Flashback A Man's Best Friend [Ricky]

[Keene Ward]

The forty-sixth day of summer, 507 AV.

It was another warm day beneath the calm summer sky in the city of Zeltiva. Unsurprisingly, Keene found storms to be of much more interest than comfortable heat of the placid atmosphere. His eyes scanned the stalls ahead of him, evaluating each before deciding to make any movement towards a specific one. It was around the middle of the day, and the marketplace was filled with persons shopping for this and that (though the majority of them were there for the same thing Keene was: food). Having grown up in Zeltiva with a limited income, Keene had been raised primarily on fish and kelp with the occasional loaf of bread or hunk of cheese thrown in on a good day. Due to his limited menu options, Keene's palate had development a reluctant acceptance of the ever-present flavor of the sea. As he'd grown old enough to understand the concept of money, he found that though fish rarely ever excited him, it was much more cost effective to purchase the aquatic meat in large quantities rather than a single slab for the same price.

Sliding his way through the crowd as unobtrusively as possible, Keene stopped in front of an older man's stall. The man, Toby, regularly sold bread at a lower price than many of his competitors at the cost of quality. It was rare to purchase a loaf from Toby that didn't have at least a miza sized spot of mold on it somewhere. He also sold the regular fish as well as other lower quality foodstuffs, however he'd taken a liking to Keene's no-nonsense sort of attitude and often rewarded the boy with treats if he could correctly answer a riddle or listen to a poorly constructed joke. Keene, well aware of Toby's misplaced affection, used it to his advantage. The fewer mizas he had to spend, the better.

"Good day, Toby." Keene gave the man a nod of his head. His gesture was rewarded with a raspy laugh.

"Quite tha gentleman, eh?" Toby shook his head, motioning Keene closer. "Ya dinnae 'ave ta put on sech airs, boy. I can see trew 'em." He winked, as if by making a statement that suggested some sort of conspiracy were enough to be exempt from it. Keene merely nodded. Having no reason to not speak his mind, Keene did not understand why Toby always seemed to think the boy was acting. He'd tried on several occasions to set the man straight, but each time Keene seemed only to further cement the idea in Toby's mind that Keene was playing some elaborate role that only the two of them knew about. The man was, if nothing else, imaginative.

"I have ten mizas." Toby swept his hand across an area of his stand, revealing the foodstuffs Keene could buy with his limited funds. Staring down at the various fish and spices, he crossed his arms in contemplation.

"I'll give ya five fesh fer ten, or three fer five if ya'd like."

"...I'll take three then. What does that leave me?"

"Ehm..." Toby picked out several fruits and vegetables of different qualities along with several different bags of spices and nuts. "Any o' this."

As Keene stared at each good, weighing the benefits of purchasing the item against the cost of not purchasing, a man ran head on into him, knocking him to the ground with a sold thud. Dazed, Keene stared up at the contrite face of a young man offering a flood of apologies as he helped Keene back up to his feet. "I'm so sorry! So terribly sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and all of a sudden you were just... there!" The man pat Keene on the arms and shoulders with a frantic slap of his hands. "Are you alright? I didn't hurt you did I?"

Brushing the invasive hands away from his immediate person, Keene shook his to let the man know he was quite all right. "I'm fine." He'd hit his head when he'd collided with the firm packed earth, but it was going to be a bruise at worst; nothing the man needed to worry himself over.

Keene's repentant assailant let out a sigh of relief, offering both Keene and Toby a wide smile. "Good! I'm glad!" Taking Keene's hand, the man shook it several times before smiling once more and departing with, "Do take care! And again, I'm terribly, terribly sorry!"

As the man disappeared once more into the mess of bodies, Keene returned his attention to Toby's stall. Deciding on several different vegetables and a small sack of flour to accompany the purchase of fish, Keene reached into his pocket to procure the payment. To his surprise and dismay, his fingers made no contact with coin. Patting himself down several times to make absolutely certain he had not misplaced the money, Toby let out a low whistle. "Looks like tha nice man warnt so nice after all."

Keene frowned, glaring off into the crowd. His chances of finding the man were incredibly slim (made even slimmer by the fact he had little idea what the man's face had even looked like). Shaking his head, Keene gave Toby a shrug. "I don't have any more money."

