tabularasa_rp | [open] I don't plan on breaking down

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[open] I don't plan on breaking down

Who: Rinoa Heartilly + you?
What: catch-all for September!
Where: different places around the Void
When: during September, or the equivalent thereof
Content Warnings: n/a! will update if anything comes up

I ☆ Old Friends and New (Mortis Lake)

[ Whether it's because he's apparently part one of those Pokémon things or for some other reason entirely, Felix seems to be quite trainable. Scraps and barbecued meat from the cavern market and promises of affectionate pats and praise seem to be all he needs to keep him going. In that regard, he reminds her a lot of Angelo, even if he seems to be more cat than dog in a lot of ways. He's learned to fetch already, and today she's among the purple trees and foliage of the forest, teaching him to answer to her whistle. He likes to explore, after all, and Rinoa wants to make sure that he'll come back to her when she calls for him.

He's been gone for three minutes, so it's the perfect time to call him back, she thinks. The pointer finger and thumb of her right hand tuck between her lips, her left hand extended with a chunk of the meat. When she whistles though, there's not one shape but two - Felix's small form comes into view from behind the trees just before a dark brown blur overtakes him, crashing straight into Rinoa's solar plexus and sending her sprawling to the ground.

An alarmed, angry squawk from Felix is followed by... a bark.
The feel of a wet nose pressing against her skin.
A heavy, familiar weight against her.

Dazed as she is from the fall, Rinoa manages to sit up, looking at the dog now in her lap. ]

Angelo?

[ Another bark, and just like that she's laughing and crying at the same time, hugging the newcomer close to her, burying her face in her fur. It's not until Felix makes another sound, a gently confused chirp, that she looks up, smiling even as her tears stream down her face. ]

I'm sorry, Felix. We probably scared you, huh?

[ She reaches out to pull her newer friend in, too. Anyone who comes across her for however long will find her like this, both animals in her lap as they sniff each other out, greeting each other cautiously as she showers each of them with love and affection. ]

II ☆ Furniture Shopping (Takoba Beach)

[ She's not sure when it happened exactly, but for a little while now, any trips she's taken to the beach have resulted in her finding more and more stuff for the humble apartment she's taken to calling home in the extended absence of the real thing. So far, she's managed to find a nightstand and a lamp that doesn't do a whole lot more than sit on top of it and look pretty, along with a small coffee table that would pair incredibly well with the sofa sitting in front of her right now. It's a little dirty from the sand, and still waterlogged, but it's otherwise in great shape.

The main problem? By herself, she has almost no chance at all of lifting it. Angelo and Felix are both eager to help, but there's really nothing that they can do either, and so it's with a resigned sigh that the young woman decides to wait for someone to come along and give her a hand.

Anyone who comes across her here will find her sitting on the couch with two animals curled at her feet, a book in her hand as she tries to make sense of its entirely nonsensical text. She'll look up at the approach, a hopeful smile on her lips. ]

Hi! Do you think you could help me out?

III ☆ Relaxation (Bathhouse)

[ Rinoa's been meaning to visit the bathhouse since she first learned of its existence in the cavernous Wall Market, but... well, it's not that she hasn't had time - it feels like here she has nothing but, despite its strange lack of existence (or maybe because of its lack of existence) - it's more that it's been lower on the priority list than... well, than a lot of things, really.

But now that Angelo is here, it's like something has settled in her mind. Squall isn't here, but that doesn't mean he won't show up, the same way she has, the same way Angelo has, the same way all her new friends have from their own worlds. He's not here, but she's not alone, either.

She wasn't before; it just took this long for her to realize it. To accept that she's stronger than she's given herself credit for, before.

And if that's not the kind of thing that deserves a nice, hot, relaxing bath? Then nothing is!

It's with a contented sigh that the young woman slips into the water, eyes closing as she immediately feels her muscles relaxing under its warmth. ]

Mm, I should've done this sooner...

[ Perhaps you're someone coming along for a bath of your own, or perhaps the distortions in the air carry the sound of her voice directly to your ears as she contentedly hums a song to herself. Either way, she has no intention of leaving the area for quite a while! ]

IV ☆ Wildcard

( something else in mind? hit her with something random, or hit me up if you want to request something specific! ♥ )

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Without the white lab coat marking him as a scientist, it takes Rinoa a moment or two to recognize the man. And where she'd already judged him as someone who was not an immediate threat, her friends are quick to back her up on that, greeting him warmly as she gets off the couch. Better than her own judgement, she trusts theirs, and so it's something of a relief to see them interacting with the older man.

