nebulochaotic | voice

[At first, there's no video, just a simple audio message with the intones of one rather pleased Brit.]

Well, I'll give the government here this much: They are doing more than I expected to help me out, where it's really needed.

[Now, the video cuts on to Melanie sitting with a golden lab-retriever. He is sitting right at her side, tail wagging and nudges her hand with his head.

She grins and continues-- ]

This is Max, and he's meant to be my guide dog rather soon. There's still a few weeks yet before he can come home with me, he's got a bit more training to finish up. Then they said they'll coach me in what he can do and help with and the like, too, but--

[She's smiling, a true, genuine thing that she's not sure the last time her face managed with any real meaning. She scratches between the dog's ears lightly.]

If today's any indication, I think we're gonna be a good fit.

[She doubts anyone besides her will actually care about this, but she was just... happy about it, and she hadn't been happy about much of anything in longer than she wants to consider and it was nice, and the kind of thing that's easily shared.]

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[ Derek grins a little, even though he knows she can't see him. She looks happy and so does the dog. Plus, he can't help it; guide dog, that's pretty cool. He's kind of always wondered how those dogs get trained and it makes him wonder if there's a place around here that, like a training facility. Maybe he can get a job there. He'll have to ask sometime when she's settled in with the dog because he's guessing she'll have to go to whatever facility the dog came from in order to learn what she needs to. ]

Congratulations! That's pretty awesome that they set you up with a guide dog like that. On the government's dime, even? Nice.

Right? It's brilliant. Way beyond what I'd expected, honestly.

Yeah, seriously, though. Do you know where they trained him? [ Derek pauses and huffs out a soft laugh. ] That's random, I know. Uh, it'sj just that I'm a currently out of work dog trainer and it made me wonder if the facility is local.

Uh, yeah-- it's, uh-- it's a place called The Seeing Eye. [Brief pause.] Not really a fan of the name myself, but I suppose it's clever.

Oh, I had no idea you were a dog trainer. That's amazing. I don't think I'd have the patience, honestly.

Is it local, do you know? [ He huffs a small laugh. ] Yeah, that's a pretty lame name, I'm with you there.

[ Was, in any case. He wishes he'd still had it in him when he'd gotten here but missing Chance had made it too hard. Now if he wants to train, he's going to have to find somewhere else to do it. ]

It does take a lot of patience, but it's also probably easier for me than it would be for most people.

I'm pretty sure, yeah. I can get the information for you, if you like.

Oh, yeah? You keep your patience in your back pocket, do you?

That would be great, yeah, thanks a lot.

[ He laughs a little, shaking his head. ]

No, I...didn't mean the patience. I just meant getting the dogs to listen to me. It's easier for me to get them to listen to me than it is for most people.

No problem, mate.

Oh- er. Well... I mean, I thought as much. But I sort've thought it was be-cause of the patience? So I think I'm effectively confused now.

Oh, no. It's because I smell like a wolf to them. I'm not human. They feel inclined to listen to me because they think I smell like a potential threat.

Uh- oh? A- a wolf? [There's a brief pause, a soft huff of confusion.] I think missed something.

Werewolf, more specifically, but... Yeah. You didn't miss it so much as it seemed like an awkward thing to just shove into the conversation without some sort of prompt and this is the first time that's happened, I guess.

Oh, that's brilliant, Melanie! He's really cute. I'm excited for you!

That's good to know. [She laughs a little.] He's really sweet, I can't wait to have him with me full-time.

[ She doesn't want to be That Guy and ask whether there's some kind of catch. It isn't that she doesn't think Melanie doesn't deserve the dog because, if Rikki had a say in it, every blind person would have a guide dog. It's just that she's pretty sure all the training that goes into them would make them pretty damn expensive and it's a little weird that the government here is willing to drop that kind of money into someone meant to only be a temporary guest. It makes her wonder if they're not actually meant to be temporary and that's just the party line those employees have to spout off to new Displaced Supers... ]

You said a few weeks before he's done training and then do you go to the training facility to train with him or do they send him to you with a trainer to stay with you until you've got it all down? How's that all work? I always kind of wondered, to be honest.

[Melanie's wondering, too, if she's honest. It's almost too good to be true, and Melanie knows how easily things can seem like one thing when they're not. But for now, she'll go with it. She's got a list of questions for the guys that set her up with this program to make sure it's not some sort of... manipulation, somehow.]

The best I understood it-- and I intend to get full clarifications before it's all said and done-- they'll go over it all a few times a week with me, during the last of his training, get us sort of integrated and used to each other in that time, and after that he'll come home with me. Any problems, I can call them and they'll have someone out to help sort things out if it's necessary.

[ Rikki's bottom lip pushes out as her eyebrows lift, seemingly impressed with how easy that process sounds. Suspiciously easy, but again, she's not going to ruin Melanie's day with her personal paranoia. ]

Cool. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me, mate.

I hope it's as simple as that, honestly. It'd be nice for one thing to go half-way all right lately.

Yeah, really though. Best of luck, yeah?

Thanks, Rikki. [She can't help it, she's grinning from ear to ear.]

Of course!

He looks like a good boy. I'm glad they got you set up with what you need.

I'm Steve. If you need help with him, let me know. I love dogs.

He seems it, for as far as I can tell. Me too. Still a bit bewildered by the whole thing, if m'honest.

Nice to meet you, Steve, I'm Melanie. Thanks, I'll definitely keep that in mind.

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