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« on: November 26, 2012, 08:24:12 AM »
Angelo's Steakhouse wasn't much to look at. The restaurant was nestled between a pawn shop and a billiard hall, decked out in dull red bricks that had been old when the building was new. The lights were low as usual, but that was mostly for atmosphere as the approaching figure knew. He looked up at the sign from under the brim of his Fedora. The weak drizzle falling from the sky drummed on the shoulder of his coat like the tap of an old friend. The warm, friendly odors drifting through the damp air from the steakhouse's kitchen tickled his nose and beckoned his stomach inside, an invitation the man gladly accepted.
As he stepped in and shook the gathering rainwater out of his coat, one thing stood out to the man-three things, actually, and all three of these things looked up as he entered. He removed his hat, noting that the description from his old buddy Gerard had been spot-on.
He pulled up a seat at their table. "Old Gerard sent you three to meet me?" he asked casually, leaning back and assessing the Therians around him.
The one seated directly opposite his chair, an orca with muscles that rivalled half the bruisers the man had met over the years concealed somewhat poorly behind an old white button-up shirt a half-size too small, nodded. "The doc sent us, yeah," he said in a voice about as deep and booming as his size would imply. He didn't say more, but seemed to be sizing up the newcomer across from his chair.
"He did, yep...hopefully you can help us make sense of all this." Ethan nodded, somewhat surprised at the PI's appearance - namely because he was a Therian as well.
"R-right. About the drugs and the thugs and the world..." Luke said, nodding as well. He felt more relaxed now that he was seeing this person face to face. Maybe it was because the PI was another canine-German Shepherd in this case. He was even willing to ignore the cigarette smoke and alcohol that clung to the aged yellow fur.
The canid detective grinned, glancing from the buck seated on one side of him-not the most prominent rack he'd ever seen, he thought to himself, but not too shabby either-to the frazzled-looking bloodhound on the other. "Don't know much about the third of those, but I can probably help out with the first two," he said, shedding his coat and draping it over the back of the chair. "But before I do, let's get the formalities outta the way first. Hunter Lexington, private investigator."
"I'm Luke Wright, sir, student."
"Ethan Ross, aspiring pharmacy tech. I suppose the first two are important, but the third is the one that's going to be hard to believe...or maybe not, going by what those goons said. We're not...ah, from this particular world - ever hear of a place called New York?" The deer rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he looked at the detective.
"It's where we're from, really!" Luke added. He pulled a wallet out of his pocket and showed the detective his training license and library card.
"I can't say I've heard of the city," Hunter answered, motioning for Luke to put his wallet away after giving it a quick glance. "Still, I've heard rumors about some kinda 'special' transit gate being used by The Syndicate to ship goods from place to place without having to tangle with the law... I'd put money on that being why you're here and not there."
"As for the drug angle...we were human a day ago. The doctor mentioned tetramorphite, but said it would've worn off even if we'd been given an overdose...hear anything about a change sticking?"
"The drugs were being stored in New York." Luke added, trying to be helpful. "The guy we followed was bringing it through the docks."
"If they went to so much trouble, it couldn't be morph," the investigator mused, rubbing his chin. "That stuff's regulated like cigs or booze, and besides that, smuggling morph's not up their alley." He glanced around, not continuing until he was satisfied no one else was near enough to hear. "Tell me, what did this stuff look like?"
"Sort of a blue-green color - didn't get the best look at it. The changes hurt like hell, though." Ethan took a sip of water before sighing.
"It was a clear blue-green, yeah," Dominic confirmed. "But, uh, what is 'morph', anyway?"
"Street drug. Made from Therian blood." Hunter answered. "Gives a strong high and minor physical changes. Plenty of down-on-their-luck Therians can fall for the allure of quick money from a readily available resource. It doesn't do us much good PR."
He was silent for a moment before continuing. "What you described in the syringes though, that's not morph. I'd heard a rumor about a new project the Syndicate had in the works... a 'bodiless disposal' method of tying up loose ends. Nothing concrete, but it's possible that that's what happened to you three."
"D-disposal?"
"...it makes sense. Changing humans into Therians...think about it. If you hadn't seen me change, would you believe some humanoid deer claiming to be your best friend?"
"...they had hours to move us." Luke said softly. "I don't know how far away from the city they could've taken us before we woke up."
