Arthur & Mel | Red Rover
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xp_logsArthur and Mel meet in District X.
Arthur squinted at the binocular scope attached to his phone.
A puffy green shape moved far away in the trees, but it was doing its best to hide. The man on the other side of the lens made a slight frown of concern before lowering his newly purchased accessory in consternation. The digiscope still had protective film on it, marking the man as very new to all this. His attention drifted to a nearby notebook in reference, and finally to his assistant.
"Felix, there are parrots in Tompkins Square Park?"
The elder golden retriever very politely stared. He gave a few tiny shakes of his tail, happy for the attention.
"You're right. It is a weird and wonderful city," Arthur said. A hand fished for a treat from a pouch, and soon the pup was rewarded for his excellent philosophy skills.
Someone else was interested in Arthur’s treats evidently, as a large poodle came bounding over, free of its leash. “No Princess! Bad Princess! Git back here!” A girl chased after the dog, a lab, husky, pitbull, two goldens, a beagle, and a chihuahua carried in her bag in tow.
Arthur gave a skeptical look toward the far away parrot before surrendering his attention to their new guest. "Well hello," he greeted the poodle. "I can't recommend birdwatching." His eyes drifted toward the approaching Mel, pointedly, but he addressed Princess like an old friend. "I like your daring, I do, but treats are for good behavior."
Mel grabbed Princess’s leash and wrangled the dog back into formation with the others. Rich people and their city dogs, why even get one if you couldn’t walk it yourself? “So sorry ‘bout that! She’s got a mind of her own.” A few of the dogs in her grasp sniffed Felix politely. They were all quite well behaved, all except Princess.
Felix sat still, obviously curious, but did not move until Arthur stood and gave him a nod. The golden got to his feet and circled the assembled formation as if he was inspecting the group. A sniff here. There. As he neared Princess, however, he slowed and put his head down.
Arthur, meanwhile, stretched. The binocular scope and his phone hung from a strap across his chest like a bandolier, and the last image on the phone screen was of the blurry form that might have been a Monk Parakeet. He gave Mel a radiant smile.
"Absolutely no worries," he said in a light, carefree tone. A man with no worries, just like he claimed. "The vibes were off. Turns out birds aren't for me. I'm Arthur, by the way." He smiled a grin that was pure Hollywood.
Where did she know that smile? Mel wracked her brain. “This is gonna sound random but were you in ‘The Princess’s Bodyguard’? Yer a dead ringer for the male lead.” That was her favorite movie for a solid five years. She made Sam watch it with her so many times.
"The Princess's Bodyguard?" Arthur perked up at this, but he didn't answer immediately. Instead, the man did a quick once over as if he were looking for paparazzi, or, more likely, potential eavesdroppers. All he could find was a jogger, but that only made his smile brighten in recognition. "Hey, Steve," the blond chirped happily as the Steve passed, "still going for the marathon, huh?" This earned a wave and a smile in turn.
Then, Mel had the full weight of Arthur's broadening smile. One that could be, and had been, on television. "You seem incredibly trustworthy and run with the right crowd," he said with a sudden mischievous charm. "Can you keep a secret?"
The “crowd” in question was beginning to sprawl out on the grass, entangling her and each other in leashes. Mel’s face lit up. “Yeah!”
Arthur beamed and he changed. It wasn't subtle — his posture stiffened, he carried his head higher, and he was suddenly a man burdened with purpose. One hand went to an imaginary scabbard. The other hovered just above his heart. An actor on a stage. Then, he did the voice.
"Princess," his normal lightly accented tone was replaced with something intensely brooding and British as he addressed the poodle with a very convenient name, "I may guard your body, but you guard my heart. Before I met you, I didn't know someone could protect me."
Mel practically had hearts in her eyes. “Omg, yer him! Nick Knightly! I love that movie!” So what they said about meeting celebrities on the streets of New York City was true.
