Housepets!

Gael wrote: ↑Tue Oct 13, 2020 8:23 am Gizmo is kinda startled, he wasn’t expecting anyone else to walk up to them ”Oh, yeah, I’d like to join you”

"it would be a pleasure to join you. But, please don't expect much from me, I may have over done things just a moment ago." Albert's smile changed with the last sentence to one of more embassment than joy.

"Hi." Meeko said quickly when Chris introduced him to the two strangers on the street. Once the two agreed to join the ferret took the opportunity to scoop some of the snow up and throw it in a powdered spray at them to restart the game.

Hlaoroo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 9:10 am "Thanks, Lorne! It's new! A massive upgrade from my old chair." Scotty smiles, before smirking slightly and shaking his head at Zachary.
"Right. I forget not everyone is as good at charades as Frances. Gotta use my words. I was asking in what way the gloves felt strange and if mine felt strange too." he explains, via the speech-to-text function of his tablet.

Lorne chuckled, "I'll have to take your word on that, Scotty. If you ever want a better engine in the chair, let me know, I have a spare motorcycle engine I could probably fit in there..." he laughed, of course, as he was being silly (though, in his defense, he once was asked to put a truck engine into a lawnmower for someone so it wouldn't be out of the norm for him to do so). He then glanced at the light, waiting for the change, "Say, do you two mind if I tag along with you folks to the library? My garage's closed today due to the snow and I honestly didn't want to be cooped up indoors all day, watching TV and playing games." He asked as he adjusted his coat a little, a leather bracelet with a small metal eagle head he had on then peaked from under his sleeve.

"Of course you can, Mr Lorne," Zachary said, almost happily. He checked to make sure he had his battered, slightly fake, collar on. The tag was deliberately 'faded' and 'whited out' so the 'owners' name and details weren't readable. "We're not the library police, after all(!)"

"Thanks, Lorne." Scotty grins, "I probably shouldn't though. Zachary can testify that I'm already a bad enough driver as is. I shudder to think what would happen if I went any faster. And sure, feel free to tag along."

So saying, the cat leads the way across the street as the lights change, his motor whirring quietly.
"Plus, this chair already has military-grade tech in it. Jason wouldn't thank me if I let you pull it apart."

~~~~~~~~
Chris eeks and giggles as Meeko covers her in snow.
"Maybe we could do somefink a bit more low-key den? 'Ow 'bout we make a snowdog?" she suggests.
"An' I don't mean outta me!" she adds with a mock-glare at Meeko.

"A snow dog would be fine by me, if evenone else is ok with that." Albert reach down and scooped up a heap of snow in his arms, grinning gleefully. "That or some's about to get covered head to toe"

Hlaoroo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 8:31 am "Thanks, Lorne." Scotty grins, "I probably shouldn't though. Zachary can testify that I'm already a bad enough driver as is. I shudder to think what would happen if I went any faster. And sure, feel free to tag along."

So saying, the cat leads the way across the street as the lights change, his motor whirring quietly.
"Plus, this chair already has military-grade tech in it. Jason wouldn't thank me if I let you pull it apart."

"Military tech?!" Lorne replied as he followed along, careful as not to get run over by the chair, "Guess I know who to go to in case of a zombie apocalypse! But in all seriousness, if you guys need any vehicular repairs done, let me know." As the trio walked, Lorne gazed over at the snow for a bit, "You know, this is the first time I've seen snow in a long while?"

Zachary looked at Lorne curiously. He'd been thinking about remarking that Scotty's driving was why he was walking slightly beside and behind his friend but something else had his attention now. "What's a zombee? Oh, and I've seen too much Snow. Always freezes up my place."

"I'm easy eiver way!" Chris grins, scooping up another snowball.

~~~~~~~~
"Will do, Lorne!" Scotty chuckles, before turning a little more serious.
"It's been a while for me too. I was in hospital all last winter. And most of the fall before that. What was your excuse, Lorne? Lived somewhere tropical?" he asks before grinning at Zachary.
"Zombies, Zachary. You know, BRAAAAAIIIIIINNNNSSS! RAAAAARGH! Dead people walking and all that stuff?"

