No One's Perspective -
"So how about that one?" the half-Latina pointed at a small cage, a small boxer gazing at her with soft eyes.
Jade shook her head, muttering, "It's already adopted, see?" Dark eyes flicked towards the small print on a card, furrowing her brows.
"Why the hell did they write it so small?" she grumbled as the goth moved towards the side, gesturing Tori over.
"How about this one?" she pointed at a German Shepard. The half-Latina glanced over to where Jade was pointing, recoiling at once, shooting a glare at her.
"That one's under bite quarantine!" she hissed, Jade scowling. Just a few strides behind them stood Sikowitz, a small grin etched on his face. He shook his mane, stroking his beard a little. It was humorous to him how much time it actually took for them to swoop into another argument. He checked his bare wrist, nodding enthusiastically; it had been only five minutes since they've been in the building. The girls continued to growl at each other, the German Shepard backing away slowly before letting out a bark of its own.
"Quiet," Jade snarled, silencing the larger dog immediately. The girls continued on their walk down the hall, pointing out several different dogs that may be a good fit. Most of Jade's picks were of pit-bulls and other larger dogs, however Sikowitz shook his head, muttering about explaining the reason later. "They aren't that bad," she growled after the fourth water-eyed pit-bull was turned down.
He twisted around, straightening his scarf over his flannel fest, nodding. "Oh I know, they're all too big."
The half-Latina furrowed her brows, tilting her head to the side. "Why does it matter how big they are?"
"Well..." the teacher started, gnawing at his bottom lip, "I'll explain a bit more later but you two will have to take care of the dog at all times..."
"We're taking it to school," Jade muttered, raising her studded eyebrow.
"Yup," the man bobbed his head.
The half-Latina glanced down the hall, her face contorting into a small grimace. "Then I suppose we should look in a different row, all of these ones look big."
"Yup."
Taking her eyes from where the Vega had gestured to, the goth snapped, "And you didn't tell us twenty minutes ago?"
"Yup."
"Are you going to keep saying 'yup?'"
And to the thespian's question, Sikowitz answered, "Yes... Anyway, I'll be just milling around so you two scurry off and get a doggo that isn't going to clobber you two to death if you walk it." Slowly, the two girls backed away from the man, keeping their eyes on him until at least a few paces away. Glancing at each other, they turned around, leaving Sikowitz to chat with one of the black Labradors wagging its tail. Once outside the one small quadrant of the area, Jade immediately scowled at the amount of yapping and barking sounding from the smaller buildings.
"God," she hissed, pressing her hands to her ears, "Who the hell drove a freaking UPS truck near here?" Tori merely shrugged, eyes skimming along a set of signs just ahead from the two. "What?"
"There's a meet and greet inside," she pointed, "I guess we could walk in, looks like today's an special day for adoption."
The goth exhaled, murmuring, "Alright...let's go." With a general direction to guide them towards the dogs - along with a small hope that it would satisfy Sikowitz' standards - Jade and Tori strode towards double doors. To her relief, Jade found the set of rooms to be quieter and not as aggressive as outside or the other small buildings. "So...we go in a room then?"
"I guess so, I really don't think that this place communicates well," the youngest Vega shrugged.
"The people you mean," Jade scoffed, earning a small eye roll and grin. Before looping around the rooms for a bit, Tori decided to go into one, Jade hanging about outside to observe a few of the cats in the windows along the walls. She rested her index finger on the corner of the glass with a few, kittens padding at it, a tabby just staring dully or a friendly tom nuzzling into it. She clenched her jaw once pale eyes met a black pile of fur huddled in its litterbox, green eyes staring right out. Her gaze flicked towards the small note, reading 'Bite Quarantine' in fine, red print. The green eyes, once Jade glanced back at them, spoke out of fear and hesitation, something she knew all too well.
Jerking her gaze from the window, the West strode towards the room Tori had gone in, realizing she hadn't come back out. Opening the door, she raised her studded brow as the half-Latina giggled, her back towards Jade. Closing the door behind her, pale eyes switched towards the attendant in the corner who wore a smile across her wrinkled face. "Uh...did you find a dog Vega?" she asked, dark eyes finding hers.
Tori nodded enthusiastically as the woman murmured, "This little one hasn't been adopted in the few months he's been here. Really sweet guy."
