Hello, and welcome to The Care and Keeping of Your Pet! As you surely know, a pet is a big responsibility, and we're so glad you've decided to be a concientious master. A safe pet is a happy pet, and this handbook is certain to keep your precious lifelong friend as content as can be.
The history of the animal person is a long and difficult one, with their origins not being known even to this day. However, scientists believe that despite our common appearance - most animal people have humanoid forms except for the ears, tails, and sometimes teeth - we share no common ancestry, even if the ascent of this species corresponds with that of the homo sapien. We gained dominance over each breed thousands of years ago, beginning with the dog type, who have long been considered "man's best friend." Most breeds these days are docile and perfect for owners of any speed.
Of course, it is our duty as the superior species to take care of these animal creatures, and this is inherent in their genetic makeup. Everyone knows that an animal person, when matched with their correct human master, is loyal for life - a true "soulmate," if you will. Far be it for us to turn this away! Ever since the Great Domestication, these intelligent and loving animals have served us as friends, workmates, guardians, servants, and sexual companions and will for years to come. Despite recent hubbub from so-called "Pet People's Rights Activists," this way of life is wholesome and good. Scientific research shows that the natural desire of the pet person is to be owned and cared for by a human.
So, it's your first pet. What do you need to know?
As previously stated, pet people come in as many breeds as you can possibly think of. By far and away the most popular are the dog and cat types, but exotic birds and lizards have been gaining popularity among trendsetters from L.A. to Tokyo!
All pet types are best suited for certain jobs, and when hunting for one, it is best to search for a type that suits your needs best.
However, a "True Match" - when a pet person bonds with you and only you for the rest of their natural lives - comes naturally, and sometimes takes time before you can find the pet you will be able to give a forever home to.
According to all current research, pet people are completely sentient and like us in many ways. However, it is important to remember that they have many animalistic and feral characteristics. Do not be foolish and think that your pet is a person, despite the facts that many are clothed and may be allowed to read, write, and have "hobbies." Some traditional pet owners may eschew these frivolities, and that is within their right.
Pet people age more quickly than humans, at least physically, and many types have long lifespans. It is not uncommon for pets to be passed through the family. When getting your child their first pet, it's important to keep in mind that just because the pup is tiny now, a grown pet can be jumpy around a small child.
It is important to train a pet. Discipline will be necessary. This does not make you a bad owner. Failure to train early will result in a rebellious pet. Training is especially important if you want your pet to serve as a household servant.
Remember, your pet will be extremely protective of you, especially if you are Truly Bonded. It is best to socialize them early. A socialized pet is a perfect family pet.
These days, unowned and unbonded pet people are allowed to live as strays or "Frees" in certain designated areas. Some even hold "jobs." This is against their best interest, and owners who adopt these strays are to be rewarded. Still, the best place to get pets are from liscenced kennels or breeders.
Some masters find it beneficial to participate in activities with their pets, such as shows and other competitions.
Finally, much has been made about the sexual relationship between pet and master. This is a normal facet of the bond, and humans are sure to find pet people sexually alluring. But beyond that, it is only responsible and prudent for owners to care for their pet's needs. It is a well-known fact that the libidos of pet people are remarkably strong, and when they go into heat, it is usually more convenient for a master to relieve them. There is no risk of pregnancy. All rumors of hybrids are urban legends.
Despite this, masters must remember to not view their pets as romantic partners. Humans should stay with humans.
With that said, thank you and welcome to your first day as a pet's master! |
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I'll see you later. Come see me when you're done!
[He's forcing the cheerfulness so that Vash doesn't worry too hard, but he feels like it'll be ineffective either way, especially as they leave and he's left alone. And the second he's left alone, all he does is get comfortable and go to sleep. There's nothing else to do, so. Goodnight now.
...]
I'm sorry to drag you away. Ain won't rest if someone he likes so fondly is in the room. [Believe her, he will not.] Your stiff posture suggests discomfort. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?
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He's silent, for a moment, looking down slightly at the floor ahead as he walks.]
You know who I am. [He finally supplies, glancing over at Eve out of the corner of his eye.] The Humanoid Typhoon.
