Corey stood from his seat and tossed a twenty dollar bill onto the table along with Ara's. Corey also didn't care to pay for the others from time to time as he tended to be more financially stable than the others. And besides, he'd probably make a hundred or so at the party that night so it was no loss to him. He courteously exchanged farewells with Mick and headed outside of the café just in time to watch Howard slink away and around the corner, out of sight.
"Little guy's upset huh?"
He asked Riley, shrugging into his denim jacket with a relaxed expression.
"There's a bus stop around the corner, he's probably headed there. He can't drive and his usual haunts are too far to drive to."
Corey whistled once and patted the side of his leg and Magnus came barreling out of the café to his side.
"He's really sensitive. You have to be careful what you say to him."
Corey explained before slowly walking up the street after the boy. Magnus followed, his tail low as he picked up on the stress from his human companions.
Corey casually walked over to the little bus stop and leaned against the small tree that grew there, for decoration and shade during the summer months. Its red-brown leaves rustled softly in the breeze but otherwise the world was quiet. Magnus slowly stalked over to Howard's side and plopped down next to him, nudging the young man with the tip of his nose. Magnus was more than just a bomb sniffer, he was a decent therapy dog too. In Afghanistan, Magnus would always sniff out the one soldier having an especially bad day and would usually go demand to be played with or petted until the person felt better. A brush with death and a case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder hadn't changed that.
"Alright bud, what's wrong? Magnus wants to know."
Corey asked. Magnus rubbed up against Howard in similar fashion to a cat.