Log: Kurt and Lorna

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Backdated: Lorna and Kurt chat and he gets to see her house and meet the puppies. One is rather fond of him.



As soon as lunch was served and the chatter level had risen back to its usual decibel, Lorna did what had become a habit since school had begun and snuck off toward the garage. The nice thing about puppies was that they could be left alone in ways that a child couldn't (and after all, their mother was right there to care for them) but that didn't mean that she didn't still sneak back at lunch every day to check on them. On some days, it seemed dreadfully inconvenient but most of the time Lorna didn't begrudge the errand. Her babies were completely adorable after all.

As she walked, she pulled her fingers through her braid, unknotting it and noting absently that her hair was getting rather long. Maybe it was time to cut it? Something to think about. A flash of blue out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned, "Hey, Kurt. Can I get an opinion?"

He blinked, jarred out of his own thoughts, then smiled at her. "That depends on what it is about. But I will try."

She lifted her hair, tucking it up to something about chin length, "Do you think I should cut my hair? It's been a while and I don't know, it just feels like I've been doing the same thing for a hundred years."

"Ah." Kurt looked faintly apologetic on hearing that. "It is not exactly an area of my expertise. I think your hair looks nice, but I cannot say a shorter haircut would not suit you."

Lorna wrinkled her nose at that answer and let her hair fall again. "Well, you're no use, are you?" she sighed but there was nothing but humor in her tone. After a moment, her posture softened and she stepped a little closer, "How have you been? I know there were...things. I'm sorry."

"There have been many things", he said quietly, the weariness showing again. "I have been well enough, for all that... but thank you."

She hesitated for a moment, never good at this sort of thing. Her ability to talk with people easily about anything for hours failed her completely when it came to serious subjects. She finally shrugged one shoulder uncomfortably. "I was just heading back home for a quick trip. Do you..." she blinked as something occurred to her, "hey, did you want to come with? You can meet the puppies and I don't think you've even seen my new house yet, have you?"

"No, I have not", Kurt replied, brightening at the change of subject. "I would be glad to take a tour and meet the puppies, since you offer." Best to take the chance while he was still in America, after all.

"They're the cutest things ever. And that is completely an objective statement, I swear." Swiftly, she stepped close and linked her arm with his. "Come on. We've got to rush because I have to get back in time for my office hours. There's a test coming up and that means they're all panicking. It's a daily mob scene." She hurried them along down to the garage and into the car.

He glanced back as they went, bemused, but didn't protest. "I could teleport you back, if you like, but then you would not have your car."

"No, no." Lorna said briskly, shaking her head, "I have a firm rule about teleporting. No instantaneous travel for half an hour after eating. I get queasy. Besides, I live, like, five minutes away. It's just a quick drive."

And it was, particularly at the speeds Lorna drove, untroubled by things like tight turns and speed limits. Teleporting may have been safer. "Home, sweet home," Lorna chirped, indicating the small yellow house half hidden by trees.

Kurt's hand, the one away from her, was firmly clenched on the edge of the seat, but he let go and smiled, looking at the house. "It is very pretty. I am sorry I never came to see it before."

"Don't worry about it. Plenty of opportunity the future." She climbed out of the car, reached back in to grab her large purse and motioned him to follow her to the house, "Neighbors can be a little bit uptight. They didn't like the mutant thing at first but I bribed them with baked goods. Food is the universal good will ambassador, Kurt. Never forget that."

"So I have gathered on occasions at the school", he said, amused, as he followed her. "But as for the future opportunity... I do not know when I will return to America next."

Lorna paused, hand on the door handle, looking dismayed. "Really? You're thinking about...I mean, you're leaving? For good?"

"I do not know", was the quiet answer. "For a time, at least. My family need me... after that, we will see. And I will see you at Stefan's wedding, I hope?"

"Uh, I hadn't planned on it. With the puppies and all, it's hard to get away. Speaking of, they tend to mob, watch your step." She pushed the door open and whistled, "Lili, sweetie!"

