Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[_gallifrog_]

"She definitely isn't complaining about that, we all know it" John smirked, they may not know everything about Fia's life or personality, but when it came to Cliff's family's dogs, she was an open book. "She also seems to have become part seaweed and aqua-plant." Jay remarked before proceeding to subtly look over at Elliott's phone to see what smart arsed remark he was coming back with. It (and Fia's next remark) didn't disappoint. "We're definitely gonna have problems getting that through interplanetary customs, if you can't bring plants on an Earth plane, surely we'd start either a diplomatic incident or an influx of invasive species by bringing that Fia through." Chas said, joining in with Jay's train of joke. "It'd be a bit of both I think."

Reading Fia's reply Elliott gave a quiet laugh before typing back one of his own. "Of course they did. Hope it was fun. Y'know doing that wouldn't work? As much as we love you, Cliff's family have the majority claim here. Their dogs, their island, their rules really. So we'd have no choice but to just jet off and leave you here, merged with the dogs forever. And since you've also become part aquatic plant, sneaking you out would probably lead to some kind of horrific invasive plants things, knowing our luck they'd come alive and we'd get a scenario like The Day Of The Triffids."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay chuckled nodding in agreement knowing that there was no way Fia could hide just how much she loved those dogs and they her. She laughed a little bit more as Jay remarked about how much seaweed the dogs had managed to get onto Fia, finding it all so ironic considering Fia's bloodline. The idea of starting a diplomatic incident trying to sneak Fia back home whilst she was the state she was was amusing whilst at the same time cringe to think about. "yeah I reckon we'd have some issues there, and no amount of her sweet talking will work either." she agreed.

Fia looked at the reply from Elliott partly snorting at what he came back with, secretly relishing in the fact that Elliott said the words 'as much as we love you'. The rest of what he said made her laugh, just imagining that scenario in her mind way too easily which made it all the more amusing. With a quick thought she found herself coming back with a quip, '1) leaving me behind would be highly cruel, not to mention make me question that love for me you proclaim, 2) I now have this mental image of being swamp thing 2.0 of this island, just better looking' she smirked at her reply before sending it. She then looked down at herself and the dogs, "as much as I'm enjoying this doggy blanket you three, let's go do something else" she told them, attempting to get up from under Meyer's weight on her legs.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John could imagine them starting a diplomatic incident during the course of their stay far too easily. He knew the only reason he hadn't started a diplomatic incident on Attil was because of Cal and Cliff being there and already having a system worked out for how to sneak Elliott out of prison. Another thought festering at the back of his mind was how in Rinaa's timeline, he'd caused a major diplomatic incident, that from what she said was part of a chain of events that lead to the war between Earth and Attil. One part of him was strangely proud of that and the other part of him feared that even with foreknowledge of what his actions could result in, he'd do exactly the same thing again if anything happened to Elliott.

He didn't voice that particular line of thoughts however, instead going for something that would continue the joke. "Not to mention how we'd have to deal with the wrath of Cliff's family scorned because we dognapped their beloved pets." "No pissing off my in-laws John." Elliott chided, still not not used to being to claim he was now related to a family as awesome as Cliff's. "I have no doubt that together they'd give us a run for our money." "There's no doubt they're solid badasses when necessary. We've all seen the veritable arsenal in the outhouses." Jay smirked, referring to the building where fish and various large sea mammals and fish were gutted, cleaned up and prepared. There was what could only be described as 'an obscene amount of sharp, bladed and barbed instruments' there. "No annoying the in-laws, got it." John flashed a cheeky thumbs up, but he meant his words. He had no intention being stupid enough to have Cliff's family on his wrong side.

