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As he discarded his laptop, Finn winced and her guilt resurfaced. Obviously it wasn't hurt fault that the ground was ice-covered, but it didn't change the fact that his laptop had been demolished because he'd opted to help her. She pursed her lips and nodded, "Fair enough. I do hope that it's not too much trouble to get another and retrieve the work you had on it." If it was, she'd be more than willing to help in any way she could. She still felt she owed him.
He turned the question back on her and she looked up at him, "Well, I've got a few things I should be doing, but I don't have the motivation I had earlier. Nearly wiping out takes a lot out of a person, ya know?" Finn grinned at her melodramatics and shrugged, "But I'll likely just go back up to my room and find something that I have motivation to do."
Finn grinned and rolled her eyes dramatically at his arrogant remark. She didn't honestly believe he was arrogant, it was a similar ploy that her older brother used on her. However, she did appreciate his own theatrics and the energy behind his words. He held the same enthusiasm about things that she did which she found to be few and far between. They were a match made in friend Heaven as far as she was concerned, although she knew it was still pretty early. Wesley would give her such a hard time if she mentioned anything like that to him.
"I may have! There's nothing wrong with enjoying someone's company that much, is there?" To be honest, she didn't quite know the normal amount of caring about people. She'd always been told that she was too caring and too nice. That she was naive and let people take advantage of that. Finn saw nothing wrong with wanting to surround herself with people that made her smile and laugh. Colby happened to be one of her favorites. When he continued on, she tilted her head to the side as she listened. His response seemed a little off, but mostly because she noted his aura shift ever-so-slightly the moment that his smile faltered. He was quick to recover though so she decided not to dwell on it and saved it for another day, perhaps after they knew each other a little better.
Finn eased into another smile and she nodded, "I actually love it here. Probably because most of the people I knew back home were stuck up and snobby. Not really the types that my family fit in with." Her expression softened and she ducked her head a little with a laugh, "I have to admit, having my older brother at the academy helps tremendously. I'd probably be lost without him."
The moment that her eyes spotted him, he seemed to look at her, too. He approached, smiling as he usually was and she couldn't help the bright smile that she returned. Slipping off her chair, she gave him a hug, being ever the affectionate ball of fluff before returning to her seat. Finn placed her hand under her chin and looked at him with an arched eyebrow, "Are you joking? Grilled cheese is plenty reason enough to show up early. That it's a grilled cheese date with you, well, I couldn't fathom being late."
Finn folded the menu up and pushed it to the side so that she could fold her hands on the table in front of her. "I've decided already, although it only took four words to grab my attention. 'Mashed potatoes and gravy,'" She repeated after fanning herself. If that wasn't a way to her heart, she didn't know what was. The girl was easy to please, a real go-with-the-flow type. It helped that there was cheese involved, obviously.
"So, love, how've you been? I know, I know, it's been approximately a day and a half since our last class together, but a lot can happen in that span of time!" She realized that she probably sounded a little pushy and forward, but that was generally her style.
The fact that she'd made friends in a short amount of time wasn't altogether shocking, but it was a comfort. She had expected to be looked at as the weird Brit that liked to talk and smelled constantly of flowers and incense. It wasn't a bad smelling combination, not to her anyway, and nobody had mentioned it as a problem. The teachers had liked her well enough, she had her brother and she was really starting to fit in.
Her best and first companion she'd made was a cute boy from class. She hadn't told him he was the cute boy from class, but she'd made comments here and there to him. When he reciprocated the comments, she figured she was in the clear and decided that they were friends. Which was solidified once she learned that he was as much of a foodie as she was. Finn could have talked about her favorite restaurants in England for hours, each one with a specific dish that she always went for, without venturing off to try something new. Finn was loyal to her favorites.
Oregon was a nice enough place, quiet comparatively, especially in Stagfort. She found herself trying to explore and coming up short, but once she caught wind of a gourmet Grilled Cheese restaurant, well, she was more or less hook, line and sinker. Finn had invited Colby to meet her there, but she wasn't quite sure if they'd reached that point in their friendship that he would be willing to see her outside of the classroom. She claimed a table, told the hostess that she was hoping there would be a second, and spent her time looking over the menu while she waited.
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?
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."
Prudence followed his eyes to the way she wrapped around his arm. When she looked back up at him, she arched an eyebrow and held a smirk of her own, "Well, if that's what you wanted, all you had to do was ask." She preferred a straightforward approach, probably because that was the only way she knew how to do things. Tiptoeing didn't quite work in her family.
She gave his arm a squeeze before reaching out to open the door. Once she stepped inside, she felt better. The cold wasn't awful, she'd grown accustomed to it in England, but she preferred warmth. Finn shuttered a bit as her body adjusted to the temperature change. "Where are you headed now? Tech lab to see if they can do anything? Or class? Or...?" She trailed off as she looked down the hallway.
Finn knew that she probably should have gone back to her dorm to continue writing in her blog, but she was intrigued by the blonde beside her and she was looking for a little more.
"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."
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.
Finn's lips quirked up and she couldn't help but laugh. For a moment she took the time to try and imagine him with darker blonde hair. She could sort of picture it, but she thought that the lighter hair suited him pretty well. It was a nice contrast against his skin and with his eyes. There was just something about his coloring that she was fascinated by, it was so different from what she was used to seeing, especially in England.
"Deal. I like it, though. It's very fitting to you, I think." She smiled at him and looked down at her feet. Her eyes raised once they made it to the stairs and she kept a tight grip on him to make sure that she didn't fall. Her arm curled around his and she sighed in relief once she made it without any slipping or falling.
Finn released his arm and did a little dance, "I made it without falling!" She laughed and quickly went back to grabbing his arm.
"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?"
He offered his arm out to her and she took it gratefully, her hand settling on his bicep. She could appreciate a good figure when she saw one, and he definitely had a good figure. Finn could feel heat rushing to her face and she turned her face away to look to the side so that he wouldn't notice. If Wesley saw her now, he'd likely throw a fit.
As they started walking she pursed her lips, considering what she should ask him. She always liked to know all that she could about someone, committing important things to memory so that she never forgot. She felt that it made people more at ease when they were talking to someone who was familiar with them and that's all Finn wanted to be was familiar. "Is your hair naturally that light year round? It's kind of astonishing, I couldn't bleach mine to make it that light," Nor had she ever tried because she accepted the dirty dishwater color that she had. But it looked good on him. Matching the lightness of his eyes.
While he seemed convinced that she would agree with him later on down the road, Finn couldn't see it. She wasn't an angry person, and she didn't hold grudges. The art of her lifestyle was learning to accept and release. Even if he did manage to do something she didn't agree with, it wasn't up for her to decide whether he was good or not. It was up to him. She generally thought everyone was good, or rather, she tried hard to see that side of everyone.
The way his hand slid out of hers when he released it made her smile, although, she hadn't really stopped. Isaac, she'd have to remember that. "Very nice to meet you as well, Isaac. Your name suits you," She stated simply.
Finn looked at the path and noted the patches that he seemed to be drawing attention to. Seeing as she had already displayed her level of clumsiness, she figured she might want to take him up on his offer. Her teeth sank into her lips and she nodded, "That might be a good idea. Obviously I'm not very good at walking on slick, flat surfaces." She laughed shyly and looked up at him.
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.
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