xp_logs | Two consecutive logs - Angelo shows off the puppy

Nathan, Bella, Angelo and Joyita. Bird meets dog, and both make a new friend.

Sometime in the mid-afternoon, Angelo - with Joyita in tow, as she had been constantly since Paige had given her to him - headed over to Nathan's office for a visit. And to show off his new little shadow.

Sitting in his office marking his batch of the English-to-Arabic translations - Doug had taken his half right after class - Nathan looked up, frowning a little at the very distinct sound of a bark. He eyed the macaw slumbering peacefully on her perch. "Be good," he said sternly. Bella got along very well with cats - dogs were another matter entirely.

Angelo stuck his head round the door with a grin. "Hey." He glanced down, as Joyita decided to follow suit. "Look who Paige got me."

Nathan chuckled as the puppy looked up at him inquiringly and yipped. "Hey there," he said. She wagged her tail enthusiastically. "Aw, she's cute," he said with a grin, looking back at Angelo. "And very clearly your dog already."

Bella raised her head with a chirp, regarding Angelo and the puppy for a long moment. "Cane," she trilled. "Cane difettoso."

Nathan shook his head at her. "Buon cane," he corrected her, remembering very clearly when he'd heard Maria have this conversation with her regarding the neighbor's poodle. "Cane giovane."

"Cane difettoso! Grr!"

"What's she sayin' about my dog?" Angelo asked, more amused than anything.

"That she's a bad dog," Nathan said apologetically. "I told her that no, she's a good dog and just a baby, but Bella had some bad experiences with dogs back in Rome."

"Cane! Vada!" Bella squealed as Joyita went over to sniff at the base of her perch, still wagging her tail.

Angelo chuckled. "Bella. You know me. This is my dog, she won't hurt you. Say hello to Joyita", he added, remembering the way Nathan had phrased it when he'd introduced Bella to Angelo.

Bella ruffled her wings, peering down at the puppy. "Hello," she squawked, and somehow managed to sound cautiously. "Cane, hello."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's progress," he said with a chuckle.

Angelo bent down to pick up the puppy, lifting her cautiously face to face with Bella, ready to pull her back out of range of a potential snapping beak. "Say, Hello, Joyita", he prompted lightly.

"Hello," Bella chirped, shifting from foot to foot. "Hello, Jeeta."

Angelo laughed. "Close enough. She's a nice dog, Bella. Not gonna bite you."

"Nice? Nice cane. Play?"

Nathan raised the other eyebrow. "Well, aren't you getting frighteningly mellow all of a sudden," he said affectionately to the bird, who hooted at him. He glanced back at Angelo, grinning. "I wonder if it's got anything to do with the fact that Joyita's a she."

"Could be", Angelo answered, amused. "So, Bella wants to play?" He leaned down to put the squirming puppy back on the floor.

"Step down?" Nathan asked the bird, who bobbed her head. "Give the lady your arm, Angelo," he said whimsically.

Angelo laughed and obeyed, holding out his arm for Bella to hop onto, then transferring her to the floor when she did.

Bella folded her wings, tilting her head from side to side as she regarded the puppy. Joyita responded by wagging her tail and bouncing, yipping happily. Bella studied her for a moment longer, then gave a bounce of her own, imitating her noise.

Angelo was watching all this with great amusement, pleased that Joyita had made a new friend. "See, Bella? Nice dog."

"Jeeta!" Bella agreed, and then backpedaled with a squawk as Joyita bounced at her. "Help! Cane! Help!" she shrieked loudly, flapping her wings in agitation. Nathan rose from his chair, stepping between them.

"Calm down," he said, kneeling down and rubbing her head. "She's just trying to play." He extended a hand to the puppy, who licked it exuberantly. "See? Nice puppy."

Angelo moved to the other side, stroking Bella's head in an attempt to calm her. "She's just a baby, Bella. Lots of energy. No bitin'."

"Nice puppy?" Bella crept forward, watching the way Joyita was licking Nathan's hand. "Bounce? Cane bounce?"

