1 x 1 with Fern

[Boomer]

Alessa looked around as she was led down the hallway. As they stopped, Alessa thought about his question. "I-I don't like tight spaces." she said, "I like being outside... I feel free that way." Alessa had a lot of memories of being restrained and confined to small areas without being able to escape. She then flicked her tail. "Well..." she murmured, "I'm not too picky. Whatever you decide is okay with me."

[fern fawn]

[ • Birch • ]

He thought over her words, then gave a nod, his smile returning. He knew many nice places outside, as he much preferred it to being indoors. "I know just the place!" Having made up his mind, he continued towards the back door, pulling open the large wooden barrier and stepping onto the small path that led to various things in the yard. "You'll love it, I'm sure." His optimism had often left him disappointed when he realized the outcome. Happily heading off from the path, he turned to walk backwards and looked to Alessa. "So, where did you come from?" he questioned, his curiosity getting the best of him.

[Boomer]

Alessa followed him as he took her outside. She was amazed by how pretty the yard was. She wagged her tail as she walked with Birch. As he asked about where she came from, she seemed a little confused. "I-I'm not sure what you mean..." she murmured. She didn't realize that he meant where she used to live; Alessa wasn't even quite sure what town she lived in. She only left the houe to go to school; she barely got to go out into town.

[fern fawn]

[ • Birch • ]

Birch continued across the yard, making sure that Alessa was either by his side or right behind him. "You know, like, where did you used to live? The kids here come from all over. Titus swears he's from the ocean." He slowed his pace when the reached the end of the manicured lawn, weaving around various trees and shrubbery as he continued. The pup ran his paws lightly across their leaves, their presence instantly calming him. "I'm from California. Or at least, that's where they said I was born. I don't remember it very much."

[Boomer]

"Oh..." she murmured, "M-my house is gone. B-but I'm from Pennsylvania." The girl wasn't sure what town she used to live in. She then looked up at the trees and bushes as they left the yard. She then nodded to him as he told her where he was from. "I've never been there before." she said, "I've never been out of the state, to tell the truth." She seemed to enjoy their walk as she lightly held onto Scarlett.

[fern fawn]

[ • Birch • ]

Clueless as to what happened, Birch continued asking her questions. "Gone? What do you mean?" Reaching the fence line of the orphanage, he walked its length for just a moment before finding what he was looking for. A section had been cut by one of the older kids, behind a large bush so the adults wouldn't know to mend it. His ears perked and he looked to Alessa once more before dropping down and crawling through. "Be careful not to scrape yourself." Once on the other side, he waited for her.

[Boomer]

"It um... it's just gone." she answered, not wanting to go into detail. Alessa looked at the hole in the fence, then dropped to her knees. She carefully crawled under it, then winced as her dress got caught. "Oh no." she said, looked back at the hole. She tried to pull away and it ripped. Alessa was free, but now her dress had a few inch rip down the backside of it. "I-I'm sorry." she winced.

[fern fawn]

[ • Birch • ]

"Oh, okay." The pup knew he had crossed some line, so he decided to drop the subject there. His eyes went wide as he heard a tare, his eyes darting back to her. His gaze became panicked as he rushed back to her side, looking her over. He noticed the tear in her dress, but he couldn't see any scratch in her fur. "You're sorry? For what? You didn't do anything. This was my fault, I'm so sorry. Are you hurt?" His words were rushed and clearly worried.

[Boomer]

Alessa half expected him to smack her in the face for tearing her dress. "F-for tearing my dress." she whispered, "W-we'll get in trouble." The girl then stood up as Birch continued to ask her a million questions. She realized that he wasn't going to hurt her and that he was concerned about her. She then nodded to him, then pushed some of her matted hair out of her face. "I'm okay..." she whispered, "I-I'm not hurt."

[fern fawn]

[ • Birch • ]

He seemed confused by her answer. It hardly mattered to him if she had a torn dress, but still felt bad that it had been his fault. "We won't get in trouble if we lie." he spoke simply, though hadn't yet formulated an excuse that would work. He visibly relaxed as she said she wasn't hurt, giving a small nod. "I'm glad." He looked towards the orphanage, then over his shoulder, unsure what to do next. "Do you still want to go?"