"See?" the half-Latina shuffled to the side, exposing the small little dog. Jade frozen, staring at the blonde little thing as it scurried over, black nose along its small, narrow, yellow snout sniffing. Strands of hair flaked him unevenly, his small feet barely bigger than what the goth would imagine guitar pick would be. Coals blinked up at her as its small, little tail swung, one ear perked up while the other sagged at the corner. A small pink tongue dragging out, presenting short, white teeth along his gums.
"That is not a dog," Jade commented absentmindedly, not paying attention to what was flowing from her mouth, "That is a rat..."
"Jade," Tori snapped as the rat-dog began to lick the tip of Jade's boot, tail wagging his excitement, "Do you have to be mean to everything that actually likes you?" Pale eyes glared at her while the woman chuckled in the corner.
She shrugged, standing up from her chair before folding her arms. "I've actually heard worse about him...Any-who, well what do you think? Are you two adopting him together or..."
"Yeah, we have to," Tori nodded.
"You have to? How so?"
"Well," came a voice from the door, sending both the girls and the dog hurling themselves away from it. Tori closed her eyes while Jade held her heart, the blonde dog shaking in the corner. Sikowitz grinned - highly amused from his surprise - continuing with his answer, "Both these two go to our Hollywood Arts and this year there is a play that will be as a review of the school... This is a simple bonding excersise the two will have to go through to cooperate with each other." The lady nodded as he finished with a smile. Blue eyes darted towards the small dog as it stepped from the corner, his head tilting to the side. "But Jade might have a point..."
"Well the dog is a small dog and it's a little fluff ball-" Tori glanced down at the small, coal eyes as they blinked, "-hair ball of joy."
"Yeah, uh...small is an understatement. I feel like I eat that for every meal," Jade snorted.
"Jade," the half-Latina hissed. "Come on, please? This dog is a good one and it already likes you and me... Come on, please? Please, please. It's been here for months and it wants to be freed, please."
The goth cringed at her pleads, the two pairs of dark eyes sending a twist in her gut. "I feel like we would loose it easily and how the hell are we going to catch it?"
"Jade...please, for me?" the Vega begged one last time, her dark, rusted eyes piercing through hers.
"Alright," Jade murmured quietly, backing away slowly, "Alright! We'll get the damn dog." As the half-Latina grinned, the lady chuckled, glancing at the teacher.
"Now the paperwork, who's going to-"
"I'll cover it," Sikowitz nodded, "I kinda brought them into it anyway."
. . .
"And do be sure to brush your teeth!"
"I know mom! I'm not five..." Tori grumbled, shrugging a bag over her shoulder and a small suitcase behind.
Holly raised a brow, folding her arms with a hip out. "Look, this is going on because of you two," she murmured, eyeing the small dog in Trina's lap, licking the avocado off of her hands. "Now the dog- what's its name again?" The girls merely shrugged, having no name still.
"I call it Rat," Jade growled from the door, taking her gaze off from her fingers. The youngest Vega rolled her eyes, glaring at the goth bitterly.
"Would you just get the little bag for him?" she snapped, making her way towards the door. Grudgingly she obeyed, tossing the bag towards Trina who scowled. As the dog was slid in the bag, its muzzle green, Tori let her gaze wander towards it; she wasn't sure whether or not avocado was really good for dogs. Though, one Jade held the small bag in her grasp, the dog's head poking out with his small pink tongue, she turned to her parents with a small smile. "So I'll see you on Sundays?"
"Uh huh," David nodded, crossing the room to give her a short hug, "But other than that kiddo, you're on your own."
"Hey," Jade muttered, "She has to take care of the dog and me too."
"Jade, quit that," the half-Latina growled within a short embrace with her mother. The thespian mumbled under her breath, the words unintelligible to the rest. With the thespian and small dog out the door, already heading to the car, Tori turned around, giving a small smile to the rest. "So see you later," she murmured, the rest waving. The front door closed behind her, dark eyes darting back towards the house that had then loomed before her. It had only been a mere few seconds and the singer regretted her decision to bunk with Jade dearly. Though, as discussed, Jade was practically the only person living in the house frequently, giving them more time and space to bond properly. 'Like a little family,' Tori's thoughts scowled.
Picking up her head, she furrowed her brows, finding Jade's car running along the curb, lights in the inside on while the goth leaned against the side. "Where's the dog?"
"Rat's at the front seat. You are taking your car, aren't you?" came her terse answer.
Shoving her luggage in the back seat of her car, the Vega growled under her breath, slamming the door. "The dog's name isn't going to be Rat!"
