The weekend had finally come and that meant meeting up with Verdy to go pick out the dog they were going to share. Andrew had remembered her curiosity regarding what one of his tattoos/promise reminders looked like when they disappeared so he’d left the glove off when they met in the foyer of the mansion. It disappeared like it had appeared. It wasn’t instantaneous but it was close enough. That was one less promise on his mind and now he was back to one. It felt good. After the usual greetings they’d headed out to the shelter to pick out a pooch.

Now they were standing outside that very building. It wasn’t much to look at honestly but it was better than others he’d seen. Andrew looked over at Verdy and led the way inside, holding the door for her of course. There was a small lobby, with chairs along one wall to sit in if you were waiting for something or someone. The floor was tiled and the main desk sat across from the entrance. Two women stood behind it. One was elderly with a grimace on her face that looked as though it had been there for her entire life. The younger woman better only in that her expression was that of boredom instead of annoyance. To the right from the entry doors was a hallway that presumably led to the rest of the facility.

“Well. Here we are.”

Andrew walked up to the desk. Immediately the younger woman ‘busied’ herself with something on her computer. That left the grouchy granny. He cleared his throat and spoke.

“We were hoping to adopt a dog.”

Verdy refused to stress over what she was going to wear to meet up with Andrew. It was not a date they were going on, it was an adoption mission. She told herself so the first time she went to her closet in the morning after her shower. And the second time after breakfast. And the third time too, which she followed up by a resolution not to return to her closet again.

A resolution which she swiftly broke.

Finally clad in her t-shirt sporting a little kid in a dino suit a pair of jeans and her black and white connies she was ready to go. It wasn’t until she was waiting for Andrew in the foyer that she doubted her final choice and the message it might send. Well, too late now. The tattoo’s disappearance was, like he said, a backwards version of what it had been when it was made. She appreciated him remembering, and the trip to the shelter was over quickly and with nothing more exciting than an almighty sneeze to greet the pollen-covered trees as they exited the Mansion.

They arrived at the shelter and entered, much to the apparent disgust and boredom of the respective receptionists. While Andy explained their intentions she took a moment to observe the advertisement for petfood on the desk. The picture was what appeared to be a cat-shifting mutant, proclaiming with a Cheshire-grin that it was ‘good enough to eat’. The donations box and a stack of forms to fill in for sponsorship of the shelter also received a cursory glance before the crabby woman spoke.

“A pet is not a test-baby, animals live for years and should not be used to trial having a family.”

The monotoned drone seemed as if she had recited this multiple times to couples their age and Verdy hid a laugh behind a convincing cough and glanced at Andy. Just because they were technically old enough to be married and looking to become parents didn’t mean they were.

“Ah, no actually, we’re just looking for a dog. No babies.”

Test-baby? What?! Did the woman hear him wrong or something? Or maybe she just assumed that he and Verdy were...oh. He didn't know whether to be annoyed with the old lady or amused by her assumption. He settled for a smirk at Verdy when she glanced over at him and let her talk to the woman. Andrew glanced around at the various other people in the room but didn't spend much time looking at them. Instead he looked back to Grouchy Granny, as he had termed her in his head, just in time to see her frown at them.

"Fine." The woman grabbed several pamphlets on responsibility and the various aspects of dog ownership and shoved them across the desk, "Go sit down and read those until one of the shelter workers can get to you."

Andrew blinked at her. How could one woman be so cross and still be a receptionist? It made very little sense to him but he did as he was instructed and took a seat. Andrew looked over at Verdy once she was sat down.

"I wonder what has her so bitter..." he said under his voice so as to not garner the old lady's attention while she was working.

At first Verdy suspected that there were two copies of each, one for her and one for Andrew. All too soon she realised that the two moderate piles combined into one super-pile. The receptionist sure was a drill sergeant, and Verdy found herself practically marching over to a seat to read through the information pamphlets, from ‘A guide to your shelter dog’ to ‘Zero tolerance for pet abuse’.

She smirked at his whispered ponderings and glanced up at the woman who was pounding letter-by-letter on the keyboard. It was remarkable she hadn’t dislodged a key with the force she was putting into it, surely they went through a high turnover if that was the way she always treated them.

“I dunno, but whatever it is it looks like she’s been bitter about it for a while.”

The woman’s face was practically frozen in the same expression of distaste, and Verdy was certain that if she raised her eyebrows there would be tan-lines from the scowl.

The pamphlet was mainly simple, but the words were too small for her, so after a moment rummaging through her bag she retrieved her glasses and perched them on her nose. This could take a while.