"Yer nah ginnae go after 'im?"

"Do you believe it would prove fruitful?"

"Cannae say until ya try."

Though he disagreed, there wasn't much else for Keene to do aside from returning home empty handed. Having little desire to to do just that, Keene gave Toby a nod before setting out into the mess of people. He doubted he'd find what he was looking for, but as Toby had so sagaciously stated: you can't know if you'll fail until you do.

oocKeene will be wandering around Zeltiva now, so wherever you want to run into him is fine by me! Feel free to write him looking for the man if you'd like.
__________________________________________________________________________

[Ricky Maze]

A Mans Best Friend

While the young boy that decided to go off and wander the city did his business there just so happened to be a man and his dog, a fisherman in fact who'd just spent most of his morning trying to catch his worth in fish just to afford a living. While he carried two baskets that were well on their way to the Fish Market, the dog just so happened to decide that he wanted to run about in the same gleeful manner he normally did. Thus Odis the ever so excited dog ran anxiously around most of the people he encountered, the fisherman following along as he tried his best to keep up with the mutt as he took charge of the lead. Ricky would often whistle when he feared that the dog would continue to do so enough to gain a bit of distance between, which reminded Odis that he was still to stick with his master at all times when they were together out in public. Though he had no dog or leash to be attached to, Odis knew good and well he was meant to stay close to his master most of the time.

Then of course there was also the fact he had to mind his manners, as dogs did in fact have some manners to know, considering that they often had a guest over nowadays. If there was one thing that excited Ricky for sure, it was the fact he would get to see his dear Natalie before the end of midday. Their relationship had taken quite a huge turn considering the event that took place thirty-five days ago, which led to Ricky discovering just what exactly it meant to come to love another person. Of course Natalie certainly had a strange way of doing things, but nevertheless the two had been doing so much and spending so much time together that he was either driven crazy by her, or simply going crazy just to be with her some more. He suspected that should attempt to find a reason to argue with him when he got home, granted she loved to doing that to him for justifiable reasons he wouldn't dare explaining.

Odis however had been interested in the people that they moved past and in turn spotted himself a younger boy, one that seemed to be walking alone as he was headed towards him in his direction. Excited and hopeful that he'd found a new friend to play with, the dog decided he was going to run up and slightly leap at the boy excitedly. He would beg and plead for some attention and revel in any and all of which he would receive, all while Ricky would urge himself forward to try and stop the dog. So that he wouldn't have to save a kid from drowning in overwhelming dog love and tongue slobbers.

[Keene Ward]

Searching had, as Keene had postulated, proved fruitless (or in his case penniless). The flood of faces had begun to fade together into an undulating mass of flesh and bone that held as much meaning as expressionless masks mounted on blank walls. Having no references with which to judge a passerby as guilty or innocent, Keene had kept up the "chase" for half a bell, growing more and more disinterested with each passing chime. His focus had migrated to the realm of the metaphysical, though his body retained it's share of his cognitive processes allowing him to move forward in a distracted amble.

His mind was filled with the concept of thievery. Theft implies a need, does it not? His feet stumbled over an uneven stone. Is the need then the cause? Lips turned down into a frown. That holds only under the premise theft implies need. Stopping a tick before meeting a wooden post head on, Keene altered his trajectory slightly to compensate for his natural drift towards the left. A basic truth then: theft requires the unsanctioned removal of items not in one's own possession. That bit was obvious. What then factors into theft? Avarice? Poverty? Compulsion? Keene started to mutter to himself, his eyes staring blankly up at the sky. "Ideally, poverty would make the most sense. Realistically... I would have to gather more information." Near the conclusion of his short mental digression, there passed over Keene's body a shiver of foreboding.

