ENRIQUE DE LA PEÑA
Shapeshifter
Posts: 65
Played by:
Julia
Last seen Mar 22, 2024 22:48:16 GMT
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Post by ENRIQUE DE LA PEÑA on Jul 26, 2023 19:09:57 GMT
━ if you support evil, you are evil ━ HE COULD HAVE SETBACKS, MONTHS BEFORE THEY broke any new ground in the case, or any number of headaches, and he would still always have time to visit Olive. Well, to bring supplies for the other cats, and usually visit the free-loading-salmon-thief, too. In the number of weeks since he’d first led her flea-covered, uppity behind into the animal shelter, Ricky had made quite a few generous contributions and, save for the first visit, he began to see her, too. She never seemed to forget him, either, which was surprising. He supposed they were sentient… or she simply wanted more salmon.
He always made sure to bring salmon-flavoured treats with him. He’d donated a few, but he had a pack he’d take in his breast pocket each time he went, always hauling it out just for her. After a certain point, it didn’t really matter to Ricky whether or not she was using him. He enjoyed his visits, and, after thorough research, he learned he wasn’t going crazy. It was mutually beneficial to bond with animals, to pet them and the like. It released chemicals in the brain, and it was part of a long tradition of animals and humans working together. Cats chased away vermin, and dogs learned to track and hunt. Olive, of course, couldn’t get rid of them if they were on her without special flea baths. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Ricky lugged the giant litter bag in his arms, practically waddling into the shelter. He managed to let go of it for half a second with one arm to pull the door open, then squeezed through, using his foot to hold it open. “Hello.” Ricky said when he saw a flash of red hair in his periphery. He couldn’t see very well around the enormous package. “I’ll bring this right to the back?” It was only half a question, as he’d already started moving towards the doors that would bring him into the separate rooms housing each type of animal. After the first or second time, he’d discovered it was supposed to go back there anyway, so it seemed like extra work to drop it in the front when it had to go to the back later on anyway.
“You know, I was reading an article the other day… there seems to be some debate on whether or not cats are truly domesticated.” He walked through the second set of doors that housed the cats, able to get there blindly. He also didn’t leave much room for Rhiannon to speak at any time. “Basically, the theory is that they originally stayed around fires, where people would set up camp, taking scraps of food in exchange for chasing away the rats and other vermin.” He dropped the bag and sighed, stretching his back as he turned to Rhiannon to continue, “And because this partnership continued on━humans had cats in and around their homes to continue staving off mice and whatever else━experts wonder if cats ever… where is Olive?” He looked at where her crate typically was and found another cat in its place. Ricky’s eyes scanned the rest of them, his brow furrowed, trying to find her and coming up empty. His expression eventually went to Rhiannon, finally allowing her to talk now as he waited for some kind of explanation.
RHIANNON GREY | no notes.
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RHIANNON GREY
Psychic
Posts: 93
Age:
48
Occupation:
Vet/Owner of Animal Shelter
Status:
Single
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen May 1, 2024 19:26:10 GMT
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Post by RHIANNON GREY on Aug 20, 2023 16:51:41 GMT
Any week now Scott would be back in school and the opportunities for her to leave the clinic in his hands for an afternoon would be almost non-existent. The summer had been a boon for that. Scott wasn’t qualified yet, wouldn’t be until he’d gone through another four years of school at Whitmore, but he had more experience than almost anybody else working for her. That meant she hadn’t felt more than a momentary pang before she’d left the clinic an hour ago.
Knowing when he’d be around meant that she’d been able to juggle her appointments, stacking the basic check-ups all in a single Saturday afternoon. Nothing that was likely to require more than the flea and deworming pills that didn’t require a scrip. If anything did come up she was only a phone call and a short ride away.
Rhiannon stacked the adoption forms beside the computer that sat at the shelter’s front desk. Usually she saved the social media updates for Sundays, the one day of the week she took a few hours out for herself. Instagram photos snapped at the adoption event had gone up last weekend, but in the days since folks had started to send in updates with the animals they’d taken home. That sort of thing continued to pluck at people’s heartstrings – the happy ever after stories, neglected animals all lit up, already settling into the comfort a good home would bring them. She lit up reading through those emails, printing out the photos that were going to be littering the message board here at the shelter too. Her success stories, each reminding her just how right she’d been not to reup again after her mom’s death.
