HPU: Apollo City

[valerio]

"Well, I already kinda do. I've published two books of poetry and I'm working on a novel." Makani answers. "That humanish enough for you?"

At the word 'novel', Flash was already leaning himself forward, almost nose-to-nose with Makani. "Novel?!? What's about? Is there a hero? A sinister plot device? A nice interspecies love interest?"

[SeanWolf]

"I think we can manage that. Todd, can you organise to get that all set up?"
"Sure, JD. Do you want me to emulate the video as closely as possible, Torque, or shall I use it as a base and extrapolate to suit our stage?"
"Tod'll blow your mind, Torque. There's a reason he's my stage manager!" JD grins, clapping the droid on the shoulder. "As to the band, that's entirely up to you too. We'll need to practise a bit before we can perform but I'm sure we can be ready by tomorrow night."

Torque smiles and replies "Sounds good! And Todd? I'd say use the video as a base as, between you and me, I wasn't to happy with the final results of the video hehe." He then thinks a bit before adding "If you guys can get a band, that'd be awesome but if not, no big deal. And tomorrow night? That'll give me enough time to practice, too, as I haven't sung in a long while...well minus showers."

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Things change, guys," Malcolm said, putting a happy hand on Shayla's shoulder, "as the last hour has shown, eh?"
------------------------
"Good news for my teeth, sir," Francis said to Pascal, "that I've never had to eat Rat so I wouldn't miss the taste."

[CyberDragon]

"Sir?" Pascal said, grinning. "Never been called sir before. I think we're gonna get along fine. Don't hunt rodents, and we won't have a problem." He turned to Tegan. "What about you? Are we going to have a problem?"

[Roarin]

The GSD retreated, whining. "It's...whenever they wanted to touch me, even for...just affection, they'd first snap my snout shut, to teach me not to...lick or bite, or speak...They'd touch me but I had to stay silent, so...it's a sort of preliminary, and..." She bit her lower lip. "I don't know how it works..."

Slowly Avery sat up, her eyes opening to give the GSD a reassuring smile. "That's fine! I won't make you do anything far outside your comfort zone. How about to start for now just come sit down on the ground." Avery patted at the carpeted floor next to her. "If you want to you can sit further away, but I just want you to get used to being comfortable around others again. Of course if you feel up to it you could always sit right next to me too! Just do your best and tell me how you feel."

[Hlaoroo]

Todd nods in understanding, already planning out his effects as he watches the video in his head.

