At Home for the Winter (Open)

MUSE

In a mid-winter afternoon, a boy and his dog were peacefully walking through the academy together, the boy dressed in a buttoned-up black coat, red shirt, black slacks, and black dress shoes; a variation of his casual wear accustomed to the winter. Walking towards the courtyard with a slight limp in his step, Gawain gently held onto his dog's leash with his left hand, carrying his satchel on his right shoulder, while guiding his dog through the academy. In the state he was, having fought an arduous battle, the boy couldn't do much at all, so he spent most of his time with his pet, walking with him and playing with him. Nonetheless, Gawain felt that his dog was trying to take care of him more often than not. The little thing always stayed by his owner's side, wanting to make sure that no more harm would come of Gawain; the interaction made the boy wonder if his pet truly cared about him.

Approaching the fountain, Gawain turned around and slowly lifted himself onto the edge, only realizing that his dog wanted up as well. Smiling softly at the yipping thing, Gawain gently slid off the fountain's edge and picked up his dog with his left hand and arm before setting him down on the fountain. When the two were finally settled down together, Gawain calmly pet the little dog with a gentle smile on his face as he examined their surroundings. Less and less people were around, studying for their classes most likely, and some people were bound to leave the academy at one point to visit their family for the holiday. Regardless, Gawain was bound to stay at the academy, with no family to return to. He wasn't sad, but he wasn't happy either. In a way, he missed having a family, people who cared about him, but he chose a lonely path in the end. Sighing lightly to himself, the boy looked up at the cloudy sky, reminiscing about his past.

Dog:

Scarlett let out a faint sigh, a puff of visible breath escaping from her lips due to the cold air of the area. Blinking, she watched that small buff of air escape and dissipate into nothing, allowing her mind to wander for just a few moments. How sad was it that she was there, sitting on a bench out in the cold, when most of the other students were heading home for the holidays? Not that she didn't want to, but more that she was one of the few that simply had nowhere to go. Typically she would go to her grandfather's - her home, but he was traveling at the moment, and she had no idea when she'd be able to see him again. She found that being away from him was easy at first when compared to the longing that she had to hear his laugh that always made everything seem like it was okay. But she would possibly need to get used to the holidays without him, for as long that she was at Syne at the very least.

Scarlett blinked, getting pulled away from her thoughts by a strange sound not too far away. At first, she wasn't sure what it could have been, but soon the yapping allowed her eyes to follow the sound until it fell upon an adorable puppy getting lifted up and sat on the edge of the fountain. The redhead allowed her eyes to linger over the pair for several moments, looking over the blonde boy especially, wondering why he seemed just as lonely as she was, if not more. Her gaze stayed on the boy and his dog until she realized she was doing just that, causing her to blush slightly at her rude behavior and mumble out a, "Ahh... sorry...". Not even sure if the boy had noticed her staring and apology, she just quickly looked back down at the sketchpad she was drawing in before her mind began to wander, biting down on her lower lip as the girl went back to drawing.

The boy sighed to himself yet again, coming across fond memories of what he could call a godmother and his version of a grandmother. To him, those two meant so much more than the family that raised him did: they took him in when no one else did, protected him, provided him a home when he had none, and taught him in their own ways. And thus, there was that boy, sitting on that fountain reminiscing about his past while his small companion lied on his owner's lap, nuzzling his small head into Gawain's stomach for warmth. The boy thought the action was adorable, cute enough to draw a few strokes and pets for the little one; however, before he could return to his memories, the small dog started barking, specifically at a girl not-so-far away from them. At first, Gawain thought his pet was simply being impolite, barking out of nowhere, but upon closer examination of the girl's situation, Gawain wondered if there was another reason for the abrupt noise.

Nevertheless, Gawain allowed his little dog to hop off of his lap and the fountain to meet with the new person. Without many options to choose from, the boy gladly followed his pet as he readied his pen and notepad in his right coat-pocket for any conversation ahead; he hoped that that girl wouldn't mind his situation. Coming up from behind his dog -who sat at the feet of the girl, wagging his tail comfortably while yipping happily as if the thought of meeting a possible new friend overcame the weather- Gawain pulled out his notepad and pen and began writing on the spot while his affectionate dog kept the girl company.


When Gawain finished his introductory statements, he held his notepad in front of the girl, close enough to read for many people but far enough as to not invade the girl's personal space. With a gentle, calm look on his face, the boy waited for a response while his dog snuggled against his owner's left leg for some warmth.

Scarlett blinked, her attention and gaze once again trailing from the sketch pad she had in her hands. Her attention was pulled away from her drawings and towards the dog that had begun to yip and yap freely. And even worse, the small puppy's attention seemed to be directed at her, "U-uh..?" The redhead's eyes began to uneasily scan her surroundings, wondering if there was a reason that she had somehow attracted the yipping of the boy's dog. "A-ah..." The bashful girl made another meek sound as the dog approached her, causing her to draw in her feet to hide them under the bench that she was sitting on.

Watching the dog for several moments, Scarlett was unsure of what she should do. While her social anxiety wasn't as bad with animals, it was still existent when it was someone's pet, not wanting to intrude or pet them when their masters didn't want her to. While she shifted uneasily on the bench, her gaze once wandered around to figure out what to do. As her eyes fell upon the boy that was sitting on the fountain just a moment ago, it was apparent that he was approaching her, a fact that made her gently bite down on her lower lip. She was prepared to take in a breath to apologize for something, but she didn't get the chance, watching with curiosity as Gawain instead pulled out a notepad and began to write.

Scarlett leaned in slightly to get a better view of the writings, her mouth working slowly as she read the words silently. Her eyes trailed upwards to Gawain who was expecting an answer from the meek redhead, "A-ah... well..." She shifted herself on the bench more, looking down at the snowy ground, "Sorry for bothering you and everything... I wasn't really doing anything at the dorm and... I like the cold when it's like this. It's quiet and pretty and... peaceful."

Retracting his notepad with a calm smile, nodding his head in agreement, Gawain began writing his next response to himself, as to give the girl some space. He mentally noted her mannerisms, seeing herself stumble around in her spot, her eyes directed towards the ground, and her statements seemed dabbled with, sprinkled with a taste of hesitance, but that was just Gawain's take on the girl's disposition. Her current one most likely caused by his presence, the boy assumed, however, he could do little if his little companion wanted to meet someone new.


With the randomly wandering eyes of his, Gawain did little to stop them, only to comment about them on his notepad before turning it over for her to read; however, some several moments before, as the boy began writing his response, his little dog walked up to the girl again and gently pawed her right leg in silence, slowly becoming acquainted with her presence. Coinciding with Gawain's finished response, the dog stood up his two lower legs before planting his cold paws on the girl's right leg, as if to indicate he wanted to be picked up. Such a cute action was deemed by Gawain as acceptable and a simple friendly thing, so he allowed his pet to do so, waiting for her response before finally showing his.

The cool gentle breeze beat against his coat as he waited with a small smile on his face, enjoying the interaction with what someone from a distance could possibly say the start of a friendship.