"That's an image I never thought I'd ever have inflicted on my braincells." Elliott texted back with a smirk before adding."Besides Cliff's family would adopt you anyway, they're chill like that. And It'd be more of a combination of Swamp Thing and Animal Man, let's be honest now." He then put the phone away in his pocket as the rest of the group were all standing up so they could continue walking along. Meyer on the other hand had no intentions of getting up and was going to be deliberately annoying and stay sprawled across Fia's legs, belly upwards while the other two dogs obediently got to their feet.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay agreed that pissing off Cliff's family would be just as terrifying as anything else if what they had for gutting fish and animals was anything to go by. "pissing off these in laws is never a good idea" Kay chimed in, making sure she had everything in her bag that she had taken out and slinging over her back like a backpack once more when she saw other starting to think about getting up to move on. She saw that Fia must be clearly coming back with some interesting reies for Elliott to be continously replying to her, a sight that she actually enjoyed seeing. She saw the smirk appear on Elliott's face and wondered what Fia said, so she took one arm out of one strap and pulled out her phone from her bag to see the whole conversation in the group chat, smirking at the last message from Fia.
The thought of Fia being like swamp thing was quite the mental image she really didn't want, before deciding to just put her phone in her hoodie pocket instead, and putting her bag properly back on her back.

Fia laughed at the reply from Elliott knowing he wasn't exactly wrong on that comment. She slid her phone back into her pocket, which was a task in itself what with Meyer refusing to move. With Meyer's belly being exposed she smirked, leaned over and started giving her belly rubs and tickles whilst Rhys and Koso did as they were told and got up onto all four to move once more. "Meyer I'd like use of my legs please" she chuckled, attempting to move her. "we can go for a walk?" she suggested hoping the four letter word would make her move.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Agreed." Chas replied simply to Fia's statement. He got on very well with his in-laws (Rene''s family) and intended to keep that way. Not only were they nice people, who he could rely on to look after Trish if something happened to him, they were completely normal people. Renee's brother drove a cab for the same people as Chas and they became friends, which was how Chas met his wife. The group walked along the beach. Due to the natural shape of the bay, it was a very sheltered beach, with little wind and few debris. They rejoined the cliff path and it wasn't long before they could begin to see the curved concrete structure of one of the breakwater walls in the distance. It rose four metres or so out of the water and was made from concrete that was a similar dark grey to the natural rocks. It didn't spoil the landscape, in a strange way, it added to it.

Meyer exposing her stomach had been a deliberate move on the dog's part, and one that quite clearly paid off when Fia began rubbing and tickling her stomach. The other two dogs gave each other looks that were the dog equivalent of 'she's at it again'. The dog refused to budge at Fia's gentle pushing, too busy wearing a blissed out expression at how good having her stomach rubbed felt. At Fia's question the dog did absolutely nothing, she was far too comfortable to move, why couldn't the red headed girl see that? Her ears did prick up at the magical four letter word that was 'walk' and after some deliberation she slowly rolled off Fia's legs, making sure to add even more sand to Fia's already covered jeans. Once on her own four legs again she bounded off after the other two dogs who, upon hearing the word 'walk' had taken matters into their own hands paws.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay didn't have in laws naturally. She also had no idea if Sam ever got married and ended up with in laws which would have been her only link to getting any. She just spoke from general common sense that if you can help it and if you get on with that part of family then you don't piss them off. Standing up, Kay followed on with everyone else and as per usual looking around at her surroundings before they reached the cliff path and where the water break walls were. She thought they would distract from the scenery when she was first told about them, so when she saw they somehow blended into the scenery and added to it, she was actually rather surprised.

Fia couldn't even be mad at Meyer for refusing to budge because with the tickling and belly rubs, she wasn't exactly helping her own case in wanting Meyer off of her. She could see Meyer was incredibly comfortable on her legs, which she wondered how as her legs were very slim and in her eyes bony so she didn't understand how any animal could find them comfortable to be on. Though she saw how the magic word made Meyer prick her ears up and get off of her, whilst Koso and Rhys were already off. She looked down at her jeans and sighed but smiled and shook her head. "dirty move Meyer" she muttered fondly. She grabbed the bag of balls as she walked behind the dogs, jogging to begin with so she could attempt to shake off the sand off her jeans, whilst peeling the seaweed off of her.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The others paused briefly to look at the break water wall, it was a strange structure, a curved monolith standing proud against the sea, in direct contrast to the natural beauty of the island behind them. "I'm confused as to why it doesn't look utterly out of place" John remarked, a crinkled forming between his eyes as he stared at it. "Maybe it's the colour or something? It's a decent match to the surrounding rocks." Chas theorised, he, like Kay had expected the wall to more intrusive than it actually was. "Best guess? It's cos the thing wasn't built smoothly, it's got a sort of craggy texture to it." "If this was anywhere else, I'd be saying there's some kind of holo field around it, but those don't always work on waterworlds, the complex water and air currents tend to make them shimmer in places. I guess Ell could be onto something with the fact that it's slightly more organic looking than a big slab of smooth concrete or a brickwork wall." Jay added as they began walking again, as more walls began to come into view. The breakwater walls were all built at slightly different angles to the shore

