[open]

[fource]

WHO: Quatre and you!
WHERE: Around the porter cities
WHEN: Throughout June
WHAT: Assorted attempts to (successfully) train some therapy dogs and (unsuccessfully) accomplish basic household chores
WARNINGS: none

a. therapy dog training - all porter cities
[So long as it's not pouring outside, Quatre can be found in any park in the porter cities exercising at least one therapy-dog-to-be. Even with all the walks, impromptu games of fetch, and lying around in the grass blatantly chilling out with the dogs instead of working, they still manage to find time to do some actual training.]

Excuse me! [he calls, flagging down any random passerby who doesn't seem too busy, as the dog wags its tail next to him.] Could you help us with something for a few minutes?

b. therapy dog visits - all porter cities
[These therapy dogs aren't going through all this strenuous training (/playing) for nothing, though-- Quatre's starting to go out with some of them on their actual jobs. At any hospital or nursing home, orphanage or library, even the local high schools and colleges, Quatre could be found with a dog and a stack of Hounds For Hurting Hearts brochures, ready to comfort patients and cheer up staff on bad days, or serve as a fluffy and nonjudgmental audience for little kids to practice reading to, or just be there to play with during the stress of finals (on that note, Quatre looks like he should be one of the students, though he's never stepped foot inside the school building before...). The dog that accompanies Quatre on these trips is always the epitome of a good boy (or girl), perfect behavior without an aggressive bone in their bodies, but Quatre isn't so practiced at this.

Maybe he's having difficulty getting a door open with a dog leash in one hand and reams of informational papers in the other; maybe he's got to clear up some scheduling with the receptionist who thought they were coming next week, not today; maybe he just passes the wrong person and stops in the middle of a hallway to press a hand over his heart and sort through their unpleasant feelings; maybe he decides said exceptionally sad person could use an unscheduled dog visit of their own, and he calls after them with the well-behaved pooch trotting after him.]

c. laundry day - Heropa or De Chima
[How hard can it be to do laundry, really? Not only are there instructions on the machines at the laundromat, there's even instructions on the clothing about how to wash them. That's why Quatre is unknowingly setting himself up to be public enemy number one at this laundromat: he's checking the care instructions on each piece of clothing and sorting it into one of five separate laundry machines that he's commandeered for his work. Cold delicates in one machine, two for cold water, normal cycle, another two for warm... None of them are anywhere approaching full, but this laundromat sure is.] 'Wash with like colors...' [he reads off of one label, then scans the row of washers to figure out if this pale pink shirt belongs with the machine full of white clothing or the machine full of pastels. He still has half a laundry basket to go through before he starts running this travesty.

Or, hey, maybe you just catch him trying to pour way too much soap into a machine. Say something, or let him flood the place with soap bubbles?]

d. grocery shopping - mostly Heropa but it can be wherever
[Quatre has a hand basket filled with canned soups, sandwich fixings, the odd frozen meal, a box of cereal advertising some sort of space theme (surprise toy inside!), and premade salads-- in other words, a collection of things that don't require any skill to prepare. He's currently in the fruit section, eyeing other shoppers as they try to select the fruit that they want. He copies the actions that he sees-- picking up fruit, squeezing them gently, inspecting them from all sides-- but based on the expression on his face he doesn't seem to have any idea what he's supposed to be looking for. He's weighing an orange in each hand, glancing between the two of them like if he just looks hard enough, he'll be able to tell which one he should buy. Everyone else seemed to figure it out, after all!]

e. idk wildcard me

Comments

HOUSE 12 NONSENSE

[fource]

[Most of the time, Quatre is a fairly unobtrusive housemate. It seems like he doesn't even come home half the time, and when he does he spends most of his time quietly reading or working on a spread of technical space ship specs. Aside from the odd scientific texts left in a neat pile on the coffee table and the stack of easy-to-prepare meal ingredients in the kitchen, Quatre usually leaves very little sign of his presence. Maybe there are pleasant words over tea in the morning or in passing in the hallway, but he's never been an intrusive figure in the house.

Until now. Quatre got his hands on a violin, and he's playing with reckless abandon. He's actually very good at it; this could be a classical music CD if it weren't for the occasional pause to repeat a difficult section or switch to another song when the mood strikes him. The problem is that he's used to much thicker walls and a group of people who will adjust their lives to fit his schedule; it hasn't occurred to him that he might be bothering someone, even if it's getting late at night or early in the morning.]

c

[knaval]

[riptide isn't here to do laundry. riptide does not give a good god damn about laundry. he does, however, give somewhat of a god damn about quatre.

he notices the queue and then who's causing it, pulls the door open and pushes his way to the front (easy when he's 6'6 and extremely skinny. like a mobile piece of paper) to get the space boi's attention.]

