(no subject)

[good_dug]

Dug loves Bar.

This is for many reasons.Mainly  Dug loves Bar because she has a habit of providing him with delicious snacks, including the normally forbidden people food. And even when she doesn't give him food even though he looks at her with his widest saddest eyes possible (which can be difficult because he's simply not sure where he's supposed to look), she gives him other exciting things! Like toys. Toys which admittedly seem worryingly evil, but he's pretty sure he and Octoplushie have gotten over that particular problem. Chewing off one of the eight legs helped with that.

But see - the thing is, he maybe kind of liked it when Octoplushie was evil. It was fun, in a way, chasing it, hiding from it, taunting it from under tables and behind chairs. Now that said underwater plushie is missing limbs and definitely much more battered, its servos don't seem as keen to run away from Dug. It more...limps. And that? That's just boring.

But Bar has provided Dug with another toy! And Dug? He love love love love loves Bar. Who else could give you a ball which bounces by itself?

Currently Dug has parked his massive golden behind on top of one of the tables, and has his head hanging over the edge, watching the ball with fascination. It's pretty normal-looking, blue with red dog bones, but it bounces neatly to Dug-head-height without anyone ever touching it, staying in the same position.

Twice he's snapped at it, and twice it's moved slightly to one side, avoiding him neatly. Currently his tail is flicking back and forth as he prepares for another go. This time he'll go all out. This time he'll leap at it. This time he'll get it....

Comments

[iambetadraconis.livejournal.com]

Rabastan could give you a ball that bounces by itself. Or even several.

But the current Object of Dug's Unwavering Concentration just happens to be not too far from where the wizard is sitting enjoying something deliciously people, wondering why he's as ravenous as he is, why the last few days have become a blank spot.

And why he smells of pine.

Dug might think he smelled of wild dog.

[good_dug]

There is indeed a smell in the air which is catching Dug's attention. Of course, it is less the smell of wild dog and more the smell of delicious people food. Bar has been cutting him off lately.

Probably to stop him from crushing the tables, but still.

Dug's eyes dart between the man who smells of both peculiar wildness and also peculiar deliciousness, and the ball. Back and forth. Back and forth. If Dug had ever heard of the concept 'two birds one stone', he might have used the phrase to describe his stratagy. As it is...

A moment later there is a dog flying through the air as Dug takes a leap for the ball and completely misses.

A thump shakes the bar from somewhere in the direction of Rabastan's table.





"Ow."

[iambetadraconis.livejournal.com]

And thus spells the end of Rabastan's beef-and-pasta dinner, which we're sure Dug will be charitable enough to clean up for him. ¬¬

"Bloody hell!" is the epithet that follows the loss of the food.

For all that the judges will have to deduct three full points from Dug's score.

[good_dug]

A rather messy pile of golden dog and reddish-brown pasta blinks up at him from where Dug is sprawled, upside-down, against the wizard's seat. A big pink tongue sneaks out and quickly whips a piece of meat off his whiskers, gulping it down neatly despite the awkward positioning.

Big shining eyes stare up at Rabastan, pleading for forgiveness. There's a noodle right under one of them.

"I am sorry. There was a ball!"

Clearly, this explains everything. Dug's tongue emerges again, snagging a large smear of sauce from his fur as he attempts to look as cute as possible while covered in a random patron's dinner.

[iambetadraconis.livejournal.com]

There are probably more graceful ways to score an illicit meal, but it's a bit late to argue about it.

He eyes the dog.

And then the ball, which is currently bouncing where the plate used to be. The only thing left is three pieces of green pepper in a tiny mushroom-and-tomato sauce puddle.

"I suppose I can forg— How are you talking without moving your mouth?"

Yeah that's kinda weird.

[good_dug]

More graceful, yes, but more effective? Dug flips himself to his feet and begins to enthusiastically clean the remains of the meat pasta off himself, slurping up whatever he can reach from both fur and floor. It's possible that when he's finished he's going to start eying said pieces of green pepper.

Bar's been really stingy with the people food, lately.

"I have a collar! My master made it for me. My home-master, not my master here because my master here is Kate who bought me from Jack who I played the selling game with."

Pant pant pant doggy grin?

[iambetadraconis.livejournal.com]

Can't deny that it wasn't effective, though Rabastan has to wonder how a dog that fat should be so hungry as to out-hoover a Hoover the way he does.

Or it's canine greed. "Wolfing" was invented by wolves, and dogs are perfecting it.

"Most interesting. It's not magic that he—your master—used to make your collar?"

If Dug doesn't know what magic is then he'll know it's Muggle tech at work.

[pullsneedles]

"Dug!"

Lucas hasn't seen Dug in forever. Well, by forever we mean three-ish years. And Dug, being a big, friendly, good dog, is hard to forget.

So when he sees Dug in the bar tonight, he beams and rushes over.

[good_dug]

Person!

Dug perks his ears, looking away from the ball as he hears his name called. It bounces slightly higher, apparently trying to catch his attention again, but he ignores it by force of will. It's not easy.

Luckily that's when he spots the boy and gleefully leaps from the table, landing with a thump and bounding over, tail thrashing the air and threatening chairs, tables, and patrons (the ball sulkily bounces after him). He can't remember the boy's name but hey, that's not stopping him!

"Hello! Hello!"

[pullsneedles]

He doesn't blame him. Lucas wasn't around for a long time.

"Hey, Dug," he says, reaching to scratch behind the dog's ears. "How ya doin', boy?"