If Meyer heard Fia she didn't show it. Having caught up with the rest of the pack, she ran easily across the wet sand with long, loping strides. Together they left a distinctive trail of paw prints behind them. If any of Cliff's sibling had been around they could easily say which dog had made which print, roughly what kind of speed they were travelling at and how recent they were. The dogs slowed down as they reached the craggy, rocky part of the beach, carefully picking their way across the stones. As Fia hadn't ordered them to go in any particular direction, the trio decided to head for the woods, picking up on the scents of various small game animals and the odd bird as they walked. What they were really sniffing for was recent deposits of the distinctive pheromones given of by Sykes, but they found none. The wolf hadn't scented anywhere on the island to claim it as her turf and the scent trails left by her pass earlier were fading fast.

 

[MzHyde]

With John and Chas both saying what Kay was thinking, she nodded. "was thinking the same thing" she replied directly after the two of them just before Elliott explained his theory as to why it didn't look so out of place. It was in her mind, a solid theory and would make a heap of sense. She also listened to what Jay said, never failing to find that Jay was full of interesting and yet random information. As they began walking further along, she noticed how the walls were at all different angles which she figured was a clever strategy. "this place never fails to impress me. Even with these waterbreak walls, the place just looks incredible" she remarked.

Fia managed to keep up with the dogs enough to not lose them. She followed carefully over the rocks, making sure not to slip over in the process and followed them into the woods as they tried to sniff out Sykes or what was left of her anyway. "stay close!" she called out after making a whistle sound to them so she could keep an eye on them. She didn't want to mess this dog sitting duty up and let anyone down, especially Matteo as it was his idea to let her look after them for so long. The trust put in her was a huge honour to her and she appreciated it greatly, so last thing she wanted was to lose a dog and get into trouble. She kept an eye on all three of them whilst keeping an eye on the surrounding area, trying to be as careful as possible so not to injure herself.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott couldn't help but wonder if there was any subject Jay didn't have something to say on. No matter what the topic she'd never failed to have an opinion or some seemingly random fact in all the time he'd known her. He knew she was highly intelligent (Rinaa clearly took after her in that regard) and had spent her childhood and teenage years being exposed to as many diverse cultures, planets and people as possible, the diversity stimuli helping to rewire her brain in all kinds of exciting ways. "It really does, it's such a small place but it's so diverse, with so many secrets and unexpected bits." "It is something else indeed. And we haven't even seen most of it yet, there's still the mountains, the second waterfall, the far side of the island where there's a sort of fjordy thing." "And I didn't get a chance to do any proper horse trekking after the initial race. That's on my list for next time." Jay added, deciding that using the term 'riding' on it's own would surely lead to a barrage of dirty jokes after Fia's quip earlier that morning. "I'm telling you, this place sorts all our problems" John declared confidently. "Chas' long overdue holiday, has no demons, amazin' free food, weddin' venue, me retirement plans, artistic inspiration and it's a place the League or any of the others like them won't be able to find us."

