Puppy Eyes (Open)

[Benjamin Park]

Okay, so Benji wasn't only here to tug on the heartstrings of girls by being adorable with the puppies and kittens they had at the sanctuary.  He actually thought animals were pretty darn cute, and was even considering starting to volunteer at the place - one, because his parents were nagging him to volunteer somewhere so he could put it on his college resume, and two, one of these days he was going to have to look for a job, and some sort of experience was better than none, right?  And so he was milling around the various kennels, smiling and cooing at the dogs and cats within.  

There was an open play area down the hall where several puppies were romping around.  It must have been puppy hour - Benji didn't see any larger or adult dogs, probably for the young animals' safety.  He leaned himself against a pillar and watched the silly, tripping creatures at play, a giddy grin on his face as he watched them chase each other and their own tails.  

He was also pointedly ignoring the fact that one of the volunteers working there was a demigod, and another was a talking zebra.  Benji had no idea how zebras worked with animals when they didn't have any fingers, but... He supposed he wouldn't judge.

[Henry Ballo]

Henry was here because he was having Girlfriend Troubles. He admitted to no one but himself that he capitalized that in his head. In fact, he'd admitted to very few people (read, none) that he was having girlfriend issues. Instead, he'd headed to the local animal shelter to volunteer again because it was better than sitting back in his apartment and moping or doing more extra credit assignments for school. He was doing well. He had friends. Really, everything should've been fine.

Except it wasn't because they were taking a break. And since Henry was absolutely abysmal at dealing with his feelings, he took it out by volunteering. Normally he tutored children for whom English was a second language. Being in their shoes he could sympathize. But right now he needed something a little more cute and a lot less chatty. So animals it was.

He was greeted warmly by the staff, given his gear to help clean up, and then sent on his merry way. There was another volunteer there, he'd been told. His name was Benji. However, he had no interest in interacting with Benji, and so had carefully avoided him.

Until he reached the puppy kennel. Looked like interaction was mandatory. Damn.

"Excuse me," he said. "Were you planning on assisting in the cleanup or standing there looking ridiculous?"

Sorry, Benji. He's having a bad day.