goneawayworld | Not Sleeping Like a Dog

Who: Sirius and Open
What: A great big “dog” sniffing around the Rig. Come and get any much needed therapy dog cuddles and a much more understanding dog than most-- or just find him shapeshifting.
Where: About the rig
When: Night, prior to the Adverse Rig Event
Warnings/Notes: References to imprisonment and dealing with the effects of that. There will be talk of murder and probably PTSD flashbacks in the thread with Remus. Smoking in the thread with Saturday. Will add more here as needed.

I can switch to actionspam if you prefer that.

A. Padding Around (Open)

Sirius couldn’t sleep. Considering he wasn’t welcome in his room and also that he’d taken to spending his nights as a dog lately, this wasn’t surprising. Sirius first started his nightly wandering of the halls as his usual self, then turned into his Animagus form. It was easier to be a dog, less painful, and the smells were far more interesting.

He also had the vague idea that if he were caught like this, he might be in less trouble. Or he might be in more. He’d find out once that happened.

He didn’t check out any rooms just yet. He was just wandering around and getting a mental layout of the place. If anyone approached him, he’d wag his tail and walk slowly toward them. Just a normal, friendly dog. Granted, this dog was huge Newfound-like dog, the size of a short person. Black and shaggy, he could be either terrifying or adorable, depending on one’s view.

Unless they happened to catch him while changing back to Sirius Black, as he sometimes did. In which case, they’d just get a sheepish grin.

B. I Solemnly Swear I Didn’t Betray Our Friends (Closed to Remus)

To say it had been a long day was an understatement. Sirius longed to sleep. And they had actual beds here. On the way to his room he imagined what it would be like to have a nice, restful night in peace and quie--

He stopped just inside of his room. He knew he’d have a roommate, of course. He just didn’t think it’d be…

“Remus,” he said quietly. “This is your room?”

The last time they’d talked had not gone well. It’d been pretty close to explosive, really. Sirius had little hope that this time would be better.

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Saturday bites the inside of her cheek, thinks it through, and lets it drop.

"Mmm. You keep an eye on it, then." She's not willing to concede that there's no problem; a personal tension like this in a group is always a problem, and the entire Rig is edgy on a good day. That being said, he's owning it as his problem, which inclines her to trust he's not conning her and that he can handle his own trouble. "You assessin' that the risk is low enough for you to take a practice run at the upper floors, on paws?"

And then, before he can answer, her eyes widen, struck by a sudden thought. "Fuck - your shapeshifting, it's magic, right? Does it affect DNA, d'you think?"

Sirius made a note to keep an eye on her, especially since it was harder to keep one on Remus. And he made another note that there was one more sin to confess. But at least Saturday had dropped it for now. He nodded in acknowledgement of that.

...And then promptly became confused by the DNA question.

"Ah..." He really wished that he didn't know about DNA from science fiction and quick explanations from Remus and Lily. "I have no idea. Why?"

"Just - wondering about something one of the other shapeshifters can do. If you in dog form also have dog DNA, that could be useful." She's thinking back to her conversations with Alloran, trying to remember how exactly he'd described the mechanism working. "He'd be able to like, copy that form? But I think it needs actual DNA cause it's like, weird alien science and not magic."

Not that there's much practical difference between the two.

"I wouldn't risk it," Sirius said, which said a lot in and of itself. It was one thing to take risks yourself and another to just allow total strangers to do it without a good reason.

Unless it was really funny. Getting partially transformed as a dog and stuck that way for the rest of your life? Not so funny.

"I'd be more surprised if that form has DNA. It's advanced magic. There are plenty of ways for it to end very badly."

"Well, sure, there's a lot of ways any move we make could end real badly." Saturday shrugs. "We're trapped on a corporate post apocalypse hell-machnie with magic fake sciencey shock collars in our guts an' no real notion what we're dealing with or what each other's capable of or how our respective special shit might interact. Whole rig is a tinderbox, an' I ain't just talking about personality conflicts. Anyway, his name's Alloran, if you wanna talk to him about it."

Saturday's never met a risk she's not willing to talk with a little bit of thought and triangulation - if the reward is good enough. Rules, in her mind, only exist to make you think very carefully before you break them.

"So that's the basic pitch," she continues. "Kind of a playin' by ear thing for the moment."

"I think I already have," Sirius said. "I'm not too worried about those other risks. But I'd rather not see someone else stuck as half-dog and without any magic to keep them alive."

Sirius secured his spare cigarette. He'd find a time to enjoy it soon. "Let me know what you've decided."

Not Sleeping Like a Dog

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