HAVE YOU SEEN THIS DOG?

[childofaxios]

MISSING







Belgian Malinois, approx five months in age, answers to the name "DOMITIUS/DOM."

He is trained not to approach or allow others to approach him when I'm not present. Disappeared from the Perimeter Guard facilities approx four hours ago. Vigorous search of the area has yielded no results.

Reward offered for any information leading to his return.

I would

I would like

I would appreciate it if someone with an understanding of magic might be able to determine if he still exists.


[ OOC NOTE: What happened, basically, is that someone decided Dom looked expensive enough to steal, and drugged and took him. Which means they now have a very angry Belgian Malinois on their hands, or with his teeth sunk into their hands. Feel free to have your character have seen him/heard him, and the more adventuresome could try to catch him. GOOD LUCK. ]

Comments

[childofaxios]

[ CUE HER EYES GOING BLURRY WITH TEARS. ]

Yes.

switching to PRIVATE AND VOICE

[bardish]

[ AW CHYLER NO. Dom's coming back to you, if Jeff has any say in the matter!

But he does switch to private, just because this can get... potentially awkward. And voice! Because, well, it's easier to say than write out?? ]

Iiii'm gonna need to listen to you sing. It's a whole... bard thing.

voice;

[childofaxios]

[ It takes her a few seconds of clearing her throat for her to trust her voice. She still has that ragged edge that says she's been crying, but there's not much to help that. ]

Me? What if I don't really sing? Does that--will that influence how well it works?

[bardish]

[ He recognizes that raggedness in her voice; he's heard it so many times, with Mel, and Athena, and students... It always kicks into gear that part of him that wants to fix things. ]

You just have to sing-- anything, doesn't even have to be a real song with real words. What you sing, or how well you do it, doesn't matter.

[ He lets out a short huff. ]

It's a pain in the ass, isn't it? Trying to sing when you feel so bad. [ WHY BARDS ARE GENERALLY USELESS IN A FIGHT, if magic's involved, anyway. ]

[childofaxios]

[ A small, wobbly laugh is his own answer. It's not really amused, but she can't think of anything to say.

She pauses, trying to think of a song, any song. ]

Would a military cadence work?

[bardish]

It should. I don't see why it wouldn't.

[childofaxios]

[ A deep breath, and she launches into the crisp sing-song of a double-time march. ]

Helljumper, Helljumper, where you been?
Feet first into hell and back again.
When I die please bury me deep!
Place an MA5 down by my feet.
Don't cry for me, don't shed no tear!
Just pack my box with PT gear.
Cuz one early morning 'bout zero-five!
The ground will rumble, there'll be lightning in the sky.
Don't you worry, don't come undone.
It's just my ghost on a PT run!

[ Her voice gains confidence as she recites, taking comfort from the pattern and the words. It makes her homesick, yes, but it also makes her feel at home at the same time. ]

THIS TOOK FOREVER BECAUSE I HATE TRYING TO DESCRIBE MAGIC

[bardish]

[ Oh, Jeff knows that feeling all too well. The way music can feel like coming home. So many songs, tied to particular moments in one's life.

He listens, closing his eyes to filter out any distractions. The more Chyler finds her footing, the more of a sense he can get of her, uh... musical... spiritual essence? Whatever. He doesn't remember all the specific magic theory that goes into this anymore. It's just as intuitive as anything else he's done consistently for years and years of his life.

As Chyler continues, he joins in, humming along with the cadence, threading magic into the notes, until Chyler finishes reciting her verses. Then his humming shifts, a different song, something more meaningful to him, because you always need that personal spark for weave any spell. With spellwork-- at least for a bard-- the lyrics don't matter nearly as much as the sentiment, the intent.

So the spell is laced into a song he used to sing to Mel, when she was little. And as he shifts from humming to singing, voice is a bit soft and quiet, like he's singing to himself, not for any audience. ]

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered,
When wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it,
Look what it's done so far...
What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing,
And what do we think we might see?

[ C'mon, Dom. If you're still alive, then he should be able to feel out that same essence he got from Chyler's singing. ]

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and m--

2/2

[bardish]

[ AND HE STOPS ABRUPTLY, SUPER EXCITED: ]

Oh! He's out there! Totally still alive!

[ SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS. Too bad Jeff isn't, like, a magical GPS or anything. He can tell you Dom's still alive, but uh... he can't actually do anything to find him. ]

[childofaxios]

[ A brief silence.

And then she's just bawling in relief. ]

[bardish]

[ OH GODDDDD. He's going to... let her get her crying out without interruption just yet.

Sometimes you just need to have a good cry! ]

[childofaxios]

[ It takes a lil bit, before she's doing the kind of unsteady, deep breathing of someone trying to get a hold on themselves. ]

I'm sorry. I'm not--I don't do that.

[bardish]

I can pretend I heard nothing, if you want, but... It's nothing to be ashamed of. I'd probably react the same way, in your shoes.

[childofaxios]

[ She shakes her head, then realizes he can't see it. ]

I didn't even cry at my brother's funeral, but I'm crying over a dog.