[...]
The bounty on my head could renovate a hundred cities just like this one. You know that, right?
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[They don't use money down here, as Vash will likely figure out during his stay. They have a bartering system; trade this for that, or trade this for labour. Care for the sick and elderly pets, help those that come into their walls adjust. People don't just find this place, but millions of dollars suddenly being used to refurbish a society that's trying to escape society would make it so that everyone finds them. It's the opposite of what anybody wants, stated more succinctly by Eve's cut-and-dry style of speech.]
In addition, it would be betraying Ain's trust. [She stops short of the doors leading to the workshop proper, after they've walked downstairs and into that lobby again. The windows in this building have the blinds drawn over them, but are still open enough to peer outside if Vash wants to.] Everyone you meet here is trying to escape something, just like you.
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And Vash feels an immediate wave of shame wash over him, as if his brother is watching him right now, pleased by his "progress". Since when did he become so...suspicious? So unwilling to accept, or trust? To have hope?
It's not him. It's not Vash. Maybe it's in part due to his worry for Ain...but whatever it is, he's humbled by a single sentence.
It would be betraying Ain's trust.]
...I understand. [He murmurs, brows upturned as he looks away now, glancing over at the aforementioned windows.] I'm sorry. I don't mean to doubt...any of you. I just want to make sure Ain...and all of you stay safe.
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[Here, she gives Vash one more chance to speak, before pushing the doors to the workshop open. They're large, heavy iron things that she pushes aside without any effort, despite a graceful and dainty appearance and the fact she's also holding Vash's dying prosthetic at the same time.
Inside is... well, it's a workshop. There are spare parts littered everywhere, all over the floors and in piles and on shelves. There are conveyor belts lying dormant with further parts all over them, and tools on desks and paperwork stacked high. Huge, industrial-sized bundles of wires are looped up and stacked off to one side. By all accounts, this is just a mini-factory, and what they're making in here is a mystery.
In the middle of a clearer space of the floor are two people Vash might recognize from photographs in Ain's room — a blonde rabbit-woman leaning against a pile of scrap polishing a sniper rifle, and a smaller blonde dog-boy sitting on top of what looks to be heavy artillery. They're mid-conversation when Vash and Eve walk in, but they both stop to wave hello, faltering slightly at the new face. It'll be about... two minutes until either of them try to strike up conversation. Where Eve and Vash are headed is not to the centre of the room, but rather, they walk along the righthand side of the room, hugging the wall, until they can get to a cleaner area of the workshop where it's kind of obvious Eve does any work she needs to be doing.
She has Vash sit down at the desk here, "don't mind the mess if you can", and just as she's setting his arm down—]
Hey, Queen. Electrical is out entirely in Grid A, and I can't get the fucking— Who's this human?
[Vash will probably also recognize this person as one of the cats in those group photos, though he has a rather standoffish demeanor and is also currently covered in smudges of oil and soot.
Also sorry to call you a human again buddy—]
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Yeah. That has already manifested itself.
Vash had remained mostly silent as Eve answered him, not wanting to interrupt while also getting a good look at the workshop as she's leading him into it. It's quite the impressive sight, far more than Bradd ever had to work with, and if it weren't for the rabbit and dog nearby he might have been completely absorbed by the scenery. When they happen to catch his eye, he lifts his good hand a little to wave at them good-naturedly, pivoting on the ball of his foot as Eve continues to lead him all the way down to a desk where he's instructed to sit.
And then...a cat appears, yet another he remembers seeing in the photos with Ain, and though he tries to smile up at him from where he's sitting, he can tell already this one might be hard to get to warm up to him.]
Heeyy...
[He'll just....wave like he did to the other two....please don't bite him.]
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If anything, Eve is entirely on Vash's side, already breathing out a sigh.]
This is Vash. He's with Ain.
That asshole priest is back? [Blink, blink, wait—] With Ain?
[Eve nods tersely, like yes, Ain brought another boy home, congrats you figured it out.]
