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Who: John Sheppard & Ianto Jones
What: Extremely Serious Guard Dog Adoption
When: Early October
Where: Olympia
Warning(s): None!

John has what could be generously described as part of a plan.

He knows what the end looks like, it's the connecting tissue he's really missing. It's Sunday morning, and he's already been for a run and come back for a shower -- is mulling over the best way to try and steer Ianto in the right direction without being instantly overt about it. He's still in the process of making coffee, and John watches him thoughtfully as the room begins to fill with the strong scent of something freshly ground.

"You up for a trip out into Olympia today?" he tries, because maybe he'll get away with being vague. "Just some light recon. I could use a second opinion on some things."

There, space for Ianto to assume something. Like clothes, or furnishings, or something. Actually, they could probably use some of that too. He glances around the place thoughtfully, frowning as he weighs up how boring and annoying both shopping for new sheets might be.

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Ianto moves to push himself up to stand again as John picks the puppy up, reaching for her again as John steps closer and stroking his fingers through her soft puppy fur as he listens to John list out the things they might need for her. Mentally going through their apartment and wondering whether there's any re-arranging they'll need to do in preparation for her arrival as well. Cleaning? They keep it pretty tidy, but a puppy can get into pretty much anything, and it's not as though they've got that much in the way of storage. No more leaving anything on the floor, they're going to have to start getting creative he supposes to himself, before he glances to John again.

"What do you think?" he asks the other man softly. "A puppy... It's a big commitment. We'll have to do -- pretty much all of her training. She's going to need a lot of attention, especially to start..." He runs his fingers through her fur again, playing with her giant ears. God, she's so sweet, and he doesn't know John's experience with dogs exactly but he already seems at home with her. And she with him, at that.

"I mean, she knows sit and she sometimes remembers stay. She's off to a good start. You wanna know what I think?"

He shifts her in his arms, moves to hold her up under her front legs and holds her out to Ianto.

"I think you need to say a proper hello."

Her tail thrashes excitedly and her paws wiggle mid-air, trying to swim herself closer to Ianto. Yes, yes, now she could maybe get at his face! Just as she hoped! He is no longer too tall!

Not wanting the puppy to wiggle her way out of John's arms and be dropped, Ianto reaches to take her, settling her against his chest as he does. Giving in to the onslaught of puppy kisses for a few moments before craning his neck out of the way and shifting her just enough that he's got a little more space to breathe and talk to John.

"Sit and stay," Ianto muses aloud. "Impressive, for only two visits." He bounces the puppy gently, as he addresses her. "You must be very smart. Or is John here a good teacher too, what do you think?"

John grins as Ianto bounces her in his arms like a baby, reaching out to ruffle her ears.

"I can't take all the credit, they've been training her here too."

Since a well trained puppy is easier to adopt out than one who has no training at all. John moves to scratch under her chin gently, smiling as she squirms to kick her back feet in response. It's clearly a good scratch spot.

"What do you think, could you live with such a menacing guard dog?"

A menacing guard dog who has a great deal of growing up to do yet, Ianto can't help but make a note of. One who is warm and soft in his arms and who might be squirming a little because John has found a good scratching spot, but she seems otherwise perfectly content to be held and petted and otherwise loved on. He ducks his head to nuzzle his face in her soft fur and breathe in her sweet puppy smell, sighing softly before picking his head up to offer the other man a smile.

"I think," he says, after a moment's thought, "that we can find a way to give her a good home. Whatever kind of a dog she turns out to be."

"Are you doubting her ability to be terrorise the bad guys?"

... Admittedly, right now she is not looking especially terrifying. Still, John's expression furrows as he combs fingers through her ruff.

"She will get big, and she's a working dog so even though she's very clever that will also make her pretty high maintenance. She'll get bored easily and act out, be territorial when people she doesn't know turn up."

She's meant to also be a guard dog, after all, and John is pretty sure she'll make a great alarm system if they want her to or not. Possibly about more things than strictly necessary.

Ianto hums along with everything the other man says, watching her wiggle wag at him as he pets her in his arms. She will get big, he can see it in the size she is already, and how big her feet are. She'll need to grow into them. She'll need to grow into a lot. She'll need to learn how to be a dog, and it's true, with their schedule these days there'll often be someone around to help her. That if they save up to afford this PI business they've been talking about, then she might be with them all the time. A partner in crime. Or against crime, rather. He smiles at the thought, as she snuffles at John's hand in turn.

