I got you a pig, so please stop being angry...

[Anonymous]

Doyle stroked the top of the piglets head, the small animal sleeping soundly in his arm. He had picked up the little one for Ruben, in the hopes the mage would stop being so upset over the fact he had sacrificed a pig.

So he was hoping that the piglet might smooth things over. It was cute and a pig and well, Doyle had never been very good with things like this. He never knew how to express himself well, and Ruben was just so prickly and he wanted to smooth things over with him.

Stepping inside, Doyle glanced around. It was late enough in the day, he was hoping that Ruben would be up and about. He hadn't seen much of StarFire, or Niamh, though who knew what those two might be up too.

"Ruben, ya up?" Calling out, he moved through house, hoping he would find the mage.

[Tally]

Ruben paused in fastening his buttons when he heard Doyle's voice from below.  "I'm awake," he called.  He'd just gotten up and his hair was unbound, falling loose about his shoulders and back.  He hadn't yet eaten, only brushed his hair out and dressed. After a full week here, he was becoming accustomed to Doyle's house and had developed a routine that worked for him.  Not having the greater spyglass to work with hampered him, but he found ways to make progress without it.

[Anonymous]

Sounded like he was upstairs. Doyle headed up the stairs, still stroking the pig's back. It was snoring softly in the crook of his arm and was really quite cute. Heading up the steps, Doyle entered his bedroom, that Ruben was currently staying in and then froze, staring.

He had never seen Ruben with his hair down and the effect was...staggering. Doyle wasn't really used to beautiful people, not with the pale, delicateness that Ruben possessed. Not even his wife had been that beautiful.

"I...uh...."

[Tally]

"Now, I went over to the healer's this morning, before I slept, so my arm has been seen to today," he said when he heard Doyle's steps approaching.  He looked up when he'd fastened the last button on his shirt and Doyle still hadn't responded or said anything at all.

"Is that a pig? Are you going to eat it?"  Dread settled in him for the little thing in Doyle's arms. He did not want to hear the death cries of another animal, especially a little one.

[Anonymous]

"What? Oh. Good. How's it doin'?" Doyle managed to find his tongue, though Ruben with his hair down and still getting dressed was doing uncomfortable things to him. Averting his eyes, Doyle studied the weapons along his wall.

Ruben's comments about the pig had him looking down at the sweet piglet in his arms, "Eat 'um? Well, probably not. Be up to ya really. Ya were so upset about the sacrifice I made the other day that I got ya this 'un here so ya...um...wouldn't be so upset 'n all."

[Tally]

"It's healing slowly. I may have to stay here another week," he said, not entirely caring about the subject of his arm just then. Not when Doyle had walked in holding a pig of all things.

He stepped closer to look at the little pink blob in Doyle's arms.  Whatever Doyle was saying, he wasn't quite following. Mostly because it made no kind of sense.  "What?"

[Anonymous]

"What? It's fer you." Doyle flushed slightly, glad his dark skin hid it well, "Ta make up fer the one that I sacrificed. And so ya wont be upset 'bout it none anymore." Doyle could feel his words twisting even as he spoke. He didn't really know how to express it and Ruben's look was making him flustered.

The pig stirred in his arms, blinking awake and staring at Ruben now, her large brown eyes taking him in.

[Tally]

The pig opened her eyes and stared at him.  Ruben stared back.

She is so cute.

"Now when you say for me, what impression are you under as to the meaning of that?"  This was a pig.  Not a trinket or a bauble to give as a gift.  Surely Doyle understood that, and Ruben must have heard him wrong.  This was a living animal, of which he hadn't the slightest idea what to do with.

[Anonymous]

"She's uh...you know, a pet or whatever ya wanna do with her." Doyle fidgeted, feeling awkward, "Ya were so upset about the other pig, I thought this one might make ya feel a little better and...uh...ya wanna hold her?"

[Tally]

Yes.  Yes he did want to hold her.  She was the most endearing thing he'd ever seen.  But...but she was also a pig.

