Welcome Home (Balmung & minccino).

[Revelations]

It was always a little odd to Touma how these things went. He had just broken up with a long term girlfriend, and it was a messy one – as was oft the case when one was being cheated on. His friends had encouraged him and for the most part he had moved on, but there was something of a lingering desire for companionship, a comfort that was not satisfied by an empty home aside from himself. Perhaps it was for the best to fill that void – and the best way to fill said void was often one of the most basic, simple ways. A pet. He had been shopping for one for the better part of two weeks or so abouts, going from store to store, finding little in the way that had interested him. Eventually, he turned from stores that specialized in thoroughbred pets, to the shelters. Clad in a darker toned shirt and matching pants, Touma briefly checked the time on his phone, humming out as he began to enter the pet shelter. With an adoption drive going on, now was the perfect time to get a pet girl.

In this world, pets were not just animals, but in a sense, people too. They held mostly human forms, save for their animalistic traits such as ears and tails, fangs and eyes, and perhaps other superficial details that added a hint of exoticness to them. Many saw them as pets, a few saw them as the potential for something more. Of course, these petgirls were no smarter than a dog or a cat, but that was just enough for most people. No one really ever questioned the why or the how, they had just been there about as long as regular cats and dogs had been, and would likely be around even after them.

"Hrmm…." Touma looked through the kennels, eyeing the various girls that were on display. Most were hybrids of some sort, as often times 'mutts' were not as popular as more thoroughbred and trainable pets. Of course that did not stop them from happening, and it was often the shelter who sought to give these girls a loving home and a good master. Touma himself was a young man in his early twenties, a more athletic build with slightly broad shoulders, and tanned skin given his own slightly unusual heritage – made most especially obvious through his amber flecked eyes. With his short dark hair in something of a small ponytail, he was dressed casually in his darker outfit, listening to the worker as she went through the various pet girls on display, most of whom seemed happy to be getting any attention at all. Still, none had immediately caught his eye, though not for a lack of trying on their part. "As you can see, we have pets of all kinds here, Touma. Cats and dogs, though If I recall you said you were most interested in a dog, right?" She asked, her tone cheery as ever.

"Yeah, I wanted one that was a bit more…" Was loyal the right word? "Active. You know, someone who can keep me on my toes I guess." As he spoke, he gave something of a small smile. "Sorry, never really owned a pet before, so I'm new to this."

"Don't worry, actually – if you're looking for an active pet… We have a new one that came in a few days ago. She's been quite active the last few days, so if you're looking for a more sporty dog… Follow me." She spoke, with a curious Touma soon following.

 

[minccino]

A "sporty dog" was a perverse understatement to describe the kind of specimen the hellhound was. Among the various mutts and the rare purebred that occupied the musty cells of the shelter was the shaggy pooch not sleeping or waiting her turn to be chosen, but honest to God hanging from the chain link fence like a rabid chimpanzee. Somehow, with immense strength, she was able to hang from it with ease, the metal barricade caving in a little from her weight.

Unlike the other dogs and cats, this particular breed was certainly a sight for sore eyes. There were other black breeds in the shelter but this one had tufts of dark crimson hair that puffed between her cleave and wreathed around her wrists and ankles like shackles. Even peculiar yet were her eyes, which were like two glowering coals in the hearth, staring intensely at the two that came by. It was like she knew he was a prospective owner, because the "dog" was eager to hop down from the fence and rub her mane of jet black hair against the fencing for a rub behind her scruffy ears. Perhaps today would be her lucky day, if the man had an eye for the more "exotic" breeds available at that shelter, she was as unique as they came! On Earth, at least.

"We're not really sure what she is," the employee admitted, perplexed. "We're thinking she was a burn rescue, or at the very least came from an area that might have caught fire."

Now that the worker pointed it out, there was a thick and undeniable scent of burning charcoal that lingered just in that specific area, centered on that strange canine. It wasn't an unpleasant or an overpowering smell, but to people who weren't overly fond of their home smelling like a campfire all the time, perhaps it could be. The employees had tried bathing her, to no avail.

"And those strange chains came with her, too," the girl admitted as she pointed to the metal collar around the canine's neck that had been burned past the first five links. There were also some illegible, alien alphabets engraved into the metal. The more she tried to advertise the dog off, the more unconvincing she sounded, so the employee tried not to mention all the red flags. "Anyways, I totally wouldn't blame you if you wanted a more beginner-friendly option. High-energy dogs could be a little cumbersome."

