((This is just a short story about two of my RPWs, Zero and Lavendula~))
Zero padded along the sidewalk, passing by windows filled with various objects and trinkets and clothing, treats and toys. He paused every so often to glance at one or the other before moving on, grumbling to himself. Dula was waiting for him at home. It was Christmas… the shops wouldn’t be open for much longer. He still wasn’t sure what to get for the younger female. It wasn’t like he shopped for gifts for females often. They didn’t celebrate birthdays, he and Dula. Dula couldn’t remember when hers was, she had been abandoned so young, and Zero had left all aspects of his old life behind him when he’d been abducted and molded into a tool for war. He couldn’t even remember his exact birthday anymore, only the month. So they just didn’t celebrate them or talk about them.
Dula hadn’t been with him very long. She’d grown up in the wild and on the streets, wandering around and simply trying to survive. The strange power of her paint isolated her, made others shun her out of fear. She was a surprisingly upbeat girl for all of it. She reminded him of someone he once cared about. He had simply been walking down the street when she’d approached him some months ago….
”S-sir…? Could you… do you… have any food?”
Zero glanced down at the pitiful excuse for a wolf crouching to his right, her ears folded back against her head and her tail tucked downward. She was skinny as a twig, her skin clinging to every bone, her fur matted and wild. He was about to just ignore her and keep walking when a scent hit him, fragrant but subtle. For the first time in a long time he felt… content. He shook his head, trying to snap himself out of it, feeling strange about it. It wasn’t right. Why did he suddenly feel like this?
His dark gaze narrowed down at the girl slightly and she gave a soft squeak and backed away, “I’m… I’m sorry!” She turned to leave but he stepped quickly in front of her, her eyes widening with fear at him.
“What is that scent?” he demanded, fighting the feeling washing over him against his will.
“S-scent… I…,” she looked down her paws, trembling, “It’s me… I should go….”
The scent was growing stronger and Zero was beginning to feel a bit drowsy. He shook his head again, trying to keep a clear mind, “How are you doing that?”
“It…,” her voice grew smaller, “It’s my paint… it… does that…. Please… I’ll just leave, before you….” She chanced a glance up at him.
“Come with me,” he said instead, surprising her, “I wish to speak with you.”
“M-me but…? Why?” She took a cautious step back, the scent growing stronger.
Zero also took a step back, shaking his head yet again, growling, “You want food, don’t you?” She paused and looked up at him hopefully, “Then come with me. I’ll give you a decent meal and we’ll talk. If you want to leave after that, then it’s up to you. Can you stop with the scent?” His eyelids were drooping and he was fighting to stay on his paws and not curl up then and there for a nap.
All at once the scent faded back to its subtle aroma, calming but nothing more, and Zero blinked a few times, clearing the remnants of drowsiness from his eyes. “A meal? A whole meal? You’d really do that?”
He simply nodded and padded past her, “Come with me.”
He had taken her back to his temporary home and given her a decent meal which she had devoured. He’d spoken with her, found out about her past, and the power of her paint. He told her that if she helped him, he would take care of her, and she’d never go hungry or have nowhere to go again. She agreed readily enough, he was the first to treat her with anything but fear or hostility. It was rough in the beginning, when he realized she couldn’t control her power at will, that it only worked properly when she was upset….
”You understand your part in this?” Zero asked her, his voice slightly muffled through his mask.
“I…,” she looked down at her paws, “We’re… we’re really… going to… to kill someone…?” she whimpered, looking up at him with wide eyes. Her scent might have been affecting him at this point if not for his mask and its ability to filter out such things from the air.
“It’s a job. It puts food in your belly,” he growled, “Now do you understand?”
She shook her head, “I can’t! I can’t do that! How can you?”
“Shut up!” he snarled, glancing around, “Do you want to get us caught?” He drew closer to her, “I told you what we’d be doing. You agreed.”
“Yes but… but I… I didn’t really… think…,” she crouched, staring at her paws.
Zero snorted, “Fine then. Go back to base. I have other uses for you. I can kill easily enough on my own.”
She looked up at him, “What… other uses?”
“I told you, sometimes clients ask me to steal something. You can be put to use putting security to sleep. I prefer not to leave behind a trail of bodies if I can help it, it’s just sloppy,” he glanced over at her, “Now go back to base before you compromise everything!”
She had waited restlessly for his return. Finally he walked in, padding past her, “It’s done.”
She trembled, “How can you kill, just like that? Why did they have to die anyway?”
He looked back at her, his mask still covering his face, “I was trained to do this. I don’t ask questions, I just do my job.”
“So you might have just killed some innocent person!?”
He snarled, “No one in this world is innocent! Not even you!” She crouched, staring up at him fearfully, “Innocence doesn’t exist, just like peace, or freedom. They’re all illusions. Don’t try to lecture me, girl. I’ve seen more things in this world than you could ever dream of. The only thing that matters is surviving. Surely you’ve learned that by now?”
