Laid Back

After washing her hands Hanako sat at her kotatsu and started writing in her dream journal.

"Planck liked Monster Pups... He actually did quite a lot this time around... We played spies for the king... We met a dragon, Epsilon…"
Hanako stopped writing. Aim of a dream journal was to remember dreams better, but does she want to remember how it ended? She resumed writing.

"Paradox Prince appeared... Damn is that name lame. What time is it?"

She turned her phone on. It was afternoon, she slept for 16 hours.

"Konbini it is. Maybe I'll eat at the dog park. I'll buy some treats, smell will lure them in..."

A mischievous plan was brewing in her head. Her wardrobe didn't have any casual clothes. Black suits, white shirts, there was little color in her apartment.

***

The dog park was always lively. When she leaves for work, it's mostly teenagers and elderly walking their pupils. People her age were too busy standing in traffic or working to walk their pets. If they had any to begin with. Despite not having one herself local community knew she liked to come and watch the dogs. If they made eye contact they'd either politely smile or wave hands. Dogs playing with each other, kids throwing balls and their pets fetching them. Very rarely someone didn't know proper dog park etiquette and would disrupt this blissful picture, but today wasn't that day.

Hanako sat at a bench and hung her cane on the backrest. She was eating fried chicken, rice and a sandwich. For dogs she bought some dry dog food. An elderly lady's schnauzer approached her and stared at her and her snacks. She also needed a cane, so she would let her dog loose, let him run around for a bit and then call him back.

"Hi puppy, you're hungry? I think your mama wouldn't mind if I gave a treat or two."

"Tanaka?"

She twitched. One of the drawbacks of having a common last name is you think people call out for you when they don't. This wasn't the case though.

"Suzuki?"

"I didn't know you have a dog."

"I don't."

"Then why are you in the dog park, talking to a dog, with dog food nonetheless?"

"I'm, well, watching the dogs. I like to watch."

Three responses. That's how much she managed without saying anything weird. Hanako didn't like this situation. She'd rather keep work and dogs separate. She checked her watch out of habit.

"Oh, it's so late already? I'm sorry I have to go home."

"Oh, no, it's fine. See you on Monday."

Running away from a conversation is awkward as it is, but a dog circling you for treats as you try to not step on it with a cane makes it much worse.

***

Back at home, Hanako changed in her onesie and despite just eating, ordered a pizza. She considered a kebab, but in her experience writing fiction goes much smoother over a pizza. On Sundays she liked to indulge into some unhealthy foods. Nothing extreme. Drinking calories was not an option, caffeine was public enemy number one and artificial sugars ensured poor sleep. Pizza however had none of that, so it was perfectly fine to order one and do some world building. She pulled out her laptop, a set of dice and looked up various "lists of 100 things". Hanako picked up her d100 and rolled.

Let's see what I'll be doing next time. 21... A guild, noble etc. gets robbed in the near future? That sound fun.

She picked up her 'things to try' notebook to look for something adequate

She looked at the dog-eared page of 'd'Algebria' and fixed the ear. Then, she started writing:

"Incorporation of d'Algebria into the kingdom of Arithmia didn't go as smoothly as one would hope. Natural disasters, disappearances, sightings of a dragon. While most of the formerly independent d'Algebria didn't experience that many problems, those on the border, especially in the vicinity of the village Grenze, will probably never accept the loss of independence."

Unsure how to continue, Hanako felt relief when she heard a ring.

***

"My hand hurts... What time is it? So late already? Time for bed..."

She needed to clean the room first. Cluttered room meant cluttered mind, or so she was told. Warm bath, freshly washed pajamas and sense of accomplishment are a perfect recipe for good night's sleep. Hanako hobbled to the bedroom and started her favorite breathing technique.

Breathe in. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three...