Work Text:
Cliopher's feet were dragging by the time he reached the end of the Alinorel wing, and his eyelids felt weighted. He tapped softly on his next-door neighbour's door.
She opened it at once. "There you are at last, Sayo Mdang! I was about to go to bed, but Mumu told me you were on the way. I walked her and fed her some hours ago, but of course she wants more already." She eyed the way the squat dog was staring up pleadingly at the box Cliopher had picked up from the refectory.
"Thank you so much for helping with her, Saya Finstra," Cliopher said, taking the leash she handed him. It wasn't attached to Mumu's collar; it wasn't needed while Cliopher was carrying food, and he needed his other hand to hold his writing kit.
"You should tell your boss to let you go earlier! It's positively criminal the way they treat you at that office. What department was it again?"
"Oh, I stay late by choice," he told her. "The work we're doing is so important..."
"Then they should hire more people! You tell them I said so. Here, here, take your doggie off to bed, and I will pick her up again tomorrow. And get some rest! Even Mumu says your schedule is exhausting." She made kissy noises at the dog.
Mumu whined, eyes fixed on the box.
"I will certainly do my best, Saya Finstra," Cliopher promised, smiling as she closed her door before he led the dog a bit further down the corridor to his own apartment, nodding at other neighbours who peeped out their doors to greet him.
Mumu's full name was Mua'a'tofune, after a legendary figure who was a very dignified woman on land and a stately whale at sea. Her name had soon been shortened when it was established that Mumu loved to eat. She was short, with stubby legs, but long-bodied and broad in the chest (and round in the belly). Her long, silky ears were always a delight to pet.
Cliopher entered his room in the dark, set the writing kit upon his desk and the food box upon the long table, then clapped on the lights. He divvied up the pork and rice between his plate and Mumu's bowl. The dog slobbered up her portion within a minute, then rested a head on Cliopher's knee and stared longingly at his plate. Cliopher poked wearily at the meal and gulped a glass of water, discovering he was more thirsty than he had realized.
When the food was gone and Cliopher was scraping plate and bowl, Mumu hunted around the corners of the room until she found a battered leather ball, mouthed it thoroughly, and then dropped it at Cliopher's feet.
Moving in a daze, Cliopher clipped the leash to the dog's collar, picked up the slimy ball, and let Mumu pull him to the stairwell, down and out to the garden where the magelights glowed softly beneath the starlit sky. He followed the dog numbly until Mumu found a suitable plant to adorn with her attentions, then used the scooping tool the gardeners had thoughtfully provided to move the deposit to one of the fertilizer piles. He unclipped the leash, sat on a bench, and spent a while mindlessly tossing the ball for Mumu to retrieve.
When the dog's frenetic energy had declined to happy panting, Cliopher 'led' her inside once more, struggling to lift his feet up the steps. Back in the room, he used the necessary and washed his face and hands and teeth. He blinked at the lined face in the mirror - one could not call him 'prematurely aged' when several centuries had supposedly passed - then turned to find the dog ensconced upon the sleeping platform, ball secure between her front paws.
"That's my bed," said Cliopher as he did most nights. He pointed to the old rug folded in the corner. "That's yours."
Mumu thumped her tail against the blankets.
Cliopher sighed and opened the drawer of his desk, pulling out a glossy black stone that fit neatly into his palm. "All right," he said with a yawn. "You can have the bed, if you'll give me some of that energy of yours." He pressed the stone to the middle of the dog's head, just above her eyes.
Mumu gazed up at him trustingly, then her eyelids sank and her head began to droop. The stone turned grey, then white, then began to glow faintly. Mumu dropped her muzzle next to the ball and began to snore.
Cliopher held the glowing stone to his own forehead, feeling the weariness clear from his mind and body. Refreshed, he tucked the black stone back into his desk, closed the door, and reached for his writing kit. As he got back to his work, he extended an arm to stroke Mumu's ears, and began to hum his favourite tune.