"I want to get this sofa back to the apartments," she explains, gesturing back to the couch where she was sitting a moment ago. "But it's a little too much of a job for one person, you know?"

Realistically, she thinks, it might even be a little too much for both of them. But she has to try.

( Yes, totally okay! She initially forgot in the panic but she would have eventually. ^^ )

Sam grins at the greeting he gets from the animals, petting them affectionately even as he looks up at her again.

"Oh! Well, it'll take a bit of effort, but I don't think it'll be a problem." He walks over to the edge of the couch, kneeling down to get his fingers under it, and after a light grunt of exertion, lifts the end a few inches. After holding it there for a moment, he lets it drop back on the beach and lets out a slow breath to relax his muscles. He's clearly more than strong enough to support half its weight; it's the sheer bulk of the thing that will be a bigger problem in moving it.

"And maybe in return, you could tell me about this little one? I've never met a creature quite like it." He gives Angelo another pet, to indicate which one he's talking about.

Though, there is one element about the couch that bothers him; he rests his hands on his hips, looking down at it.

"But isn't it a bit wet? Won't it get mildewy?" Does she have some way of drying it that he's not aware of?

Nosy and affectionate as ever, both Angelo and Felix trail over with him as he tests the weight of the couch. Rinoa smiles and nods, happy to accept his terms, although once again, she's left a little surprised by the things he does and doesn't know. Does he really come from a world that doesn't even have dogs? The thought is crazy to her... but then again there's already been so many things about their respective lands that are different, right?

"This is Angelo. I'd love to tell you more about her. Perhaps while we walk?"

But then his next question has her stopping, and her hands fall to her hips too, a look of confusion crossing her face.

"Mildew?"

She's heard the term before, but... well, she's a rich kid, so... forgive her for not understanding exactly how it would form on a wet sofa.

Edited 2020-09-20 08:23 (UTC)

They have several Pokemon they refer to as 'dog Pokemon' (Growlithe, Houndour, Snubbull, Lillipup, etc), but nothing that's just a 'dog', and none that look quite like Angelo.

"I think we'll both have better things to use our breath on than talking while moving this." Giving the couch a bit of a tap with his foot. But once they're done, certainly. Especially if she and Angelo will let him give the animal a bit of an examination... nothing too invasive or anything that will hurt her, of course; maybe he can draw a picture of her, too!

It's his turn to be surprised as she... apparently doesn't know what mildew is?

"Mildew, mold, that kind of thing. It's fungus that likes to live in moist places... including wet upholstery. It smells bad and breathing in the spores can make you sick." That's the gist of it, basically -- and it's not just bad for humans, but pets too. Possibly even worse, considering how small they are and that their noses will be much closer to any mold that forms.

The explanation isn't quite necessary - it's embarrassing that he thinks she needs it. She knows what it is... just not really how one ends up with it. Although in the end, his explanation covers both, she still finds a hint of pink on her cheeks.

But even with his warning... she's not sure if it'll happen that way.

"I wonder if it exists here? Mildew, I mean. Lots of things don't, right? Like..." Rinoa pauses and smiles, gesturing toward the couch. "I don't know about you, Professor, but... I haven't really found myself out of breath once since arriving here." And it's not like she's super fit or anything...! It just.. doesn't seem to be a thing. So maybe mildew won't form either? And if it does...

"If there's a problem, I'll get someone to help me throw it out again."

Meanwhile, he has no idea why she would be embarrassed -- there's no shame in not knowing about something like this, which might have never come up for her before... and he likes teaching people, anyway.

"Well, that seems like a reasonable plan. You can always call on me again if that happens, I don't mind." The idea of mold and mildew not existing, though....

"Yes, I suppose I've just been assuming that microbes exist here. Without a microscope or someone getting sick, there's no way to tell for sure." He idly rubs his left arm. "When that metal creature bit me, its mouth was so filthy I thought the wound might get infected, so I made sure to clean it. Maybe I should have left it, as an experiment to see if infection is actually possible here."

