RP: Volunteer Work
Date: 16 December 2005
Characters: Mandy Brocklehurst, Su Li, Parvati Patil
Location: the shelter, the hospital
Status: Private
Summary: Su's new volunteer work is much more exciting than she'd anticipated
Completion: Incomplete
( Snow! )
Characters: Mandy Brocklehurst, Su Li, Parvati Patil
Location: the shelter, the hospital
Status: Private
Summary: Su's new volunteer work is much more exciting than she'd anticipated
Completion: Incomplete
( Snow! )
"I want to hear all about Spain! That owl you sent me on Friday was so adorable. I could just imagine you having a magical time." Su beamed at Mandy, delighted that her friend was so happy. "And speaking of birthdays..." She dug a small package out of her pocket and tapped it with her wand, enlarging it a bit before gently handing it over. Su hoped Mandy liked the tea set and selection of herbal tea she had chosen.
Su groaned. "That is the worst pun ever," she said, trying not to laugh as she swatted Mandy on the arm. "You are the biggest dork I know," she added with an affectionate smile.
Su followed Mandy around the shelter. She tried not to stare at Greg, but did whisper "Merlin, I only come up to his knee" after they left the office. She felt her heart melt a little as they entered the cats' room. "Oh, they're beautiful. I want to take them all home!"
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"I'll tell you about Spain when we're out walking -- I'd be more than happy to tell," she said with a dreamy sigh. "It was an amazing couple of days, just what I needed."
Her eyes widened when she saw Su take something out of her pocket and tap her wand to it. "For me?" Smiling, she took the package, noticing Su's gentle handling of it and following her example. She set it on a table and folded the wrapping paper away, then unwound the thin paper around each object.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed. "So bright and cheerful and -- I love it!" She drew Su into another hug. "You're so sweet. Thank you! Promise me to come visit soon so I can take out this set for us, yeah?"
"Come on," she said with a cough, "I'm not that much of a dork. No worse than you anyway. You're laughing inside, I can tell."
Su's comment about Greg made her giggle -- the two of them really had made quite a contrast shaking hands.
After Su had admired the feline contingent of shelter pets, she led Su along through the connecting annex to the old building, where the dogs were mostly resting and dozing in pairs or groups, cuddling together. But they perked up when the two of them entered, several getting up and coming over to greet them.
"Hello, hello, pretty ones. They're angling for a walk," Mandy laughed, looking up at Su as she bent to pet a couple of the dogs. "We can pick a couple for you and I'll take my usual four. Greg will let the others into the outdoors pen in a bit."
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"Great, because I want to hear all about it."
"For you," Su said with a gentle smile. "I'm so glad you like it! I saw the dragonflies and thought of you." Su laughed as Mandy hugged her again, and she squeezed and swayed a bit because she was here with her Mandy and it was snowing and she loved her job and life was just lovely lately. "I'd love to come by and help you get some use out of it."
Su giggled. "You totally are. And I'm not laughing inside, I swear." And that was enough to turn the giggles into full-blown laughter, but she managed to choke out, "See, definitely not on the inside."
It was cooler in the dogs' pen, and Su shivered slightly. She grinned at the dogs, some of whom came over to say hello. Su bent down and held out her hand to a pretty cocker spaniel, and after giving her a perfunctory sniff the dog put his paws on her knees and enthusiastically licked her face. Su pushed him gently away. "This one's friendly," she laughed, rubbing her face with a sleeve. "Maybe I can take him out?" The dog was wagging his tail, apparently approving of the idea.
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She grinned, biting her lip before snorting giggles as well. "See, I knew you secretly appreciated my tasteful wit. I know you too well, my little Su-dolph." She noticed Greg wryly cocking an eyebrow at her through the open door of his office and it only set her off worse. After all, Su and her had over a decade's history of silly giggles, no point in starting to act their age now.
They'd sobered when they got to the dogs' area, and without really thinking about it Mandy slipped into professional mode, watching Su with the dogs, going over the likely candidates in her mind to find a good match. Some of them were sweet-natured enough but too strong and burly. Su didn't need a dog who'd soon discover that it could walk her.
One took an immediate liking to her, and he was a pretty nice match for her too. Lively and friendly and not too big. "Sure you can," she said. "He's a lovely boy. Would you like to take one more? That lab mix girl over there is as sweet as they come. It's up to you, though." She got leashes from the peg on the wall and fastened them to the collars of four of the dogs, for herself to walk, and then one to the spaniel.
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“That will be my nickname for the foreseeable future, I suspect,” Su groaned. She noticed Greg’s expression and blushed furiously, not used to strangers witnessing her sillyness, but couldn’t help joining in Mandy’s hilarity. “Oh, my sides hurt,” she gasped.
