[Open!] Dew dripping or paws splashing?

Quinn nodded at both dogs with small smile. He needed to get away from this Esper and Basal so he could drop his Perception. "So how do you pick these flowers? Do you just rip them out or are you going to have to get the roots too?" He asked quietly and looked over at Lukas and then to Kovex. Both dogs intrigued him. Get a hold of yourself Quinn, you swore you wouldn't help others. He turned back to where they where and found where he had saw the plants that the Gamma Physician was looking for. 

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Kovex padded behind the two strangers, though his long stride kept him close without much effort. He certainly wasn't about to walk along side Lukas and his huge machine, no matter how harmless it was, but he didn't lag behind either. Part of him found a hint of curiosity in the subject Lukas was going on about... Sea Aster. When they found the plant, the dog thought it might be good to remember what it looked and smelled like.

It sounded fairly edible in a pinch. Kovex wasn't much for a sweet tooth, but it didn't hurt to know what was apparently safe or not. Anything was better than starving. Lukas had made the mistake of mentioning the Ash River Project a tad more and Kovex felt the panic rise under his skin again. He did his best to keep his breathing even as he padded along behind them, but no amount of self control could keep his heart from racing.

Even if Lukas was being truthful, it wasn't something he was at all ready to handle. Thankfully Quinn had a question about the plants, and a smart one too. Kovex's ears perked as he inched closer to the plant, doing his best not to get too close to either of the other dogs while he got a quick sniff and examination of the sweet Winter Sea Aster.

"I'm going to have a look around and see if I can find more, okay?" He offered to the pair of them, backing off a few paces. He started to explore the nearby marsh, glancing back to make sure he didn't wander off out of view just yet-- he wanted to be able to hear and keep up the conversation since it was strangely soothing company. Putting his nose and eyes to work, he tried to find more of the plant in the nearby area.

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KOVEX

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Lukas

LUKAS

Lukas frowned a little. A miscalculation to mention his pack. He couldn't help himself. He loved his pack and couldn't understand other dogs' mistrust of his pack. Especially now that it was under the rule of a new Alpha. One who Luke believed to be a lot more gentle, to be the right path for his pack. All of Canaria should be as excited as he was. But he knew better than to bring his pack up again.

He let Kovex recover from his misjudgment by allowing him to leave to find more Sea Asters and attending to Quinn's question. One that the Gamma Physician was excited to answer. He wiggled his entire rear, as he had no tail to wag, and his Bowerbird-30 hovered nearer to him, reacting to his thoughts easily. This wasn't his first Bowerbird and he had already done a rather delicate self-operation (minor) with his Watcher. "Now, most of the time, dogs cannot be delicate. I'm merely a Basal, so especially so for me. Augments can upgrade themselves to be more dexterous. Espers can use their telekinetic abilities. But a Basal? I suppose I could mutate. But I'd rather not gamble in that way, you know? So I found a Watcher to help me. This model. The Bowerbird allows me to have the finesse I need to do my work."

The Bowerbird moved forward towards the plant and it opened a compartment in the side, which slid out of view. An arm came out with a pincer to manipulate objects at the end. It moved towards the pale-blue flowers, so pale they were almost white. Thick leaves and stems. "The humans who used to live in the settlement known as Kallahan Village would harvest these plants. You can cut the leaves and eat them. It is sweet tasting." One of the ends of the pincer shifted and a blade stuck out. With this tool, the machine collected a few leaves. When done, the blade retracted, then the robot brought this to Lukas, who took it and then put it on top of his large Watcher. 

"Here, take one to taste," he said with a smile. He had his Watcher lower for him so it would look less threatening because he knew Quinn was suspicious of the robot. To show him it was safe, Lukas picked up a leaf and tasted it. "Delicious." He sighed in ecstasy from the flavor. "Sweet. A little... plant-y though." He laughed. "Just a tad, but mostly sweet."

word count || 274
muse || I pretty much always have Lukas muse.
tag || Quinn & Kovex
notes || EAT IT Quinn! (And also Kovex, but make sure it's actually a Winter Sea Aster, buddy)

Quinn looked at the robot lower itself and he quickly reached over and plucked off a leaf and munched on it. Lukas was right it was sweet and it was plant-y, but he liked it. "Hey Kovex, this is pretty sweet. You should try one." he smiled at the two dogs and slowly sat down to look at the plant that still had a couple of leaves on them. He reached his paw forward and cut the last few himself and swiped them into his paw to put on the Bowerbird. He didn't want to reveal that he was a Esper because he didn't even like that fact about himself either.

Maybe I should just tell them and see if they run away. I guess they probably could I mean I scare myself but he is a Basal and Kovex is too. "I want to tell you two something." Quinn said with a sad smile making its way on his face and he was trying to prep himself to release on of his powers. It was almost time to have it timed out anyway so he would tell them. He didn't feel like getting sick from using his power to much.