It would be quite the risky experiment, especially since they don't have any proper medicine, but as a scientist he's prepared to make that sacrifice. (Perhaps it would be safer to just hurt the wild animals and then see if they get infected, but he's only prepared to sacrifice his own health, not the health of animals that can't even consent.)

"I just wish we had some proper scientific equipment here. A microscope wouldn't be the only thing useful in studying this world." As he speaks, he sighs and kneels down to pet Felix and Angelo again.

Rinoa can do nothing but blink at him in response to his comment. No, no, that's not a good idea. She may not understand a whole lot about mold and mildew and microbes, but she does know that letting a wound get infected in a place like this isn't good. There's no magic, no potions, no infirmaries even...

"I know it's late to say this, but... please don't do that, Professor. You could get really hurt." She offers him a small smile. He may be a scientist, but he seems like a nice enough person, too. She doesn't want him to hurt himself to try and learn something. "There has to be some other way, right?"

Not that she enjoys the idea of him testing his theories on anyone or anything else, either. But that's something she'll worry about if it comes to it. Luckily, he doesn't seem the type, kneeling as he is to pet Felix and Angelo both.

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind, though. Thank you."

Sam just laughs at that, though he is touched by her concern.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've gotten hurt for the sake of science... it tends to happen when you work with wild Pokemon." In other words, please don't worry about him; he's been around the block a few times and can take care of himself. "It's a moot point by now, anyway. It's healing up nicely. I appreciate your concern, though. Thank you."

Standing up again, he moves back to one end of the couch.

"Should we try to see if we can move this, then? Or we waiting for more help to arrive?" He doesn't see anything else they might need to wait for; if she wants this thing moved, there's no time like the present.

She shakes her head. She'd prefer it if no one had to get hurt, but there's nothing she can do about that. Besides, he knows what he's doing, right? He's not exactly a chicobo... With a smile - and a chuckle when Angelo makes a whining noise and follows the scientist in an attempt to get more affection from him - she moves to the opposite side.

"You're the only person I've seen so far, so I don't think any more help is coming."

It's not a complaint; really, she's happy for any help she can get. Two people can move a couch, especially here where tiredness doesn't seem to be a thing. For one, though, it's still too hard.

Samuel laughs at Angelo's begging, crouching down to pet her again.

"I'll pet you some more once we're done here, sweetheart, I promise. Just try to not get underfoot, I'd hate to accidentally step on you."

With that, he nods to Rinoa and lifts his end of the couch, ready to move.

Rinoa smiles at his kindness towards Angelo; even if she hadn't already made the judgment for herself, she's always believed that you can tell how good a person is by how they treat animals. It's almost funny in a way to think of how frightened she was of him at first, just because he's a scientist...

"She'll be okay. She's really smart," she informs the professor as she lifts her end of the couch with a nod of her own.

Sam takes the lead, which means he'll be walking backwards and relying on Rinoa's guidance to not stumble or run into anything. There'll be other difficulties -- like how to open doors and keep them open as they go through, and how to maneuver the couch on the staircase once they get that far -- but it's nothing they won't be able to handle.

((Time skip to when they get the couch in place, unless there's something you'd like to do on the way?))

((sounds good to me!))

There are difficulties, alright, but before what seems like too long at all - or maybe it feels like an eternity, Rinoa can never tell with this place - they're in her apartment, putting the still largely-waterlogged couch on the floor against the wall. With a nod and a smile, she looks back across at the Professor.

"It looks really good! Now I'll just have to work to try and make sure that I don't get any mildew!"

Cloths, and trying to squeeze some of the extra water out, and... well, stuff like that. She'll figure it out as she goes.

"But you wanted to know about Angelo, right? Do you have any questions, or...?"

Sam finds a relatively dry spot on the couch to sit down on, eagerly reaching out a hand for Angelo again.

"Can you tell me what you know about her species? We don't have creatures like this in my world. And, if it's alright with you two, I'd like to give her a bit of an examination." Yes, both of them; Angelo has to agree to it too. He pulls out something that looks like an especially thick ballpoint pen, but when he takes off the cap... ah, it's a flashlight.

"Nothing invasive, nothing that would hurt her. Just a look and a listen."

Edited 2020-10-18 08:46 (UTC)

She's surprised by the pen-flashlight, but less so by the way Angelo immediately takes to the professor, barking her approval as she sits at the man's feet. Rinoa can't help but smile even as she searches for as many dog facts she can come up with.

