Man's Best Friend is Man's Best Wingman [Open]

    Give a man a briefcase and send him walking down the street, not a head will turn. But if you give a man a puppy, suddenly he's the most attractive person on the planet! Or, this was Marshall's train of thought as he slunk down the street. He may have bought Britta a new purse from the Crown, but Rooney, the tiny Bernese Mountain dog that trotted ahead of him had made for a way better birthday present. His dad sure knew how to out-do him.

    With Britta and his father working full-time, and his siblings in school, it was up to Marshall to walk the dog, feed the dog, and even clean up after the dog. No one had asked him to, he just sort of did it. He didn't mind entirely though. Rooney was nothing short of adorable. The small puppy tottered along, paying no heed to the leather collar that jingled and jerked anytime he bounced beyond the radius of his leash. A few times Marshall thought the dumb animal would strangle itself, and had stopped to unwind and untangle it countless times.

    The one advantage to having a puppy was it didn't require terribly long walks. However, it still had to be taken outside too frequently for his liking. As he watched the pup begin to slow down, Marshall guessed it wouldn't be long before Rooney gave up entirely. In the ten minutes, they'd been out walking, Marshall and his new companion had been bombarded with unwanted attention. Mostly girls, young and old, stopping them to love on the little dog at his side. Not only had it taken it's toll on Marshall who was becoming mildly annoyed, Rooney himself seemed a lot less eager to befriend the new faces that approached him.

    Whatever, Marshall thought as he watched the dog lift its leg. Popularity can really be a drag. He personally could do without the unwanted attention, and as if in agreement, Rooney took a few more steps before flopping over onto the sidewalk, completely spent.

Thalia was out on a mission to find the address of some person that she stole a car from. The car was a heap of junk but she kind of felt bad for stealing their purse, it was an old lady after all. Working at the Red Lotus was really ruining her life. I mean she actually felt bad for stealing something. Why should she, it wasn't like... but then... ugh! Morals and ethics would be the death of her. From anyone else's point of view this would be a good thing, it was what she was trying to accomplish, but then again, it was just making her life far more difficult than it needed to be. 

Thalia was flipping through this persons purse trying to compare her address to the map on her phone. Hence, the reason she couldn't see where she was going. Due to this unfortunate circumstance, Thalia almost tripped over a poor puppy laying on the side walk. Why was the puppy laying on the side walk? Well that she didn't know. "Oh i'm sorry buddy," She cooed and crouched down to pet the dog. Of course she hadn't glanced up to see who the owner was. After all, the dog was more important. 

Morals and ethics might be the end of her if Marshall didn't end her first. Watching the puppy totter along, Marshall hadn't even noticed Thalia. Well, not until she almost trampled his dog that is. Rooney was too tired to even notice the dire situation, tiredly licking the hand that reached out to pet him. Poor, poor Rooney.

Before the dog could become a hazard to anyone else, Marshall knelt down and gathered him into his arms. The puppy lay limply against his chest before burying it's snout in the cotton of his sweater. "Sorry about that. He's tired." Marshall spoke as his gaze rested on Thalia. Of course it would be Thalia.

Rooney whimpered in response, and Marshall carefully removed his sweater, swaddling the dog until only's it's quivering nose was visible beneath the bundle of fabric.

Once the owner bent down to pick up his puppy Thalia stood up as well. "You!" she exclaimed. Why did it always have to be Marshall. Thalia wanted to insult him in someway, but she didn't want to insult the cute puppy, so she refrained from speaking her mind. Why did someone like him have to own such a cute creature? 

"What are you doing over here?" It hadn't really occurred to her that eh may live by, after all she didn't know where he lived. The only reason she was over here was to return some lady's purse. Speaking of, Thalia quickly closed the lady's wallet that held her ID. She didn't want Marshall to wonder why she was carrying around some lady's purse. Anyway, he should be proud of her! She was returning something she had stolen. Well, at least that's what she thought, of course the whole idea of stealing wasn't bad in her mind, in fact, the woman should be eternally grateful that Thalia was kind enough to trek all the way over here to give her her belongings back. 

You? Um...okay, rude. Marshall arched a brow at her rather accusatory tone. He hadn't even done anything wrong. Stroking Rooney beneath his sweater, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes. It's me." Who else would it be? Was she actually so surprised to see him? Despite joking about it earlier, Marshall now wondered, is she actually stalking me? Casting a glance back the way he'd come, he cupped Rooney's head in a massive hand before turning to Thalia. "Um...I live around here..." He answered her question a little warily. Was the answer not already obvious?

They did have a habit of running into each other, and once again Thalia proved herself to be one of the most hostile people he'd had the displeasure of meeting. "Are you lost?" Casting a glance at whatever was in her hand, he thought he might as well ask, if only so he'd have the comfort of knowing she wasn't lurking around his neighborhood.

