Challenge #00589 - A214: Like a House on Fire

Shayde and Ambassador O’Ranges

or

Julie, Nanny and Ambassador O’Ranges

[AN: You didn’t say ‘xor’ :D ]

Julie was still moaning. A constant monotone that, Shayde could tell, was starting to get on everyone’s pec’s. She was huddled in Nanny’s lap. Nanny couldn’t do much for her but be a living teddy-bear and mutter “Good girl, good girl,” at random intervals.

“Puir babby…” Shayde muttered. “Puir wee pet…”

“Don’t do anything… too innovative?” Rael begged. He’d seen 'innovative’ just recently when she’d shadow-jumped a villain into a gibbering mess.

“No need,” she said. “We go’ what we need right here.”

And with that, she zoomed off to the other Dog in the gallery. Ambassador O'Ranges and his handler-assistant Aelki. Rael, caught off-guard, did not arrive to hear any of the fast and hushed discussion… but it resulted in Ambassador O'Ranges, or his alter-ego HitcherWolf, padding over to both artist and Augmented dog and asking, “D'you need hugs?”

Julie immediately became distracted by O'Ranges’ shaggy, fluffy fur.

O'Ranges sat on the floor so he could envelop both Julie and Nanny in an enormous hug. There was a perilous handful of seconds when they both almost vanished in the fuzz, but they re-emerged with smiles on their faces.

“Good dog,” said Nanny. “Good boy. You smell tasty.”

“Yeah,” O'Ranges agreed, tail wagging. “Barbecue cologne. Not for eats. For good smell.”

Aelki, who knew O'Ranges the best, murmured, “Do you have a pry bar in that coat of yours?” to Rael.

“Aw leave 'em fer a wee bit…” chided Shayde. “They need th’ warm fuzzies.”

There certainly hadn’t been a happier interaction between artist and audience in Rael’s recollection.

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