[PRP] Unexpected Reunion (Jove/Jordan)

[Grey Dragon]

Mushrooms. One of the few relaxing things about the haunted house. The temperature was chilly, but mild, and the moisture in the air kept soil from drying out even in sheltered nooks and hollows. It left much for mushrooms to thrive on. And in turn, much for a little pup to explore when not besieged by (besieging?) hunters.

Jove was always comforted by these quiet, mushroom-abundant places. Whether it was a natural affinity born of human fear and superstition, entwined forever in his very existence, or simply a learned symbol of safe havens when he was once alone and frightened, the pup would seek them out as a respite from the stresses that plagued him. Even the longing for home he normally experienced while lost in these mists would lessen when he was around his favourite fungi.

Nibbling on the edge of a pale, saprophytic mushroom cap, the little pup investigated the flavour of these unusual, haunted house varieties. Perhaps it was best for living things to not eat mushrooms at random, but Jove had little to fear in that regard. And his nose had never let him down. If no hunters turned up, this would be a perfectly okay way to spend the afternoon.

Prolixity"

 

[prolixity]

Haunted House patrol duty was always unnerving. The rooms and corridors shifted and changed unpredictably, and sometimes there were creatures here. Jordan had found his planned route blocked by an unexpected wall, and he had had to take a detour that led him down several flights of stairs and into what looked like a garden of some sort. He wasn't sure if he was still inside the house or not. When he turned back to the door, however, it had vanished, leaving him with no way to backtrack. He grumbled and started along the wall, looking for another way in.

There were mushrooms everywhere, tucked into nooks and cracks, and he avoided stepping on them. Who knew what they might be made of or might release on being crushed? A flash of motion caught his eye, and he looked quickly to the side, his hand moving to summon.

What he saw made him stop, though. There was a foxfire there, nibbling on a mushroom. It was a type he hadn't seen before, but it seemed oddly familiar nonetheless. That was it - the incident with Julie and her ingredients! This looked like one of the foxfires that had escaped the cages that time. Maybe it was even the same one.

You probably shouldn't get distracted, Ferros said cautiously.

It's just a foxfire. Jordan changed course to approach the mini. "Hey, little guy," he said softly, not wanting to startle it. "I see you got home safe. Glad to see that. Want a candy? I think I got one in my pocket still - " he checked the inside pockets of his coat.

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Jove froze, and then slowly turned away from the mushroom. Sure enough, it was a hunter. That jacket and human smell... But this one was oddly familiar.

Got home safe?

Suddenly he remembered it all. He threw up on this hunter before, when he was caught and taken to the island. This hunter caught him, so he could be gutted and experimented on, just like Hairless who still hadn't grown back the fluff on his back end!

Jove growled and braced himself for an attack, or any sudden movement really. This hunter had kind words, but the pup wouldn't go easy on him if he did something hostile! Although deep down he wondered why he didn't just attack first and ask questions later. Wasn't that what you had to do with hunters?

Prolixity

 

[prolixity]

"Ah-hah, there we go." Jordan pulled a wrapped candy out of his pocket and unwrapped it, then hunkered down, holding the candy out to Jove. "Here you go. I knew I'd saved one from last time we fed Killer. This is better for you than mushrooms, little guy."  

[Grey Dragon]

Still staring suspiciously, the pup crept closer. His little dark nose wiggled as he sniffed out the candy. It didn't smell dangerous, just very humaney, and strangely... like the FEAR candy he sometimes gave to his foxfires.

Unsure of whether to trust this kind-faced hunter, the pup slowly approached until his nose was almost at Jordan's hand, not breaking eye contact. Then he reached out with little invisible tendrils, prodding at the little hard candy. It didn't feel suspicious...

The tendrils slowly pulled the candy towards his mouth. Nom.

Taking it gingerly between his teeth, Jove backed off, still staring the hunter in the eye as though saying "I'm watching you, you better not do anything!"  

[prolixity]

Jordan's eyebrows lifted as the foxfire levitated the candy out of his hand and into its mouth. "That's a new one on me," he said. "Never seen a foxfire do that before."

He sat back on his heels, regarding the minipet. "Man, I really miss Tia's dogs sometimes," he said, mostly to himself. "I hope they're doing okay. Hey, you got an owner, buddy?" he addressed the foxfire again. "If you do, you should probably get on home. They'll get worried about you."  

[Grey Dragon]

Whoops, in his attempts to be cautious, Jove realized he had not been very cautious at all. What if this hunter realized he was really a student and not just another minipet?

