#anywhere

So Gwen is at school... and if she doodles puppies in the margins of her paper, well, it happens

"Very nice, Miss Locklear, but we asked you to write on Edwardian fiction - that means words, not doodles. Might I suggest Hound of the Baskervilles?" The English teacher sounds more amused then really upset. After all, Xmas vacation - well, they call it Winter break now - is coming up soon and everyone is a bit excited about it.

Art covers a snicker from a few desks away.

Trina is sketching, too. Rube-Goldberg-esque designs of tunnels and spinners.

The teacher notices this as well, and though he rolls his eyes, he calls out, "Only 15 minutes left in class, please take this time to yourselves - QUIETLY, and you may work on whatever you choose. Though if you haven't finished your reading for the paper that is due after Break, I would highly recommend you work on that."

"Sorry," She blushes a bit "And, that's not a bad suggestion"

Mostly because she actually read it.

He smiles to Gwen, "Doyle is a favorite of mine. They have a collection in the library."

Art already has him nose in a book! The Fault in our Stars... looks like he's at the beginning still, and it has a library sticker on it as well.

Did the nocker notice?

Indeed, airy wisps of color form and dissipate around her head as she dreams of Never-traps.

Gwen nods ,and quiets as suggested, but she does write a note to herself 'Re read hound of baskervilles. Get copy at library'

Art turns a page, makes a bit of a face, and checks the back of the book again, reading the synopsis there, and then huffing a bit, pushing the book aside.

The teacher notices, and stops by his desk. "Problem Arty?"

"Well, it's just not what I thought it was going to be."

"Ahhh, so you judged the book by it's cover?" Teach smiles.

Art replies, "More by the name... but I suppose so. It's not really about stars at all, is it?"

Of course, now the troll is imagining an Airdale terrier in a Deerstalker cap with a pipe in it's mouth. Doyle was a terrier lover himself. She actually learns what dogs authors had more than where they were born sometimes

The teacher holds up a hand in a theatrical manner, and says, ""The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings." the Bard himself, Act 1, Scene 2, Julius Caesar."

Art looks a bit blank, and the teacher looks disappointed. "It refers to a quote that means, in effect, that it is not in the Stars to hold our destinies, but in ourselves."

"Well that's just silly. Of course we need to look to the stars!" Art argues back.

Scribble-scribble.. pause... Arty-Awkward-radar?

"Look to the stars all you wish, but know that it is not fate that dooms men, but man's own failings. That is, of course, Man as in Mankind, not as in menfolk. Think about it, Art. A little Shakespeare wouldn't hurt, either." The teacher claps a hand on the boy's thin shoulder in a friendly manner, and moves on."

Art looks... thoughtful.

"You'd probably like Shakespeare." She offers.

"Maybe, I've never met him..." Art comments, and the teacher rolls back his eyes, "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

At that, the bell rings!

FREEDOM...

"Hey Art? Thanks again for the warning last week" Gwen says, perhaps for the 100th time, but at least for the tenth since the morning after Thanksgiving

"Of course." He says to Gwen, leaning over to look at Trina's drawing... then moving to the other side of the desk, in case he was looking at it upside down.

"Is that a slide.. or a tunnel? Or just some tubing?" Curious, as ever.

"Midsummer is about faeries. That is a slide, and they could hit these little pinwheels...."

"Neat" Gwen adds "But odd. " SHe doesn't know about the project

Though Gwen had seen the earlier agility course...

Mmm

"So what are you going to do with ten more dogs, anyways?"

"Giant dogs."

"Yeah, what if they get that, what's it, like Ligers? Bigger than either of their sires?"

"You'll have to build a bigger kennel just to get them through the doors..."

"First, we're not keeping them all... when they're old enough, two for sure will get new homes elsewhere" She explains "Others will be sold, again to good places. Notice Ivan's brothers and sisters, well except Pyskha, are gone. Oh wait you wouldn't know about that. It's standard. They'll be trained and handed over and spread. Their bloodline will be maintained, part of the deal , as we try to make a new breed" she keeps her voice low. Muggles about and all

"Gigantus Doggus."

"Biggus Doggus." Art says at almost the same time, and grins.

"You could name them after stars, or constellations..."

"There's a dog star, right? Canis Major?"

A snerk "To a girl as tall as me they're right sized you know?" A pause "I think they were going to name them after Mountains in Tolkein books... the baro- ahm Tanya had ideas to please her guy with it... but it may not be set in stone. You could suggest constellation names if you like?"

"Well, LOTR is cool."

"I know neither of you is dog crazy like i am, but you know if you ever want to suggest a breed or names or the like I'll listen" SHe says

"And Lotr IS cool" she agrees. She has broadened her fantasy reading in general, she found some parts of it a slog but hey.

"Art, you've read it, right?"

"I have it on blu-ray, too."

"oh if the boss ever gets his hands on Peter Jackson, he'll thank him then chew him out for leaving out the Scouring of the Shire"

"Or Tom Bombadil?"

"Probably that too" A nod but she smiles. She likes the baron, and even his finicky moments endear him

"I have... it's good work. Very prosey... not really my favorite style, but I see why it has it's appeal. Now, I've discovered this novel about a planet called Dune... they made a movie about it, did you know?"

"I haven't seen that movie, I hear it's really good" she says

"We should go see it!"

"I wanted to see it... mother said that I could go to a movie after Lance and Gary went out... but then she had me take 'Wain with me and we had to see something he would sit through." A sigh.

"It was some saccharine movie with a giant red hound?"

Snort. "Go with us. Without the kid."