Dogs Chase Squirrels 4 - My Way

“Please, Camelia, if you’d just listen to reason --"

“I am listening.  What makes you think I’m not?”  The Labrador took a sip from her mug, shooting the taller coyote a wry smile as she settled in her seat behind her desk.

The coyote coughed brusquely, his eyes darting away from Camelia’s gaze, his other hand gently squeezing the knot of his tie.  Despite the extra sixteen inches he had on the smaller canine, being around her always made him uncharacteristically nervous.  He may have been her boss, but Camelia knew just how to set him on edge with a few carefully chosen words.

Still, he was her boss, and he still called the shots.

“Since when have you ever taken my advice?” the coyote spoke sharply.

“Oh, don’t be like that.  As my superior, I’ve always respected your opinion, Edward --”

“Mister Forrester.”

“-- Right.  Mister Forrester.  But you and I both know what this means for the library, and the community as a whole.  This goes beyond just the university.”

Edward sighed, closing his eyes.  He straightened himself up, his eyes scanning Camelia’s office as he regained his composure.  She had settled for making her work space simple but elegant, with a series of shelves lining either wall, filled with a variety of books, ranging from lighter reading material, to ornate tomes one might expect to find in a repository.  Compared to the room’s serene atmosphere, Edward stuck out like a sore thumb, tucked into a three-piece suit that made him appear as uptight as his stern expression suggested him to be.  He was quick to notice that, despite his height, everything about the room (and its resident) made him feel oddly minuscule.

“That’s not why I’m concerned, Camelia,” he protested.  “As I told you twice already, the college quadrangle isn’t a public space.  Even the students need to get permission to use that space for anything other than casual activities.  And you’re asking to borrow a significant amount of that space for one day, like we’re running some kind of garage sale.  There’s a mountain of logistics you haven’t even considered, not to mention the cost to get a permit --”

“All of which is your job,” Camelia interrupted, still smiling.  “That’s always been our deal, Mr. Forrester.  You handle the business side of things, and I handle the rest.  Have I steered you wrong before?”

“Well, no, but --”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”  Camelia stood up, walking around the desk and directly in front of the coyote, before hopping onto the desk, sitting on its surface as she crossed one leg over the other.  “We’ve been pushing for this book sale for weeks now, and if you recall, I was the one that told you that the sooner we put in a request to the faculty, the faster this process will take.”

Edward bit his tongue, staring at the dainty canine casually treating her work space like her living room.  “I’m aware of that.  I just think you’re grossly underestimating how much work you’re asking me to do for you.”

“I’m not asking you to do anything I wouldn’t do.  You’re just better at the economic parts, that’s all.  Unless you feel what I’m asking for is unreasonable?”

Edward stared into the canine’s hazel eyes, as if he were being pulled into an impromptu staring contest, one he lost immediately as he turned his gaze to the side.  Camelia’s smile only widened.

“I can’t help but wonder if your enthusiasm isn’t secretly a ploy to curry favor with the faculty, given your recent track record.”  Mr. Forrester stepped toward his suitcase, which he had placed on a small end table next to Camelia’s desk, hurriedly pulling out a small stack of papers, which he thrust toward the canine without further regard.  “Three complaints from the university, one coming straight from the Dean’s office.”

The Labrador took the paperwork in her hands, gently flipping through its pages.  Edward swore she saw a hint of pride in Camelia’s expression as she read the contents.  

“It’s not my fault that their students are terrible about returning books.  I was just doing my part in getting those books back.”

“But did you have to be eighty feet tall to do it?  You nearly flattened at least a dozen students!”  The tone of Edward’s voice was stern, yet Camelia easily caught a sense of hesitation in his tone, suggesting his criticism was more out of obligation than any attempt to admonish her.

“I’d never hurt anyone, Mr. Forrester, you know that.  But I don’t see anything wrong with using my talents to do my job.”