Compared to the shaggy she-wolf, the cute Pomeranian mutt in the next cell was bound to look attractive with her poofy tail and adorable bob cut. The shelter had even gone the extra mile to dress her up in something presentable, as opposed to the black leather thong the hellhound wore.

When the employee had turned, the hellhound flattened her ears and whispered. "C'mon... you don't want that dumb poof," she mumbled.

 

[Revelations]

"Hrm." Touma wasn't sure what to initially expect. He was just thinking it might be something of a large dog, and well… She was. Very much so. Between the tufts of fur, her smoldering coal-esque eyes, and even the rather generous curves that she was endowed with, the hound before him was unlike any he had seen. 'Definitely not a mixed…', Touma thought to himself silently as he listened to the woman. And he even picked up the faint scent of fire and burning coal around the area, was it really from the shackled dog? "Don't suppose she's been nice enough to let you try and get that chain off of her? Looks like she might have been abused or… Maybe some sort of pit fighting dog? I mean, that's the one I'd bet on at least." If he were the betting type at least.

He had to admit, compared to the Pomeranian mix not far from her, the other dog was rather cute in its own way. Yet, something kept drawing his eye to the more exotic hound, a hand being put to his chin after a moment. "Well." She was right, a high energy, and very… potentially aggressive dog could be a hand full. Maybe it was better to start with a more even tempered dog. But if he did not adopt this one, who would? There wasn't any worry about her being put down unless there was an extreme case of violence, but even then she could languish in a tiny cage the rest of her life since there would be few who would. The pom-mix would likely be adopted by the next person to come along though. Even the light growl that the hound girl gave off almost seemed malicious, but perhaps she was just anxious.

"I'll take her." Touma said with a nod. As the worker moved to open the cage for the Pom, he then quickly went "Ah." And shook his head. "N-no, the one with the metal collar." He then added. "I want her."

"Well… If you insist… But first we need to have you sign paperwork beforehand. If you'll follow me I'll have another person here get her ready to go." The woman certainly sounded… Hesitant, but she was not one to second guess an adoption.

As Touma followed along with her, it would just be a matter of signing paperwork and giving an optional donation – something he happily did, and while the process took a bit of time, it would not be long until he had given his last signature and handed the paperwork back to her. By now, everything should be ready for him to go home with a new companion.

 

[minccino]

The hellhound's ears wilted to the sides of her head when the employee seemed to open the Pomeranian's cage, but when he corrected her at the last second, they perked right back up again! Finally, after days of waiting in the kennel for a prospective owner, and having to come to terms that she might rot in here forever, she had her own human companion. The humans and their customs weren't so different from the ones on her home planet of Ifreeti. There, creatures like her were subjugated to a much harsher type of slavery than this. Here, the humans seemed to emphasize the bond that they shared with their pets more than anything, and the hellhound... wanted that.

The wait for her new owner to complete the paperwork felt like forever, but when the employee finally came to fetch her, she was practically bounding in excitement. They clipped a leash to her obnoxiously large metal collar and handed the other end to Touma. Carefully, like they were passing over a bomb.

"Fair warning," the other employee said. "We haven't really been able to give her a bath like we do for our other rescues. For some reason, she's really scared of them."

After everything had been signed and the hellhound was finally freed from the shelter, she took a curious look around and then looked at him, sizing him up first. Then, her bushy tail wagged, just slowly at first to test the waters. She didn't know if this master would strike her, if humans were capable of such cruelty.

 

[Revelations]

The paperwork wasn't the most fun part about adoption but it was one of the most necessary bits. Given the wariness about the hound from the employees there, Touma was a little surprised there was no safety waiver he had to sign, but that hopefully meant that the dog wasn't as vicious as she appeared. Once he had signed the last slip of paper and handed them back to the clerk, it was just a few minutes later that he was off to the waiting area where they'd have her ready. While they had a leash on her, something internal told Touma that she could easily break the leash if she wanted to, so for now it was a game of trust. As the leash was delicately handled over to him, Touma held it gently, but with a hint of firmness to it. "Hey." he spoke back to the hellhound, giving a smile. "Everything's done, let's get you home." Touma's tone was gentle, a more pleasant current to his words.

It was just a short jaunt of getting her in to the car, and then a drive home. "Let's see, gonna have to think of a good name for you." he spoke once they were in the car – it would be a nice and cool ride with the AC if nothing else, and while his car wasn't the most modern or sleek it was still clean and comfortable to drive in. Home wasn't that far away, perhaps a bit over twenty minutes so if nothing else, it would give him time to think on a good name, and see how she behaved in the car.