Jove backed up until he was standing in the shelter of one particularly large mushroom, but the hunter didn't seem make a move to come after him. In fact, this one seemed more interested in talking than fighting or capturing. He seemed very friendly for a hunter. Even though Jove had thrown up on him in the past...

The little ghost hunkered down and tucked his paws in so they all but disappeared into his fluff. He did sort of have an owner... If his caretaker counted. The old vampire had looked after him so well, Jove owed everything to that man. But he wouldn't exactly be an owner, would he?

Immediately his brother appeared in his mind. Worried Yeah, Ren would totally be worried. Jove hadn't told him about wandering around the haunted house, or beating up hunters. He'd been keeping his own injuries a secret, which was hard since the gryphon was so clingy! Jove snorted, still holding the FEAR candy in his mouth.  

[prolixity]

"I'd try and take you home, but I don't know where your home is, and that'd cause more problems than it'd solve," Jordan sighed, watching the foxfire as it took shelter under a large mushroom. "And I don't think you want to go back to the island. That must've been pretty traumatic, huh? Well, Julie's gone, so nobody would try to cook you, but you look pretty healthy and happy as you are, and anyway if someone's taking care of you I wouldn't want to take you away from them. Tell you what, though, I'll keep some candies in my pockets when I come here. I'll swipe some from Killer's stash."

We should probably go, Ferros said.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I'd better get back to my job," Jordan told the foxfire. "I got half a patrol left. I'm glad I got to see that you made it okay." He got to his feet.  

[Grey Dragon]

Wait, what? The hunter was leaving just like that? No flailing of weapons or cursing or trying to destroy everything good in the world? Not gonna try and... No, that crazy hunter had been meaning to COOK the minipets? That was terrible!

Jove bounced to his feet, the candy in his mouth disappearing with one crunch and a gulp. But it was good this one was going to leave him alone. Definitely.

He took a couple steps towards the hunter.  

[prolixity]

"Oh hey. You want some scritchies?" Jordan bent down to offer his hand cautiously for the foxfire to sniff; he knew better than to just pet a canine that he hadn't properly introduced himself to. Even if that whole barfing thing had probably counted as an introduction of sorts.  

[Grey Dragon]

Jove leapt backwards at the hunter's movement, and made a threatening HRK noise. Surely one who had been thrown up on before would accept it as a threat, so the pup wouldn't have to go so far as to growl again. He didn't like growling at nice people, and despite all his previous beliefs, this awful, horrible hunter was acting very much like a nice person.

A nice person who clearly knew about foxfires. ALL foxfires loved scritchies. Even Jove himself, when he was in a good mood.  

[prolixity]

"Whoa, whoa, okay, no touching, I get you," Jordan said, and backed off a couple of steps, laughing a little. "It came off my coat last time, but that was gross. Right." He gave the mini a slightly wistful smile. "I guess I'll just go. You know a way back into the house? It closed the door behind me."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Another snort. That's right.

With that matter settled, Jove wandered a couple steps in the direction the hunter had been taking. He was curious, what did hunters do when they were at the haunted house? Mostly Jove had been harassing them, but what did they do when they weren't being harassed? And where did they come from? When he was captured he didn't have the luxury of seeing how they got to the island...

Maybe curiosity killed the cat. But Jove was no cat, and he wanted to see where this hunter was going to go!

Prolixity

 

[prolixity]

"This way? Okay, I'll give it a shot." Jordan continued on along the side of the house, giving the foxfire a curious glance. "You going to keep me company? I wouldn't mind." He smiled lopsidedly. "Listen to me, talking to a minipet. Then again, you're not like human-world animals. Some minis are pretty smart, and when I got turned into a mini I could understand the other ones. And it sure seems like you're understanding me okay. Might as well talk to you."

Behind a curtain of dead vines, he spotted something that looked unusual. When he pulled the vines aside, he found that there was a nondescript door there, flush with the wall. What he'd seen was the doorknob. He gave it a careful twist, and the door swung inwards with a groan to reveal a cobwebby hallway. "Looks like I'm on my way," he told the foxfire, and stepped inside. He didn't close the door quite yet; if the mini felt like following him, he wasn't going to discourage it.

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Clearly this hunter had not experienced the sheer idiocy of a pack of foxfires.

Jove tried his best to give the same impression. He had to keep this hunter thinking he was just a minipet, because it was important. To learn stuff from this hunter. Where he went, what he did, the more Jove was able to observe and learn, the better he could fight back.

Yet... It wasn't just that. If he didn't know better he would say this hunter was pretty friendly. Perhaps they could have been friends in another universe...

The pup slipped in behind the hunter, trailing at a respectful distance. If this was a trap he would probably be able to make it back to the door before the hunter caught him. And if not... well, there was always the vomiting option.