"He responds to it," Jade shrugged, a smug grin crawling across her face once a small 'yip' agreed through the window. "See?" Defeated, the half-Latina gave a harsh exhale, sliding into her 1990 red Mazda, shoving the keys into the ignition. Soon enough - too soon in her mind - her own set of wheels trailed behind Jade's fancier set, turning corners and halting at red lights. Her eyes constantly flicked at the dashboard, checking the time; at '5:47' they crossed the intersection right in front of her neighborhood, Sherwood Hills. By '5:51,' the girls passed the street leading to Hollywood Arts, and '5:56' Tori found herself waiting for Jade in the coffee shop's parking lot, the Buick in the middle of the line.
"I swear to God, Jade, if you're just doing this to piss me off," the half-Latina grumbled, shuffling through her purse at the passenger seat, "It's working..." With her pear-phone pressed to her ear, she stared off to the street, eyes following as the cars passed, the thespian picking up the phone as the dashboard told '5:59.'
"Hey," she drawled on the other end.
"Don't you 'hey' me!" she spat, "Why are you getting coffee now?"
"Because I want some..." Tori growled, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she listened to the distant voice of the lady handing Jade her order, the goth mumbling, "Yeah, whatever. Keep the change."
Rolling her eyes, the singer hummed bitterly, "Okay, you have your drink now. Can we go?"
"...fine. And Vega, it's not good to distract a driver."
Dropping her phone on the seat beside her, the youngest Vega glared as the black car pulled out, her own soon following. At '6:10' exact, her car halted along the long, twisting driveway to the biggest house she would ever set foot in. Climbing out of the car, Tori stood in awe at the structure. It was very unlike her own modern house. It had quirks here and there, vines curling along the sides of the grey bricks at almost looked foreboding. Though, the windows winked down at her with the overgrown garden that hadn't been looked after for years - possibly even a decade as she looked around the whole front yard with the huge oak tree swaying in the breeze - the house gave a rather calming and collected nature.
"You can stop staring at it, it isn't the Mona Lisa," Jade snapped, the small dog in his bag at her grasp.
"I- I just...it's beautiful," the Vega stammered, shooting a quick glance towards the goth, "How-"
"Please don't be one of those people..."
She stood back, raising a brow at Jade's comment which sounded almost embarrassed and impatient. "What?"
"Don't ask how much it was worth," she growled, "I swear every-fucking-being that comes over needs to ask that."
"I wasn't going to," Tori chuckled, casting a gaze towards the goth's car, "I was asking how old it was. Mine's, you know, kind of newer."
It was then Jade's turn to look puzzled, her eyes glaring back at the gothic, Victorian manor. "Nobody ever asks that," she whispered softly, pale eyes trailing to the Vega who merely shrugged. "Uh... I'd say something like 1903 to 1908. Something like that." All three pairs of eyes rested on the great structure which sat proudly on its land, basking in what it was. Jade abruptly shook her head, bringing the cup of coffee to her lips. "Get your stuff, I'll take you to your room."
The half-Latina nodded, shouldering her bag from the front seat as Jade shrugged on her other bag, leaving the suitcase at the back seats. With the car doors closed and steps padding their way up to the creaking steps - the house greeting the new guests - the two girls entered the home, Tori's wonder expanding. The interior of the house matches with Jade's several Skype calls and Slap videos while remaining aligned with the exterior. There were so many intricacies of the manor that she had wanted to explore, though with Jade already making her way up the stairs, a small blonde head bobbing up and down excitedly with a pink tongue hanging out, she realized there would be no time.
She struggled all the way up the stairs with the small suitcase, grunting as Jade smirked with ease. By the time Tori made it to the top, her head twisted to her left, finding combat boots cross the corner. Grumbling, the singer made her way to a room at the very end of the hall, Jade already letting the small dog out. He bounced on the bed, rolling about it with tis tail wagging furiously. The goth allowed the bag to plummet to the floor beside the full sized bed, pale eyes drawing towards dark ones by the door.
"This is your room, there's a bathroom to the right, down one and then the kitchen and stuff is down the stairs," she growled, striding towards the door as Tori shuffled through, "And, don't go down to the basement. My room is off limits."
"Call me Belle why don't you?" the youngest Vega retorted, earning a false smile.
"You're taking care of the dog," the thespian muttered, her steps striding through the hall and back down the stairs in a flash. Sighing, she gazed down at the small Chihuahua - as she assumed - who blinked back up happily before diving towards the bed. The teen giggled, taking in the room for the first time in the few minutes she had stood within it. Her first impression that this was a childhood bedroom and, from the pictures that hung on the walls and the pile of stuffed animals on a chair in the corner, it would be a good assumption to make.
