Impracticalities

[Tripod]

[September 8th, mid-morning; closed to Cadpig and Tripod]


Who... whose idea were the ties, anyway?

While Tripod wasn't usually one to complain, the athletic dalmatian couldn't help but wish that someone had thought the uniform through a bit more carefully; at least in special cases like his own. After getting into trouble for wearing the tie untied around his neck, the way he had started out earlier, Tripod had spent the best part of the morning on the thing; only to continue failing miserably. Every time he got close to getting the tie tied correctly, his paw would slip as he tried the last stage of bringing the end up through the neck loop, and the whole thing would unravel, leaving him to start all over again.

With two forepaws, Tripod suspected, he wouldn't have had anywhere near this level of difficulty; he'd seen some of his adopted siblings around who seemed to have had no problems with their own ties at all. Unlucky for him, however, he only had the one. And while his missing limb was rarely a physical handicap for him, there were some situations where it really made life difficult. Swimming was one; tying a tie, he was well and truly learning this morning, was another.

As he failed to get the tie end up behind the neck loop for the seventh time in the last hour, Tripod finally allowed himself an exhale of frustration and let the green fabric flop limply. The plus side was that he wasn't missing any classes because of this - having only arrived that very morning, he had been presented with the uniform and a bed in the dorms, but not with a complete timetable yet and didn't have anywhere to be until after lunch - but Tripod was aware that he could have at least been running laps of the school playing field, or testing out the training facilities here, or doing something more productive than fighting a losing battle with his tie. Still, rules were rules, and these rules said he had to wear the tie done up at all times. And if getting it to that state in the first place was proving to be an impossible task...

It was, quite frankly, a little embarrassing. Since recently, Tripod had begun to pride himself on being as good with three legs as mist dogs were with four; it was just silly little tasks like this that seemed determined to remind him that he couldn't quite do everything most of them could. Abandoning his struggle for a moment, although he knew he would have to pick it up once more later on, Tripod rose to his three paws and began to pad down the almost-deserted corridor. Everyone else was in classes, so he might as well, the three-legged dal figured, see if he could find a quite place to train for a bit before he returned to the task of wrestling his tie into submission.

It was only as he neared the doors back to the outside world that the athletic canine's ears caught the sound of pawsteps behind him. Light pawsteps, as though they belonged to someone small. Someone who he was at least a little familiar with, if his guess was correct; and so it was no surprise to Tripod that, when he paused and turned, it was Cadpig who he could see catching up to him. Never a pup of a vast number of words, Tripod simply nodded to her by way of greeting.

[Cadpig]

So far, the morning had been going decently on Cadpig's end.

Classes hadn't gone badly so far. The only thing bothering the little dalmatian at the moment was the sheer fact that she was getting hungry. It just meant that she'd have to really start thinking about what it was she wanted for lunch that day. Hopefully things didn't go too badly during the rest of the day, though. Not that Cadpig was expecting anything terrible, but she'd have hated for some quiz to catch her off guard or anything like that to just wreck her day. But, as she trotted through the halls between classes, she found that nothing really seemed capable of dampening her spirits yet. So far, so good. The only thing that really bothered her was the fact that her tie still dragged on the floor as she walked. That was the disadvantage to being as small as she was, she supposed.

At present, Cadpig didn't have a class going on. She would have to wait until the next period for her class, so she was free to roam about as she saw fit. Usually she would have taken up a spot in the library for just such an occasion, but today she just wanted to walk about the school and see what would come about. So far, though, nothing was really catching Cadpig's attention. It really didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary was going to happen that day... Or was it?

Cadpig had seen a familiar dalmatian just ahead of her in the hall. She recognized him as one of her many adopted siblings, and the one she had seen by himself from time to time when they all had been stuck in Hell Hall. Tripod! He had been invited to the school, too? Maybe he'd gotten some kind of athletic spot in the school? ...Nah, that couldn't have been. This wasn't a college, at least as far as Cadpig knew, so she assumed he'd just been invited the same as anyone else. Still, Cadpig was happy to see him again. He'd never really been a talkative pup, so maybe today she could finally get more than a handful of words out of him. Eagerly, Cadpig walked up behind him in an effort to catch up.

