passing afternoon. (open)

[Russell Scully.]

i had this sadness creepin' like vines over me

[/SIZE][/COLOR]
i didn't get what i want so i just took what wanted me[/color]
-------------------[/color][/center]

[/b][/color],” he called, cracking his back and neck as he stood. “I’m coming, I’ll feed you in a second.”

The barking in the background ceased and for a moment Russ felt as though he was dreaming again. He ran his fingers over the cool rippled surface of his bedside table, the cuts and grooves he had memorized long ago for just this sort of occasion. It assured him, in that half-asleep way where everything is either an assurance or a near fear sparking in both heart and mind. Rounding the corner out of his room, clipping the doorframe with his shoulder as he did, Russ cursed beneath his breath and hefted a hand up to rub away the bruise he knew was coming. Grabbing his pants from where they had been strewn across a chair in the kitchen, he deftly pulled them on and straightened out his shirt. As his fingers moored their way through his hair, Russ thought of how long it had gotten, how tonight or soon he should take scissors to it, cut away the excess.

Living above his own business was always a plus, something Russ was always eternally grateful for. Entering the kitchen, he was greeted with wagging tails and happy barks and yips. His own dogs crowded around like they had been missing him for years, little Bear and big Moose and Oliver the lab, Sadie the mutt. He gave them each a simple pat on the head before heading to the refrigerator, stocked full of precooked dog food all ready to be reheated in the microwave and served.

Entering his business downstairs, he was met with yet more barks of happiness and loneliness alike. The dogs down there, they were the borders, staying for a weekend or so as their families gallivanted around the world without them. He always gave the boarders extra treats, knowing well the pain of missing those you love. He could see the longing for home in their eyes – or maybe their eyes simply reflected his own, Russ had always been notorious when it came to giving feelings to animals.

After each dog was fed, Russ changed into his running clothes. He strapped up Moose and Bear, the only dogs he owned that shared the same passion for running as he did, and then he was off.

The sun sat high in the sky, just making its first appearance of the day, with nary a cloud in sight. The air tasted crisp and smooth and the wind was temperate. Russ breathed in deep. It was, in his opinion, the perfect day for a run. "Come on, boys[/b],” he said as his feet began to run, beat beat beat, against the hard pavement. Moose stayed at his side while Bear, with his tiny corgi legs, took up the rear.

The trio made their way to the park, their normal spot, and took off, running full force until Russ could barely feel his legs and his lungs burned like the fires of Hell. “Break time[/b],” he panted, and by the way the dogs took to flopping down in the dense green grass, they seemed to agree. Russ sat down beside them, pulling a small bowl and water bottle from the bag he had strapped to Moose. He poured some water in the bowl for his friends and kept the rest for himself.

Exhausted and comfortable in the moderate heat of the sun through the shade of trees, Russ mimicked his dogs and flopped back into the grass, folding an arm beneath his head for a pillow and allowing the prosthetic hand to tangle in Moose’s thick fur.

“Good boy, Moose. Good dog.”

[/ul][/font][/color][/size]

-----------------------------------------
WORDS! 805// TAGS! Open to anyone. // SETTING! Sunnydale park, morning. //

[/font][/size][/color]

[Anya Jenkins]

It was odd how, despite the fact that human's only seemed to live for a really, really short amount of time (eighty years! That was nothing, a blink of the eye, honestly!) they could have whole hours where there was nothing to do except walk around and look at green things. Which, Anya was doing now, because it made sense to get an idea of what was so fascinating about it that there were television shows, jobs (money to be made around it) and nationwide competitions based on growing things that were green, out of soil which was brown.

So far, all she could see was that it was rather...boring. Increasingly boring, actually - all she did was walk and look around and she didn't understand why some other's in this park were looking like zombies. Alright, so it was in the morning, early morning, but that was no excuse. They were human's, they weren't going to live long! Might as well live during the few hours they could, after all. Otherwise...well, it would just be a bit of a waste. Or a lot of a waste depending on your point of view.

She turned around, walking in the opposite direction down the path. Having the wind blowing into her was much nice - it made her hair pull away from her face, rather than getting blown in front of it and getting stuck to her eye lashes or her lipgloss. That was just a mess, and although Xander found it rather amusing if his laughter was anything to go by, Anya just didn't. Xander wasn't here though - no Xander to take his shirt off and make her thing of nice things. Nope, just her, walking. No doubt everyone else had been out late last night killing vampires and were now wasting their time over sleeping.

A bark in the distance jerked her out of her thoughts and she glanced around. Oh, dogs. Dogs were...dogs? At least they weren't rabbits, or...god forbid, bunnies. Dogs were just dogs, and...She squeaked slightly, backing up a little bit as one of the dogs that had been sprawled in the grass got to it's feet before giving another bark and seeming to pelt it's way in her direction.

"Uhh....good good. Good boy. Um, please go away. Shoo. Shoo shoo." Maybe dogs were as bad as bunnies. She stepped to the side quickly, and then to the side again, her dress having caught the creature's attention apparantly. There appeared to be a human figure lying down with the remaining dogs as well, and Anya didn't think twice before raising her voice. "Hey! Hey, um, you? Do you mind, y'know...calling this thing off? Shoo dog. Shoo. Go chase some bunnies."