[Veronica - November 27]

How Mathias had come away with two dogs was completely beyond him. He liked dogs well enough, so long as they belonged to someone else, mostly due to the fact that he'd been bitten as a child. As a general rule, he preferred cats. They were less needy by far and he found them easier to tolerate and easier to take care of, which was why he had no idea why he'd agreed to adopt two dogs.

Maybe it was how sad they'd both looked. River said their owner had disappeared recently and had raised them both from birth, so Mathias could understand why they were sad. They were both well trained, trailing after him as he led them toward Veronica's hut, wondering how he was going to explain how he'd ended up with two dogs. At least she liked dogs and he wasn't about to bring home two of her most hated animals.

He just didn't understand how it had happened.

One of the dogs -- Hal, the older one -- whined softly in her throat and Mathias glanced back at her, then held out his hand. "It's okay," he said quietly, letting her sniff his fingers before he rubbed her ears gently. She looked worried, her eyes large and sad and he felt himself sympathizing with them both. Even if dogs didn't understand loss the same way humans did, they'd still lost something. Someone important.

"My brother died," he told her. "I understand."

Maybe it wasn't the best start to a new relationship, but he really did understand.