She was all too thankful when Tripod stopped and acknowledged her. It also wasn't too long before she'd noticed the fact that his tie wasn't... Well, tied. Having only one front paw to work with must have made such a task difficult.

"Hey, Tripod," Cadpig greeted cheerfully. "I see you're doing well."

[Tripod]

"Hey, Cadpig," while Tripod wouldn't claim that he knew the runty little dalmatian well enough to actually like her, she was, perhaps, the member of his new family who the althletic canine was the most familiar with. She had been the one to try and talk to him in Hell Hall, when he'd been set on avoiding everyone else, and she was the first pup he'd ever known who hadn't laughed at his defect, so Tripod had no objection to her company. Just like him, he noticed, Cadpig wore the school's uniform, but though her tie - blue to his green - trailed along the ground between her paws, she at least had it tied nicely. Looked like he really was the only one who couldn't manage the thing.

"You look like you're more at home in this environment than me," he pointed out ruefully as Cadpig drew alongside him. It wasn't only the tie, which he really didn't want to draw attention to; she simply seemed as though the entire school idea was right down her alley, while Tripod wasn't sure he didn't just feel out of place in it. He was used to running and training and digging and doing press-ups, and while being indoors wasn't foreign to him, the whole concept of attending classes to learn human things definitely was. Not that he had actually attended any yet, so he could only imagine what they were going to be like.

"I only got here this morning. Maybe you can give me a bit more of an idea of how things work in this place?" he asked momentarily. While he might sometimes have given the impression to the contrary, Tripod wasn't too proud to ask for help when help was needed; and since she was here and he really didn't mind her presence, having Cadpig give him a run-down of the overall school process was something that would certainly come in useful. He straightened out the folds of his undone green tie briefly, and then settled into his typical sitting position - stiff-backed and formal - as he awaited her response.

[Cadpig]

"Oh, yes. I love it here. The classes, the text books, the fact that I can broaden my mind... I guess you could say I'm at home here," she said. Cadpig wouldn't pretend to not be at home in the school. Apart from the uncomfortable idea of having to fight someone at some point, there wasn't anything for her to really complain about. ...Except the tie. She hated that her tie was so long and trailed along beneath her. It would have been great if she'd been able to get a shorter tie, but no. Cadpig had gotten the shortest tie available and it had still been too long for her.

What surprised her was that Tripod had only been in the school for that one day. Had he really only just arrived? That would certainly explain why Cadpig hadn't seen him until that point. Of course, the runty little dog was more than willing to help him out.

"Sure, I could do that. Show you the ropes, the finer points of the school... The whole thing! But ah... You're not planning on going around with your tie like that the whole day, are you?" Cadpig asked. She couldn't just ignore the fact that his green tie was just there for all to see the way it was. Maybe just this once he'd accept some help? Cadpig realized that his only having three paws to stand on may have made him reluctant to accept help, or it may have just been the macho manly thing she'd assumed it to be, but still... Everyone needed help every now and then. Right?

[Tripod]

Tripod gave a nod as Cadpig agreed wholeheartedly with his guess that she'd already fit right in. While he most definitely hadn't, and didn't particularly think he was going to unless he could sign on with a sports team, the three-legged male was genuinely happy for Cadpig. With fourteen siblings, it must have been hard to find her own niche; here, however, she seemed to have well and truly found it. And a small smile graced his muzzle as Cadpig agreed to showing him how the school worked; although it didn't last long as she abruptly called attention back to his tie.

"I didn't plan to. Now I don't seem to have much choice." Tripod didn't quite scowl at the way the green accessory drooped untied around his neck, but it was plain that he wasn't altogether happy with the thing. He'd got the rest of the uniform on satisfactorily - his white shirt was buttoned right up to the collar, and at least mostly tucked in to the grey trousers that hugged his rear; and even if his left sleeve flopped emptily, he couldn't really do much about that - but the tie had already given him a lot of grief that morning.