"We actually shot that movie mostly in July up in Montana," Arthur said with just a trailing hint of Her Sworn Royal Protector, Nicholas Knightly. "Earliest snowfall they'd ever had. A little bit of luck for those holiday scenes and the effects guys." He leaned down to pet the dog, Her Poodleness the First, who had finally settled into an obedient sit. She got a treat.
“Wow, that’s so cool! It’s so great to meet you!” Mel was trying her best to be normal and not fangirl over this guy who was just trying to chill in the park. The chihuahua in her bag gave a small yip and she reached down to give her a scratch.
Arthur beamed at the young woman. "No, it is great to meet you . . . " He trailed off, unblinking, realizing he had never gotten her name. His smile did not falter. "And, of course, this is Felix." He gestured at the golden, who had returned to a lazy sit. "Truth is, mysterious dog walker woman, I've always wondered how one judges how many leashes are too many at once. Is there a secret?"
“Y’know, I tried eight and it was too much, so seven is the lucky number.” She leaned over to give Felix a pet behind the ears. This was only her second time walking but the first had been . . . interesting. “But I really should be off, gotta get these guys back home.”
"Home is important, true," Arthur was squinting now, like he was looking for something he couldn't place in Mel's face. A passing familiarity. "I look forward to hearing more about your dog adventures, Miss Seven Is My Lucky Number. Wonderful to see new faces in the DX." He bent over, and he met eyes with each and every dog with a delighted, boyish smile. "You lot stay well behaved for her, or you'll have Felix to deal with."
Princess gave a sharp bark at that and Mel sighed. “Yeah yeah Princess, I’ll take ya back now.” She turned to Arthur and smiled. “It was great to meet ya, I still can’t believe it! It really is a small world . . . but anyways — bye!” And with that, Mel roused her canine companions and set off again, this time with all her charges in line.
Arthur watched the congregation of dogs depart with a set of doe eyes someone else might usually reserve for a new love. His birdwatching gear sat, ignored.
"They were nice," he commented idly to Felix. "I hope we see her around more often."
Arthur squinted at the binocular scope attached to his phone.
A puffy green shape moved far away in the trees, but it was doing its best to hide. The man on the other side of the lens made a slight frown of concern before lowering his newly purchased accessory in consternation. The digiscope still had protective film on it, marking the man as very new to all this. His attention drifted to a nearby notebook in reference, and finally to his assistant.
"Felix, there are parrots in Tompkins Square Park?"
The elder golden retriever very politely stared. He gave a few tiny shakes of his tail, happy for the attention.
"You're right. It is a weird and wonderful city," Arthur said. A hand fished for a treat from a pouch, and soon the pup was rewarded for his excellent philosophy skills.
Someone else was interested in Arthur’s treats evidently, as a large poodle came bounding over, free of its leash. “No Princess! Bad Princess! Git back here!” A girl chased after the dog, a lab, husky, pitbull, two goldens, a beagle, and a chihuahua carried in her bag in tow.
Arthur gave a skeptical look toward the far away parrot before surrendering his attention to their new guest. "Well hello," he greeted the poodle. "I can't recommend birdwatching." His eyes drifted toward the approaching Mel, pointedly, but he addressed Princess like an old friend. "I like your daring, I do, but treats are for good behavior."
Mel grabbed Princess’s leash and wrangled the dog back into formation with the others. Rich people and their city dogs, why even get one if you couldn’t walk it yourself? “So sorry ‘bout that! She’s got a mind of her own.” A few of the dogs in her grasp sniffed Felix politely. They were all quite well behaved, all except Princess.
Felix sat still, obviously curious, but did not move until Arthur stood and gave him a nod. The golden got to his feet and circled the assembled formation as if he was inspecting the group. A sniff here. There. As he neared Princess, however, he slowed and put his head down.
Arthur, meanwhile, stretched. The binocular scope and his phone hung from a strap across his chest like a bandolier, and the last image on the phone screen was of the blurry form that might have been a Monk Parakeet. He gave Mel a radiant smile.
