Post by greenie on Dec 13, 2010 12:15:19 GMT 10
To: max
Message: Excuse the punny title! I couldn't resist.
Merry Ficmas! ;D
From: Ren
Title: Diamond in the ruff
Rating: PG
Wishlist item: #1: Phelan
Summary: It doesn't take long for Phelan to work out that he has the cleverest dog in the kennel.
“Achoo, dukduk.” Achoo ignored him, and Phelan sighed. “Come on, I thought you were good at this.” She glanced at him for a moment and then looked away again. “Alright, well you are good at this, most of the time. Like when you listen to me, like you’re supposed to.” She paid him no attention at all, and Phelan sighed again.
“Achoo,” he repeated, slightly more loudly and firmly. There was no way that she could miss it this time, and he noticed that her ears pricked up at the sound of her name. “Dukduk.” Achoo’s ears moved in recognition again, but otherwise she continued to ignore him. Phelan glanced furtively around the kennel and hoped that nobody was watching him be repeatedly defied by an undeniably-cute-but-stubborn bundle of fluff.
Apparently Achoo decided to take advantage of his moment of inattention to her, because when he glanced back at where she had been, she was gone. He swore under his breath and turned to look for her. Fortunately, she hadn’t gone far, and he didn’t have to surrender his dignity by calling for her and running around the kennel like an utter looby. Unfortunately, it seemed that she had set her mind on sharing the cold meat and cheese that a Puppy was eating on the other side of the room. And of course, with Phelan’s luck, she’d had to pick a pretty mot Puppy. He sighed and trudged across the room to them.
“Achoo, tak,” he told her sternly. “Biarlah,” he added, and pulled her away himself before she had a chance to ignore him yet again.
Now was the tricky part. He looked at the pretty Puppy and tried not to blush. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “She’s supposed to be trained, only now and again she decides that she’d rather do things her own way.”
The Puppy smiled at him. “I think she’s sweet.”
“She’s not supposed to be sweet,” Phelan blurted out. “She’s supposed to be a well-trained scent hound.”
“Oh, you poor girl.” The Puppy bent down to scratch Achoo’s head. “I bet he never lets you have any fun, does he? Goddess knows we all need to let loose once in a while.”
“But she’s supposed to let loose when I tell her she can,” he insisted, all the while wishing he could just keep his gob shut instead. “She’s supposed to be on duty like the rest of us.”
“I think somebody else needs to let loose a little bit too,” said the Puppy. Phelan opened his mouth, offended, when he realised there was a glint of mischief in her eyes.
“Is that an offer?” he asked. He flashed her what he hoped was a charming smile.
The Puppy grinned back. “If you want it to be. But you haven’t even told me your name yet.”
“It’s Phelan. And this is Achoo.”
“Achoo?”
Phelan blushed. “Because she sneezes whenever she gets hold of a scent.”
“Oh, that’s sweet.” The Puppy scratched Achoo’s head again. “I’m Verene.”
“You’re Evening Watch too?”
Verene wrinkled her nose. “Yes, but I’m only a Puppy. Rollo and Otelia are my training Dogs.”
Phelan’s eyebrows shot up – he was surprised that the two of them had been given a Puppy at all. He hurriedly looked down at his feet; it wasn’t his place to decide who was trained by who.
Verene had seen his reaction and laughed, looking around her for her Dogs. “They’re not the best,” she said quietly. “But we get on.” It wasn’t really a subject that Phelan wanted to discuss, so he was glad when she added, “so, are you going to take me up on my offer?”
Phelan wasn’t entirely sure what she had meant by ‘letting loose’, but he was sure that he would like to find out. “Yes.”
“Meet me for a drink after duty, then?”
Phelan nodded. “After duty,” he repeated. “Achoo, tumit,” he ordered, and inwardly sighed in relief when she eagerly followed him back across the room. As useful as her earlier disobedience had been, he wasn’t sure he could stand the embarrassment of her ignoring him again in front of Verene. “I’m not sure whether you were being selfless in finding me a pretty mot to spend some time with, or sneaky by finding somebody else to spoil you rotten,” he murmured.
Achoo just looked up at him and wagged her tail as she trotted beside him.
“A bit of both, huh?” Phelan laughed. “You don’t need to be spoiled any more, you’ve already got me wrapped around your little claw.”
Achoo wagged her tail again.
“I suppose it does work out well for us both,” Phelan agreed. He glanced back across the room to where Verene was standing, and he bent down to scratch Achoo behind her ears. “You know what? I think that you and I are going to make a really good team.”
