⚂ [ a u d i o || a c t i on ]|

[specifics]

Never liked this tradition. I mean, I'd rather not take orders from a plant. Seriously, just...

[ - annnnd, some subsequent mumbling, as well as the words - you know it's a parasite are articulately audible but not much else before the device turns off. ]

[ ooc/accosting reference: Arthur today will have been in order - getting coffee,

Comments

action )

[adamantined]

[Everyone knows that one of the best ways to pick up girls involves walking a small, cute dog to spike their interest. The same might be said for the reversal, but Claire isn't thinking of anything remotely along those lines as she follows Mr. Muggles' power walk down a relatively empty sidewalk, and though she's hardly even aware of Arthur, it's likely that his thoughts aren't running that race either. Still, the two dogs - both hilariously proportioned in their own right, though Pancake has the benefit of being adorable while Mr. Muggles just has the benefit of having hair that resembles that of a lion's mane - are on a crash course, and it's only a matter of time before Claire is pulling the leash tight against the barely-there weight of her dog as he rushes to make friends with the corgi walking down the street, attached to a figure with much less ridiculous legs.

Claire looks up, caught on the edge of an apologetic laugh, pushing her hair behind her ear as she says:]

God, I'm sorry - come on, Muggles, don't - he's not going to eat him or anything, I swear.

[Does she know this guy? She thinks she might. There's a lingering sort of familiarity about him, like someone she once met at a party or glimpsed on the Network or served long ago in a busy and dim corner of the bar.]

action )

[specifics]

[ Sure enough, Arthur waves off her apology with his free hand, keeping a tight hold on Pancake's leash as the surprisingly nimble dog headbutts with the scrawnier compatriot. He recognizes Claire's voice in that vaguely certain way of having spoken before but not being able to pin her actual name down, just the awareness of familiarity. Eying her thoughtfully then letting his focus drop to the dogs now half bumping into each other in a much failed attempt - likely - to circle one another, he shakes his head. ] Nothing to be sorry for.

Good to know though. Not big on cannibalism - dogs or otherwise.

[ Things seem to have settled down when one of the nearby shops opens its door and the burst of warm air funneling out carries with it the distinct beckoning smell of food - stew maybe, something savory. Whatever it is gets Pancake's attention and he bounds for it, sort of barreling into the other dog as he does so, which means their leashes tangle and it ends up being all of them briefly tugged along toward that shop. ]

action )

[adamantined]

[Less capable of actually barreling, the Pomeranian Claire currently has a still-white-knuckled grip on rolls after the corgi rather than follows him. She tries to pick him up and right him, but the bend at her waist only proves to be a wasted effort as Mr. Muggles squirms his way right again and takes off on clicking toes to catch up with his newly acquired canine friend. He's not typically so social with other dogs, so Claire allows him the opportunity to be less diva and more follower, hardly minding the tug at her wrist, since it feels like she might just have a squirrel attached to the end of the leash, with as much as her dog weighs.

For her part, Claire only puts a hand on Arthur's arm in a quick attempt to steady herself, even if it might not be necessary. The smell of food hits her hard and something in her stomach gives way to hunger she hadn't realized was there, and she's reminded to eat something, which may or may not be appropriate given the words that have just come out of his mouth. Her smile is quick and bright but more a courtesy, a flashy reflex, than anything genuinely honest. Still, it's there.]

I'd be concerned if you encouraged it, to be honest. [Using her fingers wrapped in the fabric of his jacket as a sort of handshake, she looks at the dogs while she addresses him.] You're... it's... Arthur, right? Am I wrong?

action )

[specifics]

Nope. Arthur's right. And you're... [ Honestly he has to dig for it for a second, but Arthur tries very hard not to forget anyone he has spoken to (still guilty of it a couple times anyway) and a moment later, still being tugged (well, letting himself be tugged) by Pancake, the name finally comes to him. ] Claire. Claire who was thinking of starting a business...of some kind. [ Okay he's not absolutely on his game unfortunately, since that's pretty vague considering the size of the City, the density of its population, the probability of there being more than one Claire not low but the one of there being a Claire who sounds young and entrepreneurial exponentially more so. He returns her smile, a similar proficiency in politeness as a reflex.

And ordinarily it would end there, but the damnable call of food to the dogs and their owners being amenable to Letting Them Do Whatever They Want - within reason - means he and Claire now stand just under the jutting roof of the cafe, a cute whimsical sort of look overall to the storefront - the roof being green shingled and protruding from worn red brick. The window is decked out with lights that twinkle in variations of pastels and it's charming in a small town way that's completely incongruous with the City's metropolitan take. Arthur has a moment to note that he surprises himself by liking it before he leans down - really, down - to press his mouth to Claire's.

It's not vehement or demanding, nothing in the compulsion eliciting this thankfully, but almost the softness there is somehow worse, something sweet there not meant for each other at all, but it speaks loudly: that the endearment exists for someone, the angling of lips just so and the frame of his free hand at her cheek. ]