"Let me worry about that," Hunter said, setting a card on the table and standing up from his seat; he waved to someone in the kitchen, indicating first the table and then himself. "The steaks are on me. I'll see what I can find out about what happened to you three. You enjoy the meal and swing by the address on that card when you're done."
"Thank you, detective...your help means a lot." Ethan nodded as he ran one of his hoof-fingers down the menu, trying to find something to eat.
The meal took a little over an hour one the food arrived, mostly due to Dom's need for massive portions. By the time they finished the rain had turned into a torrent. Fortunately, Hunter's apartment was close enough that they only had to endure the downpour for two blocks.
"Frigfrigfrig!" Luke gasped as the door of the apartment swung shut behind him. The poor dog was completely soaked through. "You just had to order an extra three steaks, didn't you, Dominic!"
"Hey, lay off! I was starving!" Dom countered, brushing off what little water didn't simply run off his slick skin.
"With a body that big, you should be glad he didn't eat another one...still surprised I'm not violently ill..." Ethan wasn't faring much better than Luke as the stag locked the door and sighed.
A grumble floated out of the bathroom as Luke looked for a towel. He came out with two wrapped around his body. "So what's the verdict on Mr. Lexington? He seems very... rough to me."
"A hard-boiled PI? Kinda need to be...wouldn't be surprised if he's given to colorful metaphors. But if he can help, I'm all for him."
"Same here," Dominic agreed, settling his bulk onto the nearest available couch. It strained in protest. "Besides, he paid for our dinner and gave us this place to stay in until we get our feet on the ground. Sure, it's not much, but I don't think we can complain."
"True... hope he finds something. We know why those thugs injected us-sorta-but no closer to getting home or finding a cure. Maybe if we can get a sample of the drug..."
Ethan nodded and went into the bathroom and began drying himself off. Wet fur didn't feel very pleasant, he knew that much. "Maybe, but we don't even know how it works, or if the effect can be reversed. Given what it's used for, I doubt it..."
"Urg..."
"Sorry...I'm trying to be hopeful, but - we need to keep that in mind. This might not be something we can change."
"Yea... well until we know for sure I'm not stocking up on doggie biscuits."
"Like I said before, though," the cetacean in the room said, trying to find the best way to recline without crushing his dorsal fin, "we're fortunate enough that we're alive. It's a small comfort, I guess, but it's something."
"I do prefer this to being dead, yeah. Plus, we're not quite fish out of water...sure, we don't know a thing about this world, but we're not sleeping on the streets or anything." The stag would emerge from the bathroom, having hung his shirt up to dry and a towel draped around his shoulders.
Luke made a wolf whistle at Ethan. "Guess that explains why you aren't too bummed this could be permanent."
"You can whistle pretty good with that muzzle, but what're you...oh...heh. Guess I might need to watch out for some does, huh? Doe dames, even." Ethan snickered as he sat down, watching the rain pour down outside. "And yeah...this isn't half-bad."
"I'll admit, you look pretty good in a fur coat, Ethan," Dom nodded. "Heh... Nice rack, by the way."
The stag blinked for a moment, then burst out laughing when Dom's comment clicked in his mind. "Cute joke, Dom, heh."
"And I guess Dom's gonna have to watch for a..." Luke tilted his head. "What's a female orca called?"
"What makes you think I know?" Dom replied, following Ethan's lead and peeling his soaked shirt off his torso; he ran a hand over the slick wall of muscle that was now his chest. He wasn't sure whether to be impressed or depressed. "Still, I guess I can get used to this."
"Speak for yourself. I feel like a giant mop right now even with these towels. Focusing on your sushi scent is the only thing keeping from going nuts over all the wet fur smell."
Ethan snickered as he poked at his chest - while not nearly the mountain of muscle Dom was, he'd gotten rather buff. It was odd - by all rights he should be freaking out over this, but he'd yet to find a reason to panic. "You're like a giant Swiffer, heh."
Luke removed the top towel to check how dry he was. Unlike the other two, the bloodhound's frame and musculature hadn't increased from his change. If anything, it had slimmed and streamlined somewhat-not that this was currently visible beneath the mass of scruffy fur covering his body. Luke ran a handpaw through a particularly tangled ruff. "Well it's dry... needs a comb though.
"Wonder if there's a spare lying around," Ethan offered. "I'm sure the detective's run into this problem before..."
A return to the bathroom and Luke emerged with a pair of thick brushes. "Good idea."
