Catch The Snitch

Aidan walked through the halls of Hogwarts, heading towards a very specific office, one he'd visited a few times now so he didn't get as lost as he had the first time. While he had been a student here himself, he really hadn't ever come to the staff's offices. He hummed a bit to himself, checking the time on a pocket watch before he stopped outside of the office he had come to visit. He gave a little rhythmical knock on the door, "It's Doctor Blackwood," he said so she'd know it was him, "Are we still good to meet today?"

He had started his practice of psychology and psychiatry while at St. Mungo's, and he knew consistency was important for a lot of his patients, so even though he'd set up his shop in Diagon Alley, he still made sure to schedule visits to his previous patients. After what Tatiana had been through, he liked to check in and see how things were going, how she was coping with being in a somewhat stressful environment and being in a place that might not have the best memories anymore. All he brought with him to these visits was a notebook, but he didn't write in it while talking to his patients because he didn't want to create added anxiety of wondering what he was writing and he didn't want them to think he wasn't paying them complete attention. It also would appear blank to anyone who tried to look at it without his permission, which was mostly everyone.

She’d been more than a bit distracted between her work and of course the reappearance of Bishop in her life that when that knock came to her office door, Tati blinked and glanced at it before that voice came. Oh! Dr Blackwood! Climbing from her chair at her desk she made her way to the door pausing to smooth her uniform down a bit before she opened the door and greeted him, “Of course Dr Blackwood. Please come in.” Stepping back to let him step inside before she spotted TJ hopping up from his pallet to greet their new guest.

Closing the door she chuckled, “And TJ wants to say hello too.” While she had always been a dog person it hadn’t been until therapy she’d even heard of service dogs like TJ, which was why she’d focused on getting one herself. Thankfully she felt she just got the best of the bunch, rather than head back to her desk she wandered over to the little sitting area she’d set up in her office space given she rarely used it for anything aside from paperwork or research when she had time.

Sitting down she waited for TJ to finish his greeting before he wandered over and promptly sat down next to her legs, “Apologies if it’s a bit sparse here… I don’t use this space for much. Most of my time is spent either in the infirmary, my quarters or wandering the grounds with this one.” Reaching out she absently patted TJ’s head triggering him to just lean into her leg a bit with that happy pibble smile. She wasn’t entirely sure what to tell him about the most recent changes, what would he think? After everything she was equal parts nervous and curious to see how he would take the news of just who all had suddenly turned up back in her life.

Aidan smiled as she opened the door and he stepped inside, looking over as he noticed the movement, "Ah, hello, TJ," he smiled at him, giving a wave to the dog like he might a regular person. While he only had his pet rabbit, he understood how much of an impact pets had on people's lives and how people treated their animals like family, especially in situations like this.

Watching where she went, Aidan moved towards the same area, "That's no problem," he shook his head, "As long as you're comfortable talking in this space, then that's all that matters." He opened his briefcase and pulled out a... well, first a folding chair, one that muggles tended to use for things like large gatherings, just metal with a little cushion. He set it down, giving her space before his notepad and quill came floating out. Not too unlike some journalists, his quill was charmed to write down things that he thought had something to do with their health, it didn't write unless the comments met the criteria, but it floated behind his back so that patients wouldn't focus on when it was writing since it tended to make people anxious.

"So," he smiled at her in his usual cordial way, "How have you been since the last time we spoke? Anything new happening?" he asked.

Watching as he got settled she wondered if he ever went anywhere without his chair, note pad and quill? Tati didn’t ask though instead she patted on TJ before he settled down at her feet. When Dr Blackwood spoke she glanced back at him and smiled softly, “I met the librarian and TJ made a new friend, which he is frankly thrilled about since he can throw much further than I can.” He wasn’t interested in the dog though she knew and Tati sighed softly, “It was nice to talk to a coworker and it not feel forced. Given as much time as I spent in the library as a child here though, I’m sort of not surprised it’s the librarian I’m comfortable conversing with first.”

Folding her hands in her lap, her head tilted, recalling what they had talked about, Bishop’s appearance popped to mind and she shoved it aside. Not yet. “He’s one to look for the secrets here too so I’m sure we’ll have lots to talk about as he finds his way… and his daughter is a student here… then…” She unconsciously picked at the edge of her blouse taking a moment to gather her thoughts.