"Done deal. Next question. Costumes. Do you have one or do you need one? We'll have to get you kitted up with a headset and mic too. Do you want a paw-held one or just a headset one? Or we could give you a lapel mic if you don't want your style cramped."

~~~~~~~~
Makani's gold eyes almost seem to sparkle as the cat grins at the leopard.
"Ah, now that would be telling, wouldn't it? You'll just have to read it when it's done. I'll make sure the publishers send you a copy."

[SeanWolf]

Todd nods in understanding, already planning out his effects as he watches the video in his head.

"Done deal. Next question. Costumes. Do you have one or do you need one? We'll have to get you kitted up with a headset and mic too. Do you want a paw-held one or just a headset one? Or we could give you a lapel mic if you don't want your style cramped."

Torque thinks for a bit before replying "Well...I never really wore a costume, so to speak, as the most I wore were jeans and a leather jacket. Mic wise, I always preferred a paw-held one."

[valerio]

"Things change, guys," Malcolm said, putting a happy hand on Shayla's shoulder, "as the last hour has shown, eh?"

"I must say so," said Tre, licking her paws clean. "Well, we didn't nibble the waiter, it will count for something eh?"
Shayla facepawlmed.
---

"Sir?" Pascal said, grinning. "Never been called sir before. I think we're gonna get along fine. Don't hunt rodents, and we won't have a problem." He turned to Tegan. "What about you? Are we going to have a problem?"

"Not unless *you* want to be a problem, Sir. But if you wanted to use all those energies in a...fitting job, we'd be glad to offer you a chance."
---

Slowly Avery sat up, her eyes opening to give the GSD a reassuring smile. "That's fine! I won't make you do anything far outside your comfort zone. How about to start for now just come sit down on the ground." Avery patted at the carpeted floor next to her. "If you want to you can sit further away, but I just want you to get used to being comfortable around others again. Of course if you feel up to it you could always sit right next to me too! Just do your best and tell me how you feel."

Hesitantly, she obeyed. "Funny thing? I feel more comfortable around someone when I'm sleeping. In fact, my other...friends, like me, just want to...hung together when we are more vulnerable. Since coming to the shelter, the problem for our potential adopters was that they couldn't just separate us. And it became a problem, for humans looked out for one, two pets max, not a bunch of dysfunctional adults..." she cleared her throat. "We were...raised like this so...I must ask...How do you cope with this...form of intimacy?"
---

Makani's gold eyes almost seem to sparkle as the cat grins at the leopard.
"Ah, now that would be telling, wouldn't it? You'll just have to read it when it's done. I'll make sure the publishers send you a copy."

In return, Flash raspberried him. "Spoilsport. I will make sure to read it sloooowly before reviewing it. So there!"

[Roarin]

Hesitantly, she obeyed. "Funny thing? I feel more comfortable around someone when I'm sleeping. In fact, my other...friends, like me, just want to...hung together when we are more vulnerable. Since coming to the shelter, the problem for our potential adopters was that they couldn't just separate us. And it became a problem, for humans looked out for one, two pets max, not a bunch of dysfunctional adults..." she cleared her throat. "We were...raised like this so...I must ask...How do you cope with this...form of intimacy?"

“Well, in a perfect world I’d say the most ideal thing to happen is to all be adopted by the same person, though I understand your point on why that hasn’t happened. All of you went through something no pet should ever have to, and I won’t even try to pretend to imagine what that was like.” Placing her hands behind her Avery leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it Asaka, coping will be tough. Trusting other people is hard after that trust has been broken for so long. Coping is learning to build that trust again, being vulnerable and learning that most people that extend a hand simply want to give you a pat on the head, or if you’re lucky a belly rub. It’s about learning there are other people out there you can trust, and sleep next time, and maybe even be intimate with. It’s a slow process and at times it’ll be frustrating and uncomfortable.” She smiled and turned to look at the GSD.

“I’m only telling you this because I think you’re strong enough to do it Asaka. I think you all are, you wouldn’t be sitting here in my office if you weren’t. Just tell me when you want to take the first step, and I’ll be here to help you along the way, whether it be advice, an ear to listen, or even hugs. It’s tough, but I can guarantee you it’s definitely worth it!”

[Hlaoroo]

Makani's grin just widens as he reaches for a second croissant.
"I'm glad to hear it! You'll savour every moment of it that way! Plus that means you'll have bought a copy."

~~~~~~~~
"Easy. Then there's just two things left to do. One, discuss your remuneration, and two, get you singing so you can get a feel for the acoustics of the theatre and so Todd can work out how best to showcase your sound. Seeing how you use the stage will help him plan your visual effects too."

Taking his cue, Todd heads up onto the stage and helps his fellow droids remove the organ console and set up a mic on a stand in the centre of the stage for Torque.

[SeanWolf]

"Easy. Then there's just two things left to do. One, discuss your remuneration, and two, get you singing so you can get a feel for the acoustics of the theatre and so Todd can work out how best to showcase your sound. Seeing how you use the stage will help him plan your visual effects too."

Taking his cue, Todd heads up onto the stage and helps his fellow droids remove the organ console and set up a mic on a stand in the centre of the stage for Torque.

Torque nods and watches the action unfold on stage, while taking in a few deep breaths to prep himself before asking "Remuneration?"

[CyberDragon]

"Not unless *you* want to be a problem, Sir. But if you wanted to use all those energies in a...fitting job, we'd be glad to offer you a chance."

"Oh?" Pascal said, his curiosity piqued. "What kind of job?"

