puppy post (man, i love being able to write that unironically)

[lionheartedman]

WHO: Puppy and all of Skyhold
WHAT: surveying his domain and looking for new friends
WHEN: Cullen's been back at Skyhold since the second week of August, so Puppy has also been back
WHERE: anywhere he can get to, and that's almost everywhere

Puppy is growing, both in size and in personality. Adelaide warned about the size he'd reach, but Cullen is still a little amazed at how quickly he's coming into it. He's never seen a mabari grow up from a puppy before. Pretty soon, his temporary-turned-de-facto-permanent name is going to be rather ridiculous. That is not a concern for today, though. No, the concern for today is that he's wandered away from Cullen. Again. Something about you has caught his attention, and while it's very easy to become the subject of his focus, it's almost impossible to shake him.

[[OOC: If you don't want Cullen to come looking for Puppy, just say so, and you can have your whole thread with the cuter half of the pair.]]

Comments

[fightorfright]

Flames, why does she have such a soft spot for animals? She has half a mind to let him in, but she's really not sure how much Samouel would appreciating her letting the mabari into the armory.

"I'm cleaning," she answers, gesturing to the broom she's holding with her free hand. "You are adorable, but I just know you'd get paw prints everywhere."

[lionheartedman]

Paw prints? Puppy leans into the armoury to snag a cleaning rag from a bucket near the door. Once he's reached it, he jerks his head back and forth to work it free. Once he has it, he drags it outside, snuffles his head and paws against it until it's more or less spread out, and then stands on it, kicking against it with his back paws, and then digging against it with his front paws. Very enthusiastically. So enthusiastically that he actually forgets why he's doing it, and spends a little bit of time just playing with the rag.

When he is finished, though, he comes back to sit just at the threshold, tiny little tail wagging eagerly while he raises one leg to paw at the air in front of him. Clean. See?

[fightorfright]

She sighs the long suffering sigh of a woman who cannot resist puppy-dog eyes, and she sets the broom aside and shifts so that the young Mabari might enter. "All right, all right, fine," she says, exasperation entering her tone even though her eyes are bright with joy. "Don't know why you want to come in here so bad anyway. Stubborn little pup."

[lionheartedman]

It's a room with a person in it. Does a puppy really need any deeper reason to want to enter a room? Come on. He bounds in joyfully upon being invited and right up to Amélie, planting his paws on her thigh and barking happily, nudging the flat of his head against her to encourage her to make with the pettings.

[fightorfright]

Maker's breath, she really is going to end up with an entire menagerie of animal fur on her clothes. Oh, well, it's more layers for the upcoming winter. She doesn't offer much (any) resistance to the pup's demands, scratching behind his ears almost immediately. "I better not get in trouble because of you."

[lionheartedman]

Puppy just whuffs happily and soon his tail wagging causes his entire body to shift from side to side, such is the power of the tiny mabari tail. She smells nice. Interesting. Not too clean, all the soaps and perfumes that some people use covering up the smell of their skin, stripping them of what makes them unique. Not her. She smells real. He smushes his nose against her side and snuffles there.

[fightorfright]

She mistakes the hound's snuffling for something else; shifting so she's now stroking down his neck, she murmurs, "I don't have any food for you, boy."

[lionheartedman]

The voice that comes from the doorway is soft and amused. "He doesn't want food. He likes the way you smell." Puppy's continued snuffling, even after being told that no treats are forthcoming, is the proof of that. "I have mabari crunch if you'd like to give him something." She doesn't have to, though. The little beast really is just after attention.

[fightorfright]

Distracted as she is by the pup, she doesn't hear anyone approach, just their voice cutting through her distraction. Hastily getting to her feet, jostling the poor Mabari slightly on her way up, she dusts off her trousers and stands to face the guest.

But Maker's breath, she doesn't expect the Commander of the Inquisition to be standing in the doorway, although she can't really think of any reason why he shouldn't be. She visibly stumbles, shrinking in his presence with her shoulders hunched and hands folded in front of her.

Willing herself to relax, she shakes her head slightly at the offer of the dog food. "I, no, that's all right, ser. I should be getting back to my work." She gestures to the broom, then glances back down at the Mabari.

"I assume he's yours?"

[lionheartedman]

In something of a playful mood, Cullen pushes off the door frame and steps into the room. "He was this morning. Let's see." He raises both hands and slaps his palms flat on his breastplate twice. "Up!" Obediently and almost instantly, Puppy leaves Amélie and bounds across to Cullen, using all the strength in his solid hind legs to leap into the air, trusting his person to catch him. Which Cullen does. Even though it almost unbalances him. Totally worth it. "Looks like he's still mine." Puppy responds with a happy bark and an enthusiastic licking of Cullen's face.

[fightorfright]

Amélie feels the loss of the Mabari's body heat instantly and keenly, and it bothers her. She has no claims to the pup, and she's glad that the dog has been reunited with his owner. Truly.

Still. She cannot help but feel like something is missing. Her fingers grip the broom tighter. "He's a cute dog, ser. Stubborn, though."

[lionheartedman]

"That doesn't begin to cover it. Heavy, too." Cullen hefts the dog in his arms, and then bends and opens his arms to let him jump down to the floor. "He likes you." Puppy likes most people, but Cullen is working on picking up the nuance of his behaviour around new people. "Would you like to feed him?" Cullen's trained him away from digging in pockets for food, but that doesn't mean Puppy doesn't always want food.

[fightorfright]

"I-" She looks up at the Commander's face briefly, then pointedly stares down at the ground. "I wouldn't want to be a bother, but, if it's not too much of a hassle..." She chances a look up again. "I'd like that."

[lionheartedman]

"Of course it's not a bother." Puppy likes her. That means more than she can possibly know. He takes a large piece of mabari crunch out of a pouch on his belt and hands it to her. "He knows all sorts of tricks, and he'll do just about anything for that." The second the treat changes hands, Puppy's attention is entirely on the little mage again. She has the treat. He's going to be a good dog and earn the treat.

[fightorfright]

She accepts the treat from the Commander, holding the piece of mabari crunch between her nervous fingers. Crouching down again so she's eye level with the pup, she wonders what she should ask him to do. "Sit, boy," she gently instructs, deciding to wait until he's totally still to give him the treat.