[Billy's gaze shifts to the door, and... there it is again, that wave of guilt, this time with a very different target in mind. They'd been gone two weeks now, and the week prior he'd been a horrible owner/parent, neglecting the animals or just simply ignoring them, leaving them to the doppleganger to care for, and they hadn't liked it at all. And really, how could he expect them to? It wasn't real. It wasn't Teddy. No amount of wishes or magic could ever have fixed that. They'd even sensed that something wasn't right about him, his mind or the magic he'd been exuding non-stop the entire time, but he'd been too preoccupied to care.
And now the prospect of facing them again, with that guilt in mind, is just as terrifying as leaving the clinic. The fact that they're animals, forgiving creatures by nature, doesn't help. If anything it makes it worse.
Suddenly fretful, rather than dwelling on it, he opts to try and focus on what little positivity he can garner from this- he tugs his hand free of Teddy's and gives him a little nudge, leaning against the wall instead to keep him from bolting outright. At least they can be happy to see Teddy, and Teddy deserves a reunion that isn't tainted by his mistakes. He tries, god he tries, to smile for him.]
[Action, October 21st]
And now the prospect of facing them again, with that guilt in mind, is just as terrifying as leaving the clinic. The fact that they're animals, forgiving creatures by nature, doesn't help. If anything it makes it worse.
Suddenly fretful, rather than dwelling on it, he opts to try and focus on what little positivity he can garner from this- he tugs his hand free of Teddy's and gives him a little nudge, leaning against the wall instead to keep him from bolting outright. At least they can be happy to see Teddy, and Teddy deserves a reunion that isn't tainted by his mistakes. He tries, god he tries, to smile for him.]
Yeah... go ahead. They've missed you...