Next: Chapter 2
AD-HOC Campus
Delia spots a newcomer skulking near the ad-hoc premises, early in the morning. Curiously early for any visitors. She shifts to all fours and walks closer, trying to get a read without being noticed. After all, she's just a dog...
Gillian loiters near the side of the main building, fidgeting in the shadows of the early morning, holding a scrap of paper with the address hastily written down. She looks exhausted, having not slept much at all in the past few days, and completely unsure of herself.
She's a Satyr, a half-goat Demi with pale pink fur across her body, and long blond hair cascading over her face and shoulders. It almost obscures her face, all the better to hide that she's been crying. Atop her head are two goat-horns curling upwards. She doesn't quite seem lost, but certainly seems reluctant to step forward.
Delia sits down few metres away on a sunny spot, after inching closer behind this Satyr. The corgi tilts her head as she watches, feeling fairly certain that whoever this lost soul is... she's in the right place. Delia stares for a while, but after the third fidgety look between AD-HOC's front door and the crumpled paper, she decides she has to do something. With a bit of a cough-woof, she clears her throat quietly, but certainly well enough for the faun to hear.
Gillian eeps, letting out a startled noise somewhere between a muffled scream and a squeak as she practically hops forward into the light. She spins a bit nervously, glancing around until she notices Delia, "Oh gosh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to um... I um... I'll move on, out of the w-way..."
The feral corgi lets out a very human giggle: "Do you apologize to all dogs, or am I special?" She shakes her head, then looks over the satyr now that she can see her better. Her sudden morning company has definitely seen better days... or months. "Can I help you?"
Gillian seems completely uncertain about this turn of events, the corgi stepping towards her a very different presence from the large shadowy canines that she'd thought she'd seen... (Nawa's Jackals, who had surely already scoped her out and dismissed her as a threat, but who can certainly be intimidating to even be near without catching sight of them). Somewhat disarmed by the strangeness of it all, she glances away, clenching the paper in her hand. "I um... n-no, it's alright. I'm just... um... I was looking... for someplace to stay? B-but I can keep going... I don't know if this is even right for me."
Delia tilts her head: "You certainly are a demi, so in that regard you are in the right place." She glances at the front doors of the facility, then gives a feral approximation of a shrug, once again a very human movement from the diminutive canine: "Despite what the news occasionally put out, we do welcome everyone at AD-HOC."
Gillian lowers herself down a bit to get closer to Delia. "You're... a demi too, right? D-do you live here? A-AD-Hoc?" She checks the paper again, as if she thinks the address will have changed in the past minute.
Delia nods, then pauses, then nods again. "Well, I do and I don't. Technically I have my own apartment nearby. Practically I am constantly accused of basically living here anyway. Some people forget I have a lot better hearing than most." Her ear twitches at something or other as she talks, and there's the smallest bit of hurt in her voice.
Gillian seems to only get more confused, "O-oh... oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like you need this kind of help, just because you're a demi... I um... I just... I..." She hesitates, looking pained, then drops the rest of the way down to her knees, sniffling, "I... I need help. A-and I saw an advertisement, and... and I just... need... somewhere..."
Delia shakes her head, then with a small groan, forces herself to shift onto her anthro form, still shorter than Gillian by a bit, and thankfully long brown-and-white fur covering everything relevant. After this moment of focusing, she smiles warmly: "I definitely needed all the help back then, so the least I can do is pay some of it forward." She pauses, then offers a paw towards the faun: "I'm Delia, the janitor around these parts."
Gillian watches Delia shift form, still uncertain and afraid, but not of this were-Corgi in front of her. She slowly reaches out to accept her paw. "I-... I'm Gillian, the maid around... w-well, nowhere now."
Delia smiles and gives Gillian's hand a soft squeeze: "Well, right now you are safe. If I had to guess, you're also hungry. Come on, I'll treat you for a breakfast, no life alterning choices should be made on an empty stomach!" The corgi is actually rather excited, perhaps because she sees some of herself in the faun, or because it's a great excuse to skip some of her morning routine.
Gillian smiles softly, "T-to be honest, I'm p-probably not all that hungry at all." Her stomach growls in protest to her words, and her expression falls a little. "I... I only have a little bit of money, and I wouldn't want to impose on you. It... it does sound really nice though. Are you sure it's okay?"
Delia shrugs: "I don't think anyone cares, this early there's probably even no one else around." She smiles, gently guiding the faun back up, realizing she's shorter than her - not that she is all that surprised, she's shorter than basically everyone. "It's just cold cafeteria sandwiches and whatnot, but it'll do." She pauses. "Also, coffee. That helps."
Gillian slowly stands at Delia's prompting. "Oh um... okay. I'll take whatever is offered, I'm not picky, I promise. Sandwiches and coffee sound plenty good." She hesitates again, cringing, "The truth is... I've not eaten at all the past few days. I was too concerned with finding my way here."
