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[bernicesurprise]

It had taken a bit longer than she'd hoped to find an abandoned hut that she could claim for her own. The hunt was worth it, though, because the one she finally settled on was perfect. Off the beaten path but still close enough to the Compound that she wouldn't starve to death from sheer laziness. Over the last few days she'd managed to clean

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[zenish_moment]

It had been a very long time since Charlie had owned a dog, and even then it had been more his father's than his own. Jennifer had been allergic, so once they moved in together it was out of the question.

Now, though, he had a puppy, a rolly polly ball of fluff that tended to amble along with his long strides. He named her Catalina after the mysterious and magical island off the Los Angeles coast, and so far she was proving herself to be sweet and inquisitive and not especially bright. The perfect dog, in other words.

Until she tore off into the jungle, leaving him to crash along after her. "Catalina!" he called, followed even more ridiculously by "Cat!" By the time he caught up with her she was nosing at a woman's feet, tail wiggling happily. "Oh, cat," he added with a grin and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, she kind of got away from me."

[bernicesurprise]

Benny heard the shouts of "cat" before she saw where they were coming from and it took her a minute to figure out why anyone would be yelling at Wolsey that way. When the dog broke through the foliage, all wagging tail and drooly tongue, it made a bit more sense, even if the name was a bit absurd. Wolsey didn't appear to mind or even pay much notice to the canine interloper, so Benny just shifted him slightly in her lap, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and pet the dog behind the ears. "No worries," she replied with a somewhat watery smile to the man who looked disturbingly familiar. "Wolsey here doesn't seem to mind at all."

[zenish_moment]

"Good, good," Charlie replied and took a moment to catch his breath, hands on his hips and gaze fixed skyward. With a sigh he looked back to the woman and her cat and his dog, noted that they all seemed to be content, and so ambled over to collect Catalina and be on his way. Closer inspection showed the woman to be a bit teary, so when he crouched down to give Cat scritches he tilted his head with a slight frown. "Everything all right?"

The puppy, oblivious, promptly flopped over to get belly rubs.

[bernicesurprise]

She obliged by rubbing the dog's belly and although Wolsey didn't seem to mind the other animal's presence, he did look a bit affronted at having to share Benny's attention. "Yes, I'm Ok. Wolsey here just showed up a bit unexpectedly, is all. Took me by surprise." She kissed his furry head and was rewarded with a loud purr and his paws kneading her thigh.

[toshiko_san]

It wasn't much of a gift, but Tosh wasn't able to not bring something. Some books that she'd always liked, a mix of science and fiction, a basket for carting things to and from the compound, and cookies, baked that morning by someone else. Enough that she didn't feel empty handed as she made her way down the path.

She'd left Jackson with Charlie for a few hours. Mostly she'd decided that she'd like to visit Benny on her own, and a short break seemed like a good idea.

[bernicesurprise]

Wolsey was sitting in Benny's lap, kneading her thighs and purring like a motorboat. It was heavenly. She was so wrapped up in the unexpected appearance of her dearest furry friend, that she didn't register Tosh's approach until the other woman was nearly right in front of her. "Hello, Tosh! Come say hello to Wolsey. He was just...here, waiting for me when I arrived. Such a good cat."

[toshiko_san]

"Here I thought I'd bring you a housewarming gift. It seems the island has brought you one," she smiled as she held out the basket of goods. "Is he just a random cat from here, or from before?"