She stared down at her paws, shaking her head, “You… shouldn’t have to kill to survive….”
“We all do what we do best, girl. If you can’t deal with it then leave. No one’s stopping you,” he growled, turning and stalking away to his room, kicking the door shut behind him.
But she didn’t leave. She simply curled up on the couch, and he found her there the next day. It was a couple days before he brought home another job, one that put her to the test.
She sat devouring her breakfast, Zero studying her and idly eating his sausages, “We have a job.”
She stopped, looking up at him, “What… kind of job?”
He rolled his eyes, “I already told you I can kill well enough on my own, didn’t I?” He wolfed down another sausage, still studying her, “There’s some data a client wants to get their paws on. Don’t ask me what it is, I don’t know and don’t care,” he stopped her as she opened her mouth to ask, “We have to sneak in and get it.” He paused, biting into another sausage, “I’ve already cased the place, gotten in and have all the necessary information. All I need you to do tonight is put the security to sleep. Everything else will be a cakewalk.”
“So… no one gets hurt?” she asked at last.
“If you do your job, no one has to get hurt,” he growled, “If you don’t, I can put them to sleep myself, but it won’t be nearly so peaceful.” He waved his tail, black paint dripping, “I have my own power, but it might just as well stop their hearts as put them to sleep.”
Her eyes widened, “You didn’t tell me your paint was… like mine….”
“It’s not. I wasn’t born like this,” he grumbled, popping another sausage into his mouth, “Now can you do this or not? I don’t need any screw ups on my record.”
“I… I think so…,” she murmured, poking at her own food.
“We had a deal, kid. If you can’t work, you’re out,” he growled.
She swallowed, “I… I should be able to….”
He snorted, “Let’s hope so. I’m not looking to drag around any dead weight. If you can’t earn your place with me then I have no use for you.”
She nodded, staring at her food. It was nice to have a home… such as it was. Zero didn’t call it home. He told her they’d be moving soon, that if she stayed with him they’d never be in one place for very long. But she was used to that. It was just nice to have a safe, warm, dry place to sleep at night, and steady meals, and even companionship, even if she didn’t think he really liked her at all. It was nice to have someone that wasn’t afraid of her, “I’ll do my best… I promise.”
That night the two of them went out to the building that held their target for the night, ducking around security cameras. Zero opened a back door, electronically locked, entering the key. He flicked his tail, beckoning her to follow and closing the door behind them. He led her around a corner to a ventilation shaft, digging in his coat and unscrewing the vent cover, setting it carefully aside. He nodded toward it, “Get in. The ventilation will carry your scent throughout the building and you can hide here while I get the job done. I’ll come back for you once I’ve got the data.”
She trembled nervously, “Are… you sure I’ll… be okay here…?”
“You’ll be fine if you stay quiet. Now get in,” he growled lowly.
She climbed into the tight space and he screwed the vent cover back on loosely so it would be easier to get off when he came back, “Is your scent working yet?”
“I… I don’t think so… it’s not strong enough…,” she murmured.
“Well make it stronger!” he hissed, glancing down the hall for security guards.
“I can’t! I… I can’t control it like that…,” she whispered.
He paused. Yes, that was right. It got stronger when she was upset. Fine. “You’re useless! I don’t know why I brought you along at all! I should have left you on the streets, you’re nothing but dead weight dragging me down!”
She stared through the vent at him with wide eyes, “No… no I….”
“What was I thinking? Clearly your parents had the right idea, dropping you while they had the chance!” he spat back at her.
She closed her eyes tightly, a few tears slipping down her face, “No….”
“Just stay there and be useless! We’re done after tonight!” he turned and stalked away. Hopefully it was enough to work. He slipped around a couple security cameras and made it to the security room, punching in the numbers in the electronic door and opening it to find the guard on duty slumped over and passed out. Beneath his mask he grinned, “Good work, girl.” He shut down all the cameras and closed the door behind him when he left, making his way to the office computers. He passed a number of slumped over guards on his way. She was making this too easy. He typed in all the necessary passwords, inserted a memory stick and downloaded the needed files. With that done he slipped the memory stick back into his coat.
Finally he made his way back to the vent, unscrewing the cover, “C’mon kid, time to go.”
“I’m… so-sorry…,” she whimpered.
He rolled his eyes, “It was an act, kid. You did good. Now let’s go.”
“Wh-what…?” she blinked blearily up at him.
“Your power only works when you’re upset, right? Now let’s go before anyone wakes up!”
She blinked in surprise at him crawling cautiously out of the vent, “You… didn’t… mean those things…?”
“No,” he grumbled, screwing the vent back in place before turning and padding back the way they came, “Hurry up, I’m sure your scent isn’t so strong now, we need to get out of here before anyone sees us.”