His arm is in need of repairs due to extensive damage on the— [It is at this point that Add walks around her and sits down on the desk, looking over Vash's arm. The gears in his head are turning. That's cybernetic, isn't it? And if Vash looks closely while Add is, erm, doing his thing, he'll be able to see that the tattoo-like lines on his skin are actually cybernetic implants themselves.] Add.
It looks like Raven's arm. [Not talking to Vash, talking to himself.] Minus the military-grade weaponry, anyhow. Where did you get it made? Do you want it upgraded?
["""""upgraded"""""]
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Vash is already shifting to lift his hand, not to offer Add a friendly wave, but instead ready to assume the placating position he's used to. That reaction..."With Ain" makes him wonder if this is a recurring theme, with Ain...but before he can really ponder what exactly that might mean, he's lifting his hand a little higher because oh god Add is coming at him-
...or, no. He's sitting on the desk next to him, he isn't rushing forward to bite him. Okay, good. The fact that Vash's arm is not currently attached to his body probably helps in that endeavor, leaving him to bluster a sigh as he takes this opportunity to. Observe Add while he isn't staring him down. And yes, those cybernetic additions do not go amiss.]
O-oh, uh...actually, I just want it fixed! I kindof just need it to, you know...have an arm. It was made on Ship Three, but that's pretty far away from here, so...
[He trails off, as if to imply that's why they came here. It probably would have fallen entirely to pieces before they could make it back to No Man's Land.]
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[He's ASKING and not just DOING because Eve is here, were Eve not here he'd get pushy about this. Let him play with ur cool cybernetic arm—
But Eve is quick to shut all of that down, and Add's ears flatten back over the top of his head as she barks at him to stop harassing their guest.]
Add, enough. Ain brought him here to get his arm repaired, not to have you add things to it. Go fix the issue with Grid A, please. I'll meet with you in two hours.
Let me guess, Ain is dragging all of us off to dinner in two hours.
Ain is ill and, hopefully, resting upstairs in his room. If you wanted to have everyone join him there for dinner, however, you could just say so.
[As Add scrambles off of the desk, he gets red. Like, red-red, like he's been rapidly sunburned kind of red. And he sputters for a moment, and then shoves his hands in his pockets, and then storms off with a comment thrown over his shoulder:]
Absolutely not! I was asking so I could avoid his dumb ass!
[And then he's gone, walking through the workshop off to his own space somewhere in the far back of it. Bye he has to not think about Friendship.]
...I apologise for that. Add doesn't mean you any harm.
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No...it's alright. He reminds me of someone, actually.
[Bradd. He's 100% Bradd, back when Bradd was a younger man and didn't trust him at all, yet was the top technological mind of Ship Three. He came around eventually, despite his prickliness, and now is the one Vash has to thank for having this arm in the first place. He cares deep down, even if he's a little brusque about showing it.]
I wouldn't have minded letting him look at it more, if he wanted...
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[He tried to dissect her once.]
He can be persuaded not to do that, but it's an uphill battle. He thoroughly enjoys science and robotics, so it's easy to bond with him over that, if you wanted to try.
[Here, she takes Vash's arm in her hands again, and delivers a small electric shock to the exposed, broken parts. When it twitches in her grip, she hums. Everything still works, it seems, but some things need to be replaced and refreshed. It's a delicate balance, to create a robotic arm...]
If you wouldn't mind, can I observe how it attaches to you?
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A little.
For now though, he wants it fixed. Then he can worry about other things later.
Vash nods and reaches for the arm with his good hand after taking a moment to shrug off his jacket, exposing where said arm connects to the rest of his body so that Eve can see. There isn't just a completely bare, exposed stump there, but instead a metal, cybernetic casing that seems to have been surgically implanted into him, similar to how Add has cybernetic implants of his own. These sorts of scars and modifications litter Vash's body, though most are hidden underneath his clothing unseen. His arm...is a different story entirely.
Said arm hooks into the base, slotting into it and locking into place. After making sure it's secure, Vash taps a few latches along the sides to finalize the connection, the entire arm spasming once as it rewires itself to Vash's nervous system. Now is when he winces, gritting his teeth as a jolt of pain rushes through it, signaling that, well. It's working, kindof...he's able to feel pain from the way it's malfunctioning, that's for sure.]