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Kovex couldn't help but listen to Lukas go on about his lack of powers and the usefulness of a Watcher. The machine unnerved him, but there was a reason why dogs and people alike used them. They had a purpose, and quietly the timid dog couldn't help but note how useful it would be to have another set of eyes to watch his back... It would never work out, he was sure, but he let the concept sit with him for a while. It would make surviving a bit easier.

His outward attention was on sniffing about, however. The canine padded about until he found another few plants growing out of the marsh, perking up as Quinn called his name. He only jumped in alarm a little bit, turning back to the others with a gentle smile along his muzzle. "Is it?" He replied rhetorically, reaching down to nose at his plant. "I think this is more of the stuff, but I dunno. Smells the same, but what do I know?" He half-joked towards Luke, dropping the thought when Quinn spoke up again.

Kovex blinked and settled back on to his haunches, forcing the nervousness from his system. Whenever a dog started a conversation like that, it was never good. His tail twitched behind him, pushing away his constant paranoia.

"What is it, Quinn?"

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KOVEX

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Lukas

LUKAS

Lukas looked on as Quinn tried the Winter Sea Aster. He smiled as the sighthound said he liked it. It also made Lukas happy because this was an experience in which he had proved that Ash River Project wasn't just a pack of bloodthirsty dogs. Even if he didn't recruit the dogs here, maybe just changing their opinions would allow his pack to grow because they would be able to tell everybody about the new Ash River Project, led by Finley. Just how different it was.

Lukas had, lately, been able to do more experiments. He wanted to try one where he completely replaced one side of a dog with clear paneling he had found in order to see the working organs of a living dog, but that would come once he was back home. And he wasn't about to share that with these two dogs here. Not when they were finally starting to warm up to him. He was well aware of what normal dogs thought of his experiments.

It seemed that Kovex had found more of the Winter Sea Asters. He started picking some more up with his Bowerbird-30, which also placed them carefully in its sample collection compartment. The Physician said, "It's the same, Kovex. Perhaps you can find this plant in the future to sweeten something that is bitter, but good for you to eat." His tone was gentle. 

He raised his eyes when Quinn said that he had something to say. "Oh?" There was a quiet sadness in Quinn's eyes. To, Lukas, Kovex seemed nervously interested because he did ask Quinn what it was that he wanted to say.

word count || 274
muse || I pretty much always have Lukas muse.
tag || Quinn & Kovex
notes || Dun dun dun.

He quickly un-did his ability and and revealed bot of his horns. The glow died down and he shook his head. His head had started to hurt and so he decided to reveal himself as an esper. "Well, as you can now see I have a broken horn and a whole horn.... This is the one thing that I hate about myself. They never do work quite as well. I have gotten over the obstacle and learned how to use my powers. I don't like the fact that I can bend others perceptions if I wanted." Quinn said and sat down. He looked at the two dogs and shoved his paw on the ground and drug it back and forth. His paw quickly got muddy and he yawned a little.

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With Lukas confirming that he had the right plant, Kovex took another second to memorize the smell and shape of the plant-- especially the leaves. It was a bit difficult, but he was sure he wouldn't forget the smell, at the very least. As the Esper's ability wore off, Kovex felt his hackles rise out of instinct... But it wasn't anything to worry about. Just a pair of horns, sort of.

Almost immediately he felt the desire to try and use his own abilities, but he resisted the urge. It was a sense of panic that flooded his veins, but he fought it back. The dog wasn't trying to hurt him; just admitting a truth. He shifted on his paws, a wave of concern rising over the immediate sense of fear.

"Wh... How'd it break? Doesn't it... Hurt?" Came Kovex's next questions, pushing away the thought that any Esper using their powers was bad. It was a survival mechanism, and the only line of defense he had. He wasn't about to feel guilty about it, not when other dogs-- dogs like Lukas' friends at Ash River-- tormented and twisted dogs using unnatural methods.

When another dog hurt you out of anger, it kind of made it a bit easier to find a reason to suppress other's rage in the future. He did his best not to think about such things as he half-whined in concern for the other dog. Kovex knew he wouldn't be able to stand not having his one advantage in life. It must have been as devastating as losing a limb or an eye.

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KOVEX

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LUKAS

Lukas then pieced together that moment from when he could have sworn he saw something. It was simply Quinn using his powers on him. He was interested in how well his powers worked with broken horns (though he did say it didn't work too well). Ash River had done some experiments on Espers. They had broken the horns off of an Esper once to learn. And what they learned was that if the glow died, that was when the powers did, too. He also knew how to mend the horns, but from the point they had broken off, the horn was forever dull there and the powers never returned to full strength. Perhaps he should start more experiments on the horns and powers of an Esper. Quinn was inspiring him. And at the moment Lukas was thankful that the Bowerbird was a silent workhorse of a Watcher. Should a Chough have voiced these thoughts, he was certain that these two dogs would shun him.