Edward sighed, pressing his hand against his muzzle.  “That wasn’t what we agreed on, Camelia.  I allowed you to be a giant to organize the shelves, not to intimidate people over a couple of late returns!”

“And late returns are at an all-time low, so I’d say what I’m doing is working.  Or do you disagree with how I should run my library?”  This time, it was Camelia’s turn to add an edge of authority to her voice.  Edward froze in place.

“My name is on the...ugh.  Just try to behave yourself, please.  If you’re hoping to make this book sale of yours happen, pissing off the people who are responsible for signing off on this isn’t how you do it.”

Camelia hopped off the desk in one smooth motion, adjusting her skirt as she walked up to the coyote, gently poking the tip of his muzzle with her finger.  “Well, you’ve always been a good negotiator, Edward.  I’ll stay out of your hair while you work your magic.”

Edward resisted the urge to blush at Camelia’s affectionate motion, clearing his throat again as he gathered his belongings to make for the door.  He couldn’t deny that the library had thrived under her watchful eye, that much was true.  But she had a way of getting under his skin, and a toolbox of choreographic phrases and body language to accomplish it.  Still, it was easier to satiate her wishes rather than challenge them any further than needed.

That, and he had no intention of upsetting her.  He knew what that entailed, too.

“I’ll try to arrange a meeting later this week to figure out the finer details,” Edward said as he reached the door, preparing to turn the knob.  He looked over his shoulder one last time.  “Oh, and don’t forget, you have those interviews later this afternoon.  I trust you’ve gone over their resumes?”

Camelia waved her hand dismissively.  “Don’t worry yourself over that.  I’ll make the right decision when the time comes!”

Edward sighed again, nodding once before turning the knob and heading out the door, leaving Camelia by herself.  She crossed her arms, shaking her head with a smile.

“I do feel sorry for him,” she uttered to herself.  “I shouldn’t be so hard on him.  He’s trying.  But he has his method of doing things, and I have mine.”

Camelia returned to her desk, her eyes glancing over the formal complaints still sitting atop it.  In a way, she knew Edward had a point; Pinewood University typically frowned on any behavior that disturbed the students and faculty, and prancing around the campus at a height tall enough to cover most of the quad by herself was an easy way to raise more than a few hackles.  Perhaps she was being a tad unreasonable, given her intentions -- she hoped setting up a book sale on the campus the mend the rift that Forrester Library had with Pinewood University ever since the library’s inception.  Then again, she found being enormous to be way too much fun to stop herself.  And if she wasn’t causing any lasting damage, then what was the harm?  After all, she had been given the city’s blessing to shift as she desired; why deny herself the joy of being able to be herself after so many years of being denied that right?

Another stack of papers greeted her as she walked around the desk -- a neatly-balanced pile of applications and resumes, all of them seeking employment.  It had taken some convincing on her part, but she finally had the approval to hire on new staff to help with the increase in foot traffic to the library over the last few months.  Of course, Edward made it a point to thrust most of the work on her, but considering she was calling the shots, it was only fair.

Then again, being in charge also gave her the power to delegate, and it wasn’t hard to have Agnes go through the stack and pick out her favorites.  Despite her age, the old beaver had a keen eye for the finer details.  And even after pruning so many resumes filled with useless fluff and over-embellished accolades, the few applications that remained still made her eyes glaze over.  She reached over for her mug, only to wince as she looked at its contents.  The cup was nearly empty, and the small portion of coffee that remained had cooled to the point of being barely palatable.  

She glanced at the clock on the far end of the wall.  9:30 AM.  Her interviews weren’t for a few hours, and she had more than enough staff to handle shelving for the time being.  Camelia made an executive decision: more coffee would be necessary, and there was only one place that would be suitable on such short notice.

Plus, she had no intention of going there at such a small size.  That wouldn’t do.

