in progress

[hecu_marine]

The houndeyes aren't coming to Svalbard. Shephard loves his dogs dearly but there is no way in Hell he's bringing those little boogers to an unfamiliar environment that's almost certainly crawling with predators. It's bad enough at home. So, he's taking what time he can with them now, including bringing them to Milliways for training runs.

And maybe drumming up some other company while he's at it. He happened to notice a familiar face heading into one of the upstairs doors the other day, so today he's found that door and he's banging on it.

The sun may or may not be actually up yet. Just sayin'.

Comments

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck wakes up immediately, swinging his feet out of bed.

"What're the de--" the light switch is not in the right place. This is not the Shatterdome. It's unlikely a kaiju has exited the Breach. (There's no Breach.)

Right.

He can still get dressed in about thirty seconds, in a pinch, so when he finds the light switch he does exactly that. And cracks open the door to glare at his interrupter.

[hecu_marine]

"Good, you're up," says Shephard, completely unfazed by the glare. "Git your shoes on. We're goin' running."

[andinfluencepeople]

"... Right," Chuck says. He stares at Shephard for a moment longer, and then disappears.

He comes back wearing a pair of trainers, and a baseball cap.

It only takes him a step out the door to notice the eyehounds, and press back up against it. "The bloody hell are those?"

[hecu_marine]

"Those're my dogs," Shephard says. "Big one's Mrs. Wilson. The little ones're her pups. Big one's Alfred, little one's Grace. Mrs. Wilson, Alfred, Grace, sit."

They do.

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck's mouth opens slightly, then closes. He doesn't look away from the sitting ...things.

"Their blood toxic?" he asks, leaving aside the issue of how those are not dogs for the moment because their blue glow is eerily familiar.

[hecu_marine]

"Nope. Smells a little funky, but it ain't toxic," says Shephard. "Sort of yellow-gray colored, too. It ain't iron based but fuck me if I know what it is based on."

The smallest one butts its front end against Shephard's leg and blinks up at him. He bends over to scritch it along the foremost blue stripe a moment.

"They ain't from Earth, they're from the first dimension that gave us shit. Born on Earth, though, same as their momma here."

[andinfluencepeople]

"Okay," Chuck says. "In kaiju, those blue streaks are from where their capillaries are close to the surface, and their blood is... nasty."

[hecu_marine]

"Naw, that ain't blood, it's just pigment," says Shephard. "There's a couple Xen critters with fucked-up chemistry, but not these little bastards. They don't bite nor bark less'n I tell 'em to, neither, so they ain't gonna start actin' like kaiju. They're just gonna come run."

[andinfluencepeople]

"Yeah?" Chuck's grinning, kind of, when he looks back at Shephard. "Because I was damn near quaking in my boots that they'd start stepping on everything."

He shuts the door behind him. "You gonna hang around in the hallway all day?" Chuck asks, starting to walk. "Because I'm going running."

[hecu_marine]

Shephard momentarily considers telling him just what the little fuckers do when they bark- but, eh, it can wait. He doesn't take challenges lightly.

"Beat you to the back door, see if I don't," he says, and lengthens his own stride.

[andinfluencepeople]

"Oh, are we racing?"

Because, spoiler: he's totally going to win that one.

[hecu_marine]

"You got to ask?"

God help any rats or Loompas abroad in this part of the Bar....

[andinfluencepeople]

"See, I don't know where you get the idea I'm anything but straight-laced."

Chuck gives off the impression of being short and belligerent, but really he's just the second.

It's probably how he squares his shoulders and faces the world like he's probably going to headbutt it.

Anyway, what we're saying is, Shephard's still got a good two inches on him, and Chuck's not beyond using his headstart to 'accidently' block his path.

[hecu_marine]

Blocking the way, eh? Have we ever mentioned how Shephard plays rugby because American football's for sissies? Because Chuck's gonna get whomped something good in a minute.

And Shephard's gonna be snickering.

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck was expecting retaliation, which is why he lets himself fall forward--

And snag an arm solidly around Shephard's legs on his way down.

[hecu_marine]

And down we go! Good thing Shephard knows how to fall.

"That all you got, asshole?" he says cheerfully as he pushes himself back to his knees. Don't mind his language, he doesn't mean anything by it. "Shit, 'n here I thought you were gonna be fast."

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck laughs, all but bouncing back to his feet.

He's really young, and his worst injuries acquired killed him (and so didn't stick). There're some benefits.

"Nah," he says, being mindful of Shephard's arm length. "just faster than you."

He has just enough sportsmanship to wait until Shephard's about to stand up to take off.

[hecu_marine]

"Sonofa-"

They do get outside eventually. Now there won't be any more wall damage! Just mud. And Shephard's good with mud.

"Wanna see who's first around the lake?"

[andinfluencepeople]

"Don't play that game, you bloody fossil," Chuck says, both irritated and entertained. "I'd bet breakfast I could out-run you, but there's no way I could out-pace you."

Not without obstacles.

[hecu_marine]

"Fair 'nough," says Shephard. He does, after all, make a point of doing most of his morning exercise routine with a backpack full of rocks. "I'd suggest somethin' in the woods but I reckon I know the trails better'n you do, seein' how I'm in there regular. You been up the mountains at all?"

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck looks to the mountain immediately, brow furrowing slightly. "We don't need to make a race of it, but I wouldn't say no to seeing them."

[hecu_marine]

"Some fucker built a challenge course in a clearing about halfway up last year," says Shephard. "Wasn't me. Kind of wish it was. I reckon it's worth havin' a look at, see if it's in usable condition after this winter. I'll show you, you want."

[andinfluencepeople]

"Sure," Chuck says, shrugging. "It's worth a look, at least. Back home it's all indoors."

It is fucking cold out. Chuck doesn't say that, though, just blows slightly on his hands and raises his eyebrows at Shephard.

[hecu_marine]

Shephard's only too happy to ignore the idea that someone else might be uncomfortable with the temperature. He's been living with mountain winters for a while now, after all. "This way," he says. "The course's about halfway up to one of my favorite streams to fish in, or it was, last I checked. These fuckin' mountains only have one side, so who the fuck knows what else they do with their goddamn geography."

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck's hit a mental snag.

"How in hell do the mountains only have one side?"

[hecu_marine]

"You go up the mountain, you step over the fuckin' summit or ridge or high point of the pass or what the fuck ever, and you find you're comin' down the same fuckin' slope you came up and headin' towards the place you left," says Shephard. "It does not make any goddamn sense in the slightest, but fuck me if it ain't for real."