Okay, maybe that isn't the best way to describe it.
She's cheerfully walking through the marketplace, hands full of her and Rubio's groceries for the week- the scent of raw meat subtly poking through the smell of vegetables and flour makes Razzie's mouth water and mind contemplate if just one little bite would hurt, but she resists and keeps walking.
When all of a sudden, her foot hits something small, stubby, and soft. With a gasp, Razzie lurches forward, the groceries tumbling out of her arms and their bags so she can catch herself.
The secondary yelp hardly is noticed as she hits the ground and dust flies up, a couple people gasping and clearing the area.
... ow... Razzie thinks as she wiggles her fingers and starts to push herself off the ground, coughing out the sand stuck in her mouth and nose. Those falls are never pleasant, especially in the marketplace where sand gets everywhere and anyone can witness the incident.
... hands... fingers... arms... legs... nothing broken..? No... okay. I'm okay. Good.
"Oh no, are you okay miss?! I'm so sorry, are you okay? Do you need help?!"
The voice catches Razzie off guard- she didn't even see a person, but why is she hearing one speak? Why is it suddenly so close to her face? And why does she hear sniffing?
Without knowing what to expect, Razzie opens her eyes... and immediately gasps.
"OH MY GOSH A PUPPYYYY!!!" She exclaims, sitting up on her knees.
The dog- with a fluffy body, big pointy ears, and fur that seems to blend in with the sand below despite some white on his face and belly, steps back, but its face fills with excitement almost as quickly as Razzie's.
"Mhm, mhm, I'm a dog!!! Hiya, miss!!!" He exclaims.
Any lingering pain is immediately forgotten by Razzie as she leans down, eagerly petting the dog and scratching his side. "Ohhhhhh, you're so cuuuuuuute, and you have a little hat and bag and tiny little bootiessssss!!!!" She gushes, completely ignoring the weird and concerned stares around her as she continues to pet the dog. "Ohmigosh you're just the cutest little puppy dog in the whole worldddd!!! What's your name, puppers?"
"I'm Explorgi!!!" The canine yips, attempting to stand tall but immediately leaning and rolling into Razzie's pets. "The canine adventurer extrodinare!!!"
"Ohhhh, well you're just the cutest little adventurer everrrr, yes you areeee!!!"
As Razzie continues to be completely distracted by Explorgi and vice versa, she suddenly feels a small wooden tap on her shoulder.
"Excuse me, miss?" A ragged voice asks. "You dropped your groceries when you fell, are you alright? Do you need a bandage?"
Both Razzie and Explorgi look up at the stranger- a cloaked, stout, old lady with a kind smile and wooden cane, and 3 young boys peeking out from behind her, all of which holding the groceries that Razzie had dropped. They even put the items back in their bags.
Almost instantly, Explorgi sits down as his ears droop. "I made her trip, it was my fault, I'm sorry..." he says, a soft whine heard in the apology before he looks to Razzie. "Are you okay, miss? Are you hurt?"
"Oh-" Razzie looks back at Explorgi, then up at the elder, before laughing slightly and waving her hands. "No, I'm alright! I've had way worse falls, heheh, it's okay! I should have been watching where I was going, are you alright as well Explorgi?"
Explorgi nods, smiling once again. "I'm okay!"
"Good... yes ma'am, we're all okay- thank you so much for getting my groceries, truly!" Razzie confirms, standing up and dusting sand from her skirt. In all truth, her knee does feel like it has a small scrape... but, she ignores the feeling for the time being.
The three boys carefully hand her the bags of groceries before looking down at Explorgi in awe. "Woahhh... he talks..."
"Mhm, mhm, I can talk!!! Hi there!!!"
The elder can't help but laugh at the boys' awe... and neither can Razzie. She's always admired a child's awe at the world, and the amazement they have from something so simple yet unheard of, such as a dog talking...
Meanwhile, Explorgi's tail wags excitedly as he hurries to the boys, bouncing into their upside-down paws for pets and falling to the side as they rub his belly, happily yipping and panting.
