23: back lol

[fetchthestick]

[When Thom comes back, he's asleep in the sand. But he wakes up quickly!]

Mn... ngzl....

Wh - Batou??

Where -

WOAH.

[Oh my god he's on land

Comments

[thepartydude]

... Thom?

[fetchthestick]

... Mikey! Hi Mikey!

I think... I'm back? I think. Iiiii don't remember!

[As far as he knows he was just in Batou's arms on Deck 1. So dying is just like suddenly being somewhere else, right?]

[thepartydude]

Thom where are you? Are you okay?

[fetchthestick]

Yeaaaah I think so...?

[Thom scratches behind his ear. He doesn't have the best body awareness, but he doesn't THINK anything hurts. Thom isn't even sure why he wouldn't be okay. It didn't hurt.]

Um. There's sand everywheres.

[thepartydude]

[Mikey couldn't be far then, he's sitting right at the edge of the beach. Jumping to his feet, he scrambles through the sand until he sees Thom in the middle of the beach.

He tackles the puppy and rolls over, grinning like a loon.]

[fetchthestick]

Whooo!

[Thom stands on his hind legs just in time for the tackle. His best friend at home was prone to tackling - though he was MUCH smaller than Mikey - and Thom knows what to do, rolling into it and tumbling end-over-tail in the powdery sand.

This is followed immediately by extensive lickies. After all, Thom knows what this pouncing business is all about.]

[thepartydude]

Tho--

[The word is cut off as Thom immediately starts licking all over his face. Michelangelo giggles and flails his hands as if he wants to push the puppy off, only he doesn't really.]

[fetchthestick]

[Lick lick lick li-

Hey. HEY YOUR EYES ARE SALTY.

Thom licks Mikey's eye mask. Like, ALL of it. It's debatable whether fresh puppy drool is better than dried tears, but Thom doesn't seem to be cognizant of this distinction.]

[thepartydude]

Ack!

[Mike only giggles harder, half-heartedly pushing Thom back to try and get some air. He's just so excited to have his puppy friend back.]

[fetchthestick]

[NO AIR FOR YOU.

... Well okay, maybe some. Thom sits back, panting happily, in pure bliss.

But lack of motion can only last so long.]

Hey - hey you wanna play? Hey c'mon let's play!

[He jumps off Mikey's plastron and turns a few circles in the sand.]

[thepartydude]

[Mike stares at him incredulously, mouth hanging open in a half smile. Thom wasn't mad at him. Thom wasn't blaming him for not being quick or strong or level-headed enough.

Getting to his feet, Mikey grins.]

Yeah, whatcha wanna play?

[fetchthestick]

[Dude, Thom has an attention span shorter than YOURS. Even if he had blamed you - which it would never occur to him in a million lightyears to do - he'd have forgotten already.

He pauses with one foot up, adopting a quizzical expression.]

Iiiiii dunno.

Um.

We could play fetch! Or find stuff! Or explore! Or chase things! Or tug-war! Or tag and chase!

[He will come up with endless variations of these themes if Mikey doesn't stop him.]

[thepartydude]

[Mikey thinks, then grins and slaps his fist down against his palm.]

We should hunt for seashells, and then we can buy a frisbee!

You wanna dig, Thom?

[fetchthestick]

[Oh my god DOES HE EVER.]

Yeah!!!!

Where?!

[Choose. Carefully. For it is the last time you shall ever see that spot of earth intact.]

[thepartydude]

Uhhhhh ...

[Mike glances around, then points to a plot of sand, dampened from the sea lapping at it.]

There! I bet there's a ton of shells there.

[fetchthestick]

[Thom takes a half second to target, and then pounces the spot as if it were a living thing, digging furiously.

Apparently he thinks there is something really REALLY awesome under the sand the way he's going at it. He KNOWS there's something awesome down there.

The failure to uncover bacon does not daunt this conviction in the slightest.

Shells? Is that what they're after? Because Thom's just digging.]