dog days are only starting

[quinientos]

WHO: Vasquez
WHERE: South Village, River
WHEN: February 7
OPEN TO: All!
WARNINGS: n/a

---

If anyone had seen Vasquez when he'd been a wolf, it's only poetic justice that all of this is happening to him now.

Where before, he'd been the one to roam wild, not he's the one running. He'd opened the box in the north village, but almost instantly, the dog had been spooked by the kirin and had taken off, running and yipping (and probably terrified down to his little bones). He'd had a terrible moment of debating whether he should go after it before deciding that there were too many cruel things living in the shadows and no animal should be left to that.

Of course, what he didn't count on was how much of a fool he was going to look chasing after it, whistling after an animal that didn't even have a name. It's a good looking animal, one that he's seen herd sheep before, but running away like this means now Vasquez is the shepherd. He's already run back to the south village from the north and he looks it, panting and coughing (he really wants a smoke, too, but it's not the time).

He sees his chance when the animal is lapping up water at the stream. Chest heaving, he begins to creep up on it, ready to take his chance. He hunches over and tries to get all six-foot-four of him as close to the ground as he can, advancing until he's nearly on his knees. He readies himself, like a coil, and waits to spring forward.

Of course, his little dog decides he's all done with drinking, bounding away with a yip, right as Vasquez goes face-down into the stream, muttering and cursing. Sitting back, he swipes at his face and spits to the side, cursing in Spanish as he glares at the dog.

"You know, I could feed you to the kirin," he warns, even as the animal comes licking his cheek, like he's rubbing Vasquez's face in his idiocy. "Or the boar. Or any of the other animals."

Comments

[onesyllable]

As someone that found a wolf sleeping in his bed? This is all sweet, sweet retribution, and Faraday didn't even have to do anything to make it happen. Hell, he's not even sure what to think about this thing with pups popping out of a boxes, but watching Vasquez running around after the bright eyed fluffball is one of the best things he's ever seen.

While Vasquez runs, Joshua strolls along after them, not in a hurry, not rushing after the pup, but definitely enjoying the show.

Especially when Vasquez goes face first into the water. Faraday can't help himself. He cracks up, loud and long and literally bent over, giving his knee a slap.

Even as he wipes his eyes, still snickering as he shakes his head. "And don't you dare let your little friend near him then. No feeding him to anyone."

[quinientos]

He's annoyed that Faraday hadn't run along with him to avoid this chaos from happening. Irritated and wet, he stares at Faraday. "You shouldn't laugh like that," he warns. "There are much worse punishments that I can think of for you," is his pointed remark, leaning forward to haul the puppy into his arms, cursing at him in Spanish and calling him all sorts of impolite names.

"He's your roommate too, you know," he adds, as if that ever helps. "Besides, I don't think he eats dogs."

[onesyllable]

"Laugh like what? Like I just saw the best show ever?" Even as he asks though, he moves closer, reaching up to try and brush line of water from dripping into Vasquez's face from the edge of his hat.

"And you are my roommate, and wherever you go, I'll go with you," he says, scritching the top of the dog's head. "But that's really not reassuring."

[quinientos]

Vasquez is not so happy, but he allows Faraday to wipe away the water. If he keeps doing that, then maybe Vasquez won't do anything drastic like ban sex from Faraday just because he had the gall to laugh at him when he fell into the water.

"I'm just your roommate?" He knows they're not from this modern time and that things are still new between them, not to mention private, but he can't help but feel maybe a little disappointed at only being that.

[onesyllable]

Faraday fell quiet then, reaching up and removing his hat so he could step in that tiny bit closer to Vasquez.

"Now, I didn't say just," he points out, seeing his smart ass comment of excluding Bobo having the wrong reaction from Vasquez. "I don't know what it is we should call it, but I know what it is. It means, I go where you go, and your fights are mine, and if others find out and they give us shit? Then I'm going to leave them to bleed out where they fall because this," he says, gesturing between. "Is important, and it matters to me, and if men have to die for it? So be it."

[quinientos]

He reaches down to pick up the dog into his arms, not wanting it to run away in the middle of their conversation. It still feels very strange to be talking about this, but they have enough privacy, he thinks. "It means you and me, against the world," he echoes, with a determined glint in his eye, so ready for all of this.

It also means another word, but he's still too scared to say it, but in English. Spanish is a whole other story. "Te amo," is what he says. "I know you would fight for us, it means so much to me."

