maskormenacelogs | this dog can walk himself [open]

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this dog can walk himself [open]

WHO: Ace and you!
WHERE: Various places in Heropa.
WHEN: After dark.
WHAT: Restless dog is out doing his rounds, even if there aren't any monsters out.
WARNINGS: n/a

a; residential area

[ For Ace, night is suddenly a bigger blessing than he'd ever expected. It's the best time to roam unseen, sure, but it's also when the sun is down, the temperature drops, and going out and about becomes somewhat more bearable for a dog like himself. Spring should never be like this, in his opinion, although that is an opinion forged by the states that get snow, something he's already figured out has no chance of falling in this place.

Not that it keeps him from poking his nose around. He weaves his way between the houses with no fencing, then down alleys and around sidewalks to avoid those that do. He'll get a few dogs waking up to bark at him. He stops at the ones that only seem curious and sniff at them, but not to chat. Just thinking about trying that leaves a sense of sadness, that for whatever reason the animals here don't speak the same way he could, back home, to other dogs, to cats, raccoons, rats, anything except humans. It's all so different now. So, he doesn't linger by other dogs for long, hurrying off again after each short stop.

Eventually he turns to head towards Heropa's downtown, but for now? Looks like there's husky on the loose, meandering through the streets at his own leisure. ]

b; downtown

[ Downtown is a different beast. Ace's leisurely stroll doesn't continue here, as he shies away from the main sidewalks. It isn't as crowded as some downtowns might be, but he's still pretty sure people are more liable to call someone on a loose dog spotted around, well, businesses. Even if he can literally talk his way out of that now, he prefers not to chance it. Alleys work best, along with the occasional street crossing.

He revisits the spot that had brought him and Gilbert face to face with a giant alligator, but when that turns up nothing, not even a decent scent to pick up on again, his wandering moves on to the more barfly-ish side of town. There, he still lurks, unwilling to interact too directly. There are a few instances where he finds cause to growl from the mouths of alleyways at a few drunks following after barhoppers who'd rather be left alone and at least once where he suddenly runs out across the path of a man who's taken off with someone's purse, tripping them up enough for those pursuing to catch up.

All those times, he doesn't hang out afterwards. Not in plain sight, anyway. He'll hurry back off out of sight before slowing to a stop to cock an ear and listen. ]

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[ Now there's a line of questioning that would take aaaall night long. It doesn't come to be, however, because Ace freezes the second Terry pauses and makes that comment. He immediately turns his head to look the same way. Sharp sight cuts through the dark like nothing, along with all his other senses, but this is also a human neighborhood.

Was it unusual for humans to be out at all at this time? ]

I think so. Hang on.

[ He remains still save for putting his nose up in the air, taking in a deep breath. What's out there now? ]

[ From the sidewalk, with the light from the street lamps keeping the pavement bright, Terry can't make out the house in question very well through the surrounding darkness, even when he squints. But there's a rustle in the bushes that makes him suspicious that he didn't just imagine someone there. The lights in the house are all off though, its owners probably away on some trip or something.

Definitely worth investigating.

Even if he can't see this suspicious person, he can feel their slight anxiety about possibly getting caught. A bonus to his fear-sensing powers. But whoever they are, they're out of view now, having moved around to the other side of the house to break in through the patio door.

After a tense moment: ]

What do you think, Ace?

I think its human.

[ Which leads to some reluctance to go after them. Humans are easy to hurt, way too easy, but he can't really stand by and do nothing. ]

You should stay here. I'll go bark at them. That usually does the job.

[ And just like that, Ace will start to head towards the house without Terry, although his approach is a cautious one that would be easy to catch up with. ]

[ He probably should stay there. And he does, at first, lingering at the sidewalk as Ace heads off towards the unlit house. Still -- he can't help feeling a bit of a responsibility to follow. Ace is capable, he's sure of that, but he's the immortal one here, and at least he can try to lend a hand, right? Just in case.

Finally, he follows.

In the darkness, he squints, trying to get his eyes to readjust. ]

Ace?

Shh.

[ Ace doesn't give a reply beyond the shushing sound, pausing in his approach only briefly to give it. He's moving up on the corner of the house now, closing in on the patio. As soon as he's close enough, he all but throws himself around it and begins barking and barking. His barks are booming in an otherwise quiet and sleepy neighborhood, lots of short, sharp sounds following one another instead of anything long or howl-like. ]

[ He could feel it -- the burglar's fear -- the second after Ace's barking rang out. It hits him like a ton of bricks, sudden and harsh, throbbing in his temples. It makes him miss a step, half-stumbling as he falters on his way across the lawn. The man's fear of the canine in front of him is even louder in Terry's head than the actual sounds of Ace's barking.