The dogs willingly obeyed Fia's command, stopping so that she could catch up with them. Matteo had made it clear to the dogs at the parting of ways that Fia was in charge and should be listened to. Once Fia had caught up they resumed walking this time in an arrow formation, almost like a guard of honour around Fia. Koso, being the leader took the front position while Rhys and Meyer walked at a few metres either side of Fia. Just like all the other times Fia had been in the forest the sounds of all kinds of wildlife could be heard, particularly birdsong, but for the most part the animals and birds remained hidden. having already been to the beach, the dogs saw no need to go to the river and instead led Fia through the forest, along one of the less beaten tracks.

 

[MzHyde]

Hearing just how much they hadn't seen or done, Kay realised just how far and wide this island went. She knew if they weren't careful and as savvy as they all were, they'd surely get lost. Luckily for their group their smart enough to not let that happen between them all she figured. Had Jay of worded her horse riding desire differently, she definitely would have smirked and knew there'd be a large influx of dirty jokes and quips. She smiled and nodded when John spoke up, listing all the ways this place fitted them perfectly, even noting how he mentioned retirement plans as part of the list. "it's certainly a winner in all our books" she agreed.

Fia was glad that she had the authority to make them obey though she did suspect Matteo would have told them to listen to her before he left. She managed to catch up to them, smiling as they formed an arrow formation around her. She listened to all the different birdsong in the air even if she couldn't see any as such, it was pleasant to listen to nonetheless. She was also aware of how quiet it was apart from the birdsong and few animals but unlike when the environment goes silent back in London, she didn't feel an impending threat looming so remained relaxed. She followed the dogs down a less beaten path, noting how she hadn't been down the particular path before and put all her trust in the dogs to know where they were going. She also made a mental note the entire walk of where she was so she would know how to get back if it required it.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John's retirement plans were a long running joke between him and Chas. They both knew that John would never actually be able to retire from the mage life, it would either be that John was dragged back in by friends who still owed a favour, he'd agree to a job so somebody would be in his debt. The most likely option was fact that, at the end of the day, John was an adrenaline junkie and the world of magic gave him that kind of high and for all his grumbling about being a mage there was nothing else he'd rather do with his life. Even when old, grey and grumpy John would still be doing what he did best and the older, greyer Chas would still be driving him around, that was the two constants of their lives.

The conversation moved on as they walked further along, stopping occasionally so Chas or Elliott could take photos of the scenery. It was Jay who suggested they take a photo of what she referred to as 'the core group from this timeline currently living on Earth' with the breakwater walls in the background so they'd have some photos of themselves without the timeline spoilers that were their teenagers. Nobody had a tripod, so instead a makeshift one was constructed from largish rocks.

The path the dogs led Fia along wound up and over a set of low, rolling hills. As they headed closer to the middle of the island the vegetation became thicker and darker in colour. The soils here were better too, closer to the coast the land was regularly showered with salt which leached the water and nutrients from the soil, making it harder to grow plants in. The dogs kept away from the river, instead giving Fia the full treatment of the forest, which was a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees, some looked similar in terms of leaf shape, colour and texture to those of Earth, but most of them were wildly different.

 

[MzHyde]

The one reason why Kay found it surprising that John would even mention such a thing was because shhe never struck him as the retiring type. She just couldn't imagine him ever being that type of bloke and so found it weird even trying to imagining him doing such a thing. The closest she came to imagining him doing anything remotely of the sort of was when it came bringing up Fia whilst she was still so young, and even then she'd imagine him going out to do what he did best. Kay didn't mind the constant stopping and starting situation of their walk for Elliott and Chas to take photos as it meant it was constantly little moments of having a break for her. With the suggestion of the group photo from Jay, she was surprised that Jay would have been the one to suggest it but she was down for it nonetheless. So she waited as a makeshift tripod was set up with some rocks and when it was ready, stood with them all, naturally beside John.