Andrew simply plucked a pamphlet out of the the pile and began reading over it. It was about pet obesity and had illustrations of fat dogs and skinny dogs and supposedly average dogs. He blinked and tossed it back in the pile. The next one was a guide to the various parasites one might find on or in their dog and how to combat and prevent them. The close ups of the parasites in question were enough to make Andrew put the pamphlet back without a second glance.

He spared another glance to receptionist to watch her hit keys on the keyboard like they'd killed her family or something. Andrew shook his head and grabbed up another pamphlet. Doggie diseases and disorders: When to see your vet! stared up at him from the paper. Really? Andrew didn't even bother opening it. While they were going through the various tip pamphlets and such the shelter workers were escorting other people back to pick out their animals and getting their paperwork filled out.

After several minutes the cross woman cleared her throat harshly to get their attention. One of the shelter workers was ready to take them back. This one actually seemed nice. It was an older gentleman with a kindly smile on his face. Andrew stood up and left the pamphlets where they were. There were many more just like them littering the waiting area table. He walked over to where the old man stood and when they were all gathered up they set off down the hallway. As soon as they were out of hearing range of the lobby area the elder gentleman turned to them.

"I apologize for my wife. She may seem severe but she means well." said the man with a smile.

People to’d, people fro’d, people entered, were seen to by the receptionist and joined them in different waiting chairs with similar piles. Verdy struggled her way through a wordy tome on dog discipline and ‘how to be the alpha’ and skimmed through the brightly coloured page on getting your pet micro chipped and spayed or neutered.

Finally there was a meaningful ‘ah-hem’ and they were allocated a worker. The man seemed an exact opposite to the grumpy lady, his face was crinkled with smile-lines and he spoke gently to them. He also insinuated nothing about the pair testing if they would be compatible parents. For that, she was grateful. Andy was a nice guy, sweet, friendly and cute to boot, but they barely knew each other and children were way, way down her list of priorities.

Dipping her head in acknowledgement of the man’s apology, but tactfully saying nothing about just how severe the woman was they followed him down a long corridor, where enthusiastic barking got louder and louder the further they progressed. Once again she was reminded of the noise of the homeless shelter, the demands and shoving in the line for the soup kitchen, and the hopelessness on many of the faces of the ‘regulars’.

Her heart was beating about twice the normal rate and she could feel her knees trembling a little. A howl rose up above the general clamour and she grabbed Andrew’s hand and held it tight. This wasn’t the shelter, here there was hope for adoption, someone coming to rescue each furry person from the cages they were kept in.

Turning a corner they came to a door with a big glass window in the top of it, through which the fronts of the cages were visible. They were a lot larger than she expected, and the trembling stopped in her knees and the dead weight in her stomach lifted. Everything was going to be all right. The elderly man smiled at them.

“Here we are, do you know what you are looking for? Or would you like some time to just walk around and look?”

The lobby area had been fairly quiet. Whoever had built the place had seen to it that the barks and howls of the residents wouldn't reach that area. As they progressed those particular noises increased in volume. It was to be expected considering where they were. Andrew spared a glance over at Verdy. She seemed nervous. When a particularly loud howl resounded through the corridors her hand darted out and grabbed his. Though he had no idea why she was so jumpy Andrew closed his hand around hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

They finally turned a corner and behind a long pane of glass stood the cages. Verdy seemed to relax at the site and Andrew was glad of that. There were quite a few dogs to choose from. The room seemed to go on forever. When the old man asked if they were looking for anything in particular Andrew shook his head.

"I think we'll just walk and look." Andrew paused and glanced at Verdy, "If that's fine by you."

If Verdy had an idea of what sort of dog she wanted then Andrew didn't want to get in the way of that. Though he tended to prefer larger dogs to the smaller ones he wasn't going to restrict Verdy if she would prefer one of the small dogs.

Verdy nodded, everything was going to be alright, Andrew was here with her and this was a safe place, a halfway home for dogs on the way to a new life.

“Sounds good to me.”

The man unlocked the door and smiled at them, the door could be pushed open from the inside, but it was locked from the outside to prevent theft. He outlined the basic breakdown of the chart on each cage-front and explained that he would be outside looking over some paperwork when they were done.

They entered and the behaviour of the dogs changed. Frantic barkers froze, those sleeping in corners opened weary eyes and pups and smaller dogs gave high-pitched squeals of excitement. Most assumed the pleading face which only dogs knew how and Verdy took a deep breath. This would be a tricky choice. Although with the memory that Andrew liked larger dogs and the resolution never to be seen walking a ‘cutesy’ miniature ball of fluff cut it down. The shelter seemed to be organised from youngest to oldest, most adopters were looking for a puppy, or something equally as adorable, so they were placed at the entry, gradually moving to the bigger and older dogs the deeper into the corridor.