Given everything now Tati was still trying to work out how she felt, “...Bishop is here. He’s apparently taken up the position of Professor of Alchemy. We ran into each other almost literally the same day I spoke with Mr Cross.” Glancing up at him after a few moments she gave a little shrug of her shoulders, “He looks… well enough now at least he has a handle on his condition.” At least in that sense she hoped she was a therapist's favorite kind of patient in the sense that once she’d physically recovered, she hadn’t hidden anything about what she’d gone through with him.

Aidan chuckled a little as she mentioned TJ being glad to meet the librarian because of his throwing arm, and nodded as she explained why it was nice to meet him for herself. He noticed her body language indicating she had something on her mind but waited to let her work her way through to it. She was deflecting a bit with the conversation on the librarian, but she was working towards something else, and he knew better than to interrupt and push.

Then there it was. He nodded in understanding as she brought up the thing that seemed to have her unnerved- Bishop. She'd talked about him before and he knew the emotions tied to that name. He smiled softly as she finished speaking, "Well, for one, I'm glad you seem to have a colleague you're comfortable with. Libraries do seem to have a way of bringing together the like-minded," he smirked a little, "But it seems that your mind is focused on Bishop. Understandable considering your past together," he said, "How are you handling him being here? Being so close?" he asked. To say he was a little concerned would be an understatement, but he didn't show it, not wanting to cause her any discomfort or distress. He didn't tend to like to expose patients to their stressors so suddenly and he hoped it didn't set her back any.

Giving a little shrug of her shoulders Tati honestly wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that at first. Well her first instinct was of course to say she was happy, which she was. She’d missed him, more than she could ever explain to probably anyone. “Scared the hell out of me at first… hadn’t seen him in years and then turn a corner to nearly collide with him? TJ certainly did his job that day in keeping me from having an anxiety attack that’s for sure.”

Folding her hands in her lap she did her best to keep the anxiety she could feel creeping at bay as she thought about the last little bit since she and Bishop had talked. “But I mean he seems, fine? He apologized for how he treated me the last time we saw each other… and we’re trying to be friends again, like we were before.” Friends like they were before, even though she didn’t entirely believe that anymore. Not with as much time that had passed and all the time she’d had to look back on their curious relationship.

They’d started as friends innocently enough, but at some point something had shifted and she couldn’t ever for the life of her pinpoint when it had. That was what bothered her most, Tati had always been of the mindset that if she was going to ‘be in love’ or ‘fall in love’ with someone she’d be able to know when it happened. Yet she couldn’t find that point in her relationship with Bishop even if after the accident, her choice and their separation everything inside her had screamed she’d lost her love. “He said Charlie and Isa missed me. I felt bad I hadn’t kept close contact with them, but I was so messed up for so long after that… I just didn’t want to expose them to anymore… after all they were with me through the worst even if I did my best to hide it from them.”
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And she needed time, there was so much she had to deal with after she’d handed them off to their Uncle. Her health was just the largest part of it but other things had to be handled like dealing with her parents estate, getting her own place to live and then eventually finding work.

Aidan watched her as she spoke, trying to read her body language to try and understand how she really felt about what she was talking about. He gave a small understanding smile at the comments about the young siblings, "Children are surprisingly malleable. And usually rather than understanding what's going on with adults than we give them credit for," he chuckled a little.

He sat back and crossed his leg over, resting a hand on his knee, as he considered the best way to ask what he was concerned about, "So. He wants to be friends again like you were before, you said. Is that what you want?" he asked, "There was a lot unresolved with you two, I believe, from what I've gathered in our talks. After all, you were willing to go through quite the bit of trouble for him, putting it mildly. Is all of that just water under the bridge?" he asked, tilting his head a little.

(I bolded Aidan cause on dark mode, the grey does not stand out at all XD)

His comment about Charlie and Isa settled her anxiety there at least what remained of it, maybe they truly didn’t think badly of her or how she’d been by the end of things. Tati was sure she’d been more mad woman than anything by then but somehow she’d managed to get them to someone safe first. It wasn’t until he spoke again that she felt like all the sound in the room stopped, the silence was almost deafening.

She realized after longer than she was sure was normal that she needed to blink and she did so once then twice before she unconsciously wet her lips. TJ’s weight pressed into her thigh but she didn’t reach out and rest her hand on his head like she might have any other time. Recalling her conversation with Bishop a paw stomping down on top of her shoe reminded her to breath and she did so slowly a few times, “It doesn’t matter if it’s what I want, I’ll work with it regardless.” She knew he wasn’t going to like that answer so she continued, “For six years I’ve lived with the knowledge that I fell in love with my best friend without even knowing it until he was laying in front of me dying and I was only left with two options; let him die or save his life but curse him.”