"She'll have a lot of energy," he agrees. "She's already got a lot of energy." He glances up at the other man. "You could have someone to willingly go with you on your runs." More willingly than Ianto, anyway. Even if Ianto has gone too, in the past. Ianto's fitness levels are a work in progress...

"She'd be a great running partner," John agrees, and he reaches out to tickle one of her paws. She kicks again and squirms harder, because this is clearly a good game. "Pretty sure she'd run circles around me given the chance."

Although obviously, before they go running properly, John might need to make sure he knows how she'll behave around other people and other dogs. Otherwise it might be less 'running' and more 'stopping every five minutes to detach a puppy from another person or split up a dog fight'.

He has high hopes, though. A dog running partner would be nice.

"Is this a yes on the puppy, then?" he prompts. "Because she'll need a name."

The puppy squirms in Ianto's grasp and he struggles to keep a good grasp on her, shushing her gently as he adjusts his hold. It isn't hard to imagine John going running with the little puppy, with the dog as she gets older. It will help her get some of her energy out, and it will help him get some of his own out as well. A dog will keep him company, in this potential job, and more importantly at home. And a dog will give John a job to do. Beyond the bouncing at the club. A purpose that Ianto thinks he needs. A purpose he thinks he needs himself, at the end of the day, truth be told.

"Yes," he says softly, tucking her close to his chest and ruffling a hand through her ruff as he does. "Yes, it's a yes. The puppy is a yes." Glancing down at her and smiling softly as he adds, "How could I possibly say no to a face like this?"

"Well, you're gonna have to learn how to. Otherwise she'll wind up the boss of you instead of the other way around."

He ruffles at her ears again, then takes deep breath and looks around toward the shopkeeper again. He's gone back to reading a magazine, takes a moment to sense he's being watched.

"Made a decision?" he prompts.

"Can you hold her a day or two while we dog-proof the place?"

The man gives a non-committal half shrug, begins rummaging for bits of paper under his desk then sets down some forms and begins filling things in.

Ianto appreciates the man giving them the privacy. He can only imagine how they must have looked, a pair of grown men fawning over a puppy. Even if he is probably used to such things, working in a pet store as he does.

He takes a few steps closer, wondering if maybe he should put the puppy down at some point but deciding he'll just hold her for a little while longer yet. Watching as the shopkeeper begins to fill out his paperwork and deciding he can let John take care of the business side of things this time, since he's the one who had begun this venture in the first.

"It'll give us the time to think up a name for her as well," he muses idly. Since John is right, they'll need to come up with that as well.

"Well, I'm open to all suggestions."

He gives the puppy a last, encouraging scratch under the chin before approaching the desk and beginning to leaf through everything -- taking a deep breath and then grabbing a pen to start filling it out.

"Guess it shouldn't be too cute in case we need to call her back in-front of some bandits or something."

Yelling for Fluffy to sit or stay might not inspire the right kind of mood, after all.

Another deep breath, Ianto can't help but notice. As though John's readying himself for the dive. But he doesn't press him on it, stepping a little closer to the other man as he does and watching him work over the paperwork as he contemplates the other man's words. He has a point, especially if she's to be their working dog.

"We have a few days to think of something," he points out, ruffling her fur as he tucks her closer to him once more, adjusting his hold on the puppy as she squirms in his arms. She'd probably be happier on the ground but it's so much easier to multitask like this. Idly, he wonders whether she'll be in John's name only or both of theirs, as he considers aloud, "I can start up another list for us to choose from. I promise not to offer you another Myfanwy," he adds, with the quirk of a smile. Can John even pronounce anything so Welsh?

"List sounds good. We can have a supply list too."

He's silent a few seconds to finish writing something, then looks over his shoulder -- tilts his head at the two of them and smiles.

"A list prioritising the other lists?"

That's peak personal assistant, surely? He goes back to filling out the forms, then digs for his wallet as he continues reading.

"The list probably needs to include looking up a vet and starting an emergency vet bill fund just in case."

Since wiggly puppies are still capable of running directly into danger and getting hurt, even when they're being cradled safely by someone like Ianto a lot of the time.

Ianto can't help but laugh at the idea of it, but it's perfect and moreover John is right. It's exactly the sort of peak personal assistant task that Ianto would do himself. He's already prioritizing it all even now.

"Emergency vet bill funds are probably for the best," he agrees, smoothing his hand through her soft fur as he does. Is he ever going to put her down on the ground again? Probably not, no.

"Well, we'll need a list for names, a list for supplies, a list for all the things we'll need to do around the house to be certain that we've cleaned up for her..." He glances around the shop where they're standing. "Should we get some things to bring back to set up, even if we're not bringing her?"