Dominic chuckled. "Well, one good thing about all this: I'll never have to worry about a bad hair day again for as long as I live."
"Saves money on haircuts...good thing, since that appetite of yours more than makes up for it. Also...this might be getting way ahead, but...if we can't change back...nah. Worry about that later." Taking the other brush, Ethan began smoothing his fur out - mercifully, it was shorter than Luke's and needed less effort.
Luke stretched and gave a wide yawn. "Screw it," he said, putting the brush down on a coffee table. "I can do that later. I'm wiped. That blackout was not restful at all." He padded over to the couch and motioned to Dom to get up. "There's no bedroom--this thing is probably a pullout."
"Makes sense," the orca agreed, reluctantly standing up. "Hunter's probably a 'bed-in-the-office' kinda guy."
"Certainly looked like he doesn't get much sleep...but I wonder were the rest of us'll sleep."
Luke began pulling one of the sofa chairs. "I can make a makeshift mini bed with the chairs. You two can, I dunno, duel to the death over the bed or something."
Ethan looked up at his cetacean ally for a moment. "I'd uh...say you get the bed."
"Eh, you can take it, Ethan," Dom said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'd probably flatten the springs and besides, this fin on my back makes it hard to lie down."
The stag nodded and grinned, happy to be able to get some rest - he'd been running on empty, even with dinner in his stomach. They'd probably need new IDs, money, the whole nine yards if they were going to be stuck there for a while. "Thanks, bud..but what about you?"
The whale grabbed a few spare pillows and a blanket from the closet, and lowered himself to the patch of floor closest to the heater. "I've slept on the ground before, so it's no big deal," he said, stacking the pillows and laying down on his side. "Well, see you guys when I wake up. And if I snore too loudly, you've got my permission to throw something at me."
"Noted," Luke said, already curling up on the pushed together chairs. He'd snagged a pillow and quilt while the other two were discussing the bed.
"Can do, Free Willy." Ethan chuckled as he started to pull the bed out of the couch, stopping briefly to nab some sheets from a nearby closet. Outside, the storm got worse, like the city was trying to wash away years of accumulated sins. The stag sighed as he went to work making the bed.
VVV
It had been another long night for Hunter, though in his line of work there was rarely a night that wasn't. He'd spent most of it chasing leads all across town for this latest doozy of a case, most of which came up as empty as the bottles standing on his desk. It wasn't all for nothing, though, which explained the smug grin on his muzzle as he ascended the stairs towards the old loft apartment he'd lent to his trio of clients. It was a distinct possibility, though, that this smirk was as much a result of the box of donuts under one arm and the container full of coffee clutched in the other.
With a turn of a key and a push, the canid detective swung the door open and stepped inside. From the sound of a running showerhead reaching his pointed ears, he knew where one of his guests was at. Stepping further inside, he spotted the other two, the deer lounging peacefully on the foldout bed-the sheets were tangled up in his antlers-and the bloodhound pup curled up in a sunbeam between two sofa chairs. He set the coffee and pastries down on the table, opened the closet door, and slammed it shut as loudly as he could.
"FUZZBUSHES!" Luke exclaimed as he leapt up. He tripped over the side of the chairs and landed upside down in a heap on the floor.
"Gah! What's going on? Who's shooting at this hour?" The stag sat up with inhuman speed and a surprising amount of grace, given his disheveled state and appearance. He soon seemed to calm down upon spotting the Therian detective, placing a hand over his heart. "Please...don't do that next time..."
Hunter gave a hearty laugh. "You two slay me," he chuckled, gesturing to the parcels on the table. "Brought back some sinkers and joe for you guys. Dig in."
At the mention of food, Luke sprang up in less than a second. Ethan had to untangle his antlers first but soon joined him, clad in a white t-shirt and some boxers. "Coffee and dougnuts? I could go for some comfort food, sure...heh. Should've heard Dom's joke about me last night...anyhow, what brings you by? Checking up on us?"
"That, and a bit of news," the PI replied. "Might wanna wait for the whale, though."
"Naturally - but are you sure you brought enough food? Guy's got one hell of an appetite now." Ethan chuckled as he bit into a powdered doughnut after pulling a chair out at the table.
Luke was attempting to look attentive while simultaneously chomping down on the donuts. His tail wagged happily away as he ate.