He only vaguely registers the intruder running off. He doesn't even realize that he's sunk to his knees in the grass, pale and breathing a little hard. ]

[ And there he goes!

As soon as the burglar has cleared his line of sight (and it's a fairly long line of sight, at that), Ace whirls back about to return to the front lawn of the house, tail wagging and tongue lolled out. He's happy it worked out so well and-- ]

Terrance? [ But that hits a wall the second he spots Terry in the grass. ] Terry!

[ It only takes another second or two to close the space between them, the dog all but sticking his nose against his face as he tries to sort out what's wrong. Nothing smells wrong, not terribly so, so what...? ]

What happened? Are you hurt?

[ It isn't the strongest or the worst fear he's ever felt -- but this always hits him harder when he isn't expecting it. Whenever his control slips... Maybe he's been spoiled by this facade of normalcy. The college. Going to class and studying and coming home to something like family. He should've been more prepared.

But he wasn't. So there he is, kneeling in the lawn with his head still throbbing, even as he feels distance spread between his mind and the would-be burglar's. He exhales uncomfortably, like it hurts him. After a few moments, he finally manages to answer as his heartbeat steadies itself a little. ]

I'm fine. I'm okay. I just -- [ Terry rubs at his face. ] He was really afraid of you. My stupid powers... I felt it.

[ Ace can't do a whole lot to help. He can't help him up or go get him anything for, well, whatever it is he's feeling, so the best he can offer is to lean his side against Terry and hope it's some comfort. ]

Your powers do that? You knew how afraid he was?

[ It's honestly the most benign component of his powers -- the fact that he can sense those kinds of fears. It's the shapeshifting that's worrisome. The threat of that has passed, with their friend the burglar long gone, and that much, Terry can be grateful for.

He scrubs a hand over his face, trying to get his body to calm down. ]

Yeah. It's complicated. [ Finally, Terry glances over at Ace. He exhales a little unsteadily, but reaches over to pat Ace's flank, appreciative of the company despite how anti-social he generally seems. ] I'm -- my dad was. Kind of a fear demon. So. I got his shitty powers.

You're a demon?

[ But he doesn't look like one!

It'd be a lie to claim there wasn't some urge to immediately get away from Terry, since Ace's experiences with demons are far from friendly, but it's still Terry. He's known him for months now without any problems. So, while he does stiffen under Terry's hand, he doesn't abandon him. He does give him a worrying look, however. ]

[ It's really not a story he wants to get into just now -- especially not with one of his housemates -- but a negative reaction is something he always braces himself for. He's cynical like that. Honestly, he wouldn't even blame Ace for pulling away. There's a reason he's constantly trying to distance himself from other people.

Terry exhales, trying to collect his thoughts before he answers: ]

I'm technically only half. And it's not like I'm some kinda crazy supervillain.

[ His father, on the other hand... ]

Oh. [ Ace says lamely. He's immediately feeling guilty for his previous worry and he lowers his head, ears going back in a sheepish way. ] Well. You're my friend and I like you, so it doesn't really matter what you are.

[ It's a weird moment to be touched, hunched over in some stranger's lawn with a talking dog for company -- but unexpectedly, he is. He's kind of touched and it catches him off guard. It's a sentiment that's more foreign to him that it should be. Acceptance. Most people aren't keen to stick around when they find out.

He scrubs his hand over his face a few more times before giving another little breath, getting himself together. ]

Thanks. [ It's a bit awkward, but sincere. He just isn't used to hearing that. ] I... [ How do you even respond to that kind of friendship in a way that does it any justice? ] It. Means a lot to me. So.

[ That's as good as any other way there is to respond. If there's better, Ace wouldn't know, much less care, so rather than say anything more on the matter, he'll just wag his tail. He knows it means a lot, Terry, he knows.

Friends are friends, that's the important part. ]

We should probably head for home. I think the neighborhood is safe for another night now.

[ Home doesn't sound like a bad plan. Not bad at all. Terry sighs again, shaking the last few minutes off and brushing his clothes off a bit before standing. He hefts his messenger bag a bit, adjusting the strap against his shoulder -- then he pauses, and reaches out to give Ace a fond pat on the head. ]

Bradbury's probably gonna get worried if we don't show up pretty soon anyway.

[ Yeah. Home sounds pretty good right about now. ]

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this dog can walk himself [open]

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