Forcing herself to take a few slow breaths she remembered to blink again ignoring the way her mind conjured up the images of that night behind her eyelids immediately, ”I will never judge him for being angry with me over that, for hating me… but Merlin’s beard did it hurt when it seemed he couldn’t see why I did it.” Tati could still hear her own voice as they’d fought for days, weeks even in hushed whispers, not wanting to wake his siblings or her parents.

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t let you go, Bishop…Please, understand.”

She couldn’t tell him then, it felt wrong. It felt like manipulation. ‘Oh I saved you because I love you,’ no she couldn’t say that to him. Tati had hoped and prayed his hurt and anger would cool and he’d think level headedly about it, that he’d put it together. But it hadn’t and then everything that had come afterwards, now though she had that new piece of information that had spun everything on its head in her mind. The words he spoke came effortlessly to her mind again.

”Well... what if I told you I had kind of hoped to make them not rumors?”

That sentence had gone over and over in her mind since their conversation, Tati had picked it apart from every angle possible she could think of but all she could come up with solidly was one thing. He’d felt more than FRIENDSHIP for her TOO! And then of course she’d had to deal with the five million different ways her emotions had gone with that single piece of information before it settled onto where she was now: a sort of solemn acceptance.

Blue eyes focused on him probably fully since the first moment they’d started talking and she sighed, “I accepted back then that I could live with him hating me so long as he was alive, I just couldn’t live in a world without him in it. So us going back to being friends has to be enough at least for now, because it’s a lot more than I ever thought we’d be after the last time I saw him all those years ago.”

Aidan frowned a bit at her initial statement, putting his hand to his chin as he thought on her words. He looked at her again as she focused on him, but he didn't comment right away, watching her for a moment, "I see," he said, nodding, "Well then, I certainly hope you can indeed go back to being friends. It's clear he matters a great deal to you, though I won't make any guesses at his feelings without having spoken to him as well," he shook his head.

"With all these events occurring, do you feel you have a handle on your anxiety? At least to a point where it isn't going to be overwhelming for you?" he asked, resting his hands on his knee again, "I can tell TJ there is a key point to your management," he smiled at the dog, "But I want to make sure we've got some tools in place for if it gets... intense. Or if any other emotion gets to be overwhelming," He said.

He could tell she'd made huge strides from when she first came into his care, but he was worried with all the new stimuli and emotions, she might backtrack a little. He hoped that wasn't the case of course, but it was best to be vigilant and proactive than reactive.

Tati actually chuckled some at his comment, “I wish you the best of luck in that endeavor if you mean sincerely to try and get him to talk to you. It took me years to get him to talk to me and I still have to read between his lines.” After all he couldn’t even bring himself to tell her how he felt, which she wasn’t sure how to feel about now that she knew it had been intentional. She’d found herself in her free time thinking back on moments with him where she’d found herself questioning for a moment what exactly he meant.

Now she could see it through the eyes of someone who understood the emotions he was trying to express without actually giving himself away and she was an idiot. Shaking her head absently she focused back on him and his words her brain catching up enough to where she understood what he was saying and she nodded, “Being here, in this place is harder than being around him specifically. I remember moments that happened while we were students here and understand the gravity of them so much more now, it’s… a lot.” Her hand shifted then not out of anxiety though she didn’t even tremble, rather she just gently patted TJ’s head who still just rested leaned against her leg.

He threw his head back looking at her making her smile softly, “I’m using my mindfulness exercises when I need to. If it gets too bad I have made sure there is someone who can relieve me so I can step away for a while as well.” Bishop being there wasn’t going to add to her problems at least she hoped not, his presence had been the only thing that had kept her going even if it had been all in her head. “If nothing else Bishop being here is a balm, getting to see him do what I knew he always wanted to do. It helps.”

And of course even if she wouldn’t admit to it, she could still love him in her own way. She’d spent seven years loving him with the understanding that she might not ever see him again if he was even still alive, getting to be around him and have him in her life was probably the best she could have hoped for at the start. Given the changes he seemed to show in his point of view perhaps things could be different, but Tati wasn’t going to push. She could be patient and wait on him this time, she had a new appreciation for all those little moments in her memory.

Aidan smiled hearing her and seeing her reach for the dog, "Well, that's good to hear," he murmured, "I'm glad that things seem to be going in the right direction," he said, nodding, "Is there anything else you want to discuss? Anything you feel you need some help with?" he asked.

