him for a few blocks but as she approached her building she got agitated. The dog couldn't follow her the entire way back to her room. Not that her home was a secret but she didn't like the idea of leading anyone to her front door... not even a dog.

"Look." Enis turned towards the pupper with a frown, now standing outside of the colored housing building. "You're cute. Really. But shouldn't you go find your owner?" He was really cute but Enis tried her best to stay strong.

...Even if her fortitude was waning.

The dog’s tail wagged lightly at the word ‘good.’ He was a very good dog, wasn’t he? He had learned a lot from both his fathers training, and he’d improved a lot since he last saw Enis!

Well, aside from the fact that his penchant for doing what he wanted instead of what he was told hadn’t been corrected yet. If he wanted to see someone or something, the little hound still tended to do just that. Selective listening, Llewellyn liked to call it.

At her instructions, Pretzel tilted his head one way and then the other, his ears flapping a bit and expressing that particularly intelligent look in his eyes that dogs sometimes displayed.

Finally, he let out a little yip at the question, either to agree that he was cute or to dismiss the need to find his owner. His owners would find him, after all! At some point, one of them would check the blue building if they discovered he’d gotten out on his own again. Besides! Enis had a lot of pats and treats to make up for after so many months of being gone!

Enis sighed, "Alright. Come on." That dog was too damn smart and too damn cute. It wasn't any past memories that had softened her heart but an underlying weakness. She really hoped that this didn't come back to bite her in the ass.

She turned towards the blue building and held the door for Pretzel to follow. She didn't like the placement of her room except that it was at the end of the hall. The only thing that kept her coming back to this building was the fact that it was mostly empty. She had mapped out which rooms were currently in use, even if she had yet to learn who the occupants were, and kept tabs on any security issues that the building might have. So far, it had been peaceful but Enis didn't trust that peace to last.

Enis stopped at her door and pulled out her key, her eyes occasionally looking down at the dog following her. She wondered if she had any treats. At the very least, she had jerky.

With a popping noise, the door to her apartment opened, and once again she held it open for Pretzel. "Let's get you a snack but then I have work to do." She was planning to break into her neighbor's apartment to see who lived there. Whoever it was visited in frequently but since they were next to her, she had to know as much about them as possible.

Pretzel knew he was both of these things. He was informed of these facts regularly, after all. Since he was planning on following her whether she invited him along or not (like father like pup, perhaps) he simply wagged his tail and continued to trot along after her.

He picked up the pace when she opened the door, darting into the building with all the confidence of a creature that had been here before. So that might have been her first clue that he was familiar with the building. He didn’t even slow or stray from the path as they moved to the floor Enis was on, all the way down the hall right to her door.

Well, he had at least hesitated a moment since he knew Llewellyn’s ‘messy space’ was the door right next to hers. So he might have thought she was going to visit him instead. BUt when she held the door open, he tilted his head curiously before darting inside. You didn’t have to say the word snack twice with this hound, no. Pretzel got the message loud and clear, plus he was sure Llewellyn would come to find him eventually.

Once inside, treat or not, Pretzel began investigating. Smells! There were so many smells here! It was a new space. He needed to figure out all the corners and comfy spots.

Her apartment didn't have anything new or unusual in it but the bedding was clean smelling of crisp soap along with a faint lingering accent of worn leather. The room was recently dusted and appeared lived-in despite Enis's desire to leave no trace of herself behind. The most interesting smelling room was the kitchen, where various herbs, plants, and distilled chemicals were being grown and treated. Her work was secretive but she didn't expect a dog to mess with the glass bottles scattered about the counter.

"Come here." She called after grabbing a rather large wooden box from the cabinet. There were ways to cool and heat food in the apartment but Enis preferred to make food that was easy to grab and go. This lead her to create a series of her own dried meats with various spices she'd found while working. She didn't know what spices a dog would like so she grabbed the salted pieces of cow and placed them on the floor for Pretzel to eat. Enis wasn't a good cook but she understood chemistry and her jerky was amazing.

When Pretzel came to eat she crouched down and looked for a tag or collar. She assumed that such a well-trained dog had an owner somewhere and she didn't want to end up being tracked down by an angry dog-parent.