It didn’t take long for Camelia to disrobe; she made it a habit to wear her Lycra undergarments to work as of late instead of changing while in her office, to minimize any chance of an embarrassing walk-in (partially due to the lock to her office being broken, not helped by the fact no one felt it necessary to repair -- Camelia preferred an open-door policy, after all).  She gently draped her blouse and skirt over the edge of her chair, leaving her glasses on the desk near her computer.  She took a moment to stretch her limbs before stepping outside into the main hall and towards the rear entrance, waving hello to the staff and the few patrons that visited during the early morning hours.  None of them gave her unusual outfit choice more than a second glance.  Upon reaching the rear of the library, she stepped outside, allowing the door to close behind her with a large thump.  She made a mental note to discuss budgeting a more effective way of making an egress with Edward the future, one that allowed her to retain larger heights while still being able to come and go as she pleased.

That was a problem for another time.  Besides, she had plenty of room to stretch now.

Normally, she’d make the process of growing herself nice and slow, allowing herself to feel every nuance of her expansion, but given her circumstances, a more direct growth spurt would suffice.  Immediately, a woosh of displaced air buffeted the library’s vine-covered walls as she immediately shot up to roughly sixty feet, give or take a few.  Her large feet shuffled around the empty portions of the employee parking lot, taking care not to crush her car, let alone her co-workers’.  It didn’t take long for the sensations of her transformation to pass, leaving her with a warm, tingling sensation that spread from the tips of her floppy ears, all the way down to the tips of her pink-clawed toes.  Growing so quickly did leave her with a momentary bout of vertigo, but it was nothing that a brief passage of time couldn’t fix.  Besides, she had gotten used to the sensations long ago -- and even found that light-headed feeling fun, in its own way.

Gingerly stepping out into the street, Camelia began to walk between the car lanes, idly glancing around at familiar surroundings; a series of old antique stores that barely came up to her knees; the occasional telephone pole that rose just up to her chest, its thin wires stretching out ahead of her (and made for the occasional tripping hazard had she decided she wanted to be larger than usual).  She could hear the occasional honk from below as a car approached one of her heels, her eyes falling towards the tiny white vehicle attempting to get her attention.  Most of Pinewood’s citizens had grown used to the giant canine wandering through the normally quiet streets, and knew she was good at watching her step -- but also knew her paws were large enough to do considerable damage to anything that ended up underneath them.  Thus, many of the citizens came to an unspoken agreement whenever Camelia was gigantic -- give her a courtesy honk, and allow her to move her foot so that the car could pass unharmed.

Her paw raised upon hearing the honk, allowing the car to fly past.  She flexed her toes as the car picked up speed, unable to hide her smile as the vehicle emerged on the other side.  Camelia couldn’t help but notice the car took considerably longer to pass than usual -- whether it was out of fear she might accidentally lower her foot down, or were secretly admiring the view, she couldn’t be sure.  Still, knowing that she left that sort of impression did a lot to put her in good spirits.

It wasn’t long before she reached her destination; her paws thumped in front of McCarthy’s, taking up a couple of lanes of traffic in the process.  She stooped down, casting the building in a long, dark shadow, tapping the roof with a well-manicured nail.  In a matter of seconds, the rabbit waitress in charge came outside, noticing the smiling Labrador crouched in front of her building.  She returned the cordiality, giving the shifter a friendly wave.

“Hey, Camelia!” she shouted.  “You’re here early.  Lemme guess, your boss gave you the third degree again?”

“You could say that.”  Despite their difference in height, Camelia’s voice didn’t sound much different in terms of pitch to the rabbit, yet there was an undeniable addition of force to it, as if her voice had been amplified along with her height.  

In the past, that would have been incredibly frightening.  Hell, it still was for the rabbit woman, even now.  

But she had learned to beat back that fear long ago.  Besides, Camelia was as harmless as a fly.  A gigantic, imposing fly -- but still a fly.

“You want your usual?” the rabbit asked.

“Yes, thank you.  Hold the whipped cream this time.”

