Lily barked softly from the yard and ducked into the house, scittering over to Cameron and sniffing him awake with a couple barks. Cam looked down at Lily and sighed, standing slowly and making his way to the door. Lily followed him, and practically walked out the door to the other dog curiously.
"What do you want?" Cameron asked dully, not in a threatening or mean way, just in an exhausted way. He grabbed Lily's collar and gently tugged her back.
“Hello, cutie,” Ava ignores Cameron at first in favor of his beautiful dog. Kreja seems just as thrilled by this and wags his tail as he stretches out to sniff the big dog in greeting. The poor pup would just love to make a new friend so he’s rather disappointed when the other dog gets pulled away. Once she’s sure that her troublesome companion will behave, she turns her attention to the man standing before her. “You looked pretty upset last night so I came to check on you,” She answers with a small shrug.
Lily was still sniffing at Kreja and straining towards him, her tail wiggling in midair as she focused. Cameron mumbled to the older girl and tugged her again. She sat down obediently, barking softly up at him. He stroked her head gently.
"I'm doing fine," He lied through his teeth. He wanted to say that he didn't need to be checked up on, but clearly that was a lie, too. "Howe are you doing?"
Kreja’s entire body wiggles as he wags his tail, delighted that the other dog is friendly. Ava chuckles quietly at the young dog before scooting him back. “That’s bullshit. You look miserable, even a blind person could see that,” She tells him bluntly. “Are you going to tell me how you’re really doing or are we going to repeat the same stupid routine from last night?” She asks, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Knowing full well that he doesn’t care how she’s going, she ignores the question.
Lily whined softly but didn't move forward like she wanted to. Cam told her to sit, so she would sit and be good.
"I don't know what you mean by that. If you're referring to me acting like a kicked puppy then yes, I feel fucking miserable, like I said last night. It's not a stupid routine," He explained dully with a sigh. "Can I go back inside now? I need to call the insurance company and my bank to see what's covered." Probably nothing, He muttered under his breath.
“You can go back inside whenever you want but I’m coming in as well. Don’t you know that it’s rude not to invite your guests inside? People who are fucking miserable need company anyways. Besides, Kreja could use a new playmate and he seems to get along with your dog,” Ava says, offering him a perfectly sweet smile. She manages to catch enough of what he muttered to put the pieces together. Money issues. That’s tough.
Cam sighed slowly and opened up the door, slumpimg back into the living room of his home with a faint, unenthusiastic, "Come on in…"
Lily straightened up ane wiggled on her spot. She wanted to follow her master, but she also wanted to play with the new dog. Her large tail thumped on the ground.
“You’re much too kind,” Ava comments, her grin growing a bit bigger. She steps into the house and let’s Kreja off of his leash and slipping the item into her pocket. “Be good,” She warns him lightly before trailing after Cameron. Entering the living room, she glances around. It’s a pretty nice place. The Akita mix bounds up to the big Saint Bernard, his tail wagging like crazy.
Cameron plopped down onto his couch. His livingroom was decored in almost the same color scheme as his restaurant, with a cool gray color as the carpet and furnishings, a faded eggshell blue rug that has definitely seen better days, a coffee table in front of the couch, in front of that a fireplace that was on. Which was odd, since it was in the middle of summer.
"Make yourself comfy," Cam invited as Lily got to her paws, snuffling behind the other dog's ears delicately.
Ava claims one of the chairs and takes a seat. “I take it that you like blue,” She comment dryly, taking everything it. In all honestly, the place is very nicely decorated, not that she’ll ever say that. She looks over to the fire place in confusion. Why on earth is that thing on when it’s the middle of summer? She lightly shakes her head and glances over to the dogs. Kreja stops moving to allow Lily to sniff at his ears. He knows that this is her house and that he needs to respect her.
Cam shrugged. "We're near the beach, aren't we?" He asked just as dryly, staring into the fireplace with a faint sigh. His phone laid pathetically on the coffe table, still on, next to a bottle of beer. Cameron really didn't want to call them. He'd take any excuse he could not to. He shook himself and glanced up at his guest hazily. "So did you want something to eat?"
Lily barked softly at the other and trotted across the house to the outside backyard, going towards a slobbery, beaten up tennis ball and picking it up.
“I’m good,” Ava answers at once, not really trusting the state that he’s in. It looks like he’s been drinking all night instead of sleeping. She can’t confirm if this is true or not but it’s certianly how things look. Standing up, she crosses the room and grabs the beer bottle off of the table. She immediately heads into the kitchen, puts the beer on the counter, searches the cabinets until she finds a cup, and then fills it with water. She returns to the living room and hands the cup to Cameron. “Drink,” She tells him calmly. Kreja follows Lily into the backyard, exploring the entire area the second he gets outside. When he sees the tennis ball he barks and spins around in an excited circle.