No, he had grown quite a bit, but he wasn’t quite large enough yet to reach counter tops when he propped himself up on his little legs. Her glass bottles were safe… For not. The pup would undoubtedly be interested in those funny smells, and even if he couldn’t reach them, his nose was up in the area with a particular intensity.

The request is met with a little wag of his tail, though, and he turned his attention to his friend. Trotting over to her, he tackled the jerky with a hungry eagerness. This was definitely tasty, this chewy stuff!! He barely noticed her turning his collar to find the information tag that was fixed to it. If anything, the pup figured she was just giving him the attention he was owed after not seeing her for so long!

There was an information tag, though. They’d had it made special after his arrival. It read, unsurprisingly:

“Pretzel Watts-Maresh”
”If found, contact Llewellyn or Rhy Watts-Maresh”

"Of course." Enis sighed as she scratched behind Pretzel's ear. "It would be that lout. No wonder you followed me. I guess you knew me too?" It was strange but she'd slowly adjusted to the fact that there was someone here who had information on her. It wasn't an unusual situation but she'd thought that her father's death would have changed all that.

"You're just as annoying as your dad..." She continued to scratch behind his other ear and then just below his chin. "At least you're cute. So you can come here but just you." Enis thought about getting a dog door but that would be a security hazard that she didn't want to deal with.

"Once you're done eating you can be my lookout. I'm going to see if I can learn about my neighbor."

Pretzel’s tail thumped lightly on the floor at the ear and chin scratches. If he were so annoying, he was certain he would not be receiving such good attention from his friend. No, he was a good dog! The ‘best pupper,’ as his parents liked to say.

And now that Enis was here, he could bother her whenever he decided they were boring and he needed a break from them being too sweet and silly with each other. So, permission or not, she would undoubtedly be seeing more of the little hound whenever he got out from under their noses.

It doesn’t take particularly long for Pretzel to gobble up his treat, so she wouldn’t be waiting long for her little lookout to be ready to go. It doesn’t even take much prompting to get the dog to follow her, especially since he knew the apartment she wanted to snoop around well.

Once Pretzel devoured his treats they were on their way. Enis peeked into the hallway and noted the silence. She didn't know when the occupant next door would return to their room but now was as good a time as any.

"Okay." She turned back to Pretzel. "If you see someone, bark, and I'll give you more treats." Enis scratched beneath Pretzel's chin before sliding into the hallway. She crouched down in front of Llewellyn's door and began to skillfully pick the lock. It didn't take long until the soft click let her know that she was in.

She didn't forget that a dog was following her but she was more focused on getting into the room then showering Pretzel with attention.

Pretzel let out a small, soft woof at her instruction. He certainly liked the idea of more treats, and if he saw someone he didn’t recognize coming, he would certainly sound the alarm. If it were someone he knew, like his father? Well, he might still bark… But that largely depended on how long it took for the man to find him and how excited he was to see the man and show him that Enis was there.

Of course, once the door was open, he trotted inside happily. Why shouldn’t he? It was a place he was quite comfortable, there was even a pillow left in the corner for him to sit on.

… Said corner was surrounded by a lot of surfaces covered in random files and papers. Some things were investigation related, others were things he’d put together for Lauri-Ell’s writing lessons. Then there were notebook upon notebook full of random thoughts and details (and the odd pressed flower that hadn’t been transferred yet) that Llewellyn had filled in the last year. It was a cluttered mess that only he could find anything in. If one looked far enough, it was hard to say what they’d find. The earliest was one that Enis had made herself, after all. It had arrived with him from his time at the Sphere and he hadn’t parted with it.

But it was, without a doubt, a chaotic and cluttered mess.

Enis waited until Pretzel was inside before closing and locking the door. It wouldn't keep the apartment's occupant from joining her but it would give her a warning if someone was to enter the apartment.

"Aren't you comfortable." She mumbled as she watched Pretzel trot over to the worn pillow on the floor.

What were the chances...

Enis groaned inwardly before turning towards the mess of papers that covered every available surface. She didn't linger on any one piece of information for long but noted names and handwriting. It appeared as if the information varied and was likely related to a business that works with information. Knowing that Llewellyn was a detective made it easy for her to put the pieces together. "This is just ridiculous." She looked down at Pretzel. "If you could talk you'd be laughing at me wouldn't you?"