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Oh, espionage," Francis said lightly, "infiltration, special operations, firing you out of a cannon like a large bore shot... That last's a joke, by the way. Probably poorly judged but I'm new at them."

[CyberDragon]

"Hah!" Pascal laughed. "Sounds like a lot of fun! Especially the last one!"

[valerio]

“Well, in a perfect world I’d say the most ideal thing to happen is to all be adopted by the same person, though I understand your point on why that hasn’t happened. All of you went through something no pet should ever have to, and I won’t even try to pretend to imagine what that was like.” Placing her hands behind her Avery leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it Asaka, coping will be tough. Trusting other people is hard after that trust has been broken for so long. Coping is learning to build that trust again, being vulnerable and learning that most people that extend a hand simply want to give you a pat on the head, or if you’re lucky a belly rub. It’s about learning there are other people out there you can trust, and sleep next time, and maybe even be intimate with. It’s a slow process and at times it’ll be frustrating and uncomfortable.” She smiled and turned to look at the GSD.
“I’m only telling you this because I think you’re strong enough to do it Asaka. I think you all are, you wouldn’t be sitting here in my office if you weren’t. Just tell me when you want to take the first step, and I’ll be here to help you along the way, whether it be advice, an ear to listen, or even hugs. It’s tough, but I can guarantee you it’s definitely worth it!”

Asaka nodded. "Ah, guess you're right there. I..." she sighed. "Tell ya what: Perhaps it can work better with those robotic things. They are more like objects, perhaps I won't feel so unnerved around them. Do you have a...therapy robot handy, p'rhaps, yes?"
---

Makani's grin just widens as he reaches for a second croissant.
"I'm glad to hear it! You'll savour every moment of it that way! Plus that means you'll have bought a copy."

The waiter came back, holding a trail with three hard boiled eggs, already peeled. "Perhaps you might appreciate--"
Flash took the eggs and swallowed them one after the other. His throat showed three identical bulges as they went down in a gulp. "So, is this your first book?"

[Welsh Halfwit]

"So, what now, Tegan?"
------------------
"Well, Im going to need to sit back at the table," Malcolm said, "my back isn't as flexible as yours are." So saying he sat back in the chair and watched them with something that sort of felt like a weird pride.

[Hlaoroo]

