realityshifted | ✭ mission oo4;;

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final fantasy vii (d1) zack fair

✭ mission oo4;;

( you know what you guys need in addition to your snow? since you've all been going through some pretty hard times, what with those angels and shadows running around a while back and all.

you need.

puppy therapy.

now, those of you that have found yourselves in the fortuitous circumstance of meeting one zack fair before now, you've probably come to realize a few things about him. he's helpful to a fault, cheery, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and all that. a restless ball of energy. what you wouldn't know is that a certain mentor of his happens to refer to him as a puppy, quite literally, and it's something the boy himself wouldn't know if he hadn't just paid a visit to aforementioned mentor's home village. and subsequently, his mother.

are you … zack, the puppy?

jeez, angeal …

when it all comes down to it, when this is all over, that little piece of conversation is going to be the only thing he can attribute his current state to. right now? uh. he's … well.

he's come back to the plane after the snow has already fallen in completion, and once he gets over the initial oh man, snow! it really snows here? never would've thought of that business, it takes him a second to realize that this snow is a lot closer to his face than it should be. like. it's really close. close enough to nip at.

…

wait. what's going on – !?

yep. just now catching up to the fact that he's not in the shape he's supposed to be in.

anyone that happens across him will find a moderately-sized black pup, nothing but legs and too-big paws, a lot like this, actually, save for the fact that his eyes are still bright, brilliant blue and one of his ears is flopped over while the other sticks straight up. he sits in the snow for a moment, looking all around him as though trying to figure out what in the world is going on, and that might be exactly what he's doing – except you'll never know. because for all that his original thought processes and cognitive awareness are both intact, his ability to express himself has been reduced to what you can make of yips and yaps and the biting of ankles.

maybe especially that last part, if he finds himself particularly agitated.

i knew this place was weird, but … but come on! i can't do anything like this!

after a while, he gets up, shakes some of the snow off. and if you catch him bunny-hopping through the deeper parts of snow as he tries to get his bearings, well … you'd better not comment on it. unless you want in on some of that ankle-biting action. )

( ooc; this is an official canon-bump with the added bonus of an experiment tacked on, because i'm the best sort of person. :D zack's experiment will last around two weeks, so have fun with the pup! )

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[Oh no.

Oh no there's a puppy in the snow.

Oh no it's bouncing along like a cute little black thing and fjkldsjklafjka

Jacqli stands just a little ways away, frowning at him, eyes a little bit wide. Because, you know, she can't smile like a normal person when confronted with a puppy no matter how much of a dog person she actually is. Nope. .... But it is ridiculously cute and she doesn't know how to handle that--

She starts toward him, trudging through the snow, aggravated only by how hard it is to walk - especially given how vertically challenged she is. (that Harmbody suit, while skimpy as hell, is at least thermally stable. ... Somehow. We don't ask.)]

Are you lost?

( jacqli.

jacqli.

it'syouit'syouit'syouyouhavetorecognizehimrightyoujusthaveto!!!

she might be trudging toward him in the snow, but this one is going to meet her halfway, giving one of those excited puppy yips that you really only hear when you're about to throw a tennis ball. or give treats. or both.

yep. this will be one ( 1 ) big ol' dopey pup loping toward one ( 1 ) reyvateil and launching himself at her once he's close enough, giant paws planting themselves on whatever part of her they can reach once he lifts himself up on his back legs. let's at least hope it isn't her chest, because we know she isn't that vertically challenged, at least, and well …

if someone's boyfriend were around to see that, he might have something to say about it. )

[Oh my gODESS IT'S JUMPING AT HER AND WHY IS IT SO CUTE THIS ISN'T FAIR AND SHE ISN'T TURNING ABOUT TWENTY DIFFERENT SHADES OF RED IN THE CHEEKS THAT'S TOTALLY THE FAULT OF THE COLD DAMN IT DJAKLFDSJA

And no, no boob-touching involved. At least she's not that short.

But she does stare down at him for a long moment, still not quite cracking a smile because she's juuust this side of baffled. But she does bend her knees, lower herself so she can reach to rub the top of his head, between those too-big and floppity ears.]

You have pretty eyes. [And a little familiar. HMM, WHY COULD THAT BE?] Did you come here with someone?

( you know, when this is all over and done with and he's back to normal, he's going to remember that blush. and he's going to call you on it. and he's going to probably get some song magic to the face because he won't be able to keep from poking fun for like the next five years.

but if she wants to blame it on the cold, she's more than welcome to try~

zack pushes into her hand when she lowers it to his head, insistently continuing that puppy-whining trend he has going on. she's bound to recognize him, right? this isn't how normal dogs act!

... did i come here with someone? whuff! yeah! ME!

and so there might be some butt-wiggling here just for the sake of it. )

[... yep. song magic to the face. calling it now.

He's pushing into her hand, wiggling his little tail, making whiny puppy noises, and all she can think to do is smile down at him. ... For a second. Then, it starts clicking that some things aren't quite normal here. Her expression turns thoughtful...

And then, her eyes go wide.]

Experiments. ... You aren't actually a dog, are you?

