A boy and not-his-dog [CLOSED]

[rassera]

WHO: Kaneda (rassera), Koromaru amadaman, and eventually Iron Bull (rideme)
WHERE: Maurita Falls Junkyard.
WHEN: October 27th
WHAT: Kaneda heads out to Maurita Falls to look for clues on what Tetsuo's doing--Koromaru tracks his scent to a junkyard where he finds a jukebox and something else. Bull helps bring the former home.
WARNINGS: None really.

[With Tetsuo oddly secretive about his mission in Maurita Falls, Kaneda's taken it upon himself to do a little investigating. But there's a difference between this and any other city. It's Maurita Falls, and while he had no issue wandering it by himself, he didn't want to get lost--getting lost in a city you don't know the streets to was ill-advised, and could end badly. So after asking Ken to borrow Koromaru, he sets off with the Shiba at his side, looking down as he patters along.

Soon, Capsule would be able to do this with him.

He flicks a smile at the dog a moment, before turning his eyes back up as they enter the Nonah Porter and into Maurita Falls, the air automatically different. Although familiar to Neo Tokyo as always. He doesn't stop, keeping moving as he wanders through the streets, keeping an eye on everything as always. He wasn't always the cautious type, but he preferred to think of it as being prepared.

At the crosswalk, he stops, waiting for the right time to J-walk. Because WHO FOLLOWS RULES AND WAITS FOR THE WALKING SIGNAL?]

You smell anything, Koro?

Comments

[amadaman]

[Asking Ken's permission to Koromaru wasn't difficult; the moment Kaneda asked, Ken had turned to the dog in question and asked if he was okay, and the dog's affirmative bark was all that he needed. With a yawn -- Ken's sleeping better, but still not completely -- the boy had waved them off and slipped away to shower before he would be heading out, too. They were all busy folk in the fifth house of Nonah.

Anyway, Koromaru's more than willing to accompany Kaneda. He knows it's not just any adventure. The moment he gets to Maurtia Falls he recognizes the smell of the air that clung to Tetsuo's clothes, and his ears and nose are on full-alert as he searches for any clues. Of what? Neither of them know. So they'll look for anything they can.

There's nothing, at first. Koromaru sniffs at the ground and at gates and fences and bushes and trees, but there's been too much time and too many people for there to be clear hints. Still, he's been sniffing about while waiting at the crosswalk (with an eye on Kaneda to yank at his ankle if he does try to J-walk one more time) when there it is. A smell he's looking for. And what do you know? At the perfect timing his companion throws him that question too, so he raises his head, peels back his lips, and swings his tail from side to side as he lets out a strong bark.]

[rassera]

[He notices the change in Koromaru, the way his ears stand on end and the way his body tenses, going full alert. It was amazing, and deep down he could see why the cops trusted their judgement with dogs to find things. When they had a mission, they put their mind to it, and it's admirable. They have no leads, but Koro's trying anyway.

He lets the dog do his work, sniffing around the general area and trying not to seem too suspicioius himself, leaning against the building while Koromaru searches. He's about to give up, to tell Koromaru they should try another spot, when he sees those ears stiffen, that bark sounding.

He found something.]

Haha!! Alright Koro, lead the way!

[He shoves himself off that wall, breaking into a jog to catch up to the dog as he starts in the direction he's pointing in.]

[amadaman]

[Koromaru is intelligent even for dogs. He can't speak, so he doesn't can't ask any questions about why Kaneda needed him, but he also has no need to; he understands the moment he caught Tetsuo's scent, and he moves quickly to lead his housemate in the direction it leads him. Even if he lost track of this he'll keep going, determined to locate where Tetsuo disappeared off to.

Kaneda was no SEES. He was not among the people he owed his life to. But he was friend -- a family -- of one of his boys, and therefore, that made Kaneda one of the people he'll work with, too. Besides, Kaneda understood the importance of Tetsuo to him, and he would be damned to disappoint that.

He slows from time to time to redetermine the trail, but he doesn't stop, and it won't be too long before the two of them end up on the periphery of a junkyard.]

[rassera]

[In a way, it was one positive thing about dogs. They listened, they understood, and they were there for you. Unconditional loyalty was a rare trait found in dogs, and one he certainly needed sometimes. And no one showed that loyalty more than Koromaru. He understood his reasons, even without mentioning just why he was bringing him to Maurtia Falls. No questions to answer, no expectations.

Good dogs always knew.

