How do You Solve a Problem like Meira?

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Characters: Valdis and some open
Date: August 2018 (ish)
Location: Around Aifaran
Situation: Various
Warnings/Rating: In Headers


Valdis was tired. Between the return of the Narrakra and the discovery she could return ruins to complete something would have been bad enough without the memory of the visions or what she had seen soul-walking inside that corpse. Aside from that, the knowledge that she could move the Void with more power than she believed had sparked a new determination to harness its power without fear. The events of the last week had been eventful, what with the short term Dreamfolk that had arrived only to vanish once the damage had been done. Admittedly most of them hadn’t left much of a mark, but some had. She hoped that things would calm down for a few weeks at least.

Comments

[spiralpatterns]

Aw. She was getting cuter. Was that possible?

"Can I see it?" Zephyr wanted to know, already reaching cautiously for the collar. He didn't know exactly how tame or instinctive she was, and didn't particularly want to find out in the worst way possible, hence the relative slowness. "If I can get his information, I can get you where you're going. What's your name, anyway?"

Probably written on the collar, if he could get a look.

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She scooted closer so he could reach the collar, tipping her chin up so he could see the name, her tail moving across the cobblestones. There was so much to see here, darn her promise to not wander off.

Meira, she yipped, Daughter of Raphael, Bringer of Light.

Her emerald gaze returned to him.

Who are you?

The collar would have little information aside from the name 'Devin Parker' and the number for a yimo.

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"That's a mouthful," he said dryly, tipping the collar back and forth till he could see all the information. "Mind if I stick with just 'Meira'?"

Would be kind of a hassle if he had to go through all the titles all the time. His brow creased faintly at the name Devin. That would be the jackass, right?

If Zephyr was interested in being fair, he could admit that Devin had been having something of a trying time when they met. "I'm Zephyr," he said, letting go of the collar. "Just Zephyr. You need me to call Mr. Parker, or just go inside and find him for you?"

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Titles are only for introductions, She quipped, waiting patiently for him to check the name. She wiggled away when he released it, tail waving, panting happily.

Just need to call him and tell him I'm here! came the trilled reply, I came for food! But I wanted to let him know when I got here and I know any Dreamfolk can call.

She reared up to put her paws on a table, trying to figure out how she was going to look through the menu.

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"Why don't you take your paws off the table," Zephyr said casually, pulling out his own yimo and flipping through screens. "If you need something, I can get it down for you, but you're going to knock stuff off like that."

It both was and was not at all weird having a way to make himself so easily understood to a dog.

He put the call through to Devin, speaking... a little tersely. "Hey, your puppy's here outside the café and she doesn't have opposable thumbs." Honestly, what were they thinking would happen? It would be one thing with Lippy, who had hands whenever he felt like it.

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The glance she gave Zephyr was something like annoyance, but she obeyed, dropping back down to all fours and then sitting to listen to the conversation. Mr. Zephyr didn't seem to appreciate Devin very much, maybe they didn't get along, because Zephyr seemed grumpy. She reached out to poke his knee with her nose, then sidled closer to press her side against his leg. Waiting patiently for him to do as he said.

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The conversation went badly. Zephyr was scowling when he shoved the yimo back into his cargo pants; but he softened when he looked back at Meira where she was pressed against his leg.

Hard to be mad at that face. "Right," he said. "I let him know. What did you need off the table?" Since all he had to go on were yearning puppy eyes and paws.

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Meira bounced back around at his question, grumpy conversation completely forgotten.

Food, she chirped, I want to see the menu!

She bounced in a circle, then seemed to realize she needed to be a lady. So she sat back down, and reached out with a paw to place it on his knee.

Please.

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"Sure, okay." That was very polite for a puppy and should probably be rewarded. Zephyr leaned over to lift the menu, waving it back and forth a few times before leaning down.

And then promptly changing his mind and settling cross-legged to the ground. He held the menu up for Meira so she could read off it, and then something else occurred to him. "You can read, right?" he asked, just for clarity's sake.

Look, he didn't know what telepathic puppies were capable of.

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Meira slipped around behind him when he settled on the ground, dropping her head over his shoulder so she could see the menu.

Of course I can read, she sounded slightly offended, I'm ten, I learned to read a long time ago.

She didn't know what everything on the menu was, but noodles with cheese sounded yummy. Meira hummed, poking his cheek with her nose before dancing around to the front.

The cheese noodles, she declared, then added, please.

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Oh, wow, that was a cold nose. Zephyr twitched at the prod.

"Ten whats," he wanted to know, because she did not at all look like a ten year old dog, at least to his moderately limited knowledge of dogs. But he nodded, and took a few moments to look over the menu himself.

Finally he unfolded his legs, getting up to put the menu back on the table. "Cheese noodles it is," he said solemnly. "You gonna stay put if I go order?"

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Ten years!, Meira chirped, jumping away and spinning in a circle when Zephyr unfolded his legs, bouncing up and down a few times.

I can stay. She replied, sitting down as if to prove that she could, Are you going to eat with me? It's always better to eat with friends.

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"Ten years." Zephyr's eyebrows went up, because that didn't at all jive with the puppy appearance he was seeing.

...This was a conversation that'd be better had over food. He dusted his pants off absently, like he cared about it, and turned. "Yeah, I'll get food for both of us. Stay here, I'll be back in a bit."

It would take a few minutes; but eventually he'd be back with two orders of the cheesy noodles, one with a fork and one without, and he settled down with legs folded to be at Meira's level for eating. "So, ten years," he said conversationally, as if the pause hadn't happened. "You look a little young for ten."

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Meira sat quietly while Zephyr left to get the food. Well, as quietly as a child who didn't like sitting still could sit anyway. She jumped up when he came back, but didn't move from where he had left her, her tail waving at the sight of food. She gave it a sniff when he settled down, waiting for him to set it in front of her before she took a bite. Yummy.

I just look like a dog in this dream, she said while she continued to eat as daintily as possible. Fun thing about telepathy. Don't know why, but I'm actually a girl.

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"Kind of a fuzzy girl." Zephyr was smiling as he settled his plate on one knee, balancing it carefully. "Yeah, okay, I've been hearing the Dreaming's playing around with people."

He hadn't met someone named Meira before, but he hardly knew all the Dreamfolk in the city. Also, wow, thinking while eating was very handy.

"Having fun being a dog?" He figured it could go either way.