Much To my surprise…well, not that much surprise; this has a tendency of happening to me, I find myself writing a second chapter for this. Inspiration hit while I was in Hyde Park on the 18th watching some Irish dancers. Though I did decide, while typing this up, that everyone in this will have an Irish accent…expect for Tieria…I just can't picture him with an Irish accent….

Dylandy's Pub 2

"Neil." Lyle's voice was calm, overly so. "Haro is bright orange…how the hell do you lose a bright orange dog!"

His twin looked at him desperately. "Don't ask me. I thought it would be impossible."

"Did you try looking for it?"

Neil looked at him in a condescending manner. "Oh, what a fan-fucking-tastic idea! Why didn't I think of that simple solution to all of my problems?"

"Hey, I'm not the idiot who lost the impossible-to-lose dog."

"I'm not an idiot, I just got careless."

"No, careless was when you let angry Alle out front with a knife. This is stupidity. What are you gonna tell her when she gets here?"

"That's why I need you to come with me to the park and help me look."

"Oh no you don't, you're not dragging me down with you. She hates me enough as it is for making the thing orange in the first place. Not that it was even my fault, I was just the messenger. You'd think a week was enough time to see the funny side of things."

"Come on Lyle, she'll kill, me if I tell her I lost it. Just come and help me. We're sure to find him if we work together. Do it as a favour to your dear brother, no, your dear twin."

The twin in question crossed his arms. "And who will look after the pub while we're both away?"

"I can do it for you?"

The twins turned to see Miss Sumeragi leaning against the door frame of the office.

Lyle threw his hands wide and nearly shrieked his next words: "How do you keep getting in here?"

"Your staff should be more careful when typing in the lock code, anyone could see it."

"They shouldn't see it – it's back-of-house. Why would anyone even want to be there in the first place? Customers aren't allowed there, you're not allowed there."

Neil leaned on the back of his brother's chair, sporting a confused expression as he shook a finger towards the door. "Didn't I lock that behind me?"

"I have me ways." The busty woman examined her nails.

"Because that really inspires me to trust you with the pub," Lyle retorted.

"That's not the issue at hand here; it's whether you want to find your mysterious disappearing puppy."

"What are you even doing here?" Lyle continued, ignoring her comment. "It's Monday afternoon. Don't you have a job you should be doing?"

She stopped examining her nails. "Lunch break."

"It's three p.m.," Neil pointed out.

"It's a late lunch."

Lyle leaned back into his chair. "You don't actually have a job do you? That's why you're always here bugging us instead."

She smiled at them. "For your information, I work at home."

"Last time I checked this was a pub, not your house."

"Do you want my help or not?"

"No! We never want your help."

The brunette sighed. "Fine, I just hope that little Feldt isn't too heartbroken. I know how much she loved that dog."

"Miss Sumeragi?"

She smiled and slyly glanced back at him. "Yes, Mister Dylandy?"

"Get out my office. And," Lyle added, "my staffroom."

The woman walked away laughing, increasing his suspicions that she did this to wind him up.

"Lyle..." his brother started.

"No! There's no one else to look after the pub."

"Just leave it to Tieria. We can trust him and it's not busy. In fact, we're really quiet." His brother looked at him in such a forlorn manner that he couldn't help feeling sorry for him. "Please Lyle," he begged.

Lyle groaned. "Fine. You have one hour of my time."

"Thank you! I knew I could count on you." He grabbed his twin's wrist and dragged his brother from the room. "We'll take my car."

He closed the office door behind him, hearing the lock catch. He quickly made his way through the staffroom and down the corridor to the pub floor, still pulling his brother. He passed Tieria at the bar. "We're going out, you're in charge."

"Where you going?"

He turned to see his top waitress standing behind them.

"Hey Christina. We had a small accident."

The younger twin yanked himself out of his brother's grip. "We? I'm not the one who lost Haro."

Christina's eyes went wide. "You lost Haro! Feldt is gonna kill you." Her shock then faded into confusion. "Isn't he still bright orange. How'd you managed to lose him?"

"Just make sure Sumeragi doesn't get back into the office," Neil replied, and marched out of the pub. "I have a puppy to find."

(&)

Feldt place her bags in the staffroom. She looked at the office door. She was early, an hour so, but the library had closed earlier than she had expected and it really wasn't worth going home in that time so she had decided to come here to finish studying while she waited to start work.

She took out a tin of homemade cookies. It didn't work last time, but this time she had an excuse; a thank you present for looking after Haro all day. She approached the office door and knocked.

No answer.

She tried again. Still no answer.

She opened the tin and her face fell. Oh no, all the biscuits had broken apart! She couldn't give this to Neil now, and she'd spent yesterday evening trying to get them just right. She didn't know when they'd all broken up, all she'd done was sit in the library all day.

The staff door opened behind her and she turned to see Setsuna enter the room.

"Hello Setsuna. Aren't you early?"

"Lyle said he'd give me my uniform today."

"Oh, I see."

The room lapsed into awkward silence. She held out the cookie tin to him. "Cookie?"

He took a piece. "Thank you."

The room lapsed back into silence. The two teenagers stood three feet apart, Feldt looking awkwardly at the cookie tin, Setsuna munching on the cookie.

(&)

Lyle slumped against the make-table window, a large 'window' through which prepared and cooked food was passed to be served. An hour he had promised. One hour. And he had wasted two with his moronic brother. Said brother leaned against the wall opposite him.