They hit the next street over, Koromaru taking a moment to track that scent again before he takes off, Kaneda following close behind. His heart's racing a little--the fact that Koro found something at all means that there is a reason.

Something that could maybe lead to what Tetsuo's not telling him.



So when it leads to a junkyard, Kaneda's mouth drops a little.]

You sure it's here?

HOPEFULLY MORE ON TOP OF THINGS NOW i have too many windows open

[amadaman]

[There's another bark, and Koromaru looks back at him with a firm nod before dashing off. The junkyard gets stuff added to it regularly enough, but things rarely get taken out of here. The desert of scrap metal and broken furniture and miscellaneous treasure grows and grows, and somewhere in the depths of it, he can definitely smell it: the scent of the man who stank up the house with his bad mood day after day.

Koromaru didn't dislike Tetsuo. But he certainly wasn't his favorite; if Ken wasn't putting so much effort into preserving that makeshift peace, Koromaru would be going after that guy yesterday. But he holds himself back, and for Kaneda, he has no qualms about helping him out with Tetsuo-related problems.

Anyway, Koromaru climbs over and under things quickly, eventually leading Kaneda to a dark red blanket lying crumpled under the half-closed door of an overturned refrigerator.]

[rassera]

[The Junkyard. While not anything spectacular to look at (most dumps weren't, if we're speaking honestly), there was some kind of appeal to it from Kaneda. Junkyards were temporary housing, a supply store, a hideout, a rendezvous point, anything you could ever want out of a place when you were a gang on the streets. They were safe havens.

It's a little too familiar now, the way his foot finds grip in the trash as he wanders it, waiting for any sign of Koromaru's success.

…

There. His head snaps around at that bark, eyes and ears on full alert. Whatever Koromaru was tracking, he was confident that this was the place to find it.

Good dog.

Hurrying over to what's got Koromaru's attention, he falls to his knees beside the Shiba, running a hand behind the boy's ears as he bends over, looking into where Koromaru's nose was pointing.]

In here, buddy?

[The hand not currently on Koromaru's head is reaching under, trying to feel his way around as he....pulls out the red blanket. Staring in awe at it, and then at Koromaru.]

This is his, isn't it.

[amadaman]

[If dogs could talk, Koromaru would have a lot to say about it. Like how he remembers when Ken was telling Tetsuo to find something to keep himself warm with. Like how Tetsuo actually gave in to that argument. And how yes, this is definitely Tetsuo's, and a few more details. But he can't, so he wags his tail and barks firmly in confirmation as he wedges his way into the cranny, trying to find more that Kaneda might not be able to reach with his arm.]

[rassera]

[Even so, you learn to read a dog really well once you own one, and Koromaru was quite the loud speaker to start. With a nice scritch behind the ears in thanks, he tosses it over his shoulder and backs up, letting Koromaru dig further.]

What, something else?


Man...he must've camped out here for days...

[amadaman]

[He sure did. He can smell the guy all over the space as he digs further, and sometimes he comes out with stuff like batteries, open and empty cans of what seems to have been food. Tools, whatnot. Whatever it is Tetsuo may have used here, until it's eventually empty and he climbs back out with another bark. Search is over, chief.]

[rassera]

[Kaneda watches him dig, eyes widening as the pile just accumulates more and more disposable junk. This was clearly not just a one night stop. Tetsuo came back here repeatedly.

When Koromaru stops, turning to face him, he reaches out to rub just between the bridge of his nose all the way up to his ears, fingers scritching behind them.]

Good boy.

Guess this is all we've got to go on.

[It didn't lead to any suspicious activity, but a small part of him hoped it didn't. This...this was pretty uplifting to say the least.]

We ready to go--hey.

[What was that.]

[amadaman]

[Arf?

What's caught Kaneda's attention today? Koromaru looks up from the pile of empty food cans he was sniffing at to follow Kaneda's gaze. Whatever it is, his reaction was curiosity, not wariness.]

[rassera]

[Kaneda starts walking immediately, eyes trained on something in the distance. He had a good eye for things, and this stood out like a sore thumb among the dull and neutral metals of the junk yard.

Scrambling across the rubble, he makes his way over, moving something out of the way, pulling a blanket off to show...


A jukebox.]

[amadaman]

[Koromaru has no idea what that is. But it's got Kaneda's attention, and he follows at his heels like he had nowhere else he belonged more. He stops beside him, tail wagging merrily as the blanket is pulled off, tilting his head at the object and then looking up at Kaneda as if to ask what's so special about it.]