"...the puppies, of course", he said ruefully. "I had not thought of that, but of course, you cannot travel with them." He stepped carefully into the house, watching out for small furry bodies underfoot.

"Once they're old enough, Two and Three have homes but One's still got an uncertain future. Isn't that right, baby?" Lorna hit her knees just inside the room as four bundles of yapping, running, nipping fur came hurtling toward the human pets. Lorna scooped up the most energetic of the lot and stood, dumping it into Kurt's arms immediately. "Say hello."

That got more blinking, but he recovered quickly, shifting the puppy into a more comfortable position for them both. "Well, hello there. And which is this?"

"That's One." Lorna gathered up another of the little puppies and started toward the kitchen, nuzzling the bundle of fur behind the ear, "This is Two. They don't have names because I'm afraid to get attached."

"It makes sense", he agreed, reaching his free hand to scritch the puppy's head and following Lorna. "Hello, One. Why has no one adopted you yet?"

Lorna checked the water level in the dogs' bowls; she set Two down and Three promptly pounced. Lorna ignored it knowing Lili would step in if things got out of hand. She got their food out instead. "We haven't found anyone yet is all. Two is going to my mom, Three's going back to Hawaii to live with Alex's friend Jared."

"It is a shame", Kurt almost crooned, still looking at the puppy, who was wriggling around in a so-far vain attempt to reach his face and lick it. "He seems so friendly."

"One's the baby. He demands attention. He's like his mom in that way." Two and Three yelped and then went running out of the room. "Oh god, I hope they don't break anything."

"If you would like to follow them and make sure", he offered, "I will be happy to stay and watch over this one."

"Yeah, that'll work. He's probably hungry so..." She dashed off without completing that thought. Lili sat and watched Kurt closely.

Kurt crouched carefully, supporting the puppy, and set him down on the floor near the food bowls. "Are you hungry, then, little one?"

The puppy skidded on the floor then bounded to the bowls, landing half inside and scattering food everywhere on the otherwise pristine tile and shoved his face down next to his front paws like it was his last chance for a meal ever. He yelped when this enthusiasm led him to bite his own caramel colored leg and he darted whining back to Kurt.

Lorna returned just then with a puppy under either arm, scolding them in tones of such affection that they wriggled with the force of their wagging tails. The larger of the two kept trying to get away in order to lick her face, which she discouraged quite firmly. She stopped and raised an eyebrow at the cowering puppy. "Did he knock it over and scare himself again?"

Kurt had just leaned down to comfort the puppy and try to make sure he hadn't actually bitten hard enough to break the skin. "No, I think his leg got in the way of his teeth."

She barely managed to smother a chuckle at that and set down the other two who happily took over where One had given up. "That happens sometimes. I keep hoping they'll figure it out but it hasn't quite sunk in yet."

Kurt was now half-crouched, half-sitting on the floor, One firmly settled in his lap. Examining the leg, he found no sign of blood. "There. You are just fine, are you not, ~puppy~?"

One kept whining. Lorna looked amused, "If you put his face back in the food, he'll forget that he hurt himself. He's pretty distractable that way."

"When the others have finished", he decided with a glance that way. "I would not want them to trample him in the rush."

"Softie," Lorna accused with a laugh. "All right, bring him along and I'll give you a tour. It's gonna take them a minute or two to stuff their adorable little faces. Then Two will figure out something insane to do and drag Three into it. Again."

Kurt laughed, standing and tucking the puppy into the crook of his arm to carry him. "That happens often, then?"

"Insanity is Two's mission in life. Three's a follower." She wandered out, gesturing vaguely for him to follow, "Kitchen, living room--note the no longer pink walls? I think it was a service to humanity. So are those couch covers because you really don't even want to know what the upholstery really looks like."

"And One is the baby, you said... " He eyed the decoration warily. "I take it the previous owner's taste was... questionable, then?"

"Not if you're an 80 year old woman it wasn't but for anyone with all their teeth? Yeah, questionable is good word for it. This bedroom is the pups. Lili's taken over as you can tell. The walls here were purple. Or lavender or something. I don't even know what to call it. I think the yellow is better, right?"

