The worst news imaginable had just struck Val’s ears. Supposedly, Foofy would have to be put down tomorrow if he did not find a new home. In actuality, even if no one adopted him, Foofy would not die. She had no idea how, but Val would think of some way to save him before tomorrow.

Val had just expressed her discontent over the news in which the shelter worker had delivered to her.

To that, the shelter worker agreed with a solemn nod along. “Just about every dog here is a good dog and most certainly, none of them deserve to be put down. The reason why I wanted to warn you...” the shelter worker continued, voice rising in a hopeful tone, “was in case you wanted to convince your family to adopt him. I know that you had mentioned making a deal with your mom to get a dog.”

Val lifted her frantic gaze up to him. What with the way that she had just started a fight with her mother, his suggestion did not offer much hope. With another moment's consideration, however, her opinion flipped one-eighty. What if Val could use their differences to guilt her mother into letting her have a dog early? As bad as she would feel manipulating her mother’s emotions like that, it would be for the sake of saving Foofy’s life.

With a fierce nod, Val said, “I can convince my mom to adopt Foofy. Will we be able to come tomorrow when she is off of work?”

“Absolutely. We will be open at our usual hours.”

“That will be perfect!” Val now existed in a state of optimism, truly believing that she could goad her mother into letting her have a dog. This lifted her spirits higher than if the shelter worker had never told her the bad news in the first place.

To express her degree of elation, Val would whistle a tune if only she knew how. Instead, she had to settle for the skip in her step as she went to the kennels.

“Foofy,” Val sang.

Barking started up throughout the shelter but was then snuffed out by the blanket of Keep the Peace. She did not have the desire to hear any woofs, except for the ones that belonged to Foofy.

Then, she heard that which she wished to hear. One happy yap came from Foofy’s mouth as that Dobie pranced up to her from behind the bars. His whole body wiggled with his wagging nub of a tail.

“Yes. Hi there, Foofy. I have the best news ever. You are going to be my dog by tomorrow!” Just this morning, she had imagined what it would be like to have Foofy as her very own, and now that fantasy would become her new reality.

Val sprung Foofy from the cage, hooked on his leash, and set out on the most joyful walk with him yet. With any luck, this should be their last walk as shelter dog and volunteer. By tomorrow, they would walk together as pet dog and master. Val took to observing the surrounding city with starry eyes for her near future.

After volunteering, Val hurried home to make this official with her mother. “Mom, I’m home,” Val called as soon as she stepped foot into the kitchen. She carried on forward and found herself hopping against the back of a chair.

“Someone seems to be in a particularly good mood today.” Likewise, her mother smiled back to her.

Val broke eye contact in favor of lifting her eyes up to the ceiling. The urge to curse herself contorted within her.

Here, Val had given her mother some relief, likely thinking that she had gotten over last night’s issues. With that assumption, her mother would be far less likely to cave to Val’s wishes now. Perhaps, though, Val could regain the upper hand in these negotiations by flipping her mother’s expectations inside-out. “I am so happy because by tomorrow, I will have a dog.” Val stated the truth plainly.

“What do you mean?” Her mother offered a confused tilt of her head. With her hands resting on her hips, she took on a more imposing stance than her usually soft mother would take. “We had agreed that you could have a dog only once you have attended school for a full month. It has only been one week.”

“Yeah, well the whole point of getting a dog was to make this place bearable. The house has been too quiet and empty with Ross gone. Now that I know that you were the one to send him away, I cannot stand it here anymore!” Val charged her voice with the most emotive display that she could manage, thick with frustration. To add to the effect, she tossed her hand in a dramatic flail against the back of the chair.

The chair careened forward and smacked against the table. The wood collided together with a loud enough clack to make her mother jolt. Even the table reacted viscerally, scooting backward some inches.

The gesture of her arm had been casual on Val’s part. With that motion, she intended to emphasize her strength as a demigoddess. Not to threaten her mother or anything, but her mother ought to be reminded that her daughter was strong. Val could leave right this second for the Summit of Ascension, and she would find her way there eventually, no doubt.

“I demand that we have a dog. If you do not let me have one, I will leave for the Summit at once.”

“No,” her mother said forcefully, her voice growing into a boom. “You are in the wrong here!”

Val shrank back with wide eyes. It was doubtful that her mother had ever addressed anyone in such a commandeering nature before.

“You do not get to make demands with me. I am your mother, for crying out loud! Do you have any respect for me at all? You must not, given this way that you are trying to bypass civil negotiations with me. I provide for you in this house, so at least show me the respect that I deserve. If you refuse to give me that respect as your mother, then you might as well leave for the Summit now.” A rigid finger pointed toward the door, right where Val had just come from.

These days, her mother did not provide for them; Ross’s savings did. Pointing out this fact would do nothing to refute her mother’s anger. The ethos of her qualms remained intact, because Val did behave poorly for a daughter.

“Yes, Mom,” Val said meekly. Fine, she thought. She had to admit that she had been out of line.

Yet when she wanted to rephrase her stance in a more respectful light, she found herself unable to speak in the presence of her mother. Val had to have more of a backbone than this, yet it was if she had been compelled to silence by some power far greater than herself.

“Now, we will stick to our original agreement,” her mother continued. “You will have a dog at the end of this month, so long as you keep up with your perfect attendance at school. Furthermore, I want you to stop acting as if you have been wounded by what you have discovered last night. Nothing about your situation here has changed. Stop making me out to be the villain for simply setting Rosamer on the right path for him.”

Her teeth bit into her tongue. So badly, her mouth wanted to spit out an automatic ‘yes, Mom’, just as she had done before. Despite what her body wanted to do, Val herself had no desire to say that.

Conversely, she also could not bring herself to say that which she wished to say, either. An independent thought could not seem to formulate in her mind. Instead, her mother’s words hung up in her thoughts, held in some false esteem.

“Mom,” she managed at last, “I am sorry that I have initiated this conversation in such an aggressive manner.” Her head hung low as she admitted, “I thought that guilting you might be more effective than begging.”

Her mother pursed her lips in consideration. “I suppose that I can respect that logic. In general, negotiations do go better from a position of power. With those who are familiar to you, though, negotiations go best from a position of truth. Those who care about you are more than willing to help you, if only you treat them with honesty and respect. You should remember that, Val.”

With a swallow, she let those words sink in. Indeed, that made for a nice enough philosophy. Some ancient thinker could have scribbled it down to keep as a proverb. Her mother probably thought that one up during a yoga session, or something like that.

“Would you like to tell me the truth of what is on your mind, then?”

Val took in a deep breath. Dogs died in the animal shelter all of the time. Would her mother understand that this one dog simply could not? Somehow, she would need to convince her mother to see Foofy in the same, wonderful light that she has come to see him in. Val looked her mother in the eyes to make her second attempt at persuasion.