A few moments later...
Calliedora and Amanda slipped through the many alleyways of the city without much of a word. If a single word tried to escape into the quiet atmosphere, they would probably both explode. The irritated iron grip Calliedora had on Amanda's right paw said just enough.
Amanda felt like a child again, following the everyday orders that her mother gave her. Well, she would call them "guidelines", to be specific. Either way, despite knowing that her mother was reasonably angry, a small part in Amanda's heart felt like she was taking it too seriously. They got away from Zuzu after all (Calliedora sort of extended her leg and made the cop trip over, much to Zuzu's disbelief). It was pure luck that she stumbled upon her mom while running for her life, she knew that much. The tall calico cat still felt a need to explain the situation to her though.
"Mama-" she started.
"Don't call me Mama" Calliedora bit back.
Oh god this is gonna suck...
Amanda hesitantly continues "Uhm...s-sorry...anyways, I didn't know that Zuzu was-"
"We conducted a heist last night that had made the citywide news, Amanda. What made you think that the law enforcers would be lenient on duty afterwards?" The old calico growled.
"I didn't know they would react to us that quicky; isn't there always crime mucking around?"
"Well, it just so happens that we are the ones causing most of that mucking around, Amanda!"
A headache was starting to form in the back of Callie's mind. Why couldn't her daughter use her common sense for once in her life? Every day always poses a risk for her plans to be shut down by these nagging officials and Amanda just fools around like its no big deal!! Calliedora contemplates her life choices as Amanda nervously rambles on in hopes to defend herself.
"What were you doing at the café, anyways?" Amanda questioned.
"I had to take a bit of time to take care of something." Calliedora replied.
"Mama, you had a coffee cup in your hand...it fell on the floor after you saw me pass by; I looked back and saw."
"What did I say Amanda? If you refer to me as Mama again you will face the consequences, understood?"
"...Mom."
"Yes, dear?"
"I really didn't think me going out would be such a big deal. Sure, our crimes may have leaked out a bit here and there, but I never thought of us being huge targets."
Calliedora stops and whips around, pointing a finger at Amanda. " We are only their main concern because they do not want me to succeed! I have great plans, amazing plans, and all they're concerned with is "letting things go" and "moving on" or whatever nonsense they spout off...they do not care to understand and take me seriously!!" Her glare makes Amanda's blood turn ice cold, too shocked to interject as Calliedora goes on. "You are one of, if not the only, person that understands the true value of my work here and what needs to be done. I want you to keep being on high alert at all times or else you will not be of any use to your dear mother, got it?"
The young calico's ears turn downwards as well has her heart once she comes to this realization once more. Time and time again she'd always gone through the same cycle when it came to her dead brother Petey: forget, remember, and regret. Don't blame the poor girl, for she didn't know that her purpose had shifted into being a tool to be used to unlock a future that her mother desired more than her. Even without knowing, the awful, gut-wrenching feeling that Amanda feels inside tortures her whenever she dissappoints her mother.
She nods her head slightly, her eyes looking at the ground as her tail tucking itself between her legs. Seeing her daughter wilt so easily causes Calliedora to soften her gaze. She sighs and grabs her daughter's hand, albeit a bit more gently than before, and resumes walking.
---
The lab was a combination of an abandoned grocery store on the bottom and empty office building on top. Remodeling and rebuilding has converted the neglected building into their own home (a strangely mishappened and dented home, but a home nonetheless). Callie places Amanda and ASD in a dirty and dingy storage room nearly filled to the brim with junk ranging from small moving boxes to huge slabs of wood.
"Alright, you two can sort out this room here while I work on calculating measurements for the machine upstairs. Don't fool around."
Calliedora then steps out of the messy storage room and heads on over to the totally secure and safe staircase (that Callie made herself, with a bit of help from ASD), climbing up the steps to her lab to do whatever the heck she was gonna do. ASD and Amanda look at each other, then at the mess. The tiny robot shrugged her shoulders and started picking up things, mentally categorizing things and sectioning off the room. The tall calico awkwardly stands to the side for a moment, not really sure where or how to start the task.
"You can grab those boxes at the top left corner of the room and bring them over to me." offered ASD, too focused in her work to look at Amanda.
Amanda blinked and shook her head as she broke her own awkward trance. "Oh, ok!" she squeaked in confirmation and heads over to that corner of the room, finally starting her own work.
They work with syncronized energy, calmly cleaning up the place without saying so much as a word. There wasn't any need for unnecessary chatter anyhows. All that was needed to be said layed in the art of action and movement. ASD wasn't satisfied with this however.
"So, Amanda...how did your walk go?" ASD tilted her head curiously.
Amanda tensed up, nearly dropping the glass bowl that she lifted from one of the boxes. "Uh, well, I kind of...had a few roadblocks here and there but ehm...it was alright..." She started fidgeting with the bowl, running her paws through the flower-like engravings on it.
"Those must've been some roadblocks for you to come back with both Calliedora and yourself in poor taste." quipped ASD.
The tall calico sighed. "Y'know how Mama is...she thinks it'll be the end of the world if I let myself have any bit of fun." She rotates the glass bowl, flipping it up and down. "I'm basically an adult now! I should be able to do whatever!"
"She just wants the best for you Amanda. You're kind of a lot for her to handle sometimes. Which is kind of wimpy of her to say but it is what it is..." the little robot shrugged her shoulders as she cleared the next box, taking the box that Amanda had in order to continue the cycle.
"Wait, did she say that about...me?"
"Kind of. I think it's one of those implied things, since I don't think that she would say that you're a mess or anything like that...sorry if that was harsh, I probably shouldn't have said anything."
"It's ok! Even with what you said in mind, I just know that Mama means...better than what she says...I hope..."
Amanda tried to balance the glass bowl with the tip of her paw without much thought. The bowl tetters from side to side at an uneven rate, causing her to lose whatever balance she had left and it starts to fall. The swift rescue of ASD's robot arm snatches it from shattering on the ground.
"Ack!” Amanda exclaimed, “Sorry, I should've held onto it better!"Recoiling herself, she brings her striped tail to her chest and fidgets with the end of it as a look of worry spreads on her face.
ASD smiled slightly and puts the bowl down gently to the side. "It's ok, you did your best. Not gonna hold it out on ya."
They continued sorting out the small room. It was one thing the both of them could do well.
YOU ARE READING
Dog Man: Rewritten (The Dang Story) (DISCONTINUED)
FanfictionThe tables have turned. An mother that has once has shined light into people's darkness has now delved deep into the pain and sorrow of losing her precious child, too afraid to let him go. She turns to the cold world of scientific discipline to poss...
