The day started pretty well; his neighbors, whom he now knew were the Vlad family. They had made him a nice breakfast so he could have a good start to the day. He managed to catch the early bus and use shortcuts to make it to his workplace with time to spare! The Space he had to work in was considered the Soft Room since it was not only unbreakable but also so soft that if it hit you in the head, it would be softer than a pillow in a pillow fight with a toddler. It was an easy day as he just had to stay in dog form and let kids, or people who needed a therapy pet, pet him and hug him. For all the money in the world, seeing people so broken by society or others made his heart hurt. He wanted nothing more than to scope the recovering people up and give them a nice movie day, and make sure it's followed by weeks of amazing activities to bring their spirits up. It was a pretty tame day compared to Blood Spire. His first break came eventually; he got a 15-minute water break, which he used to go hydrate and make sure he didn't need to use the bathroom during work time. He noticed a grieving couple as he was walking; it didn't take much to notice they were grieving over their daughter. A small bald child had passed earlier that night, and it hurt his heart to see young ones go out in such a manner. They should be able to grow old and tell stories to their grandchildren. He shifted into his dog form and approached the couple in his therapy dog uniform. The still grieving couple latched onto the dog as he helped them slowly sit on the ground and grieve. Grief took many different shapes and forms, but its smell was always the same. After counseling the couple, he went back to the soft room to resume his appointments, but the space between was spent "wandering" the halls to comfort people who either couldn't or hadn't come to him yet. Such as an Old woman in 312 who needed some comfort after a particular Naptime nightmare, or that one toddler who needed someone to distract him as he got rabies shots. His day was long and tiring, not to mention surprising, when he saw Sarah being rushed in from the park. Apparently, the voice he had heard yesterday was a vocal modification, a form of prosthetic, used to allow her to speak. Some Strange man, who apparently had a horrible attitude and agenda, had attacked the park with an EMP. Meaning anyone with an electrical modification just lost that modification, which included pacemakers. It was stressful as he pulled overtime to help out, and as an excuse to keep near Sarah. Sarah, who was now permanently mute, the Vocal modifier had to be removed, and her throat was too damaged for a new one.
The whole neighborhood felt on edge as everyone waited for Sarah to wake up. Each day felt longer than the last. Granted, his work was fulfilling, but he was very much trying to keep busy. The Vlad Kids were in therapy as they had been at the park when it happened. Everything felt a bit warped. Eventually, he found out Sarah came home and made a decision. He went to each house, including Alex's, where he handed out Invitations for a street party. Maybe he should have been more specific, but still, he got everything ready. Still far too used to helping throw giant parties like in Blood Spire. Which at the time seemed like a great thing, considering not just his neighbors but the whole town of Mythos Pass showed up. So many new people and yet so much fun. The day started great as all the town's kids were in the backyard playing. The teens had taken over the living room area to play games, while the adults were in various places, as he had set up activities all over his house. Even turning his spare bedrooms into nap or quiet zones. He swore he actually saw Sarah smile! He had made sure to account for food preferences and allergies since he didn't need anyone to go to the hospital. He didn't say anything as he saw some people with horns or tails or even scales! Sometimes cosplay was a good outlet when you needed to escape reality and stop being you. Not to mention it gave a form or a sense of control over one's look. With how life can be and how it can always spiral, getting a little control back was always a good idea. Denise was wearing his normal googles. Heath had seen him earlier and handed him a glass cleaner wipe when he noted a smudge on it. While chatting, Heath was surprised to find out that while Denise was trans, he had no problem with keeping his dead name since he had fond memories of it. He was glad Denise felt comfortable telling him that, since it meant Denise trusted him a whole lot. The Kids had a lot of activities to do that wasnt just playing on the playground equipment or video games. There was even an art corner or a reading corner. where there were several kids and adults over there, either sketching or participating in one of the various art activity sets he had set up. He thought about potentially bringing out the inflatibles, but for starters, the Vlad family couldn't use them when it was bright out, and also, Fall was so not the season for inflatibles. The Summer and spring would be prime time, given that during fall and winter, debris from the sky or trees could very well damage it. It felt like only yesterday that he got his rank and Dog form. He looked up as he reminisced on the days gone by. Everything was so different from how it was now.
~>Flash Back<~
Heath had just finished middle school and was riding to his parents' to Blood Spire's Ranking Ridge. One would have to sprint to the top as the adrenaline would trigger the first shift before diving off into the water or the rescue pad they put down for those unfortunate to shift into dogs tinnier and smaller than a Dwarf tea cup chihuahua. He had recently come out to his parents as an Ace. So they didn't push him to find a mate or give them grandkids. Everything was great as the line slowly moved forward; he didn't know why everyone in his school thought he was an Alpha. Yet it had become a persistent problem with alphas trying to have territorial disputes with him. Soon it was his turn, he began sprinting, feeling that burning spark slowly but surely burn inside till it erupted, causing him to shift into a dog hybrid and dive into the waters below. His parents were so proud of him!
He slowly blinked back to life after dinner, the kids were tucked into bed, and the adults had a night of adult games and binge-watching both shows as well as movies. This genuinely felt like it was the life he wanted, even though it was the life he never thought it would be. Slowly, he closed his eyes as Sarah nuzzled into him, using him as a comfort, causing them both to slowly go back to sleep.