"Kinda? Depends on your definition of book. I have two books of poetry already published but this is my first novel. Say, waiter? Can I have another latte, please? Same as before - black, not-coffee, no sugar, no sweetener. Thanks. Oh, and I wonder. Do you have ostrich eggs? I'd like to see Flash try downing one of those in a single bite!" Makani winks at the waiter. He hopes Flash doesn't know that an ostritch egg is equivalent in size to two dozen chicken eggs.

~~~~~~~~
"Yeah. This is a variety show, not an open-mic night. We'd pay you at the casual rate since you're not officially a troupe member. You'd get time and a half for the night shows plus double time for the Sunday matinee. At the standard pet employment rate, for a week's worth of shows, this is what you'd get." Taking her cue, Kelly prints Torque's prospective payslip onto a ticket and offers it to the dog. The amount is several hundred credits all up for what amounts to only about 16 hours of work, not counting rehearsal time.
"You'd get paid for the entire show time since we'd need you for both your set and the curtain call at the end. And you are entitled to be paid for rehearsal time on top of that if you wish."

[SeanWolf]

"Yeah. This is a variety show, not an open-mic night. We'd pay you at the casual rate since you're not officially a troupe member. You'd get time and a half for the night shows plus double time for the Sunday matinee. At the standard pet employment rate, for a week's worth of shows, this is what you'd get." Taking her cue, Kelly prints Torque's prospective payslip onto a ticket and offers it to the dog. The amount is several hundred credits all up for what amounts to only about 16 hours of work, not counting rehearsal time.
"You'd get paid for the entire show time since we'd need you for both your set and the curtain call at the end. And you are entitled to be paid for rehearsal time on top of that if you wish."

Torque nods as he takes the payslip, checks it out and nods as he continues to look at the stage. "So, when's rehearsal?" he asks while watching the stage.

[valerio]

"So, what now, Tegan?"

She shrugged. "I think we just stick around. I mean, we're not supposed to take our eyes off him. You any ideas?"
------------------

"Well, Im going to need to sit back at the table," Malcolm said, "my back isn't as flexible as yours are." So saying he sat back in the chair and watched them with something that sort of felt like a weird pride.

"What is it that you work with?" the cats asked as one. Then Tre added, "Everytime we try to ask about you to Shayla, her answers made us think you do sleazy business with the lowest human social cathegories in dirty allies, under piles of rotting garbage. you don't like you do."
---

"Kinda? Depends on your definition of book. I have two books of poetry already published but this is my first novel. Say, waiter? Can I have another latte, please? Same as before - black, not-coffee, no sugar, no sweetener. Thanks. Oh, and I wonder. Do you have ostrich eggs? I'd like to see Flash try downing one of those in a single bite!" Makani winks at the waiter. He hopes Flash doesn't know that an ostritch egg is equivalent in size to two dozen chicken eggs.

The waiter nodded. "Will a King's Omelette do? Cooked with unprocessed lard, and bacon."
Flash's mouth watered. "Whatever it is, it tastes fantastic. I'm in! So...poetry, eh? Never been a poetry guy myself. I think that poetry is outdated, songs do the same work and they are more enjoyable. No offense meant, of course," he corrected himself at the last moment. "In fact, err...sorry. I mean, I've not the right to judge other people's work..."

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Well," Francis remarked, grinning slightly, "we COULD always stand around Jemmy and link hands? Or we could always ask Jemmy what he wants to do?"
-----------------
"Ah," Malcolm sighed, "yes. My father used to say you could tell the Saints in business. They were the ones who went out in the morning with their cap in hand for money and ended the day with a cap." He looked chagrined. "I did enough deals with people like that that it was getting that I couldn't tell if my own intentions were good, let alone theirs. And, for some time, I didn't care. Eventually, without even trying, someone got through by being themselves. Then I had to retire."

[CyberDragon]

Once the two cats were done talking to each other and Beta was finished treating Orion's foot, Pascal turned back to Asur. "So what's next? What do you need me to do?"

[Hlaoroo]

"Are you sure the bacon won't be too processed, Flash? Don't want you getting sick after all. And I dunno. I think poetry definitely still has its place. Especially when you have a singing voice like mine." Makani quips.

~~~~~~~~
"Right now, if you're up for it." JD grins, taking a microphone from Todd and tossing it towards the dog. "Catch!"

[SeanWolf]

"Right now, if you're up for it." JD grins, taking a microphone from Todd and tossing it towards the wolf. "Catch!"

"Whoa!" Torque grabs the mic as it flies towards him then, with mic in hand, he nods and heads up on stage to rehearse. Closing his eyes and taking a few deep, Torque begins to sing the chorus of 'Fire In The Soul'. In that moment, the voice that many claimed was 'The Meat Loaf Of Metal' was back as he took the listeners who were there at that moment by the paw and lead them through a journey of music: Torque's Singing was back in full force and still sounded good.

[valerio]

"Well," Francis remarked, grinning slightly, "we COULD always stand around Jemmy and link hands? Or we could always ask Jemmy what he wants to do?"

Tegan was thinking. She looked so focused, you could almost see the gears whirring in her head. "...right, what he wants to do..." Then the lightbulb lit up! "Yes! THAT! Ok, love, now first things first we let the boys have their fun for now, then we're so going to the VR gameroom."
-----------------

"Ah," Malcolm sighed, "yes. My father used to say you could tell the Saints in business. They were the ones who went out in the morning with their cap in hand for money and ended the day with a cap." He looked chagrined. "I did enough deals with people like that that it was getting that I couldn't tell if my own intentions were good, let alone theirs. And, for some time, I didn't care. Eventually, without even trying, someone got through by being themselves. Then I had to retire."