"The puppies have their own bedroom?" he asked, amused. "And yes, the room is very bright now. It is a good thing."

"Of course they do. I did the living with a puppy thing once, that's crazy making. In their own room, fewer of my shoes get eaten. And really, I couldn't put them in the office, could I? That wouldn't be very nice." Lorna made it sound like it wasn't slightly crazy. "Which, by the way, that's what this one is. Notice the closed door? Yeah, that's because Two has gotten stuck in my trash four times. Four." She pushed the door open to reveal a tidy, if sparsely decorated, home office.

Kurt winced. "That sounds messy. Especially for such a nice office." He liked sparsely decorated.

"It's better than when they get into the kitchen trash but, good Lord, can that puppy cry." She glanced at the large clock on the wall and frowned. "We're gonna have to get going soon. Let me show you the back and then you can convince One to eat before we hit the road."

"All right", he agreed easily, then looked down at the puppy. "But I think convincing him to eat may require waking him up, first."

Lorna laughed, "Lazy."

"I shall take it as a compliment", Kurt declared. "It means he is comfortable."

She just laughed again with a shake of her head and continued through the house to the backyard. It was, to her California sensibilities, absurdly large, a wide lawn surrounded by trees everywhere but the place where it met the lake. She stopped on the deck and leaned on the railing. "This is my favorite part, I think."

Kurt stepped out after her, lifting his eyes from his attention on the puppy, then stopped in his tracks. "I can see why. Lorna, this is beautiful."

"I was told that this lot is actually quite small and obviously it's not as nicely landscaped as the mansion but I like it. It feels right." She pointed down at the water's edge, "There are ducks that play down there. The puppies like to chase them. It's really hysterical, since they're completely inept."

"I like it very much. And they are still only learning", he said with a grin. "Do they ever even get close to a duck before it flies away?"

"Sometimes," Lorna admitted cheerfully, "but only when the duck sticks around to point and laugh."

Kurt laughed, looking back down at the puppy stirring sleepily in his arms. "And do you chase the ducks, then, One?" Looking back up at Lorna, he admitted, "It will be difficult to put him down, when it is time to go."

"You know," Lorna said, smiling at the puppy with just a faintest trace of regret, "I really think it will be. That seems to be a characteristic of the whole family. They get into your heart and don't let go." She checked her watch again, needlessly because she already knew the time. "Come on. We've got to run or I'm going to be late."

"Of course", Kurt agreed, turning to go back into the house. "I... you said no one has laid claim to One yet?" He wasn't committing himself, not when he didn't know if he'd come back to America... but an inquiry couldn't hurt, could it?

Lorna glanced over, pulled the door open. "Not yet. He's the baby, so I'm a little protective. There's a couple weeks yet before we have to decide." Inside, Three attacked her pant leg and she scolded automatically.

"So you would... prefer him to go to someone you already know and trust?" It was still a purely speculative question. Honest.

Back in the kitchen again, Two and Three had ravaged the bowls and Lorna redistributed the mess for One. "Yeah. I really just want them to not be stuck alone all the time. They're used to having their family around and it just doesn't seem fair to give him away to someone who isn't going to give him the same amount of attention." If she heard the speculation, she didn't give any sign.

Kurt put the puppy - who had woken up decisively at the first smell of food - down, reluctantly, and watched him skitter over to the bowl. "Lorna... you know I may not come back. But if I do, before you have homed him with someone else... would you consider giving him to me?"

She smiled without looking up and didn't smile once she did. "We'll talk about it when you get back. How's that?" She pulled her keys to her hand, tried to remember where she'd left her purse and tilted her head. "I think it's worth considering."

Kurt did smile, quick and pleased. "That seems a fair solution." He chose not to comment on her 'when' rather than 'if', if he noticed it. "Are you sure you would not rather teleport? I could bring you back at the end of the day easily enough."

"Makes me queasy, but thanks anyway. You can feel free if you like."

He shook his head. "It would be rude, as a guest. I will travel with you."

Lorna grinned, "All right, let's roll."