Hlaoroo wrote: ↑Wed Nov 25, 2020 8:09 am "Will do, Lorne!" Scotty chuckles, before turning a little more serious.
"It's been a while for me too. I was in hospital all last winter. And most of the fall before that. What was your excuse, Lorne? Lived somewhere tropical?" he asks before grinning at Zachary.
"Zombies, Zachary. You know, BRAAAAAIIIIIINNNNSSS! RAAAAARGH! Dead people walking and all that stuff?"

"Actually, I come from Arizona. Where I lived with my father, we rarely, if ever, got snow," Lorne chuckled then grinned, "Good enough of an excuse?"

Meeko smiled at Chris' unintentional suggestion to make a snowdog out of her and Albert's possible willingness to go along with such a scheme. He gathered up some more snow again and smiled a little wider after Chris' response. Though with everyone having snow now he figured it would be best to find a spot to dump the snow to build a base which he did picking a random spot in the yard before pushing more snow into a future pile to be sculpted.

Zachary nodded knowingly. "Aaah, like teachers before first Coffee?" He looked to Lorne. "No snow? Sounds nice. I always freeze."

Chris takes the opportunity to lob off a snowball at the ferret's backside as he pushes the snow.

~~~~~~~~
"You know, Zachary." Scotty says, pausing to type at the bottom of the ramp leading into the library.
"If you're that cold, we have a spare bedroom. Two of them, in fact. I'm sure Frances, my owner, wouldn't mind you using one. Wed too, if she's okay with cats. And yeah, Lorne, I'll accept that. Arizona's cool. I always wanted to see the Grand Canyon."

Hlaoroo wrote: ↑Sat Nov 28, 2020 5:59 am "You know, Zachary." Scotty says, pausing to type at the bottom of the ramp leading into the library.
"If you're that cold, we have a spare bedroom. Two of them, in fact. I'm sure Frances, my owner, wouldn't mind you using one. Wed too, if she's okay with cats. And yeah, Lorne, I'll accept that. Arizona's cool. I always wanted to see the Grand Canyon."

"The Grand Canyon is a beautiful sight to see," Lorne smiled as he held the door open for the two, "Me, my father, and my grandfather took motorcycle rides out there every summer to relax and take in the beauty and splendor of the world," he then took out his phone and brought up a picture and showed the two, "That's me on the left, my father Zeke 'Tinstar' Strider on the right, and my grandfather, Mahkah Strider; The Chief of the local Navajo tribe where I lived."

Zachary wondered how not to sound too enthusiastic about taking Scotty up on the offer and tried not to hop from foot to foot. It was a little easier with Lorne there. "Well, I'll... have to look it over, of course." He hoped his tail wasn't wagging. Then again, he was pretty sure it was. He could never beat Wed at poker... "Wed'll like it," he added. "I've heard of the canyon. Supposed to be very impressive. Thanks," he added, letting Scottie go first.

Civilization wrote: ↑Thu Nov 26, 2020 4:32 pm Meeko smiled at Chris' unintentional suggestion to make a snowdog out of her and Albert's possible willingness to go along with such a scheme. He gathered up some more snow again and smiled a little wider after Chris' response. Though with everyone having snow now he figured it would be best to find a spot to dump the snow to build a base which he did picking a random spot in the yard before pushing more snow into a future pile to be sculpted.

”Yeah a Snowdog sounds nice let’s do that” he helps out with the base happily

Meeko arched his back when the snowball hit for a little dramatics before looking back at Chris while Gizmo starts to help him on getting more snow, "Think we have enough snow to cover her?" He asks him mock gesturing to Chris.

"I'm already covered, ain't I?" Chris grins as she helps to build the body of the snowdog.

~~~~~~~~
"Of course. I wouldn't expect you to move in sight unseen." Scotty assures the fox, not buying the disinterested act for a second. He has the tact not to point it out though.

"Navajo? That's neat." the cat enthuses before bringing up a photo on the tablet PC attached to his chair that he uses to talk. It shows Scotty, Frances and Mike, Scotty's first owner and Frances' fiancé, sitting in a swinging garden seat by a cabin, a mountain visible in the background. The humans are hugging the cat; and a baseball cap with earholes lies on the ground at their feet, having been knocked off by Mike who's messing up Scotty's hair even as the cat tries to push him off. All three people are smiling and laughing as though they're barely even aware of the camera.

