milliways_bar | (no subject)

Foolish is older now, true- But still easy enough to recognise, so Wellard catches her carefully with a quiet chuckle. Arms full of wiggling puppy, he pets Foolish to calm her down, even as he looks up to try to spot Tool-

With her puppy in the bar, she should be around here somewhere, yes?

Oh yes, she's there, though she freezes wen she sees Foolish in Wellards arms. Yes, she still freezes easily...

Her hair has been cut, it's barely past her shoulders now rather than pooling to the floor, and Foolish is a full armload with paws larger yet...but it hasn't been too long.

"Miss Lizzie." Wellard smiles, heading over. "Its good to see you- and Foolish as well. Here-" He carefully holds the squirmy puppy out to her.

"How are you doing? I haven't seen you for a while."

Shes quick to gather the puppy in her arms, blue eyes wide and just a hint uncertain, though she doesn't run. Instead she drops a small curtsey, jeans, puppy and all. "Well" she offered softly.

"Mistress Martha is gentle"

"She is, yes." Wellard smiles faintly. "She seems like quite a wonderful person- are you having fun at her place?"

He motions over to the table he had been sitting at. "And would you like anything?"

Fun is still not a term she knows or applies to herself. "I care for Foolish. She is more active now, but healthy"

Obediantly she drifted to the table, sitting elegantly and letting Foolish don to sniff around the chair legs. In such a crwd, and with Tool being so uncomfortable, Foolish wouldn't wander.

"Then you're doing a good job taking care of her, I would imagine. I don't have any idea what's needed to take care of dogs, particularly one so young."

Not that Wellard would not try- and end up getting a stack of books from Bar if he ended up with any sort of pet more complicated than a contrary, self-reliant Fox with 9 tails.

He watches Foolish, then looks back up to Tool. "Would you want anything, then?" Repeated, but hopefully not pointedly so. Choices, Mrs Adams had said.

She did get a book or two. She'd researched diligently, never having had to care for a creature before besides her Master and his Toys or Guests. "Cnines are a simple creature. They are reliant on very little aside from stability and approval for social growth and well balanced meals. Their ailments are easy to remedy and the greatest teacher they require are you and the world around them." she listed by rote.

Foolish sneezed and dropped to the ground to chew gently on the table leg, just something to keep her occupied really.

"Foolish has eaten"

Wellard nods slowly.

"You're taking care of her, of course. But would you like anything?"

And Tool blinks slowly, and of course the familiar response comes to her lips "I do not understand"

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" Simple questions, with easy answers, or so he hopes.

"I have no needs" she answered simply. Martha is still working on that it seems. Though she is better.

Dear gods, she's better than she was.

He quietly takes a deep breath.

"Perhaps, but is there anything you would like? You can get things that you do not need, Miss Lizzie."

She folded her hands carefully in her lap and focused ehr gaze politely on his face, though she didn't meet his eyes "I have no needs" she repeated.

Nor could she want. Not yet.

He sighs quietly, and nods. "Alright then."

"What else have you been doing, at Mrs Adam's?"

"Painting" she admitted.

"There are few duties for me to enact, and the books have been summarized...but foolish active enough now thta attempting to keep her in sight is often as duty itself"

"Summarizing books?" Wellard blinks.

"- I didn't know you know how to paint."

"I know how to do anything required" she admitted simply.

"The summaries are to be clear to spare others the time of reading"

Wellard raises an eyebrow at that.

"-Granted, there are some books I can imagine that would be useful for. But what about others that you'd want to read?"

"Reading is voluntary of course. It does not suite or amuse all though, and Masters should have the option of gaining the knowledge inherent without taking time way from other projects"

"... Sounds like most Masters are bloody lazy, then." Wellard frowns.

"Anything worthwhile takes time and effort."

It is not her place to pass judgement upon Masters, so she stays silent. It is her best recourse, truth told, as many of the things Wellard says can tend towards impertenance.

Luckily he is a Master himself, in her mind.

He would facepalm if he knew this. Instead, he just sighs quietly, and orders tea when Ivan next passes by. Tea, and things to go with it to eat. Odds are most of the items will be something sweet.

Of all the things that pets shouldn't learn without schooling...begging is one of them. Tool has not taught Foolish to beg.

It seems to be inherent.

Foolish is all paws and huge eyes now, watching...and waiting...hopefully...

