A/N: Well, I suppose I can claim Cher. (O., Warg's alternate penname, not Degre-Lebowski.) All thanks go to Bones who owns and Words without who betaed.
I splashed more water on my face and shoved my bangs from my eyes. From the continued motion towards the crown of my head, I guessed that they were standing nearly straight up, at least when they didn't flop right back into my face. I must have looked a mess, although there was no mirror in the bathroom to confirm it.
Fur. What a silly fancy. The close crop Tsume wore was about the length of a shorthaired dog's, but even with his "tail," it no more resembled fur than Hige's hairstyle, or Pop's, or mine, for that matter.
I resolved that it was definitely time for me to get out of the apartment and away from Pops with his paranoia and Toboe with his crazy boyfriend. Perhaps I ought to call on Tia or Neige and see if they wanted to arrange for a girls' night out. Even talking with Cher Lebowski would probably help me put things into perspective; the woman might be my fiancé's workaholic boss, but she was married to my father's closest friend and knew something about having to deal with crazy men. Just having the chance to complain about the situation to someone who had an idea of what I was talking about would probably make me feel better.
After all, it wasn't like things were really bad around here. I liked my job, my fiancé truly cared for me, my family looked out for one another, I had friends I can trust, and we all had our health. That was all I could reasonably ask for from this world.
Even so, a part of me wanted to get out and walk the streets and alleyways of the city, working my way to the edge of the dome and from there… I didn't particularly know, or care. The restless part of me just wanted out.
This, of course, was stuff and utter nonsense. Beyond the dome, Freeze City was surrounded in ice. The dome was huge enough to contain its own weather patterns, but you hardly had to walk to the edge to recognize that these were a tawdry sham of the real northern storms beyond. No human being could survive out there long without plenty of specialized survival gear. I was overreacting, that was all. A night out with my friends should bring things back into perspective.
I gave up on smoothing out my bangs and fluffed my short black hair into a stylized tousle. It was getting too long for my liking again; I hadn't worn it much longer than about three inches from my scalp since I was ten years old. I probably still looked a mess, but maybe now there would be some order to it.
Just get through the rest of the evening without anyone getting hurt, I instructed myself. Save the little things for later.
The smell, that odd musk and wildflower perfume, had been in the bedroom, I recognized now. I hadn't really been aware of it when it was mixed with wet dog and whatever other smells were incubating in there, but standing just beyond its range, with a moment to think to myself, I could recognize it for its affects on me.
That dog… was the smell coming from him? Was it being around that creature that made me so restless? It couldn't be. I'd smelled wet dog practically since I walked in, and while it was true that I'd been on edge, I could tell the difference between the smell of dog and that wild, half-floral scent. Hige would probably be able to identify it, whatever it was. Maybe that was the flower smell he had mentioned earlier.
"Blue? Are you about done in there?" Speak of the devil and he'll come knocking softly, I thought ironically. I probably had been tying it up too long, I supposed.
"Yeah, you're up," I said, giving up on my hair and pushing the door open. Beyond, I saw everyone but Pops was in the bedroom. Tsume looked exceedingly uncomfortable with this fact, but he remained seated next to my brother, both them with one hand resting in the dog's scruff. "Sorry, I didn't realize that there was a line."
"Not really, we're just sitting," my brother reassured me. Toboe's mouth was twisted in pensiveness and his eyes flickered between the dog and the doorway. Obviously there was something he wanted to ask, but didn't quite feel comfortable voicing.
Well, that was where nosy, overprotective big sisters came in handy. "Everything all right, Toboe?" The single bed was awfully crowded between two men and a big dog, so I settled for leaning against the wall as Hige claimed the facilities.
"He didn't believe me about the dog," Tsume said.
"He does seem… a little stranger than I thought," Toboe admitted. "You'll let me know how he's doing though, right?" he asked his boyfriend.
"Of course. You can always come and check on him yourself, if you're really worried about him." Tsume shrugged as if there were other things that he'd rather my brother come to check on, but he was making a peace offering.
"I'll come do that, then." The dog raised its head towards my brother's face, licking at its nose. Toboe gave it a scratch under the chin, staring at it in puzzled wonderment.