Still, as Cadpig had called attention to it, Tripod supposed he should have another go. Tilting his chin down as best he could to hold the half-formed knot, Tripod again managed the first few stages easily enough. The wide end across the narrow end, once around, up through the neck loop; and as it had every time so far, the moment he lifted his chin to bring the end of the tie through, the whole thing dropped back undone again. Not even his distinct force of will could keep the male from groaning in frustration.

"Ugh. It's harder than it looks."

[Cadpig]

"So I can see," Cadpig said after watching Tripod's demonstration. Poor guy... He wanted so much to prove he was capable of doing things just like any other dog, but couldn't stand on his own three paws forever. He needed someone to help sooner or later. Otherwise, he was going to keep having to suffer this same fate of having difficulties with even the simplest tasks. Not that Cadpig was one to talk; she knew all too well what it was like to suffer through something. Her size had been a problem for quite some time, but she had learned to look to the sunshine. ...That probably meant that she needed to wear sunglasses, didn't it. Maybe. Cadpig wasn't altogether sure what she was going for with her own internal bit of encouragement.

"You know, maybe if you had a bit of help you'd be able to get that mean old tie to cooperate with you. What do you say, Tripod? Would you be willing to let me lend a paw?" Cadpig asked. She really didn't know what would come of her asking this much, but it surely couldn't hurt to try. To be honest, watching Tripod try to tie the tie on his own had just been a bit painful. He tried so hard but still couldn't get anywhere on his own. Surely he'd accept help.

"I mean, my own tie's kind of long and drags around, but I did work out a trick to tying it. I mean... If you don't mind the help."

[Tripod]

"I'm not going to say no if you're offering."

He might have been an independantly-minded pup with a desire to prove himself, but Tripod wasn't stupid, and nor was he too proud to accept help when he knew he needed it. The tie had been nothing but a massive struggle all morning; and though the three-legged dal probably wouldn't have taken the initiative of asking, not with something as small as this, Tripod didn't see the advantage in refusing to let Cadpig assist him. On top of which, he had a bit of a soft spot for the runty girl; the first who had ever thought of him as something beyond 'defective goods'. If there was anyone's help he was willing to accept, it would be hers.

The male crouched down slightly on his three legs to let Cadpig work more easily. He was aware enough that, while he didn't quite tower over her, Cadpig would have had to stretch up to reach his collar while he had been standing normally; by lowering himself to her level, the little female would be at less of a discomfort as she helped him out.

"If you ever find a trick to tying it with only one paw, fill me in. I can't very well rely on your help every day," he pointed out as he let her get to work on the thing he'd been struggling with all morning. If they'd been in the same circle, that might have been an option - though Tripod hated being overly dependant on anyone - but though he wouldn't mind seeing her a bit more often, seeking each other out day-in, day-out for her to tie his tie would quickly have become nothing but a hassel for both of them.

[Cadpig]

Good; Tripod allowing her to help out was a good step in the right direction. When he made it easier for her to get to his tie, Cadpig scooted closer and reached up to begin working. Tiny paws made things a lot easier in situations like this, she realized. The fact that they were within close proximity of each other probably was something to think about, but who cared? They were just... Well, friends. Cadpig certainly didn't think that Tripod thought of her as anything more than that, and while she did admire him for all the hard work he put himself through and everything she didn't expect much in the means of getting anything beyond friendship. If something did happen, though, Cadpig wouldn't have complained. There was no denying that Tripod was good looking...

Cadpig had gotten through the first essential steps when Tripod spoke up again, and she looked up as soon as she heard him. Finding a trick to tying a tie without her help would have been good, she realized. As much as Cadpig liked the idea of helping Tripod out with his tie, he'd have to stand on his own three paws sooner or later. She wasn't about to say that she didn't know if there was a way, either. There had to be one.