[But then, who are you...?]

( we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

wait for it.

waaaaiiiit for iiiiiiit.

bingo.

she finally gets it. she gets it and he is so freaking happy about it that he promptly jumps back from her, lands on all four feet and does one of those puppy dances that is kind of like a sideways two-step and makes a complete and utter mess of the snow around them. once he's gotten the joy ( mostly ) out of his system, he gives her what should qualify as a puppy grin, sitting up as straight as he possibly can.

c'mon, c'mon … you can figure this out! you're like the smartest person here! )

[Wow, that got him all excited fjdskl She takes that to mean that she guessed right! And as he sits up, she stands a little straighter, a hand on a hip as she squints down at him and tries to think it over.

Dark fur. Hair color? Hm. Who's to say if that's even a direct correlation? Puppy... maybe it's symbolic. Or maybe not, maybe the Plane is just screwing with someone in weird ways. Those eyes, though. She's seen eyes that blue before, she swears she has...!

... Dark hair. Blue eyes. Puppy.

Oh.]

Zack!

[She sounds absolutely shocked, and her eyes go wide.]

You--! What kind of experiment is this?!

[having never met Zack nor experienced an experiment before, Linda is unlikely to work this one out. so as it is, a woman with eyes red from crying, wearing her police uniform (though she's at least changed out of her bloody shirt) and a coat and gloves borrowed from the ballroom finds what seems to her to be a perfectly normal puppy out on the Plane. and it's a welcome sight after everything she's been through today]

[still a few feet away from him, she bends down, still sniffling from tears that have only recently ceased, and gives him a smile] Hey, boy. How did you get here?

( welcome to hell, linda. you'll eventually learn quite a bit about this place, once you've been here long enough.

a perfectly normal puppy on the plane, indeed. she'll soon find that this puppy acts far more intelligently than any perfectly normal puppy should, though ... we suppose that the word intelligently could be used pretty loosely, here. it is zack, after all.

zack eyes her a bit warily, given that he's never seen her before, but what's wrong with trying to make new friends when you don't have anything else going for you? he pads closer to her, leaving sizable prints in the snow behind him, and whuffs )

[as far as she's concerned, Chester's Mill is the place that's hell at the moment. but she will definitely learn]

[when the puppy approaches, she crouches down, reaching out to pet his head and scratch his chin] What are you doing alone out in the snow? Are you lost?

[but as inexplicable as the presence of the puppy is, she has to admit she's grateful for it at the moment. it's good to have something to smile at]

( linda reaches to pet him, and zack's initial reaction is to flinch away from it – because he's not really a dog, thank you!! but … he figures that a little bit of attention won't hurt anyone, and with the way she's looking right now, something tells him that she can use a bit of something to smile about.

so he lets her pet him, giving one of those small happy-puppy noises. you know the one.

he paws at the ground when she asks if he's lost. i know exactly where i am! just … not why i look like this! c'mon, you've got to –

he sneezes, having kicked up a bit of snow with his pawing the ground, and any sort of effective conveyance of who he really is is lost. because puppy sneezes.

he kind of hates his life right now. )

[that sneeze actually manages to get a short laugh from her. and, considering that more of an answer than his pawing, she straightens a little and beckons to him] Come on, it's too cold out here. Let's get you inside. [she looks around, considering the buildings she can see from here] How about the kitchen? You probably need something to eat.

[Both North and Theta hear yipping in the distance and soon enough, there's movement on the tracker. But with all the white snow on the ground, it doesn't take long to see what's moving and bouncing around.] Well, look at that...! [He can't help sounding amused, unaware that this is the young man he met a while ago.]

[Theta immediately appears at the side of North's head, glowing brightly in his excitement.] Puppy! [He turns to his Freelancer, bouncing in place.] North, can we keep it? We could keep it with Patricia!

[He chuckles, shaking his head.] Now hold on there... We don't even know where it came from. Besides, I don't think she'd appreciate us coming home with a dog... [He squats down and removes his helmet so the pup can see his face and not be scared of him, then makes a clicking noise with his tongue.] Come here, boy, I won't hurt you. [His helmet is set down on top of the snow for now, the cool air sharply prickling his warm skin until he can get used to it. He holds a gloved hand out to the dog and waits to see what it does.]

Edited (We'll pretend the italics wasn't messed up... /whistles) 2015-01-18 22:50 (UTC)

( what on gaia is going on here. first he gets turned into a dog for no reason, and now there's talk of him being taken home with someone that's just randomly found him? ohhhh no.

but what is that purple thing? you're looking at someone that would probably have a good time of trying to wrap his head around artificial intelligence, if only because he hasn't spent a whole lot of time around the scientists back at shinra just yet. not ... that ... they do a lot of research as far as that sort of thing goes, but!

never mind. borked correlation. moving right along.

instead of going toward north when he clicks his tongue, zack plants his puppy butt right there in the snow just to thwart him. think you're taking me home with you? i don't think so, buddy. i'm not gonna stay this way forever!

... hopefully.

have a puppy growl for your trouble, boys. )

[North isn't deterred by a little growl. (If he was, he'd never have befriended Maine.) His hand is still out, but it's gone slack as he looks over at Theta.] See? Even the pup doesn't like the idea of going.

