lighthouse

Being caught on the same block as lights and sirens wasn’t exactly an unusual occurrence for this city.  Even a bank robbery wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, but this bank was notorious for their mob money.  The hit must’ve been a big one.  Normally he wasn’t much of a bottle necker, but the size of the crowd intrigued him.  Nico caught a familiar flash of red hair in the crowd, and he knew his sister well enough to know she’d find this kind of thing unsettling.  

“Hey, Caro,” he greeted.  “Wanna get out of here?  No reason for us to stick around for this,” he nodded with a smirk, but his brows momentarily furrowed in confusion when he saw the leash in her hand.  “Whose dog is that?  Can I pet them?”

Phoebe had been caught up in her own concern to really take extensive note of anyone else in the crowd outside of an apology for her dog’s nervous pacing. The only thing really on her mind was easing her way away as best as she could so she could go home. It didn’t catch her off guard for a stranger to approach her, but when he actually spoke, a new wave of unease and confusion came over her.

Almost immediately, Phoebe tightened her hold on the leash and urged Trixie to come closer to her. “I’m... sorry? I think you’ve got the wrong person.” It wasn’t that this guy necessarily gave her a bad feeling, but with the fact that there was a literal bank robbery happening nearby and there was a massive crowd, Phoebe decided that she couldn’t be too cautious. 

When Phoebe was 12, she tried to use her powers to will a wild turkey into her house and up the stairs to her bedroom.  She got about as far as her street corner before the thing flew away, but that’s beside the point. She would absolutely keep an unusual and exotic pet, assuming that a.) it was legal, and b.) she had the proper means to take care of it. If she could give if a good home, there aren’t many animals that Phoebe wouldn’t take in (that list being limited to anything that she couldn’t emotionally calm, or hippos. As adorable as they are, she can’t handle their teeth).

As soon as she heard the sound of sirens screeching out from the bank directly across the street, Phoebe felt her entire body seize up. It wasn’t until there was a panicked tug at the leash in her hand that she came back to herself. She could feel Trixie’s fear before her own, and that was all it took for her feet to start moving again. Immediately, she hid, sinking down to the ground behind a bus bench as the alarms continued to blare and cop cars could be heard in the distance..

“It’s okay, honey. We’ll be safe.” She tried to calm the dog be stroking her fingers through her fur, hoping the poor thing didn’t feel her own worry. Her instinct was to run, but God knew if there was actually someone out by now. She glanced around and spotted other people around her, thinking they had to be just as alarmed as she was. “Sorry,” she said, referring to her comfort of her dog, as if that was anyone else’s concern.

It’s been a heck of a week, Pals. 

Having a different face is pretty stressful, y’know? I’ll admit that I miss the red hair and all of the stray cats that wanted to follow me home, but that was not a body built for Taco Bell, which is a tragedy. Anyway, as is the usual trend when I’m not quite on the up & up, all I wanted to do tonight after work is eat some mac and cheese and watch Ella Enchanted, but no. My building’s power is out. Terrible prank, Universe. 

Anyway, I improvised by camping myself in the pizza place down the street and trying to eat an entire pie by myself in exchange for the free WiFi, so I guess I can’t complain too much. Here’s to hoping y’all have power, your amazing Anne Hathaway movie of choice, and some carbs to complete your Thursday. 

Thank you for taking such good care of my body! It and me are both extremely appreciative. I’m sure all the kitties who got to follow you around say “thank you” too, because I’m sure some people would’ve been much less grateful for their company. Please know that me and my ten years of vegetarianism owe you Taco Bell for limiting you.

I always have wondered how shelters create the names for their pets. It seems very exhausting to do. How do you even think of that many names?!

It’s actually pretty easy if you know where to look! The first time we had a litter to name after I started working there, I’d watched The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe the day before. So when we had two boys and two girls to name, of course my first thought was Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. I actually think it’s harder to name dogs without a theme, because there’s so much media and books and movies to pick from.

My manager and his assistant have been calling up all the vets in a ten mile radius, and I’ve been checking in at all the local shelters myself.  So far no luck, but he’s chipped, and somebody was nice enough to help me  with posters.  It just sucks feeling like there’s nothing else I can do.

If you’d feel comfortable giving me a description of him, I can put some feelers out. Sometimes my shelter gets calls about dogs people have seen wandering around but they’re not able to bring them in for whatever reason. If he’s out on the street, it could help you at least narrow down an area. I know I wouldn’t be able to sleep if my pup got out, so I really hope he comes home soon.

Gladly. And aw, you got a pup and some kitties. That’s adorable. I wish I had a puppy. But I’m too busy to take care of a little guy. Maybe one day I can get myself a good ‘ol companion.

That’s actually really reasonable and I have to commend you for knowing that. I work at a shelter, and unfortunately, a lot of the times we have owner-surrendered pets simply because the person didn’t realize what a big responsibility they would be. You should absolutely look into it when you have the time though, because that’s when the perfect little buddy will be waiting for you too.

Okay, so I’m all about patient confidentiality, but guess who just convinced her patient to give her three kittens? Today has certainly been a blessed day! Now I have a basket of kittens and no idea what to name the lil’ rascals!

Oh, naming is one of my favorite parts whenever the shelter gets another little temporary friend. We just had some pups come through that we named Tommy, Dil, and Angelica. Or Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup? Bambi, Thumper, and Flower? If they’re all girls, you could even do an old Hollywood theme. Marilyn, Audrey, and Elizabeth.

I never thought I’d be so fucking excited to be in my own body again but it’s so fuckin’ nice to open my mouth and be able to hear my own voice and actually be able to play my guitar. Hot damn, what a good day.

It’s a very good day indeed. I know the girl who had my body was worried about not having her voice, so hopefully she’s as excited to have that back as you are. I know I was ecstatic when I woke up as a redhead again. I have to ask though, was it not easy to play the guitar in another body? I don’t know anything about music so I hope that’s not a dumb question.

To the assholes who took advantage of me being momentarily tiny and robbed my place: you better be praying I don’t find you now that I got my body back.  The jerseys, the trophies you took, whatever.  I can even replace my smashed TV.  

But you took my dog.  If I find you I will kill you, that’s a promise.  

Oh my gosh... have you checked nearby shelters and vets? It could be the little guy got scared and took off, and maybe someone brought him in to wait for you. Is he chipped?