Had she put off sending the detective the update about his salmon thief? Perhaps. Cowardice wasn’t a feeling that had ever sat well with her. The snap of the bone in her arm had broken something else with her. The white cast on her arm becoming a shield that she'd continued to hold onto afterwards, never backing down, barrelling forward no matter the gauntlet she had to fight her way through.
She was almost sure that Olive’s disappearance from the shelter would mean those generous visits would stop. No matter how hard Detective de la Peña denied it, there had been a bond between the man and the kitten. He’d started to slip away and visit her, making sure that Olive got more than her fair share of the treats that left their tell-tale fishy tang to her kitten breath afterwards. Perhaps he’d come back, a few desultory visits that become less and less frequent, but perhaps he wouldn’t even bother with that.
Every swing of the door while she’d been here this week had been met with that same twitch of her gaze, a small wave of relief rolling through her stomach when it hadn’t been him. Stretching it out wasn’t fair on the man, neither was the breaking of bad news on her. She could have handed any of the cats she’d brought with her to the girl, but she’d gone straight for Olive and the pair had seemed to bond in a way she couldn’t just take back when that first pang of regret had struck.
If she’d heard the purr of his vehicle outside, the clatter of the door wouldn’t have come with so little warning. Rhiannon looked up, saw the huge bag of litter – another blessing – before she saw the flash of dark hair behind it. That little knot tightened in the pit of her stomach as she shifted the pile of adoption forms, covering up the one with the photo of the small black ball of fluff on it.
”Hi,” Rhiannon managed stiltedly. She stood, brushing her hands down the hips of her jeans. When on earth had her palms started sweating? Red brows furrowing, she glanced down accusingly at the as he headed straight past the counter towards the doors that led into the animal housing. ”Uh, sure, go straight on through, thanks.” It gave her a minute more to try and find a way to break it to him that his little thief was mooching salmon from another. He was still talking, the research he seemed to have been doing spilling out of him in a way that was only making this worse. It was like he’d been preparing himself to have Olive staying around his fire, taking scraps of salmon to chase off the vermin she couldn’t imagine scurrying around the home of a man who dressed so well. Rhi pressed her lips together, sinking down on the edge of the counter. She met his eye as he turned towards her, the corners of her lips turning up faintly. ”I couldn’t blame them if they did. There’s something to be said for companionship, and if someone was willing to pay me in salmon in woolly mammoth for catching a few mice in the couple of hours a day I wasn’t sleeping in a nice warm spot, I might’ve done it too.” Undoubtedly Olive would’ve been happy doing that in the detective’s home.
She’d tried to fill in that momentary silence after he’d asked where she was with that roundabout assurance that there was a fire, a companion for Olive, but after a moment Rhiannon felt her mouth dry up. Drawing in a deep breath, she let it out in a sigh. ”I was going to send you an email today – I wasn’t sure when you would be by again. We had an adoption event in town a short while ago. We took most of the animals that were looking for homes … including Olive.” God, she just had to rip the band aid off, cut off any fear that perhaps what had happened to her was bad. ”Olive was adopted. She has a new home. Your salmon’s safe now. I’m sure it’s a relief, right? You wanted her to be safe and cared for.” That was why he’d brought her here in the first place, half falling for the kitten had to have been an unexpected side effect of his grand gesture.
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ENRIQUE DE LA PEÑA
Shapeshifter
Posts: 65
Played by:
Julia
Last seen Mar 22, 2024 22:48:16 GMT
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Post by ENRIQUE DE LA PEÑA on Sept 13, 2023 18:28:01 GMT
━ if you support evil, you are evil ━ ENRIQUE WASN’T EXACTLY SURE ABOUT THE potential reasons as to why a kitten might not be in her crate anymore. Was she sick? Had she been moved to another facility? Had she, perhaps, figured out how to Houdini her way out of there and live on the street again? The latter sounded most like her. There was the chance that she’d been adopted, of course, but that thought never really occurred to Ricky as a legitimate option. He couldn’t imagine anyone else wanting such a bad-tempered thief of a cat.
