Arthur, April, & the Doggos
Dec. 7th, 2023 02:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logs(backdated) April's still stuck, but she takes Boris out to play and have treats. They end up chatting with Arthur and Felix.
April still didn't have full control of her shift, but she'd managed... something approximating a more human form. Still inky black with swirls of blue, but she'd finally managed to shrink her wide white eyes and razor-sharp mouth into something a little smaller. Manageable. She could even eat somewhat, although there was a lot more ripping and tearing than polite human manners. But it wasn't all protein shakes and a feeding bag anymore, and that was important.
Boris, too, was reacting better now that she could make more human noises and some very basic phrases. He'd adapted well, although he was still mostly staying with Illyana. But today... today was nice out, so the two of them were out for a walk during the warmth of the day when they came across Arthur and a dog that looked equally friendly. April lifted a hand in a wave, and a rumbled "DOG. HI." managed to work its way through her vocal cords and out of her mouth in greeting.
The two, Arthur and the equally friendly Felix, were sitting on an inviting patch of grass involved in what appeared to be an overly complicated version of play. Or, at least, complicated in the fact that it was unclear who was giving the commands. The man, ungloved, would motion for Felix to sit before petting him. This proceeded with Arthur waiting, staring intensely at Felix until the dog broke from the stare, either to roll or scratch or circle.
"Test 2 double-O 5, it was either the circle or sniffing my hand. The paths are clearer now, I think," Arthur commented, lost in thought, into the recording device he held in the other still-gloved hand.
At April's call, the two turned in unison to look at the approaching duo. There was no wince from either, but Arthur's eyes did widen a bit in delight.
"April," he exclaimed fondly, "It is wonderful to see you out of the med lab. And, of course, Boris the noble protector."
Boris barked in excitement, trotting circles around April as his tail wagged before pulling the leash to get a little closer to Arthur and Felix. April followed along in amusement, hand patting the bag at her waist for the treats she kept on hand. "WHAT?" She pointed at the recorder, then Felix once she and Boris were in sniffing range. "TRAIN?"
The other man's head tilted in consideration as he twitched a hand, signaling a break to Felix. The golden was more than happy to oblige as he moved happily to exchange puppy pleasantries with the other dog.
"Kind of," Arthur offered. "Training for me? Powers stuff. I'm trying to figure out if I can make something that happened just once happen again with my readings."
She pulled out a piece of jerky from her bag and offered it to Arthur. "TRAIN? TREAT. GOOD BOY." Another piece appeared, and she ripped into it before pointing at her face. "TRAIN. LESS SHAKES."
This got a warm smile. "Look at us," Arthur beamed, "Learning and growing! I can see that you're a lot more..." He paused a little, searching for the right word or phrase. "You? Not that this look isn't bold and fresh. You seem more comfortable."
He shifted on his feet, and used this opportunity to break tension and try a nibble of the jerky.
"Huh. Teriyaki? Jerky's actually rather fascinating — I once had to make some of my own after being dropped in the Moab Desert with nothing but flint, my trusty knife, and a canteen."
April couldn't really make faces of surprise, but the tendrils intertwined with her hair stood on end for a brief moment before going back to swaying. "HOW." She kinda wished she'd brought the proloquo with her. There was a mobile version on her phone, but her fingers weren't quite small enough for it yet. Humanoid, finally, but larger than normal. "WHAT MEAT"
She ripped into another bite of jerky, then threw the ball for Boris. "CATCH"
"Snake! Gopher, since I wasn't desperate enough to go after a rattler." That was mentioned like he almost wished he had. "You can't properly make jerky without salt, but one can do wonders with the desert sun, a bucket, and a few sticks to make an evaporator."
He sighed, a little wistful still. "I almost miss that. A little. The city is too easy, you know?"
This was the farthest outside a city April had ever lived. With no eyebrows to raise, her tendrils fluttered into a series of shrugs, ending with her hands. "NO?" Her rumbling voice inflected upward. "APRIL CITY GIRL" The closest she'd come to anything resembling camping were May's memories of a small tent in a terraced yard shared with another family, and for the desert... she supposed droughts in the city weren't quite the same. "SNAKE GOOD?"
This earned another full laugh. "Not the way I make it," and he leaned forward conspiratorially, "But when you're isolated in the middle of nowhere, with blistering desert as far as the eye can see and the sun is your very enemy, properly prepared protein can mean life or..."