"Angelo's a dog. They're kind of like the pet version of wolves, like how cats are the pet versions of, you know, lions and stuff. They're loyal and playful, and some of them - like Angelo - are really smart. They have wet noses, and they wag their tails when they're happy..."

Well, she didn't protest and Angelo seems happy, so... it might be okay? He'll start slowly, kneeling down next to Angelo, pointing the light at her and talking as he goes.

"I'm afraid I don't know what any of those, are, either." But he can get something of a gist -- so they're domesticated, and use their tails for communication?

"Sorry, sweetheart. I know it can't be fun getting a light in your eyes like that." This at Angelo, then back up to Rinoa: "Normally I use special eyedrops to keep their eyes dilated so I can look inside, but her pupillary light reflex is working, at least."

Then back to Angelo again: "I'm going to look in your ears next, okay?"

She probably should have seen coming that he wouldn't know what wolves and cats and lions are, but it's still kind of a shock. She tilts her head, thoughtful.

"Cats are like... I think the creatures like Felix are half-cat." (Well, maybe not half. They're also part bunny, and part bird too.) She crouches down to run her fingers through the feathers on top of the creature's head. "His body looks kind of like a cat's body, anyway."

She has no idea what a pupillary light reflex is, but she nods anyway, still idly patting the other animal. And when Angelo barks in reply to the Professor, she smiles.

"She likes you, so I'm sure it's okay."

He nods at that, waving at Felix before lifting one of Angelo's ears so he can peer into it.

"I wonder, can you draw at all, Rinoa? Maybe you could show me what these creatures look like that way." Onto the other ear, giving Angelo a pat as he switches sides. He's not expecting anything photorealistic, but he figures it'll be enough to give him an idea.

"She's a good girl. Very well-behaved." Then, to Angelo: "Can you open your mouth for me, sweetheart? I'd like to take a look inside."

Can she draw? Is she artistic? Her lips part, an instant "yes" on her tongue, but she falls silent again before she can say it.

"I thought some kid made it. The paint job sucks, too."
"It's one of the... ugliest things I've seen in my life."
Not to mention that Squall looked like he totally agreed...

Her lips purse, a stubbornness in the knit of her brows. "I can draw okay."

She might be a little too distracted to accept the compliment on Angelo's behalf, but the dog does well enough herself, opening her mouth obediently, and giving the professor a few wags of her tail for good measure.

"'Okay' is good enough," he says, glancing up at her with a smile. "Do you have anything to draw with?" He returns his attention to Angelo, gently encouraging her to open her mouth a bit wider so he can shine his light down her mouth and throat, and fearlessly poking at her teeth to test their sharpness.

"What beautiful fangs you have," he comments, then beckons Rinoa with his free hand. "You see those spiky teeth in the back? Those are called 'carnassials'. They're specially adapted for cutting meat." After giving her a chance to look, he pulls his hand and light back and gestures to Angelo, letting her know she can close her mouth now.

"Judging by her teeth and eyes, I'd guess she's a predatory animal?"

((Was looking up if dogs have uvulas for this thread... apparently only human and baboons have them (and baboon uvulas are underdeveloped compared to ours) :O neat stuff))

Edited 2020-11-06 08:18 (UTC)

"Umm..." Rinoa casts her gaze around the room, but no - she doesn't. Not being much of an artist means that she doesn't really keep art tools on hand. She shakes her head. Hopefully the professor has something on him, otherwise they're out of luck for now.

With that said, she follows when beckoned, eyes alight with curiosity as she takes note of the aforementioned teeth. She's never really taken the time to investigate Angelo's mouth before, so it's interesting to see.

She nods in response to the next question. "Remember how I mentioned wolves? Wolves are predators, and dogs are like... their domestic cousins, I guess? If she was in the wild, she'd hunt for her food."

[ huh, that's interesting! it's probably linked to the lingual bone and stuff... ]

"I have some paper in my room," he offers. "I can go grab it once we're done here." He turns his attention back to Angelo, happily petting her some more as he listens to Rinoa's explanation. Of course, since he doesn't know about their social groups, he's imagining that they would hunt much smaller prey -- something that could fit in their mouth, probably.

"Can you roll over, sweetheart? Show me your tummy?" He's finished the looking part, capping the flashlight and putting it back in his pocket. Now it's time to listen.

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[open] I don't plan on breaking down

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