"If you can decide without having made the list yet."

Since, you know, the list of lists will dictate what is bought in what order. He signs the final bit of paper then shoves it over and digs for his wallet.

"Stuff like a crate will be heavy so we might have to buy things in batches."

Since John doesn't have, you know, a puddlejumper to move it all with. Or a... car. Carriage? Whatever the local equivalent might be. Maybe he should look into something, in case they need to move the dog around quickly. Or just... move it around with... accessories in general.

Ianto shoots the other man another look. "Any PA worth their weight should be able to think on their feet," he answers, just as the puppy starts to wiggle in his arms, starting to get a little too tired of being held up so high when there are so many interesting smells on the ground she could be exploring instead. Doing his best to keep her from launching off, Ianto bends to set her down.

"It would mean one less trip back and forth," he points out. "If we were to bring something back with us now."

"Well then, since you're apparently my PA now I think you should organise me and tell me what we're buying."

He gestures to the man behind the counter to wait a moment, since he might be paying for something else too, then turns and drops to sit on the ground so the puppy can begin bounding all over him. This is exciting! He is at ground level now! She can get at him more easily!

"What are you thinking? Smaller things like bowls and blankets and stuff? Or bigger things?"

The puppy squirms and John winces, carefully trying to re-arrange as she clambers over him.

"Hey, missy, you're gonna want to be careful where you put your paws please."

Ianto watches John playing with the puppy for a moment, a fond smile spreading itself across his face before he forces himself to focus and glance up to look around the shop around himself to consider the other man’s question.

“Well...” he reasons aloud. “The sooner we have her crate the sooner we know just exactly how much space we’ll need for it, and where. I’m assuming — we would be crate training her, if she’s not already started by now?” He tilts his head at John, raising an eyebrow slightly. Maybe he doesn’t like the idea of it himself. These are the sorts of things they need to iron out between them sooner rather than later.

"I think she's been started, at least. Hey, hey paws. Watch them!"

He picks her up and spins her onto her back, ruffling her tummy and saving himself from her paws for a few minutes.

"We'll need a crate she won't get too big for."

Which means it won't be small, as she's a puppy now but she'll grow into a big dog. He squints around up at the counter, and the man behind it gives a half shrug before closing his magazine -- stepping out and walking along the shop.

"She'll be a big dog, so -- a big crate. You want a puppy pen too?"

Ianto glances down at John as he wrangles the puppy and wonders just how long a puppy pen might keep her.

"If we had any doorways in the apartment, it might be worth looking into a gate," he muses aloud. "But I'm not sure that a puppy pen will do very much for very long. She looks like she'd be able to outsmart and outgrow one faster than we'd be able to find room for it."

“Maybe we can aspire to that in the new place then as well,” Ianto quips dryly, glancing back at John again.

"Aspire to what? Doorways?"

He flickers a smile as she squirms back the right way up and bounds to press her front paws on his chest, tail wagging enthusiastically as John ruffles at her fur.

"But I guess just a crate for now, then. With a blanket or something, and I guess a cover."

You know, so night-time can be artificially induced if she won't settle down.

"What's your favourite colour?" he prompts of her, and she yaps excitedly in his face causing him to wince. "I don't think that's a colour."

Ianto cracks a smile back at John in response to his quipping. Yes, doorways. Well done, John, he's pleased that you caught on to his dumb little joke, that you smiled at it even though it was stupid.

Ianto's just glancing about the store and trying to envision just how big this big dog crate is going to be and where exactly it's going to fit in their little room when the puppy yaps at John and he winces in response the the noise as well.

"Are you asking her or me?" he prompts. "Because I will remind you that dogs have limited color vision. I'm not really sure that she cares."

Not sure she cares! John shoot Ianto a disapproving look, ruffling at the puppy's mane reassuringly.

"Well she may not see the colours the same way you do, but she still interprets them in her own way. I think she's still capable of having a favourite colour."

Even if it's more a shade than a true interpretation of it. Don't let your dreams be dreams, little dog! You can have any colour you desire, even if you can't see it properly!

He raises an eyebrow at John's response, the look on his face suggesting he thinks that the other man may be more than a little ridiculous but that he's also ridiculously fond of him regardless of that fact. Really now, John.

"Well you can tell her that her choices are limited to what selection there is in stock for now," Ianto quips right back at him, as he steps aside to take a look at what all it is that the shop does have in terms of what they're looking for.

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