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Post by Basil on Jul 16, 2009 19:30:45 GMT -5
On this lovely day, Basil was taking Toby for a walk. More precisely, Toby was taking Basil for a walk.
The hound was dashing up one path and down another, dragging Basil along by the leash.
"Heel, counfound it, heel," shouted the detective, digging his heels into the concrete to no avail.
It was painfully obvious that Toby was not as well trained in basic obedience commands as he ought to be.
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Post by Prince Eric on Jul 17, 2009 11:08:21 GMT -5
Eric held on to Max's leash firmly as they crossed the bridge to Discovery Island. The young prince gazed up at the Tree of Life. It was magnificent. He was studying the intricate carvings decorating the tree when Max's leash slipped out of his hand. "Aw no! Max, here boy! Max!" He shouted as he ran after the mischievous sheepdog.
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Post by Basil on Jul 17, 2009 18:35:31 GMT -5
<<THanks for joining! :) >>
Toby was far too excited to stop his headlong flight at his master's command. One thing did get him to stop, however: the arrival of a strange dog.
When a shaggy sheepdog bounded into view, Toby skidded to a halt. Basil, unfortunately, did not. The mouse's momentum was unabated, and he sailed gracelessly through the air in an uncontrolled arc straight for the Tree lf Life itself.
Basil had only time to ponder how very painful the impact would be when the lead went taut, nearly jerking his arms from their sockets. The detective landed flat on his back with a dull thud.
Meanwhile, Toby, oblivious to his master's pain, cocked his head inquisitively at the larger dog, wagging his tail in friendly greeting.
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Post by Prince Eric on Jul 22, 2009 14:56:04 GMT -5
( OOC: No problem  ) "Max! There you are." Eric ran over to his dog, and bent over to catch his breath. He saw that Max's attention was elsewhere. He was looking at a smaller dog curiously. Eric chuckled. "Making new friends already, Max?" Max examined the other dog closely. He saw that his owner wasn't a human like Eric. The dog seemed friendly enough, so he wagged his tail as well. Eric was watching Max when he saw something fly past them. It was a mouse! He slammed into the Tree of Life. Eric ran after the mouse and crouched down next to him. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked. |
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Post by Basil on Jul 23, 2009 19:54:12 GMT -5
Opening his eyes with some difficulty, Basil saw three young men bending over him. He forced himself to speak: "I percieve that you are identical triplets..." he began, when suddenly the three images coalesced into one concerned face.
"Oh. Yes. Quite all right, thank you." The mouse sat erect, rubbing his head, his shoulders and various other parts of his body in turn.
"Basil of Baker Street here. And this overly exuberant creature," he shot his dog a scowl that went, like most commands, utterly unheeded, "is Toby."
At the sound of his name, Toby glanced at the mouse, but quickly returned his attention to Max. Meeting a new dog was so much more interesting than obeying his master.
He gave a short, welcoming bark and snuffed at his fellow canine.
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Post by Prince Eric on Jul 27, 2009 15:57:05 GMT -5
"I percieve that you are identical triplets..."
"Huh? Oh.." Eric knew what was going on. The mouse was probably seeing double..something the Italian prince had done before. The most recent time was that issue with Morgana when he almost drowned and was losing consciousness. He'd been so close to losing Ariel again..her and their daughter Melody. He shook the thought from his head quickly. It was over and done. He wouldn't let that happen again.
"Oh. Yes. Quite all right, thank you."
"Glad to hear it. That was quite a tumble." Eric answered.
"Basil of Baker Street here. And this overly exuberant creature is Toby."
"It's nice to meet you Basil. I'm Eric." The young sailor said with a smile. "This knucklehead here is Max." He scratched the sheepdog behind the ears fondly before letting him go.
Max watched the new dog fondly and barked in a friendly way of saying 'Hello there, my name is Max.'
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Post by Basil on Jul 27, 2009 17:17:23 GMT -5
<<I imagine the 2 dogs can talk to each other>>
"Hello, Max! My name is Toby! I like bones! And sausages! Do you like sausages?" Toby didn't meet many fellow canines, hence he was a tad excited.