Aww... [Disappointed, the AI's shoulders slump as he kicks the ground. Then he glumly looks at what could have been. After meeting Castor's big dog, having one of his own is one of the many things he thinks about.]

We can talk about pets some other time. [He turns his attentions back to the puppy.] Until we can find your owner, you can come with us so you can at least get out the snow and in some place warm. I'll even get you something to eat.

[He stands up straight and waves his hand.] Come on, we won't bite. [He smiles warmly and waits a minute to see if the puppy will move before he sets off for the kitchen.]

( it wasn't much of a growl, anyway. anyone that has ever met this boy – when he's actually a boy – would know that despite any attempt at being threatening, it doesn't work very well. he's too friendly, too nice.

at least he doesn't have to further try convincing this big guy and his … whatever that purplish thing is that he doesn't need a new home to go to. ( even if he does feel a bit bad at the way the ai's shoulders slump like that. sorry, kiddo, but he's just not that kind of dog. ) but when north stands back up and begins walking away from him, he almost doesn't follow. it's clear that no one is going to understand where he's coming from, who he really is, but at the same time …

you know what? he can always eat. so now north will have a little black shadow following him through the snow, hop-jumping every once in a while when he encounters a particularly deep snow drift. )

[Theta flashes brightly in surprise as he jumps up and down excitedly.] North, look! The puppy's following!

[North glances over his shoulder just in time to see him disappear in a deep drift. He chuckles and slows down a bit so he can catch up.] Well, so he is. [He'd ask Theta to keep an eye on him, but he figures the AI's already doing so and will tell him the moment the dog stops or gets stuck.]

[But thankfully, it doesn't take long to get to the kitchen. He steps in, tapping his feet on the ground at the entrance, and holds the door open for the pup.]

I'll get you a bowl of water in a second. [To himself:] I wonder what we can give him to eat...

[There's another puppy in the snow. Well. Less a puppy and more a massive dog who thinks she's a puppy. SO OFF SHE GOES, bounding towards Zack like the big happy idiot she is, screeching to a halt only a few feet in front of him with her tail wagging a mile a minute.

Somewhere in the distance, Castor is yelling for her, but Leda is far more interested in the tiny dog in front of her.]

( ohhh no.

well, big happy idiot, meet currently small-and-unhappy idiot.

zack makes a sort of surprised noise as leda starts barreling toward him, attempting to scamper out of her way so he doesn't get trampled and kind of ... ending up sprawling face-first in the snow.

damn these big puppy feet! )

[Leda lopes after him happily, at one point jumping clear OVER him, and landing on the other side in a playful bow, her tail waggling a mile a minute at what she thinks is a little baby doggy. She barks once, happily and prances, trying to engage the puppy in play.

Meanwhile Castor's voice draws a little closer. Wanna make a run for it, Zack?]

( zack is so afraid that he's going to be squashed that he can't even think about engaging this monster in play, regardless of whether or not he would otherwise.

which, he would. let's be real about this.

he actually hears castor's voice this time, and he recognizes it! so this means there is going to be one ( 1 ) zack-the-puppy making a beeline for her, eyes wide and probably a little more terrified than they need to be.

when he finally sees her, he's just going to. um.

hide behind her.

don't look at him. this is not his proudest moment. )

What---?! Hey!

[Of course Castor notices the little black puffball careening for her as fast as it can. She bends over and scoops Zack up before Leda bounds up a few seconds later.]

You sit down.

[Leda complies with a bit of a whine, but keeps her eyes fixated on the puppy, her tail still wagging. Castor once again turns her attention to the tiny thing in her arms]

Well aren't you a handsome fellow! Aww, did Leda scare you? She must have, being so big.

[She may or may not be lapsing into a bit of babytalk as she gently scritches under Zack's chin]

[okay well he wasn't expecting to see snow. or a puppy in it! but he's certainly not objecting to the latter.]

Hello now! Where've you come from? Didn't know they brought dogs in.

[he crouches down, holding his hands out for the puppy.]

( no one should have been expecting to see a puppy in the snow.

much less a puppy that isn't supposed to be a puppy.

hawk leans down and holds out one of his hands, and zack snuffles in that puppy way, lets out a loud yip that should convey something along the lines of i'm not supposed to be like this! you know i'm not, right!?

except ... yeah. just puppy noises. sigh. )

[he's sadly not that conversant in dog noises of any sort. But that does sound unhappy enough to him.]

You don't know either, huh? Well, I think we can safely assume they wanted to cause some sort of trouble. It can't be too easy getting around here, can it?

( no one is. sigh. :<

zack nods - yes, actually nods at the question. ( at least he can kinda sorta convey something like that. at least he's still got his mind about him to think to try to give something like that in the first place.

don't you think it's odd, a puppy nodding at you? hmmm? )

[… it is indeed, and Zack can probably see Hawk's eyebrows rising.]

…And you understood that, didn't you? So- are you usually a dog, or is this sort sort of transformation?

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✭ mission oo4;;

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