Little Pet Shop of Deep Ones [Cassius/???]

[hadopelagic]

After his meeting with Una, Cassius searched for the scent of an abyssal mer, hoping to track down the dangerous individual who'd murdered Una's mentor and now wanted to drown the world. Wathais was a big city, so there was no guarantee that he'd find the Betrayer within its boundaries.

However, he caught a lead.

In a humble section of the city, down a block with a pizza place, a drug store, and a pet supply shop, he smelled someone like Una ... but not. Cassius's nose brought him to the pet shop door; the smell was concentrated on its metal push bar. Above the bar, a sign listed the hours of operation:

10 AM - 6 PM Monday-Friday

12 PM - 6 PM Saturday

Above the sign, on a sun-faded poster, a bright-eyed Maltese puppy with a pink tongue advertised Little Guy Gourmet Dog Food.

The store was locked, but Cassius heard movement within the building. Somebody must be clunking around a back room, out of sight. He could also hear voices from the second floor, where people lived in one-bedroom apartments.

Suddenly, two drunk guys staggered out of the pizza place, with sauce stains on their shirts; as they walked near Cassius, one squinted and said, "Dude, isss thatta wolf?"

His friend laughed. "It's a Labrador."

"It probley belongs to ..." he waved at the pet store.

"Yeah."

Satisfied, they continued the long walk to the bus stop two blocks away.

[jarahamee]

The massive black German shepherd, who was in fact wearing a very handsome “service dog” vest, paused as the men passed him in the alley. His body was stock still as he stared after them, his body language indicating that he was considering bolting away if they chased him, but thankfully they made their way into the darkness and headed towards what he expected was their home.

He then turned his attentions to the locked back door, whining softly as he sniffed at the cracks. What he wanted was inside, even if his quarry was long gone. Their physical presence may be absent but their scent trail, and their evidence, remained. But it was out of his reach.

How to get there?

At first the animal's bright orange-yellow eyes examined about the other doors and windows, mouth pursed.

The back door to the pizza place was not going to get him anywhere, as good as both its garbage and its fumes smelled at this hour.

An open second story window looked promising, until sniffing it only revealed a human with several nonhuman pets.

No.

While he could break in, it would likely rouse suspicions far too early, and he might lose all trace of his quarry before the hunt began. Unacceptable, even if he would likely find a trace of what he was looking for by doing it.

No.

Patience was the game.

The animal crouched behind the shadow of a dumpster, its shaggy body blending into the darkness. Only its luminous eyes were visible when they caught the light just right. A perfect vantage point to look for people leaving. There was only one way out, and even if he had to wait until morning, he had nothing but time.

[hadopelagic]

The minutes passed. A cockroach skuttled around the dumpster and vanished in a crack between bricks; it was unclear whether the bug went to the pizza place or pet shop, however. That was a case for the health inspector, not Agent Lucidus. Regularly, he heard the rumble of a car engine as people drove past the otherwise quiet block.

Forty-five minutes would pass before his patience paid off. The back door to the pet shop clicked, unlocking, and then swung open. A woman stepped into the alley, carrying a small black trash bag that smelled of animal litter, urine, and feces. She was a compact woman, maybe forty-something years old, dressed in blue jeans and a white collared shirt. Her dry, frizzy hair was fastened in a short braid, and her eyes were deep-set. She looked up and down the alley with suspicion, as if cautious by nature or necessity. Then, she walked toward the dumpster ...

Without noticing Cassius, who squished deeper into the shadows, she threw the dumpster lid back and chucked the black bag onto a pile of other garbage bags. Then, she turned on her heels to walk back toward the pet shop.

[jarahamee]

The animal’s bright eyes followed the movement of the woman’s hand, and large, triangular ears perked up. His head turned as he sniffed softly. Nothing of interest was in that bag; she was just someone who worked at the store these late hours, and was not his target.

At least, not of yet.

When she turned to move back inside, he saw an opportunity.
Moving quickly, though at a distance, the werewolf followed her as she returned towards the back door of the pet shop. When she moved within it, he made a final, rapid dash, and used his clawed hand to grasp the door from the outside and prevent it from completely closing. If it crushed his finger, it crushed his finger; at least it will not entirely close.