[onesyllable]

It's hard thinking about hiding things, and yet the fear of having to "handle" things if others find out is not something Joshua wants to deal with either. But right now, when it comes up that he has to put it in words, he's not willing to dodge around it and pretend he doesn't feel things.

Not if it might mean risking losing the man before him.

"Damn right it's you and me," he says, nodding. "Though the you in this is cheating right now," he points out, though he's grinning so he's obviously not bothered by that. "You know I've been asking around, trying to find someone to teach me everything you're saying."

[poaceae]

"What are you doing?"

Fern, having been lazing under a tree more than long enough to start looking like moss or a shrub, looks vaguely scandalized. Of course he doesn't get up to say this, that would take too much effort. Still, he's judging.

[quinientos]

Vasquez tries very hard to wipe water from his skin where he's been soaked, grimacing at having been bested by an animal. He doesn't want to admit that he's been played, but looking at the little wiggling bundle of "joy", he has to begin to think that yes, he has been outsmarted.

"I was trying to see what new thing I got. Smokes, maybe, or clothes. Instead, I get something trying to run away," he complains, eyeing the person-shaped something speaking to him. "Are you real? Or did I hit my head on a rock?"

[poaceae]

He glares at the stranger, sitting up for only a moment before slumping forward over crossed legs. He's wearing a shirt, shorts and a backpack, but they're difficult to distinguish if you aren't expecting them. They're made of grass the same way that Fern is.

"Of course I'm real. What kind of person gives a dog as a present?"

In his world dogs are people, just like him. They can't seem to talk here, but they're still people, right?

[quinientos]

"The same kind of person who usually drops me boxes of smokes," he says, but the look on his face hasn't exactly changed. He's a simple man, from a past time, he's not used to things made of grass coming out of the woods and talking to him.

Maybe he did smoke something and it's gone wrong, because he's thinking he's dreaming. Maybe even the dog is a dream and he just doesn't know it yet. "It's a herding dog, it's probably for the barn we're starting up." And if it is, then it's a very good gift, only, it's not trained.

[poaceae]

"What're smokes?" It's not something he ever remembers hearing about.

"I know they can't talk here, but you shouldn't call them an it."

[quinientos]

Vasquez opens his mouth to explain, and then squints to get a closer look. Before he answers that question, he gestures in the man's, boy's, direction. "What's your skin made of?" he asks, because he doesn't think lighting up around him is such a good idea if his suspicions are true.

The last thing he needs to do is murder someone by forest fire because the ash from his cigarette flicked in the wrong place.

[moderndayassassin]

Desmond has a way of wandering around or locking himself inside, either one, but he'd been attempting to get out more often, especially now that his mind is on making the brewing work with Bull. He is walking along when he sees a familiar person from a distance run after a dog, and he quirks an eyebrow. He hasn't seen Vasquez since the party for New Year's, when they talked about their respective love situations, and he knows how much his has drastically changed. He wonders if it's the same for him and his man.

No time like the present to find out. He tries not to laugh because it's not helpful, offering Vasquez a hand out of the stream. "You do know that dogs pretty much will come to you if you just sit down and coax them into it. Or by getting little pieces of meat."

[quinientos]

"Dogs where I come from are more wild than not, half the time," he admits, because they were like wild horses. You found one, you tamed one, and then it was yours. That, or it bit you and maybe you died from infection, but there were plenty of ways to die in the West, why not an unconventional one?

He grabs at Desmond's hand to haul himself out of the water, gesturing to the dog. "You go coax it, I'm too angry right now. I have half a mind to punt it and see how far it goes."

[moderndayassassin]

Desmond pulls him up easily and glances over at the dog. He's always loved dogs, although he couldn't have one of his own, but he spent probably an odd amount of time in his ancestors' heads petting dogs or engaging with them. "Ahhh, I see. Well this one doesn't look wild, and it's a puppy. They spook easily, but they also want to play and want love. Otherwise he wouldn't be licking you."

Desmond gets down on a knee so he seems less imposing on a little puppy and whistles to him, putting one hand out, rubbing his fingers together palm up. It's a gesture best if you have food in your hand, which he doesn't have, but it might do the trick anyway. "You also have to be patient." He waits to see if he can coax the pup over.

[quinientos]

Vasquez and patient go hand in hand, but as he gets older, his patience starts to wear down. After all, why should he be so patient? The animal should give in to him, no? Grimacing, he glares at it, but he lets Desmond work to coax the animal over, because he's going to need to break it in sometime.

