buddy, i could've gone that extra mile

[halfwinchester]

Who: Adam Milligan (halfwinchester) and Cora Hale (resent).
Where: Mansion.
When: April 13th.
Rating: PG? Maybe we'll surprise you.
Summary: Thanks to the event, Adam gets the dumb idea to give himself a canine friend and Cora comes along with dumb ideas of her own.
The Story:



<sub>[Thinking to himself it'd seemed like a good idea at the time is how Adam finds himself getting sucked into the event with a one hundred and seventy pound dog sniffing around his apartment.

When people have asked him if he's had any pets, the answer's always been "no," but the truth is, he'd had a dog for about two weeks when he'd been eleven after finally convincing his mother he'd been ready for the responsibility. A beagle, cute as hell as he remembered it. Then it had run away from home one day and never come back, and that had been the end of that. He'd cried. His mother had felt horrible. After that, they'd never gotten around to replacing it with anything else, and then when the questions about his dad had started... Well, his stint as a proud eleven-year-old dog owner had been short-lived, that's about all there is to the story.

Later on, he'll blame Emma and Jo for making him remember that time with them showing off their dogs around the grounds and on the network.

And he'll blame Alice.

Despite his own personal Mount Everest of mental trauma he's been busy crawling out from under and trying to scale, he's gotten a feel for how "events" work around here. Wonderland jackasses coming out of the woodwork to run at the mouth seems to signal another round of weird stuff, and in retrospect he'll recognize that it hadn't been a good time of the month to be making executive decisions.

But having the closet spit out a fully-formed English mastiff like the kind he's read about on the internet does seem like a good idea, and the only regret he has is that he hadn't thought about getting dog supplies before the actual dog. Out of concern for his carpet, eventually he thinks he should take the giant, panting beast for a potty break, so out comes a collar and a leash and away they go. The as of yet unnamed drool machine wants to investigate everything on their way outside, sometimes sniffing and sometimes barking; Adam lets him, finding his first real dog walk as novel as the dog itself. He thinks the fawn-colored mastiff must be a year or so old, but he can't be sure given it's a magic closet dog.

Either way, it's slow going.]</sub>

Comments

[resent]

[ cora should really start bolting her door locked and tossing away her key during the events that befall wonderland. she's thought it to be a good idea to change her wardrobe, thinking on how allison dresses in skirts, but still manages to look like she could kick ass in them without so much as having a marilyn monroe moment. and, so, she she wears her own, a red-checkered thing that stops at her knees with her usual black flats. she thinks it even a better idea to leave her room and wander around wonderland in her attire that, if one were to know her, would be completely uncharacteristic. but, lucky for her, she avoids those who she knows — quite possibly being one the best decisions she's made thus far. ]

[ she doesn't need werewolf hearing to hear the loud bark. she's walking through the entrance hall when she notices adam and a dog almost the size of him entering — and rather than simply walk around him or turn the other way, she thinks it's a good idea to approach him. her gaze shifts back and forth between him and his new friend, before they finally settle on the dog. it's a much nicer sight, even though adam doesn't seem to be sporting a purple eye anymore. ]

When did you get a dog?

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[A few run-ins with Cora is enough to ascertain that she's not one to show off much leg, just as he's not one to deviate much from nondescript shirts and jeans. It takes him an extra half second to recognize the girl in the dress as Cora. Her being back to normal is a far cry from the dark-haired guy he'd met out on the grass.

She looks... happy. People don't normally dress up if they don't have to unless they're happy to being do something or going somewhere, right?

The dog's happy, too, having had a nice romp outside, and he charges to the end of the leash length to bark once at her. It's not a threatening bark, it's a "who are you, what do you want, and do you carry edible things in your pockets like Adam?" kind of bark.]</sub>

Just now.

_{[... That's pretty much the truth. He rubs its head, and the dog settles for rumbling like an idling engine, tongue hanging out of its mouth.]}

It's true, those closets can make just about anything pop out. But I think he's friendly.

