The puppy was supposed to be for Sofia. She'd begged and begged. Jenny adamantly refused to let the dog go wherever Sofia went so Lady Poof stayed with Siegrain. He'd never had a dog before and it turned out to be a lot more work than his imagination supplied.
Lady Poof needed special food for small dogs, and filtered water. She needed tiny chew toys that he stepped on in the middle of the night. She needed shots and a spay and a collar with sparklies on it. And, much to his dismay, she needed to be walked three times a day in the park across the street. He had to dispose of her poo himself in little plastic bags that pulled awkwardly from a paw shaped container attached to her leash. Sofia, being all of four and three quarters, had no interest in waking up at dawn to walk Lady Poof. So every morning Siegrain, still clad in his plaid pajama pants, would walk her across the street to do her dirty business in the wet grass.
She was far too cute for resentment, though. When Sofia was with her mother, Lady Poof would curl around his ankles as he worked long hours at his desk. She would nose her way into his side when he lounged on the couch watching television. Lady Poof also slept on the corner of his bed every night. Sometimes she would look up at him with her dog eyes and he'd tell her all the things he couldn't ever say out loud.
Of course, Sofia didn't want any other veterinarian but Erza to see Lady Poof. She laughed far too long for Siegrain's tastes the first time they brought the puppy in for shots and a check-up.
"How hard did you have to beg your dad for the puppy, Sofia?" Erza asked, giving the white ball of fluff a thorough once over.
"Not very hard," Sofia said with a shrug. "He likes her, too."
"Is that so?" Erza glanced over at him and winked.
"I admit, LP has become a permanent fixture in our lives."
"LP?" Erza asked with amusement.
"Lady Poof!" Sofia supplied.
"That's a distinguished name for such a small dog."
"Well," Sofia said smartly. "She's got a big personality."
"Like her owner, I guess?"
"Like me!" Sofia clung to Siegrain's side while a tech held Lady Poof still for her vaccinations. He pulled her up and on his hip so she could see exactly what was happening. "Will she be okay?"
"She'll be fine," Siegrain said quietly in her ear. "She needs us to protect her from sickness." He let her down on the edge of the exam table and Lady Poof crawled into Sofia's lap.
"How's she doing on potty training?" Erza asked, pulling off her gloves. Siegrain's expression was completely flat.
"Great. Except that I have to take her out at the crack of dawn." Erza laughed and he could only grumble.
"Does she sleep on a dog bed?"
"Nope!" Sofia piped up. "Daddy lets her sleep in the bed with him. She's always there when I wake up in the morning and find them. She keeps him company at night and when I'm with my mommy."
"I see." Erza didn't press the conversation further and he avoided her eyes. He didn't need to confirm that his daughter's fluffy little dog was the only woman in his bed lately.
Lady Poof got a gold star of health and Erza gave Sofia a milk bone for the ride home.
The following weekend when Sofia was with her mother, Siegrain brought home a woman with midnight black hair. She was gone before the sun was fully in the sky but he could not escape the judgement of Lady Poof.