"You guys look depressed," Alle said, leaning against the make-table.

"Feldt is gonna kill me."

"Why? What did you do?"

"Hey Neil," Christina came up to the owners. "Did you find Feldt's dog?"

Alle looked at them in disbelief. "You lost her dog?" He frowned. "How'd you los-"

"Lose a bright orange dog?" Neil finished in an exasperated tone. "By being an idiot."

"Poor dog." The brothers and waitress looked to the possibly psychopathic chef. "What? I like dogs."

Christina shook her head. "Well, you better know what you're gonna be telling her because she's coming on shift any minute now."

Neil groaned. "Don't remind me."

The door to the back of the pub swung open and the girl in question stepped through. She saw the group and smiled up at them. Her eyes were so happy, so trusting, so unaware of disaster and so ready to kill the loser of her dog. "Neil, thank you so much for looking after Haro today. It really helped." She looked around, missing the man's guilty expression. "Where is he?"

"I'm really sorry. I…."

The pink haired girl looked up at the older man. Her eyes were wide as fear began to creep into them. This was gonna be painful, Lyle's heart really went out to their young waitress.

"I…took Haro to our house. I just thought that after last week it would be better to keep him away from the pub. You know, in case something else happens. I'm really sorry, I should have asked first. I hope that's okay. I'll pick you up after work and I'll take you home."

"That's very kind of you Mist- Neil." She blushed a little, and Lyle wondered how his brother could be so thick and not notice she had a huge crush on him. "I should clock in. Oh," she turned to the other Dylandy twin. "Setsuna is still waiting for you to get his new uniform."

He slapped his forehead. "Bugger it, I forgot. I'll be with him in a minute. You go clock in."

"Okay," and with a quick nod she was off.

As soon as she was out of earshot Neil hissed out, "I've got four hours to find that god-damned dog." He disappeared, sprinting out the door.

Lyle smiled wickedly. "That's odd."

Christina looked round to him. "What is?"

His smile turned to a grin. "I've never seen a dead man run before."

(&)

A young woman walked into the Dylandy's pub, still dressed in her Irish dancing clothes from earlier that day. Her dress was a deep moss green, decorated with gold embroidery, while navy blue added more colour to the costume. The short and stiff skirt brushed her leg to half way down her thigh. She'd taken off her long socks and dancing shoes, opting for more comfortable trainers and pop socks. Her brown hair was tied back and styled into tight curls that she always felt looked slightly ridiculous. A matching headband adorned her head, more for appearance than practical use. She shifted the dog in her arms as she stepped inside to the bright and happy bar.

" lovely legs," a man to her left wolf-whistled.

She turned her head and gave the man a withering look that silenced any more howling from the drunken fool. Tossing her head, she walked past them, heading towards the manager's office.

"Hey, you!" As she reached the bar, the man behind it called out to her in a foreign accent. Well, she 'said' man, but if it hadn't been for his voice she would never have guessed. This guy was pretty. Very pretty. Prettier than any of the girls in her year, with his porcelain skin and immaculate purple hair. Not even his glasses were particularly masculine. This had to be Tieria she concluded. The 'man' continued, "You don't look eighteen."

She smiled at him. "That's because I'm not."

She didn't give him time to reply as she turned back to her previous task. Ah, there; near the back-of-house entrance stood two men and a little pink-haired waitress … did anyone have normal-coloured hair in this establishment? A few feet away stood an older waitress and a man who, judging from his uniform, was the chef this evening.

Neil spoke, "Feldt, about Haro…"

The dog in the Irish dancer's arms barked happily. The congregated group all turned round to her, the faces of all but the youngest betraying surprise.

The girl smiled. "Haro, there you are." She quickly strode towards the dancer and took the puppy into her own arms.

Neil's shocked, open-mouthed expression turned into a beaming smile. He threw his arms wide, narrowly missing his twin. "AMY! Beloved sister! You bought Haro from home. That was good of you, but you could have changed first, it wasn't that urgent, we could've waited." He slung an arm around her shoulders and continued babbling, not letting her voice her confusion. "Speaking of which, how was the competition? Bet you kicked those other guys' arses." He led her away to the kitchen door, with a quick reassurance that he'd be with Feldt in a few minutes, before continuing to talk to his sister. "Tell me about it and we'll sort something out for you to eat."

They vanished into the kitchen, still locked together in a crushing one arm hug. "It was great, but I didn't bring Haro from home."

"I know," her brother said out of the corner of his mouth. "I lost the puppy earlier, when I took him out for a walk. I told her I left it at home, to keep him out of trouble."

Ami looked at her oldest brother, her mind boggled. A flood of a hundred questions and comments filled her head. Finally her mind settled on one simple thought that stuck out in her mind: "Why did God give me brothers?"

"Because technically, dearest little sister, he gave your brothers a sister."

She snorted. "That doesn't make it any better."

He stopped and turned her to face him. He looked serious, except for that tell-tale sparkle in his eyes. "You wouldn't rather be all alone in the world than have two loving brothers looking out for you, now would you?"

She nodded. "You're right." She turned and continued walking, throwing over her shoulder, "I'd rather have a cat?"

End of Chapter 2

There you go another chapter. I have no idea if there will be another chapter after this, maybe if inspiration strikes again. Maria/Souma was actually originally supposed to be in this originally, but she didn't make the cut in the end. I hope you all liked this as much as the last one.