Not even a tick later, Keene found himself tumbling onto the ground, his face accosted by a rough, dripping blur of pink. Pulling his arms up to helplessly attempt protecting his face, Keene rolled to and fro in an attempt to wiggle himself from beneath the beast. There came a sound that was distinctly human amid the panting and scrabbling of the creature's claws. The voice held sway over the monster's inclinations, coaxing it off of Keene and allowing him time to sit up in a daze. He wiped off what fetid drool he could with the sleeve of his arm before staring up at a smiling man who stood above him, the dog clearly his pet. Giving the mutt a cautious frown, Keene wobbled to his feet, dusting off his clothes where applicable and rubbing his face several times more.

"Your dog is heavy."

__________________________________________________________________________

[Ricky Maze]

Odis managed to overload the poor kid in nothing but slobbery kisses before Ricky caught up with the mutt, he then managed to raise a foot high enough to urge back by pushing at Odis' chest area, which shepherded his dog off the boy as Ricky finally decided to set down both basket and fishing gear and check the boy. Even after he'd rose to a stand and started to clean himself off, Ricky figured the least he could do was help a little by brushing the backside of the boy and in turn ruffle his hair a bit, though that just made his hair a bit more of a mess afterwards which led the fisherman to frown a bit as he gave a nervous chuckle in the process.

At least he could say he gave it the effort really, either way the boy simply stated the fact that Odis, who was less than half the boys size no less, was actually quite heavy to bear in terms of weight. There was a moment of surprise but Ricky couldn't help but find himself laughing at that specific statement, his response being that of both truth and humor as a combination. "No shyke laddie! He's pretty full grown at dis point." He knelt down some to look at the boy directly in the face, the dog quick to heel next to his master as his tongue dangled out with happy pants to follow.

"Didn't hurt ya t'ough did he? He tends t' get a lil' bit excited when 'round kids, t'inks all o' dem wanna do not'in but play." He patted the boy's shoulder in a friendly manner, glad to see that there didn't appear to be any harm at least. Of course if there was any small injuries gained from the dog's excitement, then Ricky would definitely need to lecture the mutt so that he would learn his lesson and avoid doing it again. Either way it looked like the boy had been occupied with something else before Odis had came along, something that looked to be relatively important considering he failed to notice the presence of the dog until a last moments notice. "Didn't stop ya from lookin' fer somet'in or t'inkin' on somet'in did he?"

[Keene Ward]

The man's assistance was unwanted, however Keene deemed it harmless and allowed the intruding hands their swipes at his back and hair. Typically, Keene's hair was a mess anyway, and though it surely was in a worse state than before after the man's interference, Keene held no ill wishes towards him, as it would have been the same result had he done it himself. Keene's observation, however, was well received by the dog's owner, drawing forth a merry laugh that Keene couldn't help but find disconcerting. People, from what he could tell, all had their own sadness hide. It was those who chose to do so with laughter that he found to be the most unpredictable. Straightening out the cuffs of his shirt, he nodded understanding at the offered information. His attention drifted from the man to the mutt who now sat happily wagging its tail at its master's feet. It was smaller than it had seemed when it had first accosted him, and while Keene still stood by his initial observation, he decided the owner's laughter was justifiable.

As the man continued to speak, Keene found himself experiencing a social paradox that, up until that point, he had managed to avoid through his reclusive habits. Both the man's physicality and tone suggested a friendly, sociable demeanor, but the words rang condescending by their very nature. The patronizing pat (which Keene understood to be intended without malice) served only to further illustrate the strange situation in which Keene could not help but feel belittled in spite of all the man's good will. Confused more than frustrated, Keene merely shook his head, his frown tilting his lips downward as his mind wrestled with the conflicting perceptions. The conversation, however, had no such trouble maintaining its speed, paying little heed to Keene's internal strife.

The social rules dictated Keene listen, contemplate, and respond accordingly to his conversation partner. As the man spoke once more, he set aside his musings to make room for the next question. Though not explicitly stated, the man had implied he'd seen Keene before the hound had tackled him, a small fact that only served to increase Keene's growing distrust ever so slightly. Shaking his head in the common positive response, Keene replied with a succinct, "He didn't." It was also dictated in the unspoken law of dialogue that a question, once answered, was an invitation for either further dialogue regarding that question or an introduction to a new subject, often in the form of another question. Abiding by these rules, Keene chose a subject less personal. "What's your name?" Glancing down and the dog, Keene frowned. Pets were an unknown in his equation of human interaction. They were, however, treated often as equals or close seconds, which implied it would be polite to also inquire the same of them by whoever was able as well. "And his."