"My Alpha Finley has that same ability. To hide a feature. Only, she doesn't hide her horns. They are quite a lovely shade of pink." He smiled, eager to bring more talk of his pack to the table, but then remembered Kovex's sensitivity to the subject. "She's embarrassed about her paw, even though it's beautiful the way it is." 

Lukas always had a strange fascination with the deformity of other dogs. He found even the most beautiful females to be too plain for him. He'd take a dog like a badly bred Bulldog or Basset hound over the most beautifully made dog there was. Something that was so far gone from the conformation of a dog, something that struggled to breathe and stand and live and he'd love her for it.

He tilted his head. "Why not love your powers? Understand them, and you'll find their utility and accept yourself." He nodded and wanted to offer a place in Ash River Project, but was sensitive to Kovex.  He nodded. "Well, I ought to find wormwood now. We've got enough Sea Aster for awhile."

word count || 347
muse || I pretty much always have Lukas muse.
tag || Quinn & Kovex
notes || Whoot.

Quinn sighed. He looked at Kovex and replied to his question, "I was born with it like this. I mean my powers work well enough it is just that once I got over that fact I work as well as any other Esper... What does Worm wood look like again?" He asked trying to evade the subject of an Alpha being a Esper. He wouldn't last very long in any rank of high importance he just wasn't a leader. Is what he was taught at a young age because of his disability.

Notes: It is so short......

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Kovex's batlike ears swiveled about on the top of his head, listening to Lukas and Quinn. He found that he almost certainly agreed with Lukas, but the idea of a new Alpha at Ash River made his coat twitch like a flea had got into his fur. There was a slippery slope of greed and hunger that Ash River seemed to live upon, and he hated it. At least Lukas was as kind as ever, but an Esper at the top of the ranks meant less freedom for the subjects in the end.

Although he didn't reply outloud to the conversation, he nodded along, his tail wagging softly at the conversation. Powers were useful. It was how he stayed safe, pacifying dangerous threats.

The topic had shifted back to Wormwood and Kovex pulled a leaf off of his Sea Aster plant, chewing on it as he looked around, waiting for Lukas' instruction. The plant was surprisingly sweet, though having something to gnaw on reminded him of his hunger. As soon as he thought about it, his stomach rumbled softly and he quietly hoped neither of them heard of it.

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KOVEX

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Lukas

LUKAS

Lukas smiled as the mission advanced to looking for wormwood. "You don't remember what I said? That's fine." It didn't matter because Lukas was happy to explain again. He went back into being the lecturer he could be. Luke loved explaining and teaching. "Now, there's nothing else quite like it in this marsh. It stands tall," and Lukas had his Bowerbird-30 climb up in the air to around the most common height for the plant. "Give or take a foot. And the leaves are frilly and covered in silvery little hairs. Unlike Sea Aster, you wouldn't want to try this plant. It's incredibly bitter. It also, in certain doses, can be rather dangerous and act as a poison."

He tilted his head as he studied both sighthounds. "Of course, I know the exact dose which would tip the plant from de-wormer to toxin. Interestingly enough, both of you would require a dose smaller than other dogs of comparable size and weight. I have found dogs of your build--both of you are ectomorphs--tend to be sensitive to things such as anesthesia, medications, and yes, even mutagens. It's all very fascinating."

Lukas didn't share how he did come to know such things. But Kovex would know. He'd remember his father shivering with fever as he tried out doses of medication along with other Subjects that Luke was working on at the time. If he cared to remember. All Lukas really remembered was soothing the ones who got the bad end of the stick, expelling worms that he had dosed their food with and also succumbing to the level of toxins in their bodies. He always loved to take care of his patients, to have them see the light at the end of the tunnel.

He smiled, ready to begin their search and hoping that the sighthounds were still up to it.

word count || 309
muse || I pretty much always have Lukas muse.
tag || Quinn & Kovex
notes || Whoot.

Quinn nodded his head. He was looking forward to finding a tall plant. He looking through the trees and kept finding Sea Asters. He ignored them and had continued to look. He growled low in his throat when he finally found a stalk that looked like what they where looking for. Without a word to the others he shot off to see if it was. When he approached the stalk he found that it was not what he looking for. He turned back and slowly walked back gulping down lung fulls of air to get his blood circling again. He sighed out, "I thought I found some but I didn't."  He looked at the others and hoped that Kovex had a better luck finding some.