Bit of a Trim [Mr. Todd] [Finished]

[The Jenn]

The front of the store certainly seemed imposing and ill-kept, distracting Rogers from his small concerns and making him wonder if this was a good idea after all. Even if the place had been recommended to him by a customer he dealt with and occasionally took out for coffee, it certainly didn't look neat enough to suit the finicky customer's particular grooming tastes. Then again, he'd said the proprietor of the shop was a wonder with a knife and was willing to take on jobs large and small for a reasonable fee.

Eying the brass sign, the German Shepherd walked up to the door and cautiously pushed, ringing a small bell and stirring a faint layer of dust on the floor. He wrinkled his nose slightly in distaste and stepped further into the room, sneezing once at the dust that rose to meet him. He had always been rather sensitive to it.

Obscure bottles and pots caught his attention, but then he took in the chair sitting in the middle of the floor and felt even more uneasy. What a bizarre establishment. Not only was it on the dingy, less reputable side of the bazaar, nearer the northern edge, but it looked as if no one bothered to maintain the building, much less worry about dusting. He paused a few steps in, tempted to leave almost immediately by the sight of the place. But then... he still had the recommendation of his customer to consider.

[Nathalia]

A door on the far left creaked open and a tall, long limbed wolf stepped out into the shoppe. He looked taken aback to see the intensely colored canine in his shoppe, eyebrow cocked and mouth slightly open.

"Err... What're you doin' in 'ere?"

The voice was low and sounded somewhat thick, as though the man has just woken up. Almost as though to confirm this, the wolf crammed the knuckles of his left hand into his eye and rubbed at it, ears tilting back in confusion as he glanced around his shoppe...as though he had never seen it before.

Who in the hell was this? The dog was garbed in a very nice work shirt, respectable outfit, overall, his color. Good heavens, his color, it was nearly enough to drive one mad...looked like an artist had gone insane and dumped his paints on a page...

To head directly for the issue, why was this dog in here? He looked as though he could pay someone far better than himself to give him a...whatever he wanted.

To the Shepherd, it would appear as though the wolf spoke...then stared at him oddly for about ten seconds, without blinking.

He then shook his head roughly, thick black hair rustling as he smacked his tail against his heavy barbers chair to wake himself up.

"Sorry abou' that. Wha' can I do for you, then?"

[The Jenn]

Rogers jumped slightly as another door creaked open, the gloomy atmosphere of the shop filling the air and sending a faint shiver up his spine as the man spoke and just stared at him. It seemed almost as if he'd never seen a customer in his life, from the way his eyes seemed to almost glaze over. Maybe the man was just... overly tired. Yes, he would go with that. Although if he was that exhausted, did he really want the man coming near him with any sort of cutting implement?

"Hello," he said politely, not quite sure whether he should introduce himself or just get out of there before the other canine woke up more fully. After the barest second's hesitation, he decided to see what his customer's recommendation would come to just this once. "You would be, ah, Mr. Todd? As advertised on the sign? My name is Rogers."

He shifted uncomfortably, trying not to let the dust get to him again. It was almost an allergic reaction, for how little he could stop it. Inevitably, he sneezed once again, then wiped briefly at his nose. "Ah, excuse me, please. I came here on Mr. Harfor's recommendation. He mentioned that you were an adept barber. Is this a good time?" If it wasn't, he doubted he would be coming back to this place again when it was. And just what kind of mix was the wolf? He could see definite signs of Mid-Range, but that didn't quite account for everything.

[Nathalia]

The wolf snapped back to himself after the Canine spoke for a second time, eyes opening fully to reveal themselves to be a brilliant blue. He stared at the other for a moment longer, nearly reeling from the colorful apparition.

"Yes, 'm Todd, Sweeney Todd," He bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement that he was greeting the other, not just muttering. "S'good to meet you then, Rogers, wha' kin I do for you today?"

This was said without much attention paid as his fingers slowly slid up and down the silver blade in the pocket of his pin-striped breeches. His head snapped up however at the mention of Harfor.

"Harfor? Johnafin Harfor?" Though his pronunciation of the name Johnathan was deplorable, there was no doubt that Mr. Todd recognized the name.