No, it definitely wouldn’t stop Llewellyn from walking in on her. He did have a key after all, and he would be by in due time, considering he had to stop there before going back to Rhy’s place to dump whatever notes he’d compiled that day. Plus, he probably needed to pick some stuff up from there as well, things he’d need for the next morning that he didn’t leave at the other apartment all the time to save on space.

Pretzel wuffed lightly, tail wagging again. He was very comfortable. If he wasn’t so happy at the moment, and curious about what Enis was doing, he might have even taken a nap.

Instead, the pup watched her move around the apartment and pick up random papers. She seemed slightly daunted by the mess, which was understandable. He’d seen her groan before at the Sphere when she got a look at Llewellyn’s ‘filing system.’

When she turned to him, the dog’s tail thumped against the floor and he tilted his head with what one could swear was an amused glint in his eyes. Yes, the hound would definitely be laughing if he could. Had she not realized this was his father’s messy-not-home? She seemed surprised by whatever it was she had found. He got up off the pillow and trotted over to sit at her feet with another little happy bark.

The little dog seemed to have had a thought, because he trotted over to the sofa that had more notebooks on it. Dragging his wrinkly body up onto it and snatching it with his teeth carefully. It was a funny one, because it still had the lingering scents from the last world on it and he thought she might be looking for it.

Given that she knew whose apartment it was, Enis decided to take her time while looking through the documents. It was difficult to find a clean place to sit down but she managed without disrupting any of the papers stacked around her. She reached for the closest file and began to skim through it.

It was a simple B&E and just from looking at the notes, she managed to piece together the same conclusion that Llewellyn had. "This doesn't look too complicated though I can't believe these notes. They barely make sense." Not to mention the handwriting.

Her gaze lifted when she saw Pretzel climbing onto the couch. "What is it boy? Bring it here." Enis placed the file in a new pile, her lame attempt at an organizational scheme, and held out her hand to Pretzel so that she could look at the file that was picked out for her. Dog's had a good sense for things and she wasn't going to dismiss it now.

They all made perfect sense to Llewellyn. His organization system worked for him personally, even if it seemed scattered and random to others. His handwriting was something that even he had to admit left something to be desired, and sometimes gave him trouble reading… Which was amusing considering he was giving Lauri-Ell lessons on writing. He was better when he was going slower though, and cases tended to be something he moved a bit quick with.

Pretzel tilted his head though, letting out a low whine at her comment about the notes. It was a mess, and the pup had ended up needing to learn to wander around it without making a mess. So running around sometimes got a hound in trouble, which made this space better for curling up and napping instead of fun times like Rhy’s apartment.

Her question gets a little wag of his tail again as he padded over like the good little dog that he was, and carefully dropped the handmade notebook in her hand with minimal drool.

Enis carefully wiped the drool off the notebook using the side of her jeans as a towel. It made her pants a little damp but she didn't mind. Once that was one she gave Pretzel a quick scratch behind the ear, offering the pup a smile and praise. "Thanks, boy."

Once he was rewarded, she pulled her attention back to the notebook. It didn't feel familiar but the weight and ware told her that it was older than the other files.

She hummed to herself as she opened the notebook and began to skim. It was only when she realized that these records were from the testing facility known as the Sphere that she began to intently read the messy handwriting.

It took some time but the chip in her head quickly picked up on the patterns of Llewellyn's writing, allowing her to read faster. If she spent more time in this room she was going to rewrite all of his files as well as organize them.

Honestly, if she started reorganizing his files, she would be highly amused to find he’d have a harder time finding things.

Pretzel let out a pleased whine, though, at the reward scratches and returned to his pillow like the very good boy that he was after a job well done.

Unfortunately, the little hound eventually drifted on into a nap after all his running around and helping out. It was well deserved, sure, but it also meant that he wasn’t on high alert for anyone returning to the apartment. He even let out some small snores on occasion, head flopped off the side of his pillow.

Which was why after about an hour or so passed of silence and Enis going through the notebook and whatever else she might have if she finished it before… There was a click as the door unlocked and a very familiar figure ducked into the apartment. He didn’t even notice anything amiss at first. Pretzel napping on his pillow? Rhy probably dropped the pup off here before he went to the tailor shop for work… Notes moved around? Maybe he misplaced a few when he was trying to decide on something last evening for Lauri-Ell’s lessons.