"I can imagine," Hunter said as he took a seat on the back of the couch. "All three of you'll probably eat a bit more than usual for the first day or so-morph can cause a spike in appetite for first-timers, just to help their bodies recover. This ain't morph, but it's probably close enough to it that finding out a bit about it'll help you guys out."
A nod from the deer as he started on his second doughnut, this one tasting of cinnamon. Somehow he wasn't surprised their transformations were to blame for the hunger. "Mmph...yeah...still, thanks, Mr. Hunter."
The bathroom door opened, Dominic stepping out with a nod to his friends and Hunter; he wore only his pants, his shirt slung over his still-moist shoulder. "Wondered what all the commotion was about. Morning, Detective."
Ethan merely waved to his bichromatic friend as he was currently drinking some coffee, savoring the rich aroma with his new nose."Hi, Dom. Food's here."
"So I noticed," the orca said, grabbing a couple of doughnuts and a cup for some coffee and leaning against the wall. "Well, Hunter, what's the occasion?"
"I may have a lead on your case."
VVV
The detective had driven them almost halfway across the city. The streets of the district were worn down, full of barely patched up potholes like scabs after a bar fight gone wrong. Extensive graffiti like the ink on a thug with too much time on his hands was everywhere. As they got closer, the four Therians heard a siren wailing like a banshee in the distance. Hunter pulled down an alley with a holograph of a half-nude human woman on a pole. At the end of the alley and down a flight of stairs with numerous dark stains lay the bar. Wordlessly, the canine led them in the door, where most of the patrons didn't even bother looking up from drowning their sorrows in booze-regrets and troubles temporarily shut away. The bartender, a scruffy-looking otter Twith a mechanical arm, grunted as if to let them know he was aware they were there, and that he didn't care about their problems. It was that grunt that broke Ethan out of his musings as he turned to Hunter, his voice low. "Not sure this looks familiar, but...didn't get the best look."
Luke shook his head, warily watching the crowd. "No... this isn't it. There's, err, a vomit stain that's been here a week judging from the scent... but Ethan's right. There's something familiar here."
The bloodhound picked through the smells until he found it. "One of the thugs who injected us is here! I'm sure of it."
"Are you serious?" Dom whispered loudly. "Where?"
Luke motioned to a table in the upper left corner of the room where a group was playing cards. Eddie was sitting at the head of the table.
Ethan followed Luke's hint and his eyes narrowed. While his voice was still a whisper, it was laced with anger. "That's one of em'..."
The orca Therian glowered at the man. Without question, that was the same face he'd seen jabbing that syringe in his arm, before his body had been twisted and deformed into its current shape. "No doubt about it," he agreed.
Eddie looked up as the group approached. "Ah," he said with a broad grin, "I see you three have not only found a new friend, but have managed to get back to the city. Tell me, how are you liking Bellwin's fine hospitality?"
"A lot better than yours," Dom replied flatly.
"You made for a lousy first impression." Ethan spat, but managed to restrain himself - losing his cool here would be stupid. Luke just growled.
"I'm hurt, truly, by your lack of appreciation."
Hunter looked Eddie up and down and smirked. "I think I've heard about you. Eddie Saurez, right?"
"Who's askin'?"
"Name's Hunter. Hunter Lexington."
"Never heard of yah. Which kennel did these three find you at?"
"Cute," the detective replied, unfazed by the thug's snide comment. "Mind stepping outside with us? I'd like to ask you a couple questions."
"I'm sure you do. Good luck with that." Eddie gestured to the others at his table. "However my boys and I are quite comfortable where we are."
"If you'd rather chat in here with your friends, I'm fine with it," Hunter said, pulling up a chair. "Maybe we should talk about that love affair you've got going? I'm sure your pals would love to hear about it."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Last weekend, down by the pier? Boy, you've got a lousy memory; you and that sweet young thing you were with looked like you were having such a pleasant time." The canid paused, stroking his chin in mock contemplation. "Now that I think of it, she looked familiar... ah, yeah. Isn't she your boss's niece?"
The other men looked at Eddie. While visually he was unfazed, his scent was giving him away. "There's a reason dogs ain't known for their vision. My sister and Elise only look the same until you get within 20 feet. But if you're that determined, I'll indulge you." He placed his cards on the table and rose. "Three pairs. Save the next hand for when I get back. "
He pushed past Hunter and made his way to the exit.
"So what does a dick want with me?" Eddie asked once the five of them were in the alleyway. He had a hand in his pocket visibly curled around a gun.
