Walking the Dog [Open]

[Robin Liu]

Almost the second Robin walks into the kennel, the dogs start barking. By this point, they all know how much extra time xe spends looking out for them, taking them on walks or even just making xemself comfortable in a pen and letting the dogs climb over xem. They all get a chance to stretch their paws, xe gets a chance to hang out with dogs. It’s a win/win, really.

One dog in particular is xir favourite. Rosie is an old Border Collie, too old for almost all the families that come through. Robin has no issue with them wanting young, energetic puppies, but xe wishes that more, at least, would consider older dogs. Rosie’s a particular favourite - if the shelter let him, xe would adopt her in an instant. As it is, she always leaps up when xe draws near because she knows how much xe loves her.

Sure enough, Robin is barely in front of her kennel when Rosie jumps up and yips at xem. Her tongue lolls out her mouth, sniffing and licking at the hand xe offers her. “You want to go on a walk?” xe asks her, pulling a leash out of xir pocket.

Rosie holds still while xe attaches the leash and trots by xir side out the door. Since xe isn’t able to adopt her (yet, xe’s working on convincing xir boss), Robin takes her out for walks whenever he can. They walk to the closest park, where Rosie strains on her leash to smell the flowers. Xe lets her drag him all over the park, sniffing this tree or scratching at that bit of gravel. Once or twice she bolts in one direction, and when xe’s almost out of breath Rose turns around and goes in the opposite direction. For an older dog, she’s still got plenty of energy - though she’ll be quite ready for a nap once they get back to the shelter, Robin knows. It always happens like that.

While she sniffs at a particularly green patch of grass, Robin drops onto a bench. “I hope you don’t mind,” xe tells the other person sitting on the bench, “She’s got me worn out.”

Words: { 366 }
Tag: { N/A }
Music: { N/A }
Outfit: { Dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt }
Notes: { I'll pretty this up when I'm not half asleep, ayy And prettied! }

[Jophiel]

Earth was such a pretty place. Of course it didn't have the divine glory of Heaven, but it was nice in its own, unique way. Jophiel often liked to travel to new places on Earth and experience the people and culture. She wasn't quite sure how she ended up in Scotland-it wasn't the most random of places but it wasn't the most obvious to travel to either, but gosh was it beautiful. It was so GREEN. After spending most of her "human" life in New York City, it was an enormous change. In New York City, the only place to see trees and green were the few parks scattered about. Here, everything was green and beautiful and the beaches-don't even get her started on the beaches. They may not be great to swim in but they were definitely a sight to see.

She had teleported there a few hours ago (yes, teleported. there was no way to sneakily fly and she was not about to spend seven hours on an airplane). However, she seemed to have forgotten how many creatures lived in Edinburgh. Okay, so creature wasn't the nicest word to use-Fae, witches, and spirits. This was pretty much their territory and here she was skipping along through it. Did any of those groups have problems with angels? Spirits, maybe. Hopefully she wouldn't run into one. In any case, it wasn't like she was skipping through Hell giving out Bibles (which hardly covered God's Glory, btw) and Holy water.

After walking around for a bit and exploring, she decided to sit down and give her feet a rest. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to wear 5 inch heels for this small adventure. Apparently angels' feet can also become tired with the right pair of shoes. "Next time I'll wear flats." she said as she took off one of the shoes and rubbed her foot. Just a few minutes later she was brought out of her foot-rubbing reverie by a sudden shift in the bench. Jo turned, seeing a worn-out looking human with a dog. Or, not quite human.

Jo could tell almost immediately this was no ordinary human. Not only did he/she (xe was definitely one of the three creatures she had mentioned, a witch would be her best guess) look different, but there was something off. Not a bad off, for not all witches are bad at all. Just off enough for her to detect xis species. As for the gender thing, just like Jo wasn't technically a woman (although that's what she always went by), this person could be genderless as well. Xis form was that of a man, but she's been around long enough to know some were offended by assumption of preferred gender. And that's the politics of it all.