Scotty swings the screen around and lets the pair look at the photo for a few moments before spinning it back into place so he can type again.
"That's me, Frances and Mike, my first owner, on vacation at Mike's family's cabin at Mount Adams, Washington."

Zachary did his best not to ask the question of what had happened and just put a hand on Scotty's shoulder.

Hlaoroo wrote: ↑Sun Dec 13, 2020 4:16 am "Of course. I wouldn't expect you to move in sight unseen." Scotty assures the fox, not buying the disinterested act for a second. He has the tact not to point it out though.

"Navajo? That's neat." the cat enthuses before bringing up a photo on the tablet PC attached to his chair that he uses to talk. It shows Scotty, Frances and Mike, Scotty's first owner and Frances' fiancé, sitting in a swinging garden seat by a cabin, a mountain visible in the background. The humans are hugging the cat; and a baseball cap with earholes lies on the ground at their feet, having been knocked off by Mike who's messing up Scotty's hair even as the cat tries to push him off. All three people are smiling and laughing as though they're barely even aware of the camera.

Scotty swings the screen around and lets the pair look at the photo for a few moments before spinning it back into place so he can type again.
"That's me, Frances and Mike, my first owner, on vacation at Mike's family's cabin at Mount Adams, Washington."

"Cute picture," Lorne said, also not wanting to ask what happened but placing a his paw on Scotty's other shoulder as well.

"Thanks for not asking." Scotty smiles sadly at his new friends.
"I know you want to know though. And it's okay. I can talk about it now. Val, the dog who lives next door, has been a big help in coming to terms with it... Mike was an amazing person. He and Frances were going to get married. I was going to be the groomscat and ringbearer. Two weeks before the wedding we were going to the movies in the next town over when a drunk driver t-boned us on the highway. Slammed us into the car in the next lane and pushed us in front of a truck. I wound up in this chair, minus my voice, and Mike... was killed instantly... He was a registered organ donor though, and they tell me his death saved three other people's lives and helped at least six people with treatments and stuff. So at least some good came of the whole mess..."

The cat sighs and shakes himself a little.
"But anyway. Let's not spoil such a nice day with sad memories. I already asked Zachary so it's your turn now. What sort of stuff do you like reading, Lorne?" he asks, driving up the ramp and pressing the button on the pole to make the library door swing open.

Hlaoroo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 6:27 am "Thanks for not asking." Scotty smiles sadly at his new friends.
"I know you want to know though. And it's okay. I can talk about it now. Val, the dog who lives next door, has been a big help in coming to terms with it... Mike was an amazing person. He and Frances were going to get married. I was going to be the groomscat and ringbearer. Two weeks before the wedding we were going to the movies in the next town over when a drunk driver t-boned us on the highway. Slammed us into the car in the next lane and pushed us in front of a truck. I wound up in this chair, minus my voice, and Mike... was killed instantly... He was a registered organ donor though, and they tell me his death saved three other people's lives and helped at least six people with treatments and stuff. So at least some good came of the whole mess..."

The cat sighs and shakes himself a little.
"But anyway. Let's not spoil such a nice day with sad memories. I already asked Zachary so it's your turn now. What sort of stuff do you like reading, Lorne?" he asks, driving up the ramp and pressing the button on the pole to make the library door swing open.

First nodding, acknowledging what happened, Lorne replied while letting Scotty in first, "Mostly fantasy novels and science-fiction, along with stuff about vehicles. How about you two?"

Zachary wondered how to answer that as he stepped aside to let Scottie go in first (so as not to be run over) "I, er, quite like the, um, light reading," he said, remembering the definition Wed had given it (after she'd stopped laughing at a Fox reading cheap romance novels to learn to read.). He also pondered what to say to Scottie about what he'd said. Perhaps he'd think of something later?

Civilization wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 6:16 pm Meeko arched his back when the snowball hit for a little dramatics before looking back at Chris while Gizmo starts to help him on getting more snow, "Think we have enough snow to cover her?" He asks him mock gesturing to Chris.

”How thoroughly are we covering her” he asks as he looks at the pile of snow curiously

"Hmm." Meeko pondered while working on the snowdog. "Not covered enough." The ferret stops building to look at Chris, tilting his head to the side and raising a paw up as high as he can get it in a measuring pose, "How about buried to here instead." He finishes by waving that idea off, "Nah." and gets back to making the snow a sculpture of a dog rather than making a snow covered dog.