Basil stood gingerly to his feet, when his attention was suddenly arrested by something. He whipped out his magnifying lens in a trice, training it upon the young man's fingers.
"You puzzle me, sir. At first I took you for royalty, or at the very least, a noble. Your costume, though plain, is of the finest quality. And there is no mistaking the air of a high-born gentleman."
"Yet these callouses, as well as your peculiar gait, mark you as a sailor."
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Post by Prince Eric on Jul 28, 2009 14:09:51 GMT -5
"Hello, Max! My name is Toby! I like bones! And sausages! Do you like sausages?"
"I love sausages!" answered Max enthusiatically. "And chicken, and beef, and bacon! I love bacon! What's your pet's name?" He asked, referring to Basil. "My pet's name is Eric! He has a mate named Ariel, and a daughter named Melody!"
"You puzzle me, sir. At first I took you for royalty, or at the very least, a noble. Your costume, though plain, is of the finest quality. And there is no mistaking the air of a high-born gentleman."
Eric scratched his head, wondering how Basil could have figured that out that quick. "Yes..I'm the Prince of Italy."
"Yet these callouses, as well as your peculiar gait, mark you as a sailor."
Eric laughed. "Well, I do my fair share of sailing. I love the sea, actually."
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Post by Basil on Jul 28, 2009 17:22:57 GMT -5
Toby licked his chops at the mention of so many wonderful treats. Yum, bacon!
"That is Basil, the smartest mouse in the whole world. I know he is, because he told me."
Toby raised his head proudly. "I am a tracker. I track down the bad people. Are you a tracker? Or maybe a hunter?"
"Ah, yes, a prince and a sailor," replied Basil with an air of self-congratulation. "An unusual combination." Personally, Basil disliked sea travel immensely, as it made him ill.
"That is quite a handsome animal you have there. Do you find him very easy to manage?"
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Post by Prince Eric on Jul 28, 2009 17:48:01 GMT -5
"That is Basil, the smartest mouse in the whole world. I know he is, because he told me."
"Eric's the bravest prince in the world! He rescued me from a burning ship and almost drowned. But Ariel saved him. She had a tail."
"I am a tracker. I track down the bad people. Are you a tracker? Or maybe a hunter?"
"No, but I go on lots of adventures with Eric! One time his mate's voice got stolen, and I saved the day..would you like to hear the story?" inquired Max.
"Ah, yes, a prince and a sailor, an unusual combination."
Eric nodded. "Yeah..most princes aren't really fans of the ocean. I live right next to the beach." Then something occured to him. "Are you some kind of detective? You seem to be very observant."
"That is quite a handsome animal you have there. Do you find him very easy to manage?"
"Haha, Max tends to misbehave every now in then. But he's a good friend. He stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life fourteen years ago."
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Post by Basil on Jul 28, 2009 19:28:44 GMT -5
"She had a tail? Tails are good. My master has a tail. I think humans look funny without tails." Toby gave a chuckling bark at the thought.
"Yes, oh, yes." Toby lay down to listen. He liked stories but wished he had a bone to chew on. Or a slipper.
********
"A private consulting detective, to be precise. My card." Basil produced a square of pasteboard much too small to be read by the human prince.
"Really? And what, if I may ask, was that?" Basil hoped to gain some pointers on dog training, as it wasn't easy to manage an animal some fifty times one's own weight.
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Post by Prince Eric on Jul 28, 2009 20:01:31 GMT -5
"Yes, oh, yes."
"Once upon a time, there was a dashing and fearless dog named Max, who traveled the world with his trusty human, Eric. On one trip, Eric was celebrating his birthday aboard a ship. I was walking around on the deck when I sniffed out the most peculiar smell. It smelled just like the ocean, but nicer. It turned out to be a female human with a tail. I thought she'd make a nice mate for Eric, so I hurried to get his attention, but he didn't see her. That night, a storm destroyed our ship, and Eric rescued me from the flames engulfing it. But he fell into the sea, and the human with a tail rescued him. A few days later she showed up on the beach with legs and I found her. I tried to tell Eric that she was the human who saved his life, but he wouldn't listen. Two days later, a bad lady came and wanted to be Eric's mate. But I bit her and Ariel, that is the human with the tail who now has legs, got her voice back, and for some reason Eric knew she saved him." Max explained proudly.
