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the cap to a vent swings open. dog feels herself, stupidly, grin as she approaches it. a voice echoes out the other side.
“in here,” it greets simply. she knows already. but it doesn’t know, not yet, so she doesn’t greet it back. dog crouches down onto her hands and knees, preparing to crawl into the cramped space before her. she huffs once, adjusts, then shuffles awkwardly towards the other exit. she has yet to properly exit when it speaks again, clearer now, and less… friendly.
“i see you’re back,” sneers sebastian, looking down at a still-crawling dog with an expression that screams ‘unimpressed’. dog doesn’t respond, looking down to hide the grin creeping itself up her face. embarrassing. she fully exits the vent and finally peers back at sebastian, eyes wide.
he looks the same as he ever did: grey, scaly, larger than dog thinks should be. his wiry hair dangles in front of his face, obscuring a third eye that no doubt squints at her along with the other two. dog attempts to remain doe-eyed and flat-faced.
“miss me?” she asks innocently.
“hardly,” he’s sharp today. a breath, “what part of STAY OUT don’t you understand?”
sebastian mocks himself with his words.
“you know i need supplies,” dog lies through her teeth. sebastian crosses his arms. he looks down at her with his head high. dog cocks hers and blinks. sebastian emits a sound not unlike a low growl, but he uncrosses his arms.
“you’re paying double.”
dog frowns slightly.
“boo,” she grumbles. his usual prices already run her dry, and dying after visiting his shop never leaves her earning kroner.
sebastian doesn’t respond, just blinks down at her expectantly. dog doesn’t like that.
she sighs dramatically and saunters over to sebastian’s tail, miming the decision to purchase. she walks from left to right, taking her time ‘inspecting’ all of the things on display: a code breacher, a flashlight, a few SPR-INTs, and a medkit. notably, sebastian carries more SPR-INTs than he’d typically put on dock, but dog’s focus is far from whatever surprising action he’s taking for the day. sebastian watches her closely, still sporting a glare.
“stock’s lame,” dog remarks half-heartedly. sebastian chitters. she notes that a muscle along the end of his tail twitches. she smiles, and hopes he doesn’t notice.
dog finishes her fake-perusing after a while of padding, and unsurprisingly, settles on the verdict of absolutely nothing. sebastian sits impatiently.
“either buy something or get out,” he finally says, and dog turns to him with her best puppy-eyes.
“you don’t really want me gone, do you?” she asks, a little whine slipping into her voice. it’s easy bait.
“i do,” growls sebastian, “now get out.” his tone is firm, sporting an edge that makes dog’s stomach flip. her heart beats. loud. she says nothing.
“don’t make me repeat myself,” starts sebastian again, “get. out.”
“fiiine,” dog sighs, wandering over to the wall where the end of sebastian’s tail rests. she doesn’t hesitate in turning around and sitting down on it, beside a bag with something in it. she looks away from sebastian, and barely manages to get through a word before she’s flung forcefully back off of him.
“just le-ACK!”
dog lands several feet away, flat on her face on the concrete floor. it hurts in places she can’t name. she shakes slightly as she attempts to lift herself by the arms, but a sudden weight on the back of her neck shoves her face back on concrete.
“i told you to get out of my sight,” hisses sebastian, now much closer. his voice rings through her ears, and her breath hitches in her throat.
“you’re lucky i haven’t blown your head off yet,” he pauses, “don’t move. i’m feeling generous.”
something cold and hard presses dog’s face down further into the concrete. it really hurts now, and her heart races. still, she can’t keep the smile from her face. and if she weren't focused on the gun at her head, she’d notice that her tail thumps feverishly against sebastian.
her lungs move faster. through heavy panting, dog attempts weakly to turn her head enough to peer up at her aggressor. her face burns, and the force at which she’s being kept ensures moves will scrape skin.
sebastian watches, unblinking. dog looks him in the eye. her mouth, though open, feels unusable. with difficulty, she swallows spit. it reeks of iron. she licks her lips. they burn.
as she inhales to speak—
—dog stands in a row of expendables. some bare faces she’s seen before. her head hosts a dull ache.
she flexes her fingers, and a few knuckles pop. she looks down, and a smile spreads across her face. she steps out of line and approaches an empty for-one submarine.