A few days passed with no notable incidents, but Izaya was also cooped up in his apartment, so nothing was going to happen. At least he hoped they wouldn't. Aside from trying to avoid Shelby's jaws for as long as possible, Izaya had to wait for his old pal to find a break from his work. Shinra, with his veterinary background, was also going to bring equipment to safely handle Shelby and restrain her, so having proper tools was no longer a concern.
Shinra said he'd even smuggle some tranquilizers out if things were to get out of hand, but he was adamant about only using them in an emergency. The one thing that kept Izaya from arguing that point was Shinra's assurance that he could handle her without sedation. Again, he didn't know much about animals, let alone dogs, so he couldn't help but agree to his terms.
Plus, actually getting paid for her safe return wouldn't hurt.
Izaya grew more nervous as the hours passed until Shinra was relieved of his duties. He continued to watch existing videos of Shelby's acts in preparation and to try to calm his nerves, despite having seen them numerous times by this point. He only hoped that the videos included the majority, if not all, of the dog's various tricks. Yet, despite whatever affirmations the clips provided, his gut told him Shelby was more than just a well-trained circus animal...
A knock at the door diverted his attention away from the screen before he could continue analyzing his thoughts. Izaya rose from his seat and went to answer the knocks, opening the door to be greeted by Shinra. "Hey!" he smiled, carrying two dog-related restraints, "Can I come in?"
Izaya took a step to the side and motioned Shinra into his apartment, closing the door behind him once he was inside. "I'm hoping I didn't forget anything," Shinra said, moving to a table to place the items he was holding: a snare pole and a wire-basket muzzle. "It's essential to be as prepared as possible when dealing with a dog like Shelby. The carrier and cage are also outside in the van because they were too awkward to carry with everything else."
Izaya nodded in understanding, further asking, "And the tranquilizers..?"
"They're in my pocket," Shinra noted, patting the breast pocket of his lab coat, "But I'm going to reiterate: they're not to be used unless absolutely necessary."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," the broker huffed, "But if she tears my throat out at any point, it's blood on your hands." Shinra chuckled at first, but his giggles quickly petered out as it appeared there was genuine sincerity in Izaya's 'joke.' "Ah… You really are on edge about this, huh?"
"...A little," mumbled the broker as he walked over to the table and took up the snare pole. "It's probably a matter of time before she graduates to biting more vital areas, so the quicker this is done, the better."
"Now, Izaya," Shinra calmly said, patting the other's shoulder, "If she was a circus animal, I highly doubt she's going to actually hurt you. Eh, at least any worse than she does normally. When dogs are properly trained, they hardly ever act too far out of line, if at all."
Izaya continued to fiddle with the pole in his grasp, refusing to look Shinra's way, "I mean… I think there's something else wrong with her too."
"Like she's sick?"
Izaya shook his head, "No, like she's… conscious. While I was watching what few clips exist of her, there was this strange glint in her eyes, like cogs were turning in her head before every action. It was the strangest thing."
Shinra stared, clearly concerned, "Dogs aren't conscious. I know you said you didn't know a lot about animals, but I was pretty sure you knew that..!" Izaya glared at the doctor, who quickly changed the subject by picking up the muzzle from the table, "Well, anyway, how about we go look for her now? 'The faster the better,' correct?"
"...Yes, that's right."
Before Izaya knew it, he was back on the streets, leading the way while Shinra trailed behind, holding both of the previously mentioned tools. The two walked around Ikebukuro in silence for a little while, drawing a couple of puzzled looks throughout the trip. "So," Shinra finally said, breaking the silence between them as they scouted, "Do you know where she likes to roam? Dogs tend to be creatures of habit."
"As far as I'm concerned, she just shows up," Izaya answered, looking around anxiously, "Always when I least expect it…"
"I see," mumbled Shinra, "Though I guess you're usually more concerned with avoiding her than learning about her habits, heh." Izaya again glared back, clearly unimpressed with the gaff, but before he was able to redirect his attention to where he was walking, something caught his eye. He happened to see a certain four-legged fiend in an alleyway the two were walking by. Simply watching.
Izaya came to a complete stop when he noticed the dog's stare. "What..? Oh!" Shinra exclaimed, perplexed until he followed Izaya's line of sight and locked eyes with the dog. Shelby remained motionless, as if caught off guard that Izaya had finally seen her coming for a change. "Well, there she is; now it's just a matter of getting close enough to-" Shinra then turned to see Izaya bolting in the opposite direction of the dog, a clear indication he was not ready to face Shelby head-on.
The Bernese was quick to follow, darting out of the alley and past Shinra, barking excitedly after the broker. "Izaya, don't run! It triggers a dog's prey drive!" Shinra yelled, sprinting to catch up with the two.
Shinra had no idea why Izaya had turned and fled, but it was far from a good sign. Because they were both much faster than him, all Shinra could do was follow the sounds of Shelby's barks until he finally found them. Izaya stood in a dead-end alley with his back to a wall, Shelby staring him down but not moving any closer.
The hair on her back visibly stood on end, her tail swaying as she growled deeply. "This is why I wanted to use the tranquilizers!" Izaya yelled over the dog, his legs refusing to budge. "Nonsense! If Shelby's accustomed to, uh, biting backsides, she shouldn't move any closer while you're facing her. Just stay still…"
Shinra loosened the noose of the snare pole as he crept up behind Shelby. Her flopped ears twitched occasionally, indicating to the doctor that she could hear him, but she refused to take her focus away from Izaya. It was a terrible standstill, at least until Shinra was able to slip the noose over Shelby's head and safely snare her.
"There, see?" Shinra said, making absolutely certain he had a good grip on the pole, "No sedatives needed — though she is really tense…"
"I could give her a run for her money," Izaya chuckled nervously, still unable to move. "Honestly, if you keep her distracted, I could probably slip the muzzle on too," Shinra added, removing the tool from a belt loop. "You're welcome to try; just be careful. Please. "
Shinra worked his way down the pole slowly, making sure that if Shelby tried to run, he would be able to stop her. He was eventually able to fit the muzzle over Shelby's snout, fastening the buckle on the back and effectively inhibiting her bite. "That went a lot easier than I expected," Shinra sighed relievedly after putting on the muzzle, "Despite the hiccup, and perhaps a little fear on your part, this was one of the easier situations I've been a part of!"
Even with Shelby securely in place, Izaya was hesitant to move forward; what he noticed that Shinra didn't was that the aforementioned cogs in Shelby's head appeared to be turning again. Maybe there was a reason she was so calm with Shinra and didn't lash out. Unless she was dead set on biting his ass instead of doing anything else. Regardless, it was unnerving him.
"Izaya?" Shinra called, bringing the broker back to reality, "Did you want to stand there all day and have her stare at you, or do you want to head home?"
"Home sounds good," Izaya clarified, "Just as long as you let me set up the cage and you keep her at bay."
Shinra happily nodded and led Shelby out of the alley, effectively allowing Izaya to leave his spot on the wall and trail behind at a safe distance. He was just hoping that wrangling the dog wouldn't be an even bigger mistake than letting her continue to roam…