Message: Excuse the punny title! I couldn't resist.
Merry Ficmas! ;DFrom: Ren
Title: Diamond in the ruff
Rating: PG
Wishlist item: #1: Phelan
Summary: It doesn't take long for Phelan to work out that he has the cleverest dog in the kennel.
“Achoo, dukduk.” Achoo ignored him, and Phelan sighed. “Come on, I thought you were good at this.” She glanced at him for a moment and then looked away again. “Alright, well you are good at this, most of the time. Like when you listen to me, like you’re supposed to.” She paid him no attention at all, and Phelan sighed again.
“Achoo,” he repeated, slightly more loudly and firmly. There was no way that she could miss it this time, and he noticed that her ears pricked up at the sound of her name. “Dukduk.” Achoo’s ears moved in recognition again, but otherwise she continued to ignore him. Phelan glanced furtively around the kennel and hoped that nobody was watching him be repeatedly defied by an undeniably-cute-but-stubborn bundle of fluff.
Apparently Achoo decided to take advantage of his moment of inattention to her, because when he glanced back at where she had been, she was gone. He swore under his breath and turned to look for her. Fortunately, she hadn’t gone far, and he didn’t have to surrender his dignity by calling for her and running around the kennel like an utter looby. Unfortunately, it seemed that she had set her mind on sharing the cold meat and cheese that a Puppy was eating on the other side of the room. And of course, with Phelan’s luck, she’d had to pick a pretty mot Puppy. He sighed and trudged across the room to them.
“Achoo, tak,” he told her sternly. “Biarlah,” he added, and pulled her away himself before she had a chance to ignore him yet again.
Now was the tricky part. He looked at the pretty Puppy and tried not to blush. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “She’s supposed to be trained, only now and again she decides that she’d rather do things her own way.”
The Puppy smiled at him. “I think she’s sweet.”
“She’s not supposed to be sweet,” Phelan blurted out. “She’s supposed to be a well-trained scent hound.”
“Oh, you poor girl.” The Puppy bent down to scratch Achoo’s head. “I bet he never lets you have any fun, does he? Goddess knows we all need to let loose once in a while.”
“But she’s supposed to let loose when I tell her she can,” he insisted, all the while wishing he could just keep his gob shut instead. “She’s supposed to be on duty like the rest of us.”
“I think somebody else needs to let loose a little bit too,” said the Puppy. Phelan opened his mouth, offended, when he realised there was a glint of mischief in her eyes.
“Is that an offer?” he asked. He flashed her what he hoped was a charming smile.
The Puppy grinned back. “If you want it to be. But you haven’t even told me your name yet.”
“It’s Phelan. And this is Achoo.”
“Achoo?”
Phelan blushed. “Because she sneezes whenever she gets hold of a scent.”
“Oh, that’s sweet.” The Puppy scratched Achoo’s head again. “I’m Verene.”
“You’re Evening Watch too?”
Verene wrinkled her nose. “Yes, but I’m only a Puppy. Rollo and Otelia are my training Dogs.”
Phelan’s eyebrows shot up – he was surprised that the two of them had been given a Puppy at all. He hurriedly looked down at his feet; it wasn’t his place to decide who was trained by who.
Verene had seen his reaction and laughed, looking around her for her Dogs. “They’re not the best,” she said quietly. “But we get on.” It wasn’t really a subject that Phelan wanted to discuss, so he was glad when she added, “so, are you going to take me up on my offer?”
Phelan wasn’t entirely sure what she had meant by ‘letting loose’, but he was sure that he would like to find out. “Yes.”
“Meet me for a drink after duty, then?”
Phelan nodded. “After duty,” he repeated. “Achoo, tumit,” he ordered, and inwardly sighed in relief when she eagerly followed him back across the room. As useful as her earlier disobedience had been, he wasn’t sure he could stand the embarrassment of her ignoring him again in front of Verene. “I’m not sure whether you were being selfless in finding me a pretty mot to spend some time with, or sneaky by finding somebody else to spoil you rotten,” he murmured.
Achoo just looked up at him and wagged her tail as she trotted beside him.
“A bit of both, huh?” Phelan laughed. “You don’t need to be spoiled any more, you’ve already got me wrapped around your little claw.”
Achoo wagged her tail again.
“I suppose it does work out well for us both,” Phelan agreed. He glanced back across the room to where Verene was standing, and he bent down to scratch Achoo behind her ears. “You know what? I think that you and I are going to make a really good team.”
Wonderful fic!