Fia kept looking out around her, noticing how different the vegetation of the area was changing and getting thicker. Every now and then she'd carefully brush a branch or set of leave out of the way to continue walking, whilst all keeping the dogs well and truly in her sights and near her. As they got further into the forest she looked up at the trees and saw what ones were similar and what ones were vastly different, making her pull out her phone and take a couple of snapshots. She put the phone away again and continued walking. "this place is amazing. It's so beautiful" she remarked to herself, looking around, every now and then feeling the texture of nearby leaves and plantlife.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay did have ulterior motives for wanting a group photograph taken. If things did go badly and they lost Elliott, she wanted to have something to remind her of the good times there had been. There'd been very few photos with just her and Elliott in it taken by A.J's crew and most of them came from security footage or hidden cameras. The few actual photos they did have were the group ones of AJ's crew, and Jay either looked, bored, annoyed or tired in them. She'd already requested for copies of all the wedding photos to be sent to one of her private e-mail accounts, but right there at the breakwater walls proved too good an opportunity to miss. The order in the photograph ended up as Kay, then John, the Chas in the middle, then Elliott and finally Jay. It took a few goes to get a usable shot from the camera, but the end result was worth it.

The dogs ended up taking Fia through the woods for almost forty-five minutes, keeping a brisk pace the whole time, stopping when necessary so that Fia could take photos. They would eventually re-emerge near the sand dunes where they'd started off earlier. All three looked out to sea, as if checking to see if Matteo and co had returned yet (they hadn't, and wouldn't for quite a while) before making their way down the dunes again. The dogs chose to loop around the various outbuildings and back buildings, ending up at the stables where Dan was re-shoeing the horses. As well as being a blacksmith, it would seem that he had also trained as a farrier at some point.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay had to admit that doing some photos with just them five around was a nice refreshing thing to do. It was light hearted and to her, it felt like a positive family moment between them all, and for once she didn't try her hardest to hide her bump. In her way it was a way of getting Fia in the photos without her being in them, she also figured when it came Fia growing up, it would be weird to not have any photos around where the bump was visible. After the few dud shots made, a couple of nice ones were had, and she definitely felt like it was worth it. She had also come to the realisation that she had gotten much better at having photos taken of her as she got older and knew this lot, though she put it down to all the times teenage Sam would insist on selfies like a mad woman which always put Kay off. "should put the photos in the group chat so we all have a copy" she remarked when they were done.

The forty five minute walk was a breath of fresh air metaphorically speaking for Fia. The brisk walk felt good to her and with the terrain, put her through her paces but not so much that she regretted her life choices. It made her just let go of any insecurities she possibly had deep down that she wasn't particularly aware of, whilst appreciating the island so much more. As they reached round back to the dunes again and the outhouses and stables, she saw Dan redoing the horses shoes, "hey Dan!" she called out walking over to briefly see how he was doing. She felt like she could do such a thing without him wondering who the hell she was going up to him. She also just wanted to see the horses again, whilst taking a few minutes break, deciding that the dogs deserved it as well.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas nodded enthusiastically at Kay's suggestion, thinking it a very good idea. "Most definitely gonna do that, I'll transfer them when we get back to The House." He told her, ideally the cabbie would have done it there and then, but he had neither the necessary transfer cable or a laptop to load everything up on (Chas always preferred to look at photos on a bigger screen to check they came out okay, phone screens just didn't do it for him). "Which reminds me, have any of you got copies of the wedding photos yet?" There was an unanimous shaking of heads. "To the best of my knowledge Cal and Cliff aren't sending them out until we get to Attil, they want to have a proper look through them first, there's loads of them after all." Elliott explained. "And not just the formal ones we all posed for and the ones from the ceremony, they're getting together every photo the guests took and eliminating all the shit ones." "And making extra copies of the ones suitable for friendly blackmail no doubt?" "Of course."

The dogs made for the hay bales and jumped onto them and lying down comfortably. The horses didn't mind what the dogs did, so long as they didn't get under their hooves and didn't eat their food. The blacksmith looked up at Fia's call, setting down the tool so he could wave properly, while his other hand kept a firm grip on the horse's leg. He had been in the middle of removing the old shoe when arrived, and it was hanging half off so he couldn't let the horse put down it's foot in case it injured itself. "Hey Fia. I see this lot have made it their mission to cover your trousers in as much mud, sand as sea planty bits as possible?"

