Office Hours, Tuesday

[just_add_starch]

Fraser...had all the dogs with him this morning. Yes, this was quite the undertaking but he hated leaving them at home when Robin was out of town. They were being remarkably well behaved (save for Pickles who kept trying to eat paper) and were mostly relaxing and checking out anyone and everyone who walked by the open door

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[headkickpoet]

"Fraser! What are you--"

Ray came to a stop about midway into his dramatic barge into the office, mostly because there were dogs in the way. "...what, you think the apartment's too big for a kennel so you gotta downgrade?"

[just_add_starch]

"Robin's out of town," he said, smiling as Dorito jumped up to wind around Ray's legs. "I didn't want to leave them at home by themselves."

[headkickpoet]

"Yeah, I'm sure they feel better hangin' out with a Mountie in a broom closet." Okay, maybe he was exaggerating the size of Fraser's office, but whatever, there were points to be made. "Yeah, yeah, good to see you too," he muttered in the direction of the dog by his feet, reaching a hand down to sniff.

[just_add_starch]

Dorito sniffed it for a moment before trying to lick at his fingers.

"They've been here before," he said, laughing. "They don't seem to mind it. It's Christmas, I thought maybe I'd put bows on their collars and make them look festive."

[headkickpoet]

"Real festive, Frase. Like walking, uh, Christmas trees." After the dog had licked him enough to hit his getting-licked-by-a-dog quota, Ray found a seat and flopped down in it. "So, uh, you keeping them in for Christmas eve?"

Hey, he was being subtle.

[just_add_starch]

"The dogs? I think so," Fraser said. "I don't know where else they'd go and they seem to like Christmas."

[headkickpoet]

"So you and Robin are stayin' at home, then." He reached out an idle hand towards one of the other dogs. Milkshake? Cookies? Whatever he was called.

[just_add_starch]

"So, we've no plans to travel," Fraser said, watching with continued amusement as the dogs sniffed around Ray. Dorito actually sat down and put his head on Ray's knee. "Yourself?"

[headkickpoet]

"Me? Um, mom's got plans with her bridge club or something." He shrugged like it was no big deal. See? No big deal. "Figured I'd stay in, order some pizza, catch some TV."

[just_add_starch]

"Pizza?" Fraser asked, frowning. "And television?"

[headkickpoet]

"Dunno if you ever noticed, but there's a lot of specials on TV this time of the year." He was breaching this one subtly. See? Subtle. "Plus I think my partner's some kinda health-freak, so I need to, uh, compensate."

[just_add_starch]

"I eat pizza every once in awhile. Just not all the time and not with half the toppings you probably get on your pizza," he said. "But that wasn't what I meant. Robin will be back on Christmas Eve. If you can tear yourself away from your pizza and holiday specials, you should come over on Christmas Day."

[headkickpoet]

Success! Subtlety totally worked. His ego got to live another day.

"Guess I could swing by for, like, an hour," Ray said, affecting the whole 'no big deal' posture that worked nicely here. He shrugged again for effect. "Check out the walking Christmas trees."

[just_add_starch]

"There's a real Christmas tree too," Fraser said. "And probably a few gifts with your name under them from, um, Santa."

Totally from Santa.

[headkickpoet]

Ray considered that one. "So Santa's Canadian. Huh. You learn more every day."

[just_add_starch]

"Well, Canada is one step away from the North Pole in terms of temperature," he said. "And the northern areas of Canada are desolate enough for a workshop filled with elves. No one would notice."