Loose Ends

[bashfulshifter]

Characters: Rick and EVERYONE ELSE
Setting: First prompt - August 18th, third floor dorms/Room 3-08
Second prompt - August 19th, Floor 81 (lounge)
Format: Action-spam to start, can match though!
Summary: First prompt - Rick holds up his promise to Raven to check on Elsword--the day that the shadow children disappeared, granted, but he does what he can.
Second prompt - Puppy therapy! Rick clears out the fifth block lounge and lets Toby the dog keep whoever shows up entertained, as well as gather others to make sure that they're all recovering okay.
Warnings: In the first prompt, fire. In the second prompt, fluff.

August 18th - Room 3-08 - "If it smells like something's burning nearby, you've found him." (closed to Elsword)

[It finally seemed like the shadows were gone, and Rick had somehow made it through the evening prior without losing his life. Raven hadn't been so lucky.]

[He was a little late following up on his promise to the dying man, but to be fair, the days following were busy, tiring, and nearly fatal to himself. Still, he felt bad for not keeping up in a timely fashion; the least he could do was stop by, see if whoever lived in 3-08 was recovering okay. Or see who even lived in 3-08, to start.]

[That was Rick's first priority as he casually stepped out from the stairwell and walked his way down the halls, discretely checking the room numbers and names out of the corner of his eye. When he comes across the room mentioned, Rick almost wishes that neither resident is around--he's not quite sure what to say. What if they ask what brings him around? How is he even going to introduce himself? Oh my goodness, this is stressful.]

[Rick's face turns red in anticipation as he lingers in front of the eighth room to glance at the name plate. Czeslaw Meyer and Elsword...neither name rings a bell. Should he knock? Maybe he should knock. He really doesn't want to knock.]

[He stands with a hand half-raised in front of the door, frozen with apprehension.]

August 19th - Floor 81 - Puppy therapy

[People exiting the dorms on any floor will notice a rather unusual sign in front of the stairwell landings--handwritten to start, but they're identical, replicated with the printing press much earlier that morning. The handwriting is crooked and strange but meticulously organized, and thus, legible. It reads: ]

Puppy Therapy
Floor 81
bring food/activities/squeaky toys

[He remembered seeing these done during exams when he was in college; not a lot could compare to the stress-relief abilities of playing with a dog, and goodness knows the Tower needed something to ease their minds after the past week. Rick was not exempt from this--Toby, though a lesser-heard voice, wanted nothing more than fun company and love, and Rick always felt inexplicably happy when he allowed the dog time to exercise. This was as much therapy for the guests as it was for the host.]

[It took him some time to move the furniture to the floor's sides. After that point, new arrivals to the lounge would be met with an old, grinning collie, who will gladly walk up to anyone with free hands and offer them a small plank of wood from the workshop. Of course, if others bring games of their own, there's no need to talk to the dog; as long as people have the chance to get together and relax, Rick will be happy.]

((ooc: If your character has some sort of group activity, just make a new thread for it and we can do this party-style! Or just post normally and be greeted by the dog. Fun times for all, fluff, profit, etc.!))

Comments

PUPPY THERAPY

[averytinyparticle]

[Quark had never really heard of puppy therapy before. He did, however, know what a puppy was. So naturally when he came across the flyer, he couldn't help but want to check it out. It's not like there was actually going to be dog in the lounge, right?

One can imagine his surprise when, upon reaching the 81st floor, the four-legged creature was the first thing he saw.]

There really is a puppy! [Quark looks postiviely amazed.] Grandpa told me that--

[You sure are taking your sweet time dying, aren't you, kid? Hurry up. I'm too old for this.]

--ah. [Quark's enthusiasm falters, his face falling as he remembers the shadow of his Grandpa, but although it doesn't pick up again, it does look less sad when he notices the wood that the dog has brought him.] What's this, boy? Do you want me to throw it?