"What in the heavens were you thinking I would do with this?  This is an animal, Doyle!  This is utterly inappropriate.  I don't know the first thing about caring for an animal.  What am I supposed to do with this?  Did you even think this through at all?  And yes I want to hold her! Give her here."

[Anonymous]

"I just thought ya might want the company in yer tower and stuff..." Doyle wilted under Ruben tirade. He hadn't thought it would be such a big deal. He had grown up around animals and he had just wanted to make Ruben-wait...what?

Doyle blinked, then held out the pudgy, warm pig, "Here ya go. Ya gonna name her?"

It was best to not try and understand Ruben.

[Tally]

The pig wiggled about in Ruben's arms and he could not fathom how he was supposed to hold her.  She wan entirely too awkward a shape to be held.

"I can't keep this at the observatory.  There'd be no place for her.  I can't believe you did this!  Now what am I supposed to do with her?"

Her name was the least of his concerns.  She could not stay with him at the observatory, but nor could he allow Doyle to take her back where he'd found her.  They would surely eat her!

[Anonymous]

"Well, why not leave her with me? She ca stay here, with the other pigs and ya can come visit her. Or I can make ya a pen at the obsirvintory. And come help ya feed her and stuff."

Doyle was rather confused. Was Ruben mad? Or not? He couldn't quite figure the man out and he just wanted to make him happy.

[Tally]

A pig in an observatory.  Imagine!  He didn't even know how to take care of her.  He didn't know what they ate, what kind of home they needed...it would never work with her there.

"I suppose she could stay here," he said.  If Doyle didn't mind it.  Though this was Doyle's doing anyway so he would have no call to object to it in the first place.  Now that he thought about it, this was the only possible recourse.  He certainly was not about to allow Doyle to take the pig back to where he'd bought it and he absolutely was not having the thing at the observatory.

"But you can't eat her!"

[Anonymous]

"I wouldn't eat your pig." Doyle wasn't sure if he should feel evaporated with the mage or slightly offended and just settled on both. But he seemed actually rather excited and pleased with the present. Doyle thought. It was still hard to tell.

"You'll have ta stop by lots and visit her."

[Tally]

"I suppose.  And I meant by accident!  It's not like you can tell them apart.  Maybe we can put a...ribbon on her or something."

He was still standing there, holding this pig, and while it was good they'd decided she would stay here with Doyle, that did little to help him now.  "So.  What do I...do with her?"

[Anonymous]

"Uh, well, I mean, she got different markings, but I can get her a ribbon if it'll make ya feel better." Doyle spend enough time with the animals that he knew how to tell them apart. But if it would help Ruben tell the girl apart, he could make sure she had something.

"Well, I would name her first. They like their chins tickled. Careful about rubbin' he belly too much. That's a sign of submission for pigs, so she'll start thinkin' she outranks you if ya do it too much."

[Tally]

The pig had settled down finally, and was starting to fall asleep in his arms.  She was also getting pretty heavy.  He couldn't stand here and hold her all day anyway.

"Name her.  Right.  Well unless you have any ideas, she can just stay unnamed for a bit.  Where can I put her?"

[Anonymous]

"Anywhere ya want. She's your pig." There wasn't much she could get into around the house and she had spent enough time with the other pigs he wasn't real worried about her bolting. She knew what home smelled like.

Doyle held out his arms, "I can take her if ya don't wanna hold her. Or ya can put her back outside."

[Tally]

"No, I need you to help me."  He looked about and, lacking options, laid the piglet upon the bed where she stirred briefly before settling down to sleep again.  Getting a pig as a present was just so...well, odd that he could scarcely muster any indignation over it.

"The clasp broke," he said, nodding one of the shelves, where his hair clasp lay.  He gathered his hair back and held it with one hand, and passed a bit of twine to Doyle.  "Tie it for me?  This will have to do until I can fix the clasp."