He blinked. "That's when they would cut to commercial."
April still didn't have full control of her shift, but she'd managed... something approximating a more human form. Still inky black with swirls of blue, but she'd finally managed to shrink her wide white eyes and razor-sharp mouth into something a little smaller. Manageable. She could even eat somewhat, although there was a lot more ripping and tearing than polite human manners. But it wasn't all protein shakes and a feeding bag anymore, and that was important.
Boris, too, was reacting better now that she could make more human noises and some very basic phrases. He'd adapted well, although he was still mostly staying with Illyana. But today... today was nice out, so the two of them were out for a walk during the warmth of the day when they came across Arthur and a dog that looked equally friendly. April lifted a hand in a wave, and a rumbled "DOG. HI." managed to work its way through her vocal cords and out of her mouth in greeting.
The two, Arthur and the equally friendly Felix, were sitting on an inviting patch of grass involved in what appeared to be an overly complicated version of play. Or, at least, complicated in the fact that it was unclear who was giving the commands. The man, ungloved, would motion for Felix to sit before petting him. This proceeded with Arthur waiting, staring intensely at Felix until the dog broke from the stare, either to roll or scratch or circle.
"Test 2 double-O 5, it was either the circle or sniffing my hand. The paths are clearer now, I think," Arthur commented, lost in thought, into the recording device he held in the other still-gloved hand.
At April's call, the two turned in unison to look at the approaching duo. There was no wince from either, but Arthur's eyes did widen a bit in delight.
"April," he exclaimed fondly, "It is wonderful to see you out of the med lab. And, of course, Boris the noble protector."
Boris barked in excitement, trotting circles around April as his tail wagged before pulling the leash to get a little closer to Arthur and Felix. April followed along in amusement, hand patting the bag at her waist for the treats she kept on hand. "WHAT?" She pointed at the recorder, then Felix once she and Boris were in sniffing range. "TRAIN?"
The other man's head tilted in consideration as he twitched a hand, signaling a break to Felix. The golden was more than happy to oblige as he moved happily to exchange puppy pleasantries with the other dog.
"Kind of," Arthur offered. "Training for me? Powers stuff. I'm trying to figure out if I can make something that happened just once happen again with my readings."
She pulled out a piece of jerky from her bag and offered it to Arthur. "TRAIN? TREAT. GOOD BOY." Another piece appeared, and she ripped into it before pointing at her face. "TRAIN. LESS SHAKES."
This got a warm smile. "Look at us," Arthur beamed, "Learning and growing! I can see that you're a lot more..." He paused a little, searching for the right word or phrase. "You? Not that this look isn't bold and fresh. You seem more comfortable."
He shifted on his feet, and used this opportunity to break tension and try a nibble of the jerky.
"Huh. Teriyaki? Jerky's actually rather fascinating — I once had to make some of my own after being dropped in the Moab Desert with nothing but flint, my trusty knife, and a canteen."
April couldn't really make faces of surprise, but the tendrils intertwined with her hair stood on end for a brief moment before going back to swaying. "HOW." She kinda wished she'd brought the proloquo with her. There was a mobile version on her phone, but her fingers weren't quite small enough for it yet. Humanoid, finally, but larger than normal. "WHAT MEAT"
She ripped into another bite of jerky, then threw the ball for Boris. "CATCH"
"Snake! Gopher, since I wasn't desperate enough to go after a rattler." That was mentioned like he almost wished he had. "You can't properly make jerky without salt, but one can do wonders with the desert sun, a bucket, and a few sticks to make an evaporator."
He sighed, a little wistful still. "I almost miss that. A little. The city is too easy, you know?"
This was the farthest outside a city April had ever lived. With no eyebrows to raise, her tendrils fluttered into a series of shrugs, ending with her hands. "NO?" Her rumbling voice inflected upward. "APRIL CITY GIRL" The closest she'd come to anything resembling camping were May's memories of a small tent in a terraced yard shared with another family, and for the desert... she supposed droughts in the city weren't quite the same. "SNAKE GOOD?"
This earned another full laugh. "Not the way I make it," and he leaned forward conspiratorially, "But when you're isolated in the middle of nowhere, with blistering desert as far as the eye can see and the sun is your very enemy, properly prepared protein can mean life or..."
He blinked. "That's when they would cut to commercial."