[hadopelagic]

The heavy door closed slowly, so Cassius easily wedged it open with his hand. From within, he heard the woman walking deeper into the shop. An interior door--a back office or bathroom, perhaps--squeaked open and then clicked shut.

Otherwise, all was silent.


The massive dog’s form paused, waiting to hear the second click, before opening the rest of the door and letting himself in. He moved like a shadow into the hall, clinging to the walls as he crept down the corridor, looking for the familiar scent.



The shop was densely packed with shelves of animal care supplies, each shelf dedicated to a different species. To the left, dogs and cats. Birds and small mammals near the middle. Next, reptiles. And to the far right, the aquatic section. There were tanks, filters, little ships, pineapples, and other aquarium decorations. Meters for pH and temperature, medicines, dried shrimp and dozens of fish food varieties. Tubing, reef salt, rocks. There were no living animals in the shop, at least none that he could see.

His nose quickly picked up the scent of the Una-like person, who'd walked into the shop from the front door, lingered momentarily by the checkout counter, and then gone to the right-side wall, where the bathroom door was located. A sign said OUT OF ORDER.

However, the not-una person had touched the doorknob, perhaps gone inside.

With his ears, Cassius can tell that the shopkeeper is inside the bathroom, clunking around. There's also a soft bubbling sound and the scent of saltwater.

The werewolf satisfied itself by sniffing about in wide circles, ears pricking up as it heard something move in the bathroom. It paused behind the counter, crouching down low to avoid detection. It was a shame that he had not simply asked for invisibility, but that was more powerful a ward than simply putting a glamor over his true body.

It lay down flat, waiting for the shopkeeper to exit the room, satisfied now that his target was likely within the out of order bathroom.

Thirty minutes of waiting, and finally, Cassius heard the bathroom door open, close, and lock with a turn of the key. Footsteps padded across the shop to the front door, which also opened and closed. A couple minutes later, he heard a creak above his head, as if somebody was walking in the apartment on the second floor. The murmur of a television shortly followed.

But in the pet supply shop, he was finally alone

Its ears pricked as it heard the movement above. So the apartment which was filled with all those creatures, that was this worker’s home. Whether they were the owner, or someone who was involved, it would not know until they had a more solid investigation into the matters at hand.

When things were quiet again, it slipped to the bathroom, and gave the door a gentle sniff. Was what he was looking for inside? The other smells made him suspicious. He looked for any signs that the creature who was not-Una happened to move away from this room after entering.



As Cassius sniffed, three things became apparent: the not-Una had entered the bathroom during his visit, there was a lot of salt water in the room beyond the door, and nobody had used the bathroom for, uh, bathroom stuff in a very long time, since there was no trace of urine or the OTHER thing.

He also heard soft bubbling, air bubbling through water.

The very large beast decided not to press its hand just yet. There were dangers with confrontation, and he did not have his full team here.

Instead, he crept back to the area behind the register, where he could keep his eye on the comings and goings from the bathroom, and resolved to watch from his new vantage point. The beast form was good for this sort of work, as it could rouse from deep sleep to wakefulness in moments.



The hours passed. By midnight, the sound of television babble ceased, and all went silent in the apartment. Night became early morning. The sun rose.

At about seven, he heard the sound of a coffee grinder in the owner's apartment, and the smell of cinnamon drifted into the pet supply shop. Outside, the city woke, and a garbage truck rumbled past the front window.

At about 9:00 AM, the shop owner returned; she put her key into the front lock, turned it, stepped inside, and re-locked the shop behind her. With a mug of fresh coffee in her hand, she drowsily shuffled toward the front counter ...

The canid heard the door move in the lock, and quickly made its way to the back of the store. It hid in the shadows of the halls until it was far away enough to avoid easy detection by the owner. It paused, listening for any sounds of detection, ears pricked upright.

The shopkeeper stopped abruptly in front of the counter. Slowly, she tilted back her head and sniffed the air. An expression of pinched confusion crossed her face.

Clunk.

She set the mug on the counter and started pacing slowly up one of the aisles. After a moment, the shopkeeper clicked her tongue and softly said, "Here, boy. Here, girl. Come here!" Her tone was calm but firm, as if she was calling for a dog. She turned into the second aisle and gave a whistle. "Come here!"


The large dog paused where it had been hiding in the hallway. She had seen something. Or perhaps smelled him. While he considered this body much more covert than his human one, it did have a distinct scent about it. Which she probably recognized, judging by the variety of pets she kept.