Hey! What are you doing?

[remember when he died? nice good first convo after that.]

[fource]

[Quatre does, in fact, remember when Riptide died! Very vividly. It physically hurts his heart just to think about it.

That isn't why he puts his hand on his chest when he sees Riptide, though. That's because of the little wave of annoyance that spreads through the crowd when an enormous beanpole pushes his way past. (You know what else physically hurts? Looking up at Riptide when he's this close. There's like a foot and a half distance between them.)]

Hi Riptide. How are you doing? [He holds up a pale pink shirt for his consideration.] Do you think this should go with the whites, or is it okay if it's with the light blue ones?

[Strange. That irritated sensation from the crowd is growing again.]

[knaval]

I'm okay. You?

[he doesn't seem to give a shit about the crowd.]

You're askin' me? I've only been wearing clothes for last year of my three million year long life! [he snorts.] I just buy new ones when the old ones get dirty.

[there's a murmur of disapproval but... he's got the money??]

[fource]

[Sasuga, Riptide... from one clueless boy to another. What an impressive level of avoiding basic household chores.]

Do you really? [He says it like it's a curious point of interest instead of an enormous waste of money.] You know, if you don't want to wash them yourself, maybe you could donate them. If you give them to me, I'll try washing them and passing them down for you!

[A conflicted mutter ripples through the crowd. On the one hand, charity; on the other, does anyone want Quatre Raberba Winner in the laundromat for one second longer than he already has to be?

Quatre probably just forgot to talk about how he's doing, huh.]

[knaval]

That's gross, but okay.

[what was he doing with them before? probably just tossing them wherever he changed. he's literally the worst.

riptide looks back to the queue.]

Why are you lot still here? Bugger off, we're talkin'!

[fource]

I mean, how dirty are they? [Maybe they could donate them to a charity that would wash it for them...? No, that's probably disrespectful of the charity's time. In any case, the crowd seems to disperse in frustrated resignation when Riptide straight up calls them out, though someone does mutter something about people taking up the entire laundromat for personal chats. Quatre watches as if he's only just now aware of the shrinking group of people.]

Hmm. They're not fans of yours again, are they? [He means it as a joke, except for how the rest of that mission went. Frowning at his salmon shirt, he adds] I'm sorry. About what happened on the moon base.

1/2

[knaval]

Sometimes I roll in mud.

[why, riptide? why?! riptide looks around.]

Hey! If any of you want an autograph, tell me! If not then go across the street or something! I'm a celebrity, I can do what I want, and this controversy will only get me more fans!

[he laughs evilly. mad with power.]

i lied 2/3

[knaval]

[then, before anyone can react:] I'm kidding, idiots.

[he takes a wad of cash out, because apparently that's just how he deals with having more money than he knows what to do with.]

But seriously, go across the street. This is imPort stuff now. I'll pay.

[he just. takes the band off the wad and lays it on the bench. it's a wad of $100s.]

One each, come on. Don't push or I'll turn into my natural form and destroy this building with you all inside it and the one across the street. We don't want that, do we?

[knaval]

[it's surprisingly quick how people grab money and leave. a couple probably snuck two notes, but riptide doesn't care. there's enough of them left when the last person leaves that riptide is content they didn't just grab handfuls. he pockets the rest.]

Right. Nice being famous.

[let's just be grateful the owner of this laundromat isn't out front to see the bullshit that just went down.]

Now, what? My horrible death? Oh, it's fine. I barely remember it.

[fource]

[Quatre watches this farce with befuddled amusement. It does clear out the laundromat astonishingly quickly.]

Wow. Does that always work?

[He wonders if any of his family members would ever do something like this. Probably some cousins would.

...anyway, that does not sit right with Quatre.] Are you being sarcastic? [He asks this very earnestly, not like he's calling Riptide out on anything; he can't tell.]

a. therapy dog training

[am_i_a_monster]

  [Abigail sits on a park bench, simply enjoying being outside in the fresh air.   It's a privilege she didn't have during her last year on her home world.  Between the institution and Hannibal's house, she'd been stuck inside there. 

The voice catches her attention and she glances over in his direction.  In other circumstances, she might be suspicious of a stranger asking for help.   But he had a dog with him, a happy one wagging his tail cutely, and that makes her smile.   She stands up and walks over to the stranger]   

What's up?