He was always glad to see his patients doing well and Tatiana was one of his first in this field. He was especially glad to see her make it this far considering where they'd started, proud of her resilience. Though the comment about Bishop had him wondering something and he thought he might need to send a letter to the Headmaster. He'd worry about that later.

She nodded absently at his comment, the praise for her progress was appreciated given it was rather hard fought and Dr Blackwood knew that more so than most. At his questions her head tilted slightly as she considered them honestly, was there anything? Well there was… no she wasn’t even going to focus on anything related to that yet. Shoving that thought away she focused on things she felt were more immediate, “I find myself struggling more being here than I thought I would… walking into certain rooms or hearing certain noises take me back…”

Tati hesitated for a moment thinking about the few times it had already happened since she’d begun working at the school. All those times where something happened and rather than acknowledge what was really going on, she, like so many others, had buried her head in the sand. “...I look back and realize how utterly foolish we all were, the signs were there and we just… ignored it until it was too late. Or nearly so.” So much loss and destruction if only they’d all listened and done something sooner instead of pretending it wasn’t happening.

She almost felt like they owed Potter and his friends who had been fighting from the beginning an apology, she’d read everything she could while she’d been recovering and had never seen them given one. By now she doubted if they even cared about it but it was just more the principal of it. The only way she felt best to at least make up for such was being the best she could be now for the students here but the reminders of her own school days brought back other things. “I try so hard not to think about my parents… but it’s hard being here.”

Aiden nodded a bit as he listened to her talk about the things that were bothering her, the things that caused her to struggle still. He took a deep breath, "It is always one step harder to go from a concept to the real thing," he said, "But you aren't running from it. And that takes an even grander courage than just facing the thought of something. What emotions do you feel when you come across those places or those memories?" he asked, wanting to help her work through it.

He agreed with her thoughts of how foolish everyone was, remembered fighting and arguing with people who denied the truth, remembered thinking people were foolish to pretend it wasn't really happening to hold onto their false sense of peace... it was about the time he decided he needed a change of careers.

"Remember, what you feel is valid, we just want to come up with the means to take those feelings on and strategies to get through those tough moments."

She was quiet for a long moment considering his question before he commented reminding her that her feelings were valid. Nodding absently she sighed, “I know. I just… it changes depending on the space, the memory..” Patting TJ’s head he shifted and laid down on the floor just resting his head on her feet instead of leaning against her leg. She was anxious but it wasn’t out of control so he wasn’t alerting fully, but keeping in contact was enough of a tell for her to know.

“Sometimes it’s anxiety, sometimes sadness or dread… it’s like for a moment or two my mind jumps back to that moment again and I physically feel the way I did then.” It was disconcerting for her in a big way and it was the main reason Tati tended to keep to certain areas of the school only. She knew which spaces held the worst memories for her and she was doing her level best to avoid them if at all possible but she wouldn’t lie to him about it. “The worst ones I avoid entirely, I know my limits and I don’t want to put myself in a position I’m not sure I can handle yet.”

Aidan listened to her, considering her words, nodding to the comment about her saying she avoided the areas entirely, "That's good... do you think it would be possible to... go there with someone else and create a different kind of memory?" he asked, "You associate these places with negative things, painful things, but do you think it could be possible to cover those memories with something better?" he asked. He wasn't trying to question her method- he was trying to give a suggestion if she felt it was within her power to do so.

"I don't want you to push yourself, as you said, we don't want you doing something beyond what you feel you can handle, I just want to explore some options to help you not feel caged by those memories."

Tati considered his suggestion thoughtfully for a few quiet moments, probably longer than she was sure he wanted when he continued assuring her as always he didn’t mean for her to push herself. Giving him a soft smile she nodded, “I know Dr Blackwood. I was just thinking who if anyone I would feel comfortable accompanying me…” It wasn’t as if she trusted just anyone with the knowledge that her mental health was so fragile.

She was the school healer for goodness sakes, would anyone trust her to heal them if they realized she was so broken herself? No, the list there was few and far between, lesser so with the worse spots. Worrying her bottom lip absently for a moment she finally sighed, “I’ll think about who I could ask to accompany me… start small of course.” It was how he’d encouraged her at the hospital when she’d been recovering from the whole ordeal before there.