He chuckled as Rhiannon related his research back to Olive. Yes, he supposed she could keep vermin from his home, too, and though he was sure he didn’t have any, who knew with the type of buildings in Mystic Falls. And, on top of that, it was always good to ensure he would never have a problem. Preventative measures were always better than the alternative.
Unfortunately, though, her quip didn’t answer his question. Rhiannon seemed to just stare at him, and Ricky nearly reminded her that he was, in fact, still waiting for an answer. He chose to be patient instead, and she soon dropped the news on him.
Olive was gone.
He supposed, at the very least, that he should’ve been happy she’d found a home. Part of him would perhaps still argue that he didn’t care one way or another, but his frequent visits said otherwise. And he knew that Rhiannon had likely not told him because it was better to wait and get another donation than miss out on one.
Ricky clenched his jaw as he silently mulled it over. Her presumption was incorrect, though he supposed it shouldn’t have been. It was how he liked to present himself━he’d come here every few weeks, drop off more donations, spend time with Olive, and then pretend he didn’t care about her. He had, however, grown more and more attached to her with each visit. This felt like a betrayal of the highest order, though, logically, he knew Rhiannon owed him nothing. Hadn’t she seen their bond, though? Why had she willingly offered Olive to someone who didn’t know the first thing about her?
Even though Ricky hadn’t wanted her in his home━that he’d been appalled by the idea of an animal sharing his space, shedding fur everywhere and defecating in a box━he knew now that he had to step up, otherwise he’d lose her forever. Perhaps he already had, but he wouldn’t take that as an answer. Olive belonged with him.
“Except that she isn’t. Does her new owner know that she will only eat salmon treats? Is he or she aware of the reason she was named that? Do they know that they have to double-check for fleas every few weeks?” Ricky tried to keep his voice level, but he was growing more irritated by the second. “It seems as though it should be your job to inform people of these things, even if you cannot do so much as sending a simple email informing someone that their cat’s been taken.” He hadn’t intended to call Olive his cat, but it came out, and Ricky was barrelling on, stepping towards Rhiannon and pointing towards the floor as if to accentuate his seriousness.
“I’d like the phone number of the person you gave her to, preferably including their name. I assume you keep a record of these things.” If she was running a legitimate business, and not just throwing away cats to the first bidder.
RHIANNON GREY | no notes.
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RHIANNON GREY
Psychic
Posts: 93
Age:
48
Occupation:
Vet/Owner of Animal Shelter
Status:
Single
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen May 1, 2024 19:26:10 GMT
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Post by RHIANNON GREY on Oct 18, 2023 20:06:06 GMT
Just moments before he’d been laughing, probably proud that what he’d found out about cats related to the kitten whose life he’d saved (there was no doubt in her head that Olive wouldn’t have lasted on the streets). Rhiannon saw the moment that feeling seemed to disappear. At first it was just him looking back at her, anticipating whatever excuse she was going to give him for why the kitten wasn’t in her cage, then the words hit and the muscles in his jaw bunched.
Rhi’s chin dipped a little, sympathy filling her eyes as she crossed her arms. She’d seen expressions change like that before, disappointment, loss hollowing people out. Usually it was when she had bad news about one of her patients, but that meant people had time to come to terms with what was happening before the animal they loved was taken away from them. Contacting the detective by email would have done the same, gentling the way she had to rip the band aid off, instead of coming face to face with an empty cage. That was on her.
She drew in a breath as though she’d apologise for it. Was it wrong that Olive had a safe, loving home? No. What had happened to her was what she wished could happen for every stray animal under her care. Was it wrong that she’d blind sided the detective by not immediately telling him of Olive’s adoption afterwards? Absolutely.