Jophiel gave xem a friendly smile. "Not at all. Take all the time you need." She took this time to put her shoe back on as to not disgust the dog owner. "That's a cute dog. Is she yours?" All animals fascinated her. The idea of a pet had also intrigued her. At first, she thought of it as a master-slave relationship, but then realized that was hardly the case. It was a loving relationship that had the owner and pet on mutual ground. She toyed with the idea of getting a cat, but wasn't sure if she'd be able to take care of it well enough.

Words: Idk man
Music: Not applicable
Tag: Robin
Outfit: Not sure except those 5 inch heels, ayo
Notes: I'll pretty this up later too. Anyway, hello!

[Robin Liu]

Robin grinned brightly at her. There were plently of people who could have been put off by xir sitting down, with good reason - crime on the rise, strange men (people, in xir case, but xe was well aware that the xir's more masculine features often made those who didn't know xem call him male) who did all sorts of terrible deeds. Hell, even people who were afraid of dogs or animals in general. Rosie was the sweetest dog xe'd ever met, but she could still make those timid around dogs afraid. 

There was a strange sort of feeling in the air. It's not something Robin is very accustomed to, but it's something xe could only ever describe as intense, concentrated energy. Xe had no idea where it was coming from, but it makes xir blood almost sing, so close xe could almost reach out and wrap tendrils of it around xemself, bathe in it and let xemself be renewed. Before xe can get swept away in the sensation, Robin turned back and shakes his head.

"I wish," xe replied. Robin snapped xir fingers to get Rosie's attention, while a very gentle tug on her leash called her away from the grass she was sniffing. One of his hands scratched behind her ear and the other kept a firm grip on her leash. "She's one of the dogs in the shelter, I help take care of her. If I could she'd be mine, though - my boss won't let me."


Rosie panted and sat at xir feet, resting her head on xir's leg. Ducking xir head and giving one of her ears a vigorous rub, Robin rubbed the soft fur on her neck. "Rosie likes meeting people, though, if you want to pet her. She doesn't bite, but if you want you can let her smell your hand first. It's how dogs say hello to new people."

Words: { 317 }
Tag: { Jophiel }
Music: { N/A }
Outfit: { Dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt }
Notes: { hello! }

[Jophiel]

Oh good, xe was a friendly person too. It was so hard being friendly to someone who wasn't in return. Jo had found that many humans, especially in New York City, don't like chitter-chatter or really giving anyone the time of day. Jophiel was not usually a very talkative person, but sometimes she liked to say something nice to someone. "Have a nice day", "Nice shirt/ shoes/dress/ etc", "Wow, this line sure is long!" Just little things like that, but half of the time no one would even make eye contact with her. Yet, here she was having a nice conversation with a stranger (not as sketchy as it seems), and she didn't even have to start the conversation. This pretty much told her that she needed to get out of New York City more. That place was seeming more and more unlike the rest of the world.

Jophiel was surprised when xe said that xe wasn't the dog's owner. They seem very accustomed to each other and xe very obviously cared about her. "Oh?" If that wasn't xir dog, then why was he walking her? It was almost like xe read her mind because he answered that very question seconds later. A shelter? Ah, an animal shelter. That was nice, a job taking care of others. Kind of like her job, but one was dealing with animals and the other teenage kids. Some might say those two are the same thing. "What a great job. You get to take care of and love animals. Why won't your boss let you keep her? She obviously is very attached to you."

Jo very much wanted to pet the dog. Her encounters with dogs only included walking by some on the streets, but never touching or playing with them. It wasn't like there were dogs in Heaven. Or actually, rewind. She supposed there was a place in Heaven for dogs, because there was a place in Heaven for all of God's creatures because He, well, created them. Just not her part of Heaven (she would have to check on that the next time she went up there). Joph felt like a kid experiencing something like this for the first time, but that hardly stopped her from reaching out her hand to the energetic dog.