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick was momentarily weary of approaching Quark when he saw him enter the lounge; he hadn't run into the boy while the shadows were still around, and even if he did he wondered there would have even been the chance to apologize or if he would've just frightened the kid away. He seemed to be okay now, at least--if somewhat disheartened. Perhaps Rick could make it up to him now, however indirectly.]

[Whatever the case, Toby the dog worries not of prior unpleasant discourse! He thumps his tail against the ground in excitement and impatiently nudges the block forward with his nose.]

[averytinyparticle]

Okay, then! I'll throw it!

[Quark picks up the wood and tosses it across the lounge--momentarily worried that he shouldn't, because it's indoors, but shrugging off the thought. Someone had set all this up, after all, right?

The block doesn't go amazingly far, of course, given Quark's small size, but the action seems to bring a bit of color back to his own cheeks. One could never underestimate the power that a cute, fluffy animal had to cheer up a depressed child, if even only a little. If even only for a moment in time.

Grinning, he'll go to pet the dog on the head and behind the ears when it returns.]

I've never been able to pet a dog before! You're really soft, you know.

[bashfulshifter]

[The dog watches the block make its small arc through the air, then he bounds after it on instinct; he misses catching it but seems to glean more enjoyment out of tossing it himself and running around it while it bounces, until he pins it and, finally, defeats the tumbling creature once and for all. He looks quite happy with himself when he brings it back.]

[The pets are gladly accepted, even over the prospect of chasing things. That brief bout of energy was just about all he could muster at the moment--if Quark notices the dog's collar and its significantly faded blue, he might understand why. In any case, Toby drops the plank, leans his head into Quark's hand and settles down for calmer attention.]

[averytinyparticle]

[Quark sits down with his legs tucked underneath him so he can more easily give the dog the attention he deserves for being so irresistible. He seems equally content to just sit there and shower the animal with affection when he notices the collar. His smile turns down in concern.]

Oh...you have one of the collars too, huh? Just like Mr. Hawk...

[It was kind of weird that the Tower was bringing actual animals, now. Maybe it was kind of like that one Bible story with the Arc and the flood. But the poor animal looked really tired already, and that might've been because of how transparent his collar seemed to be.]

Did you have some friends who were all mad at you, too?

[He didn't see why dogs couldn't have friends and family, too. Just because a dog was an animal didn't mean that that didn't have thoughts and feelings like the rest of them.]

My Grandpa was following me around all week--well, until Friday, anyway. [Quark can't keep the sadness out of his eyes, even as he continues to scratch Toby gently behind the ears.] I hope the shadows weren't so mean to you.

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki had seen the posters and been a bit confused with them. He had just came back from being dead and checking the date he realised he had missed more than the normal one day.

And that he was now twelve. Not really a child anymore not even by human standards. He entered floor eighty one, a puppy of his own at his heals. Of course Gohran wasn't really a puppy, it was just one of his most common forms.] Hello!

[bashfulshifter]

[Hello, small person! Toby is quite happy to see you and your friend! He drops the plank of wood he's been carrying at Taiki's feet but doesn't wait for him to pick it up, instead taking a moment to familiarize himself with Gohran.]

[He greets...what looks like another dog (can never be too sure around here) with a slowly-wagging tail and a casual sniff. It follows the lines of a formal handshake rather than an excited invitation to play; as his very pale collar might suggest, Rick is still recovering from the shadow event and is quite tired, despite his invitations to chase things with visitors. Hopefully Gohran understands--if that's even what he was interested in doing. Toby's body language implies that question presently. What do, other dog of the Tower?]

[notagiraffe]

[Gohran seemed to be taking a measure of Toby as well, gauging the threat to Taiki. He growls softly as he senses the dog is more than he seems but he doesn't smell more strongly of blood than anyone else and Taiki seems relaxed, in a way he never is around humans.] Can you speak? What's your name? [A question prompted by the collar, but it comes with ear scritchings]

[bashfulshifter]

[Ah--too forward. Not wishing to overstep his bounds, Toby lowers his head and backs away. This isn't his territory and he doesn't want any trouble.]