"Yes, she bounces", Angelo answered encouragingly. "A lot. But she doesn't mean t'hurt you. She's a very nice puppy." Joyita demonstrated this by abandoning Nathan's hand and scampering towards Bella eagerly. She bounced around the macaw, quite clearly wanting to play, and making occasional tentative lunges in Bella's direction.

Bella watched her for a moment longer and then bounced suddenly, bobbing her head. "Dance! Cane dance!" she said and giggled.

Angelo laughed - what Joyita was doing did look like dancing. "Dance with Bella, Joyita", he prompted, and the two pets began bouncing around together, obviously having fun.

Nathan shook his head. "Dance," he said dryly. "The universal language."

Angelo was watching the animals, laughing to himself. "Sure seems to be. Guess I'm stayin' here awhile - be a shame to break it up now they're gettin' on so well."

Nathan rose, carefully stepping around the capering bird and dog. "Well, why don't we go over your translation exercise, since you're here?" he asked, heading back to the desk.

Angelo nodded with a grin, following him. "Might as well."

Immediately on leaving Nathan's office, Angelo goes to visit Dom, with Joyita in tow.

On leaving Nathan's office, carrying a squirming puppy who was rather reluctant to leave her new friend, Angelo headed upstairs - Nathan had told him which guest room Domino was staying in, and suggested that he go visit, and it sounded like she could use a distraction...

Curled up on the couch in the guest room, dozing a little - she still had something of a 'hangover' from Amanda's healing spells, seriously - Domino opened her eyes, blinking a little at the knock on the door. "Come in?" she called. The door opened to admit Angelo and - "Oh!" she said with a grin, sitting up as the puppy scampered over and jumped right up onto the couch, tail wagging madly. "Oh, look at you... hi, there..." As the puppy licked her hands enthusiastically, Domino looked up at Angelo, still grinning. "Hey, you. She's adorable - is she yours?"

Angelo grinned back, heading over to sit down on the free end of the couch, careful not to jar her and noting her paleness and bruises, as well as the bandage on her arm. "Yep, she is. Birthday present from Paige. Her name's Joyita."

"Oh, you're so cute..." There was a puppy on her lap, Domino thought, and couldn't help a tired little laugh. Between this and last night's little bonding-fest with Moira and Amanda, it was like the world was conspiring to cheer her up.

Angelo chuckled, watching the puppy bounce at her, and a flash of worry suddenly crossed his face as it occurred to him that Domino was clearly hurt, and letting a small and energetic animal jump all over her might not have been the best of ideas. "You okay with her there? She's not hurtin' your bruises or anythin'?"

"Wouldn't have wanted her to do this last night, but Amanda's had a go at me since then," Domino confessed, smiling as Joyita rolled over in her lap, panting energetically. "And happy birthday, by the way. I've got something for you... over in my suitcase there's a wrapped package."

Angelo grinned brightly. "Thanks. Ooh, present. Can I?" On her amused nod, he got up and headed over to the suitcase, looking through it until he found the package and returned to the couch. Tearing off the paper, he found a bottle of vodka, and his eyes went wide on reading the label, mostly because of the percentage written there.

"The good stuff," Domino said, the corner of her mouth tugging upwards. "I, um, would suggest you rewrap it as you carry it out of here. And hide it. Wouldn't want to get you in trouble."

Angelo nodded fervently. "Definitely. Thanks so much", he said, grinning widely and reaching over to squeeze her hand in lieu of hugging her bruised and battered self.

"Got any grand plans for the evening?" Domino asked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Angelo laughed. "Not as far as I know. Which is really kinda suspicious, actually."

Domino tsked at him. "You're too young to have such a suspicious mind, you know. I'm sure if there's anything planned, it's very nice. Maybe sedate and genteel..."

Angelo raised an eyebrow at her. "You know who one of my best friends is, right? She doesn't do sedate an' genteel if she can help it." He shrugged, grinning. "I'm leavin' it in her hands, if she is plannin' anythin'."

"Always nice to be surprised," Domino said, and then gave a wry smile. "Well, not always."