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A single word coming from her older brother's mouth was all she needed. Puppies. Enough said. Wesley was on the hunt for a furry friend and who was Finn to deny him assistance. If there was a person in the world that could say no to looking at puppies, she was sure she didn't want to meet them. She didn't need that kind of negativity in her life. It hadn't taken her long to get ready, she threw on an old t-shirt and a some tattered jeans with a knitted sweater on, sticking with her boho chic look. Or as her older brother would call it 'hobo chic.' She took very little offense to his views on her lifestyle though. Obviously he still adored her.
The very moment she got to his place of residence, she was practically vibrating with excitement. She'd knocked on his door and impatiently waited for him to answer. He was so slow moving for someone that was supposed to be excited about purchasing a puppy. Finn stood there, clicking her heels together like she was Dorothy and waited ever so impatiently.
Once the door opened to reveal her brother, she squeaked and grabbed his hand, "Come on, Wesley! You're being so slow, we have puppies to see! Hurry!" It was safe to say that she was a tiny bit impatient at times. Even with her generally mellow personality.
Wes may have immediately regretted asking for his baby sister's help to get a dog from the shelter. The girl was like a puppy herself. Too excitable, too jumpy, too hopped up on the drug that she called life. Wes loved her to bits, that much was certain, but dealing with her around animals was just a tad too much.
He was going to predict that she would cry at least five times in the course of their day together. He was also predicting that she would want him to bring back a minimum of three dogs. He'd almost never been wrong with his predictions when it came to his Prue. He always hoped she'd prove him wrong but she was predictable.
He deliberately dragged himself around when he heard her at his apartment door, a smile creeping on his face. Grabbing his keys and wallet, he stood by the door for about thirty seconds before opening the door and grinning down at Prue. "Surprise, surprise, you look like a hobo. But a cute one, don't worry." He reached out to pinch her cheek before locking up and slinging an arm around her shoulder, guiding her down the stairs and to his car.
"So, what are you thinking...a retiree with a penchant for soft tennis balls? A middle aged veteran that loves belly rubs? Or baby doggos who can't howl yet?"
His words, although probably offensive to anyone else, just brought a wide smile to her face. Nothing her older brother could say would ever derail the overwhelming amount of love she held for him. He was her best friend and had been her whole life. She reached up and poked the scruff he'd let grow on his face, "You've got a little something right there." It made him look much older than she felt that he acted.
Finn wrapped both arms around his waist, squeezing lightly as they walked down the stairs. She had much more pep in her step than he did, but she was doing her best to tone it down. After all, she knew how Wesley got when she acted spastic. Grouch that he was. She tapped her finger to her lower lip at the options presented to her. If it had been her choice, she'd have picked one of each. Or all. She just wanted to be surrounded by animals at all times. They were so fluffy and cute.
"I don't think we should go into this with one specific type in mind. It should be all about the vibe, Wesley. You'll know the moment you see your little one. They're going to just adore you and that scruffy face that'll remind them of their kind," She glanced up at him and giggled at her own attempt at a jab. Finn wasn't always good at them, but she often tried to keep up with him.
Wes couldn't help laughing when she poked at his face. He had been growing a scruff, something he hadn't intended to but because nobody stopped him, he let it happen. Well, even if someone were to stop him, he would have let it grow anyway. It was just the Wes Archer way.
As she spoke, Wes listened with a ghost of a smile apparent on his face. The girl was looney tunes but he loved her so much. She can talk about vibe all she wanted. Hell she could talk about anything and he'd listen. She knew how he felt anyway.
"Oh ho, kitty got claws this morning, eh?" He chuckled and gave her a light rap on top of her head. "I look good with the scruff no? Now I look like a hobo like you."
They got to his car and he opened the door for her. Smart ass as he was, he was still the courteous little boy his parents raised him to be.
Swatting at his hands she scrunched her nose at him, "You are the most adorable nugget of cuteness with or without, Wessykinz." She pinched his nose when he mocked her look and rolled her eyes, "You're just a hobo, I am hobo chic. Get on my level."