"Just some answers for my clients," Hunter replied, placing a hand next to his own holstered sidearm. "How they got here, where they arrived, what that drug you used on 'em was-and don't say 'morph', 'cuz it clearly ain't-how you made the stuff to begin with, what the antidote is... feel free to answer 'em in any order you like, pal." He unfastened the clip holding his pistol in place. "And don't do anything stupid."
Eddie shrugged. "They here through some fancy type of gate the boss has. Leads to New York. It's been moved and I don't know where it is now. If you want to know where they came through, it was Jimmy's Farside. The drugs are something special whipped up for clean disposals-no body, no recognizable scent, no problem. We made it using morph and some stuff snagged in New York. No clue if there's an antidote-why would we bother trying for one?" He crossed his arms. "That's what I know. Don't care if it's not what you want."
"This stuff have a name? You're a creative lot, you must've thought up something."
Eddie rolled his eyes. "Mask. That's the working name anyhow. Once distribution starts I'm sure you'll find a lot of slangs popping up."
"I'll be sure to jot a few of my own down before then," Hunter said, giving a dismissive nod to the man. "Thanks for your cooperation, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your card game."
"Look," Eddie said as Hunter turned to leave. "You really don't need to be pursuing this. Bellwin's a nice place with some minor rough edges. My advice is to settle in and enjoy it."
Ethan whirled around. "You treated us like a science experiment," he said with barely restrained hostility, "Do you really think we're just going to walk away and go, 'Oh, okay
Eddie sneered. "You weren't an experiment. You were a sales pitch. Boys!"
Luke whimpered at the sight of so many guns pointed at them. "Shitshitshit!"
"And me without my orange vest." Ethan grunted at the sight - should've figured slime like this guy wouldn't be that helpful without a plan.
Dom cursed under his breath. "Why don't you drop the weapons, so we can settle this the old-fashioned way?"
"A four-on-four brawl, humans against Therians," Hunter observed as he unholstered his gun and set it on a nearby garbage can. "Up for it, boys? Unless you're afraid to get your tailless backsides whipped, that is."
The challenge incensed Eddie. "We're the fist of the Syndicate, mutt! No way a cheap dick and some fake Therians can best us. Indulge him!"
Ethan hid his relief at the thugs holstering their guns -a fistfight could still kill them, but at least the playing field was a bit more level now. While not an experienced brawler, he knew enough. Curling his hands into fists, he stood his ground, waiting for the thugs to get closer.
A greasy-looking man looking like he bathed only every other day took a swing at Ethan, who ducked out of the way. Despite the punch not connecting, the smell of stale sweat, beer and cigar smoke assaulted the stag's nostrils rather well. The man smiling cruelly. "Gunna mount yer head on my car, kid!"
The smirk on his face would fade as Ethan slammed a fist into the man's chest. A retaliatory blow struck the deer in the nose and drew blood. Oddly, Ethan seemed to be grinning despite the blood flowing from one of his nostrils. "Gh..fat chance on that..."
At that, his left leg lashed out with incredible speed, hoof hitting the man squarely in the groin. The strike prompting a pained, high-pitched gasp as the man fell to his knees before Ethan punched him hard in the jaw. The man's head hitting the pavement soon after. "You're...not the only ones who can fight dirty..."
Luke hadn't been in a fight since grade school. The bloodhound yelped as a heavyset man in a wifebeater bared down on him. He scrambled out of the way of a punch and retreated behind a pair of garbage cans.
"Whatsa matter kid? Don't know how to use your claws?"
The second the man's legs came into view, Luke lunged. He barreled into the man's lower body and knocked him over. With an angry bark he leapt onto the man's back and began bashing him on the head with a garbage lid until the thug was knocked unconscious.
"S-sorry..." he offered weakly.
Dom stood his ground as the scraggly-looking thug in an open button-down shirt charged towards him, brass knuckles at the ready. Though he was a tower of raw strength, the orca Therian was clueless about how to use it. He'd always preferred to run brutes like these ragged in self-invented parkour mazes over facing them head-on. As the thug swung, Dom instinctively blocked his face, noting that he may have needed to block lower when the glint of brass passed under his arms and struck his gut.