Eyeing the first few cages full of yippy small dogs she pondered them. They were likely to get homes in apartments or with singles. With the entire grounds of the Mansion available for ‘walkies’ and two parental figures they were in the market for something a little larger. Besides, small dogs tended to be a bit more snappy than their larger counterparts and Verdy was quite fond of her ankles. Squeezing Andy’s hand again she released it and put both her hands into her jeans pockets as they walked and observed. She felt remarkably calm now that they had stepped through the doors, and she inspected each dog carefully.

They were let into the room and the dogs all quieted down. Well, except for the ones that took this as a sign to get louder. Andrew chuckled a little at the reactions and looked at the dogs closest to the door. These were puppies and small dogs. They wouldn't stay long. Dogs like that were adopted fairly quickly. As much as he felt sorry for them being here Andrew wasn't interested in them. They would find homes quickly enough.

No the dogs he'd prefer to look at were the larger and elder dogs. Those wouldn't get homes quite so fast. Everyone loved cute, little, and fluffy. Verdy seemed to be running on the same wavelength so to speak because even though she looked at the little dogs she didn't seem taken with any of them and moved on. After a minute or so Verdy gave his hand a squeeze and reclaimed hers. He hadn't understood why she'd grabbed his hand in the first place so he wasn't terribly upset about her taking her hand back.

Each of the dogs had something to offer but none of the ones he'd seen as of yet seemed right. One of the larger older dogs was preferable but since there were a lot of people in the mansion as well as other pets it would have to be a fairly sociable animal too. Exercise wouldn't be a problem. There was plenty of room on the grounds for walks, runs, and playtime. Knowing the criteria didn't help him pick though. There was a reason the expression was called puppy dog eyes.

The larger dogs seemed a little more dignified than the smaller ones, they stood at the front of the cages and wagged their tails and some barked, but there were no somersaults like the younger dogs. There were spotty dogs and fluffy dogs, dogs that seemed pleased to see them and sniff at the fingers she pressed up against the mesh, dogs that simply glared.

There was one that looked like his whole body was covered in dreadlocks. The nickname on the nametag hanging from the door was ‘Lockie’, so apparently someone in the shelter had a sense of humour. She chuckled at the funny dog (a perfect companion for a surfer, as it ‘adored water’) but moved on. They were sure to know the right one when they saw it.

Purebred and mutts, short-haired and long, each had their appeal, yet none seemed quite right.

A German Shepherd pup almost swayed her resolution to choose something that needed them, with its mismatched eyes and floppy ears but a gentle whine from behind her caught her ear and tugged on her heartstrings. Turning to it she met a pair of big brown eyes in a black and white face. Moving over to it she checked the tag on the door

‘Nameless, dog 7045’

Crouching down she pressed her fingers against the mesh where they were met with a pink tongue. He was breedless, a real ‘bitza’, fluffy black legs and tail, black and white body, mismatched ears and a friendly face. The tail swept back and forth against the floor and a wet black nose sniffled at her hopefully.

“Andy…”

There was something about this one. Something that made her angry at the ticked ‘abused’ box on the form and her heart feel like it was swelling like an inflating balloon. She refused to cry, but her breath caught a little as the dog whined at Andrew when he approached.

'Lockie' was a dog that Andrew almost couldn't help chuckling at. He looked like someone had animated a very large mop head with those dreadlocks of his. He wasn't right for them but he'd make someone a great dog Andrew was sure. They kept walking. Verdy stopped at the cage of a little german shepherd pup and for a moment Andrew thought they'd found their dog. He was adorable and the mismatched eyes and floppy ears gave it a little something unique. However at a whine from the cage across from the pup Verdy turned around and so did Andrew.

The dog within that cage was black and white. He was friendly and seemed sweet. Upon looking at the form on the front of the cage and seeing the abused box checked Andrew frowned. What kind of person would abuse a dog like that? Or any dog for that matter. Verdy crouching in front of the cage, obviously taken with the pooch probably would have been enough to convince him. However she had to call him Andy in that tone of voice. That struck him more to be perfectly honest.

He'd only just started getting used to nicknames again. Jorge called him Kid frequently. This was different. One, it was based on his name. Two, Jorge wasn't an attractive young woman. No disrespect to the cop. He was attractive in a mature way but he was also more a mentor than a romantic prospect. Andrew wasn't sure where he stood with Verdy other than friend. Andrew knelt down beside Verdy.

"Think this is the one Verdy?"

Andrew's fingers received the same licking that Verdy's had when he put them to the cage. He'd have to admit that it would be difficult to leave this guy behind if they ended up picking someone else.