"I've never actually had a pet. I'm a bit rusty in this department." She chuckled. What if the dog didn't like her? Was that a silly thought? She wasn't sure. Jo had never experienced what it would feel like to be rejected by a dog, but she figured that would be nothing short of depressing. While she waited for the dog to react, Jo did what she did best. Small talk. "So you live around here? It's a beautiful area." Something like that might sound like meaningless conversation, but everything Jo said, she said in earnest.

Words: Idk man
Music: Not applicable
Tag: Robin
Outfit: White jeans, Lavender shirt, Dark blue light jacket, Brown chunky heels
Notes: =D

[Robin Liu]

Robin knew that it was, at a first glance, quite strange for xir to be walking Rosie when she wasn't xir dog in the first place. It's why xe always followed up 'she is not mine' with 'she lives in the shelter and i work there', because the last thing xe wants is for someone to think xe's a dog thief. Dogs are great, and jail is not. Avoiding jail and hanging out with dogs is exactly what xe prefers, so it's always a good thing to say. Especially since Robin is well aware of how well xe and Rosie get along. If she were a sentient human or creature (can't just say human now, not with all the different groups coming out, and hell, Robin's a witch, xe really can't go generic), she'd be xir best friend. Still is, but - dog. 

Xe glanced down at Rosie, smiling inwardly. Xe'd fallen in love with the black-and while border collie the second xe walked into the kennels the first day of work. She'd been curled up in the corner of her enclosure, napping quietly until Robin's supervisor said her name. That had her up like a shot, eyes sparkling as she stuck her nose through the mesh. She'd been so happy and cheerful, even as family after family passed her by, that xir heart had melted and xe was taken with her. 


"It's a great shelter. Strictly no-kill, I don't think I could work for one that euthanizes the animals," Robin says. The very thought of shelters that put the animals to sleep sickens xem. Xe gives Rosie an extra-good scratch on her neck. "Especially since Rosie's older. There are places that would say 'she won't be adopted, we'll take her but we're putting her down', but this one takes great care of her. She's happy." 

Watching as Rosie sniffed at her hand, Robin was ready to tug her back if Rosie got nippy. It would have been unusual, but if xir new acquaintance was timid with dogs it was possible that she could be bitten. Not that xe had anything to worry about, thankfully - when Rosie was done sniffing she just licked the palm she'd sniffed. "No need to worry about being rusty, Rosie's pretty great with people. And it looks like she likes you," xe said. 

Xe looked up at her and smiled. "I live a few blocks from the shelter. Moved here from London about... six years ago? But I grew up in Toronto. What about you?"

Words: { 421 }
Tag: { Jophiel }
Mood: { Relaxed }
Outfit: { Dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt }
Notes: { nah son }

[Jophiel]

Jo was shocked. She knew these humans sometimes did terrible things, but kill a creature...especially one as innocent and adorable as a dog? It was terrible to "get rid of something" just because that something was older and required a bit more love and care. "There are shelters that do such a thing?" she asked, appalled. Okay, maybe she was an archangel and knew a lot about the world, but she wasn't an expert in dog shelters. Jophiel knew that people were sometimes euthanized when they were suffering (which, even though it was a sin, Jo could sometimes understand and even accept as a moral practice-sorry God), but dogs? And dogs who weren't even sick or old or had a reason to possibly even be euthanized? That though put her stomach in knots.

"To take an animal in just to end its life. That's awful. Well I'm very happy that you don't work in a place like that. I'm sure Rosie is pretty happy about that, too." It was good to know that as many bad things as there were in this world, that she found things like this. Xe and Rosie was another little piece of restoration to what was a slowly deteriorating world. Violence, crime, war, extinction, global warming...and then here was someone who worked at a shelter and took care of animals with love and care. It seemed small, but if more people did that instead of gang violence then this world would be a much better place. If people just listened to God and followed his Word...

Where was God? Humanity needed God, the angels needed God, but he was just -gone. Of course the humans didn't know this. Many still prayed to him everyday, but there was no indication he was even still here. Here, or even still in existence, no one knew. The humans had their faith, and so did the angels, but unfortunately the angels knew more than the humans. God was on a hiatus, and Jo hoped and believed He would come back. She seemed to be the only one that did nowadays, but even she was losing faith in her Lord (not that she would ever, ever say such a thing out loud).

