#pubbyyyyy <3

[blackjackkent]

I said in the last post that Lae'zel was looting the bodies, so I gave her the interaction with Edowin's body and, needless to say, she fuck-no'd the influence of the worm in his head with a WIS check, so all we got off of him was the absolute crap-ton of sausage that he is carrying for some reason.

Rakha probably would have accepted the worm since the narrator phrases it as a source of potential knowledge, but as of right now she doesn't really argue with Lae'zel when she makes a decision.

Onward to a much more pleasant interaction. HI SCRATCH!

"*Arf! Arf! Grrrrrarf!*"

Rakha does not know what a dog is and, unfortunately, she doesn't immediately care. Her attention is all for the corpse and the lake of blood surrounding it. The scent of it laces the air, shivers along her skin - a death not yet marred by time, fresh and clean. It resonates with those blurred memories she has seen before, the only hint she has of a past before the nautiloid.

Sidestep him to get to the corpse.

Immediately the beast's eyes go back and he darts sideways to get between her and the body. He growls, low in his throat, in a noise not unlike some that Rakha herself has made when the rage takes her.

She looks the creature over with a flicker of curiosity. Beast. Bloodstained. Dangerous - yes, if pushed. Guarding the body. Why? Something valuable?

She sets her jaw and growls back without hesitation. [INTIMIDATION] "Stand down!"

The dog flinches back, whines softly. Looking towards the corpse, it gives a low bark that sounds, somehow, immeasurably sad.

Rakha, already in the process of reaching past him towards the body, hesitates and squints at the beast more carefully.

Take a closer look at him.

Narrator: Around his neck is a collar, etched with a name - Scratch.

----

"What do you think?" she asks uncertainly. Her desire to understand the situation has finally outweighed her interest in the corpse, and she squats down next to the beast and peers at it steadily.

"The man's pet, I'd wager," Wyll says with a frown. "Loyal fellow. Wonder how long he's been standing here."

"Pet," Rakha echoes slowly.

"A beast kept for companionship," Lae'zel says. "An inefficient use of resources at the best of times."

"Awh..." Gale says with a good-natured smirk. "No place for a cat or a dog in the great ranks of the githyanki? I think you underestimate the extremely positive impact they might have on morale. Why, my friend Tara has been known to bring a smile to my face on the darkest of days, though she of course is less of a pet and more of-- "

"Here," Wyll steps forward, cutting Gale off before he can quite get up to full voice. "He'll likely let you pet him, if you're gentle."

Rakha blinks. Wyll crouches next to her, reaches his hand out to the dog. Scratch gives a soft whimper, and then creeps closer and sniffs Wyll's fingertips. Then, cautiously, he rolls his head so Wyll can give him a gentle scratch under his chin. "There we are. That's a good pup," he says lightly, then looks at Rakha. "Give it a try."

Rakha tilts her head slowly, unconsciously mirroring the dog's position. "Why?" she asks.

The question throws him slightly, but only for a moment. "Well, because it feels nice," he says with a shrug. "Give it a try. And then you can paw around in the corpse if that will make you happy."

Rakha scowls uncertainly and looks at the dog, which is eyeing her skeptically.

-----

Pet him.

The beast is startlingly soft, and seems to relax at the touch. Wyll watches with a slight smile on his face as Rakha mimics him, scratching at the underside of the dog's jaw. And, oddly, she does feel the pulse at the back of her head seem to settle, at least for a moment, as if soothed into a fitful sleep.

The dog whines again softly, nudges his head into her arm. Rakha gives him another cautious pat on the top of the head, then draws back and looks at Wyll questioningly, as if to ask, now what?

Wyll chuckles and clicks his tongue gently at the dog. "Come on, Scratch," he says lightly. "Follow me."(*)

Narrator: He whines, but remains rooted by the corpse's side.

Wyll considers, then reaches out again, letting the dog again sniff at his hand, his clothes, his boots. After a moment's hesitation, Rakha mimics the gesture again, following his lead with the strange animal.

Hold out your hand so he can follow your scent to camp.

The dog has visibly calmed now. He sniffs her fingertips with intense concentration, looks her over with a sort of open, good-natured curiosity.

But he still does not let her touch the corpse, growls when she comes near, and watches her warily until the group has passed beyond the little grove where he keeps vigil.

----

(*) Rakha's line in game, obviously, but this seemed more likely. XD