Dog and cats ordered a milkshake -one vanilla, one banana, two strawberries. "I'd order one for you, but I really don't even know if you like 'shakes. So, if you retired, where do you get the big money to stay here? Or did you win the ticket or something?"
---

Once the two cats were done talking to each other and Beta was finished treating Orion's foot, Pascal turned back to Asur. "So what's next? What do you need me to do?"

Asur pointed his thumb behind himself. "Oh, nothing really. Trying not to end up in today's ramen special." he moved aside just enough to let two killer dogs attack the rat with bladed black rapiers! And one of the bladed lances was already a few centimeters from Pascal's body.
---

"Are you sure the bacon won't be too processed, Flash? Don't want you getting sick after all. And I dunno. I think poetry definitely still has its place. Especially when you have a singing voice like mine." Makani quips.

"Nah, the place's politics on food is to make everything as less processed as possible. The bacon comes from the cloning facility, it's basically the safest kind of protein you could imagine. If you liked the meat aboard, you should know that already. And what kind of songs you like? I'm SO 80s!"

[Hlaoroo]

"Well, yeah, but, I thought, y'know, bacon..." Makani falters before waving a paw dismissively.
"Well, I love showtunes, all that, y'know, showy stuff." he answers. "It's just timeless music that's so expressive and that'll never go out of fashion."

~~~~~~~~
Settling back into his chair to watch and listen, JD nods contentedly, pleased with what he's seeing and hearing.
Kelly starts recording the show so that Todd can later compare it to the music videos and use it to plan the special effects.
Todd is already analysing the performance, noting the dog's proximity to their usual pyrotechnical placements and comparing what he has on hand to what's used in the videos Torque has shared online.

Once the song is done, the human heartily applauds as do the two ferret droids.
"Bravo! You're every bit as good as I expected and then some!"

[SeanWolf]

Settling back into his chair to watch and listen, JD nods contentedly, pleased with what he's seeing and hearing.
Kelly starts recording the show so that Todd can later compare it to the music videos and use it to plan the special effects.
Todd is already analysing the performance, noting the dog's proximity to their usual pyrotechnical placements and comparing what he has on hand to what's used in the videos Torque has shared online.

Once the song is done, the human heartily applauds as do the two ferret droids.
"Bravo! You're every bit as good as I expected and then some!"

Torque stood there with his face turning a nice shade of red, "Heh thanks. I forgot how much fun I had singing, to be perfectly honest."

[CyberDragon]

Asur pointed his thumb behind himself. "Oh, nothing really. Trying not to end up in today's ramen special." he moved aside just enough to let two killer dogs attack the rat with bladed black rapiers! And one of the bladed lances was already a few centimeters from Pascal's body.

Pascal didn't know if he would have been able to move out of the way of the closer blade, so he didn't even bother trying. The rapier struck him square in the chest, but flexed slightly and refused to penetrate the breastplate-like armored shell. "If you won't say 'engarde', I won't do you the honor of saying 'touche'." He pulled out the end of the fishing line and lassoed it around the first dog's hand. He pulled on it, hard, forcing the dog's hand and face closer to the ground. Close enough that he was able to leap up and launch headfirst at the dog's nose in an attempt to break or bloody it with a headbutt. "Watch and learn, kitties!" he said as he launched his attack.

[Roarin]

Asaka nodded. "Ah, guess you're right there. I..." she sighed. "Tell ya what: Perhaps it can work better with those robotic things. They are more like objects, perhaps I won't feel so unnerved around them. Do you have a...therapy robot handy, p'rhaps, yes?"

"Ah! I actually hadn't really thought of that... hmm." Taking a notebook out of her collar Avery quickly scribbles something down before getting up to head over to the door. 'Now that I think of it, making use of the advanced tech here might come in handy along with the usual practices. Tell me Miss Asaka are you familiar with the concept of Virtual Reality?" After waiting for a reply and giving an affirmative nod Avery poked her head out of the door to glance over at her assistant. "Sir Assistant! Would we happen to have any free helper droids available at the moment? My patient just had a grand idea that we may be able to implement with a few of the other cases we have!"

[valerio]

"Well, yeah, but, I thought, y'know, bacon..." Makani falters before waving a paw dismissively.
"Well, I love showtunes, all that, y'know, showy stuff." he answers. "It's just timeless music that's so expressive and that'll never go out of fashion."

"Showtunes like the TV themes? Movie themes as well? Ohh, the original V-Visitors theme was a bust! And the original Nightmare on Elm Street them, pure chilling poetry! And of course, it was 80s, so it was awesome!"
---

Pascal didn't know if he would have been able to move out of the way of the closer blade, so he didn't even bother trying. The rapier struck him square in the chest, but flexed slightly and refused to penetrate the breastplate-like armored shell. "If you won't say 'engarde', I won't do you the honor of saying 'touche'." He pulled out the end of the fishing line and lassoed it around the first dog's hand. He pulled on it, hard, forcing the dog's hand and face closer to the ground. Close enough that he was able to leap up and launch headfirst at the dog's nose in an attempt to break or bloody it with a headbutt. "Watch and learn, kitties!" he said as he launched his attack.

It worked! The dog let out a yelp as his nose cracked.
But then, the same attack had also left unguarded...Pascal's rear end. And the second rapier was about to make him a candidate for the 'castratum choir'...
---

"Ah! I actually hadn't really thought of that... hmm." Taking a notebook out of her collar Avery quickly scribbles something down before getting up to head over to the door. 'Now that I think of it, making use of the advanced tech here might come in handy along with the usual practices. Tell me Miss Asaka are you familiar with the concept of Virtual Reality?" After waiting for a reply and giving an affirmative nod Avery poked her head out of the door to glance over at her assistant. "Sir Assistant! Would we happen to have any free helper droids available at the moment? My patient just had a grand idea that we may be able to implement with a few of the other cases we have!"

The young man blushed and showed an embarrassed smile. "Ah, Mr. Hodges will do, Sir, thank you, but...yes a therapy droid can be summoned at any time from the medical facilities. They are supposed to be used for children and long-stay patients. Do you have a favorite species appearance, or will a random choice do?"

[Hlaoroo]

"Well, yeah, but also like musical theatre, you know?" Makani gestures with his croissant. "Hamilton, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Pirates of Penzance, Cats, of course, Hairspray, Singin' In The Rain, The Sound Of Music, Mary Poppins, Matilda, The Lion King, I love it all!"