Well he wasn't a very nice person either. I mean he always had to confront her about things and tell her what to do. Honestly, who did he think he was? Her mother? "You live around here?" She echoed and glanced around. Oh, poor neighbourhood, what did they do to deserve this guy living there? Well, then again it wasn't that superb of an area, naturally he would live here. However for some reason she had imagined him living in a shoe with a bunch of siblings and a cranky mother... 

"Lost? No, i'm not lost," She replied, then offered him a sly smile. "I just came here to lurk around your neighbourhood," Thalia giggled at the proposal of her actually wasting her time stalking him. Honestly, who did he think she was? "I... I actually came to give an old lady her purse. She seemed to have forgotten it in the park," Thalia lied, and then sighed deeply before looking at him again. This time she actually looked sad. Although, it was all an act of course. "I know, I don't usually give off an air of someone who does good things," She began in a sort of defeated tone. "But I saw her purse and waited for a while to see if she would return, but she didn't, so I took it upon myself to do something nice," That was a nice story, Thalia actually felt good about herself now that she had made up a nice story to go with the theft. Perhaps she would just pretend that was actually what happened. 

Her sly smile wasn't a great advocate of her innocence. And what followed next, was that a joke? Consciously aware of Rooney, shivering against his chest, Marshall stroked the dog gently. He couldn't be sure whether the animal was frightened, or simply tired and cold. Thalia's joke was met with a humorless roll of his eyes, "Wouldn't surprise me," he muttered begrudgingly. Thalia wasn't someone he fancied running into, but frequently it appeared as though she was everywhere he went. Though she seemed just as thrilled they stumbled across each other as he did, Marshall had long-since abandoned fake pleasantries.

However, Thalia's story left him puzzled. This character was still so foreign to him, he couldn't determine whether her sudden kindness was uncharacteristic or not. Perhaps she was only hostile to those of the superior, male species? Whatever. Deciding to humor her, Marshall studied the purse before his azure gaze flickered upwards to her face. "Why didn't you just let the police handle it? You know you could be charged if anything's missing, right?" But either she hadn't considered that or simply didn't care because here she was, lurking in his neighborhood... In all truth, Marshall himself probably would've returned the purse, but his concerns weren't misplaced. She'd better hope the owner of the purse wasn't as high-strung as some people he knew.

Hmm, the superior male species? She thought not. Then again, you wouldn't be wrong in assuming she was a feminist. Of course Thalia did like certain males. There was her brother who she used to adore... and then there was Sam. Oh how she missed him terribly. He and her brother meant the world to her, but now they were both gone, leaving her all alone. Thalia looked down quickly and blinked rapidly to stop herself from tearing up. She couldn't let him see her cry. After a few slow breaths, Tali lifted her head up again and made eye contact with this boy.

Why was it that she didn't like him? Why was it that she didn't like many people? Perhaps she just didn't want to get close to anyone again in case they broke her heart as well. It wasn't Sam's fault that he died, technically it could have been Tali's fault, but either way, she kept blaming herself. They had all gone to get revenge on her ex by vandalizing his house, and as they were running away, Sam had been hit by a car. If it wasn't for Thalia's poor choices, then he would have never been hit. Oh gosh, why was she thinking about all this now. "I'll...i'll keep that in mind," Thalia mumbled and quickly walked past him, wiping away a stray tear. 

Once she came to the first corner, Thalia turned down the street and sat down behind a tree. Why was she even thinking of this now? It was such a painful memory. People were walking by and stopped to see if she was okay, but Thalia just ignored them or mumbled a quick go away. She had to get out of here, screw that lady and her purse, she had been stupid for letting Thalia take her car. Perhaps she should find her brother, although that would be next to impossible. He was practically a ghost.  Who was she kidding, he probably didn't want to see her, no one did. No one even cared about her anymore. 

Marshall never considered himself to be an insensitive person, blunt maybe, but never insensitive. There was nothing wrong with pointing out the truth, but he didn't think she'd start crying about it. Sheesh. The sudden display of emotion hardly seemed like the Thalia he'd been coming to know, but he wasn't foreign to the idea of putting on a front. But still. "Ugh, I didn't sign up for babysitting." he muttered to himself. He wasn't entirely being rude, he just wasn't the one to get all personal with people. Besides its not like he knew how to comfort people and their emotions anyway.

A stray whimper made him jump. Oh! Rooney! He'd forgotten all about the dog. Clearly he wasn't so great at taking care of animals and their feelings either. "Sorry little guy, are you still alive?" His question was met with a tired lick before Marshall covered the dog up again. Glancing back the way Thalia had come, he shook his head. He had to go back home anyways, so...