__________________________________________________________________________

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky's expression dulled down just a little as he looked to Odis then, a bit of concern on his face as he wasn't sure if the boy was serious or joking. "Good t' hear, ot'erwise Oi'd 'ave t' lecture 'im 'bout it." He stated with a bit of a look to the dog, Odis glanced between his master and the boy and then hid his face underneath his paws, to display the manner of guilt he felt by adding a whine to the act as well. When the boy asked for a name for both him and the dog, Ricky looked to the boy with a bit of interest as he had totally forgot introductions were in order. "Oh, sorry! Me name's Ricky, dis 'ere is me dog Odis." He responded in a humble manner, Odis wagged his tail just a little bit, while he still hid his nose underneath his paws like he was being punished. He leaned back up once more and looked to the two once more, tongue still hung out as he panted excitedly.

"Honestly t'ough he didn't mean t' hurt ya lad, sometimes he just gets too excited fer 'is own good." He reasoned with the boy as he hoped there would be some form of understanding, the lad did seem like the type to see such reason although he seemed rather blunt in general. It seemed rather odd to Ricky to see one so young have such dry humor in such things, yet he going to outright judge the boy on the fact he seemed overly too serious for his young age. "What's yer name laddie? Yer parents let ya out an' about by yer self? Or did t'ey send ya out t' collect a few t'ings?" He prodded curiously now that he wondered exactly as to why a child was out here in the fish market, generally children were either having study lessons or out playing with friends they'd made over the years. Sure it wasn't strange to see one do a favor for the parents when the child seemed responsible enough, but by the looks of it this child looked to be deliberately on his own for some reason.

For some reason Ricky couldn't quite grasp at how this boy seemed to be so withdrawn, not only that but his expression never really changed much either. There was a tranquil sort of quality to him that made Ricky a bit intrigued, and of course Odis just couldn't help himself but be a dog, and do what dogs do best when it comes to wanting a little bit of attention. So all the while Keene would introduce himself the dog would sniff at the boys hands and legs, his own curiosities getting the better of him as his master listened to the boy.

[Keene Ward]

Keene doubted any form of higher reasoning would have much effect on the hound. He found it odd how the man - Ricky - treated the animal - dog Odis - in the same manner of speech and gesture he interacted with Keene. However it was intended, Keene gave Ricky leeway, as children were typically viewed as occupying a lower social position than adults. The dog Odis had placed its head beneath its paws, letting out a strange, high pitched noise that Keene found unpleasant. Staring down at the creature, he quickly decided Mella was correct when she had said pets were more of a nuisance than they were worth. The dog Odis was hairy, drooly, and it behaved in so odd a manner, Keene had difficulty taking the creature seriously.

Ricky offered the names Keene had requested. They were received with an acknowledging nod of the head, first to the man then the dog. An explanation for behavior was subsequently offered, something Keene had no requested but found he appreciated it none the less. It seemed dog Odis had minimal control over its actions, driven instead by emotion or some other, more base form of desire. Staring blankly down at the dog, Keene bent his knees slightly to gain a more even level with it, making sure to move slowly and deliberately so as not to cause the unwanted excitement-tackle response again. "I hope you find a way to better control yourself in the future, dog Odis."

Standing straight one more, he turned his cool grey eyes back to Ricky. As was expected, the man also requested Keene's name, along with several other questions. Extending his hand in the gesture of a shake, Keene responded, his tone soft and even. "Keene Ward." Returning his hand to his side, he continued, keeping a steady gaze despite the difference in heights. "Mella sends me out for food, yes." The man seemed genuinely curious as to the details of Keene's outing, and as he'd offered information Keene had found enjoyable and interesting, Keene too felt as though he should return the favor. "I was looking for the man who took my money."