~~~~~~~~
"That's good. If a performer didn't enjoy themselves on stage I wouldn't employ them. No sense trying to make someone do something they don't want to do. If they don't want to be there then the audience can tell and they won't want to watch. I think the audience is going to love you though! Some of them might even remember you from your heyday. What would you think of that?"

[SeanWolf]

"You know something?" Torque responds, "That would be absolutely amazing."

[valerio]

"Well, yeah, but also like musical theatre, you know?" Makani gestures with his croissant. "Hamilton, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Pirates of Penzance, Cats, of course, Hairspray, Singin' In The Rain, The Sound Of Music, Mary Poppins, Matilda, The Lion King, I love it all!"

Flash shrugged at that. "Well, I do some of that stuff. Including Chess, and with just a few rewriting you can get it shining again. Not to mention the Italian rendition of Notre Dame de Paris!"

[Welsh Halfwit]

"That sounds like a plan, yeah." Francis grinned. "We'll probably have a lot of fun in there."
------------
"Sports broadcasting rights," Malcolm explained. "For about five years, I owned the company that had the rights to broadcast most of the European soccer ((Ugh)) leagues to the Americas. You'd not credit how much that was worth. Made a pile during the time and when I sold most of my shares." He sighed. "Not that I've had much use for it. No time off for years saw to that. This is the first break since..." He glanced at Shayla and felt the shame again. "...you know..."

[CyberDragon]

It worked! The dog let out a yelp as his nose cracked.
But then, the same attack had also left unguarded...Pascal's rear end. And the second rapier was about to make him a candidate for the 'castratum choir'...

