@ultimatexcross
The parks near the house he’s designated are finally quiet enough to venture out to. Now that the festival’s over, the day is quiet, and Lucas can find the place pleasant. All the lights, crowds, noise, it’d just been an overload to avoid. Too much on his mind right now. He could handle maybe one person at a time and that’d be it.
This “city”, such as it is, isn’t like the one on that lonely island off the coast of Nowhere. That’s not to say he likes it, or his circumstances, yet there’s a sense of... authenticity here that’s a minor source of peace. At least the place has trees. It’s not completely dreary. Uniformed soldiers don’t march down the street. No chimera charging at him in a blind frenzy also a decent sign.
...Something else comes charging soon enough. Ah, it’s a little grey dog! Who seems to be greatly enjoying bursting through the piles of dry crackling petals below the soft pink trees overhead. The sweater suggests this one’s got a companion, who must be nearby...
Surely it wouldn’t hurt to try calling out. Lucas could use the company of a dog, if just for a little while. At that moment it really strikes him just how much he misses having Boney around. Wherever he is, Lucas can only hope he’s being taken care of...
Lucas’ face lights up when the dog responds and comes trotting over. He kneels, extends a hand to sniff. He doesn’t try going in for the petting just yet, but he speaks to the hound softly. Not far away, he feels someone else approach.
“Koromaru? That your name? I like it,” says Lucas, and turns his head to the boy who walks up. His heart skips a beat. He couldn’t even begin to guess at why. For a moment he thought he’d felt something familiar, but...
No, this guy... is a stranger. Lucas smiles politely.
“Hello. Are you his human?”