Chapter 16: Tapper's

Seeming jumpy and uneasy at the dim-lit, tiny room he was in, Ralph glanced around him quickly, seeing no one else was close to the worn plank board the dogs around town dubbed 'the bar top'. His fear alleviated to know no one else was possibly listening in, the mastiff leaned secretively forward and finally allowed his eyes to solely land on a french bulldog named Tapper in front of him.

Knowing full well how deep and serious his eyes had become, Ralph gulped down the knot forming in his stomach. He hated that he had to plead with the bulldog working at the one-stop, bar top for the pooches in town- but Ralph was desperate for leads at this point. After all, the mastiff quickly figured he could come straight to Tapper after making the deal with Gene, knowing the bulldog could possibly help him- as a strange, semi-friend of some sort.

In return to the mastiff's pointed glances being weirdly shot his way, Tapper just raised a curious, unsure eyebrow. Ralph had been a regular at his bar-esque hot spot for well over five years now... yet tonight, the normally quiet, stand-offish mastiff seemed on edge, beyond forlorn- and way more assertive than usually.

"Okay, Tapper," Ralph suddenly began, his voice so low it was almost a whisper, "here's what I need..."

"Another cold one?" the chubby bulldog predicted as he grabbed Ralph's drinking bowl, about to fill it up again. He started to twist a bottle of watered-down beer open with his mouth when Ralph stopped him.

"No, no," the mastiff quickly shook his head, leaning forward a bit more across the board he towered over. "I need your help with something...else. Some advice, really. For a...er, problem I have."

When the bulldog narrowed his eyes back at him, Ralph forced himself to shrug casually, acting as if his words were nothing of real importance. He was almost even able to forget that his very place back at home wasn't at stake in any way.

At the mastiff's off behavior, though, Tapper could sense something was up. In his many years of running his makeshift bar, the bulldog never had one of his customers come in asking for his input before- and it was even odder for it to be coming from the aloof Ralph before him.

"Advice for a problem, eh?" Tapper decided to asked curiously. "What kinda advice are you looking for, Ralph?"

"Well, uh...," the large dog stumbled, apathetically looking upwards to try to find the right words to use. "I guess I'm just looking for a place where I can get, um... a new collar and shiny new tags," he finally spat out, wincing at his awkward, strange request.

At the tense mastiff's unusual inquiry, the bulldog blankly stared. "Huh?"

"Ya know," Ralph continued, shifting slightly uncomfortably. "A place where I can get a new collar and tags. Free of charge. 'Cause I earned it by being a good dog and stuff like that."

His confusion only deepening, Tapper cocked his head to the side. "From someone... other than your owner?"

"Uh, yeah," Ralph answered, his eyes inadvertently begging for a satisfying reply from the bar owner. "It's kinda important, Tap..."

The smallish bulldog was silent for a moment as he licked the makeshift table between them, precariously thinking as he did so- leaving Ralph holding onto a deep breath.

"Uh, I hate to break it to ya, buddy," Tapper finally admitted, "but I don't think such a place exist. I think you just have to, ya know, earn the new collar and whatnot from your owners."

Shoulders slumping considerately, the put-off mastiff huffed in indignation. That was not what he wanted -or needed- to hear right now.

"Well, I've already tried that and it obviously has not worked!" he hissed out, eyes narrowed at the shrugging bulldog.

"I'm sorry, Ralph," Tapper countered gently and sincerely, busying himself by cleaning the bar top again. "But I just can't help you there."

"Oh, come on!" Ralph rolled his eyes, his frustration and desperation only growing. "You practically know every place and everyone in the whole town of Arcadia! There's gotta be-"

"Hey, Tapper!" a mutt near the back of the dimly lit room called out, interrupting Ralph's plight. Both he and Tapper turned to eye the pooch, who was swaying slightly in his seat. "Need another round over here!"

Growling through clenched teeth, the irritated mastiff steamed as Tapper politely excused himself from their conversation and went off quickly to help the other dog. Right before the bulldog was able to come back, though, another customer called out for another round, causing Tapper to send a discreet shrug Ralph's way and hurry off to help the other bar attendee.

His impatience growing by each irritating second, the mastiff hunched over and glared around in spite at the other dogs. He quickly realized that the bar was busier than usual... which meant more customers who would need drinks- and the less time and information Ralph could get from Tapper.

Maybe this wasn't the best idea to come to him for help, the mastiff thought anxiously, fidgeting as he forced himself to sit down and be still. I can't just sit here and wait all night for him to help the others! That's just wasting precious time!

Gulping down the bad dog anger inside him threatening to leak out, Ralph forced himself to breathe slowly to remain calm and patient. He reminded himself that he still had about three days left to get his good dog collar before the bet was up- and once he found out just where to get one, it'll be as easy as burning a pie to get that collar...

At least, he certainly hoped it was...

Wanting to distract himself from his growing worries, Ralph resorted to silently eyed the rest of the neglected mutts around him more closely. At his exanimation, he realized these dogs weren't just random pooches from around town; these were mere acquaintances of fellow bad dogs. A few of them he even recognized from the Bad-Anon meeting earlier.

Regardless of whether he knew them well or not, though, Ralph watched interestedly as the other dogs stumbled around slightly. They were howling and hollering and lapping up even more alcohol-tainted water, getting a little more tipsy with each lick.

At their behavior, the mastiff reminisced on how on any other night that would've been him joining them. Practically every day, he'd come to this same bar after Mr.Litwak's Pet Shop closed. After being treated the same way all day, he'd tried to drink away his worries and pain and badness as all these other mutts were obviously trying to...

But Ralph wasn't going to do so tonight- nor ever again. He finally had something more to prove...and was determined to change from a bad dog to a good one.

Finally done with filling his orders, Tapper came back in his position in front of Ralph again after a few minutes- which the mastiff quickly took as an opportunity to continue his plea.

"Come on, Tapper," Ralph cried pitifully, his voice frantic and whiny. "You gotta know of a place where I can get a new collar! I'm kinda desperate for one! I- I can't go back home with one!" he finally admitted as he shrunk back a little bit.

Narrowing his eyes once again, Tapper leaned closer towards the cowarding bull mastiff. "What on earth kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into, Ralph?" he asked wearily.

His folded ears flattening, Ralph glared at the bar owner, sudden insulted by the bulldog wanting more information.

"It's nothing. I just need a new collar, ok?" he quickly rushed out irritatedly. He impatiently eyed the bulldog in one last desperate attempt to get help. "So, can you help me or not?..."

In a hopeless response, Tapper just sighed and shrugged once again.

"I wish I could, Ralph," he told him gently with soft eyes. "But I just can't really think of anywhere or anyone that could help ya get a good dog collar."

When Ralph sighed exasperatedly and physically slumped in misery, Tapper finally gave him the only idea he could faintly think of as he rushed off to help another needy customer calling out for another round.

"I don't know if it'll help you at all," the bulldog muttered over his shoulder, "but you're more than welcome to dig through the lost and found in the back! Maybe someone buried a newer collar there for some reason!"