"How 'bout this?" I said, cutting Traveler's methodology
discussion off as quickly as I figured was polite because,
well, being polite to Dobermans has always been high on my
list of things to do. "We've only got, like, two hours here,
so maybe we could, I don't know, focus on some specifics?"
"Please," Jefe croaked. "Things get any more general
around here, I'm gonna hafta start saluting."
Honoria smacked him with a wing.
Traveler nodded. "I understand completely. The budding
stage of any romance is as delicate as the gentlest flower.
Tell me, then, what you have planned for this first date of
yours."
That made El Brujo raise her head. "Date?" She looked
over at the two crows, her ears flicking. "I don't know what
you may have been told, Traveler, about August's situation,
but one would scarcely categorize tonight's goings-on as a
date." She even held her front paws up, popping her claws and
wiggling them to make air quotes around the word 'date,'
something I'd never seen her do before.
"'Scuse me?" Jefe glared at her. "They're meeting at
her place and going somewhere else! What else d'you need for
it to be a date?"
Just hearing the word so many times was making me
hyperventilate. "I'm just rolling along while Deena's
walking!" I managed to squeeze out. "From her house to her
first therapy session at Chrysalis House! Her dad's
gonna be coming along, for crying out loud! There's no
romance about it at all!"
Nothing on the planet gives a blanker stare than a
Doberman when he's of a mind to. "Far be it from me to dash
cool water on what seems to be a lovely bit of smoldering
hysteria," Trav said, "but I feel I must at this point ask
what exactly the problem is."
"Ev'rything!" For once, I wished that animal talk was
louder so I could shout. "What if she wants to make
conversation?? What if her dad does?? What if she looks at
me and my brain seizes up and they hafta call an ambulance and
I end up in a coma for fourteen years?? What if--??"
"None of that!" Serena scurried onto the arm of my
chair, her tail fluffing above her head as she shook a front
claw at me. "For I will be there with my own brain,
thank you very much, as will Heather with hers! And we will
not allow any such happenings!"
"Heather?" I stared at the squirrel. "But how--"
Serena jumped onto my elbow. "You will suggest to Miss
Deena that, while she and her father are inside your building
doing whatever sorts of things you humans do inside buildings,
you will happily keep their dog entertained! This will allow
you to look positive in their eyes and will give you an excuse
to travel home with them at the conclusion of her evening!
You can ask after her wellness and more firmly establish
yourself in the eyes of all involved!"
"That--!" El Brujo began, her tail swishing like a fish
plopped onto a pier. She stopped, though, her tail freezing,
then went on. "--is actually quite a good idea, Serena."
The squirrel raised a foreclaw. "Miss Serena."
I swear I could hear the clicking of El Brujo's jaw,
could feel her muscles thrumming as she restrained herself
from yowling and leaping at Serena. "Of course," she said
after a moment. "Miss Serena. August having one of us
on or about his person will better enable him to balance the
difficulty of human speech with the ease of animal speech,
switching from one to the other as necessary."
"Just so." Serena's smugness seemed bigger than a
creature her size should've been able to contain.
"Fortunately, Heather and I have become such good friends
lately since I will, of course, be riding along as well, so--"
"You??" El Brujo's claws dug into my trousers instead of
into Serena, but of course I didn't feel a thing. "You dare
assume my accustomed place??"
Serena blinked at the vibrating cat. "You are certainly
welcome to be in attendance, El Brujo. In fact, I don't
believe Mr. Augie would feeel at all comfortable without you."
This seemed to mollify El Brujo a bit--she licked a paw
and ran it along the back of her neck, at any rate, smoothing
the fur there--and I sucked in something that might almost
have been considered an easy breath.
But then-- "Me, too," from Jefe, and Honoria leaped to
her talons, her wings stretching out. "And me!" she cawed.
"Uhhh,..." I started, but a little chuff from Traveler
made me look over.
He was nodding. "I am, I fear, too large to make myself
inconspicuous, but with all these assistants, I feel my
absence will not be too detrimental."
"No, no," I said. "I insist. You can ride on my
shoulders or something."
His bobbed ears gave a little flap. "Well, if you think
we could manage it..."
The tip of El Brujo's tail jabbed me in the nose.
"Really, August. There's no need for sarcasm."
Next, we reach the quarter century mark with 25!
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