[The situation becomes a little less unnerving when he realizes that the suspicion is from his collar. It is a reasonable suspicion to have, Rick supposes, and he wishes he could rectify the misunderstanding by simply shifting back and explaining himself; however, it was difficult enough trying to contact Toby and shift to him in the first place, and Rick isn't sure he'll be able to find him again if he relinquished control. This whole faded collar business is really becoming troublesome.]

[The dog very clearly shakes his head. No, he cannot speak. Is there some way he can spell his name, though...?]

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki followed him, patting Gohran's head to reassure him.] That's okay, you're really soft. [He reaches out again to give the not quite dog more ear scratches.] I'm Taiki... and this is Gohran

Floor 81

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[After the tumultuous events of the previous week, therapy actually sounded like a good idea to Veronica. Therapy involving dogs sounding especially more so.

So when she saw the flyer she quickly hurried to the specified floor. Veronica froze at the sight of the dog, her eyes widening and showing some genuine excitement.]

[bashfulshifter]

[Someone he knows! Toby catches Veronica's eye and playfully half-crouches, grinning through the plank in his mouth. He, too, freezes in excitement, awaiting her invitation to approach and receive attention.]

[Invite the dog?]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Veronica actually needed a moment to remember just what exactly you do with dogs. It had been so long ago that she had possessed a friend of her own.

Crouching slightly, Veronica made her way towards the dog.]

Uh, hey there. You're a big dog, aren't ya?

[bashfulshifter]

[Invitation had! The dog prances over to meet her halfway, emphatically wagging his tail as he bumps Veronica's hand with his nose. No, he's not internalizing anything that she's said, but he doesn't really care.]

[She'll probably notice the faded blue collar around his neck. Rick would formally shift back and expose his identity, however it took him quite a lot of concentration to actually contact Toby in the first place, and he's not sure he'll be able to get back to him should he let go. Veronica will just have to guess.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[The dog's antics managed to bring a smile to the Frankenstein girl's face, something that didn't happen very often. She reaches down with a scarred hand and pets the canine's head.]

Guess I'm feeling better already.

[In truth, her own collar had actually started regaining some of its former color. She glances down at the wooden plank in its mouth.]

You wanna play boy? Want to fetch?

August 18

[eldork]

[ Answering that knoc is... literally nothing. Because if you take everything that happened to his friends to the young boy's account, it's enough to even make someone like him go into Despair Event Horizon.

Still, he's not rude enough to not answer it. After Rick knocked it two times more, there would be a response from Elsword's end. ]

Who is it?

[ Only his voice, of course. He's not even moving to open the door yet. ]

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick is silently celebrating the idea that nobody's home when he receives an answer. Now he's trapped; the anticipated awkwardness of this oncoming interaction is enough to make him run away, but it'd be terribly rude to leave now that someone's expecting him. It's an exceptionally uncomfortable impasse, and it leaves Rick once again frozen in front of the door, deliberating what the least agonizing next action will be.]

[A few minutes pass before he finally wills himself to open the door--only a fraction of an inch, just enough to peek in with one eye, but the latch release is deafening. He can feel every invisible gaze looking through the crack in the door to judge his intrusiveness and it is terrifying.]

[But he made a promise.]

...

[No answer, yet. Too shell-shocked, can't speak. Give him a few more minutes and maybe he'll stammer something out.]

[eldork]

[ On the redhead's end, he's already resting his head back on the bed, blankly staring at the ceiling when there's no response from the other part of the door. Maybe, for the worse, due to what happened to his friends, he's starting to get delusional.

When he heard the door's creaking open, however, his eyes quickly dart over to see who's coming. No, his original guess of they being his roommate is not correct, it's an unknown person altogether.

Cue his gaze at Rick getting more judging. ]

Who are you?