And Wellard is a softy (even when things turn around and bite him). Thus, there are soon some biscuits snuck down to the puppy-

Well, there are certainly enough on the plate for the three of them- though Foolish is not getting any tea. The second cup is poured and set for Tool.

Foolish approves. Therefore Tool approves, despite the fact that she's certain too many biscuits would lead to a problem.

She takes the tea cup set before her as an order and sips delicately. "Thank you"

It is no more an order than Wellard somewhat-sneaking biscuits to Foolish on occassion. Tool is there, and it would take a gun to his head to make him drop his manners.

However, finding something to talk about...

"What sort of things do you like to paint, Miss Lizzie?"

. . . it's a puppy!

Mary's face brightens, as she watches the puppy run around the bar.

(She hasn't noticed the girl yet.)

Indeed, it's a rather exuberant one, all grey spots and muttish looks, tan clouds and even a black spot just under her chin. And her paws are simple huge. She'll grow up to be a horse perhps.

"Foolish..." a soft, elegant voice summoned after a time, a thin ghost of a girl finally catching up to the creature and sinking to her knees to provide petting.

- oh look. A girl of around her own age.

Mary's expression grows a little warier, as she watches the girl petting the puppy; other children are always something to watch out for.

Nonetheless: "Why did you call the puppy foolish?" she asks, eventually.

Tool freezes a moment at the question, aware that her current position is far from proper...but she rises gracefully, Foolish at her feet and dips a curtsey, elegant despite the lack of skirts. "She is Foolish. She woudl not return to her mother to nurse properly Mistress"

The girl doesn't look like a native.

Mary spends a brief puzzled moment wondering if she is supposed to curtsey back, and settles for a dignified head-bob.

"Sometimes," she offers, "creatures do not like their mothers."

Not that Mary is speaking from personal experience or anything.

Tool neither expects or would truly understand anyone curtseying to her...but a head bob is cool acknowledgement. That is what she is well used to.

"A foolish trait in creatures" she pointed out simply. "When it woudl otherwise lead to starvation and death"

Airily: "That is why there are people like Dickon to help the lost ones."

Mary tends to forget that there might be people who do not know her friend Dickon.

"He saved a baby lamb," she adds, with a certain amount of pride. "He fed it in a bottle."

"That was the recourse with Foolish. It is assumed that she will learn wisdom in time" her tone is anything but airy or superior. It is melodic and submissive to a fault.

"She will not need to nurse from her mother before long," Mary says, wisely, and drops to her knees, the better to peer at the puppy.

"I do not know much about dogs - but I do know they grown up much faster than people do."

"Yes Mistress, but sheshould learn what she must from her true mother at least. It will aid her should she herself breed. She should be full grown within another year, perhaps two depending on her particular mix." she offered helpfully.

She's carefully to step back and leave Mary room to reach the pup without her interferance.

Mary doesn't touch the puppy yet - just kneels, hands balanced on her knees, and lets the dog get used to her presence.

"I do not see," she says, a little dubiously, "how nursing from her mother will help to teach her how to breed."

Foolish is far more personable than her chosen mistress, and not at all loath to sniff the newcomer over.

"Imprinted and learned animal behavior. A puppy that is reared by a mother properly may learn to be a mother." she allowed logically.

"It could learn it from watching other dogs," Mary offers, though her attention is on the puppy - holding her hand out steadily to let it be sniffed.

She lets out a sudden giggle, as the pup's cold nose touches her hand, and then adds, "Anyways maybe she does not want to be a mother."

"She" Tool offered quietly, fully expecting to be punished for her impertinance in correcting the mistake.

"It is a biologic imperative, and were it not she is as of yet far too young to make such a decision"

Mary looks Wise.

"I have a book all about it," she tells Tool. "With diagrams.

It is a biological imperative -"

The words are very carefully sounded out.

"But lots of people decide not to anyways. And it is not hard."

"Which book Mistress?" she asked simply. She has probably sumarized it, and it is always good to know what source she should align her offered information to.

"Foolish is far from a person"

"Our Bodies, Ourselves," Mary says, promptly; and then adds, with a great deal of pride, "It is from the future. Kaylee gave it to me.

"And Foolish may not be a person person - but she is a creature, and people are creatures. And anyways animal creatures are often more sensible than people."