closed.

[ex_adept179]

Who: Slaine Troyard adept and Hope Estheim skycutter
Where: Various locations
When: 4/22
What: Prayer #16.
Warnings: +1 tryhard?


[Despite his tenure as a shinki having surpassed a month, this is Slaine's first time out on a prayer run. Naturally he's been an active participant in the collective tasks issued to all gods and shinki among their number, but it's the first time he's actually on the job with his god. Having been through two others, that might be something of a new and unimpressive record for a shinki, but Slaine's mind is far from such considerations.

Rather, despite the mundane nature of the task, he's treating it with a ridiculous amount of gravity. No one should be this serious about finding a lost puppy, but nevertheless, Slaine most certainly is. He's determined not to let his god down, much less do anything that might affect his standing. Perhaps this mentality isn't quite so apparent when they're on large-scale assignments...but it probably will be now.

Especially since he's practically hovering at Hope's elbow expecting him to issue orders or directions of some sort. That's how this sort of thing is supposed to work after all, isn't it?]

Comments

[skycutter]

[How does one even go about looking for a lost pet? He has no idea. Of course, Hope has a picture of the dog, so he knows what to look for now, but...

Where in this city would they even start?

Okay, not a totally accurate question because he does know they should start in the neighborhood of the pet owner. But where? How?

First... Hope hands Slaine the photograph.]

We'll be looking for this one.

[ex_adept179]

[Slaine accepts the picture, looking it over and...well. This isn't going to be an easy job, because he recognizes the breed of dog very quickly. There's really only one reason for a shinki to know without any research or particular experience-]

I believe this is a Shiba Inu. [Which is to say...] They are a very popular breed.

[And thus quite common, so they may cross paths with a good number of them. However, squinting closely at the picture, he can barely make out something pink tucked under a fluffy tuft of fur. He can't quite make out what it is, but it seems prudent to ask]

Do you suppose it's wearing a collar?

[skycutter]

If it's a dog owned by someone, shouldn't it? [At least in his home, owned pets have collars, cats and dogs alike. Sometimes... even chocobos.]

Just to differentiate the strays from the domestic ones.

Do you see a collar on the picture?

[ex_adept179]

Just a patch of color, but it might be...

[He passes the photograph back to Hope, pointing at the small patch of flamingo pink peeking out from under a roll of fur. The color sticks out, though very little of it is visible]

This here.

[If it's not a collar, he isn't sure what else it might be. But if they can spot a dog of that breed wearing a collar of the same color, surely that would narrow it down]

[skycutter]

[Hope has to squint a little in order to see what Slaine had been pointing at. But sure enough, he can see the little strip of color that's completely different to the rest of the dog's white and golden fur.]

... Oh. You're right.

That makes things simpler then. [But not easier, because this is still a pretty big city.]

Let's start looking around then, around here first. If it got lost only today or yesterday maybe we could have narrowed it down, but... [He shrugs, before sighing heavily. The dog disappeared last week.]

[ex_adept179]

[Narrowing their search does seem like a prospective challenge, bearing elapsed time in mind. Slaine thinks on that, folding his arms across his chest with a low, contemplative hum]

Other than this area...do we know if there were places this dog was familiar with?

[Animals would be more liable to return to familiar ground, or so he'd read. Something about the perceived safety of previously explored territory. If this dog had strayed and become lost, rather than running away, there was a good chance it would seek familiarity.

At least, it seems reasonable to surmise, in Slaine's opinion]

[skycutter]

Not that I know of...

[Suddenly pretty sheepish.]

I haven't actually spoken to the owner. [He just grabbed one of the many photos of the dog around after saying fervent apologies in his head.]

But... let's try parks around the house first. Maybe she took her dog to one of those at some point.

[ex_adept179]

[Slaine nods along. It sounds like a good plan to him]

Very well.

[Once he's passed the picture back to hope, he tugs his phone out and searches for parks in the area. Technology certainly is handy, as is Google Maps. It's only a matter of moments before he lowers his phone for Hope to see the results]

These are within a ten mile radius of the residence.

[Ten might be a bit much, but hey, better too prepared than not enough]

[skycutter]

[Sometimes Hope needs to remember that he should use his phone more other than using the BBS and stuff-- not like anything real big save for announcements from the higher-ups tends to happen there anyway-- like this map app thing.

Hope looks at the one offered to him, before pointing at the place closest to them.]