The dog seemed happy to meet Andrew too and his tail moved from swishing to thumping against the ground. She took a deep breath and looked away from the big brown eyes and into the hazel ones beside her. She would not do the child-like ‘puh-leeeeeeeease’ however her eyes could not be controlled and matched the expression in the dog’s eyes in everything but colour, a startling green instead of deep brown.

“I think so…”

Why she was whispering escaped her, it just seemed fitting in that time and place. Looking back at the dog she put her finger through the mesh and scritched under his chin.

“What do you think buddy? Huh? Wanna come home with us?”

The dog’s eyes rolled closed in pleasure at the attention and the tail-thumping continued. Reaching up to the form to unhook it from the door she brought it down and inspected it. They could provide exercise and gentle care, the fact that he was good with children was a plus living in the mansion and while she wasn’t sure what ‘lactose intolerant’ meant in a dog she was sure they could cater to it.

Even if he wanted to leave the dog behind, which he didn't, the combined effect of the dog's puppy dog eyes with Verdy's pretty much sealed the deal. This one was the pooch they'd be taking back to the mansion. Andrew figured he'd fit right in with the other pets and the kids. His form indicated that he was good as such. Of course with him having been abused they'd have to be gentle with him until he got accustomed to them. No problem there, Verdy and him were not going to abuse the furry fellow and Andrew would be pretty angry at anyone that tried. He also noted the lactose intolerance.

"So no milk or other dairy stuff for you huh?"

Andrew smiled at the dog. That wouldn't be a problem at all. As they looked over the sheet the door to the room swung open and the friendly old man's voice spoke up.

"Made a decision have you?"

Andrew nodded.

"Yeah, I think this guy right here will suit us just fine."

The man came over to the cage and smiled when he saw which dog they'd picked.

"Good choice. He's a nice fellow but he's been here a while since most folks would rather have one a bit younger."

Andrew nodded again. He'd figured as much. Now what to name him?

So that was what lactose meant. She frowned and tried to recall what else she had read that dogs weren’t supposed to eat… Chocolate and coffee stood out, and she suspected onions, but would have to double check. Their dog would be a slightly fussy eater, but that would be fine, if it didn’t bother Andrew, it didn’t bother her.

Almost rubbing heads with Andrew as they looked over the sheet, he smelled nice she noted, the man’s friendly voice startled her and she jumped. Andrew answered his question as she calmed herself, no point looking like a nervy nut. She checked the dog’s age. He wasn’t that old, a while out of puppy-hood, but not into the twilight years of drooling on carpets and sleeping endlessly.

The man unlocked the cage door and slipped a harness over the dog’s shoulders (she noted the lack of collar) with a lead clipped to it. The dog followed willingly, not dragging on the lead but close on the old man’s heels.

“If you will follow me I’ll take you to the socialising room where you can spend some time together and get a start on the paperwork.”

Ah yes, paperwork. She had checked up on the library computers the day before and the requirement for adopting a dog, as well as a bunch of forms, was ID from someone over eighteen. She glanced at Andrew, if he was under eighteen, not only was he absurdly tall and mature, he was smart enough to be in college already. She highly doubted that. Taking their place in another, smaller room littered with balls and other toys with two or three seats the man fixed them up with the paperwork and left them to it, the lead unclipped and placed on the small coffee-table. Verdy waited until he was gone to turn to Andrew.

“Do you have any ID? I’m not sure they’ll take my library card.”

It was, she was certain, pretty much the only thing which had her date of birth on it, except for the prescription for her reading glasses, which she had packed just in case. The dog ran about the room for a few minutes, sniffing everything excitedly, before returning to them and sitting tail-wagging tongue-lolling grinning at them.

Once they were settled in to do paperwork and play with the dog for a bit Andrew reached over and petted him a couple of times. He seemed pretty excited to be out of that cage and wandered around the room for a bit before coming and sitting by them. Whatever else you could say about him he seemed fairly well behaved. Another point in their potential pooch's favor. They wouldn't have to train him much, if at all, it seemed. Verdy asked if he had ID on him. In response he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and flipped it open so that his driver's license showed.

"I hardly go anywhere without it."

Andrew wondered if maybe she'd just forgot hers. Or did she not have one? He chalked it up as another mystery to be asked about later and moved on to looking over the paperwork. It looked like the usual stuff.

"So what are we gonna name him?"

Before they got any sort of start on the paperwork they might as well settle on a name for him. Andrew looked at him while he thought. They could hardly give him an ordinary name like Spot or some other such nonsense. Neither of them were anywhere near the usual concept of normal and the dog deserved a unique name. The problem was he kept drawing a blank.