Damn.

The animal slunk towards the back door. He had been sure to close it carefully to avoid it from auto locking and trapping him in here. If he could move quickly enough, he could escape before she even knew he was here.


Unfortunately, in a tiny shop, it was difficult to stay hidden for long. As Cassius approached the back door, the shopkeeper stepped into his aisle.

"Oh," she said. "How did you get in here?"

Her voice softened and she extended a hand.

"Are you a friendly boy? Are you? Come here."

[jarahamee]

The animal looked over at the approaching woman, though it did not stop moving. From her vantage point she could see it was a huge black wolf-like dog with orange-yellow eyes. Thick fur made the animal seem even larger than it actually was, and she would note that its very large paws were easily the size of her hands. Its dark face was greying about the muzzle, around its eyes and on its chest.

It saw her as she came. Its face and ears did not convey either aggression or friendliness, but rather a rapt sense of focus, like a working dog.

It seemed to take in her trajectory, then attempted to dart past her, moving at a half-gallop towards the back door, nails clicking against the ground as it trotted with intent in a singular direction.

[hadopelagic]

The woman stopped when she saw Cassius. For a moment, an expression of confusion flitted across her face, as if she was wondering how a dog snuck into her locked shop. Then, she went very still and let Cassius scamper toward the door, which--to her--must have looked closed.

"Don't be scared," she told him.



The huge canine looked as if it might stop, then used her hesitation to hurdle through the hallway, moving to the mostly-closed door.

It moved quickly, skidding to a stop on the slippery floor immediately before colliding with the far wall. It then frantically pawed at the door with its claws, pushing at the crack with its nose to press it open and escape outside.

Its claws finally caught the crack, and with a single motion it pushed the door open wide enough to slip through. The animal dashed out without hesitation, running down the street and away from the shop, in the hopes it would be too fast for the owner to catch it.

Behind Cassius, the shop owner leaned outside to watch him flee. She shook her head, as if baffled, and threw up her hands. "Hey, come back!" It was useless, however. Cassius was already gone.



The next couple nights of stakeouts were unremarkable. By waiting in the shadows behind the shop, he'd observe the following: the shopkeeper, who lived on the second floor, would open in the morning. Then, at lunchtime, she'd leave, and middle-aged man worked a shift behind the counter, helping clients purchase various necessities. At closing, the original shopkeeper would return. She'd lock up and spend the next few hours inside the shop, before retiring to her home.

On the third night, however, Cassius observed an unusual change in schedule. At approximately 8:30 PM, somebody knocked six times on the locked front door. The shopkeeper clunked down the aisle and let the stranger inside. Judging by their footsteps, she was leading the unknown visitor to the OUT OF ORDER bathroom.

[jarahamee]

Cassius had spent the last three days in a stake-out, having had a bowl of water and bags of dog food discretely delivered in the vicinity of the dumpsters. After the first day, with the distinct possibility that he might be captured in animal form, he had made the decision to take alchemical potions to transform himself for 24 hour periods, and to remove any distinguishing tags or markings. He would rather go to the pound or be shot by the actual police than get the department in trouble.

The resting dog, who this time was merely an ordinary dog,’s ears perked up the moment he heard the front door jingle. The animal padded his way to the front to get a better look at the visitor, if he or she was still within sight, and slunk to the side of the entry to attempt to prevent the front door from closing completely before it was locked.

If he was not fast enough, he would have to wait until either she finished cleaning, or the mysterious stranger escaped through the front door. Perhaps wearing a different form, just like Una had. Either way, it was better to avoid missing all of his opportunities.

[hadopelagic]

By the time Cassius circled the building, the front door was already shut, but he could see--through the storefront window--the backs of two people: the shopkeeper and a tall, thin man in a maroon smoking jacket. They were talking in quiet tones, just a murmur to Cassius's ears.

After a moment, the pair stepped into the out-of-order bathroom, and out of sight.

Ten minutes passed. A few people walked down the street, but none paid Cassius much attention. Finally, the shopkeeper and the tall stranger emerged from the mysterious room.