Pascal looked beneath him as he descended and noticed where the sword was headed. "ACK!" He quickly adjusted his leg position and kicked off of the flat side of the blade. He landed on the ground with a roll. With one end of his line still tied to the first canine's arm, he ran and slid between the second canine's legs. With a heavy tug, he pulled the first canine towards him until his hand was against the second canine's leg, at which point he tied the two together arm to leg.

While they dealt with that inconvenience, Pascal went in front of the second dog. He jumped onto the first dog before launching off and aiming a fist straight at the second dog's diaphragm.

[Hlaoroo]

"Chess? I don't know that one." Makani looks blank, then grins slyly at his friend.
"You never told me you were into musical theatre though! Now I've gotta hear you sing! Say, do you know any traditional songs from your tribe, if they have any?"

~~~~~~~~

"You know something?" Torque responds, "That would be absolutely amazing."

JD smiles and nods.
"Indeed it would. You know, it's true what they say." he opines, joining Torque on stage.
"There's no business like show business, like no business I know! Everything about it is appealing! Everything the traffic will allow! Nowhere could you get that happy feeling, when you are stealing that extra bow!" he sings. Taking the cue, and knowing the drill, JD's team swings smoothly into action. The house lights are dimmed as a spotlight illuminates Torque and JD, the band who'd been filing into the pit strike up the chords and from nowhere JD seems to procure a top hat and cane. This is a test to see if Torque can improvise and adapt but of course JD isn't going to tell him that until afterwards.

As the music builds and JD begins showing off his tap skills, the chorus troop on stage and join in the act with a carefully choreographed routine. Although he seems absorbed in the show, JD is carefully watching the dog and knows that Kelly and Todd are too.

[SeanWolf]

As Torque watches the events unfold, he thinks to himself "This will be fun!" then begins to get a feel for the beat going via tapping his foot and remembering the lines to the song that was being played at that moment. Once he got the beat in his head figured out and the soul of the song in his own soul, Torque grabs the mic and begins to sing to the song, showcasing that not only could he do metal, but the genre being played as well, though he opted not to dance along (as the last time he did, he ended up dislocating his arm for one move).

[valerio]

"That sounds like a plan, yeah." Francis grinned. "We'll probably have a lot of fun in there."

"I surely hope so. After all, I must use that to learn how to hack the world's most secure anidroid..."
------------

"Sports broadcasting rights," Malcolm explained. "For about five years, I owned the company that had the rights to broadcast most of the European soccer ((Ugh)) leagues to the Americas. You'd not credit how much that was worth. Made a pile during the time and when I sold most of my shares." He sighed. "Not that I've had much use for it. No time off for years saw to that. This is the first break since..." He glanced at Shayla and felt the shame again. "...you know..."

"Sport broadcasting, eh..?" Shayla rubbed her chin, thoughtfully. "Say, how do you see a sport tournament aboard this ship? A nice charity thing..."
---

Pascal looked beneath him as he descended and noticed where the sword was headed. "ACK!" He quickly adjusted his leg position and kicked off of the flat side of the blade. He landed on the ground with a roll. With one end of his line still tied to the first canine's arm, he ran and slid between the second canine's legs. With a heavy tug, he pulled the first canine towards him until his hand was against the second canine's leg, at which point he tied the two together arm to leg.
While they dealt with that inconvenience, Pascal went in front of the second dog. He jumped onto the first dog before launching off and aiming a fist straight at the second dog's diaphragm.

And this too was a hit! Strong, hard...
...and useless. It was like hitting a brick wall!
"Gotcha!" the canine grinned as his head dashed forward and his jaws clamped the rodent's neck! And a paw grabbed Pascal's armed limb in a solid vise.
"I don't know how tough are your neckbones, rat," said the first dog, "but them veins and arteries are not. Give, or shall we have a drink outta ya?"
---

"Chess? I don't know that one." Makani looks blank, then grins slyly at his friend.
"You never told me you were into musical theatre though! Now I've gotta hear you sing! Say, do you know any traditional songs from your tribe, if they have any?"