“I think I can handle two,” Su agreed as she walked over to the lab to say hello. “Would you like me to take you out?” The lab’s tail started wagging and Su grinned as she buried her fingers in the dog’s thick coat. “That seems like a yes to me.” She buttoned up her coat and replaced hat and gloves before taking the leashes Mandy offered. After a moment’s pause she switched the leashes so that she had the larger lab in her stronger right hand. “Is there anything special I should know before we start?”
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"Look at us," she grinned, "one should think we planned to conquer the North Pole rather than a temperate village in south-east England."
She looked Su over. "Well, there's one thing; it's easier if you hold both leashes in your right hand. If you have leashes in both hands, you more easily fall victim to the 'torn-down-the-middle' syndrome when two dogs decide they want to head in opposite directions. Believe me, I've been there and it has a tendency to end up with a human hitting the ground smack on her bum." She grinned. "Just transfer both leashes to your right and help with the left to secure it when needed. It gives you better balance."
"No, I think that's it, no more instructions," she said, walking ahead, and winked over her shoulder to Su, who followed with her two companions. "You know, as much as I'd love to flatter myself, it's not like this is advanced arithmancy or anything."
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"Really? That never occurred to me." Su rearranged the leashes as instructed and gave the dogs a mock-serious frown. "Now you two behave, got it? I don't want any bum-meeting-ground moments."
She followed Mandy, glad that the two dogs seemed to be getting along and walked by her side, not tugging at the leash. Maybe this would be easier than she'd thought. "So," Su prompted. "Spain?"
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They stepped down the front stairs, and Mandy started around the corner of the building towards Lovegood Lane, planning a walk along the river to the west bridge and back along River Road and across the Alpha bridge. She doubted Su was warm enough for a longer walk, and despite the awesome cuteness of the boots she was still a little uncertain how steady they'd be able to keep her.
She glanced at Su, torn from her musings. "Oh, Spain!" She sighed, a goofy grin spreading on her face. "We went to Lanzarote, did I say? I think the note I owled you was a but, um, jumbled. But it was ... heaven. God, so sunny and bright and warm -- the hotel was gorgeous. We had a suite with a balcony looking out over the sea. We spent hours on the beach just goofing around in the water and then baking in the sun, and at night we dined at the terrace restaurant complete with ocean view and exotic flowers, and Zach had ordered a massage for me at the water therapy center at the hotel and--" She shook her head, pausing for breath, and sighed again, more wistful this time. "When we got back this morning and felt how cold the flat was, I just wanted to do an immediate U-turn."
"Are you okay?" she added. "They aren't giving you trouble yet?" All the dogs were frisky and bouncy over the snow, but Su's two were gentle types considering, so she hoped there'd be no problems reining them in. She kept an eye on them, just in case.
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"No, I'm fine. No trouble at all. You were right, this isn't arithmancy." Famous last words. Before they walked much further, the lab mix saw a squirrel running towards a tree and suddenly pulled hard on the leash, trying to chase after it. Su wasn't prepared and lost her balance on a patch of ice ice. She fell hard, hitting her head on the ground, and everything went black.
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And that was the last thing she had time to say on that subject before the lab jerked hard on the leash and Su gave a gasp as she lost balance and fell.
And lay silent. The sound of Su's head hitting the ice as she landed had made Mandy's stomach twist sickly in fear. She fell to her knees beside Su, pulled off her mitten by her teeth to gently pat her cheek, talking to her. But after half a minute that felt like an eternity, there was still no sign of response, and Su was so white. Carefully, she stroked her hair away to check the back of her head and noticed stains of red on the snow. Mandy let out a moan in distress, as she realized she needed to get help for her, quick.
They were barely out of the shelter grounds, but she was afraid of trying to levitate Su back there, unconscious and perhaps with a concussion. Getting to her feet, Mandy gently grabbed the largest dog by the scruff of its neck. It was an Alsatian who was one of the few really well trained dogs they'd had going through the shelter.
"Down," she said firmly, nudging the dog down to lie beside Su, pressed close along her side. "Stay. Keep her warm for me, love, okay?"
She ran with the other dogs bouncing ahead, back up the steps and inside, her hands shaking as she unfastened the leashes before she ran through the annex into the new building, shouting for Greg.
He was no longer there. Not in his office, and when he didn't respond, Mandy didn't waste time to go looking. She walked to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder and tossed in before stepping inside and calling out the address to the hospital.
She tumbled out of the hospital Floo and, breaking into a run again, went straight to the reception desk. "I need a Healer to come with me at once," she said, out of breath, to the elderly woman there. "My friend's fallen on the ice and she's unconscious. I had to leave her there." Suddenly feeling tears pressing on, she looked around for someone with green Healer's robes. She could hear that she was talking too loud. "Please, is there anyone?"
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