[ If there's any anger in his tone... Well, because there is. ]

[bashfulshifter]

[The meek blonde-haired man, thus confronted, answers. This consists of him stuttering incomprehensibly for a significant amount of time--long enough that he actually loses track of the question altogether, instead asking one of his own.]

--A-A-Are y-you, a-a-a-aah, R-R-R--Raven's f-friend?

[eldork]

[ At the mention of his 'older brother''s name, any Elsword's attempt to stay stern and friendly (if he was even thinking to be one) is clearly gone. A faint venomous growl, and he actually stands from his current position. ]

I asked who the hell are you first. Don't answer my question with another goddamn question.

[ He was never the most polite of a guy, but today, he's in one of his worst mood ever. ]

[sacrament_of_blood]

She had been managing to bear up under the constant onslaughts upon her psyche by writing them all off as yet more lies by the Tower. But it had still been a wearying ordeal leaving her collar faint, and expressing that was not something she felt permitted to do. Those with her responsibilities must be resolute guardians and unhesitating, merciless killers.

When she saw the sign, she felt only vague confusion. 'Puppy Therapy?' Dimly she recalled the meaning of the word therapy, but it was a word almost never used. And what puppies could possibly have to do with it was a mystery. Still, therapy was a form of healing from her vague recollections. Perhaps she could investigate the merits of this. She could not put on the appearance of requiring it, but bringing supplies as requested would work.

So when she showed up at the eight-first floor, it was with meat carefully caught and trapped on the thirty-second floor and then cleaned and cooked over a fire. It was not the best job of cooking, with bits scorched and undercooked, but it was still better than uncooked. More effort than she had put into feeding herself; raw meat was the norm for her. And, out of vague memories of descriptions of what people did with dogs, she also brought a stick. She showed no visible reaction on her face when she saw the collie, but simply extended out the meat and stick.

[bashfulshifter]

Now the meat was something new--true, he'd suggested food, but Rick was expecting that for the people that showed up, not himself. Not like he was going to argue. As soon as Toby caught wind of the morsel, whatever reasons the human part of his mind had for not accepting the gift were completely disregarded.

The dog pranced up to the newcomer with happy wags of his tail, dropping the plank of wood in his mouth in favor of the offered meat, which he sniffed briefly before attempting to delicately grab it from her hand. The gesture was more out of courtesy than to identify the meat's origins--he didn't want to be scolded for trying to take something that wasn't meant for him.

[sacrament_of_blood]

Truthfully, Merciless was not that familiar with how to treat dogs. But it looked like she was doing okay so far. She let the meat go and watched. Not even reaching to the dog even though something in her wanted to. She only watched.

[bashfulshifter]

The morsel was quickly devoured, thoroughly licked clean from the bone (assuming there were any) within half a minute or so. He wasn't terribly hungry, and the meat wasn't cooked too consistently, but compared to the nutrition bars they had in the cafeteria it might as well have been gourmet.

The dog seemed surprised when he looked up and saw that the quiet woman was still watching him. He stared back, cocking his head; was she...expecting something? Did she know what to expect, even? Was it safe for him to assume anything about her at this point?

...Well, he was here to try and make people happy, so if she didn't know how to entertain herself then he would have to help her figure it out. Hesitantly, the dog took a step forward and attempted to give Merciless's hand a nudge with his nose to encourage petting.

[sacrament_of_blood]

She tensed up for a moment at that nudging. She was unaccustomed to touching something still living without rending apart that life. Being around others, yes. But not touching them. They had always left distance between her and themselves. But after a moment, she began stroking, feeling the warmth and fur and throbbing of life. It was nice enough.

She made her decision. If she felt the inspiration of death, she would leave and promptly seek out something else to slay. It would not do to do it to something performing an useful service for others. Not to mention the feeling of protectiveness she was feeling for this dog. She didn't acknowledge that much of that had to do with her finding it cute.