[Log] Aang and Kurenai
What: Meeting Appa
Who: Aang and Kurenai
When: Wednesday afternoon
Where: Dog shelter
Rating: PG
Open/Closed To: Aang
( Arranging to meet Aang at the shelter, Kurenai figured he could lead the way to the dog in question. )
Who: Aang and Kurenai
When: Wednesday afternoon
Where: Dog shelter
Rating: PG
Open/Closed To: Aang
( Arranging to meet Aang at the shelter, Kurenai figured he could lead the way to the dog in question. )
And they'd be together again. No more stealing moments at the shelter. No more hoping and not hoping that he'd be adopted, wishing that the dog would accept a new family while being terrified of losing him. They'd be a family again.
Aang saw Kurenai standing by the shelter door, Aang waved excitedly and ran over.
"You ready to meet Appa?" he asked, too pumped to remember greetings.
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"Definitely, and I'd also love to hear a little more about how you met Appa if you don't mind. I must admit, it seems really lucky of me to have found a college student who seems to know of a perfect dog to adopt."
Kurenai could see how excited Aang was and it made her more excited as well, reminding her how fun and valuable having a dog could be.
"Lead the way, and hopefully if all goes well we'll be able to adopt your friend." She didn't mind the lack of greetings, in fact it only endeared him to her more.
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He could tell her the truth -- that he was the only surviving member of a gang and Appa had been his guardian and constant companion since he was small -- but he didn't think that would go over too well. Normal people didn't like gang members. The few normal people he had heard talk about the slaughter of his family had all said: "Good riddance to bad rubbish." Never mind that they had only been movie and software pirates, hurting nobody except the mega-rich corporations that controlled everything. Gangs were gangs, and the sooner they were all gone, the better.
Aang wasn't about to risk his new friend, new home, and tenuous safety on the truth.
"Ahaha, I come here a lot." Truth. "Appa and I met and kinda just...clicked." Truth.
Man. Manipulating the truth was exhausting.
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She got the feeling there was something in his past that he didn't like talking about, but Kurenai was used to such things. Everyone had their demons and she was certain that if she could survive counseling Sasuke after what had happened to his family she wouldn't judge Aang and his situation. However, most people were less willing to be sympathetic or understanding, so she let his lie slide.
Kurenai hoped one day he could trust her, but until then they'd take it day by day.
"Sounds like you really love animals." She smiled. "I'm sure he's an excellent dog, and I hope I can click with him just as easily."
She gestured for him to lead the way, more intrigued by Aang and his story than she was before.
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"Hey Mrs. Pine!" he said, waving to the receptionist.
"Hello Aang," the older woman said kindly. "Go right on in."
Aang led Kurenai through the twisting hallways without a single hesitant or faltering step; by now he knew the route to the dog pen by heart. As they drew closer, his steps grew faster, until he was all but running. What if he wasn't there? What if someone had taken him already?
But there the large Akita was, curled up by the cage door, looking tired and forlorn.
"APPA!" Aang flung himself at the wire door, fingers quickly going through the holes to scratch his best friend's head.
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Giving the receptionist a little wave she proceeded down the hall behind Aang.
"You weren't kidding when you said you come here a lot, the staff knows you by name." She laughed as she commented.
Kurenai followed Aang and noticed how he became more confident the closer they got to where the dog was. She saw him increase his pace, worry crossing her brow as she tried to determine if he was afraid the dog was not longer there.
When she saw the reaction Aang had to the large Akita Kurenai had already made up her mind. It was obvious that the two belonged together. It was clear as soon as she heard that Aang had named the dog.
"So this is Appa? He's a beautiful dog, an Akita, right?" She stayed back, allowing the two to have their moment. "So how long have you known Appa was here?"
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"So I couldn't take him with me," he said, hoping Kurenai hadn't noticed the slip. "He's mostly Akita, although the vets say he's probably got a few other breeds in the bloodline. He's bigger than Akita generally get."
He looked up at the older woman hopefully. "So what do you think?"
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"I see, well how about you stay here and I'll see what it will take to get Appa out of here so we can take him home?" There was an implied sense that she might have some questions for him later, but for right now she was going to do everything in her power to get Aang reunited with his dog.
Calling out for the receptionist she smiled widely. "Aang has me convinced, how much will it take for us to adopt Appa?"
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Mrs. Pine and Carrie both smiled fondly at the young man. "It's 65 dollars," the receptionist said. "He's already had his shots and been neutered, so you don't have to worry about that. Why don't you come this way and we can get the paperwork over with."
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Pulling out her wallet she smiled at Mrs. Pine and followed her to where she could fill out the appropriate paperwork. "Aang, how about you get Appa ready for the trip back to my place and I'll take care of this. Looks like we'll need to get some dog food, a leash, and toys on the way home."
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RIGHT. The city had laws about dogs. Laws that included leashes. Aang had never bothered following such laws when he was younger -- Appa was trained to obey his every command, so it's not like he needed the leash for any reason -- but if he was going to be living with Kurenai, it might be a good time to start.
"Got ya!" he said, wriggling out from under Appa. "C'mon, boy! Let's get you ready to go!"
Within minutes, the two were set up with what they needed and ready to leave.
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Handing over the money, she asked about good veterinarians in the area and grabbed one of the shelter's business cards. Heading back to where Aang and Appa were waiting, Kurenai was pleased to see they were ready to go. Slowly walking over, she reached out a hand to let Appa sniff it, hoping the dog would realize she was friendly.
"Are you two ready, or do you need more time to catch up?" She smiled slightly, lightly scratching behind Appa's ears.
Glancing at Aang, she ran her hand through her hair. "I can go to the store and pick up food and stuff if you want to make a list of what we'll need."
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"We're ready!" he said, almost dropping the leash as he waved to her. Gotta keep up appearances, remember? He tightened his hold on the leash and silently apologized to Appa.
"Appa's a pretty simple guy," he continued as they walked out of the building. "All he needs is food and water and sunshine. We're both used to making our own fun."
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"That's great, how about I bring you two by the house and we can get Appa settled?" She noticed the slip with the leash and felt badly, wishing they didn't have to keep Appa on a leash.
"Alright, so just basic dry and wet food, or is there a particular brand you like for him?" She wasn't going to pretend she hadn't caught on that Aang had once owned Appa. "There are plenty of good walking places around."
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Who'd've thought two months ago that I'd have things this good? The grin softened to a wistful smile as he looked up at the older woman.
"Hey Kurenai." He took a breath to keep his voice from choking. "Thanks."
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This whole situation almost reminded her of how lost she had felt as a teenager when she first came to San Fran, and she felt intensely pleased to be able to assist Aang even though she didn't know his circumstances.
"Aang, you don't have to thank me." She paused, recognizing his mindset. "I'm just glad to help." Her tone turned teasing. "Don't make me regret it though."
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