Much to both his surprise and the annoyance of his opponent, the brass knuckles bounced off the smooth white flesh of his stomach with little more than a dull thud. Dom lowered his guard as the irritated brawler swung again and again, though from the sound he may as well have been punching a sandbag. With an unimpressed shrug, the orca grabbed the man roughly by the collar, lifted him into the air, and deposited him face-first into the nearest garbage can. He replaced the slightly-dented lid, placing a heavy slab of concrete atop it in case the garbage inside it was still awake. "He's gonna feel that in the morning."
"IDIOTS!" Eddie bellowed. He drew his gun and fired a shot at the closest Therian. His anger threw off his aim and the bullet buried itself into a wall. "I am going to personally skin all four of you right after I fill your hides with lea-" he frowned. "Where's the mutt?"
He got his answer when a clawed finger pressed itself hard against his jugular. Before Eddie could break free, his consciousness fled the scene, and he fell limp on the floor. Hunter grinned, stepping out of the shadows and tipping his hat to the crumpled man. "Sleep tight."
"These guys must not be great fighters if a bunch of kids like us could take them..." Ethan's voice was slightly altered by the fact that he was clamping his nostrils shut. Still, he had to admit he was surprised at their victory.
"The hell just happened?" Luke exclaimed. He was relatively unharmed aside from his clothes getting dirty from diving behind the garbage cans. "We were just talking and then all of a sudden there are guns and then no guns but they're charging and then Eddie starts firing and-and-this is all getting so out of hand!"
"Luke, Luke, relax!" Dom said, giving his canine friend a healthy pat on the back. "The fight's over, we one, and nobody got shot. Calm down." He stood, looking over at the approaching Hunter. "Sounds like you've got more leads to follow."
Luke yelped at the forceful pat but it seemed to do the trick. "I-I'm fine, thanks. But what leads? All Eddie did was confirm what Hunter already suspected from rumors."
"We know what they call the stuff that they mixed morph with...more than we had before." It looked like Ethan's nose had finally stopped bleeding, though the deer was still breathing fast. His senses were on high alert.
"And we know the three of you got here at a place called 'Jimmy's Farside'," Hunter added. "If you guys want to unwind elsewhere, I can track the place down, see what I turn up. You did good for your first fight as Therians."
"Err, thanks... I guess."
Luke was silent on the ride back to the apartment. It wasn't until he had flopped onto the pullout bed and was staring up at the ceiling that he voiced his concern. "...just what are we trying to do here anyway?"
Ethan looked over from the chair he was sitting in while changing shirts. "Stopping the Syndicate from doing this to anyone else."
"I guess but..." Luke raised a handpaw, "what happens to us? I just wanna get back to New York and have movie nights at home again."
"Well, we look for a way to get cured and get back. If that's possible, we make our choices then-we can't do much about being Therians or being in Bellwin now. And I gotta say...I like this new body."
That made Luke sit up. "Seriously? Antlers and all?"
Ethan nodded, tapping one of his hoof fingers against the arm of the chair. "Yeah. I feel great, and to be honest...it just...dunno. It feels right- you know?"
"I know how much you want to get back home, Luke," Dom said, sitting down on the floor next to the pullout. "But you're going to drive yourself crazy fretting about all this. The way I look at it, if this is permanent, all we can do is get used to being like this. If it's temporary, we should enjoy these bodies while we can."
"Pretty much what Dom said-you'll drive yourself nuts if you keep worrying. I kinda miss home too, but...eh." I can think of one perk to your new look."
The orca grinned. "If it helps, I can think of at least one perk of your new look, Luke."
"Eh?"
The orca reached back and scratched a spot behind Luke's ear with a practiced finger.
"What're you-ooooh...." Luke's eyes glazed over as his tail twitched pleasantly. A soft murring escaped his muzzle.
Ethan couldn't help but chuckle at the sight in front of him. "Guess some things don't change, no matter how big a dog is, huh?"
"Pah, yer just jealous." Luke smirked, mood improving.
"Eh, just give me a salt lick or something and I'll bet I'd do something silly too!" The stag chuckled a little, happy to see his friend's spirits lifted for the first time since they'd arrived.
Dom grinned, ruffling his friend's fur playfully. "See? It's not too bad. And remember, you've still got us around, whether you like it or not."
The bloodhound barked in agreement. "Just don't expect me to go swimming with you anytime soon-my mop impression hasn't improved any."
"Speaking of swimming," Dom wondered aloud, looking towards the city's reservoir, "I kinda want to see how this body handles in the water."
VVV
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