 

[MzHyde]

Kay nodded, thinking that it was a fair enough comment, knowing how particular Chas was when it came to photos. Like the others, she shook her head at the question about the wedding photos, then she remembered Fia remained out of the photos and took some herself. "think Fia took some though so could always ask her" she added after hearing what Elliott thought was the plan in Cal and Cliff's minds. She may have been very wrong about Fia taking photos but she was certain she saw her take some, but whether or not it was on her phone or other people's phones for everyone else was an entirely different matter. "changing the subject, I could do with a sit down so what's the plan?" she then admitted, after trying to ignore the fact she did have to rest.

Fia watched where the dogs went and smirked at how they practically threw themselves onto the hay bales to have a little rest. Seeing the dogs so happy always made her happy, it also brought that reassurance she was doing a good job. She then walked right over to Dan, gesturing that he didn't have to pause what he was doing because of her. "oh, yeah, blame Meyer for this lot, she decided to lay and roll all over me then refuse to move. This is after I managed to brush a lot of it off as well. I had large amounts of seaweed on me earlier." she chuckled. "how's it going here?" she asked him.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Now that Kay mentioned it, Elliott distinctly remembered that Fia did have her camera out when the formal photos going on. He knew that she really wanted to be in them, but it would raise so many questions in the future (regardless of which timeline won out) that he understood her decision was not only right, but very mature. Rinaa was more complicated, having completely reinvented herself so that she could be in the photos and not recognisable. "I might do that." He replied with a smile. When Kay said she needed a rest, the others nodded, sitting themselves down on the grassy ground (or in Jay's case the surfboard). "Stay here for a bit? Then head back the way we came?" John shrugged, not wanting to risk getting lost in the forest with a pregnant woman who was now clearly beginning to fatigue. "Sounds like a plan."

Dan chuckled to himself as Fia explained how she'd come to be in such a state. He understood her earlier gesture, picking up the claw hammer and carefully teasing the nail from the hoof. As the hoof was made of solid keratin, it had no nerve endings, so the process wasn't in anyway painful for the horse when done correctly. "I'm not surprised that Meyer's the culprit, I've seen similar before, it's exactly the kinda thing she does to people she likes. And as you've no doubt learned, she's very skilled at wrapping people around her paws and getting them to play by her rules. Not so good at getting the other dogs to obey her though." With the final nail removed he cast the old horseshoe to one side and picked up the file. "It's going great here. These are fine quality horses and Cliff's family take really good care of them. I've seen some fouled up hooves and shoes in my life, but never with these guys. It's usually their mother who does the shoeing, she's trained and qualified as a farrier, Nat's the only one of the five following in those particular footsteps. It's not as easy as it looks." He gestured at the small pile of used shoes beside him. "I've already finished one mare and this is her" he indicated the horse in front of him"last shoe." As he spoke he began to file the hoof flat, working carefully and methodically. It was clear from his tone that he had great respect for the craft and the care and attention Cliff's family gave to the horses, as well as the beauty of the horses themselves.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay also distinctly remembers how much Fia was desperate to be in the photos but knew it was for the best to stay out of them. She actually quite proud of the mature decision making Fia did that day to take such an action as she could easily imagine how much deep down it must pained Fia to not be included in such an activity. She smiled and nodded back at Elliott before she said about needing a rest, to which the others gladly respected. She carefully sat herself down on the ground, knowing it would be task to get back up but with three guys and an assassin with her, she knew she had plenty of help if it came to it. She didn't want to be the cause of them stopping their exploring day early, but she was also aware of just how much she could do. "fine with me, whatever you lot wanna do." she told them all, placing her feet flat on the ground, knees bent.