"Absolutely no worries," he said in a light, carefree tone. A man with no worries, just like he claimed. "The vibes were off. Turns out birds aren't for me. I'm Arthur, by the way." He smiled a grin that was pure Hollywood.
Where did she know that smile? Mel wracked her brain. “This is gonna sound random but were you in ‘The Princess’s Bodyguard’? Yer a dead ringer for the male lead.” That was her favorite movie for a solid five years. She made Sam watch it with her so many times.
"The Princess's Bodyguard?" Arthur perked up at this, but he didn't answer immediately. Instead, the man did a quick once over as if he were looking for paparazzi, or, more likely, potential eavesdroppers. All he could find was a jogger, but that only made his smile brighten in recognition. "Hey, Steve," the blond chirped happily as the Steve passed, "still going for the marathon, huh?" This earned a wave and a smile in turn.
Then, Mel had the full weight of Arthur's broadening smile. One that could be, and had been, on television. "You seem incredibly trustworthy and run with the right crowd," he said with a sudden mischievous charm. "Can you keep a secret?"
The “crowd” in question was beginning to sprawl out on the grass, entangling her and each other in leashes. Mel’s face lit up. “Yeah!”
Arthur beamed and he changed. It wasn't subtle — his posture stiffened, he carried his head higher, and he was suddenly a man burdened with purpose. One hand went to an imaginary scabbard. The other hovered just above his heart. An actor on a stage. Then, he did the voice.
"Princess," his normal lightly accented tone was replaced with something intensely brooding and British as he addressed the poodle with a very convenient name, "I may guard your body, but you guard my heart. Before I met you, I didn't know someone could protect me."
Mel practically had hearts in her eyes. “Omg, yer him! Nick Knightly! I love that movie!” So what they said about meeting celebrities on the streets of New York City was true.
"We actually shot that movie mostly in July up in Montana," Arthur said with just a trailing hint of Her Sworn Royal Protector, Nicholas Knightly. "Earliest snowfall they'd ever had. A little bit of luck for those holiday scenes and the effects guys." He leaned down to pet the dog, Her Poodleness the First, who had finally settled into an obedient sit. She got a treat.
“Wow, that’s so cool! It’s so great to meet you!” Mel was trying her best to be normal and not fangirl over this guy who was just trying to chill in the park. The chihuahua in her bag gave a small yip and she reached down to give her a scratch.
Arthur beamed at the young woman. "No, it is great to meet you . . . " He trailed off, unblinking, realizing he had never gotten her name. His smile did not falter. "And, of course, this is Felix." He gestured at the golden, who had returned to a lazy sit. "Truth is, mysterious dog walker woman, I've always wondered how one judges how many leashes are too many at once. Is there a secret?"
“Y’know, I tried eight and it was too much, so seven is the lucky number.” She leaned over to give Felix a pet behind the ears. This was only her second time walking but the first had been . . . interesting. “But I really should be off, gotta get these guys back home.”
"Home is important, true," Arthur was squinting now, like he was looking for something he couldn't place in Mel's face. A passing familiarity. "I look forward to hearing more about your dog adventures, Miss Seven Is My Lucky Number. Wonderful to see new faces in the DX." He bent over, and he met eyes with each and every dog with a delighted, boyish smile. "You lot stay well behaved for her, or you'll have Felix to deal with."
Princess gave a sharp bark at that and Mel sighed. “Yeah yeah Princess, I’ll take ya back now.” She turned to Arthur and smiled. “It was great to meet ya, I still can’t believe it! It really is a small world . . . but anyways — bye!” And with that, Mel roused her canine companions and set off again, this time with all her charges in line.
Arthur watched the congregation of dogs depart with a set of doe eyes someone else might usually reserve for a new love. His birdwatching gear sat, ignored.
"They were nice," he commented idly to Felix. "I hope we see her around more often."
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