Heart of Steel

Chapter 15: Lost Dog

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Vulca had some free time while waiting to hear what squad he would be assigned to, Vulca decided to walk around the streets of Royal Road to buy something for Centi and Liter.

"Hmm . . . Liter would probably like this one more though . . . " Vulca mused at the candies that they had on sale. Liter was a fan of more old-fashioned stuff, so he got some taffy she liked after getting Centi's stuff. On his way out of the store, he noticed a girl calling out for someone named Max, asking around if anyone had seen this person or pet. 

A little curious,  Vulca asked if she was looking for someone. The girl seemed startled at first before she smiled, thanking Vulca for the concern. 

"Oh you see, one of the dogs I look after ran off and I'm trying to find him!" 

"Oh, I gotcha. If you'd like an extra pair of hands, then I can help." He offered. The girl immediately perked up and her tail wagged in excitement.

"Really! That would be a huuuuuuge help! Oh sorry, I got so excited I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Biscuit! What's your name?" She asked enthusiastically, her tail wagging. Vulca couldn't help but shy away from her enthusiasm a little, it feeling like he was looking at the sun directly but . . . brighter. 

"Vulca. Nice to meetcha, Biscuit." He said smiling at her. "So let's hear a description of this Max, eh?" He asked. Biscuit gave a brief description of what Max looked like, and so the two began their search for the lost pupper. Along the search, Vulca and Biscuit made small talk, with the two getting to know each other along the way. Vulca was, as you know, a commander, whereas Biscuit was a Nikke who was a part of Happy Zoo. Vulca had heard of them here and there prior, recalling that he saw the one with pink hair somehow dragging a white lion by the collar. A little odd, scary even, but mostly cool. Biscuit, however, seemed ecstatic at the new friend she had made, and judging by her appearance she worked with the dogs at the shelter. 

"Do you have any pets, trainer?" 

"Trainer?" Vulca mused at the nickname. "And uh . . . Nah, not really. Never really had the space or time too."  Vulca thought back to his upbringing. Vulca neglected to mention Bolt though as he was more Liter's pet than his. 

"Aww . . . You know having a dog helps cheer people up I've heard! I could tell you were a little down you know . . . .Oooh, I know! Maybe in your spare time you can come to visit the shelter I work at! The animals there looooooove new people!" Biscuit offered cheerily. Truth be told, it would probably be good to get away from machinery every so often. Hell, this walk whilst searching for Max helped clear up Vulca's mind a lot. Plus Biscuit's taken a liking to him, so why not? 

"Yeah, I don't have much planned as o' late. Stopping by wouldn't hurt. Plus maybe they have other animals I could see too." Vulca replied, smiling at Biscuit. Biscuit's eyes began to widen with glee as she took his hands excitedly, shaking them up and down vigorously. 

"Yes, yes, yes, yes! You're going to love it there Trainer! It's the best!" Biscuit enthusiastically said as she spun Vulca around. The only other person to have this much energy that he knows is a certain villain . . . But even then he rarely gets to see her as of late thanks to Syuen not wanting him to "taint her prized squad with his piss poor energy" as she phrased it. Vulca wondered if it was worth still taking jobs from Syuen but . . . The off chance that he could somewhat support his friend with the gear development-type requests made him stick around a little. Though as of late Syuen and Vulca weren't even on speaking terms. . . Truth be told following her treatment of Wardress and the fact she refused to step in for Mihara's sake Vulca was still incredibly bitter at just how . . . little Syuen cared about other Nikkes under Missilis. He was snapped out of his thoughts as a Canine entered his field of view, which he then pointed out to Biscuit. 

"Hey, there's a dog over there." 

"gasp That's him! Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaax! Arf, arf! Arf, Arf arf!" 

"Are you barking?" Vulca said, caught off guard by that sudden display. 

"No, I'm just speaking to him! Wait, Max, wait!" Biscuit cried as the dog bolted, and Vulca quickly chased after the bolting hound, him seeming to weave through the streets of Royal Road with ease. The two ran for a while, until coming to a park, where Max came to a sudden stop, and lay down under a tree. Seems like the dog just wanted to come to the park on his own time for once. Admirable, but still a little inconvenient.

"Phew. We finally caught up to him. . .  Thanks for all the help, Trainer!" Biscuit thanked Vulca graciously, as he was getting acquainted with Max. The dog seemed particularly intelligent for one, seemingly motioning for Biscuit to stand closer to Vulca. Biscuit seemed . . . particularly sheepish at the closed distance between her and the commander. 

"S-So, you'll come to visit the shelter sometime, right? Max seems to have taken a liking to you." Biscuit offered once more, picking up the cues from her fur-clad friend. Max seemingly nodded in approval before lowering its head.

"I said I would, wouldn't I?" 

"Oh right, I nearly forgot Trainer . . . But still, I look forward to it! I know we just met today but I think you're great! Max does too!" Biscuit said eagerly, her tail wagging slightly. As Vulca saw the eagerness on her face, Vulca decided to take a seat under the tree too, next to Max, with the dog allowing Vulca to stroke its back.

"I've still got some time to spare. How bout we get better acquainted for a little longer, eh?" Vulca offered motioning for Biscuit to join in and sit on the other side of Max. Biscuit was a little caught off guard but the sentiment greatly touched her. After all; how could she say no to her new friend and growing crush? 

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