Cameron straightened up slightly out of his slump to watch her carry his drink away. He frowned when she disappeared and slumped back down with a sigh, looking up at her and the cup when she returned.
"I'm not thirsty," He answered dully. "Thanks anyway."
Lily set the ball down between her large paws and watched him, slowly getting into a 'play' position, barking softly at him.
“If you’re thinking about calling the bank or your insurance company, you need to sober up a little first and work on sounding more normal,” Ava tells him, shoving the cup into his hands. “They aren’t going to take you seriously if you sound like this. Being sad is normal but it isn’t their job to be sympathetic, it’s their job to decide if you’re worth shelling out money or not.”
Kreja bows at Lily before trotting over to her and taking the ball. He gives his a vicious shake of his head before nudging the other dog’s shoulder and moving away. He’s always looking for someone to play tag with.
Cameron sighed and shook his head, taking a sip of the drink. "You don't understand. They won't give me money nevertheless. I make too much, and there's no point in raising my rates when I need all the money I have. I'm just fucking stuck." He finished the drink in a second gulp and set the cup down, shaking his head.
Lily barked softly again and bounded after the second dog in long strides, bending her head and picking up the ball easily. Her tail wagged happily.
“How much money do you need?” Ava’s mind is already whirling as she considers an idea. Before she died, she squirreled away a shit ton of money for emergencies and put it in a bank under a fake name. Not even her father knows about it. This means that she’ll have to return to Kletin but if she does it carefully, it shouldn’t be an issue. The bank she used minds their own business and asks no questions. Depending on how much money is needed, she might be able to shell out a good amount.
When Lily successfully get the ball from him, Kreja turns and starts to chase after her. He’s a large dog but the Saint Bernard is still bigger.
Cameron rose his head to squint at her. "None from you. I don't want to take your money for stupid things like this. I'll just have to borrow some from my ex-wife or something," He sighed, shaking his head and leaning back into the couch. Which will be exhausting. Her husband will be suspicious…
Lily bounded away from the other dog at an easy, loafing pace, her tail wagging in his face as she ran around the yard.
“This isn’t stupid, the restaurant is important to you,” Ava says, trying her hand at being nice. It feels weird. “Don’t go crawling back to your ex-wife.” She shakes her head at him. She’s a bit surprised to learn that he had once been married but she doesn’t show it. “The damage to the island is my fault, at least let me help pay for it,” She tells him, leaning up against the wall.
Cam sighed deeply. "It'll be more than just the island. The idland can handle a few bullet holes, but the problem is my stove. It's brand new and totally destroyed. I didn't pay for a warranty because… well, because I'm just stupid and cheap." The warranty to pay for the stove was absurd, though. Cameron knew they were just going to rip him off with it.
"But I'm not taking money from you. You probably have things you need to pay for."
“Why are you making this so difficult? I’m offering to help pay for the stove or whatever else needs to be fixed. Your bank and your insurance company aren’t going to help so you may as well let me help you out here,” Ava tells him, stating the facts. “Money for me isn’t a problem. Would you just let me help you?” She asks with an exasperated sigh.
"I'm making this difficult because I don't want you wasting your money on someone you dislike! There's no point," He said with a sigh. "Trust me, I'd love to take your help. But I don't want to take it from a woman I don't know, and from one who doesn't like me. It's not right."
“And asking for money from your ex-wife is so much better?” She asks, rolling her eyes. “Consider this an investment. I use your restaurant more than any other in the entire city. If it closes, I’ll be forced to find somewhere else to eat and it’s just not worth the effort. I pay for some of the repairs and I get to use the restaurant as a safe place to eat and maybe I crash in the office if things get too dangerous at my current residence. Besides, Kreja likes the fries.”
Cameron frowned with a faint huff. "So you're proposing we work together." It wasn't a question. A statement. "An investment of how much money? I'll need a lot because I'm planning to renovate and expand my old refrigerator, which hopefully isn't destroyed."
“Basically, yes,” Ava confirms with a nod. “Again, it depends on how much you need. I’ll have to consult with my bank but withdrawing a large amount shouldn’t be an issue.” The good thing about coming from a rich family is being taught from an early age to manage money. Both she and her brother took to it with ease.
Cam sighed and ruffled up his hair from the back, making the curls stick up rather attractively. "Alright, I guess. Let's do it." He hoisted his legs on the couch, shaking his head. "I honestly don't know why I'm agreeing." But an investment of money sounds really nice. What else will she want from me?