"My my, what a curious fellow, I've never met a talking dog here," the elder says to Razzie. "What's a young pup like him doing all the way out here..?"
"That's a good question... Explorgi, sweetie?" Razzie asks, sitting on her heels. "What are you doing here in Egypt? Are you from here? I've never seen you around the market before."
Explorgi lifts his head and rolls back onto his feet, looking up at Razzie and shaking his head. "Uh-uh, I'm from the circus!!!"
Razzie tilts her head. "The... circus?"
"Mhm, mhm, the circus!!! I live with Taika and Mister Dialtone, but Taika calls Mister Dialtone Drias!"
That's... a lot of interesting words all together, words that cause Razzie and the woman to glance at each other with sheer confusion. But the corgi isn't done yet.
"I woke up, and Taika and Mister Dialtone were missing, and so was the house, and that didn't seem right! And I could smell other weird people with them, so I followed their scents and now I'm here! They have to be around here somewhere!"
At the remembrance of Dialtone and Taika, Explorgi starts looking around frantically, his paws pacing in place anxiously as he circles the small group, looking for any sight of them in the bustling crowd around... but of course, they're nowhere to be seen.
"... oh dear, you poor thing..." Razzie mutters to herself, feeling her heart swell with a melancholy sympathy for the poor lost dog trying to find his friends. Her next idea of what to do comes almost instantly, and she stands back up and redirects her attention to the elderly woman who's face is also creased with concern.
"Don't worry about him, my husband and I will be able to help him! We'll take him back to our home, he'll be okay- so will his friends."
The woman tilts her head. "Oh? Are you sure, dear? Surely that would be crowded, especially if you have children at home... dogs are quite a lot of work."
Razzie hesitates, the words stabbing at her like a dull knife. It's a small moment before she responds, head hung low as she pretends to look at Explorgi and hide the hurt in her voice. "We.. don't have children. B-but it's okay! We have more than enough room to take care of a puppydog for the time being!"
Explorgi looks up at her with wide eyes and a tilted head. She quickly looks away, forcing a bright smile back at the elder. "Here-" She sets down one of the bags and crouches in front of the three young boys, reaching into her pocket. "Could you three hold out your hands for me, please?"
The boys oblige, each holding out cupped hands. And with a smile, Razzie drops several silver coins into each ones' hands. Their eyes all widen to the size of saucers.
"You three get yourself something nice, okay? As a thanks for helping me out and being so kind," she says.
"Woaaaah- thank you miss!!!"
"Of course, boys!" Razzie beams at the three, grabbing her bag once more and standing up, looking at their wide-eyed grandmother. "They were raised well," she says. "I hope you're very proud of them."
The woman can't help but smile, reaching up and pinching Razzie's cheek affectionately. "Why, aren't you just the sweetest lady? I am very proud of them, but you didn't have to give them money! It was only the right thing to do."
"Heheh, oh, but just a little reward for their kind deeds- who knows who could have stolen my groceries if they didn't help? I have plenty of money to spare, and they more than certainly deserved it."
The woman looks down at the boys, who all whisper among each other of if they should get toys or candy, before looking up at Razzie and smiling. "Well, thank you, dear... I suppose I'll be taking them to the candy or toy shop now, heheh. You have a lovely day, yes?" She leans down and pats Explorgi on the head as well. "And you too, little one, I hope you find your friends soon."
Explorgi barks softly and leans his head into her hand. "Thank you, miss ma'am!!"
"Yes, thank you... and again, thank you for your and your boys' help! You four have a good day as well, yes?"
"We very much will, thank you. Come along boys, say goodbye to the puppydog."
Each of the young boys wave and pet Explorgi once more.
"We'll miss you, be a good boy!"
"I will!" Explorgi responds as they start to depart. "I always try to be a good boy!!!"
And with another beaming smile, the old woman and her three boys slip into the crowd, leaving Razzie and Explorgi alone with each other and none others paying much attention.
