(Untitled)

[pitythetrumper]

Freddie was not an animal person. He knew there were plenty of people around the island who had cats and dogs and birds and all kinds of things that made noise and smelled and he'd never planned on being one of those people. He'd never wanted to be one of those people, but he didn't have a choice when Maureen disappeared. She'd left an animal

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[thinkimstrange]

While Freddie was heading to the compound, Jonas was heading from it, his nose buried in a book even as he walked. The bark made him look as well, and he grinned brightly when he saw who was walking towards him. "Freddie, hi! I didn't know you had a dog."

He knelt down one knee, putting his books down on the ground so he could scratch the happy dog behind his ears.

[pitythetrumper]

Freddie gave Jonas a dubious look. "I don't." It was an automatic statement and out before had a chance to think of the implications of the statement. He sighed and scrubbed a hand in his hair.

"I suppose I do now," he was forced to admit. "He belonged to a friend of mine and, when she disappeared, he just adopted us. What's one more in the motley, right?" He kept meaning to suggest to Prior that they move into Maureen's old place, but every time he thought about it, he would remember that it felt sort of haunted now. As if he could just barely hear Maureen's voice on the wind.

[thinkimstrange]

The automatic answer just earned Freddie a cocked head and raised eyebrow, since Jonas didn't have to be Kelownan to see that that wasn't true.

"I'm sorry, about your friend." Jonas said sedately, since he was still reeling a bit from Daniel and Vala's disappearance. "The Colonel and Sam ended up with William and their animals. It's probably just as well, I forget to eat half the time when I get engrossed in something."

[pitythetrumper]

Freddie just blinked at him since the names didn't mean anything to him. William? Was he some sort of pet? Child, maybe, and that thought just disgusted him. How could a place like this take away parents and leave the children behind without them?

"I'm sorry." He might not have known who 'the Colonel and Sam' were, but if William was a child, he was definitely sorry that he'd lost people.

[capable_of]

Instead of going to get food for Aeneas, the little dog had already eaten and was on his after supper walk with Lex. Anatoly was spending time with one of his many teenagers so it was up to Lex, not that he minded. He preferred the dog to many of the Russian's adopted children and he was sure they thought the same about him.

Off in the distance, Lex saw someone walking towards him with an unfamiliar dog. Aeneas didn't care of the dog was unfamiliar, he just took off to go meet a new playmate. Of course when Lex saw who the dog belonged too, he could only roll his eyes. "Since when did someone let you have something to take care of?" He said loudly when Freddie was in range.

[pitythetrumper]

"Since Maureen vanished," Freddie snapped. It was sort of funny that even during the times when he was almost getting along with Anatoly - or at least when they'd still had their uneasy truce - he still didn't get along with Lex. He supposed it had to do with the fact that he and Anatoly were linked in hate for both each other and the players behind their particular game: Walter and Molokov. He had no such tie with Lex and they had nothing in common but Anatoly.

"Shouldn't you be finding ways to...how do the magazines put it? 'Make your man happy'?"

[capable_of]

Lex couldn't help a burst of surprised laughter. "Really. That's what you come back with. I could ask you the same though Anatoly doesn't have any complaints. Does Prior?"

At this point, Lex could take or leave Freddie as long as he left Anatoly alone. He was fun to annoy and certainly was useful in getting aggression out.

[pitythetrumper]

"Oh, he might not have any complaints, but would that really matter with her here?" For once, Freddie was smiling at the idea of Florence being here. Just to see that smug look fall off Lex's face. "She does have a way of making him lose his mind. After all, he defected back to his home just so that she could have the very slim chance of seeing her father again. And now, if you're not careful, they might be able to have their happily ever after."

Of course, Freddie would never let that happen. Never.

[priorlives]

The bark came before Prior was even visible, and then Player was running off towards him, running in a circle around his feet and demanding attention. Prior appreciated that Freddie had stepped up to be the official caretaker for Maureen's dog, but there was no denying which of them Player liked better. Prior already had one hand-me-down pet, though at least he didn't have to walk Vixen.

