What the Camera Doesn't See
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Title: What the Camera Doesn't See: Part: VII
Author: Genji
Disclaimer & Warnings: See Part I
Denotations:
'thoughts'
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Written story
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{Written Words}
"Dialog"
*emphasis* think italics
~*~ Change of scene
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I look into your great brown eyes,
Where love and loyal homage shine,
And wonder where the difference lies
Between your soul and mine!
--Josiah Holland, To My Dog "Blanco"
~*~
Morganna looked listlessly out the window. Ida's mood was dragging everyone down. She flipped the end of her braid at Sweetie Pie, Ida's house cat, who seemed to be enjoying the respite from Sandra's reign of terror. Ida herself sat brooding on the sofa. Even Lucie's suggestion of getting into the normal teenage trouble found a lukewarm reception. Elly had gone home with a headache, and Krista was literally banging her head against the wall for inspiration. Her series had stopped two editions in, and while she had gotten a few responses, they were not enough to motivate her.
Morganna got up, crossed the room and yanked Krista's ponytail, stopping her forehead two inches from the wall.
"What's this for?" Krista asked dryly.
"You're giving me a headache."
"Mmm. You try writing an arc on a series that hasn't completely aired."
"Ida?" Lucie asked from her corner.
"Yeah, Luce? You find something? You see Sandra?" Ida asked, her voice unusually guarded, as if she were trying not to get her hopes up.
"Is-are-I mean are Trowa and the rest...well-um-um-"
"Gay?" Ida sighed and drew an abstract pattern into the sofa's arm. "Do any of the guys you know wear jeans that tight?"
"No. So he-they-he is?"
"You said it, I didn't." A determined look crossed the petite girl's face. "Let's go to the pound. She might've been picked up. I'm sure she's there. I feel it. I just feel it. I know she's there."
Krista groaned. "We were just there two hours ago and she wasn't there. They said they would call. You made them promise a hundred times. And you almost got threatened with a restraining order."
"But she might be there," Ida maintained obstinately.
"Tell you what," Morganna intervened, "Let's go pick up Elly and drag her down there with us."
"I've seen enough dogs for one lifetime," Lucie said, picking up the neglected Sweetie Pie.
Of course Ida wouldn't take this veiled refusal. Dragging the taller girl out by her hair, the four made their way to the car.
~*~
"So how was she?" Quatre asked, picking up Nawal. Trowa shrugged, that was enough of an answer for him. The blond teen put the puppy down and started walking out the door, the small dog following at his heels. The two made their way around the moving sets, dodged the running crew, skirted the yelling director, and broke free of the crowded indoors only to meet with the throng of people that were outdoors, working on god knows what. Nawal pounced into the brush on the edge of the field, sniffing the new odors with excitement.
Quatre watched her with an air of enjoyment. Perhaps Riyad and Nawal would eventually get along and he wouldn't have to give her away. He didn't want to give away his puppy. It was peculiar what the effect one turning of the earth could do.
A black Jeep pulled into the parking lot, but the Arab thought nothing more of it, until his ward took off in the direction of the new comers.
"SANDRA!" The excited voice pierced the boy's thoughts. "I thought I would never see you again. I was so worried about you, girl. Never ever, ever, ever leave me like that again."
The actor watched a girl sitting on the gravel, being licked to death by the excited Nawal--no, it was Sandra. He was unwilling to give the friendly pup away to anyone. Quatre walked toward the happy pair, but the girl with the cropped hair paid him no heed. He cleared his throat slightly, and sapphire eyes looked up, shimmering with unshed tears.
"Were you the one who found her?" she asked, turning her attention back to the canine, which was now laying on its back, white underbelly shown as the young woman with cerulean eyes ran her fingers through the silky threads found there.
Quatre nodded, a lump forming in his throat. He didn't want to give up his newfound companion, but the joy he saw in both the soft brown and crystalline azure was enough to tell him that it would be a mistake not to. Within minutes he had been thoroughly glomped.
She pulled away, embarrassed by what she had just done. "Sorry," she mumbled, and pulled out her wallet from her back pocket. "I suppose you want some proof. I don't have Sandra's papers-"
"I think she speaks for herself."
The girl looked down and saw the ball of black patiently sitting at her feet. When the puppy realized that her master was looking at her, Sandra's tail moved back and forth, creating a small dust storm at ground level.
"Thanks. Sandra, wanna go for a ride? Wanna go home? Come on girl!" She passed the open windows of the jeep and opened up the trunk. The puppy trotted to the back, and the girl picked her up and placed her in the back. She returned to the driver side and got in. Quatre walked up and offered her his hand.
"I don't believe I quite got your name."
"Ida."
"Ida what?"
"Baroque. Ida Baroque. My mom's idea of a joke. Funny. Ha ha," she laughed dryly, and shook the proffered hand, even though it was at an odd angle.
"Quatre-"
"Raberba Winner. I know. I just don't see the point of making a big deal about celebs or whatnot. They have their job and I have mine. I wouldn't want people interrupting me when I was at work, and I assume they don't want it either. Nice meeting you, I guess. Thanks for taking care of Sandra."
She pulled out, not wanting to carry on a strained conversation. Morganna poked her from the back. "I think he likes you."
"No, he likes my dog, not me, and that's just nifty. 'Cause I really don't see the point about mooning over someone, whether they're cute or not. If I'm gonna get with someone, I want it to be where there's some sort of prior knowledge, and consent, an' stuff."
"Plus, you said you were gonna marry me," Krista remarked with a smile.
"I'm all yours, puddin'."
Lucie laughed, "But you also proposed Lenae and Llynda and Dusty, and they all accepted."
Ida just laughed.
Krista's smile faded, ever so slightly and now it seemed like a forced smirk, plastered on her face with some irremovable super glue. Quietly she crumpled the flier that pictured Sandra looking mischievously into the camera.
~*~
"That was an interesting bit of philosophy," Quatre mused, watching the car drive down the road to nowhere.
"Q-man!" Duo shouted, running up to the wistful Arab. "Where's Nawal? I was thinking of teaching her a couple tricks. Maybe some basic obedience, such as 'Go chase the mailman' or 'Destroy this priceless piece of furniture.' I've read some books, and I found out that you COULD teach a new dog old tricks. So maybe she can be a search and destroy dog."
"It's search and rescue," Quatre said, still watching a non-existent dust cloud on the horizon.
"Same thing. Anyways, where is she? I wanna start before I've gotta go into that all black preacher garb crap. I don't know who thought what when they designed Shinigami's costume. Hmm...maybe I should start talking in the third person. Won't that piss off Murasaki? Of course your dad and his peeps won't be too pleased, but it would sure screw up the director dude, Galen. Hang on--where is your dog?"
'My dog?' Quatre thought.
"On her way home."
"She ran away? Let's go look for her. It isn't safe for a puppy that young to be out there on her own. Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Duo started dragging Quatre out of the lot and towards the brush, where the braided American thought the rambunctious puppy had taken off into. Quatre shook his head and pulled away.
"You don't understand. Her owner came and got her."
"Oh-"
Quatre gave a small, half smile. "It's no big deal. She just got away from home. I still haven't figured out how she got into my room." He sighed and started walked back into the studios.
~*~