At first she’d mentally scoffed at the idea but she’d realized the more she fought to do things at a normal pace the harder it was but as soon as she did as he said and took it a little bit at a time things went easier. “Here I thought I had outgrown homework…” the comment was made with clear amusement in her voice as she glanced at him before she sobered again and sighed. “I’ll do my best Dr Blackwood, honest.”

Aidan smiled softly when she responded and nodded as he listened to her, listening still as she sighed and said she'd think about it. He chuckled a little at her comment about homework, "No, my dear, we never outgrow it. There are always things we can improve about ourselves, even those who think they're mentally sound," he smirked.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said when she said she'd do her best before standing, "Well. I can leave you to what you were doing before if you were busy, or maybe we could go for a walk ourselves. You can show me places on campus that you like, places that can help bring you some peace?" he suggested, and his things went back into the briefcase more or less on their own as he spoke.

He was glad to see she was improved enough she could consider his suggestion. Remembering how she was when they first began, he would have never even suggested it. But sometimes there were some shadows that needed to be cleared away, and if she planned on staying here, she needed to show herself the shadows were just that and with a bit of light, they would go away.

She couldn’t help nodding absently as he spoke, he was honest at least. That was sort of what made it easy to trust Dr Blackwood for her. When he asked if they could go for a walk she nodded, “I wouldn’t mind that, I’ve been stuck in here most of today. The fresh air would do me good.” And she certainly didn’t mind showing him her favorite places there, maybe they had a few in common even?

TJ of course instantly perked at the world walk and his attention shifted directly towards her before he bolted towards where his leash and collar hung up. Tati giggled softly climbing to her feet, “As you can see someone else is eager to be out of here for a little while too. Part of how he helps me, I suppose, forces me to get out when I might avoid it otherwise and interact because he does so love making new friends.”

Making her way over to where he waited patiently she put his harness on and attached the leash before pulling the door open and waiting for Aidan to join them. Once he was out of the room she closed the door behind her and chuckled, “First order of business should be the yard I think, it will let him fun off some energy and while he plays I usually sit and try to work through things in my head.”

Aidan listened and chuckled a little at TJ's enthusiasm, "I'm glad. I hear many patients say similar things, animals are great for that," he smirked a little. He nodded to her comment about starting with the yard, "Probably a good idea then," he said. He went over and opened the door to the space once she had TJ ready, "Ladies and TJ first," he smiled over at her as he said it.

"It's been ages since I was in this building for anything that wasn't business-related, though I was a Ravenclaw, so I'm sure you can guess a few of the places that were my favorite haunts," he said to her once they'd started walking into the corridor, "Though the hat did say he had been torn between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, which is not usually the two I hear people getting stuck between. Maybe because neither house would ever admit it out loud," he chuckled.

Wandering along with him she blinked when he mentioned his own house, “A fellow Ravenclaw? Well that certainly explains some things.” Most importantly why she trusted him so easily, it wasn’t solely because he was a healer like herself. There’d always been something more when it came to Dr Blackwood and knowing that added one more element to it. When he mentioned the sorting hat’s conversation she chuckled, “If we were all honest we mirror one another's best and worst traits but you didn’t hear that from me.”

It made perfect sense as to why the sorting hat might struggle if he could have gone one way or another, she’d had no qualms about where she was going and she’d known it most of her life. There was nowhere else for her but Ravenclaw. Making her way with TJ in the lead she headed down to where the corridor led out to the yard and chuckled when he picked up the pace a bit. “Easy… it isn’t a race. We’ll get there.” Shifting her attention back to him she smiled softly, “I imagine it is no surprise the library is a favorite haunt of mine, I could disappear for hours or days in there.”

Aidan smirked at her comment about it explaining some things, "My lips are sealed," he said, pantomiming the motion over his mouth of zipping them shut. He looked down at TJ as he excitedly headed towards the yard and followed after easily enough. He smiled at her comment of the library and nodded, "I, too, spent a good deal of time in there. I think I was in there when I finally nailed the Muffliato Charm," he smirked a little, looking up a bit as he recalled the experience, "Trying to study when some other students near me just wouldn't stop talking," he chuckled.

"Though I will say, there were considerably fewer pets on campus I feel like. I think it's much livelier now," he added, looking out a window that they passed before looking back over to her, "How about for you?" he asked, tilting his head. Then smiling, he added, "And I'm not asking from a professional standpoint."