[fource]

[Quatre, luckily, doesn't cut a particularly threatening figure; he's only 5'1, dressed oddly formally for a teen boy in a button down shirt tucked into a pair of sensible trousers, and is all smiles. Even the dog, a fluffy Pomeranian whose fur nearly covers his official therapy dog vest, looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly.]

This is Gustav. [The dog looks excitedly at Quatre when he says his name.] He's training to work in hospitals, so he needs to get some practice being in busy situations without getting distracted. People passing in the hallways, coughing, dropping things... [He demonstrates a clipboard, which has a number of tests that Gustav will have to pass eventually.] Do you mind trying to distract him? I have a few things I'd like to try, if you're not too busy.

[am_i_a_monster]

Nice to meet you, Gustav 

[Abigail smiles and wiggles her fingers in a hello to the little fluff ball.]  

That's an important job he'll have. 

   [She could have used more adorable animals and less forced group therapy when she was in the hospital. It would have brought much more comfort.   She glances at the clipboard and back to the trainer.]  

Yeah, I can help. As long as I don't have to yell at him or scare him.

  [She couldn't be mean the cutie.] 

[fource]

I think so too. He and the other dogs really make people feel better, just by visiting and spending time with them. [Quatre rests a hand idly on his own heart. He can say this with confidence, because his ability lets him feel other people's emotions. After a second, he scans the clipboard with a little frown.]

Well, you definitely won't have to yell at him, but some of the tests are a little alarming. Mostly dropping something to see how he reacts to it. But we can work on different ones if you want! Do you want to try approaching him for pets, or offering him a treat?

[am_i_a_monster]

I get that.  I have pets at home.   They do the same for me.   [They're one of the best treatments for waking up from nightmares.   She often soothes herself by simply spending time with them.] 

[She nods her head.  It sounds easy enough.]  I can do that.   As long as you have a treat for me to use.    [She might have brought some of Tommy's treats with her had she known she'd run into the dog.]     Which do you want me to do first?

[fource]

Do you? That's very lucky! It's funny, because I spend most of my day with different dogs, but I don't have any of my own.

[He says it cheerfully, rifling through a bag for a small container of treats. Gustav perks up when he hears the rattle, though he doesn't move any closer to Quatre when he hears it.]

Well, I have some treats, but we're not allowed to let him take it without getting permission from the handler-- which is me, right now-- first. A patient might offer him medicine or chocolate, or something else that's bad for him, just because they don't know how to take care of dogs, so he has to be very well trained not to eat the treats right away. Is that okay? I know it feels a little mean, but it's for his safety.

[am_i_a_monster]

It is lucky.   I have three cats.   D33, a housemate of mine has a dog. 

  [It's strange to call D33 just a housemate, but it's the easiest explanation for their relationship.]   

And there are other animals at my home too. 

[She glances down at the small dog, wondering if he could smell the other animals on her.   It was hard to leave the house without a little pet attention.] 

It's okay.   

  [Abigail agrees.  The last thing she wants is for the dog to be unsafe.]   

So how do we start?

a

[battysitter]

[ Steve certainly doesn't look busy (because he isn't, not really). He just got off work, with his shades on and a can of coke in is hand, when he hears someone calling him, Steve stops and looks back at Quatre (and of course, glances down at the dog too) ]

Yeah, sure. What's up?

[fource]

I'm Quatre, and this is Isabelle. [The dog wags her tail when Quatre says her name; she's a shih tzu with a short, manageable coat that shows off the official Hounds For Hurting Hears collar that she wears.] She's training to work in hospitals, so she needs to get used to working around distractions. Do you have time to help us out?

[battysitter]

work in hospitals...? As what?

[ steve will reach down to pet Isabelle's head. He probably should have asked if that's alright, but he isn't particularly worried since she looks friendly ]

[fource]

[Getting surprise pets from strangers is not only part of Isabelle's future job, but one of the tests that she'll have to pass, so neither Isabelle nor Quatre stop him. Instead Quatre just cheerfully explains]

A therapy dog! She visits patients to cheer them up. It's a really nice program, and it works very well.

[battysitter]

[ and after some head petting, she also gets some ear scritches ]

Oh- I didn't know that existed. Sounds cool. [ as long the dogs don't bite off people's faces. ] Don't think we had that back home.

[fource]

Isn't it? We also sometimes go to schools to help students relax before their exams. Wherever we go, the people are always much happier once we leave. [He unconsciously touches his hand against his heart, before he smiles again and his tone turns a little more businesslike.] But it means that they have to be very well behaved, even when someone drops something or runs up to them or offers them treats. So, we're practicing.

[battysitter]

I imagine. Specially with food. [ steve imagines all dogs want to just eat a lot and everything they find ]

So that's your job? Train dogs?