[good_dug]

"I am good! There is a ball!" He waffles for a moment between ear-scritching and trying to chase said ball. Eventually ear-scritches win out and he wiggles ecstatically under the small fingers which seem to know exactly where to go.

"You were not here," he informs the boy.

You know.

In case he missed it.

[pullsneedles]

"I wasn't," he agrees. "But I'm here now. And I found out why I can talk with my dog and my sheep so easy."

Lucas looks over Dug at the ball, though the scritches haven't stopped.

"Wow. It's still bouncing."

[good_dug]

"It's a magic ball," Dug notes, sounding very proud of himself for having figured this out. "I do not like it very much. It is hard to catch."

He whines to back up this statement, nudging his head into Lucas' legs as he enjoys the scratches. "Does your dog have a collar too? I have not met sheep with collars. I do not think they would say anything."

[pullsneedles]

"I guess it is."

Lucas moves to scratch Dug's back, over in the spot that's usually hard for dogs to reach.

"Boney wears a collar but my sheep don't. I can understand all of them just fine. It's kinda like magic, too, only I didn't know that's what it was."

[ikissdhimbck]

Another ball joins the first.

And then another.

And another...

Some seem to have the same perpetual bouncing magic as the first, while others haphazardly go this way and that, creating a dizzying cross-hatched pattern that sends a good number of the wait rats into fits of squeaking curses. At least, they're probably cursing.

All of the balls are coming from the same direction, however; right where a smirking cowgirl happens to be leaning against the Bar.

[good_dug]

When the second ball joins the first one, Dug glances around suspiciously. But, being not the brightest or best-sighted dog around, he doesn't notice anything, and turns back.

Only there's not two, anymore. Now there's three.

His eyes open wide, and in the half second it takes him to lunge at the third ball, there's more joining them. He ploomphs heavily to the floor before darting in circles, frantically chasing the ever-expanding circle of balls. They're everywhere! They're not stopping! Some are running away and some are just lying on the floor and some are still bouncing and Dug has NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON.

He manages about five minutes of desperate ball chasing, skidding back and forth and occasionally slamming full-tilt into waitrats before his lack of fitness gets the better of him. He slumps to the floor, panting and whining as the last of the normal balls roll away and the bouncing ones gather around him in a taunting circle.

Life just isn't fair.

[ikissdhimbck]

There's a familiar laugh, followed by the cluck of a tongue.

"Aww, sugar."


Seemingly from nowhere, a non-bouncing ball rolls right on up to him, stopping abruptly when it ricochets from his paw.

[good_dug]

Dug perks up his ears slightly. The whining stops. He hesitates - torn between Katemaster! and get ball! Eventually he decides on the ball, pouncing on it and barking happily when it doesn't bounce away. After giving it a couple of punishing chews, he pins it between his front teeth and heaves himself to his feet, trotting brightly over to where he's spotted Kate.

"There were many balls! I got one!" He drops said ball, now slimy with dog drool, at Kate's feet. Magnanimously, "You can have it now. I am tired."

He plops his bum down next to her, as close as he can get to her cowboy boots without actually sitting on them (they can be pointy, he's discovered).

[ikissdhimbck]

"I'm proud of you," she says, lacking nothing in sincerity.

(Even if she's still laughing. It's a happy side effect of having him around.)

"You're such a strong boy!"

She crouches down to stroke his golden coat, in addition to his ego.

[good_dug]

His tail happily pounds the bar floor, sweeping away assorted dust bunnies and bits of debris. "I am! I am strong!" He puffs his chest out and tries to make his face look noble, the way he saw a German Shepard do once on TV just before rescuing a police officer.

Of course, it's hard to look noble when you're wiggling under a particularly good petting job. "I would have caught all the balls," he informs her, as though imparting a great secret. "But I let them go."

TRUFAX.

[hey35andholding]

....This time, he'll overshoot the table slightly and bonk into the blonde in a police uniform who's occupying the table next to it, knocking her onto her butt.

"...OW."

[good_dug]

WHAT.

Dug scrambles to his feet, his face immediately sinking into a desperately apologetic expression. "I am sorry! I am so sorry! I was catching a ball and it was a magical ball and it was running away from me! I did not mean to!"

He backs up, ears and tail down, whining softly under the words from the collar. She has a Uniform. That is suspicious. Dogcatchers have Uniforms. And they are not dog-friendly.

[hey35andholding]

Clementine's only slightly dazed by the impact - and by being barreled over by a rather large puppy. She shakes out her hair and sits up. "It's okay...talking...dog?" Guess she can't blame this one on the 'funny brownies' she was eating this morning.

Clem's more of a cat person, but she's got nothing against dogs, and Dug's a cutie. "Hey...it's okay...I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a police officer."

And she's not Junior, who's on the K9 unit and has worse luck than most with dogs.

[good_dug]

Oh. Police officer? That's cool. Dug's definitely good with that. Instantly tail and ears go up, and Dug offers her a big, tongue-lolling doggie grin. "It is nice to meet you then!"

The ball, with excellent timing as per usual, bounces up beside him. Dug offers it a glare, and does his best to ignore it. "The ball is a bad ball," he explains. "It is the ball's fault."

Bad ball! "I am a good dog! My name is Dug. What is your name, police lady?"

[hey35andholding]

Aww, that's adorable; Clemmie melts slightly. "Nice to meet you too, Dug. I'm Clementine" Bar at the end of the world, talking dog - yeah, Clem's just gonna go with the flow here. "It is," she declares, and makes a surprisingly successful grab for it. She holds it out and wags it back and forth. "Wanna teach it a lesson?"