A wet nose slapped against his hand followed by a sharp exhale of wet, warm air. Looking down at the dog Odis, Keene frowned, though it was more of an expression of inconvenience than anger. "Dog Odis." The mutt stopped, gazing up at him. "Behave yourself." The dog seemed impervious to Keene's requests, as it began to sniff him with what seemed like renewed ardor. Keene's frown deepened some, as his mind worked to make sense of the interaction. Perhaps dogs could only understand the speech of their masters. That would explain why Ricky treated the creature so familiarly: it was the way he controlled him. Unable to do impressions of any sort, Keene decided to return to the matter at hand. It was unlikely, but Ricky, in his facial acrobatics that Keene found a bit wearisome (the idea of switching from smiles to frowns at such a quick pace was enough to make his cheeks hurt), seemed concerned for his well being. Theft usually placed a individual under the heading of "not well".

"I was pondering what leads men to theft before I was at-" He paused. Looking down at the dog that had started to chew on his boot. "Before I was greeted. By dog Odis." At the sound of its name, the dog's ears perked up, but the gentle chewing continued. Keene shifted his foot some to remove the nuisance, but the creature followed like a plague. He wasn't entirely sure the dog had been apologetic at all.

__________________________________________________________________________

[Ricky Maze]

At Keene's interaction with talking to Odis it couldn't be help that Ricky felt a good short laugh escape out of him, as the dog merely looked up at the boy and crooned his head sideways in a curious manner. Curious lad dis one. He mused as the boy stood tall once more to introduce himself as "Keene", as well as an answer to the question Ricky asked about being out in the town. Errand fer food t'en? Sounds like he's a responsible young lad already. He grinned as he continued to listen to Keene, a slight change in the smile as he heard about the boy looking for some guy, all because he took money from the boy at a most opportune moment. At that point Ricky felt a bit of bitterness for Keene, bitterness that went towards whoever had the audacity to stoop so low as to steal from a child. How that came to happen could be explainable, but the fact as to why was actually rather arguable as reason easily took place in the beginning. What drove such a lowly bastard to steal, and from the hand of a child no less!

It rather disgusted Ricky enough to where he wanted to find the ass, and see to it his mistake became corrected as a setting example. Yet Keene seemed more or less focused on something else at the moment and only Odis' antics led him to be partially distracted, the several attempts the dog made to get a bit of attention brought a short chuckle out of Ricky, all while he focused on Keene and listened to him as he spoke further about what he contemplated. That was until Odis happened to move into the picture which led them to meeting now. Interestin. He wondered de same t'ing Oi did t'en. It was plausible that the child could actually keep a calm head about it all the same, which really interested Ricky seeing as to how that just showed he focused more on insight and perspective, rather than falter to actual emotion that everyone else generally tended to do. This told Ricky that Keene was in fact a child who's focus was more of the mind, intellectual pursuits that stimulated a thirst for knowledge perhaps. Yet to be so young and already monotonous already, this perplexed the fisherman greatly as he wondered why that was such the case.

Not that it was any of his business of course, for all he knew he could be assuming so much about the boy. Still he felt for Keene and that was enough, and so as the child requested Odis to quit playfully nibbling at his feet, Ricky snapped twice next to the dog to catch his attention. Odis looked at his master for a moment and then finally retreated, his curiosities reigned in as he heeled next to his master with the point of a finger, downward at the spot right next to Ricky as the fisherman watched him assertively. "Good boy Odis, good boy." When he encouraged Odis the mutt wound up batting his tail on the ground next, a sheepish look in his eyes as he leaned into Ricky just a little bit. "Now, Keene. D' ye know where he went? Odis an' Oi can try t' help ya find dis man, but we'll need t' figure out where he went. Odis can sniff 'im out too, if ye happen t' 'ave anyt'in dat he can trace back t' de man who stole yer money." He offered humbly as he hoped there was a means to be able to help, as he wanted to see that Keene be given back the money he lost one way or another.

[Keene Ward]

Ricky's attention seemed to be entirely in Keene's hand, even the dog served as only a minor distraction. Unused to such undivided attention, Keene found he much preferred to blend into the background, silent and unnoticed until needed. The concerned and contemplative gaze Ricky held upon him gave him the feeling of being a streak of unusual weather patterns that required better understanding despite having no tools with which to study them. It was unusual to be on the receiving end of such appraisal, as Keene was much more accustomed to doing the observing and contemplation himself. While not uncomfortable, Keene was relieved to receive a break in eye contact while dog Odis was returned to his master's side. In the brief respite, Keene gathered himself by starting intently at the ground before Ricky spoke once more.