So instead, the man entered and began emptying his pockets and satchel onto the nearest table. Newer note book, folders from the office, random scraps of paper that he hadn’t had time to jot down in his notebook yet… All on to the table, none the wiser to the person who’d broken into his apartment for a solid minute or two.

Then he happened to glance up, and caught sight of Enis… Then looked down, and then… Then the man startled a bit when he realized who was there and that he wasn’t alone. “Enis?? Uh- What-? are you doing here???” Came out in a rather awkward jumble of words.

Pretzel wasn't the best watch dog but he was so cute that Enis couldn't bring herself to wake him up. Instead she focused on the journal in her hand, sparing Pretzel an occasional glance and a soft smile. He had skillfully wormed his way into her heart and while she didn't ever see herself as a pet owner, it was nice to have another living create around her.

One that couldn't talk back.

Enis watched Llewellyn walk in as if she was expecting him. She didn't say anything but was staring directly at him when he finally turned around and met her gaze.

He was a lot of fun to startle...

"I broke in." She answered as if it was blatantly obvious and it was ridiculous that he had to ask her that. "I wanted to know who my neighbor was." Fate had a strange sense of humor. "Then I started to read your things. You need to learn to write better." She would not believe that he was teaching someone anything to do with writing.

“Well, that much is apparent. I, uh- presume you had a partner in crime in this.” He responded to the idea that she’d broken in with a small glance at Pretzel. In the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but muse that was probably more normal than anything. The fact that he was startled at all was rather silly on his part, but he’d really never gotten used to how good she was at surprising him. “I would point out there are other ways to learn who your neighbor is, but it wouldn’t be very you to go about it that way.” He added with a wry expression as he finally settled his shoulders once he got over the initial shock. “I can promise to be a quiet neighbor, though. I don’t spend as much time here as I do in the red building. Just kind of mm… use this for storage and for meeting Lauri-Ell.”

He let out a slightly embarrassed huff at her comment about his writing, “I usually write on the go, if you must know… It’s neater when I have time to make it so.” Mostly… It depended on which hand he used to write and if he really wasn’t in a rush. “But uh- you’re welcome to reading them if you like, it’s not as though I have anything to hide.” Unless there was something he was trying to put together to surprise Rhy, but generally, those were just lists of things to pick up or ask someone to help with.

His eyes came to rest on the notebook she had in particular. “I see you found the one that came with me from the last world…” Llewellyn finally commented, moving to sit on the arm of the sofa. “You actually made that one, I might add, if I hadn’t already included that somewhere in my notes.” Which meant she at least had a little more to go off of. Of course, it was mostly about things that happened at the Sphere, random meetings with people, and his own thoughts on some things, wedding plans from that time. Details about Enis’ life and history were not included, because he didn’t need to write those down… They were alarming enough that they tended to stick in his memory without writing them down.

"I noticed." Enis had had her eye on her neighbor for a few weeks and while she hadn't realized it was Llewellyn, she had heard him come and go without spending the night. "I also wonder if I could have found out that you were my neighbor when you spend so little time here?" Her tone was straightforward but she also aimed to point out how ridiculous he had sounded, remarking that she could have identified her neighbor using other methods and then admitted to not spending a lot of time in his apartment.

Her eyes glanced over at Pretzel before looking back at what she was reading. She was good at multi-tasking.

"I had help." She nodded over to Pretzel. "He knew what I was looking for without having to be told." It was a compliment.

There was a brief pause before Enis lifted up the notebook that she had in her hand. "I'm borrowing this." It was a statement but she was at least promising to give it back to him. The blank space in her memory was concerning and Llewellyn's thoughts on the Sphere and events went a long way to ease the knot of worry that had settled within her stomach.

Llewellyn raised his brow at her tone a bit, before he responded and began tapping the ways she might discover her neighbor’s identity. “Oh- well… Leaving a note at my door saying you were new and wanted to introduce yourself, asking another neighbor who does spend more time here, waiting to bump into me on one of the evenings I stop in to drop stuff off or I have lessons with Lauri-ell or… You know, today even just calling me up to say you found my dog and asking me to pick him up would yield an answer. I could uh- just say ‘Oh, the blue building? I have an apartment there… Your in B-10? I was assigned to B-9. That means we’re neighbors when I happen to be around. What a coincidence.’ Or I presume the conversation would go something like that… Probably a little different.” Was he rambling? He might have been rambling a little as his thoughts got away from him.