"You're Rogers? Oh, well...tha's different. Tell me...wha' kin I do for you?"

So saying he moved over to some of his various pots and jars, rearranging a few and beginning to hum to himself.

Harfor was an idiot, yes, but a polite one...she had known him, he had made her laugh... He remembered how she had asked him to invite Harfor over more often, the silly man was something fun at a party, that was certain.

He may not have recognized Todd as he was now...but that was for the better, he preferred not to have to kill the man. It would have been a shame to have had the need to do that to...heh...Johnathan.

A small, half-smile graced the wolf's face, eyes sliding half closed as he hummed the small tune a tad bit louder, tail wagging slowly in time to the beat.

[The Jenn]

So much staring, and Rogers had to admit that those bright blue eyes made him uncomfortable in the moments before the wolf said or did anything. Then he introduced himself at least, a nice, normal thing to do, and he could breathe a small sigh of relief. The man wasn't a complete nut. That was a relief.

But then he was surprised again, the man apparently knowing him, or at least having heard of him from Johnathan. "Ye~es, Johnathan Harfor..." he agreed cautiously. It didn't surprise him as much as it might that the man might have dropped his name. He was always chattering about something. Then again, he was a songbird, so he supposed it made sense. The man was almost incapable of shutting up. He was a decent sort, though.

The humming creeped him out a touch but it wasn't as bad as the staring so he didn't say anything, didn't see any need. "I'm actually in need of a trim," he said with a self-conscious gesture towards his ears. "They can grow out a little long and, personally, I think it looks unprofessional. Scraggly, almost. If you could trim it back to manageable levels, that would be all I need today."

[danishweasel]

Business had been absolutely dreadful that day. Then again, when wasn't it horrible? If she could only get a supply of decent ingredients...It was getting to the point where she was sorely tempted each time she saw a stray mome rath to...enough of that. She needed a break from the pie shoppe and she was sure that Mister Todd would appreciate the company.

As she walked through the Jack-and-Jill door, for once, she took notice of the customer before Mister Todd himself. Of course, this wasn't her doing. The canine was so bright, her eyes immediately locked onto the site, seeing he was the only speck of bright color in the room.

"Why 'ello there! Not of'en we see some'fin so bright an' cheery 'roun' 'ere. An' a regular gen'leman at tha'. Respectable an' all."

Mrs. Lovett bustled over and placed her paw on his arm, smiling genially.

"I'm sure that you've 'eared all about Mistah Todd's reputation already if you've come 'ere. 'E'll treat you right, 'e will."

[Nathalia]

"Trim? I kin do tha' no problem. If you like I can bump the price from 5 to 6p and make sure it doesn't grow from the point it's cut to at all."

The wolf quipped, his humming dying off, though the first few words were said still in tune with the harmonics he had been humming before dropping back into his growling talk.

He had just turned back around, an old-fashioned razor open in his hand and one small jar of ointment at the ready on the table.

"Right, now I'll just-""

The door burst open before he could finish his sentence and Mrs. Lovett was very suddenly fondling his customer.

He hadn't even heard what the woman had said, he didn't feel like dealing with her, he had experienced an unsettling dream the night before...it had centered enough around her that he had hoped not to run into her directly today.

"Mrs. Lovett, please unhand my customer and go back to your shoppe, please...""

He managed to mutter, tone as flat as his ears laid back against his hair. Razor held out in front of him, not in a threatening manner, but in a gesture the Cat would realize as exasperated.

[The Jenn]

Rogers relaxed slightly at the offer, curious how the man would go about doing what he proposed, but it was an offer he hadn't yet heard any other barbers make. "That sounds like a fair deal," he agreed with a small nod. "I'll pay you six, then, in exchange for the service."

He felt a faint shiver down his spine as the Lowlander bustled into the shop via a door he'd only briefly noticed before and walked over to him. Sometimes being eye-blindingly colorful was an advantage. Most of the time it was just a pain, like right now. For all that she seemed a very intact example of her region, and almost certainly a mix with that blue half of her face, he still felt a bit of his skin crawl as she touched his arm and he had to violently repress the urge to run or shove her away.