Rosie sniffed at her hand for a few seconds before her wet slobbery tongue licked her entire palm. Jo took that as approval. Jo smiled bright at the dog. "I guess I meet your approval then. Nice to meet you, Rosie." She leaned over further to pet Rose hesitantly on the head. The petting turned out to be more like a pat-pat kind of thing, but nonetheless filled with love.

"Wow, you've lived in some interesting places. Which city have you liked the best- Edinburgh, London, or Toronto?" All of those cities were beautiful and full of history. Oh, now about her past. What could she say, 'I grew up in Heaven before humanity even existed, and then moved to New York City just because?' The others told her to make a life story for important documents and such, and she guessed that applied for situations like this too. But goodness, she hated lying, even if it was for her, and all the angels' own good. "I was born and grew up in Seoul. My parents passed away when I was thirteen, so I moved to California to live with my uncle. I went to school on the East Coast and just kind of ended up in New York City, where I live now." That was probably too much information for a stranger, but that was the short story she had practiced so that was what came out of her mouth.

"Oh my goodness, here I am telling you all of this and we don't even know each other's names. I'm Kim Joo-hwi, but everyone calls me Jo." Another lie, but Jophiel was a little suspicious, wasn't it?

Words: Idk man
Music: 200%- Akdong Musician
Tag: Robin
Outfit: Too much clothes for me to type lolz
Notes: lalalalalalalala

[Robin Liu]

Robin couldn't help but be pleased at her shock. Kill shelters were awful, horrible places that just reeked of death to xem, and the animals that lived there seemed to feel the negativity. People that condoned them were no friends of xir, and to see how horrified his new acquaintance was by the thought of shelters that killed the animals was a good indicator of how much she cared for all creatures. Xe liked that in a person.

"It's awful," xe sighed. "So many poor animals, put down because they were too old or there wasn't space or just because. They should try harder to get them adopted or fostered." 

And sure, Robin knew firsthand how hard it was to get some animals adopted - Rosie being a prime example - because of age or ability or breed. That didn't mean it wasn't worth the effort to try as hard as you could. It meant you had to hold outreach events and  you spread the word to raise awareness. Xe was always saddened by the animals left in xir shelter each night, but xe did what xe could to keep their cheer up. And maybe xe cast spells to help them find their true families, but well, that was xir secret and xirs alone.

Rosie looked like she enjoyed the attention she was getting. Robin smiled, then turned back to her. "They've all got good and bad qualities. The rest of Canada tends to poke fun at Toronto - which is fair, we do not handle winter very well, and well, Canada has a long, cold winter. But it's also got a great vibe to it, really nice energy and colour. London's wetter, in a way, and there's lots of history and art to check out." Xe paused to scratch under Rosie's chin. "Edinburgh's kind of like that, as well, but it's got a different sort of charm. I don't regret the move. But Seoul sounds neat! What's Korea like? I bet that's different compared to New York."

When xe pulled xir hand from her fur, Rosie whined a little, but nonetheless Robin gave her a pat on the neck. "I'm Robin. Nice to meet you, Jo!"

Words: { 366 }
Tag: { Jophiel }
Mood: { Relaxed }
Outfit: { Dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt }
Notes: { nah son }

[Jophiel]

Animals were sacred beings, just like humans. Therefore the abuse of them, like humans, should be a big deal-something to be avoided at all costs. The way xe talked about these kill shelters, they sounded about as common as non-kill shelters. Although it was a stretch, Jophiel couldn't help but think that it was kind of like the Holocaust, taking in innocent people only to abuse and kill them. "If I could, I'd adopt some. But my apartment only allows one pet, and I don't think a dog would like being in such a crowded city, anyway." Half the time, she didn't even like being in the city. Jo thought it would be some kind of adventure, and it was for the first few months. Then, the thrill wore off and it became more of a nuisance than anything.