No, Llewellyn didn’t mean for it to sound cheeky or smart. He was just stating various ideas as they came to him now that he was over the initial heart attack of someone being in his apartment when he thought he was alone. Enis would have to… get used to that again. At least the shocked reactions were something of a payment for having to put up with him.

He turned his attention to Pretzel properly though, “He is very keen to help, especially when he knows someone will spoil him if he assists… He probably remembers you too.” The detective commented, eyeing the little traitorous hound with a softer expression.

Her intent to borrow the notebook didn’t bother him. He knew where she lived now, after all. If he needed it back, he could pester her for it… Though he hadn’t needed it in some time, unless he was feeling nostalgic or needed a refresh on something from those days. “Of course, you’re welcome to borrow it. If you have any questions about the contents, you know where to find me.” Either here, work, or wherever he was given that he had a tracker in his hand.

Enis waited patiently for Llewellyn to stop talking. She was listening but wasn't really putting much effort into understanding the strange point of view. It still didn't make sense. What if someone else picked up the piece of paper? She also had no interest in meeting this Lauri-ell person. She didn't want to interact with Llewellyn except that she felt like she had too.

"I did spoil him." She stated it like it wasn't a problem but it was best for Pretzel's health that Llewellyn knew that he was getting extra treats. She didn't want the cute pupper to get fat or sick.

"Okay." Enis closed the book and headed towards the door. "Now you know where I live too." She had mixed feelings about it but it was fine... for now.

“You and Rhy both have been known to have a habit of that, so I’m not surprised.” He responded with a lighter tone, making an absentminded mental note to not fill Pretzel up on more treats without a good walk before dinner later. He didn’t mind the spoiling. Of course, it was hard to be upset or cross with people who were just showing affection for the cute, fuzzy little creature.

He was almost as bad. The only thing keeping him from spoiling the dog rotten was the fact that he was in charge of training. “Honestly, he probably expected it from you. I don’t know how he got out on his own… But I expect he probably wanted to see you if he caught your trail. He’d gotten very good at following them.”

He nodded, though, awkwardly sidestepping out of the way of the door. “I do, so… Well, I know one place I might find you. Or where to look if Pretzel decides to seek one of his favourite people out without us again.” He added with a light tone, but… He got the feeling Enis was not keen to dwell. She had never been the sort to once she was exhausted by a social situation. And given they were still at an awkward, restarting point… He knew he shouldn’t expect her to linger and chat, they weren’t exactly friends yet, as much as he wanted them to be.

"Is that so?" Enis looked back at Pretzel curiously. She had spent the last few hours with the pup and had been impressed at his intelligence but being able to track could prove to be useful. She'd keep that mental note logged away until it was needed.

She softly clicked her tongue against the inside of her cheek as she turned back to Llewellyn. "I'll let you know the times I feed him." Enis didn't like the idea of checking in with Llewellyn but it was for Pretzel's health, who she was already incredibly fond of.

Enis tucked the borrowed notebook under her arm before walking towards the door. She was entirely tapped out but their short interaction and she didn't want that cute puppy face to demand anything from her. She really couldn't say no to animals.

She didn't even say goodbye but walked to the apparentment next door to read in peace.

“Yup!” Llewellyn responded with a small nod. Pretzel was incredibly spoiled at this point. He was a good dog, and listened well enough (most of the time)… So the detective wouldn’t complain too much, not unless it did eventually impact the hound’s health.

And since Enis promised to let him know when she did give the dog some extra treats, Llewellyn wasn’t too worried at this point. “Thank you, Enis. I, uh- appreciate that as much as Pretzel appreciates the treats.” He responded with a light chuckle.

Even if she didn’t say goodbye, Llewellyn still offered her a small, awkward wave and goodbye in parting. “Er- till later, then. Enjoy reading.” He commented clumsily before watching the next door shut behind her. He gave Pretzel a curious look, mumbling to himself as he closed his own door about how strange it was that the dog kept getting out and about without them knowing. Something to mention to Rhy, he supposed, as he resumed depositing the day’s notes on the table.

FTB

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001 [Closed] Enis versus Dog

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