Winter RP: The Citadel

[shadowsong26]

It's late afternoon, just approaching evening, and one of the less-imposing reception rooms in the Citadel at the heart of the City of Glass is lit up by a glorious sunset. The dry heat of the desert day is starting to die off; the temperature sits at a pleasant level now.

The walls of the room are made of thick, solid glass panes, in deceptively delicate white stone frames. They are punctuated at regular intervals by wall hangings embroidered with intricate geometric patterns, in green and gold. There is a large, extravagant rug, woven in similar colors, covering the floor. The ceiling, high above, is more glass, fogged, and gilded around the edges to match the gold in the tapestries.

One wall is dominated by a pair of double doors that swing open onto an enclosed pleasure garden, with carefully maintained flowers climbing the walls and a murmuring fountain in the center. There are white gravel paths marking out four regular quadrants.

The portals are opening once again...

Comments

[rootsofthestories]

He grins even more, getting up on his hind legs and putting both paws into her open hand. He's looking quite pleased at the moment and proceeds to, after shes released him, make himself comfortable at her side.

His eyes are going back and forth to her and the rest of the world, like he's scared she's going to vanish but hes not overly stressed about it,. Really he's just pleased to have someone who likes him about.

NENE LOVES THIS DOG

[shipwreck_light]

At first, Nene has the same inner jolt she gets when anyone or anything starts acting like she's, you know, a needed thing. That isn't what she exists for.

It occurs to her then though that the dog has no understanding of the semantics between need and want. The dog only knows she's there, right now, and she has pet. Lots and lots of pet.

Which is, really, one of the things she's always enjoyed about dogs. They live in the moment.

And if she gets to be his moment?

Nene is more than OK with that. She sits down and makes with that pet.

His ears are so silky and sweet. She means- it'd be a crime /not/ to scritch them them.

[rootsofthestories]

There's a happy thumping of his tail against her leg, his head resting in her lap. He sems content for a while, eyes drifting closed and body relaxing into the attention.

But soon enough he's getting to his feet, stretching and starting to look around. He tilts his head at her, as if to somehow ask a question but it doesn't exactly work. Instead he stretches again and when he's settling back in, there's a shimmershiftblurr and then there's a kid, about eighteen, sitting in his place, staring at her.

"You go any idea where we are?" He asks, then grins at himself because while being in his proper form his nice, sometimes having the ability to just ask a question is awesome.

[shipwreck_light]

Nene blinks, once and then again.

It's not what she was expecting.

But, then again, she's read enough books where things like this have happened, so it's not nearly as much of a surprise as it could be.

The only real shock's that it's happening to her, now, when she's all adultish and jaded...

OK, actually, that's pretty awesome that it happened at all, given that. She will take it.

She grins. Still- "Not a clue, puppers. If I knew, I'd tell ya. Only buttheads lie to dogs. Dogs know, amirite?"

[rootsofthestories]

He gives her a lopsided grin and if he had a tail, it's be wagging. "Yeah, yeah. Gotta nose for it, y'know?"

He doesn't move from his spot, just watches her with curious eyes. "You got good hands, nice hands. I like 'em."

Meaning, you've made a friend, Nene. A puppy friend.

"Went lookin' round and din't see much. Got an outside though. Outside's nice." He grinned wider. "Lot'a lot'a plants an' stuff."

[shipwreck_light]

"Iiii thought so," Nene croons.

And- yeah, he's not a "dog" anymore, but he's still got that puppers kinda posture going. And didn't he just say he likes her hands.
She scritches him summore, like she's got a scritch war to win, all up in the people hair he's got now and straying down his back.

"Woooow," she finally gets out, somewhere in the midst of her joy.

Is it joy? The smell in herself reminds her of joy.

"You're a good dog checkin' all that out fer the peoples around here."

She pinches his nose a little, lovingly-like.

[rootsofthestories]

Oh, he's a happy boy. He's just gonna grin up at her now, nuzzling her hand every so often and looking about. Sure, weird places are weird and he doesn't really know what he's supposed to be doing but he can sit here and get affection.

In his head, that is what the should be doing. All the pets, every pet.

He wiggles a littl,e leaning against her leg, head resting against her chin.

"I like bein' good." He nods. "Good gets treats. Treats an' pets and not gettin' put out." He looks up at her, grinning. "Don't know too well all the places but I know the outside okay. An' I could learn other places. M'lady's not here, so I gotta do anything."

[shipwreck_light]

Her hand says she's petting a person, but the rest of her- like, down to some wiggly thing in the bottom of her soul -is telling her this is a dog. A sweet, cuddly, damn awesome dog.

Nene's had this happen before. Now, it's been a while, but that only makes her happier still to have this rather literal dogboy at her side.

When he leans in, she chances a little kiss to his forehead, noting that although his skin comes off so softly human, he still has that powdery, clean dog-scent clinging to his hair.

"M'lady?" she purrs. "Oh baby puppers, did you get here without you owner? That's sucks. I'm sorry."

[rootsofthestories]

"Iunno where she is," he says, his voice a little quieter. ​"Hopin' she's okay and won't be too mad that I went and gone off."

He looks up at her, grinning though. "I'll tell her I met nice people though! She won't mind if there's good people around."

He's starting to shift a little, his dog ears appearing and perked up as he watches her. "She doesn't like me wandering too far sometimes. But I'll be okay. I can be good."

[shipwreck_light]

"Yes! You sure can. Yer already doin a good job investigatin' for all us other people who can't smell as good as you. Investigatin' being' different from wandering, 'specially if dogs do it."

Nene nods at this, self-assured. She also chances a scritch of the newly re-appeared dog ears. They're the same ears he had before, sure, but before, he wasn't mostly human.

Huh. Actually, she wonders. He wouldn't be human at all, per se, if he can... un-dog at will. Can he smell better than she can? Does he realize how /cute/ those ears are?

So many questions.

"Yer lady'll be back soon. I'll stay with you s'long as I can. Y'know why? Yer a good dog."

And all that comes out is puppy talk. Of course.