Hugging Rooney to his chest, the boy headed back the way he'd come. Upon spotting Thalia, he really did debate walking past. Again, not because he was mean, but because he was inadequate at handling situations like these. Of course handling his family was one matter, he knew them all. He knew how to connect with them and he knew how they worked and didn't work. But no one else was around. No one else was going to help her. As begrudging as he made himself seem, Marshall did care about people. But...certain people found themselves a little more then outside his circle of sympathy.

"Hey." Guess who came poking his head around the tree moments later? Marshall Legend. Of course he was nothing short of legendary, standing there, with all his handsome features and a whiny noble steed. He was almost her golden knight in shining armour...although chivalry wasn't exactly his first language. Reaching forwards he placed his finger on Thalia's forehead, pushing her head up in a brotherly manner that. When she was at least looking at him, he withdrew, hugging Rooney to his chest again. "Just give me the purse and I'll take it back already," he extended his hand expectantly. "There's no need to cry about it."

Of course she could be crying about anything. It's not like he'd know! But for now, he would stick with what he did know, and she was crying.

No need to cry about it? He thought she was crying about that?! What an insensitive bastard! Thalia glared at him through teary eyes and wiped away her tears. "Do you care about anyone but yourself? Honestly, you just want to take this purse back to receive all the fame and glory," Thalia shouldn't let him take it back, because she had been lying about the whole finding it in a park thing, and if he returned the purse then the lady would probably call the cops on him because she would assume that he had stolen her car as well. After all, the purse was in the car. Maybe she should just let that happen. Even if he did try to defend himself and blame it on Thalia, she could always talk her way out of the situation. 

"You know what, fine. Take the purse, I don't care," She angrily stood up and thrust it in his hands. Poor guy, he may get arrested for doing something nice. Oh well, he deserved it. Thalia didn't want to deal with him anymore, and if she never saw him again it would be too soon. Hopefully he would get arrested, and then she would no longer have to see him at work. Why did she have to put up with people like him, it was unfair. Her brother and her best friend were taken from her, and she was left with the rest of the good for nothing human race. They could all die for all she cared. 

Oddly enough, Thalia's words didn't upset him as much as they could have. It was perhaps because he knew himself well enough to know he was only trying to do her a favor. He didn't care about fame and glory, they were both overrated, in this case anyway. But Marshall didn't care much about how Thalia saw him, he didn't plan on investing much more time with her. If she was going to spurn his offer to help her, that was her own choice, he could respect that.

So instead of offering any words of comfort, or any words at all, Marshall took the purse. He flipped through it until he came across the address, gaze straying to Thalia for a few moments. Should he say something? No, let someone else try and comfort her. So with Rooney in one hand and a stranger's purse in the other, Marshall set off to 'hog all the fame and glory'.

Thalia watched him go, getting some joy out of the fact that he may be arrested. She did not feel bad at all, in fact Thalia hoped he was arrested. After he had gone on a little way, Thalia began to follow him to see what would happen. Earlier that morning she had been feeling sorry for people and had gone out of her way to do something nice, but now, she didn't care about what happened to Marshall. Although the thought of his family did flash through her mind, but that was none of her concern. Perhaps if he did get arrested she would go make friend with his siblings and help them out a bit. Oh he would hate that, especially if it was her fault that he was arrested. 

And he was the bad guy? He wasn't the one getting his pleasure out of someone's potential arrest. But Marshall simply took the bag, heading a few blocks down the road before turning right. He passed his own home along the way, a green two-story heritage house with white trims and a red door. The garden outside was impeccably trimmed with Mongolia bushes blooming at the edge and a row of lilac bushes. It was a well cared for yard, thanks to Britta. Marshall did many things around the house, but the garden maintenance at home wasn't usually one of them.

Sensing their approach to the house, Rooney raised his head hopefully. Leaving the pup home alone didn't seem to be a good idea, so Marshall continued down the road. As the Heritage house shrunk behind them, Rooney began to howl. Why was it that Marshall was stuck with all the high maintenance people?...and pets.

When they reached the designated home, Marshall frowned. Was this really it? The sleek Victorian style home and the Cadillac parked out front were familiar to him, and not in the best of ways. Oh well. Quieting Rooney with an abrasive "Shh!" Marshall knocked on the door. When the woman answered, she looked both relived and shocked to see him there. Who wouldn't?

Her husband was a seeker, his former patrol boss. It was questionable of him to show his face here after what had happened. "Did you lose this?" Marshall politely held out the purse, cupping Rooney and his jacket in the other hand. Unfortunately Mrs.Rogers seemed less than thrilled to have her purse back. The next few moments were filled with several accusatory remarks and jabs while Marshall stood there politely trying to deny it all.