"... what's your name, Miss?" Explorgi asks first, smiling up at his new friend. "Did you tell me yours?"
"Mmmm... nope, I don't think I did! I'm Razzie!"
"Razzie's a pretty name! It reminds me of raspberries, do you like raspberries?"
Razzie laughs a little. "Oh, I love raspberries! Do you?"
"Mhm, mhm, I really do! My owner used to give them to me all the time!"
Razzie tilts her head, starting to walk forward along a less crowded path within the crowd. "Would that be Mister Dialtone, then?"
Explorgi shakes his head, trotting alongside her. "Mm-mh, my owner in the other world! She'd get raspberries sometimes, and she'd feed them to me even though they made a big red mess on the blankets! But she'd always smile when I ate raspberries with her, so I kept doing it!"
The hyena girl laughs a bit, although she can't help but wonder more about the owner... how did a dog of all beings get here to the digital world? That can't be humane.
"My sister and I always loved to eat raspberries," Razzie replies. "We'd have picnics outside and use our money to buy fruit salads, then eat while reading and talking."
"Woaaaah, that sounds fun! My owner always wanted to have a picnic, but she couldn't."
"Oh? Why not?" Razzie asks, turning right and out of the crowd, down to the streets of mud brick houses.
"Because she was always in the hospital and had to be in bed," Explorgi replies, as if it's no big deal.
However, Razzie can't help but pause in her tracks.
She stays in spot for a moment, Explorgi overtaking and walking a few steps in front of her before he looks back. With that one confused glance, she forces a smile and follows him. "I see..!"
"Yeah, yeah she was always sick and wanted to see the outside world but couldn't because it'd make her even more sick- so that's why she had me, so I could play with her and make her happy! I love making people happy, hehe!"
Razzie's forced smile grows genuine. "Well, you know what Explorgi? You're the best at your job, you make everyone happy, hehe."
The dog gasps. "Really?! YAY!" And with that he starts running circles and circles around Razzie, making sure to give enough space as to not accidentally trip her again.
Razzie just laughs, continuing down the street. "You are just the sweetest little thing ever, you know that? Rubio's gonna love you."
"Rubio?" Explorgi stops racing for a moment. "What's a Rubio?"
"Hehehe, he's my husband, silly! He might seem tough at first, but he's a bit softy, he's going to love you!"
"Ooooo, a husband! So you're married?"
"Mhm! He's the love of my life!"
"Woaaaaah, that's really nice!" Explorgi resumes calmly trotting alongside Razzie. "My owner's parents were always talking about marriage, they wanted her to get older and have a husband and kids, but she didn't want that."
Razzie shrugs softly. "Well, marriage isn't something everyone wants... my parents were the same, and I wanted it too; a husband, house, kids- my little sister didn't, though. And that's alright! People should do and have what makes them happy."
"Mhm, mhm, yeah yeah yeah they should!!!" Explorgi yips, looking up at Razzie. "I think you should meet her. She'd like you! And Mister Dialtone and Taika would like you too!!!"
"Awwwh.... well, here, how about this." Razzie stops in front of her house, crouching down to Explorgi once again. "We'll find Mister Dialtone and Taika, okay? And we'll make sure they're all okay and happy, and you can live her with me and Rubio until they're back, okay? That way you don't overheat in Egypt, it's super hot around here. We got super yummy food, and we'll look around to try and find them, okay?"
Explorgi's eyes light up. "Really?! You'll help?!"
Razzie nods, setting down a bag and petting Explorgi's ears. "Of course we will! Everything's going to be okay, okay?"
"YAY!!! THANK YOU MISS RAZZIE, YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY-"
And once again, Explorgi's racing circles around Razzie, causing her to burst out laughing as she takes her bag, stands up again, and goes up to the door of her home, unlocking it and walking inside.
Heheheh, he's so cute! What a good boy. She thinks to herself.
Rubio's going to love him.
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