A black and white blur leapt at Riza's dripping form and licked her face furiously.
"Hayate…down…Hayate…Hayate, enough!" Riza stuttered.
The affectionate dog instantly dropped from her soaking uniform and heeled, stone still. Riza sighed again and slowly removed her drenched jacket and knee-high black boots. She dragged her sopping socks across the cream carpet and knelt down to retrieve a bowl with Hayate printed on it in a military-style font, then briskly walked to the kitchen. Reaching up to a glass cupboard, she took out a small container of technicoloured mush, which she proceeded to empty into the cherry red basin. After placing the bowl on the kitchen floor, she entered her bedroom and simply collapsed.
Only a few minutes afterwards, Riza awoke suddenly, finding herself the sole target of one of Hayate's ever-inquisitive stares.
"Leave me alone…tired…" she moaned, grabbing an apple green cushion and clamping it over her head. Hayate tilted his head questioningly and gently nudged her hand with his slightly wet nose.
"Oh, right…colonel…ugh…" she muttered sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
Riza rolled across the floor, commando-style, only to slam, headfirst, into the nearby closet. Uttering numerous profanities, she pushed herself off the floor and opened the quivering wardrobe.
Shivering, she chose a pair of dark jeans and a viridian tee, quickly changing into the dry attire. Grabbing her ebony brush, she unclasped her semi-dried hair and let it rest just below her shoulders. Slowly, she ran the brush through her tangled locks, teasing out the stubborn knots. Satisfied, she took an Alice band identical to the colour of her shirt and fixed it in her hair.
"There. Hayate, how do I look?" Riza asked, admiring her handiwork in the ornate mirror. Hayate let out a bark of approval and rubbed against the wardrobe, then Riza's leg.
"Yes, I need some socks too. These are filthy." she declared, pulling them off and grabbing a clean pair. Walking to the hallway, she grabbed her comfy converses and slipped on the socks and shoes.
"Stay, Hayate. See you later, boy." she called over her shoulder, closing the front door behind her.
Riza strolled under a long row of weeping willows, their leaves dancing slowly in the gentle breeze. The rain had finally stopped although the earthy aromas of rain still permeated the ground, helping to lift her spirits. She started to hum a calming melody, finally relieving the stress that had been accumulating over countless months.
A few minutes later, she arrived at Roy's modest home. A dilapidated picket fence surrounded the small lot and the veranda looked extremely unstable. The front yard was virtually nonexistent although what was there was filled with noxious-looking weeds and bindies. The only indication of the house actually being occupied was a well-worn trail through the long, waist-high clumps of grass and a pair of black boots standing to attention next to the door. Riza followed the path to the veranda and carefully picked her way to the door, wary of the rotten wood. Inhaling deeply, she knocked twice and summoned the most commanding voice she could muster.
"Sir? Permission to enter?"
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