Tati outright laughed when he mentioned how he finally got that particular charm down, covering her mouth quickly to muffle the noise so as not to disturb anyone around them. “I cannot imagine a better use of it back then.” Her attention shifted back towards TJ as they walked and she smiled at his question. More pets? “I think the Headmaster just recognized that some Wizards have different animal affinities than the standard ones that fall in line with tradition.”

Pausing she minded the steps out onto the grass that would lead down the path to the yard where she normally took TJ before she continued, “Allowing them to bring their chosen animal makes students happier so a more lively environment, it’s just a coming of age for Hogwarts I think.” Other schools might follow but that was up to them, Tati was personally glad they’d made such a change otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to stay. There was no way she’d have made it this far without him she was convinced of that but she wouldn’t doubt her own ability to push herself if necessary without him, she just couldn’t have remained here for long.

Once they reached the lawn she unhooked TJ to let him run a bit knowing he’d come back in a few to insist on his ball as well. Watching him for a moment she chuckled as he began to work out his zoomies before turning her attention back to Aidan, “What animal would you have chosen to bring with you during your time here if you could have?” She was honestly curious what his answer would be given she knew those like herself during their time stuck to the more traditional animals to bring to school.

Aidan nodded, "I've heard... interesting things about the Headmaster, but not from any current employees," he mused a little as he walked with her. Hearing her take on the animals making the students happier, he nodded once more, "That makes sense. Since a lot have their own burdens they've brought along with them."

Watching TJ run around, he listened to the question and hummed a little in thought, "Perhaps a cat would have been wisest for myself," he said, "Something that could be mostly independent when I could get so caught up in my studies I'd forget to feed myself much less anyone else," he laughed a little shaking his head, "The rabbit at my office is lucky Lisa is so doting. She makes sure he is never want for attention."

He looked back towards TJ as he heard another dog barking not far off and his attention made its way toward the source- a Doberman that was trying to get at its ball that had gone under a bench and was now barking at the ball in frustration. He raised a brow, "Does TJ do well with other dogs?" he asked curiously, looking over at her, not seeing the dog's owner just yet. The Doberman's floppy ears were getting covered in dirt and mud as she kept sticking her face at the angle to try and get the ball, common sense lost in the pursuit of the squeaking sphere.

She chuckled some as his admission, “So not a pet person, I’m kind of not surprised..” Glancing at him she shrugged, “It takes a lot of one's focus and concentration to do what you do, if my own case is any example I don’t imagine it leaves you with much energy or desire to do little else.” It at least made the most sense to her. She couldn’t imagine doing everything he did between the hospital and his own clinic and having time for much of anything.

Shrugging her shoulders absently she knew she took on a lot but that was her way to avoid socializing as much as possible. “I wouldn’t be nearly as busy without TJ and my anxiety would likely be worse in that case.” When his question came she blinked and followed his gaze taking note of the other dog but she didn’t seem fazed at all. “ TJ is fine with other dogs, actually I think that’s Aubrey’s dog… um the Flying Instructor. I only remember because Bishop mentioned him having a Doberman.”

Mentioning Bishop immediately made her smile faintly before she noticed TJ wander over and push the ball out from under the bench with his paws. Pointing it out to him she giggled, “You’d think he does enough helping with me… but no he’ll help anyone if it means a new friend.” It surprised her none as the pair began to play chase with one another, probably more keep away but TJ was a good sport.

Aidan smirked a little, "Shrinking the shrink?" he teased a little, "But no, I find my time is indeed limited. It's fine though. I'm doing what I'm passionate about after all," he said with a smile. Hearing her comment about her anxiety being worse, he nodded, "It wouldn't be unusual to hear that people feel comforted not only by having a companion about, especially ones trained for such things but also by having something that needs them and keeps them functioning even in the toughest of times," he murmured before adding, "I'm sure there's plenty that could be said about the fact of all animals, I picked a rabbit for my office, but I guess I don't buy too much into that," he admitted.

He smirked as TJ helped the dog retrieve her ball, the Doberman's tail whipping back and forth happily at the release thing. She gave a happy bark, going into that play bow before lunging and catching the ball, but with a toss of her head, she semi-threw the ball, looking to TJ to see if he was going to play, Aubrey finally making an appearance, broom in tow. He gave a wave to Tati, though didn't call Ace back since it seemed the two dogs might be playing.

"Seems he shares his human's compassion," Aidan noted in response to her statement as he gave an idle wave back to Aubrey, then looked back to her, "Is there anyone here yet that you feel you could talk to here? Not about anything deep since those wounds are a bit tender still, but just about day-to-day things."