All beings needed fresh air and space. It wasn't natural for people and things to be crammed together in horrible, dirty conditions, and Jo would never subject that on another creature. Granted, she lived in a very nice area of Manhattan, but even the nicest areas of the busiest parts of the city were still grimy. Being in an area like this was better than being killed, of course, so long the animal was with a nice owner, but she would feel bad taking one in. She didn't even know how animals worked...you couldn't talk to them like humans, you couldn't decipher them like a cryptic language, and couldn't look at the coding like a computer. Jo'd be nervous that she would mess up, like a new family was afraid to mess up with their first child.

Jo enjoyed listening to xir's short, but creative explanations of all the places he had lived. All she knew about Canada was that it was cold and had lots of snow (which was interesting that the one place he lived didn't handle the cold and snow well). London, she had visited a few times on short little day trips, but never to the extent that she would actually know where to go and what to do. Wandering was her specialty. Surprisingly, all the times she had visited London it had never rained, even though it was one of the rainiest places she could think of. "Edinburgh's beautiful, or at least the bit I've seen. The history here is astounding, and so are the castles." Every part of Edinburgh had been so amazingly breathtaking, she never wanted to leave.

Jo had done a great amount of research on Korea and had visited quite a few times. "Seoul is similar but very different at the same time. They're both very crowded, very active cities, but Seoul is a bit nicer. Cleaner, nicer people, and more technologically advanced. The food is pretty great too." She said with a small chuckle. Somehow everything came back to food. "I have to say, as nice as the UK is, the food isn't the best. Or maybe I've been looking in the wrong places." Jophiel said, giving the countries the benefit of the doubt.

"Nice to meet you too, Robin." Almost reaching out to shake xir hand, but then remembering that was a bit awkward for an informal meeting.

[Robin Liu]

“That’s understandable. Knowing that you care is great, even if you can’t adopt one - it’s for a good reason. Same reason as me, really.”

Though it saddened xem that xe couldn’t adopt Rosie, Robin understood the reasoning. Xe knew why xir supervisor’s eyes softened when xe asked to adopt her, why she spoke softly to tell xem that xir’s flat was too small and cramped. Still ached when xe had to return her to a kennel and walk away.

The very thought of kill shelters made the blood run cold in Robin’s veins. The despair and anxiousness pooled in xir stomach, flooding xem with the urge to be sick. Poor, helpless animals, put down because they weren’t young or cute enough to be adopted easily, because the shelters would only keep so many animals at once and they just… disposed of the rest -

There was a cold, damp thing pressing against his hand, and when Robin looked down Rosie was pressing her muzzle into xir hand, looking up at xem with wide, sad eyes and whining. She’d always been emapthetic and good at comforting when xe needed it. Robin gave her a pat on the head and a scratch under her chin. Inhaling, xe looked over to Jo and grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. Sensitive topic for me.”

Xe gave Rosie another pat, nodding with delight. “I’ve lived here a few years now, and I’m still finding new stuff every day,” xe said. “Coffee shops and museums and tours of all sorts - it’s a fascinating place to occupy yourself, isn’t it?”

How much time had xe spent exploring the city? There was endless, countless years of history and culture inside the city, and outside it, just waiting for xe to find and discover. Same with any city, or country, or spot on Earth. Robin loved moving just so that xe could learn and insert xemself into the experience the place had given for so many others.

Seoul, though, xe hadn’t been to Asia at all, not even Taiwan where Lao lao was born. “If it’s anything like Chinese food - the real stuff, not the Westernized version - then it’s gotta be absolutely amazing.” Xe wrinkled his nose. “That’s the thing about England and Scotland, I agree. The food is weird, took me forever to get more used to it, and I’m still not really great with the regional dishes.”

Jo really seemed nice, and with Edinburgh being a safe haven for witches and the like, xe felt comfortable saying, “Want to pop round my flat? We could get a cup of tea.”

Words: { 434 }
Tag: { Jophiel }
Music: { N/A }
Outfit: { Dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt }
Notes: { i am SO SORRY i missed this, i have no idea how it happened ;A; }