He opened her car door for her and she gave him a peck on his scruffy cheek, "Thank you brother dearest." To the puppies they go! Finn slid into the car and bounced happily in the passenger side seat. She was quick to take control of the radio, not trusting her brother to pick anything good. He was from England, so it was at least better than most, but he was also not in tune with music the way she felt she was.
With the tunes humming in the background, she glanced out the window, "Are you sure you only want to get one today? I mean, you're often busy at work, perhaps you should consider getting two so that there's no chance for loneliness." Her eyes shifted back to him and she smiled wide.
Snorting at his baby sister's cutesy response, Wes rolled his eyes and turned to her. "You're lucky nobody else is around to hear you say things like that, Prudence."
Wes couldn't see his own aura, but he felt warm when Prue pecked him on the cheek. He closed the door and walked around to get on his side, strapping himself in and starting the car. The radio was on the second he started the car and he grimaced at her choice.
It was no better than what he was aiming for but he let her do what she wanted as he eased the car down the road. As predicted, Prue was already trying to convince him to get more than one. Her reasoning, though valid, made him roll his eyes.
He had actually considered that before but he wasn't sure if he could afford to have two. And the idea of cleaning up after one was already weighing down on his mind, having two to clean up after was going to be hectic. But he did want one. Living alone without anyone to come home to became tiresome after awhile. He could move back in with his parents, they sure talk about that a lot, but they were about to have a new person to welcome soon and he didn't want his mother to fuss over him as well as the baby, which was something she was sure to do.
Having a dog was the right decision. Having two...well he'd have to think about it.
He looked over to her briefly with a raised eyebrow. "You're not going to make me do anything with those eyes. They're not going to work." He said with a grin.
They bickered playfully throughout the ride until they arrived at the shelter. He parked the car and walked up to the registration counter, fully expecting Prue to take over.
"Yes, because God forbid anyone hear that my brother Wesley Dean Archer is a gooey centered cutiepie who loves his sister the most," She jabbed at him and laughed. Although, if she were honest, she sort of wondered if she'd still be his favorite after the baby was born. Babies always took the favorite spot, she only knew because she'd been the baby for so long.
His denial made her expression turn innocent and she turned the full force of her big doe eyes on him, "You say that now, but wait until two of those puppers give you the same eyes. Are you really going to be able to say no to all three of us?" Gooey-centered cutiepie. He didn't stand a chance. And Finn was keen on helping out with whatever he needed. She could dog sit and train them and cuddle them all the time. It wasn't as though she didn't go to her brother's apartment regularly anyway.
Once they pulled into the shelter's parking lot, Finn was out of the car in milliseconds. When they were at the counter, she told them that they wanted to see every dog there. She couldn't bear to leave one section out, even if they were problem puppers. Every dog deserved some kind of attention. The lady pointed to each wing of the shelter and described what they would find where. Taking note, Finn firmly nodded and took hold of her brother's hand, "We'll start with the Golden Oldies and work our way down to the smolbeans, yeah?"
Wes groaned playfully at her threat because he knew he was definitely going to succumb to her anyway. And as he predicted, his baby sister did take over and he was glad he didn't have that pressure on him.
He really was going to have to go home with three dogs, he was sure of it.
"Yeah, whatever you say Prue." He nodded as they walked through the wings. As he looked into all the cages, his heart went out to all of them. The descriptions on the little cards made him smile until he saw a German Shepherd who stood at attention when he walked past. He bent down and read the description. He was five years old and was abandoned as a puppy. He had a mild temperament but very specific quirks.
He stood back up and continued walking down the path. "I'll come back buddy." Wes said quietly as he followed Prue.
Prudence was all about taking it all in and keeping an open mind. She wanted to experience all of the dogs before she picked one in particular for her brother to love. She knew Wesley inside and out, she knew what would be a good match for him, but she also knew that it was ultimately about the connection he had with the dog. Once they made it through each wing, she grabbed her brother hand and stopped him.
Finn looked up into the familiar blue eyes and she smiled, "Okay Wessy, now that we've made our way through each and every pen in each wing, it's time for the big decision. First I've gotta ask, one or two or five?" She was leaning towards five, but she wasn't even sure he'd agree to two.
