Nov 1 - We have to deal with this sometime

[did_good]

"What do you mean you can't pick her up?" Tosh sighs as the woman from Take a Paws explains that one of their handlers is sick that day, and there's no one available to do puppy care. "Of course. No, of course I understand. It happens. But if someone comes in later?"

She says it hopefully, knowing that Mitsuki might be happy and asleep at her feet right now, but that it won't last for long. Once Owen comes in and sees the six month old Akita there, she's sure he'll object. But there's nothing to be done, she agrees as she hangs up the phone. It's her dog and she has to deal with it.

"Please don't come in today," she says to herself, under her breath as she starts matching up all the names of those who've returned from this other Darrow. "Let something go my way."

Comments

[did_good]

A date, no, but things had been so strained between them that she was grateful for just a coffee. It didn't mean more than they were talking.

"Just down the street. A bit closer to the park," she leads the way out of the shop, pausing when Mitsuki chooses to scent the nearest lamppost in a very canine way. "I ah- She does that."

[beat_death]

"Are you sure it's not a male?" Owen asks, frowning at the animal's display of territorial dominance. Owen's a bit more familiar with non-terrestrial life forms than house pets, but he's fairly sure he's correct.

[did_good]

"Very sure." Mitsuki could sniff at the spots on the sidewalk as long as the day went on. Tosh tugs at her, making a soft sound to encourage her movement. "She doesn't have the certain integral bits that a boy needs."

[beat_death]

"Why a dog, anyway? Planning on a lot of free time in the near future?" he asks, slowing his stride just a bit so Tosh and the animal aren't left behind while she tries to tug it along.

Even if Owen had wanted one, he wouldn't have hazarded an animal back in Cardiff. He was hardly ever home, so there was no point in it.

[did_good]

"I didn't plan it," she says it more defensively than she means to, Mitsuki now embracing the idea of walking, trotting between them and only pausing to sniff every third post. Tosh can't explain that she wants someone who'll love her unconditionally, it sounds too needy even in her mind. "There were some people from a shelter set up in the park. I was playing with her and I couldn't leave her there, alone."

[beat_death]

"Careful you don't wander into any orphanages then," Owen says, though he doubts she'd suddenly decide to bring a child home on a whim, as funny as he finds his own joke. Torchwood Daycare. That's a recipe for disaster if he's ever heard one.

[did_good]

"I'm not that nee- silly," she corrects herself, almost having said needy. "I think this is about the level of responsibility I can handle."

Mitsuki is, if nothing else, very cute and she knows it too, stopping for no reason to look up at the two of them with wide eyes. "Come on girl."

[beat_death]

"No biological urges? Clock not ticking away?" Owen asks, and he's really just taking the piss. He doesn't believe in any of that bollocks, and knows people in their line of work aren't suited for it anyway.

[did_good]

"Even if I did, when would I have the time?" Even here in Darrow there's enough to keep her busy. Mitsuki gives in and allows herself to be tugged the last few feet to the cafe, Tosh crouching to tie her up outside. "No, no motherly urges. Nothing to worry about there."

[beat_death]

Owen nearly makes an audibly relieved sound as Tosh ties up the dog, glad that she's not one of those people who'll insist on trying to take their animal into these sorts of places.

He walks ahead to hold the door open for her.

"I think Gwen would've quit eventually because of it," he muses, "No room for Torchwood once you've been dragged into a cozy marriage."

[did_good]

"I was never sure how she managed it. Kept that going, that is." The entire Gwen and Owen thing aside, that was. Not for the first time she cursed that stupid pendant, pushing that thought away as quickly as it rose. "Especially after Jack vanished."

[beat_death]

"Sheer stubbornness, I suppose," Owen surmises, but truth be told, the whole lot of them were stubborn about one thing or another.

And probably even moreso after Jack vanished.

[did_good]

"I suppose that's what we all have in common, isn't it?" She orders a soy latte from the girl at the counter, handing over enough money to cover Owen's as well. "in the end we were all stubborn. Stupidly so sometimes."

[beat_death]

"Speak for yourself," Owen responds, and orders a regular coffee, even if he expects it to be disappointing. Tosh paying for his as well, isn't exactly expected, though.

"Cheers."

[did_good]

Tosh shrugs it away, more amused by his denial than anything else. Her mouth twitches, "Really? You aren't stubborn?"

[beat_death]

"More like I've never done anything stupid," he says, mostly to see what kind of response the statement will get. Owen's well-aware that he's done his fair share of things he wishes he could take back, however well-intentioned he may have been at the time.

Stepping in front of Copley's gun certainly ranks high up on the list.

[did_good]

Tosh snorts, a hand covering her mouth to stop herself from laughing. "Of course not. I couldn't think of one instance of it. Thank you."

The last she says to the barista, grateful to head for a table rather than answer with specifics.

[beat_death]

She's kind of cute when she laughs, Owen can't help but think, but he pushes the thought out of his mind almost as quickly as it'd ended up there in the first place.

"Glad to see we're on the same page." He grabs his own coffee from the bar, and walks over to join Tosh at one of the tables.

[did_good]

"Of course," she can't help it, even though they've been smiling and laughing, she feels the need to say something. "I should apologise. For the other day, I had no right to say the things I did. I know what it's like to have secrets."

[beat_death]

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that, actually," Owen says, and then he lowers his voice a bit, in case someone nearby might hear them. "I think you should bring it in. The retcon. I want to see if it's possible to synthesize more of it."

It's a conversation best reserved for when they're not in public, but she's brought it up, and he wants to make sure he proposes his idea before he forgets.

[did_good]

That wasn't entirely unexpected, though how quickly he got to it did surprise her. It's sidestepped their conversation of the other day, but she can't say she's upset about that at all. "I was thinking that. Do you think that you could? There's only one tablet."

[beat_death]

"It's worth a shot," he replies, because even if he hasn't exactly come up with a process to replicate the pill yet, he thinks that the potential benefits of having a supply of retcon outweigh the risks of having none at all.

Worst case scenario, they'll just be back to where they were before. Or where Owen thought they were before.

[did_good]

"We'd have to test it one someone," that's something she's not entirely comfortable with if she's honest. "Which could be complicated, especially if it doesn't work the way it should."

[beat_death]

Owen hasn't thought completely through the testing phase, his train of thought barreling straight through to what they'll be able to do once he's perfected it. He frowns, then glances toward the door.

"What are your thoughts on animal testing?" he asks, and he's only half joking.

[did_good]

Tosh grimaces, her coffee down on the table. "It's better than human testing, I suppose. Not as reliable when it comes to getting the reactions we need. At first, with safety, perhaps, but to know if the memory alteration works?"

Tosh picks her coffee back up. "We'd need human subjects for that."