It...deflected a bullet a couple weeks ago. [He admits, though doesn't elaborate on how that came about.] The damage spread from there.
eve is way too smart for me i am Making This Up as i go
It makes the job a bit easier. Were Vash to need actual surgery, she would have to get Add back here, since he did those implants himself (against everyone's better judgement, since the man is squeamish as all fuck) and her familiarity with the human body (plant body) is lacking.]
That would do it, wouldn't it? It only seems to be the arm itself that's damaged, luckily. There hasn't been any electrical feedback that has negatively impacted the base here, as far as I can see.
[With that, she'll go ahead and detach it for him.]
It is, however, delicate. I'll need time to work with it. Can you go without for a few days?
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It'll be fine, yeah. I've been longer without it before...
[Like when he first lost his arm, in fact. That was one hell of a recovery process, because the arm didn't just exist the next day or anything...]
I'll just need something to tie back my sleeve, otherwise it's no problem.
[Mostly because he's going to want to keep wearing his jacket. Could he just not wear it for a couple days? Sure...but it wouldn't feel right, so he won't.]
Thank you for this, by the way. I really do owe you.
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We owe you for keeping Ain out of trouble. ["We". They really are a big, dumb family.] I'm not sure if you've had to deal with this, but he has the tendency to wander off and get himself into unsavoury situations. We were concerned, when he said he was leaving one day, that we wouldn't see him again.
[Ties, ties... oh, you know who has ties in abundance? She turns and waves Chung over, the dog-boy from before, and after a short explanation, he procures Several strong ties from his pockets. That hair has to be held up somehow (by a heavy metal clip and prayers). She'll tie Vash's sleeve back with that.]
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[It's funny. Ain had never outright disappeared on him without proper notice, but....at the same time, he can't forget the Fountain Incident. But that was less dangerous and more troublesome...disturbing the peace, maybe. He can understand what Eve is getting at, though. It sounds like, back before Ain left, that he was building up to leaving for quite a while...they must have been worried about him.
Just as worried as Vash is now.
Vash makes sure to thank Chung too even though they've only semi just met, giving an experimental roll of his shoulder once the sleeve of his jacket has been properly tied back.]
He's been pretty good about sticking close by. It's just other things he does that worry me...like getting sick and not telling me about it.
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[Hi, Chung is Speaking now. He's a short little thing, barely five-foot-five, and you wouldn't believe it based on his features but the man is absolutely shredded under that shirt. Like, intimidatingly so.]
I'm sure you'll have time to talk to him about it when he wakes up. I don't think he entirely understands not being self-sacrificing. [Because he learnt it from Elsword. It's all Elsword's entire-ass fault.] In any case, not to change the subject... this is Chung, one of our friends. I take it you haven't been toured around yet?
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[Vash is, how you say, a bit of a hypocrite in that regard. It's not entirely on purpose, he just has a very strong drive to help and protect people, which...in hindsight, if it's something Ain has learned from Elsword? Then he's getting a double-dose from Vash, accidentally.
Huh.
Vash sighs, leaning forward in his chair a bit with his good arm draped across his knees, glancing up at Chung as Eve brings him into the conversation. Hi, Chung.]
Oh no, not yet. We got here and pretty much came to you right away. I'd really like to see where Ain lived before I met him, though.
[Then, with a nod to Chung.]
Vash.
finally a journal i have-
[Yes he is this way don't worry about it. If you tell him to quit being formal, he will, but otherwise...
Anyway, Chung holds his hand out for Vash to shake, and then has to course-correct to hold the other one out to accommodate for the missing arm. He's so sorry.]
I can show you around! I heard Ain was under the weather... [When. How did you hear that. You were across the room when it was brought up—]
THE BABY THE LEGEND
As long as there's nothing else I need to do here...?
[It sounds like his arm is in good hands, and won't be needed for refitting purposes for some time.]
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It doesn't look like it. Ahhh... I'm sure Ain will be a little grumpy when he realises I stole his tour, so you'll have to say "sorry" for me! A lot has changed since he's been here last. Let's see...