”It’s a good home, I wouldn’t have allowed her to go otherwise…” she started before Ricky started to refute the idea that she was going to be safe and well cared for. Shelters weren’t obligated to do a home visit before allowing an animal to be adopted in Virginia. She’d always weighed up the pros and cons of forcing the people who adopted from her into one. There were plenty of owners who wouldn’t have agreed to it, wanting to protect their privacy. They were the same people who were completely unaware that she could feel their emotions radiating from them in more than the dullest sense that most said they could. More than once she’d turned a potential adopter down because of what she’d seen, but she hadn’t gotten that feeling from Cassie and her boyfriend.
Practically feeling the irritation from the detective crackling beneath her own skin, Rhiannon squirmed and tried to clamp down on her abilities. She hadn’t gotten that feeling from detective de la Peña either, she’d just been blind to how hard he’d fallen from Olive. The corners of her lips tightened minutely, her expression softening. ”She knows why she was called Olive, yes. She was also given a list of Olive’s preferences. I don’t just hand animals out to the first people who look their way. “ But obviously Ricky didn’t trust her at all now. It seemed as though any professional standards she had went out the window the moment she’d had his cat adopted by somebody else.
Standing up as the irritation built too much for her to stand, Rhiannon frowned at him. Thankfully she did or he’d have been towering over her as he rushed in, accusations flying like bullets before him. His weren’t the first words that had been aimed to hurt her and undoubtedly they wouldn’t be the last. Rhi raised her chin, acting on the surface as though none struck hard enough to hurt. ”I can assure you, detective, I’m well aware of what my job should be. Would it have killed you to tell me that Olive was your cat. I’m not heartless, if I’d known you were willingly to risk every suit in your closet for her, I’d never have taken her to the event.” She’d have had a bag of cat care equipment waiting for him instead, buttering him up to make sure that Olive got to go home with the human she’d bonded with despite his bristly ways.
”And you’re questioning my professionally?” she asked, chuckling haughtily as she drilled a finger against his chest. ”As a detective, you should know that I’m legally bound to keep such information private. You’re not getting their number to go and tear into them for daring to care for Olive as much as you do.” Rhiannon swallowed hard. She couldn’t go snatching Olive back from Cassie and her boyfriend just because the detective had finally decided to stop pretending that he didn’t like his flea infested salmon thief. ”Why didn’t you just tell me?” she asked, her voice softening. It wasn’t difficult to figure out why, not really – you didn’t know what you had until it was gone.
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ENRIQUE DE LA PEÑA
Shapeshifter
Posts: 65
Played by:
Julia
Last seen Mar 22, 2024 22:48:16 GMT
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Post by ENRIQUE DE LA PEÑA on Nov 20, 2023 22:46:45 GMT
━ if you support evil, you are evil ━ THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. RICKY couldn’t believe he’d fallen victim to this woman’s…. ways and became emotionally attached to a stray cat. Furthermore, he could not believe that, after how hard she worked him, she turned around and gave his cat away. She was evil. He knew most women had the ability to be, but he couldn’t fathom staring at it in the face. Or that the face would be so light, with sharp features, and still beautiful in its maturity.
Bruja.
“Are you sure? You were quite keen on me taking her home when I brought her in.” And he’d wanted nothing to do with her then, but it seemed more important for Rhiannon to get rid of Olive rather than keep her.
He puffed at her mention of his suits. That was a low blow, and he didn’t appreciate it, nor did he like the insinuation that this was his fault. She should have known! Wasn’t it obvious? He tried to fight it, but Ricky knew she would’ve seen right past it. “Were you under the impression that I had ample free time━and funds━to continuously come here and donate food for fun?” He scoffed, avoiding the fact that he should’ve told her earlier. Ricky only thought… that he could continue seeing her here. From afar. He could experience all the best parts of owning a cat with none of the real responsibility. He brought her food, litter and treats, but he didn’t have to clean her litter box or deal with her potentially ruining his home.
Ricky rushed forward, irritated, and let his accusations fly, but Rhiannon didn’t just take them. He raised his brows again as her finger stabbed him in the sternum, almost surprised that she was fighting back. “You aren’t legally bound to anything; they’re company policies. I could find that information myself. But wouldn’t you rather he or she answer my personal inquiry instead of a detective’s?” Truthfully, there wasn’t much he could do. How would he find the person’s name? He’d have to canvas everyone at the event, then pray someone saw this exact cat being taken. It was a testament to how much he’d fallen for her that he actually considered it for a second.
