Pet parade

[Joshua Bernstein]

Joshua Bernstein crossed one leg over his knee, idly bouncing. Mopsy's carrier was tucked beneath his feet, lest some other patron felt the need to sit on the bench beside him. There wasn't very much room in the waiting area and so occupying all of the scant space available would be rude.

The walls were decorated with whimsical pictures of animals playing poker and golfing, none of which Josh felt the need to scrutinize. A plugboard on the wall closest to the front desk was filled with advertisements for pets needing homes and pleas for help finding lost pets.

He had already signed in, but he was early for his appointment. The receptionist had assured him that Dr. Needham would be with him shortly.

He hoped that this was true, for although this was only a routine visit for grooming purposes (rabbit teeth needed regular trimming, and he wasn't able to do it himself) he still preferred not to spend his entire evening waiting around a doctor's office.

[Harvel Calais]

Rise...Fall...Rise...Fall...Rise...Fall. Skitter's breaths were coming more evenly now, a much more rhythmic rise and fall, not the shallow, gasping breaths that had sent his caretaker into a panic earlier in a day. Harvel let out a breath of his own, one that he hadn't known he'd been holding, his own body relaxing in tandem with the squirrel's. He's going to be alright.

Dr. Needham's words echoed his thoughts, furthering his sense of relief. "He's a resilient little guy, Harve. He'll need a bit of rest yet, but he should make a full recovery."

Harvel offered him a smile in return, a rare, thankful thing. "I...thanks. Thanks a lot. I thought..." Harvel frowned, not quite knowing what to say, 'I thought he was goner this time' on the tip of his tongue. Skitter was something of a daredevil, too curious by halves, and it showed in the worse of ways. Harvel was forever worrying about him. 

Carefully, Harvel picked up his small companion and tucked him into his jacket, leaving the top button undone so that Skitter could peek his head out as he pleased. He had a tendency to get upset and chatter incessantly when he couldn't see what was going on, and Harvel was all for ensuring that the rest of the day was stress free, for both their sakes.

Of course, a bit of chattering was inevitable, and Skitter made his feelings about 'the weird smelling man who shoved that awful not a food thing down his throat' known as they entered the waiting room. 

"He was just trying to help."

More chattering, the pitch higher this time. 

"What? No. No more jellybeans! Why do you think we ended up here in the first place?"

chtt chtt chhhht 

"I don't care if they taste good." His voice rose a bit as he spoke, no longer a whisper, and he found himself flushing as he realized that people must be staring by now. Oh, yes, yes , in fact, they were. He could feel it. 'Well, that's just great.'

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh wasn't paying much attention as the current patient exited the back rooms, more interested in reassuring his own pet than in seeing what someone else's was up to. But the man and squirrel duo's antics quickly became difficult to ignore, drawing his gaze toward them despite himself.

The raised voice, followed by noticeably self-conscious body language, elicited a sense of sympathy from the attorney. He'd certainly had his share of emphatic discussions bring undesired attention to himself. He also didn't believe that talking to a pet was all that unusual; sometimes he even pretended that Mopsy answered him. He'd never fabricated an argument with her, but if they were here because of the squirrel's irresponsible behavior he could understand it.

"Jelly beans are a better snack than wires," he offered the other man a smile, not knowing that his attempt at reassurance was wasted. "That's what Mopsy likes to chew on, if she can get to them."

Mopsy, for her part, had no idea that she was under discussion.