After finishing their rounds, Prue's question had him raising an eyebrow at her. He knew she was expecting him to say five because that was what she wanted but he didn't know whether he could handle them. But at the same time, the idea of coming home to five happy dogs greeting him with licks was actually pretty endearing.
"Are you going to take care of them when I'm not around?" he asked, already knowing he was going to relent to his baby sister.
"Is that even a question?" Finn looked at him with a sassy expression, her hands folded in front of her and her weight shifted onto one foot. Of course she would take care of whatever animals he decided to get if he couldn't. It wasn't like she did much going out anyway. Plus, she was an animal person, she liked being surrounded by them and in the comfort of her brother's apartment. It was probably the most comforting place she could think to be.
"Anyway, if you're done asking silly questions, did you find any you immediately loved? Because that's how it works, Wessy. Immediate love," That's what she expected from any kind of relationship. If there wasn't some kind of immediate attraction and chemistry, even between a human and their animal, they have no right to each other. Claiming a dog that wasn't immediately drawn was a disservice to the animal. There could be someone else out there who would love it better, the right way. She kept all of those thoughts to herself though because she knew how Wes got when she went on her tangents.
She took his hand and watched his aura, "You shouldn't even have to think about it."
Wes rolled his eyes at his baby sister and sighed dramatically. "Fine. Two it is." He grumbled before pulling her towards the one he found first. The German Shepherd stood to attention again, this time moving closer to the entrance of his cage, sniffing curiously.
Wes bent down on one knee and smiled at the dog. "You ready to blow this joint, buddy?" He looked up at Prue and signalled to the volunteer who grabbed a clipboard and bounded over to the siblings.
"Hiyuh!" She greeted them as she explained the process of adopting and asked whether they were going to get another one. The German Shepherd who answered to the name King was brought in with his sister Queenie and the volunteer asked whether they would be willing to bring her in as well.
The elder Archer sibling looked up at Prue with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if that was okay.
His answer caused her to smile and she clapped her hands together as she followed him to where his choice was. Finn couldn't say that she was surprised. Looking at the two of them, she could see similarities in personality and she saw the way Wes' aura changed ever so slightly. He'd been happy with her, no doubt, but his aura had shifted to a softer hue.
The way he looked at her when the volunteer mentioned a sister doggo for their choice, made her want to cry. It was perfect. There couldn't have been a better decision. Finn nodded excitedly, her eyes filled with water, although she was doing her best not to show him that. She didn't want to hear his sass about it.
Finn gripped his hand and squeezed, looking up at him, "They're like us."
He could see how emotional his baby sister was quickly getting so he sped up the process of adoption, bringing Prue out to the front so the volunteer can get the dogs ready.
Wes couldn't help but smile when she gripped his hand, her words echoing his thoughts. He had read that older dogs tend to be less high maintenance than younger dogs so King and Queenie might not be the hassle he had been worried about.
Once he paid for the dogs, the volunteer brought them both out and the smaller of the two went straight for Wes while the other sniffed them both cautiously.
Wes got down on his knees and scratched the dogs behind their ears as the volunteer explained who was who and whatever they needed to do to break the dogs in. The dogs were both toilet trained and preferred sleeping outdoors, which was a good thing since Wes had a spacious balcony they could run around in.
Even without saying anything, it was obvious Wes was already in love with both the dogs as he let them lick his face. "Alright, let's get you guys home." He thanked the volunteer for her help and accepted all the things she had to give him for the dogs, making sure he remembered to bring them to the vet to get necessary checkups and out they went to his car.
He turned to look at his baby sister, handing one leash to her before leashing King and tugging him out. "I'm never going shopping with you." He teased Prue.
Prudence took the leash from her brother and clipped it to King's counterpart that she had a feeling would immediately become more of her dog than his. Queenie just seemed so happy and cheerful beside her brother, much like Finn felt standing beside hers. She followed him towards the car and looked up when she spoke.
Her expression soured and she scrunched her face, "What's that supposed to mean?" She liked to think that she'd done very well helping him pick a dog. Especially given the fact that they were walking out with two rather than a herd. If it had been up to her, there would have been five dogs in each pair of hands. He was just lucky she hadn't turned her full puppy dog pouty face on at him. What would he have done had she tried to talk him into more?