He hadn’t backed down when she jabbed her finger into his chest, but, as she softened, Ricky sighed and took a small step away, his dark eyes cutting sideways. Honestly, he wasn’t sure. Perhaps because he hadn’t admitted it to himself yet━or because he thought he could continue with owning a cat the “easy” way.
“Perhaps I didn’t think everything should be spelled out for you━that you were smarter than that.” Ricky grumbled, pushing everything under the surface again. “I suppose I was wrong. Enjoy the last of your donations, since I was conned into bringing them here.” He wanted it to sting for her, matching that uneasy feeling in his chest. He didn’t expect her to give up the information about Olive’s captor, so he marched to the door instead, wanting to free himself of this feeling as soon as possible.
RHIANNON GREY | wrap here or w yours?
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RHIANNON GREY
Psychic
Posts: 93
Age:
48
Occupation:
Vet/Owner of Animal Shelter
Status:
Single
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen May 1, 2024 19:26:10 GMT
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Post by RHIANNON GREY on Nov 30, 2023 18:52:55 GMT
The girl had fallen in love with Olive. She wasn’t jaded enough about love not to have seen that she’d been in love with the boy who’d paid for her to take Olive home too. If they hadn’t radiated warmth and affection the way they had perhaps she wouldn’t have guided them towards the kitten, but it was hard to set aside the idea of a good family and a lifelong home for her. She’d seen what she wanted for every animal and had jumped … prematurely.
Each bitter word he hammered home made it clear how blinkered she’d been and she hated it. Rhiannon’s brows furrowed, but she didn’t bristle at his words. She tried to swallow the sandpaper feeling out of her throat. ”Very,” she muttered. ”I tried because she would have had a good home with you, but you made it very clear you had no intention of adopting her.” Then. It wasn’t as though she’d stopped trying – gratefully accepting the donations for the shelter, sending out those updates like just one more cute cat video was going to have him crumbling.
One box of sheets, one sack of cat litter at a time, he’d been doing just that. She’d have been out of her mind to turn any of it down, but in her mind – at least at the start – it had just been a way to settle his conscience. Instead, it had been an excuse to come here and see Olive, to slowly work himself around to the point where he wouldn’t even notice the drifts of cat hair on his clothes (he could vacuum all he wanted, but it would work its way in. Rhi shrugged her shoulders, tightening her arms over her chest. ”I was under the impression that you wanted to help, that’s not necessarily the same as fun. I didn’t ask you to do any of it.” But he’d asked and she’d taken.
In a way Detective de la Peña was doing the same thing now. He’d assumed things would carry on just the way he wanted them to, but the world didn’t work like that. Things changed and even when those changes were hard to swallow, you had to deal with it. She could’ve done without him doing that by trying to tear her down. His demands and that bolt towards her had her digging in her heels finally. By giving her away she might’ve cracked the walnut sized heart in his chest, but it still didn’t give him the right to try and bully Olive’s location out of her. Rhiannon’s smile was sharp as the pain in her chest. ”Other than the Virginia Consumer Data Privacy Act. I can give you a run down of it if you’re unaware of it, but I’m not giving you their number. Good luck tracking them down, Detective. Let’s hope you’re better at your job than I am at mine – according to you.”
God, she didn’t want to feel the emotions rolling off of him, but at moments like they it always felt as though she could draw them from people with every damn breath she took. Rhi swallowed them back as he sighed and seemed to give in to the idea that she wouldn’t just roll over for him. ”“You thought I was psychic,” Rhiannon said dryly. The warmth was beginning to drain from her voice, just as the faith she’d had that there was a heart beneath the expensive suit. Oh, he wanted his cat, but it didn’t matter who he lashed out at to make it happen. ”The other disadvantaged animals here will appreciate them,” Rhi called after him, just as she did. They wouldn’t understand why there weren’t any more coming from the man whose dark eyes had been far kinder before she’d fucked up, she would though, the knife he’d just rammed into her back (the one he’d say she’d betrayed him with first) continuing to twist in her.
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