Flash puffed up with pride, his tail swishing merrily. "Chess is a story of espionage and love and Chess tournament all around the world during the Cold War. The hits "The Arbiter" and "One Night in Bangcok" come from that musical! As for singing...well, no, I wasn't taught any traditional folksong. But if you want to hear me singing," he blushed heavily at that, "It will be only in private. No public, uh-uh, nossir, not me."

[CyberDragon]

It would normally be a good assumption to make, that the neck would house a weakness in his armor. And indeed, it does to an extent. However, if it were completely undefended, Pascal would not have survived as long as he has. Under the skin in his neck were a series of small armored scale-like plates, with some larger layered plates over the more vital areas like his throat and arteries. This did slightly restrict the mobility of his neck, but not being able to touch your ear to your shoulder was a small price to pay for the protection those shells provided.

Pascal planted his foot on the dog's lower jaw and his free hand on the dog's upper one. He pushed and pried the dog's mouth open, feeling the relief of the teeth leaving his neck. He rested the upper jaw on a part of his head that was already scarred so it wouldn't be a major loss if the skin was damaged. The thing about vise gripping something as small as Pascal's arm is that the object you use to hold it in place cannot have any sort of give in it's material. Even a small amount of flexibility and the grip will not be solid enough to securely trap his arm. Muscle, fat, skin, and fur all has a bit of give to it, and Pascal was able to pry his arm free from the hold without too much trouble. He took his spool of fishing line and looped it around the dog's open mouth, tying it into a slipknot at the end. "You want a rat lunch?" He said, prying the jaws open further. This is a REALLY stupid idea, Pascal... "Well then, CHOKE ON IT!" With that, Pascal dove straight at the dog's throat. The rat pulled on the string, tightening the slipknot and slamming the jaws shut behind him to make it more difficult for the dog to remove him.

Pascal was far too large for the dog to swallow (though in case he miscalculated on that, he also tied himself to one of the dog's molars), far too tough to chew, too heavy to cough up, and now he was shoehorned right over the dog's windpipe where the dog couldn't grab him from as long as the line was holding his mouth shut. All Pascal had to do was wait for the dog to run out of air. If the dog managed to get the knot off and reach for him, he would be prepared. He started tying the fishing line to the dog's teeth, forming a web of thin, tough string crisscrossing the inside of the mouth. Even if the dog removed the fishing line keeping his mouth shut, if he tried reaching in to dislodge Pascal, his hand would meet a net wall of fishing line instead. It would take time to remove the net, and with Pascal blocking his airway, time was something the dog didn't have.

Yep... stupid idea. Pascal thought to himself as he wiped saliva from his eyes and held his nose to keep the dog's breath from rendering him without a sense of smell. "I'd say you've got about a minute until you're drooling on the floor and I claim victory. Or you could surrender! Either will work."

[Hlaoroo]

As Torque watches the events unfold, he thinks to himself "This will be fun!" then begins to get a feel for the beat going via tapping his foot and remembering the lines to the song that was being played at that moment. Once he got the beat in his head figured out and the soul of the song in his own soul, Torque grabs the mic and begins to sing to the song, showcasing that not only could he do metal, but the genre being played as well, though he opted not to dance along (as the last time he did, he ended up dislocating his arm for one move).

JD is secretly a little disappointed that Torque doesn't dance but hides it well until the song is finished and the chorus begins to disperse.
"Well. What did you think of that, Torque?" he asks, evenly.

~~~~~~~~

Flash puffed up with pride, his tail swishing merrily. "Chess is a story of espionage and love and Chess tournament all around the world during the Cold War. The hits "The Arbiter" and "One Night in Bangcok" come from that musical! As for singing...well, no, I wasn't taught any traditional folksong. But if you want to hear me singing," he blushed heavily at that, "It will be only in private. No public, uh-uh, nossir, not me."

"Ooh, you're shy?" Makani teases playfully. "Or are you just chicken?"

[SeanWolf]

A huge smile crosses Torque face as soon they were done, "That was pretty good! heh Sorry for not joining in on the dancing but...well I had an accident some time ago in regards to dancing and my arm and I don't want to have a repeat performance."