"I haven't trained an animal in years," he admits, and when he had, it had been horses. The kirin here, he's working on, but Cael had done most of the hard work for him and he just needs to keep them soothed. "You have experience with them?"

[moderndayassassin]

Desmond on the other hand is very patient as he whistles quietly and waits for the puppy to get curious enough to shuffle over to him. "Dogs can be trained, obviously, very well, but they're also companions so they want to be treated like them." So it's a bond and almost a friendship on top of a good use like hunting, protection, or fetching. That's how he saw it at least. He went around seeing all the pets but not getting one himself.

"Me? No, just living around people who have them." He smiles at the puppy and lets it smell his hand and his arm if it made it feel better. "I lived in a big city, which some people pets in, but it's a pain in the ass. And expensive." Desmond was just a bartender, and he was always worried he'd have to pick up and run if someone found him. "I thought about looking at the animals around here. There's communal pets, and maybe I could coax one into preferring me, but I don't know." Maybe he will. He clearly wants to.

[quinientos]

"I know horses and cows. You give me anything taller than a child, I could probably handle it." This is something he's not accustomed to. It's a puppy, it's so tiny, and it needs to learn so many skills in order for it to be useful. Otherwise, what's the point of having it, as far as he's concerned?

Staring at it, he twists up his lips and gives it a long stare. "If you really want to help out with this one, come to the north village and help train. I won't say no to any help," he insists.

[duel_wielding]

Jogging had been the order of the day. No matter what this place was, no matter if he was in a serious existential crisis, and definitely no matter how cold it could be some days, nothing was going to get in the way of staying fit. Too many years in the military, he'd practically grown up there. How was he supposed to know how to do anything else?

So he'd been out jogging, and the second he heard that noise he just about stumbled to a stop.

North! There's a dog!

Like he could deny Theta the glee of seeing a dog in person. Centering on the sound and the subsequent splash, he found himself turning down toward the stream, and soon finds a lovely scene. Lord help him if he doesn't laugh.

"Cute puppy you have there. Does he have a name? Should probably look into getting a leash for him."

[quinientos]

Vasquez isn't feeling so generous and pleased about the animal, glaring up at the man who seems to be so very enamoured with this dog. In time, once he gets some training, he thinks that he'll be much more pleased to have it to help tend to the kirin and the groffles and whatever other strange non-word animals they find.

Right now, though, he's glaring at the puppy as it tries to pull a plant up from the roots. "Right now, I'm thinking it will have a very rude name," he deadpans, pushing to his feet. He frowns, giving the other man a confused look. "Leash? Why?"

He's never seen a herding animal leashed up and chained before, because it would be cruel.

[duel_wielding]

Wait, isn't that bad for a puppy?

"Dogs tend to get walked on leashes so they don't go running off. I mean, before you train them. But I guess that's a lot less important when there aren't cars or anything. They're also not supposed to eat plants. It can upset their stomachs."

He makes a small gesture as if to ask for permission before approaching, squatting down to offer out a hand to the pup. Come on, if he pets you, Theta would be the happiest boy ever.

[quinientos]

Vasquez isn't sure that he knows any of this, maybe because a leash sounds like a strange thing. After all, if it gets eaten, it gets eaten, and if it causes chaos, he's already shown that he's not exactly going to stop that from happening.

Maybe Bobo will know more about this?

"You have a dog, back home?" he asks, shaking off the last of the water like he's the animal, not wanting to let it best him, but knowing maybe he has to admit defeat.

[duel_wielding]

"No, but Theta's done a lot of research on it, for when we get a dog," North smiled as he shifted and fully sat down. Sure, the ground was very cold, but it was something to be done, because it might make him more approachable to the little beast. He was just too tall.

Oh it's so pretty, North. It's just the cutest.

Relax, kiddo. I am sure the pup will come closer, North assured the AI as he looked back up to Vasquez.

"Not familiar with dogs?"

[quinientos]

There are sometimes words in English that still elude Vasquez and this man has stumbled onto one of them. "Theta?" he echoes, not so sure what that one means, seeing as he's learned it from his time in the late 19th century, and that one never popped up.

"We had a few on the farms I worked," he admits with a shrug. "I figured this is why I have one now, since we're starting up a barn in the north village. I could use the help with the kirin, if this one is good, it can do it."