Volex placed the bird back on the shelf, slowly removing the brass ring from its back. The bird slowly came to an inanimate hault. Pocketing the ring he looked outside of his shop window as the rich woman left. Indeed, there was someone bending over to help someone else, but he couldn't make out who it was exactly.<br/><br/><i>Just leave it be....if they want you for something they'll come get you...</i><br/><br/>He turned to his dog, who was resting his head on his mechanical leg.<b>"Where'd you put the ring?"</b>The dog cocked his head and looked at him funny, as if not understanding what he had just said.<b>"The ring....Get it!"</b>The beagle got to it's feet and ran in a circle, looking for what Volex had commanded him to get. When the small dog rose Volex saw the slightly slobber covered ring had been underneath his pet all the while. He bent over, pocketing the small trinket and crouched down to play with the beagle for a moment or two. Rolling him over on his belly, playing tug of war with a small rag.<br/><br/>Standing back up again he could see that the group that had gathered was slightly thinner now. It was the woman from before.<i>Emilia...</i>She had a 'bandage' around her knee, as if she had fallen on it. Volex smiled, wondering why she didn't just brush it off. He'd fallen plenty of times and had worse. He saw how she was slightly muddy and he laughed for a moment. She was just another customer. He'd keep  her goods ready for her when she was ready to purchase them, but she hadn't done anything to deserve his sympathize....Hardly anyone had. He was  a pet merchant...nothing more. He had no true friends in the Lower City. And his family was all back in Canada.<br/><br/><b>"It's just you and me,"</b>he said looking down at his dog. He turned and opened up the door to the workshop, than closed it. Going over to a dog on the shelf, he inspected it, turning it over in his hands before putting it back. Repeating the process with several more 'creatures' before returning to behind the counter he finally took a small pipe from a vest pocket, filled it with a little tabaco from a pouch. Finding some matches under the counter, struck a match and let his pipe, puffing some smoke into the room.<b>"Just you, me, these pets of mine, and who ever decides to make a friend of me..."</b><div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>