Post by skyeknight on Jan 31, 2018 20:08:03 GMT
Aqua and Namine had gone to Omar’s performance at the Bourbon together. It was a milder set so Namine didn’t have to be intimidated by a large crowd and louder music. If anything the bartender took a liking to the small blonde and had a table designated just for them where, if anyone gave them any trouble, a look from the fiery demon sent them packing. Getting out more seemed to do Namine some good. She even took the incentive to go to yoga classes with Adeline – one of Axel’s underaged regulars who he insisted to Aqua multiple times only drank tea when she visited.
After the set, the girls walked home. It hadn’t been raining when they left, but little over halfway there, it was pouring. Between the two of them, they only had one functional umbrella. It left them huddled close together, laughing as they tried to stay dry. They were almost home when Namine heard a soft whimper. She stopped dead in her tracks, forcing Aqua to do the same. A puzzled expression crossed the faery’s face.
"What is it?" Aqua asked.
Namine shook her head, hushing Aqua with a finger to her lips. Aqua raised a brow. How unlike the small blonde. But Namine swiftly turned before rushing out from under the umbrella. She was following the soft noises of distress. It was soft. In pain. Aqua gave a startled cry of alarm. She hastily followed after the human girl. Both of them were getting soaked in the rain.
"Namine, where are you going?"
She didn’t go far. The source of the noise was in the mouth of the alley coming from a soggy cardboard box. Namine wet her lips before kneeling down. Aqua stood behind her. All of the faery’s protests died now that she heard the noise as well. The umbrella was held over Namine’s head. Namine peered up at her roommate, as if asking what to do. A solemn expression crossed Aqua’s face. The faery had slipped into ‘work-mode’. The look wasn’t enough of an answer for Namine to decide her next course of action.
Namine took a deep breath when she heard another pitiful cry from the box. Her fingers slipped under the damp cardboard. A quick flip and it was open. Inside the box was a filthy little creature – a dog. Sort of. It was bigger than any puppy she had ever seen, but it was clearly still young. Her heart clinched. Alone. Dirty. Cold. Wet. Injured! Were those bite marks?
Without thinking, the blonde lifted the dog out of the box, straining over the weight. At first the dog growled and turned as if to bite her, but she held him in front of her, looking him in the eyes. It settled down, even bowed it’s head to lick her thumb. Aqua seemed relieved. A dog in a box was better than a baby.
"A-Aqua, c-can we-?"
"Let’s get him home," Aqua said as if to reassure Namine that she needn’t ask.
The dog didn’t fight Namine as she bathed him, but Aqua watched over the two of them while she was on the phone. The faery was surprised at how well behaved the dog was, even when Namine cleaned its fur and put peroxide on its injuries. The blonde tended to the dog’s every need, even pouring a bit of magic into him to heal the wounds that Aqua had cataloged. The poor thing had been a fighter at some point or at least defended itself its entire life because the broken bones and docked tail said a lot for him.
"You’re saying the dog belongs to Don Corneo? That man is bad news," Aqua said.
Namine looked up at her roommate. The bath water had turned black the first time they stuck the dog in it. They had to let it out and run fresh water while he was in it. Despite all that, he didn’t fight them. He was clean as a whistle, sitting at attention as the blonde towel dried him. His matted and dingy fur became a warm honeyed amber color. The dog sat patiently, his nubbed tail wagging as she made sure to squeeze the excess water from his coat. Namine silently sat, waiting, just as patiently as their four-legged guest.
"The dog has fighting injuries Riku. Yeah, I know. I think so too. I’m going to head your way in five, okay? Corneo’s got some explaining to do."
Aqua hung up, clearly looking frustrated. She had her concerns when they brought the dog in. Apparently, fido had gotten away from the Don and taken refuge in the box, but his own injuries made him hurt so much he had called out for attention which Namine was giving. Aqua looked between them. Right now, the puppy was tiny, as all puppies were, but he was going to get massively big. His breed was known as Mabari. They were giant mastiffs bred with wolves. They were a loyal kind of dog, that didn’t so much as see their owners as masters as they did partners. There had been stories of Mabari avenging an owner’s death before lying down next to them and joining them in death.
"W-What’s going on?"
"The dog… his owner is a known crime lord. And well, that’s not just any breed of dog. It’s a Mabari. There’s a huge black market industry on them."
Namine’s eyes went wide. Her arms went around the dog, as if to shield him from the police officer. Never before had Namine been concerned about something Aqua would do. The faery frowned. Namine was clearly taken with the dog, but if the dog was more loyal to Don Corneo than he was to Namine, then Aqua loathed to think what would happen should the Don find out that Namine had the dog. A single order of ‘attack’ and Namine would be dog meat. Literally.
