Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Oh..." Dogs were something that easily had nothing to do with the island. Maybe it was someone else's pet; there were some islanders that probably couldn't trust themselves with their own animals any more. Still, the likelihood of getting an animal out of thin air here was not high. "Where'd you find him?"

He had been tempted to scratch behind the dogs ears, but with claws like his he had to refrain. He couldn't help but wince at the mention of the incident. She must not have known the level of involvement he'd had in that, or she wouldn't have stopped to chat. No sense ruining a good friendship; he'd keep his mouth shut about it to her.

"Uh... lucky you found her, huh?" he said, trying not to let his voice betray his uneasiness. In some sense, Emelyn had done 'the right thing', and he had to give her that. Even if Zach did wish a horrible fate onto the staff of the island, he hadn't been keen on being the one to administer it. He felt like he was on extremely thin ice just talking about it. Over two months later, the passive-agressive threats he'd recieved weren't forgotten. That, and being reminded of the extreme unpleasantness of waking up bathed in blood. Time to change the subject, he thought desperately.

"If you needed company, why didn't you come back to the village? Everyone's there... except you."

New Rp (because the old one will never be finished XD)

She was giving him more free reign these days than she had, before. The little brown and white dog rushed off into the brush, intent upon a chipmunk that he'd smelled- and as Emelyn watched him go, she gave herself some praise for letting go of some of her fears. She had too long held in her mind the assumption that Reuben would be eaten or killed, were he to stray further than his nose could take him fro her. Consequently, the only times the dog was ever away from his owner was when she was assured of his safety- which was seldom. Only recently had the girl decided to give the dog more freedom- agonizing over the decision as if he were her child and she had to reproach herself for being too overprotective. In the end, she let him roam more- with the thought that her reasoning was to give him some breathing room. The reality behind her decision, however, wasn't fully known even to her. She wouldn't have believed it, anyway, if she were to realize that the reason she'd let go of the 'leash' had more to do with her own weakening resolve and overwhelmed emotions than her beliefs on 'animal freedom'. Taking care of Reuben was a full time job... and there was a part of her that was silently working to give herself a break- even if she didn't know.

And so she stood alone, then, in the woods, waiting, and knowing that he would come back to her as long as she stayed there. The woods, though never completely silent- were at a sort of natural calm, the sounds more ethereal than harsh, and the sun dampened by the canopy. Emelyn let her mind empty, and stood- no thoughts in the way of her solitude.

Emelyn heard the noise before Reuben did- not for the sake of her hearing (which was not much more evolved than that of a human's), but rather, with how much closer she was to the impending man than her dog- whom had taken his leave of his 'mother' with a cheerful, chipmunk-intent abandon.

"Reuben?" Emelyn more asked than called.

Emelyn nodded- more to herself than anything else, confirming that she was likely right- Reuben was in no danger. He was far enough away, and besides- the voice was still very human.

"Yes," she said, taking only a step forward before remembering that she was staying in the same place for her dog's benefit, then stopped and crossed her arms beneath her green-bikini top. The fur on her arms touched the fur on her stomach. "Right through here." She guided the voice.

There was something steady in him- nonplussed yet respectful. He had the look of a boy you'd find in the back of a library, nose attached to a book seemingly permanently, but who would reach down with an almost sixth sense to move his things further under the desk as people passed, determined not to let them get in anyone's way. It made Emelyn smile to think.

"No, you're not disturbing me at all. ...I'm just waiting for my dog to get back." She'd noticed the once-over, but, as always, chalked it up to the sake of her transformations. It was difficult for a girl to be offended by eyes on her... when she was the visage of a living Sega Game character.

"I'm Emelyn. Most people call me Em. ...Nice to meet you, Lucas."

"Mmn," she said, an agreeing murmur to answer the first half of his question. "But he didn't run away. I just let him chase something off. He probably caught scent of a squirrel. ...He'll be back in a while."

An apologetic smile graced the hedgehog-girl's face before her answer.

"A year. I've been here a little over a year, now, I guess. ...I lose track of time out here."