September & October Catch-All

[spiritwalks]

Who: Vyng spiritwalks and YOU
What: Catch-All for September + October. See comments for prompts!
When: Various
Where: Various

Note: Style veers wildly between prose and brackets. Just choose whatever style feels good when responding, and I'll match it ♥

Content Warnings: Listed in subject lines when applicable

Comments

[spiritwalks]

"Play date?" Vyng echoes with a grin and an arched brow. "This is training, friend. I could find them a stick, though. You know, for a game of tic-tac-toe?"

Slippers, meanwhile, straightens her posture and keeps her ears perked. At the same time, her tail sticks out and slightly raises in a show of confidence. Next to Vyng, who's still resting on the sand, she's quite large and doesn't bother hiding it.

Upon seeing the dog next to this stranger, though, Vyng's expression brightens. Without another word, he stretches out across the ground, belly up in a show of submission. At the same time, he gives a series of friendly whines and barks. To any humans, he sounds like a dog. But to Repede, his noises translate to something along the lines of:

"Greetings. Your scars and weapons tell many stories of hard-fought battles. You must be as powerful as your pipe is magnificent."

[vibing]

Repede and Yuri watch this display with an equal amount of incredulity. At least Repede understands him, while Yuri is standing there watching what looks like a grown ass man wiggle on his back.

Repede tilts his head and jerks his chin a little. In his own low woofs, he replies, "the pipe was my father's. You speak my language." It's obvious, but odd enough that Repede feels the need to point it out.

Yuri raises his eyebrows at the pair of them and shares a look with Slippers as if to say 'are you seeing this?' but he isn't going to butt in, not if this guy and Repede are having a... conversation?

[spiritwalks]

Slippers gazes back at Yuri with her tongue out, panting, as if this is perfectly normal. At the same time, her stance remains perky, and her bright blue eyes are steady and watchful — not aggressive, but still mindful of these strangers and how they're behaving toward her charge.

Vyng, meanwhile, is wholly focused on Repede. He rolls over onto his side, his wool-clad chest and stomach still exposed.

"Indeed," he answers in a quiet woof. "I have walked among your kind for many moons, and for a time I bore the beautiful shape of a canine."

There's a wistful note to Vyng's explanation. But it fades as quickly as it came when he continues speaking.

"And may I add...your father had excellent taste. I am certain you do him a great honor by carrying his pipe during your journeys. This human is fortunate to have you."

[vibing]

Repede looks up at Yuri, who raises an eyebrow at him. "This guy's not insulting you, is he?" Because it kind of looks like he's making fun of dogs.

Repede woofs a soft negative before turning back to Vyng. He sits down to have this conversation, and Yuri sighs, knowing they might be here for a while, and hooks a hand on his hip.

"He doesn't have me. We're partners. He took care of me after my father passed, a long time ago," long in dog years, at least. "How were you one of us?"

Yuri looks at Slipper again, to try and share his incredulity. "You understand them?"

[spiritwalks]

"Through a spiritual bond," Vyng answers. "It's how we're able to speak together in the natural way."

He glances over at Yuri, who looks like he's trying to have his own conversation with Slippers.

"Partners, though," he brightly yips. "So he's something like a brother to you, then. Good. These are harsh shores. You will find them easier to navigate with a partner watching your back."

Slippers, meanwhile, gives a series of simple barks. To an observer, it might look like she's answering "yes" to Yuri's question. In reality, though, it's directed at the other two: "What does this man want? His intent is unclear to me."

[vibing]

Repede yips something like a laugh, looking over at Yuri, who still looks bemused by everything that's happening here. "He is trying to bond with you over being excluded from our conversation."

It's something Yuri would do. Even though he pretends to be a loner, he needs people, people and animals, to thrive.

Repede turns back to Vyng with a little bob of his head. "And you have your sister. My partner and I don't need to communicate like this. Sometimes, he's stupid, but mostly he understands."

[spiritwalks]

"Yes, she's... my sister from another sister," Vyng agrees with a hint of melancholy, though his tone becomes brighter when he continues speaking. "Your bond with your partner speaks well to his character, and yours."

Slippers, meanwhile, doesn't take her eyes off Yuri.

"He stares in such a way that could be taken as a challenge by one less familiar with humans," she observes. "If he wishes to bond with me, my preferred way of relating to his kind are delicious foods and vigorous ear scritches. In that order."

With a quiet huff of a laugh, Vyng sits up and places a gentle hand on the wolf's shoulder. Slippers silently wags her tag in response.

"Is there anything you need?" Vyng asks the dog. "Or your partner, for that matter?"

[vibing]

"He rarely makes dog food," Repede warns her with a soft woof. Yuri raises an eyebrow at him, to ask what the hell is going on. Slipper's eye contact is kind of disconcerting. He holds out a hand for her to sniff if that's what she wants to do. "However, his scritches are quite good."

Repede turns back to them. "No, we are very comfortable. Thank you. If you need anything, find me. Me and my partner want to help people. He may deny it," but Repede won't.

[spiritwalks]

"Ah, and he learns." Slippers further relaxes at the gesture, and she steps closer to sniff at the extended hand, the nostrils of her wet nose flaring with interest. (Does it bear the scent of boardwalk food? Or is it mostly Dog? Only one way to find out.)

"You are most gracious," Vyng says to their new friend. "Thank you. The same courtesy, of course, extends to you and yours."

[vibing]

Boardwalk food, ice, fire, the bread he was baking earlier. It's a real experience. He should probably wash his hands more. If she lets him, Yuri will give her scritches behind her ears. Expert scritcher here.

"Repede," Repede tells him with a little nod of his head before he heads back to Yuri. He doesn't beg for scritches too, but Yuri raises an eyebrow at him.

"You done? So, what, you learn the mysteries of the universe?"

[spiritwalks]

"Vyng," he answers in kind. It's always good to make allies — even if that means excluding other people from the conversation, apparently.

Slippers closes her eyes and tilts her head at an optimal angle for pets. (Ah, yes. Now you're speaking her language, Yuri.)

"Hey, you are good," Vyng observes. Except this time, it's in a tongue the other man can actually understand. "Can I have some scritches too?"

[vibing]

Repede nods his head, equally glad to have made a new ally.

Yuri, though, glances over at him with his eyebrows raising far into his bangs. "Hey, man, even though you speak dog, doesn't mean you are one."

And dogs get scritches, but people? Yeah, sorry, buddy. Instead, he focuses on Slippers, because she is fuzzy and can't talk (to him) and that's something he values. People are hard. Animals aren't.

[spiritwalks]

"Not anymore, maybe. We've all got our creature comforts, though."

Back in the old days, Vyng might have turned into a dog just to prove a point. But he's a different person now. He's put all that behind him. Consequently, he lets the denial roll off his back by quietly tucking his long legs underneath himself and leaning back on the heels of his palms.

Slippers is enjoying herself, at least. You don't have to speak dog to see how much her tail is wagging.

[vibing]

"Yeah, well," Yuri focuses back on Slippers. Dogs are so much easier to deal with than people. "I'm sure you could find someone to do it." Someone who isn't him.

Repede sits next to Yuri, watching Vyng with something like amusement.

[spiritwalks]

"Fine, fine," Vyng says with a breezy, flippant tone. "If I'm not cute and furry enough for you, that's all you've gotta say."

Maybe the guy's annoyed from being left out of the conversation. Vyng has an unfortunate habit of doing that to humans.