great explorer

[is-gud-dog.livejournal.com]

"Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that is how dogs spend their lives."
- Sue Murphy

Those first hours, after he got back from meeting the returnees from the mission--he slept. In the warm, soft hollow of his tiny sleeping nook he slept the sleep of the dead, and Stacy left him with the firm knowledge that no one would disturb him, he wouldn't be woken for a mission or testing, and he could just rest. For as long as he wanted. He slept until he couldn't anymore, until his legs and body felt cramped beneath him, and the need to stretch was unbearable. So he went exploring. Nose to the ground, with that permanent fleshy scent filling his nostrils, he went about the myriad caverns of the meatship.

The only possession he'd reclaimed was a bright red collar; there was a faded copper tag, with the name 'BANDIT' in big, blocky letters. On the flipside was the name of his owner, but the letters were smaller and faded with wear. John? Jane? And a telephone number: 5something5-23somethingsomething. The collar had come with a box. A big box. But Bandit knew what was in the box, and so he left it alone. He never wanted that again, and Stacy knew. He went back there only once--and the box was gone. So maybe it was for the best.

His first stop had been the mess hall--the food dispenser was his new best friend for life. It scanned him once, and produced the same good-sized portion of kibble it had given him previously. Once that was done, some three-odd seconds later, he made it scan him again, but the ration was smaller this time. I refused to scan him again, stating sufficient fulfillment of nutritional requirements. It would not be swayed--not even by puppy eyes. Made by an actual puppy.

This thing was on to him. So Bandit moved on.

Bandit found his way to the media library, and was busily examining the various terminals. They weren't coughing up anything of note, however; they just did things like play music or start talking at him, which he was pretty sure was a Bad Thing because the last time he'd made something make too much noise he had been punished. Cautious dog is very careful.


ooc. Feel free to come upon Bandit either in the mess hall, the sleeping halls, or the media library.

Comments

[withteethbared.livejournal.com]

The wolf Bandit met earlier is in the media library, pacing up and down excitedly next to a terminal.

"Spirit," she asks it, "What is "mountain"?"

--Mountain: a natural elevation of a planet's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2000 ft. (610 meters).--

Bella pauses in her pacing to look at the terminal, flicking an ear in curiosity. "Wise Spirit, what is "elevation"?"

--Elevation: the height to which something is elevated or to which it rises.--

"Oh." She continues to pace for a moment, then, "Spirit, what is "summit"?"

The chances are good she's been doing this for hours now.

[is-gud-dog.livejournal.com]

Bandit watches her for a moment, before obliquely moving into her space. He was polite, if a bit distant. He pauses a few feet away, sniffing the air around her. She smelled--curious, excited. The smell of learning~

NOT 'SPIRIT'. He feels the need to point this out. 'COM-PU-TER'.

[withteethbared.livejournal.com]

Bella looks up, wagging just a little in greeting.

"Computer Spirit," she says simply. "It knows very much."

--Summit: the highest point or part, as of a hill, a line of travel, or any object; top; apex.--

"I have been learning many things today." Bella is clearly in good spirits. She'll make a show about not caring about knowledge and anything she didn't need to know to live as a normal wolf out in the woods, but in reality Bella's very curious and wants very much to understand things.

[is-gud-dog.livejournal.com]

A bit baffled, but willing to play along, Bandit sits and watches. He quickly realizes that her method, while cumbersome, does have advantages for anyone trying to expand their vocabulary. As the machine states the definition of 'apex'--"the tip, point, or vertex; summit", he puts away the words for later use, but knows, rather unhappily, that he won't remember for very long. It just isn't the type of information that sticks in his brain without frequent repetition.

GUD LERN. HELP 4 LERN HUMAN WORD. He agrees, wagging briefly. BELLA-WOLF ALREADY KNOW MANY. ? Y HERE ? 4 LERN WHAT?

[withteethbared.livejournal.com]

"I already know a lot of human talk, but I cannot use all the words right. And there are so many that I do not know. My sept taught me much, my pack taught me much, but I am wolf." Really, she's not sure how to explain the frustration she feels when she can't express something properly, or when the words other crewmates use sail gently over her head. Translation is all well and good, but that doesn't mean she knows all the words the computer substitutes.

"I ask it words I know, and when it explains them it uses words I do not know. So I ask it what they are, and find more words."

[is-gud-dog.livejournal.com]

YES. BANDIT SAME. He sympathized. Learning to channel his thought processes into the little 'voice machine' on his head had been a harsh challenge, but he'd eventually adapted. But Bella's frustration was definitely mutual.

? SEPT ? WORD? He queried, and the computer immediately piped up, much to his surprise: "Sept, noun: a branch of a clan, OR a group believing itself derived from a common ancestor."

It took a second before Bandit's ears fell back against his head. He knows 'clan', and all the variations thereof; that concept is as clear to him as water and daylight, and just as essential to his well-being. As much as Bella may not accept or realize it, there are very few degrees of separation between them. IS BIG BELLA-SEPT?