"I'll definitely let you know if I can think of anything. The best idea I have right now would be to try and get a stick or something to use as a stabilizer... Or something. I don't even know where you'd get a stick. Huh... So much for that. It really wouldn't work that well, would it?" she asked.

[Tripod]

Well, the tie seemed to be coming together more smoothly now that Cadpig was the one tying it, and for that, Tripod was glad. Her nearness did little to bother the male; it was true she was a girl, and she was rather up in his personal space while she sorted the tie for him, but Tripod had never been one to get flustered easily. And so it was stoically that he watched best he could as she started working swiftly, working through the first few stages with much more ease than he had been able to manage, though she seemed to pause part way through the process to respond to his words.

"I'd still need something to hold the stick with," Tripod pointed out ruefully. He supposed he could have braced it between his back paws if he did have such a stick - it couldn't have been too hard to find one - but that would have felt incredibly awkward, looked like he was trying to impale his own throat, and still probably not have done the job all that well. Tying his own tie, it seemed, was going to be an ability that continued to elude him for a while to come yet.

"It looks like I'm going to be relying on you for some time yet." He sighed, then tilted his chin back up again to allow Cadpig to continue. It wasn't as though he would mind having to make time to meet her every morning - always up at the crack of dawn to train anyway, it would do little to disrupt his typical routine - or even having to let her get so close and personal with his tie on a regular basis; but it wouldn't be too long until her having to attend to the thing day after day got tedious for both of them.

"Still, it's one way of getting to know each other more." Though he shook his head, Tripod couldn't help but feel slightly amused. If there was one of his new siblings who the sporty dal had hoped to get the chance to see more often, though he would never have let on as much or really sought her out at all, it was Cadpig; and apparently fate had conspired to give him just that opportunity.

[Cadpig]

"You could stick the stick in your mouth," Cadpig suggested. A bit too late, though, she realized that that may not have been the best idea either. Who was she kidding, though? Tripod was going to have difficulties with his tie no matter what he did unless he found some magical trick to it. Maybe a pony...? No, that was dumb. Cadpig had seen pegasi and unicorns around, but the unicorns mostly seemed to be in her own circle. She had yet to see one sporting the earth circle accessories. So, until that time that they found some magical solution to Tripod's problem, she would just have to keep helping him. Not that Cadpig minded that much; she loved having the opportunity to get closer to Tripod and get to know him in general.

"That's true... At least we'll get to spend more time together this way. I'll just have to find some way to keep this up without the rest of my circle figuring out anything. Not that I think anyone would mind, but still... This whole school seems dead set on separating us, you know?" she asked. Cadpig really didn't understand it. What even was the point of separating them and making the students compete against one another? She could understand friendly competition, but this school was dead set on making the students fight each other! Cadpig wasn't blindly unaware of that fact, either. She'd obviously seen the list from that past Friday's fights, so it went without saying that she would know what was going on.

"Okay... Just a bit more," she murmured, thinking specifically of the tie. She'd almost finished tying it off and was looking quite pleased with herself. Tying ties was relatively easy, and Cadpig realized she was taking it for granted that whole time. Who even knew having two sets of paws would be something that anyone could take for granted? Knowing Tripod had changed her views on that much. Never again was the blue-eyed girl going to take that much for granted. Not while she was around Tripod.

"...There we go! One tie properly tied up, just for you," she said. Her paws let go of the tie, and the green material settled into its proper place after a moment.

[Tripod]

"I know there's the circles. And I heard something about fights; I don't really know all that much about it yet, though." And there was the disadvantage of only arriving a week after everyone else; Tripod felt as though he had been left in the dark about the details of the way the place worked. Hence why he'd asked her to help him out, before she'd got caught up working on his tie.