“We’re still reeling from the last time you asked for whipped cream, hon.”  The rabbit gave Camelia a wink before retreating back inside the restaurant.  Another errant honk grabbed Camelia’s attention as another car, this time a sporty red convertible, stopped mere feet away from her heel.  Even without her glasses, Camelia could see a look of exasperation on the driver’s face.  Giving an apologetic wave, she rose up to her full height, taking a step inside of the restaurant’s parking lot -- but not before letting her first step come down on the lane adjacent that of the car’s with a touch more force than needed.  Even from her standing height, she could see the color drain from the driver’s expression.  Not that she’d actually step on the car, but it never hurt to remind the more impatient crowd that annoying someone ten times your size wasn’t the wisest decision to make.

She watched the convertible speed along as she walked into the parking lot, lowering herself so that she could sit down on the farthest end, legs crossed in front of her as she waited for the rabbit to return.  A large shutter door attached to the side of the building opened up as the rabbit emerged, rolling out a dolly in front of her.  On top of the dolly sat a large oil drum, re-purposed as a makeshift cup for the canine, filled to the brim with coffee.

“Sorry about the wait,” the rabbit said apologetically as she rolled the drum out towards the towering canine.  “We’ve got a new employee and she isn’t quite used to this kind of order.”

“You don’t have to apologize.  I’m always grateful that you’re willing to serve me when I’m this tall.”  Camelia smiled with large, pointed teeth.  Again, were she less experienced, that smile might have made the rabbit falter.  She took the drum into her hand, taking a small sip of the contents.  Even if it was one of McCarthy’s more generic blends to help save on cost, it was still coffee, and still incredibly delicious.

“Mind if I join you?”

Camelia looked down at the barista, still wearing her green apron.  “Of course, Ash!”

Ashley smiled, retreating back inside for a moment before returning with her own latte, served in a cup more suited for her smaller stature.  She took a seat at one of the outdoor tables adjacent to the restaurant wall, taking a quick sip.  When she placed her cup down, she was smiling at the giant.

“So, when are you going to tell me about your new friend?”

Camelia let out a short gasp, her eyes drifting to one side while she rubbed the back of her head with her free hand.  “Oh my.  You’re going right into this, aren’t you?”

“Uh, yes!” Ashley giggled.  “Come on, you bring in a cutie like her, and you’re just going to keep that to yourself?”

“N-no, I was going to tell you!  I just wanted to ease into it, that’s all…”

“Sure you did.”  The rabbit took another draw from her cup.  “So, spill.  What’s her name?  Where did you meet her?  And was she good in the sack?”

Camelia’s ears reddened.  “Irene, at a bar, and no!  I mean, I don’t know!  Okay, yes, she was incredibly pretty --”

“But?”

“But, I didn’t want to rush into things, that’s all.  I mean, I wasn’t even sure if I’d be her type.”

Ashley let out another laugh, her bushy tail wagging to and fro out of Camelia’s sight.  “Oh, it was all over that squirrel’s face, Camelia.  She was into you, hook, line and sinker.”

“Yeah, well...I suppose the feeling was mutual.”  Camelia raised her cup, looking into its dark contents with a sigh.  “She’s incredible.  She plays the keyboard for her band.  Gosh, if you could only hear her play.  She’s a natural.”

“Heh.  I’ve seen that look before.  You’ve got it bad, girl.”

Camelia suppressed a chuckle, stretching out her legs.  Her paw inched towards the rabbit, who gave those painted claws a brief, blushy look.  “Perhaps.”

“So, when’s the next date?”

“Um.  I haven’t decided just yet.”

“About where you want to go?”

“If I even want a second date.”  Camelia’s voice hitched briefly.

“Whoa, hold up, girl,” Ashley said matter-of-factly, standing up.  She took a few steps towards Camelia’s outstretched foot, placing her hand atop it.  “After all of that gushing you did, and you’re getting cold feet now?  I don’t buy it.”