She rolled her suitcase at the foot of the bed, setting her bag down beside where Jade had dropped hers. Her steps made their way towards a framed picture that leaned against the wall on a small desk beside the corner chair. Tori tilted her head to the side, reading 'National Junior Honors Society.' "Huh," she hummed, her gaze flicking along the rows of younger kids before spotting what had to be Jade. And as labeled, to her surprise, she was the president. Her gaze then flicked towards another picture to the side, a younger version of Jade holding a medal which lay at the side. Tori ran her thumb over the dusted bronze, '1st Place Writer' engraved in it.
She let her eyes wonder back towards the pictures, her expression falling into a rather grim one. Jade gazed at the camera with no emotion showing, only her eyes blazing with what Tori recognized as loathing. Not that Jade had ever hated taking pictures, though the expression said it all, even if it wasn't surprising to the half-Latina; the girl in the photos looked unrelenting but rather determined to not show her enthusiasm.
Her attention only turned from the desk once the small dog pawed at the door, glancing back. 'Hungry,' Tori reasoned mentally, striding towards the door before halting. Her eyes shifted to the side, finding a small dresser to the left of her. Sitting on top of it - without a coat of dust - sat a warm beverage in a white cup. She cocked her head to the side, picking up the cup. As she analyzed the side, the youngest Vega realized that it wasn't Jade's but hers, labeled 'Caramel Mocha, shot of cream.'
"How did she..." the singer mumbled, her eyes darting back down the hall. Taking a couple of swigs, she licked her lips, setting the cup at the side before following the small dog down the stairs. Once at the landing, Tori furrowed her brows, hearing a faint 'beep' of a microwave in the distance. Soon enough she came across the kitchen, not the tiniest bit surprised at the quality. Jade leaned against the counter, her own cup of coffee to her lips. Pale eyes switched to the girl, remaining on her. "So...do you have food?"
"You're going to get it yourself," Jade growled.
Tori closed her eyes, counting to five before blinking them open. "Okay," she murmured patiently, a sharpness lining it, "So what do you have?"
"I don't know."
"Why do you have to be so difficult?" Tori abruptly spat, gripping the counter.
"And why do you have to be so demanding? I just got here!" Jade snarled, setting her cup down with a harsh bang against the granite countertop. If there had been coffee at the top, Tori wouldn't have doubted it would've sloshed out from the lid. "Go check for yourself!"
"Then what are you heating up? I didn't have lunch today because someone threw it at Sinjin," she growled, the small dog's head whirling back and forth as it sat in the middle, stomach growling. It gave a soft 'yip,' attempting to drive their attention. Though, with the heat of their words, the small dog learned quickly it wouldn't be so easy. It barked louder, only it to fall on deaf ears.
"Then maybe you shouldn't have tried to look at my papers!"
"I was helping!" Tori snapped back, jaw clenching.
Jade scoffed, throwing her arms in the air. "Didn't ask for it!"
"You said you needed help!"
"Not from you!"
"Why not? I have straight A's like you!" The small dog continued to yelp ferociously, the microwave beeping its finals second. The girls paid no mind. With a short growl, small paws bolted towards black socks, jaws pinching it.
Jade howled, jerking her foot away from the dog immediately, pale eyes piercing down at determined, black coals. "That's it you little fucker!"
"Jade," Tori gasped hotly.
"Oh I'm sorry," Jade rolled her eyes, "Little rat." As steps padded their way around the dog towards the microwave, the half-Latina opened her mouth to retort, pale eyes glance at the reflection in the small window. "Zip it," she snarled her order. With her jaw unhinged, Tori watched as Jade pulled out a small bowl, setting it to the ground. The dog tilted its head to the side curiously, its floppy ear hanging. "Just eat the damn chicken," the goth growled, the dog diving for the dish. The girls glanced at each other, their heating stares locking as Jade exhaled slowly. "We'll get groceries tomorrow."
With her jaw tense, dark eyes narrowed, her mouth piled with words. "Why the hell do you think everything I do is wrong?"
Jade gnawed at the inside of her cheek, eyes widening slightly. It was either two options, tell what was wanted to say or what was in the heat of the moment. She chose the latter. "I can list so many different things..."
"Oh, do tell me," the half-Latina scoffed.
"Oh alright then!" the thespian gripped the counter, raising her voice. As she cursed out her reasons, the small dog halted, backing away from the kitchen to eat his food when the time was calmer.