_{[We don't need to get Cora's nice dress bloody, do we, magic closet dog?]}

[resent]

[ cora doesn't approach, even though the dog sounds friendly to her ears. she doesn't know if he's one of those dogs that'll change face the moment she takes a step, nor does she really know if he's completely friendly. adam doesn't really do much to help matters, either. he seems friendly enough, but cora's learned over the years to not judge any animal by its coat. and if he's come from the closet ... she has to wonder what exactly drove adam to pull a fully grown possibly friendly dog from the magical box in his room. ]

[ it's obvious cora's amused, whether by the dog, adam having a dog, or the fact that the dog seems to be unlike adam in every shape, she doesn't even know herself. ] You didn't think to ask for a friendly closet dog?

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Not once has this dog ever pulled him too hard that he hasn't been able keep it under control, and even now it's smart enough not to choke itself out by pulling at the end of the rope; it stands at attention, grunting in its throat, probably better well-behaved than any magic dog is obliged to be.

The dog woofs lowly again. Truth be told, the animal shares a little of Adam's sentiments, maybe why he's finding it so easy to get attached to it. The dog asks people the same question Adam wishes he could and could get an honest answer for--are you dangerous? They've got a hive mind situation going on a little bit.]</sub>

He's all right.

_{[So far to him, anyway. If it doesn't bite the hand that feeds it, that's all that matters. Adam could do worse than a junkyard dog who likes him and no one else.]}

[resent]

[ she looks to adam, but cora's gaze ends up on the dog. while adam's a charmer with his lack of smiling and sarcastic sense of humour that cora takes as a stab of a taser most of the time, the dog is speaking a language cora thinks she gets. if he were growling, he'd see her as a threat, but he merely barks. at least the closet hasn't lead adam astray and given him a dog that won't look out for him. because of that, she thinks he's friendly enough, too. ]

[ she smiles at the friendly closet beast. she doesn't think to move toward him, though. adam and his currently unnamed dog are a pack and cora is an outsider — she's seen enough of packs coming together and being wary of one another to know it's not in her place to close the distance and pat the dog. in a way, adam's the alpha and his dog is the beta — and maybe she's taking this a little too seriously, applying werewolf dynamics to that of an owner and dog, but considering how adam likes to walk into danger, she'd rather the dog or him close the distance than her do it. ]

[ call her stupid for not going up to the dog and scratching him behind the ears without so much as adam giving her the go-ahead. ] What's his name?

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[That's right, Cora, beep beep, alpha male with his floppy-eared pony coming through! Most betas probably don't sit on their alphas and try (and succeed) in stealing their food off the kitchen counter, though, so who's calling the shots and who's exasperatedly tolerating who may still be up for debate in this case.

On a more practical level, Adam still knows he has to take responsibility for the big lug. His closet, his pet, his problem. How he'll go about doing that is something he's still working on. Wolf packs and their rules make a lot more sense, in comparison. Adam hasn't been part of a pack in a long time, and even then it'd only been a two-person pack between mother and son, a tight-knit bond that'll never be duplicated again. He supposes he's learning how to give directions as much as the dog is learning how to follow them. Adam looks down at the mastiff; it looks back up at him, brown eyes, and wrinkles, and all. The dog kind of reminds him of a St. Bernard, like Nana from Peter Pan, or Beethoven, but...

Adam's speculative look makes it clear not even he's sure of the answer.]</sub>

It's been "don't put that in your mouth" for now.

<sub>[The dog wheezes, muzzle jiggling. Anyone's guess what that means. Jokingly, Adam grabs him by the nose and shakes the dog's head a little, demonstrating that it's more of a toothless tiger when it just squeezes its eyes shut and grumbles.

Don't worry, Cora, Adam's relatively confident you have nothing to worry about.]</sub>

But you're not much of a go-getter, are you, huh? More like a "Bob the Dog" from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood than a "Killer."

_{[Adam had at least thought to get food and dog threats before taking the dog out, and now he reaches into his pocket to pull out one of those no-name bacon treats. The dog more or less just absorbs it into the folds of his muzzle like a sponge.]}

I don't think he'd think you'd taste that great.

[resent]

Creative. [ she smiles. at least the dog isn't called max, though. adam does, sometimes, give off the vibe he can be very uncreative, like a kid who has lived behind a white picket fence for all his life. names are important; considering how she's viewed adam, she figures he wants to make sure he gives his companion a name that isn't embarrassing to call out in the middle of a full mansion. ]

[ but he treats the nameless dog so fondly that she's kind of glad the closet has given him a friend rather than a remake of cujo. ] I wouldn't. Some dogs like the taste of girl, but I have a feeling — [ don't put that in your mouth. it's definitely a mouthful. so cora just nods toward the nameless, slobbery dog as a substitute for saying his name. ] — has better taste.