"Hold on, I didn't steal anything." but no sooner had he defended himself, a huge man appeared at the door. Paul Rogers. He was a burly man to say the least, with broad shoulders and a wide chest. Even when compared to Marshall who was sizable himself, Mr.Rogers was huge! Taking a step back Marshall swallowed. "Sir." he murmured politely. As he retold the story of his innocence, Marshall conveniently left out how he got the purse. He wasn't a snitch, but he'd have a few words to say to Thalia if he ever saw her again.

"Why don't you come inside and we'll call your parents," Mr.Rogers finally spoke. He didn't mention the police, but Marshall wouldn't be surprised if they weren't far behind. With a sigh, the young man reluctantly gave in. Rooney began to whimper and howl the moment he set foot on the Rogers' threshold. "Sorry I-." before he could finish, Mrs.Rogers gasped.

"You're keeping that poor little darling under there! By God you'll kill him!" She was after all an animal lover at heart.
"Well that's not exactly-"
"Come inside!" Before Marshall could protest, Rooney was swept away into the arms of Mrs.Rogers. She disappeared moments later cooing and cuddling the puppy in the most...affectionate of ways.

Mr. Rogers shot Marshall a dark look as though it was his fault his wife had fell in love with the dog. Snatching her purse, he beckoned Marshall inside with a jerk of his head. Well, so much for his day off.

Thalia watched the exchange with a rather pleasant expression on her face. Truth be told, it was a good job she hadn't gone to return the bag because she didn't think she would be able to handle these people, they seemed rather annoying. When the sight of Rooney seemed to make the woman forget all about Marshall Thalia got a little bit ticked off, because she was supposed to do something like call the cops. Ah well, it was all sorted out when the man came out. Perfect, maybe he'd beat Marshall up or something. She had absolutely zero sympathy left anymore. In her opinion, everyone was the same. 

When they went inside, that ruined all of her fun, but thankfully one of the windows was slightly open. She wasn't going to be stupid and try to sneak in, because although she could talk her way out of any situation, she didn't want to distract the couple from the treacherous boy who stole the woman's purse. Instead, Thalia just opened the window a slight bit more so that she could listen in on what they had to say. 

There wasn't much going on inside, well between the two men anyway. Promptly seated at the kitchen table, Marshall and Mr.Rogers faced each other with cold stares. In the other room- "Mommy's going to take such good care of you. Oh yus she is. Oh yes she is."

Rolling his eyes, Mr.Rogers eyes Marshall seriously. "Have you thought again about my offer?"
"My answer's still the same," Tone even, Marshall crossed his arms. This was the last place he wanted to be.
Unconvinced Mr. Rogers scowled. "Really? Your actions have been rather questionable lately. You don't want to be a Seeker and you didn't steal Theresa's purse. And yet still..." The man's gaze strayed towards Thalia's window before returning slowly to Marshall. "You're not telling the whole truth."
He made no further attempt to defend himself, crossing his arms and looking out the window. Unimpressed, Paul scoffed studying the former Seeker in a cruel silence.

It wasn't long before his parents did arrive. Marcell Legend and his wife Britta were both wiry people. The man's spider-like appearance was nothing unpleasant, though his tall, slim build gave him many features one might attribute to Slenderman. Britta, on the other hand, was as small as she was thin. She was but a child next to her husband. But with her lips pursed in worry, she didn't hesitate to grab his hand and yank him towards the house. The couple didn't even knock, simply letting themselves into the kitchen.

"Mr., Mrs.Rogers, what appears to be the problem?" Mr.Legend stood behind his son, hands placed protectively against his shoulders. Rather than comfort Marshall, it annoyed him further, and while Britta went to fetch Rooney, Marshall and his father stayed put. The conversation was brief, after Mr.Rogers had finished explaining how Marshall had stolen his wife's vehicle and purse, Mr.Legend simply said, "he didn't."
The man must have had some sort of authority for that was the end of the conversation right there. "Mr.Rogers," the tall man continued. "My family and I will do everything we can to ensure your wife's vehicle is returned without a scratch. We would be more than happy to cover and damages or losses but," he left his words lingering as he strode towards the door. "My son didn't do it."

That was that then. What more could be said? Everything had been settled but both men at the table looked furious. Paul Rogers because such a lowly man had dared speak to him so abrasively, and Marshall, because his family now had to pay the price of someone else's stupid actions. Rising from his chair, his smoldering gaze settled on Mr.Rogers. "Thank you for understanding." he said icily before stalking after his father. The family of three exited the house without a word, clambering into an old red pickup truck. Squeezing himself between his parents, Marshall sat in a stony silence the entire way home. His father's fierce expression was a mirror image of his own. And Britta, who knew better than to ease the tension simply pet Rooney until he fell asleep.

[Exit]