Chris giggles.
"Yeah, not enough snow fer dat yet." she points out.
"We might as well make da snow dog as big as we can instead. 'Ey, Meeko, 'ow're ya likin' yer new duds, by da way?" she asks, nodding at the ferret's scarf, gloves and hat.
"Are dey keepin' ya comfy an' warm enough?"

~~~~~~~~
"I read scifi and a bit of low and urban fantasy. Occasionally a little steam punk or some non-fiction about space or birds." Scotty answers, leading the way into the library. It's a modern building, brightly lit with most of the shelves low enough to be reached from a wheelchair.

It doesn't take long for the head librarian to spot the group entering. She's a short, white-haired lady with thick glasses, but powerfully built, and several tattoos can just be seen poking out around the cuffs and collar of her blouse. The top of her head barely reaches Lorne's ribs as she approaches.
"Aah, Shcotty, velcome back!" she greets in a distinctly German accent.
"Und you haff brought some friends too!"
"Hi, Frau Schmidt!" Scotty greets. "This is Zachary and Lorne. Guys, this is Mrs. Schmidt, the head librarian."
"Pleasure to meetink you. Any friends of Shcotty are friends of zee library too! Just so long as zeir paws are clean and zey are treatink zee books properly, off course." the lady says, offering the fox and hound a very firm hand to shake.

Hlaoroo wrote: ↑Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:50 am "I read scifi and a bit of low and urban fantasy. Occasionally a little steam punk or some non-fiction about space or birds." Scotty answers, leading the way into the library. It's a modern building, brightly lit with most of the shelves low enough to be reached from a wheelchair.

It doesn't take long for the head librarian to spot the group entering. She's a short, white-haired lady with thick glasses, but powerfully built, and several tattoos can just be seen poking out around the cuffs and collar of her blouse. The top of her head barely reaches Lorne's ribs as she approaches.
"Aah, Shcotty, velcome back!" she greets in a distinctly German accent.
"Und you haff brought some friends too!"
"Hi, Frau Schmidt!" Scotty greets. "This is Zachary and Lorne. Guys, this is Mrs. Schmidt, the head librarian."
"Pleasure to meetink you. Any friends of Shcotty are friends of zee library too! Just so long as zeir paws are clean and zey are treatink zee books properly, off course." the lady says, offering the fox and hound a very firm hand to shake.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Frau Schmidt," Lorne replied as he shook her hand, "This is a very lovely library you have."

Zachary took a tremulous breath as he waited his turn. At least this wasn't the OTHER Librarian that he'd met. The one who quite liked to shoo him out of the place at broom point. He was also quite happy he'd washed his handpaws this morning as best he could without access to soap. "Um, h..hello," he said cautiously as he took his turn on the hands. At least his claws were in decent shape and not too sharp.

"Oh." Meeko mumbled after Chris asked, while it was not used to being as covered up it did not mean that the clothing was bad. It was nice that he did not have to feel as cold which made up for being slightly and temporarily uncomfortable. "They're great." He answered honestly, stopping to admire how the work of snowy art was turning out.

"Danke, danke!" Frau Schmidt smiles, shaking paws and dropping Scotty's books into the return slot for him.
"Zose are some very nice gloves, Herr Lorne, und I am lovink zis jacket! I vonder if zey come in mine size." she says before turning to the fox.
"Vhy you are lookink so nervous, Herr Zachary? I vill not bite, do not vorryink." she encourages, ruffling the vulpine's ears.

Scotty can't help but grin to himself at the librarian's enthusiasm.

~~~~~~~~
"Dat's good. I'm glad you like 'em." Chris enthuses, tail wagging as she turns back to sculpting.
"Hmm. What sort o' dog are we makin'? I dunno 'ow long ta make dis tail."

"Um thank... thank you," Zachary said, finding he didn't mind the ear scritch as much as he'd feared he might. "I normally get... escorted out," he confessed. with a broom he didn't add.

"I did not have a plan." Meeko answered Chris yet again. He went over to the backside of the snow dog in figure in process and got down on his knees. Using some snow that was still near the snow dog he tried to see how a long tail would work out. Gravity quickly causing the freestanding tail to crumble under its own weight. Wrong kind of snow I guess., "Short seems like the better option."