Speaking of which... he couldn't really watch any further, not without tilting his head at an odd angle, so Tripod just continued to hold his position as Cadpig worked. He felt the slight tickle against his throat as she brought the tie end up through the neck in the way he'd never been able to manage, felt the gentle tug as she pulled it down through the knot, and the increasing pressure against his throat as she tightened it just-so against his collar-button; and then it was done. Straightening up, Tripod padded across to the nearest doorway and inspected his reflection in the glass for a moment. Though he wouldn't claim to be an expert, the knot seemed to be tied well and nestled up to his collar perfectly, and as he turned back to Cadpig, the three-legged male nodded his approval.

"Thanks for helping, Cadpig. I couldn't have done it on my own." Though that chafed a bit to admit, Tripod didn't let it show. The fact of the matter was that he had been getting nowhere fast, and he really appreciated the littler girl's assistance. Her doing it every day, though, would be a whole different matter; but just as Cadpig had thought, he didn't really have any other options.

"We'll have to decide how to work this in every morning," he pointed out. "Before my morning sprint might be best; how early are you up?" Similarly to Cadpig, Tripod thought he would much prefer to keep their daily meeting up off the general radar; though less because of what his circle members might think of him meeting someone from another circle than because the idea that the otherwise self-sufficient canine needed help to do something as simple as put the knot in his tie would be sure to raise eyebrows amongst those who knew him. The earlier in the morning they placed it, the three-legged pup had a feeling, the less likely anyone else would be to catch on; and maybe Cadpig would even want to join in his sprint on occasion.

[Cadpig]

"Well, you didn't miss much. I didn't really bother watching the fights. Fighting is so... Vulgar," Cadpig said. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the idea before she shook her head a bit and listened to what Tripod had to say. Typical Tripod... Always getting up early to train and pushing his body as far as it would go. She had to wonder if that was altogether healthy, though. Exercise was all well and good, but there had to be a limit at some point. Still, the little girl decided not to question that much. Instead, Cadpig focused on Tripod's question of how early she rose in the morning. Thankfully for him, she was about as much of a morning person as one could have hoped for.

"Oh, I get up fairly early. Unlike some of our siblings, I rather like having my chances to do early morning meditation," she answered. That would work out well for the both of them, she decided. She could wake up, help Tripod with his tie, and do her meditation while he trained. That is, of course, if Tripod didn't mind having her present while he practiced. Cadpig didn't suspect that he might have a problem with it, but she wanted to make sure. Just in case.

"Wouldn't that be fun, Tripod? Us getting up early, me helping with your tie issues, and then meditating out there while you got in your exercises. Talk about optimizing our schedules. That way, we could spend time together!"

Pause. Why had she said that last bit? A nervous little laugh escaped the runt in question and she took a step back, putting a paw against her little mouth as she laughed. If that wasn't embarrassing, she didn't know what was?

"I mean, you know... If you wanted to."

[Tripod]

Tripod wouldn't say he had a commital answer to give there. He wasn't sure he much liked the idea of the fights either, but if nothine else, they had to be good training. Training for what, he wasn't sure; but maybe there was some reason why the people in charge were trying to weed out the weaker students in such a way. The three-legged dal didn't really think that he would be in much danger personally, but, looking at her now, he had to worry for Cadpig's sake. Whether her small size would be an advantage or a disadvantage were she to be thrown into the arena remained to be seen, but he had an unpleasant feeling that it might be the latter.

As Cadpig spoke up the answer to his question, however, Tripod looked pleased. He wouldn't claim that he understood the concept behind her meditations, or what they did for her, but as her need to do them seemed to work to both of their advantages here, the male pup decided he had no reason to question it. The idea that they'd get more time to spend together, beyond the minute or two it took for her to attend to his tie, was an oddly appealing prospect, and Tripod's tail gave a wag as Cadpig mentioned it.

"That sounds good to me," he agreed. He'd thought it before, when she'd come up to him in Hell Hall, and he thought it again now that they were together here; he could easily grow to like Cadpig. It was true that she wasn't really his 'type', but she was so quick to lend a paw, so good-natured, happy and bouncy - if a little wacky at times - while still being smart, that Tripod found it impossible not to warm up to her. His line of thought did raise a question, however.