Bringing his eyes back into steady contact with Ricky's, Keene shook his head, a small frown pulling at the corners of his mouth. "No." He found it odd the man who seemed to be so attentive to the details of Keene's outing asked him such a basically answered question. Had Keene known where the man had gone, or any other sort of descriptive identifier, he would have offered it with his initial statement of having been robbed. It wasn't he didn't care about his money, but rather there was no point in pining after something so completely lost to him. The thief could very well have disappeared into thin air for all Keene knew (though he found the possibility highly unlikely). The second suggestion, however, Keene found to be much more along the level of cognition he had first placed Ricky. "Trace back to him?"

Patting himself down, Keene ran his hands over his chest, pockets, and legs in a quick survey of anything present that wasn't supposed to be there. There was a leaf that had stuck itself to the underside of his shirt, but it had attached itself when he'd been knocked down by the dog not the man. Dropping the piece of foliage to the ground, Keene shook his head once more. "I don't." While Keene appreciated the man's willingness to help, it seemed painfully obvious there simply wasn't a way to find the man and retrieve Keene's possessions. He hadn't gathered a single bit of relevant observational data that could lead them to the culprit. If anything, he had gathered so little his mind had created false sets of information that only served to confuse things even more.

Ricky appeared to be agitated. His breathing had grown faster and there was a decidedly cross look in his eye. Keene doubted the emotion was directed at him, and found the mental imagery of the man who had accosted him meeting with the able fists of Ricky to be a sight worthy of physical reenactment. Shrugging his shoulders, Keene offered as close to a condolence as he could. "It's likely he needed it more than I did." Nodding that that was the most logical conclusion, he continued in his steady, cool tone. "We have bread at home."

__________________________________________________________________________

[Ricky Maze]

At the given word that Keene not only could remember any details about the man nor provide any sort of item that might have his scent, a frown formulated on Ricky's face as he looked to the side in major disappointment. He definitely wanted to catch the guy that took advantage over someone smaller than him, the fact Keene literally had become a target of crime definitely didn't settle with Ricky as he didn't feel the act justifiable by any reason. Sure he might've been starving and needed the money, that or he had cravings for something other than food. Either way it actually upset the fisherman well enough to where he decided to dwell on it was pointless, granted that there was no possible means of finding the criminal and there wasn't anything that could be done about it.

The fisherman sighed as Odis gave a whine after seeing the transition of emotions in his master, if anything the dog knew well what Ricky thought about when it came to reading expressions. That was simply how long the two managed to live together, be a part of each others lives as they worked hard to make a living. Well Ricky did for the most part, Odis just did what dogs do and naturally stick with his master. Still even though Ricky hated to easily admit defeat in this situation, the only thing he had left to do that would serve purpose in helping Keene now, was to give the boy the amount of Miza he'd managed to lose from his own pocket. Granted Ricky had managed to catch enough fish for one day, he could easily replace said coin from his earnings afterwards. Even so there was also another idea that happened to hit him, one that could very well be a better outcome depending on what Keene would rather choose. Either way it enlightened Ricky to suggest it, as he gave the boy a friendly grin before he pitched the idea to the young man.

"Aight den laddie, 'ere's what Oi can do. Oi've got spare coin Oi can give t' ye, seein' as how ye took yers Oi'll give ya what all he took. O' course Oi also happen t' 'ave quite a load o' fish in me basket, enough t' spare if ye wanna take some home instead. Really Oi'd rat'er give ye de best o' both but Oi'd rat'er leave dat option up t' ya, seein' as yer already a young an' responsible lad fer one so young." He mused at the end of his suggestion, a light chuckle to follow as he watched to see how Keene might actually react. "Mind yew, Oi'm not takin' 'no' fer an answer." He added with a raised finger, as he smirked at the boy to see what he would decide to do. Odis pretty much decided to mimic his master, only with a bit more energy put into his tail as it swept the stone street beneath his hide.