"She had a tail? Tails are good. My master has a tail. I think humans look funny without tails."
"Me too." Max agreed wholeheartedly. "Except her tail was green, and it didn't wag when she got happy. She doesn't have a tail any more. But now that she doesn't she can be with Eric, so that's good. " The sheepdog's tail wagged enthusiastically.
"A private consulting detective, to be precise. My card."
"Oh, I see." Eric replied. "Thanks.." He took the card, which was very small, and the Italian couldn't make out any of the words. He tucked it in the pocket of his trousers to be polite.
"Really? And what, if I may ask, was that?"
"Well..it's kind of a long story..but in short, I had been shipwrecked on my eighteenth birthday. I almost died, but this girl rescued me, and all I remembered was her beautiful voice. A few days later, I found a girl named Ariel on the beach. I took her to the palace, since I thought she didn't have a home. I showed her the kingdom the next day, and found myself falling in love with her. But the girl was mute, and I didn't think she had saved me. That night, I finally realized that I was in love with the girl, not my rescuer. But I heard that voice again, and I think I was under some sort of spell. The next day I was about to get married to my supposed rescuer--who was really a giant squid who had taken Ariel's voice in disguise..but that's another story. Anyway, Max bit the imposter and I snapped out of my trance. My real rescuer--who happened to be Ariel, had her voice returned. It was then I realized that she was the one who sang to me, and the one I loved. We married a year later." He ended his monologue with a smile.
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Post by Basil on Jul 28, 2009 21:45:34 GMT -5
"Wonderful!" Toby thumped the ground with his tail. "You are very brave! It is so much fun to bite the bad people!"
Toby was not a very thoughtful dog, but he furrowed his doggy brow now. "Why don't the humans listen to us? It would be better if they would. Even my Master doesn't listen sometimes."
"He is not a human," added Toby, to avoid any confusion.
**********
Basil listened without comment to Eric's tale, but when it was finished, he rubbed his chin, evidently deep in thought.
"Hum...Ariel...that name is familiar to me...I recall meeting a young lady of that name. There was something indefineably..." he almost said 'peculiar,' but feared her husband, if indeed Eric was such, would take offense, "...uncommon about her. Something that made me think she was not an ordinary human, though our acquaintance was so brief, I never managed to discover what it was."
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Post by Prince Eric on Jul 29, 2009 15:12:01 GMT -5
"You are very brave! It is so much fun to bite the bad people!"
"Thanks!" Max panted happily. "It is fun, isn't it?"
"Why don't the humans listen to us? It would be better if they would. Even my Master doesn't listen sometimes."
"Yes, I know. It's so frustrating!" Max replied. "But Ariel listens more than Eric does. It's so funny because I've known him longer."
"Hum...Ariel...that name is familiar to me...I recall meeting a young lady of that name. There was something indefineably..."
"Really?" Eric asked. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what Basil was going to say.
"...uncommon about her. Something that made me think she was not an ordinary human, though our acquaintance was so brief, I never managed to discover what it was."
"Yes, Ariel is certainly one of a kind. But I love her very much." He responded truthfully. "Not an ordinary human? What makes you think that?" He wasn't keen on telling Basil that Ariel was a mermaid--it wasn't his secret to tell.
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Post by Basil on Jul 29, 2009 15:56:19 GMT -5
Basil raised one eyebrow a fraction. One does not become a successful detective without a certain perception. Eric was hiding something; of that, Basil was certain.
He almost rubbed his hands together with glee. A mystery!
"It was her walk, mostly, quite unlike any I have yet observed. That and the scent of salt water. She gave one the distinct impression of being not altogether human."
Although he affected an unconcerned appearance, Basil said all this while watching Eric closely. Who knows what the fellow's face might betray?
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