The two of them obviously knew one another, judging by their conversation and the way she felt perfectly free to just saunter into his shoppe and... accost? his customers. The wolf didn't seem to appreciate her presence either, and the razor being waved at the feline - and, consequently, right in his face - scared the ever-loving crap out of him. "Ah. Ah, sir. Excuse me, Mr. Todd. Please... stop waving that around." At this point, his hackles had begun to rise in nervousness and his tail was fully bristled.

[Nathalia]

"Whu'?"

Mr. Todd stared at his customer not comprehending what it was the dog could mean. His eyes traveled slowly away from Mrs. Lovett's smug expression to the end of his arm.

There was a razor there...fancy that.

He hadn't even realized that he'd pulled the thing out of his pocket. Looking slightly ashamed, he quickly refolded it and stuck it back into its holster.

"Oh...sorry abou' tha'..." He muttered, eyes on the floor. Great, at this rate he was going to lose the only customer they'd had in a week. 6p Might not sound like much, but it was at least one decent dinner as far as he was concerned. He turned back to the Canine ready to attempt to smooth things over.

"Righ', sir if you could please jus' have a seat and I'll- Mrs. Lovett, please unhand my customer..."

He threw the cat a glare as she giggled, holding her hand up to cover her mouth.

"Oh Mr. T what's this? Are you upset 'cause I'm touchin' another man?"

So saying, she ran her hands up and down Rogers' arm, ruffling the fur, her claws lightly dragging against the skin beneath.

The Wolf raised an eyebrow.

"No."

Mrs. Lovett looked slightly reproachful.

"Oh, come now, Mr. Todd! You can't tell me you're not in the least bit jealous that..."

She stroked Roger's arm again, letting her fingers trail up to the sides of his face. She then caressed his cheek gently, starting to purr.

"I'm 'angin' off of anover...rather pretty man, if I do say so..."

She grinned, her purr fully audible now.

Mr. Todd rolled his eyes skyward, as though seeking guidance. He then turned to the feline and held out his arms.

"'Course, you're righ'. I'm so jealous tha' I'm trunin' green, jus' c'mere, love, c'mere."

Mrs. Lovett gave a tiny delighted squeal and sauntered deliberately over to the Wolf, throwing her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder, saying something stupid that he didn't bother listening to. Instead he mouthed softy at the customer.

'M sorry.

Then began patting the feline on the back.

"Righ', fanks for puttin' a smile back in m' day, love. I need to get back to work now."

He muttered in the Lowland mix's ear, pushing her toward the door. She chuckled, her laugh deepened by the purr, as she sashayed off to her own shoppe.

"Anytime, Mr. T, have fun with the ears, there, love."

A snap of the door closing, and she was gone.

Mr. Todd turned back to his customer.

"Really, I am sorry 'bout tha'. Nuffin' I kin really do. Now if you'll just have a seat."

He muttered, herding the other Canine toward the barbers chair.

[The Jenn]

This was getting too bizarre for Rogers, really it was. That the man was capable enough of trimming his ears he had little doubt, since Johnathan Harfor always appeared extremely presentable and swore that this was the only barber he'd come to. On the other hand, did he really want this seemingly unbalanced crazy person with a blade in his ear.

Having the Lowland woman run her hands on him made his skin crawl even worse. People from that region were so utterly disgusting, even when their injuries weren't showing. She was an attractive 'enough' example of a mix, but still, it was like having a potential leper pawing at him. Not something he wanted, not at all, and the only reason he didn't react violently was because he was afraid of what might happen. And then she was touching his face, and he honestly felt a touch of bile rise up in the back of his throat at the thought of a Lowland woman carressing his face and purring.

When the barber was able to tempt her away, he couldn't help but make a slight choking noise before he swallowed loudly and worked to regain his composure. His fur absolutely refused to unbristle. And then he was being herded towards the chair by the unstable man with the sharp things.

No. No no no. This was not fine. He looked at the wolf with eyes slightly wider than they'd been before. "I... ah. No. I'm sorry, but I really think that I should leave."