She followed after him all the way back home, where he turned to her, “I’m going to deliver the data. You stay here and get some rest. We’re leaving tomorrow.” He turned to leave again.
“You… really didn’t mean any of that?”
He glanced back at her, “I already told you no,” and then he left.
She was still awake when he returned, much to his surprise. She came to stand in front of him, looking up at him seriously, “I decided I’m going to try to control it. I can make myself upset from now on, so you don’t have to say things like that anymore.”
He simply stared down at her through his mask for a moment, then shrugged, padding past her, “Good, saves me some time and trouble.”
Her tail wagged happily, “I’ll be really useful, I promise!”
Zero sighed, looking into another window displaying ridiculously expensive jewelry. He wasn’t about to waste money on something so frivolous. Still, Dula had become a useful companion… and it was nice not to be alone. She deserved something, he supposed. He padded on and stopped for a long while in front of another window before finally entering the establishment. This would work.
~~~
He had gotten the place to giftwrap it for him, he had no idea how to even begin wrapping a stupid present, not to mention how much of a waste of time it was when the one you gave it to was just going to rip it all to pieces anyway. He thought about not even wrapping it and just handing it to her, but eventually relented, knowing she would enjoy opening it. She was childish like that.
“Zero! You’re back! You’re late,” Dula appeared as he closed the door behind him.
“Yeah… here,” he set the present in front of her and padded past her.
Her eyes grew large in surprise, “You got me a present!?”
“Mm,” he agreed, scenting the air, “What’s that smell?”
“OH! Don’t go in the kitchen! Not yet!” She nudged him away from the kitchen and toward the living room, “It’s a surprise!”
“Mph…,” he grumbled and turned to the living room, flopping onto the couch.
“What did you get me?” he heard her voice in the other room, where he’d left her present.
“Just open it and find out,” he grumbled, resting his chin on his paws.
“Can I!?” she didn’t wait for an answer, he heard her tearing off the wrapping paper a moment later. She squeaked excitedly, “It’s so pretty! And soft….” A moment later she padded into the room wearing a pale purple scarf with darker purple flowers on it and a matching hat, “Thank you Zero!” She climbed on top of him, giggling, and he groaned, “You’re the best!”
“You’re always complaining about being cold,” he eyed her as she leaned over to lick his cheek, “Don’t read so much into it….”
She giggled again, hopping off of him, “I got you a present too! Sort of. I mean, it’s a surprise!” She hurried off into the kitchen, leaving him staring after her. He heard her humming and flicked his ears, “You want help?” It was odd she was cooking, really. Having grown up eating whatever she could scavenge or get from others she didn’t exactly have a lot of experience with it. He always cooked their meals. She’d offered to help more often recently, but she’d never done it on her own before.
“NO! Just… stay there!” she called back to him.
He sighed, “Just don’t start the house on fire….” He rolled over onto his back, his nose twitching from the scents wafting from the kitchen. It smelled good at least.
A little while later she finally called to him again, “Okay! You can come in now!”
He rolled off the couch and padded into the kitchen. She had the table loaded with various things; fresh baked bread, it looked a little burnt but not too bad; corn on the cob; ham, sweet potatoes, pudding, and cake of some sort. Her tail was wagging furiously, “Some of it… might be a little bit burnt, but… I thought it was better to overcook a little than undercook, right? Undercooking can make you sick, after all….”
“Why did you make all this?” he murmured, looking around at it. There was way more than he usually made.
“Because! I…,” she shuffled her paws, “Even though we’ve lived together for a while now, I don’t really know that much about you… so I didn’t know what you might like for a present…. But you like to eat… a lot… so….”
“I never asked you to get me a present,” he shrugged.
“I didn’t ask you for one either,” she countered, before cuddling her scarf and giggling.
He looked away, “Well I was tired of all your complaining about cold.”
“You’ve taken really good care of me, Zero,” he looked back at her as she spoke again, “I… I just wanted to thank you. I’m so glad I found you. I couldn’t even remember what it was like to have a home, or a family….”
His ears flicked back, “We’re not… this isn’t really home. We’re not… a real family.”
She smiled softly at him, “You’re family to me. Wherever we are, if I’m with you, I feel like I’m home.” She blushed and looked down at her paws, “Erm… are you… hungry?”
He stared pointedly at the food, “Y-yes. Let’s eat before it gets cold.” They didn’t speak much after that, until they’d finished eating, “Dula….”
She looked up at him, “Hm? Did you like it? Was it all right?”
His ears flicked again, “It was… good.”
“Really? I’m so glad…,” her tail wagged again.
He looked down at his plate, “I… I’m….” He sighed, “You’re not so bad, kid.” She tilted her head at him, a little confused, but he was already leaving the room, “You make the mess, you clean it up, remember!”
“Ah!” she looked at all the dishes she had dirtied and sighed, “I know….” She watched him disappear through the door and smiled a bit. He'd liked it!