[Chung takes a few broad steps forward, then spins around and flails his arms out to either side of him in a "tah-dah" type of motion.]
This is the workshop! Some of us work here to keep the lights on and build other things, too. We have a stock of "just in case" weapons on hand. [As grim as that is — and now he's motioning to where the bunny-woman from earlier is sitting and going "?" at them.] That's Rose. She's our communications and radio expert. And our sharpshooting expert.
[She waves.]
In the back is where Add normally is. He does all of the electrical and robotics work with Eve. The city operates on an independent grid from what's above us, otherwise we'd get caught. I don't really understand how or why, though... but that's what he says.
[They'll shuffle along outside at this point; the entire warehouse-factory-thing is visible from the door, if you can crane your neck around the giant piles of scrap anyhow. There's nothing impressive about it other than the fact it Exists.]
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[Vash has no problem apologizing for Chung in his stead; Vash has had to do plenty of that already with Ain for various reasons, so it'll be fiiine.
For now, he follows after Chung as he begins to explain what the workshop is about, finally taking a moment to tip his head back and really get a scope of how large this place is. And this is just a small fraction of a bigger whole, he realizes.]
So the robotics you guys have down here...all of that is pretty common, huh?
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["Around here" meaning "in this underground secret pet city" and not "this specific warehouse".]
Ah, but... she's hundreds of years old, [pardon] and she was dormant for a long time, so the work is really only just getting started. And Add... [Chung looks off to the far back of the room before sweeping his eyes forward, then shoving open the heavy iron doors that, again, do not look like childsplay to open. How strong are these people—] He always liked robotics, but he has a unique situation compared to the rest of us. [Chung points at his own neck; surely Vash saw the heavy scarring on it when they spoke earlier.] I wouldn't ask, if I were you. He'll tell you when he's ready.
[A process that could take between two business days to four years.]
Oh, and, um! Raven, you'll probably meet him soon, but he has an arm like yours, Mr. Vash!
[Into the "daylight" they go now, with "daylight" being more like very bright artificial lights meant to simulate a day-night cycle, but it works. Whatever the tech nerds in that workshop have going on back there, it works.]
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Vash feels something deep in the pit of his stomach go sour. He manages to keep it out of his expression though, because this isn't that. This isn't...the same sort of situation. And what these people are using to power their city...
It's not them. If they're trying to stay off the grid of the main society up above, it couldn't be.
He shucks his hand through his hair to push those thoughts down, though it's not helped when Chung continues to explain how she's hundreds of years old. Gee, where has he heard that before?]
Oh...don't worry, I won't. I understand.
[Vash, having become a human pincushion on more than one occasion, understands. He noticed the scarring of course, but he never would have pointed it out unprompted. That's just rude.
Also, Chung, wtf. You're like 12 how on earth do you keep pushing open these massive doors.]
Haha...you don't have to call me Mr, by the way. Just Vash is fine.
[He's glad for his glasses, even though they don't really function like proper sunglasses or anything, because even if it's artificial the light is fucking bright out here compared to the workshop, or even the light he and Ain had been flying by for so long since they were doing most of their traveling at night.]
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Of course, when Vash corrects his politeness, his tail starts wagging. Dogs.]
Okay! Just Vash, then! [wagwagwagwagwag] I'm sure you heard, but this city is on a grid system, and we denote what's what with letters. Right now, we're on Grid B. There's another entrance to this place on Grid D, north of here. A few years ago, we only used to have a small amount of space, but we've expanded out bit by bit. A lot of pets who come here start families. It's cute!
[His tail has not stopped as he sort of stops in the middle of the dirt street, glances left and right, and decides they're headed toward the lefthand side of the city for now.]
We try to make everything ourselves, but there's some things we can't do. For example, some of us head out of hiding to pretend to be regular members of society so we can purchase items "for our owners". In a city this big, it works pretty well. That's also how this place got so big so fast, though... haha, sometimes you see someone in need and you take them in.
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not to introduce a/b/o into the situation but also--
BUT ALSO
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me voice: and i added the el masters to this timeline because ???
they deserve to be here too its fine
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