[withteethbared.livejournal.com]

"Yes, the sept is big. There are packs and packs of Garou," she says, nodding. Bella brightens on the familiar, comforting subject. She's never seen another sept before, but she knows that hers is large. She's been told so.

"I lived with them after I Changed," she explains. There's something about the way she says "changed", something capitalized and important and meaningful.

[runnerwithagun.livejournal.com]

Ronon was entering the sleeping halls to get some shut eye when he saw a dog with a strange thing on it's head? Curious he goes up to the dog to inspect, reassured that it's alright by the dog's wagging tail. He gets to Bandit, squats and starts petting him while getting a look at the device on Bandit's head. What is that thing? Ronon wonders.

"You're a good boy." Ronon says as he's petting Bandit, smiling.

[is-gud-dog.livejournal.com]

Man, humans really need to learn some manners, Bandit thought as he was approached by yet another stranger. Oh well, he figures, at least he's getting petted. He wags his tail, lifting his chin for more scratches.

YES, BANDIT IS GUD DOG. He mentions, as if to say 'yeah, duh'. WHAT B UR NAME? That would answer Ronon's question--the cranial device is clearly the central communicator, as the voice isn't from the dog's mouth.

[runnerwithagun.livejournal.com]

Ronon didn't expect to hear the dog speak. Then again, he didn't expect a lot of things on this ship. So he rolled with the punches and raised his eyebrows in surprise. That voice wasn't coming from the dog but the thing on his head.

"You're Bandit? I'm Ronon Dex," he says still petting Bandit. "Did you just get here too?"

[is-gud-dog.livejournal.com]

Good man--Bandit likes those who take a philosophical approach. He tilts his head to lick the petting hand in a friendly gesture. It's partly recon, but mostly at this point he figures that humans respond so well to it that it'd be rude not to.

PLEASED 2 MEET U, RONON DEX-BOSS. There is a slight pause. CAN SAY "RONON-BOSS"? YES, BANDIT B NEW ON STACY-HOUSEBOAT. BUT ALREADY HAVE EXPLORE AND SLEEP AND PLAY. Wag wag wag happy dog is happy.

[runnerwithagun.livejournal.com]

Ronon smiles at Bandit's friendly gesture.

"Just 'Ronon' is fine, Bandit. I've seen everything on this level but I haven't had a chance to see the city yet. Have you explored there?"

[is-gud-dog.livejournal.com]

See? Bandit knows what the people want and he delivers.

BANDIT HAVE LONG REST IN WARM SLEEP CAVE. NICE. B4 COM HERE, SLEEP NOT SO MUCH. GUD SLEEP CAVE. SAFE. He wags his tail lightly, the prospect of even more exploration exciting him. NO EXPLOR. RONON-BOSS EXPLOR? ?BANDIT COM?

[runnerwithagun.livejournal.com]

Ronon nodded in understanding when Bandit spoke about how good sleep was after coming from a place where he couldn't sleep for as long as he liked.

"Yeah, let's go explore the city another day. I'm a little tired now. I hear it's not safe so it's probably best if we go when we're both not tired," he suggests.

[anoldtrickster.livejournal.com]

Wednesday is poking his way through some of the media library's listings, sitting crosslegged on the floor.

He smells, very faintly, of old wildness, and seems ever so tired.

[is-gud-dog.livejournal.com]

Bandit shyly approaches the stranger, testing the air around him--he's not sure what's wrong with this one, only that he smells of something more ancient than Bandit can even concieve, and of some quaking, trembling fatigue.

He moves obliquely into the man's space, pausing a few feet away. HELLO. He greets, tilting his head.

[anoldtrickster.livejournal.com]

"Oh!" Wednesday says, turning, and he winces a little as the twisting stiffly stretches him in slightly painful ways. "Hello," he says curiously, eyebrows nudging upwards. This close up, the way his glass right eye doesn't focus the same way as the other can be seen fairly cleanly.

[is-gud-dog.livejournal.com]

He feels uneasy--this one smells like deceit--but the man doesn't otherwise give off any negative body language. The glass eye is duly noted, but unlike a human, Bandit can't bring himself to care too much. It's not shiny, it doesn't catch light...it's just there. Boring.

I M BANDIT. WHO R U? He asks the man, tilting his head. He approaches with gentle steps.



ooc. i read your history of Wednesday--how much of that old 'evil/nastiness' can Bandit pick up on? He's just a regular dog, of course, but animals tend to be much better judges of character than humans xD

[anoldtrickster.livejournal.com]

"Wednesday," the old man says, momentarily wary—but he's giving Bandit as close an evaluation is being made of him, and relaxes slightly after a moment.

((As much as you'd like—keeping in mind, in this case, that Wednesday tends to like animals a bit more than people, since at least they're usually predictable...))