Comin' on strong with all the chit-chat

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

Hawke really needed another dog.

Well, no, he didn't need another dog, but while Diesel was more than enough dog for any man, Hawke suspected he got lonely at times. So it just seemed like a good idea to look around a little, check out some of the local shelters, see if any of the dogs present really spoke to him. There definitely wasn't room for another dog as big as the Mabari at home, but maybe a medium sized dog? None of those little toy breeds, but a nice, mid-sized mutt. But since he hadn't been looking for any pets since he came to Kirkwall, a year or so ago, he wasn't sure where to go. He is currently deeply doubting his decision to take the advice of one of his fellow students who gushed about the shelter down in Darktown.

He'd told the nice woman at the front desk that he was looking for a smaller pet, someone to be a companion to his big dog, and she'd beamed at him and said he'd come to just the right place - the animals here had a wide variety of temperaments, and surely he would find one that fit his household. Then she'd handed him off to a man who'd only shown him cats, so far. Not that Hawke disliked cats, he just ... well, he was a dog person, plain and simple. And so he'd politely peered at the various felines he'd been introduced to, but he was getting impatient.

"So," he said to the guy, Anders, he thinks he was introduced as. Which sounded like a place and not a person. "Where do you keep your dogs? Kind of time to move on to the main event, don't you think?"

Comments

[mageagainstthemachine]

"That's cheating," Anders comments, just a bit accusingly, but he can't help glancing down at the kitten happily clinging to the mabari's face.

"... I suppose I could help you get her settled..."

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

Diesel has started licking the kitten now, wet swipes of his big tongue as she grabs on to his muzzle. Hawke grins, totally undaunted by the 'cheating' comment - all's fair in hot men and war, after all, and he is something of a habitual bender of the rules.

"Great! When are you off?"

[mageagainstthemachine]

Anders looks a bit shell-shocked for a moment, just from how eager Hawke is, and then glances at the clock. "Ah... not for a few hours, yet. I can give you a list of things you'll need for her in the house, and you can either buy them here or at whatever petshop you usually go to?"

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

"I was just going to ask you for that," Hawke chuckles. "I mean, I figured she wouldn't be eating Diesel's food, but I don't know what else cats need. ... toys, right? Catnip? Uh, a bed?"

He slides down to crouch next to his dog, tickling his fingers along the kitten's back. "Also, I need to know what you like to drink."

[mageagainstthemachine]

The kitten is immediately distracted and tries latching onto Hawke's fingers, releasing Diesel's face for the moment. Anders stares at them, slowly answering, "I... don't drink." Magic and alcohol isn't always the best combination, especially for an unregistered mage. "I'll go write that list for you, and we'll sort out the paperwork for her."

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

"Anything? You must get really thirsty," Hawke comments, amused - while he himself can put back a fair amount of alcoholic beverages, getting people drunk to seduce them isn't really his style. He starts ruffling the fur on the kitten's belly, the way he would with a puppy.

"And Anders?" he adds, before the man can escape to the paperwork. His voice is a little more serious this time. "Thanks. Really."

[mageagainstthemachine]

Surprises seem to keep coming from this man. Anders stares with confusion and asks, "What for?"

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

"Helping me with all this," he says, surprised himself at the other man's confusion. "Connecting me with this one."

He taps the kitten's nose with a little smile. "You're going above and beyond, and I do appreciate it."

[mageagainstthemachine]

He looks a bit embarrassed at that and looks away with a shrug. "Cats deserve good homes. You obviously love animals, so... she should be happy with you. I'll go get those papers now."

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

Hawke nods, and turns his attention back to the dog and the cat. When Anders returns, he'll find the big man sprawled out on the floor with them, lifting up the kitten so she can bat at the mabari, who is now sitting up and looking slightly put upon at this game, though his tail still gamely thumps now and then, betraying his interest in the proceedings.

[mageagainstthemachine]

Unable to suppress the smile that automatically comes to his face, Anders comes to sit next to Hawke on the ground, clipboard in hand with all the necessary papers. "There's not a lot, thankfully. Did you want to keep her name or give her a new one?"

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

Hawke rolls his head to he's looking up at Anders. "I have to decide now? Hm, well, what's her name now?"

[mageagainstthemachine]

The mage shrugs. "No, but it's easier to do it now rather than later. She hasn't been named yet, she was found on the street, not brought in by her previous owner, if she even had one."

Racking up approval by asking my companion's opinions~

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

"Huh ... well, I've never named a cat before. What does she look like to you?" Hawke asks, tilting his head to one side as he looks at Anders, a distinctly canine affectation.

Anders APPROVES +5

[mageagainstthemachine]

Anders looks surprised (again), and shuffles awkwardly in place before focusing on the cat, reaching out to gently tickle her chin.

"... Nothing very serious. Maybe something sweeter... like Myrtle, Merrill... maybe Madame Puddifoot."

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

"Well, I definitely can't call her Merrill, I know a Merrill, and as sweet as she is, I don't want to get them confused," Hawke says, grinning. "She's pointy, too."

He considers, then raises an eyebrow, "Madame Puddifoot, hm? Think she'll grow into a Madame?"

[mageagainstthemachine]

"Of course. All females grow into Queens, unless you get them desexed first."

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

"That explains a lot about cats," Hawke says with a playful smirk. "Okay. Madame Puddifoot it is."

She's probably going to become a Maddy in about 2 days, though.

"You must have some yourself, right? What did you name yours?"

[mageagainstthemachine]

"I have one a friend gifted me some time ago. His name's Ser Pounce-a-lot," Anders answers with just a bit of mock pride at the name.

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

Hawke has to chuckle for that. "Oho, another grand fellow. I'm starting to see a pattern here!"

[mageagainstthemachine]

"Cats could take over the world, one of these days, you should be wary of them and treat them with respect," the mage quips with a lofty smirk.

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

"I prefer the subversion method," Hawke parries, patting his dog on the back. "I've never been good at respecting authority."

[mageagainstthemachine]

The smirk turns into a full smile, but then Anders deliberately looks away, filling in what he can for the adoption papers before passing them to Hawke. "You just need to fill these in now."

[senseisnotmystrongsuit]

"Ugh, paperwork," Hawke complains, reluctantly turning away from the two animals he had been happily playing with while Anders had been filling in the blanks. He reaches for the clipboard, fingers lightly brushing the blond's as he takes it to do his share.

[mageagainstthemachine]

"Better to get it over and done with now," Anders answers sagely, fingers twitching at the touch as he takes his hands back.