Fia chuckled and nodded, thinking it wouldn't be of any surprise to anyone that Meyer was the culprit of covering her in anything and everything she possibly could."oh for sure, she grabbed the bag full of their balls, dumped it on my lap then placed her paw on me to tell me to play catch" she smirked. "and to protest getting off of me she rolled onto her back for belly rubs, she certainly know I can't be mad at anything she does." she added with a fond smile and tone. When it ccsme to the topic of farriering, she listened to him and nodded, watching with interest at how it was done. She could tell he respected the skill, the care taken by Cliff's famy and the horses. "that's good, I can imagine how much skill it must take to do this properly. I might just see if the dogs need feeding in a bit" she replied.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The others in the group knew that despite what was being said all their plans really were dictated by Kay's limits. They couldn't leave her behind out on an island that was still mostly unknown to them. There were dangerous animals on the island, which was why Cliff's family had made it clear that if they intended to go any further than the three closest beaches they either had to take somebody else or the dogs with them for safety. The wild cats, wolves and hunting dogs generally stayed away from people, but better safe than sorry. The group had no problem with sitting for a while and doing nothing while Kay regained her energy. The island was an incredible place and from where they were sitting they could hear the sounds of the waves below, along with the occasional cry of the seabirds nesting on the rocky cliff faces, which Jay had earlier identified as predatory birds, similar to peregrine falcons on Earth in terms of their hunting technique- to dive-bomb other unsuspecting birds from above.

Dan smirked in amusement at Fia's description of Meyer demanding to be played with and rubbed. "Sounds like she's making the most of her power over you, though saying that, it's not like it's easy to say no to any of them. Meyer just happens to be the one willing to fraternise with anything and anyone vaguely capable of letting her get her own way. She was like that as a pup, and in a way it was worse because nobody at all could say no to the sheer blob of cuteness she was at that time." Dan had been on the island when Meyer was very young, at the stage when she was more like a ball made of fur, energy and cuteness as opposed to a dog. There were photos somewhere in the house of all the dogs Cliff's family had ever had on the island. "It's a strange kind of art form compared to most, like most things it just comes down to skill and practice." He replied with a smile, inspecting the hoof and brushing away any loose pieces of keratin. "They definitely will after a good long walk like that one. There's probably bowls already set up in the kitchen or porch, but chances are Meyer will just demand whatever it is you want to eat anyway."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay was actually thankful for the sit down, even if she didn't say it out loud. Yet she also felt this was the bit of pregnancy that she hated as she was so used to being active and not tiring too easily. She knew how dangerous the forest could be and she knew if she got too tired and danger appeared there would be no way she'd be able to easily get away. The sounds of the birds and waves proved to be really calming and relaxing to listen to as she sat there, rolling her shoulders in an attempt to loosen up the muscles.

Fia continued to listen to him speak about Meyer and what she was like as a mere puppy, smirking and chuckling at the mental imagery that his story created. She glanced over at Meyer smiling at the dog before looking back toward Dan and what he was doing, nodding at him saying about its a case of skill and practice like amny things. "yeah probably, she has a habit of doing that to me" she chuckled, "right.. I'll leave you to it then and get these three fed, as well as myself" she replied before turning to the dogs giving them a whistle.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott's hair had almost completely dried in the time they spent walking, but Jay's was still significantly wet at the ends. As the others chatted she ran her hands through her hair, seperating the wet strands, knowing that would allow them to dry more easily. When Rinaa had done their hair a few days ago, jay had opted for her hair to be trimmed back to just below her shoulders but after seeing the buzzcut her old enemy was rocking she was considering chopping it back further. In her assassin days there were two hair care options- keep it short and needing as little attention as possible, or have it long and keep it back in a set of braids, buns or ponytails.

Dan nodded at Fia's words "I'll see you later then" he replied, picking the hammer and started to drive the new nail into the shoe. The blacksmith wasn't always the most talkative person while working, preferring to give his attention to the job, especially if a mistake could lead to injury or crippling, but he didn't mind having Fia around, she was a good kid in his eyes. The dogs jumped back up at Fia's command, shaking the hay from their fur, except for Meyer who decided that Fia was the perfect thing to transfer the hay onto. The blacksmith chuckled as the dog made a beeline for Fia's trousers. "If Meyer hasn't covered you in everything on the island by then that is."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay soon placed her hands slightly behind her on the ground and stretched her back out slightly before relaxing back again with a content sigh. She was starting to feel a lot better for the rest stop after a few minutes, around ten minutes or so to be precise. "I'll be ready to go whenever you lot are soon" she let them all know, stretching her legs flat out on the ground for a few seconds before bending them back up, her knees clicking in the process which was new for her as she never really suffered with many clicking joints.