"W-What’s going to happen to him?" she asked fearfully.
"That depends on him," Aqua said softly. "And who he has imprinted on."
Namine shook her head. It was unspoken, but it seemed that if the Mabari had imprinted on Corneo, he would suffer the same fate as his boss. A possible death. Namine was on the verge of tears when the faery left her. Aqua felt terrible for it, but they couldn’t risk a dangerous dog like that being bonded to a dangerous man.
After arresting Corneo, Aqua headed home. She and Riku spent hours questioning him. When they got to his place, not only did they find drug paraphernalia, they found more dogs and a fight was even going on as they busted in. They made quite a few arrests that night, not just Don but some of his men too. Rounding them up had been a bit of a scuffle. Aqua’s lip had stopped bleeding from the lucky right cross she was hit with and Riku had to use some of his paralytic powders to stop a shootout.
They even had to call in backup because they could not handle the arrests and manage the dogs at the same time. So Shadow and Sunshine brought over the paddy wagon to house the illegal gamblers and dog fighting humans. A dog rescue had been contacted to rehome and rehabilitate the dogs themselves. There were no Mabari like the one she found with Namine, but other dogs, some of them were plain feral, snarling and trying to bite at her as if stricken by some bloodlust.
It sent a fear through Aqua that she had left Namine home alone with a potentially feral dog. Riku understood her need to get back to her roommate and told her to get home and check on the younger woman. She flew like the hounds of Hell were behind her. Though, when she got back to her place, it would appear that she worried for nothing. Namine was fast asleep in her bed. The Mabari was right beside her, curled against her stomach but his head was facing the door. He looked up at her, seemingly dismissed her arrival and lay back down.
Aqua stared at the Mabari and he stared back. The two of them seemed to have some sort of silent conversation. If he had been a dangerous dog, he would have hurt Namine in the time that Aqua had been away. Instead, he was washed, fed and was now prepared to sleep beside Namine. Aqua would loathe taking the creature away from Namine. Mabaris were intelligent creatures, capable of understanding humans, but not speaking. If he was trained properly, the Mabari would be a good companion for the tiny girl.
With a heavy sigh, the faery closed the door. The dog seemed to relax when he realized that was what she was doing. He even closed his eyes and let out a slow exhale himself. Aqua smoothed a hand through her hair. She didn’t see a problem with the pet. The only one that would be disappointed would be Adrien. Apparently he was fond of cats.
After the set, the girls walked home. It hadn’t been raining when they left, but little over halfway there, it was pouring. Between the two of them, they only had one functional umbrella. It left them huddled close together, laughing as they tried to stay dry. They were almost home when Namine heard a soft whimper. She stopped dead in her tracks, forcing Aqua to do the same. A puzzled expression crossed the faery’s face.
"What is it?" Aqua asked.
Namine shook her head, hushing Aqua with a finger to her lips. Aqua raised a brow. How unlike the small blonde. But Namine swiftly turned before rushing out from under the umbrella. She was following the soft noises of distress. It was soft. In pain. Aqua gave a startled cry of alarm. She hastily followed after the human girl. Both of them were getting soaked in the rain.
"Namine, where are you going?"
She didn’t go far. The source of the noise was in the mouth of the alley coming from a soggy cardboard box. Namine wet her lips before kneeling down. Aqua stood behind her. All of the faery’s protests died now that she heard the noise as well. The umbrella was held over Namine’s head. Namine peered up at her roommate, as if asking what to do. A solemn expression crossed Aqua’s face. The faery had slipped into ‘work-mode’. The look wasn’t enough of an answer for Namine to decide her next course of action.
Namine took a deep breath when she heard another pitiful cry from the box. Her fingers slipped under the damp cardboard. A quick flip and it was open. Inside the box was a filthy little creature – a dog. Sort of. It was bigger than any puppy she had ever seen, but it was clearly still young. Her heart clinched. Alone. Dirty. Cold. Wet. Injured! Were those bite marks?
Without thinking, the blonde lifted the dog out of the box, straining over the weight. At first the dog growled and turned as if to bite her, but she held him in front of her, looking him in the eyes. It settled down, even bowed it’s head to lick her thumb. Aqua seemed relieved. A dog in a box was better than a baby.
"A-Aqua, c-can we-?"
"Let’s get him home," Aqua said as if to reassure Namine that she needn’t ask.