"I have to ask, though; why are you so keen on spending time with me? I know I'm cool now; but you sought me out even before, back in Hell Hall." He tilted his head, regarding her with his blue-backed orbs. He didn't sound insecure, at all. More puzzled, or maybe curious. While he had plenty of self-worth nowadays, he really hadn't had any at that time, and he couldn't figure out what it was that had drawn her to him. "What did you see in me then?"


(ooc: pfff, can you imagine Cadpig getting Tripod to join her in meditation one time? XD Poor guy would feel so uncomfortable with that XD)

[Cadpig]

(ooc: xD Oh, gosh, yes. That needs to happen at some point.)

Oh, good... Tripod didn't seem to think that she was being too forward by wanting to spend time with him. This relieved the little girl something fierce. She'd almost been afraid that he'd reject the idea... Almost. Why that was remained uncertain, at least for the moment, but Cadpig wasn't going to voice that much out loud. Instead, she would focus on the fact that Tripod was speaking again.

She supposed it was a fair question. After all, no one else had really bothered to get close to Tripod until they'd determined he was cool. Cadpig had been the only one who actively went up to him at Hell Hall and tried to interact with him. Why? What had she seen in him that no one else had? Her tail whipped back and forth slowly and her smile returned properly. Who wouldn't have seen good in him? He may have viewed himself as damaged goods, but not her. Cadpig just didn't work like that. She tried her hardest to see the good in people, at least when there was goodness to be seen and it wasn't clouded by something else, and with Tripod it just shone through for all to see. How his old family could have mistreated him remained impossible for Cadpig to imagine.

"I'll tell you what I saw, Tripod," Cadpig said. She refrained from moving closer, just to avoid potentially making things uncomfortable, and went to speak from there. She wanted to make this sound as good as possible... If that was possible.

"I saw a lonely soul adrift in the sea of despair. Someone who wanted so badly to be reached out to, but didn't want to be hurt in doing so. There was good in you, Tripod. Even back then. I saw that, and I wanted to reach out to you. To show you that even in that dark, horrible place, you weren't alone. That's why."

[Tripod]

In all truth, Tripod wouldn't have felt that uncomfortable even if she had stepped closer to him; the male wasn't one to be easily intimidated by an invasion of his personal space. Her words, however, were succeeding plenty on that count. Not, so much, in a bad way; still, however, it was disconcerting to think that he could be read so easily. He had yearned, back then, to be reached out for and accepted in a way he hadn't believed was possible. He had, even, been scared of what would come should any of the other dalmatians approach him. He'd just thought he'd been better at hiding it all than that.

Then again, this was Cadpig. He'd already observed that she was quite the little psychiatrist, so maybe he oughtn't to have been so surprised.

"Well, I'm glad you did." As she finished speaking, a little smile was turned in the girl's direction. That Cadpig had sought him out, though it had completely baffled him for a long time after, was something that Tripod was still appreciative of. She had, whether intentionally or not at the time, shown him that not everyone saw him as flawed goods. That other pups could treat him normally, even in spite of his missing limb; and it had been quite the revelation. It had been the thing that had made him more comfortable about sticking with the rest of the hundred and one after their rescue, when otherwise he would have broken off and gone his separate way, to avoid the ridicule he had come to expect.

He scratched gently at his stomach with his single forepaw. "I'd always thought that every pup would be like my siblings. You showed me that wasn't true." He'd never known anyone like her before that point, or anyone else like her since; in fact, she still stood out to Tripod as completely unique. Not an easy thing to do in a family of fifteen, let alone a family of ninety-nine. Yet she still seemed to manage it with ease.

And just, speaking of his brothers and sisters as he just had... if they could see that he'd found a place where he was not only accepted, but generally seen as one of the coolest pups on the block... well, Tripod could only imagine that the looks on their faces would have been well worth seeing at that point. Stunned would have been a complete understatement.