Fia nodded, "catch you later, did you want me to bring you out anything by the way?" she asked, as she let the dogs jump off the hay bales and come over to her. With Meyer deciding she was the perfect cleaning utensil, she smirked, rolled her eyes and groaned. "yeah" she chuckled, "seems I'm the perfect cleaning towel for her today, good job these jeans are old and they're due to be replaced soon" she continued saying. She then looked down at the dogs, "lets get you some food and water" she told them, starting to head back to the main house, deciding that she could do with a snack for herself until everyone came back from their own little expedition.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Okay, we'll start headin' back in a few minutes then" John replied. There was no real reason to hang around there any longer, but he thought that it would make Kay feel a bit better about being pregnant and easily exhaustible if he acted like they weren't just doing this for her sake. Had she not been pregnant he would have suggested they have a go on the horses, or head towards the interior of the island where the terrain was rougher and less accessible. But he had to admit that the coastal walk- cliff jumping combo had been great fun. When it came time to leave John stood up first then offered Kay a hand up, sensing she'd more than likely need it.

"Well if they didn't need replacing before before, they certainly would now." The blacksmith quipped back, reaching for the next nail. Dan shook his head at Fia's kind offer. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm good here" he replied politely. The dogs raced ahead to the house, bounding into the kitchen, passing by Nat who was out on the porch, working on one of his wood carvings. When asked about his hobby he'd explained that he'd tried it out of curiosity one day and found it kind of therapeutic. As the dogs passed he reached out a hand to rub each of them. Seeing the state of Fia he gave her a knowing look. "Meyer's been having a great time making an arse of herself I take it?" He asked, with a fondness for the dogs audible in his tone.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay nodded, having the feeling that he was just acting like they weren't doing this for her benefit, but she said nothing on the matter. There was no need to and she did find it quite thoughtful that he was taking her feelings into account about having to stop often. When the time came to leave, she gladly took John's hand as an aid to get back up off the floor, feeling very thankful for the help as she didn't feel like making a complete tit of herself by trying to get up without any help. Getting up from a chair was one thing, getting up off the floor was a whole different story. "cheers" she said out of kind habit.

Fia nodded at Dan's reply about not needing anything and started to walk behind the dogs as they raced off back to the main house and straight passed Nat who was on the porch. She eventually caught up with them and nodded at Nat's comment about her appearance. "could say that yeah" she chuckled. "not that I mind too much, I've been covered in worse than hay, sand, seaweed and mud" she remarked, with a smile. "at least this crap is easy to get off of clothes, trust me when I say , demon blood is a bitch to remove" she added, like it was totally normal to get covered in such a substance.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John nodded in response to Kay's thanks. "Yer welcome" was all he said before they moved on. As with any walk, heading back seemed to take considerably less time to do than initially going out. Due to the way they were angled against the shore the break water walls looked very different on the way back, far more imposing, foreboding and out of place. "Guess that answers earlier's question" Elliott commented, gesturing at the walls when they came into view. "We were only seeing the good side of them." "Didn't know giant walls of reinforced concrete could have a 'good side'." "Neither did I, but you learn something new everyday."

Nat raised an eyebrow at the last part of her comment, he'd had no experience with such a thing, but he'd take her word on it. It was after all very much her area of expertise. "I'll take your word on that and you can trust me when I say rotting fish guts is one of the foulest substances on any planet and a pain in the ass to get out of clothing and especially shoes. And let me tell you, canvas ones are the worst. And the smell!" He grimaced. "It turns your stomach even if you've grown up with it. Doesn't help that the smell lingers for ages afterwards." The dogs meanwhile headed into the kitchen to where their water bowls and foo bowls were. Somebody had filled up the water bowls earlier, but the food ones were still empty. "Meyer'll definitely have to be groomed at some point today, and it's probably worth doing the others too."