"Hey, baby," he said lightly - to Freddie, even though he was leaning down to scratch the dog's ears.

[pitythetrumper]

Freddie rolled his eyes a little. Of course the dog liked Prior more. "Traitor," he muttered, but he was already smiling a little at Prior. The man had been keeping him sane since Florence had showed up. He'd reminded Freddie that as much as Florence had hurt him in the past, there wasn't much that she could do to him now. If not the truth, it was at least a lie he could live with until the next thing went wrong.

"Hey, Sunshine. Out for a walk? We would have come with you. Well, I would have gone with you and he would have chased along at your heels."

[priorlives]

"I was just heading back from the Compound," said Prior. "Still discovering exciting new ways to eat liver." His vitamin deficiency was much more annoying now that Scotty wasn't here to cook for him.

[pitythetrumper]

"Try a cookbook?" Freddie suggested, though he suspected Prior had already tried that. Even if he could get the bookshelf to cooperate. "Where are you getting all of these livers, anyway?"

[tricksthetreat]

Trixa was wandering, lost in thought. Well, to be more accurate, she was lost in a specific thought, one she'd been turning over in her mind for weeks. Recent events had only made her idea all the more imperative. It was time to inject a little under-handedness into island society. Time to let those who wanted to get into trouble into trouble and keep herself in a position where she could either reap the benefits or dole out the punishments.

In short, do what she's meant to do.

But the familiar yap of a dog pulled her out of her reverie and she dutifully knelt down to greet the little fuzzball. She knew him, of course, he was always around the huts and she sometimes fed him a treat now and again. Always good to be on the good side of the neighbors.

[pitythetrumper]

"Hey, gorgeous. Fancy meeting you here." Freddie grinned at Trixa, though the grin might have been a bit cracked at the edges. He still wasn't in the best of moods, but he was better then he'd been the last time he'd gone to her for a little bit of help. And, to be sure, he hadn't seen Florence more than a small handful of times since then and they'd been encounters no longer than for one to notice the other and flee.

"Where are you headed?"

[tricksthetreat]

"Anywhere and nowhere, sexy. Just stretching my legs while I think."

The dog got a few more scratches as Trixa took a long look at Freddie. After talking to Lex and then Freddie after, she knew there were quite a few people unsettled by this Florence woman, but this was the one she worried about, this is the one that was her friend.

"Where are you off to?"

[pitythetrumper]

"Going to get the mutt some food. The one that always seems to get more attention than I do." Freddie just shook his head. What was it with women and dogs? Probably the same thing with women and babies. There was the 'cute' factor. He'd just never figured Trixa for the cute type.

[whoneedsadream]

Freddie and a dog. The ludicrous image was almost enough to make Anatoly laugh and forget the desire to punch the man in the jaw as hard as possible. As it was, he had to take a breath and remind himself to be civil - he didn't want to upset the dog, after all. It was not his fault he had poor taste in people.

"I see you have a friend," Anatoly said and if there was an implication that it was Freddie's only friend, it was a mere coincidence.

[pitythetrumper]

"I have many." It wasn't quite the truth. He had a few. There were definite times when he missed the crowds fawning over him. When he missed people elbowing each other out of the way in order to see him playing a game of chess. The problem was that he hadn't figured out how to replicate the situation here on the island. There weren't a lot of fans of chess, it would seem.

[whoneedsadream]

"You do? Still? You have not called them parasites or driven them away? Truly, I am very impressed at your restraint. Perhaps you should receive an award." Anatoly wasn't even trying to be nice anymore. There was no point, not when Freddie was determined to be an ass no matter the situation.

[pitythetrumper]

There was a muscle near Freddie's temple that twitched. He should have figured that it would be like this again. Should have figured that any progress they'd made would be wiped clean. "I only call them parasites when they are." His smile was nasty. "And look at you. You haven't been driven away yet. I must be doing something wrong."