[ but, with that said, even though she's pretty sure he's said she can go ahead and approach his big, slobbery dog that could easily stand on its hind legs and overpower her, she gestures toward the him: ] Can I?

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[More like a title born out of necessity from having to constantly repeat it. Might as well be his name.

Adam smiles just a little.]</sub>

Yeah, it's dog treats and whatever he can pull off a table all the way.

<sub>[Like a regular pain in the ass household pet. And that's exactly what he'd wanted, in a way. Something normal. Not something dangerous, or wary, or aggressive like he himself can be when put in unsure situations, but something more discerning than he is. So far the dog seems to be just that, watchful but not one to bite first and investigate later.

And Adam likes that. Maybe it's a little soon to be counting his blessings in just a day, but a little sanity in his otherwise insane corner of Wonderland would definitely be just that, a blessing.]</sub>

Yeah.

_{[This time it's not just an agreement, it's an answer. He looks up from the animal. In this instance, he's willing to believe the best in someone: the good nature of his dog. The mastiff just ruffs and tosses his head, as if knowing it's being talked about.]}

[resent]

[ cora wastes little time in dropping to her knees to gives his dog a good, hard scratch behind the ears. ] Hopefully he won't call you Spot or Clifford. [ that'd be terribly mundane, almost on par with killer. she frowns, but continues to pay attention to the dog, rather than speaking to adam. ] Or Cujo. [ even though that dog could be an asset during events, the ones where monsters break through stone walls and try and maim everyone on sight. ]

[ she doesn't forget adam's there. it's a little easier to talk to him with a dog between them, occupying her time as she finds herself wanting to know something she otherwise wouldn't really give a damn about. raising her gaze to his, her brows rise as she speaks to adam, rather than don't put that in your mouth. ] Did you have a dog back home?

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Shut up, Cora, just because he's been thinking about ironic names just like those doesn't make him a bad dog-namer.

The mastiff looks the farthest thing from a Cujo with his floppy ears bouncing from the attention. He lacks the actual spots to be a Spot, and if his muzzle is indeed hiding an intimidating set of chompers that put him on par with Cujo, a person would hardly know it to see it. The dog just continues to stand and accept his pets without complaint, sniffing Cora's face. She might have a wolf smell, but whether or not she has food breath is another important part of the investigation.

Much like Cora and her pack are relatively easygoing as far as super-powered werewolves go, the fact that the mastiff is so docile goes a long way to giving Adam confidence he can take the reins of dog ownership.]</sub>

There's a first time for everything. _{[So no.]} Why not, right? We can do whatever the hell we want here.

_{[There are worse things he could do with his closets and his free time.]}

[resent]

[ cora spares scooby a sympathetic look, a sorry you got stuck with this one, bud before she returns her gaze to adam. it's not necessarily bad luck the unnamed dog got caught up in the life of adam milligan — cora only knows so much of his own personal, confusing trauma to know that, maybe, a dog might do him some good, giving him a constant and reliable companion where those people from home refuse to remain permanent fixtures in his life — but if the dog has mush for a brain that needs to be moulded by adam's unintelligible fingers, well, she's concerned for the dog and how he's going to turn out a few months down the line. ]

[ by the sounds of it, though, it seems his choice of plucking a dog from the closet was impulsive. despite how she wants to think of it as a poor choice, him biting off more than he can chew, perhaps adam's finally listening to his instincts rather than that stupid head of his. but, she does have to wonder ... has he never seen napoleon? dogs wander off when they speak to birds and get big ideas of adventure in their head. it's what cora had dreamed of, once, before she was forced to venture away from her own home. ]

[ she looks amused, mouth quirking upward. ] Why not just get a goldfish? A dog seems a little adventurous for you.

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Nobody asked for your two cents, wolf girl! Who are you going to call to report Adam for bad dog care, the dog police? Try it.

Maybe he hadn't wanted a goldfish so it could go forgotten in a tank somewhere in a corner of his apartment. He gives a patented "I could answer, but I won't" shrug.]</sub>

Maybe not. People can surprise you.

_{[He could be adventurous. He's survived Wonderland this long, hasn't he?]}