Delia gives Gillian a worried look: "Oof. That sounds... you know, nevermind. Probably not stuff you want to delve into, and food is more important." She gives Gillian's hand another small squeeze before letting go: "Don't worry. You're a demi, so by default you have a place in here."
Gillian sighs, but her hand doesn't move from Delia's grasp "It's... it's alright. It's mostly my fault... and I... just..." her voice drops to a whisper as she seems to relive something, "I... a place... sounds nice. T-thank you, Delia."
Delia is slightly surprised at Gillian not letting go, but doesn't find herself minding either. "Shush. We can talk about all that ugly stuff that led you here, later. For now, let's get you inside and some food in you and a roof over your head."
Gillian seems to be about to say something more, but instead she just closes her mouth and nods. "T-that is why I came here, I suppose. You're right... I keep telling myself, 'Just keep moving forward, just keep moving on and don't look back.'"
Delia smiles as she pushes the door open with one hand: "Well, here you are, for better or for worse. Hopefully, for the better." Once in the lobby, she gives the receptionist a wave, nods her head sideways at Gillian and leads the faun towards the cafeteria, not really even waiting for an 'okay' from behind the desk - or from the faun. The corgi is on a mission now.
Gillian simply follows alongside the corgi, still holding her other hand despite their size difference. A hand offered in sympathy is something new to her, and she'd still be lost otherwise.
The receptionist gives her an odd look, expecting to give some paperwork to new arrivals, or to end up calling down one of the volunteers to help her in, but they recognize Delia... so... they just shrug and let the pair through.
Moments later, the pair is sitting in the very morning-quiet cafeteria, consuming said sandwiches and coffee in amicable quiet. Delia does not feel like pushing further just yet, since she is first hand familiar how hard it can be to talk about the reasons why one ends up at AD-HOC's door. She just opts to give Gillian a warm smile in between bites.
Delia hums to herself for a second as she appraises Gillian. "I don't know your story, but pretty much no one comes seeking us in desperation by accident. So, I just sort of want to make myself clear: you have a safe place here, for exactly as long as you need it, however long that may end up being."
Gillian eats rather embarrassingly quickly at first, then seems to note that she's in the open, with Delia watching, and blushes as she slows her pace to something a bit more 'civil'. She eats, eyes downcast, until Delia speaks up again... then she slowly puts folds her hands in front of her at the table and sighs. "I... I don't know how long I need. I might have made a mistake in coming here. I just felt... alone? Unwanted, maybe... and I was a fool and ran away."
Delia smiles: "At the very least, you are not alone anymore. I can keep you company, if you don't mind it."
Gillian blinks, staring at Delia, "You... can? I... I don't mind at all! I just wouldn't want you to waste your time on my behalf... I'm not good for much, I'm afraid."
Delia leans back as much as she dares, considering her small stature: "It's my time to waste should I choose so. And it can be a bit lonely getting started in here, so I figure, why not?"
Gillian smiles weakly, "I really don't know what I'm supposed to do here, I only saw that this would be a welcoming place. You've certainly proven the truth of that. Just don't get in any trouble on my account."
Delia grins a bit: "It's my trouble too, if I so decide." She then shakes her head: "But no. I have no schedule really, just a set of things to do each day. As I said, janitor. You're not interrupting anything I can't do a bit later."
Gillian giggles quietly, covering her mouth with a hand politely. "Then I don't see how I could possibly say no. Thank you, Delia."
Delia offers her paw across the table: "Things will turn out better from here. I promise."
Gillian reaches out and takes Delia's paw, holding it gently. "M-maybe... I feel like... you're right. Yeah, you're right. They will."
Delia gives a small grin: "That's the spirit. Once you've eaten, I'll take you back to the reception I took you by there, and we can roll things from there onward." She lets out a bit of a giggle: "Probably better it was me and not one of the AI's that found you. Lei would have speed-toured you across half the facility by this point."
Gillian takes a moment before she releases Delia's paw and brings it back to her food. "O-oh gosh... I... I don't know if I could have handled that. It's already so much... but, if that's the case, then you're probably right. I'm glad you found me."
Delia smiles warmly: "For some of us, one step at a time, it works better. I was in pretty rough shape myself when I first stumbled my way here."
Gillian blushes, "Oh gosh, how rude of me! I... I didn't realize you might have been... y-you said janitor so I just assumed... but I didn't mean to think... I mean, I suppose you're a Demi too, so it makes sense." She raises a hand to try and hide her embarrassment, "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories, I'm sorry!"
Delia waves a paw: "Story for another time. Ancient history, for some. Don't want to darken your first day, as it were." She smiles, forcibly changing the subject from both her past and the flood of apologies: "So! Since we are about done here, how about we get you started and situated, and we can figure out what you want to do from there?"
Next: Chapter 2