[PRP] Every Dog is a Good Dog [ Rouge/Any Day Now/Tidings ]

[Jun]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... ncert4.png[/imgleft]Every dog was a good dog. Rouge had firmly believed this her entire life. Every dog was a good dog, and she loved every last one. Every dog. Every dog was a good dog, and every good dog could be trained. And Rouge could train every dog, because she was a dang good trainer, and every dog was a good dog. She loved every dog. She had believed this, firmly.

It was very hard for Rouge to admit she was wrong.

She was wrong.

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... idings.png[/imgright]This dog was demon incarnate.

Which was fair, to be fair, because it was literally a demon hound.

Still, when its dam's owner had told her that, she had assumed it was a figure of speech.

It was not.

She had tried, long and hard - harder and longer than most, she was sure, would. It had been months. So many months. She had tried. She had the bitemarks to show for it. Watch Me had the bitemarks to show for it. Heck, most of the Royal Rainbow Troupe had a variable amount of bitemarks to show for it by this point.

This dog was untrainable.

There was only one thing she could think of to do with a dog she could not train because it was demon incarnate.

Give it to the Kin who was demon incarnate.

"You're perfect for each other," she said.

[Maxx]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... w_maxx.gif[/imgright][imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... daynow.gif[/imgleft]
"Oh?"

Any Day Now smiled, a little wryly, "in what way?"

The trailing end of her speech brought her happy puppy running, and barking response, before slinking behind her at the sight of the hound.

[Jun]

"You're both," she said, "...unique."

[Maxx]

"The dog is inedible, isn't it."

Her smile remained, but her eyes were accusatory and amused.

"You can't stand it. It's a dog you don't love."

[Jun]

She considered arguing this, but decided she was too desperate.

"Yes, I can't stand it," she said, "so you'll love it. That's how opposites work. It'll be great."

[Maxx]

"Well, I won't take it, since that's what you want me to do," she laughed, and her little dog jumped a little. "That's how opposites work."

[Jun]

She screamed.

[Jun]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... gs_jun.gif[/imgleft]Distant Tidings had had a rather harrowing day. He had travelled all over the Swamp, from the desert to the sea, many a time before, and would travel so (well, not back to the desert – the Ache took care of that) many a time after, he was sure. But seldom had this travels been quite as fraught as the path he'd had to take today.

The thing was – if he was travelling for his own joys, alone or otherwise, he was free to alter his journey as he would. He was not a fool. If a great, snapping caiman threatened his path towards, say, the mountains, his desire for a snowy vacation could quickly be replaced by a hankering for the sandy shores. If his desire for a snowy vacation was really THAT great, he could spend a few extra days meandering down the river to reach a spot safe from a chasing croc. That was his prerogative, his own way.

But, today, he was not travelling for his own joys. He was travelling for Rise & Shine. And Rise & Shine had a set route. And Rise & Shine had a deadline. And Rise & Shine had some bloody damnable customers who asked for the weirdest stuff out in the middle of bloody damnable nowhere. So three lynxes, two boars, and – yes, one great, snapping caiman later, Tidings was rather the worse for wear, regretting his gainful employment, and finally here.

In the middle of two Acha does.

One was screaming.

None of his business.

"Looking for one Any Day Now?" he called, wearily, "Your salt-pickled duck tongues are here."

[Maxx]

"Oh hello," she turned her attention to the newcomer with glee, "yes it is I! They're marvellous, these tongues. Thank you."

She picked it off him with visible excitement, and her good little pup also bounced with excitement.

"You're gonna get a wee bit later, Anyways," she playfully chided and pressed her nose against its, "because you're such a good puppy."

Then, she looked over at Rouge and said, "you can have one too, if you'd like."

[Jun]

At any other time, Rouge might have disdained her weird and frankly freakish taste in snacks. But at this very moment, she was too busy staring at the clearly beleaguered buck and forming a rather unfair scheme in her mind.

It consisted of a single thought: "Better him than me."

"Say," she said, as casual as you'd like, "how about a dog?"

[Jun]

"Generally Rise & Shine doesn't serve hounds," Tidings replied, pretty much automatically, "partially it's logistical problems, but also you have to think about public opinion, you know. There's enough of an outcry about the possible usage of lynxes as it is, dogs would be a hard pickle to swallow, probably."

[Jun]

"Probably?!" she nearly screeched, but pulled back the tenor of the note just in time.

Then, she spent a few precious seconds debating JUST HOW MUCH it mattered if she was inadvertently sending demon incarnate to the slaughter.

...Oh, alright.

"How'd you feel about that, yourself?" she sighed.

[Jun]

Tidings glanced about what he assumed were the pets in attendance, deeply questioned why this hot pink Acha would want to eat a dog if she owned one, decided that, too, was none of his business, and replied, "Can't say I've ever felt the urge."

Till she raised it, anyway. But he probably wasn't going to eat a dog.

[Jun]

Good enough.

"Wonderful," she beamed, "you passed the test! Now, see, I have a wonderful little doggie here - the most wonderful little doggie. Black as night, he is - so striking! Sharp as a stick. And this horrible doe here - she was threatening to eat him. Can you imagine that?! What a monster! But I have so many dogs already - so many: six. And I just cannot keep another."

[Jun]

"My word, that is a lot of dogs," he said.