”Short it is I suppose “ he says attempting to help as much as he can with the sculpture. He’s not sure how to do it so Meeko is doing most of the work of course

The library door closes behind the group again, and while a quick glimpse might have one thinking a human child with a cat eared cap stepped through, any real look would reveal the truth of what the newcomer is.

A furless cat, shivering from the cold as she pulls a small tablet from the pocket of the coat she's wearing... and puts it back before long, after what looks to be having just sent a message. She then finally looks up at the group in front of her and gives a little wave and a smile. "Heya. Sorry for the breeze there, but I needed out of the cold; it's a little killer for me in the winter for... obvious reasons, I would hope," she remarks, looking at her gloved hand with a bit of a smirk. "How's the weather treating everyone else?"

Zachary jumped slightly as the new voice spoke and deciding to pretend that he'd not been enjoying the ear scritching, noted the newcomer with interest. He'd read stories about this style of Feline before but never thought he'd see one up here so... He moved closer to the female, hoping he didn't look threatening, merely curious. He walked around her, sniffing slightly. As he finished, he grinned broadly. "Well, you're better dressed for it than I am," he said, putting his arms wide and doing a little pirouette to show off the fact he was just wearing a battered bodywarmer. He offered a handpaw. "I'm Zachary. Scottie's in the chair and Muttley - usually called Lorne - isn't. Oh, and this is Mrs Librarian," he added, failing to recall her name.

Hlaoroo wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 8:45 am "Danke, danke!" Frau Schmidt smiles, shaking paws and dropping Scotty's books into the return slot for him.
"Zose are some very nice gloves, Herr Lorne, und I am lovink zis jacket! I vonder if zey come in mine size." she says before turning to the fox.
"Vhy you are lookink so nervous, Herr Zachary? I vill not bite, do not vorryink." she encourages, ruffling the vulpine's ears.

Scotty can't help but grin to himself at the librarian's enthusiasm.

Playfully nudging Zach with his elbow with a small chuckle, he turned to the librarian, "I believe they do," Lorne smiled, "Place I got these from is 'Master CraftWork', down the road from the mall. All their products are home made and they do custom fittings, so they'll be able to accommodate you." Reaching into his coat pocket, Lorne then pulls out a small metal case and opens it, pulling out one of the many business cards it held and handing it to Frau Schmidt, while also waving at the girl who just came in, "And here, I own the repair shop up the road here - Old Mel's place since he retired - if your car ever needs any checking out, feel free to bring it in! I'll be happy to check it out."

"Vell, Herr Zachary, ve vill haff to gettink you a library card so you are not being escorted out next time, ja?" Frau Schmidt suggests before turning back to Lorne.
"Danke!" she says again, reading and then pocketing the card.
"You are vorkink on motorbikes too, ja?" she asks.

~~~~~~~~
Scotty gives the newcomer a friendly wave and a smile.
"Hi there! I like your hat!" his computer says as he swivels his chair to more comfortably face her.
"It's a nice colour on you."

~~~~~~~~
"Hmm. True. It's a bit powdery still, innit?" Chris agrees with the ferret.
"'Ow were ya gettin' on wiv da muzzle? What sort of ears 'ave ya done?"

She laughs a bit at the fox's curiosity, as well as the other cat's observation. "I don't have much context to how much fur helps, but I can say I'm still freezing," she replies, taking the offered paw in a friendly shake. She even flicks her ears a bit to show off the ear holes behind the fake cat ears of her hat, giving a knowing smile to Scotty. "Leaves me with little choice but to stay inside here for a bit until I'm not risking frostbite of the ears or general hypothermia. Mind if I join you?"

Meeko stood up to look at how the little art project of a snow dog was coming along. It looked like a pretty generic lump of snow in the shape of a dog which seemed good enough for him. "Uh," was all the ferret was able to get out with Chris' last questions and just gestured to the work that was already completed. "I do not want to risk breaking the muzzle off." He added in case that part was not good enough in the eyes of his companions.

"Thank you, miss librarian," Zachary said pleasantly, "that would be fun and help me learn to read." He turned to the Feline. "And of course we'd let you join us! We need a lady!"