“I know, it’s silly,” Camelia replied.  “It’s not that I don’t want to, believe me.  I just don’t know if I have the time, what with the book sale moving forward, plus we’re still trying to reorganize the history section, not to mention there’s interviews and I have to train the new hires and --”

“Okay, okay, slow it down, doggie.”  Ashley gave her paw another reassuring pat, trying to hide her own flush ears.

“Oops.  Sorry.”

“So you’re busy.  That’s never stopped you before.”  The grey rabbit leaned on top of Camelia’s paw.  “Who made the first move?”

Camelia rubbed her fingers through her blonde-pink hair.  “I suppose I did.  I came up to compliment the band, and...everything just sort of happened after that.”

“So you clearly wanted this, then.  What’s got you so nervous?”

Camelia didn’t speak for a time.  She drummed her fingers across her make-shift cup.

“Is it him?” Ashley said, cautiously.  “Are you still nervous about your last fling?”

“He was more than just a fling, Ash.  But...yes.  Maybe.  I don’t know.  What if I’m jumping into something I’m not prepared for?  And she’s only seen one side of me; what if she only likes me for...this?”  Camelia gestured in reference to herself.

The rabbit hummed to herself.  “Is she...like you?  A shifter?”  Camelia nodded.  “Well, then, what’s got you so down?”

“I wish I knew.  Maybe there’s a part of me that’s ready to try again, and I’m afraid of what will happen if it doesn’t work out this time.”  Camelia’s tail flicked about slightly.  “Irene’s so perky and energetic.  I don’t know if I can keep up with that.”

“Y’know, Camelia, for the longest time, I’ve always thought shifters were big, burly brutes that only ever wanted to smash things and eat people.  I won’t deny a part of me found that pretty hot, but the other part that found giants scary usually wins out.  You were the first person to make me think otherwise.  And I have never known you for being gun-shy.  Trust me, this Irene of yours is into you.  Why not give it a shot, see where things take you?  And hell, if it doesn’t work out, you always have me.”  Ashley grinned, giving the Labrador a playful wink.

That took Camelia out of her brooding thoughts, bringing out a warm peal of laughter.  “Well, if you make coffee and burgers as well as you can sweet-talk, there might just be a place for you in my heart yet.”

Ashley giggled, lifting herself away from Camelia’s paw as she walked back to the table, taking her cup in hand.  “You can’t get enough of me, hon.  Anything I can do to make your life a little better, you just let me know.”

Camelia smiled, nodding once.  “I will.  Thanks, Ash.  Oh, remind me to come back later to pay off my tab --”

Ashley shook her head.  “That cup’s on the house.  Consider it a gift for being a loyal customer.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t --”

“No buts!  I feel bad serving leftover coffee to you, but it’ll just get poured down the drain otherwise.  Besides, if it means I get to hear more steamy stories about this squirrel of yours, then discounting a sale is worth the price of admission.”

Camelia grinned, flexing her toes in the rabbit’s direction.  “Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s not enough coffee in Pinewood that’ll get me to share those kinds of details.”

Ashley let out a short squeak, her eyes fixated on those wriggling digits.  “W-well, you...uh, can’t blame a girl for trying.”  She separated herself from the Labrador’s paw, taking a quick glance at her phone.  “Shit, I should get back to work before the rush starts.  Just leave the drum on the dolly when you’re done, okay?”

Camelia nodded.  “I will.  Thanks for talking with me, Ash.  I needed to hear all of that.”

“Anytime, hon.  Good luck!”  And with that, the rabbit stood up, vanishing back into the building, the shutter closing behind her as she did.  Camelia stared into the drum one last time before draining its contents down her throat.  Ashley did give her a lot to think on, and she knew deep down there was truth to her words.  Camelia did make the first move, but was it simply because she had felt that spark between them when they shook hands?  There had to be more than that, if she couldn’t stop thinking about Irene, even now.  Was she ready?

Was anyone ever ready?

Camelia shook her head, placing the drum on top of the remaining dolly before rising to her feet.  She’d have time to think about all of this later.  For now, it was time to get back to work.