This. We'll go there first, since we can get there quickly from here.

[ex_adept179]

Not far then.

[With their plan confirmed, Slaine glances around to gauge direction before he pockets his phone. After which he waits for Hope to take the lead, since he is the god here.

He should be following him rather than leading, right?]

[skycutter]

[For a moment, Hope doesn't understand why Slaine isn't moving... until he realizes that he must be waiting for Hope to take the first step. So he makes a noise of understanding and pulls out his own phone to make use of his own navigation app.

And leads the way, apparently, following the instructions on his screen.]

Can you keep an eye out for the dog while we walk?

[ex_adept179]

Yes, I can do that.

[Since Hope is acting as their navigator now, Slaine can do at least this much. It's a simple matter to keep an eye out for a dog that matches the photograph they have to work with.

And so he watches their surroundings as they make their way]

[skycutter]

[It's probably quiet as they walk, save for Hope's instructions along the lines of "we'll turn right at the next crossroads" or "I think we go through here". But he doesn't ask if Slaine sees it, because he trusts his shinki to tell him or stop him if he sees the dog they're looking for.

Meaning, if Slaine doesn't speak up, Hope is going to assume he doesn't see the dog as they make their way through the city to the park. That's why he doesn't ask.]

[ex_adept179]

[Slaine follows along, watching for the dog. It's probably no surprise that it's not as simple as spotting it right then and there, but he supposes the park is a more likely place than the streets along the way. He does listen to Hope's instructions, but his attention is primarily fixed on his task.

With any luck Hope doesn't stop abruptly, because Slaine would very likely bump into him before noticing]

[skycutter]

[Hope does stop like that, actually, because he's not comfortable with the streets of this city yet, and doesn't know where everything is. Doesn't know the streets, where exactly to go, and does second-guess himself.

So he stops in the middle of the sidewalk...

And gets walked into from behind, making him stumble forward.]

Oof-- [Slaine is taller, and thus heavier.]

[ex_adept179]

[Slaine's sharp reflexes come in handy here, though in his haste to keep his god from falling over he latches onto him, pulling Hope against himself. It's a bit more than necessary to prevent a fall, and he realizes that quickly enough. He lets go as soon as Hope has regained his balance, taking a half-step back to give him space]

...My apologies.

[Sorry for the man-handling, that is. He clears his throat quietly]

I should have paid better attention.

[skycutter]

[Lucky for both of them that Slaine has fast enough reflexes, or else Hope would have been on the ground by now.]

No, it's okay... I should have told you I was going to stop to look around.

[Cheeks burning, Hope keeps looking forward even as he snatches his fallen phone off the ground and starts the app back up. And keeps on moving, this time with a slightly more awkward gait because of his embarrassment.]

[ex_adept179]

I'll be more mindful.

[Although Slaine supposes it's not his place to argue the point, he'll go right on believing it was his mistake. He resolves to be more vigilant as he follows Hope around, so he doesn't make a habit of bumping into his god.

That would, no doubt, make him a rather poor example of a shinki.

With this in mind, he tries to divide his attention between Hope and their surroundings... And eventually, he'll be the one to abruptly halt, pointing to a fluffy dog not too far off, bounding among some bushes]

Do you suppose that might be it?

[skycutter]

Huh?

[Hope looks up, not understanding... Until he follows the line Slaine makes with his arm, seeing where his shinki is pointing.]

That looks like a dog with the right colors...

[But he cant see if there's a collar.]

C'mon, let's get closer. [And he moves, fast for a kid with his size.]

[ex_adept179]

[For his size, Hope moves quite swiftly]

...Right.

[Slaine only takes a few moments to be surprised by his gait before he trots along after him. Whether the dog is the right one or not should become apparent once they're close enough to get a better look.

That is, provided the dog doesn't run off. At least they both seem to be reasonably quick on their feet]

[skycutter]

[And maybe they should have gotten a leash once they actually get to the dog. Hope didn't think this through properly, really.

He does at least know how to approach an animal, stopping several feet away from the dog and starting to move slowly and cautiously towards it. Most of his experience comes from avoiding the big nasty things that can eat him up with one bite, but he does move that way still, to avoid spooking the dog.

Then, as soon as he's close enough, he spots something that's an entirely different color from the brown and the white of the dog.]

Look. That's pink, isn't it? [Unless the light is playing tricks on him.]