[FIN] Who Let the Dogs Out [Rouge / Watch Me]

[Jun D]

Rouge was almost never early. What would be the point? No one would be there to witness your spectacular entrance - and with five hound-like creatures around her all the time, her entrances were always, in one way or another, spectacular. Much better to be fashionably late and bask in the gawking stares, yes. So Rouge was almost never early...except this time she was. It was just a...well, puppy playdate with Watch Me. The Kiokote was so interested in her sand dogs, and she'd jumped at the chance for a proper arena where she could show him just what they could do...and she wasn't exactly averse to some one-on-one (if you didn't count the hounds) time with Mr. Tall, Bright, and Handsome, if you knew what she meant. (;D) But her newest acquisition wasn't quite ready yet. It had the hunting routines down pat, but the fancy show-tricks? Not so much. No. Not, actually, at all.

"Come on, So Soft," she sighed, "you can do it, you're so smart and nimble and wonderful and huggable and squishable, aren't you, my little Snuggums? You can do it, I know! Kisses, darling, show So Soft once more - up!" Kisses, ever the consummate professional, duly obliged the triple somersault for the umpteeth time that morning. So Soft, unmoved, only looked at Rouge with fixed red eye.  

[Ruriska]

Watch Me was not one for punctuality either; much preferring to make an entrance mid-way and make sure everyone noticed that he was now on the scene. This, however, was important and the buck hurried his steps, keeping up a good trot until he had reached the carefully chosen clearing. Quickly realizing that the object of his affection had preceded him, Watch Me took a quick moment to lift his head to its most dashing angle before stepping out into the open.

“Hello there!” He called, a broad smile adding to the joy on his face. “I’m glad you could make it.” The Kiokote pranced forward, mimicking as best he could how the Acha he knew moved. “Ah, and your marvelous pack! Hello there doggies, you darling creatures!” Watch Me eyed each dog with utter adoration. “It is such a pleasure to see you all again!”  

[Jun D]

"Watch Me!" she cried with real pleasure, as the brilliant Kiokote dazzled onto the scene, "Alright, you get off for today, Snuggles. I wouldn't have missed it for the world, darling, my puppies have been so eager to show you what they've got!" Trotting up to him, she rubbed a cheek against his in greeting. And it was true her puppies did love him - Kisses and Sweetheart had made a beeline for his affections, and even Sunshine pawed tentatively at his hoof. Ribcage wasn't much for open demonstrations, but stood much closer in his patient manner than he usually did with most aside from herself. And So Soft...well, So Soft was So Soft.  

[Ruriska]

"Oh, fantastic!" Watch Me dipped his head to the pups, giving each one a moment of his time and murmur of praise. "They are beyond brilliant, Rouge – oh and Rouge, you are looking very fine today." Not all the praise could go to the dogs, not when a most beautiful Acha was standing in his presence.

"I have so many ideas to share with you, my dear Rouge, but first, may I see your puppies shine?"

Jun D

 

[Jun D]

"Oh, yes," she bounced, a manic gleam slipping into her eye, "oh, yes. So Soft? Would you track us our quarry for the day, please? Three prey. Thank you." The wolf slipped off, this bidding agreeing with its tastes. It would not do tricks, no, but in all manners of hunting it was preternaturally accomplished - the finest hunter, Rouge sometimes considered thoughtfully, taking care not to vocalise her thoughts in front of her darling Kisses, she had ever laid hooves on; it needed no training for that.

There - So Soft had it, a subtle herding of three mongeese in split directions, just as they'd rehearsed. The sand dogs were in position, Ribcage poised where it ought. She raised her head high and savoured the anticipation for a full second...then pierced the sky with her cry: "GO!"

The synchronished somersaults the sand dogs started with were delightful indeed...and then, the carnage could begin.  

[Ruriska]

He overjoyed smile drooped ever so slightly at the words quarry and prey, but he forced it back again before it could be noticed. Watch Me remained as close as possible to Rouge while keeping an avid eye over all the proceedings. “They’re so very well trained.” He remarked as each dog moved into position with barely any instructions.

The Kiokote was here to see a beautiful Acha, the adorable puppies and, what he had expected, a lot of cute fancy little tricks. All of a sudden the adorable puppies were not quite so adorable and he was reminded that they were far more than just pets. They were hunters.  

[Jun D]

"TA-DAHHH!" she cried proudly as she pirouetted to a close, sprinkling the final touch on Piece number 139: Kiokote Racing through Swamp. Really, it was her finest creation yet - amazing what you could do with more than one sand dog supplying your paint sources. She bowed, spun, and nodded to her puppies. With that signal, they neatly dissolved the pyramid they had been carefully perched within upon completion of the show.

"So what do you think?" she laughed, eyes fierce and glittering above her bloodied muzzle, "they've worked very hard, my babies - Kisses never really did these tricks before we came to the Swamp, but it's so easy to hunt here that, oh, well, I felt the show needed a little something more. And they've taken rather well to it, the acrobatics seem to come quite naturally to my little sand goggies, and Ribcage is so good about being stood on - aren't you, my widdle precious? Good boy!"  