The dog didn’t fight Namine as she bathed him, but Aqua watched over the two of them while she was on the phone. The faery was surprised at how well behaved the dog was, even when Namine cleaned its fur and put peroxide on its injuries. The blonde tended to the dog’s every need, even pouring a bit of magic into him to heal the wounds that Aqua had cataloged. The poor thing had been a fighter at some point or at least defended itself its entire life because the broken bones and docked tail said a lot for him.
"You’re saying the dog belongs to Don Corneo? That man is bad news," Aqua said.
Namine looked up at her roommate. The bath water had turned black the first time they stuck the dog in it. They had to let it out and run fresh water while he was in it. Despite all that, he didn’t fight them. He was clean as a whistle, sitting at attention as the blonde towel dried him. His matted and dingy fur became a warm honeyed amber color. The dog sat patiently, his nubbed tail wagging as she made sure to squeeze the excess water from his coat. Namine silently sat, waiting, just as patiently as their four-legged guest.
"The dog has fighting injuries Riku. Yeah, I know. I think so too. I’m going to head your way in five, okay? Corneo’s got some explaining to do."
Aqua hung up, clearly looking frustrated. She had her concerns when they brought the dog in. Apparently, fido had gotten away from the Don and taken refuge in the box, but his own injuries made him hurt so much he had called out for attention which Namine was giving. Aqua looked between them. Right now, the puppy was tiny, as all puppies were, but he was going to get massively big. His breed was known as Mabari. They were giant mastiffs bred with wolves. They were a loyal kind of dog, that didn’t so much as see their owners as masters as they did partners. There had been stories of Mabari avenging an owner’s death before lying down next to them and joining them in death.
"W-What’s going on?"
"The dog… his owner is a known crime lord. And well, that’s not just any breed of dog. It’s a Mabari. There’s a huge black market industry on them."
Namine’s eyes went wide. Her arms went around the dog, as if to shield him from the police officer. Never before had Namine been concerned about something Aqua would do. The faery frowned. Namine was clearly taken with the dog, but if the dog was more loyal to Don Corneo than he was to Namine, then Aqua loathed to think what would happen should the Don find out that Namine had the dog. A single order of ‘attack’ and Namine would be dog meat. Literally.
"W-What’s going to happen to him?" she asked fearfully.
"That depends on him," Aqua said softly. "And who he has imprinted on."
Namine shook her head. It was unspoken, but it seemed that if the Mabari had imprinted on Corneo, he would suffer the same fate as his boss. A possible death. Namine was on the verge of tears when the faery left her. Aqua felt terrible for it, but they couldn’t risk a dangerous dog like that being bonded to a dangerous man.
After arresting Corneo, Aqua headed home. She and Riku spent hours questioning him. When they got to his place, not only did they find drug paraphernalia, they found more dogs and a fight was even going on as they busted in. They made quite a few arrests that night, not just Don but some of his men too. Rounding them up had been a bit of a scuffle. Aqua’s lip had stopped bleeding from the lucky right cross she was hit with and Riku had to use some of his paralytic powders to stop a shootout.
They even had to call in backup because they could not handle the arrests and manage the dogs at the same time. So Shadow and Sunshine brought over the paddy wagon to house the illegal gamblers and dog fighting humans. A dog rescue had been contacted to rehome and rehabilitate the dogs themselves. There were no Mabari like the one she found with Namine, but other dogs, some of them were plain feral, snarling and trying to bite at her as if stricken by some bloodlust.
It sent a fear through Aqua that she had left Namine home alone with a potentially feral dog. Riku understood her need to get back to her roommate and told her to get home and check on the younger woman. She flew like the hounds of Hell were behind her. Though, when she got back to her place, it would appear that she worried for nothing. Namine was fast asleep in her bed. The Mabari was right beside her, curled against her stomach but his head was facing the door. He looked up at her, seemingly dismissed her arrival and lay back down.
Aqua stared at the Mabari and he stared back. The two of them seemed to have some sort of silent conversation. If he had been a dangerous dog, he would have hurt Namine in the time that Aqua had been away. Instead, he was washed, fed and was now prepared to sleep beside Namine. Aqua would loathe taking the creature away from Namine. Mabaris were intelligent creatures, capable of understanding humans, but not speaking. If he was trained properly, the Mabari would be a good companion for the tiny girl.
With a heavy sigh, the faery closed the door. The dog seemed to relax when he realized that was what she was doing. He even closed his eyes and let out a slow exhale himself. Aqua smoothed a hand through her hair. She didn’t see a problem with the pet. The only one that would be disappointed would be Adrien. Apparently he was fond of cats.