[Ruriska]

Watch Me was not as squeamish as one would think, but even he felt slightly queasy as Rouge did one last twirl through the blood. A couple of droplets, he noticed, had landed on his leg. Obviously his fault for getting too close

He was caught between horror and delight. The puppies were oh so talented, look at that pyramid, and their noses were so wet and… red… oh dear. Watch me cleared his throat and began nodding. He was stalling, giving himself to think up a suitable response. But it was so hard to think when there was mongoose pieces scattered around near his hooves.

Say something Watch.

“They were marvelous! You were marvelous!” Watch Me had recovered, and falling back on his love of all things Acha, he had decided this was just as good as anything he had seen his favourite kin do. Just a bit messy and not all of it suited for his future plans. Those tricks however, they were perfect.

“My darling Rouge, I have a proposition for you.”  

[Jun D]

Her joy and pride had faltered slightly at his frozen expression - dimly she considered that perhaps he was not quite, oh dear, suited to her entire display. Not everyone was. In fact, now that she thought about it, very few were. Showing them the picture after was usually okay. Generally they were very impressed by her artistry, though some expressed reservations about her...unorthodox methods. The dance? Well...she could not quite remember just how many of her spectators had ever remained at the end of a full demonstration. Not many. If at all. Um.

But then he spoke again, with warmth and conviction, and, happily, she thought no more of his pause - perhaps he had just been blown away by the show - her good humour restored. "Ooh, propose away, do!" she cried, prancing over with a sly wink at her little joke.  

[Ruriska]

Watch Me’s eyes twinkled. He would propose other things later, but first... "I have undertaken a great task! Rouge my dear, I am going to gather the greatest Acha performers from across the swamp and bring them together to create a troupe that will sing, dance and act its way into the hearts of all." He sucked in a breath, chest swelling with pride. "I would be honoured to have you join me in this endeavor. You and your puppies would make a wonderful addition and would create a show that no kin would ever forget!"  

[Jun D]

Her dainty mouth formed a charming little 'o' that matched her wide eyes. And here she'd worried he didn't like it. He must have just been stunned into silence by awe instead! And now he was asking her to be the star of his show!* Smugness joy quickly bled out her suprise, and soon she was kicking her heels in delight, "Oh, Watch Me, I will make your show the greatest across the entire land! I will take the breath from your audiences' very lips! They could never imagine this art! I - I could use bigger prey, that would give me more blood to work with...we will be going to places I can hunt easily, won't we? I could catch them aforehand for the show, but they're better fresh, and it's much more exciting to begin with a spontaneous herding - So Soft is so good at that!"

*common Acha delusion, one imagines

(Awwwwwkward XD)  

[Ruriska]

Watch Me grew increasingly uncomfortable as she continued to speak. He should have seen this coming. His overenthusiastic reaction to the spray of blood and death had perhaps been overdone. Now how was he supposed to let her down when she looked so very happy? He wished Prize was here. She was good at this sort of thing. Of course, he would also call her manner of dealing with things very harsh and he didn’t want to hurt Rouge, just discourage her… a little.

The Kiokote cleared his throat. “Well, the thing is… Rouge, I of course thought the intricate bloodletting was beyond compare. But you know…” He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, “the normal kin out there, they don’t appreciate art. So I thought perhaps, that we would start… simple.” He smiled hopefully, moving closer to give her a nudge. “Give them a few cute puppy tricks first and then…”

He deliberately did not make any promise of letting her kill things in front of his audience. Yes, Prize could deal with it later.  

[Jun D]

Her earlier worried ruminations still relatively fresh in her mind, Rouge let only - to her credit - the mildest trace of disappointment cross her face as she nodded thoughtfully. "Yes...yes, I suppose you are right. Not everyone is as tasteful as you or I, and we should really hook in the crowds before starting to educate them. My darling doggies do deserve the spotlight, everybody - well, everybody who matters, anyway - loves dogs, Kin will flock to see their little spins and somersaults! I could probably teach them other things too, things that will make the audience ooh and aah at how clever they are! Yes, I can see it now! Giving them a name for that will make the eventual reveal even more stunning: so adorable! So clever! So deadly!" Having worked herself into a fervor over the thought of mass adoration for the hound-shaped apples of her eye, she concluded amiably, all prancing and laughter again, "After all, you'll have to expand your revue in the future, amp up the stakes! Cute puppy tricks first, then - the world! I've got to keep my best acts in reserve for then, don't I?"  

[Ruriska]

"Exactly!" Watch Me exclaimed with a lot of nodding that was meant to hide his relief. “"Your mind is as brilliant as your beauty." He stomped a hoof, throwing his head back with delight at her prancing. Now that the troupe business was taken care of, he would be pleased to discuss other things. “I will set out soon and spread the word. I will find many Acha to join us,” He winked, “but I had to ask you first, my dear.” The Kiokote moved in a bit closer, a rather obvious glint in his eyes. “There would have been no show at all, without you.”

(Well done Watch, now that you’ve mentally relegated the task of hurting her feelings to someone else, distract her with your body)  

[Jun D]

Rouge had played this game so many times, she wasted none at all sliding into the changed atmosphere. "Ooh, those are some mighty sweet words, sweet thing," she purred, batting lashes slyly up at him, "and I do appreciate sweet words so."

(She is more than happy to be distracted with his body... /shot)