A masculine voice with a transatlantic accent clearly said, "Much obliged." Then, the front door swung open, and the stranger briskly stepped outside. He wore maroon velvet pants, which perfectly matched his jacket, and a white silk shirt fastened by a black ascot. His skin was light shade of brown, and his hair was styled in the perfectly parted curls of a young Houdini. Most notably, however, was his scent: Cassius could detect that he wasn't quite human.

Strangely, the man carried an unmarked brown bag.

He walked past Cassius without a second glance, going to a bicycle chained to a nearby lamppost. There, the man stooped to unlock it. His fingers moved over the numerical code quickly. 1338. The lock popped open.

Behind Cassius, the shop door remained partially open; standing in the doorway, the shopkeeper watched the strange man, as if ensuring that he was going to leave.

[jarahamee]

The dog slunk back into the alley to grab his cell phone in his mouth. The rest of his gear he left abandoned. He could use it to send coordinates to his team if necessary.

But only if necessary.

The creature in the bathroom was likely not going anywhere, and he would have to update Miss Bronte before contacting either it or its protector. He wondered, vaguely, if it too could shapeshift, and if so, to what? Could it become anything, just like she could? If so, they might be in danger.

He trotted after the bike, keeping his distance as he tailed the bike-riding stranger. His dark coat color blended with the shadows, and with his new, smaller body, he was hardly out of place in the urban environment.

The animal panted and hoped that the burner phone was waterproof as he dashed after the strange magical creature.

[hadopelagic]

By the time Cassius grabbed his phone, the mystery man was on the bike, a well-maintained antique from the 1950s. After securing the brown bag in his handlebar basket, the mystery man took off.

For over an hour, they travelled down the streets of Wathais, which bustled with nighttime traffic. The route passed restaurants, shops, and convenience stores with bright windows; it took them over a bridge, through a park, and around a five-story mall. At last, they entered a section of Wathais with many niche museums, bubble tea shops, and art galleries; at the end of a dead-end street, the mystery man stopped. There, three stores shared the same old brick building: a used book store, an antique store, and a store with an elegant wooden sign. It said:

BE AMAZED!
MAGIC, MYSTERIES, AND ODDITIES
SHOWS BY APPOINTMENT

Black curtains had been drawn over the storefront windows, concealing its interior. Quickly, the mystery man locked his bike to an empty bike stand. Then, he stood up straight and tilted his head slightly, as if listening.

"Persistent," he said.

Slowly, he turned around and looked in Cassius's general direction, trying to see him. "Where are you?" he asked, extending a hand. "And what are you. Come. Would you like a treat?"

[jarahamee]

The dog followed without hesitation, or signs of tiring, but it felt the effort in its bones. The run had been long and its nails were worn down to the quick, leaving little spots of blood here and there. It could feel how raw its paw pads were from dashing across the still-very-warm asphalt, and it would have liked nothing more than to stop and pant to catch its breath.

As soon as the strange man stopped and parked his bike, the animal slipped into a nearby alley to watch his behavior, tongue lolling out as it finally spat out the burner phone behind a dumpster and panted heavily.

Its bright yellow-orange eyes watched him from the cover of a bush as it studied him, waiting while he called out to it.

Not subtle.

He was losing his touch.

At least dogs were not particularly suspicious in a place like this.

If he was quiet and kept to himself, he had no doubt that the man would lose interest. And even if he decided to leave these premises, he did gather important information even finding himself here.

The dog wondered if the owner of Magic, Mysteries and Oddities was a registered super. If he was, then he could be looked up. If he was not, then he could be approached with the pretense of registration. Good.

The animal lay low, head down, intending to blend with the shadows under the dumpster.

[hadopelagic]

When there was no response, the mystery man slowly approached the alley, his loafers clicking on the street. He strolled to the dumpster, turned, and then walked toward the bushes. All the while, his gaze remained locked on the ground. He stood beside the bush, shook his head, and returned to the dumpster.

There, the mystery man finally stopped and crouched. In a quick surge of motion, he laid bodily on the ground, with his cheek pressed to the rough asphalt, and stared wide-eyed into the shadows.

"Oh," he said. "A dog?"

He clicked his tongue.

"Do you understand me? Do you have a master?"

Then, with a sigh, he added, "You're bleeding, creature." His voice was so soft, he might've been talking to himself. More loudly, he said, "Water? You want water?"

[jarahamee]

The black dog lay panting underneath the dumpster, jaws wide as it panted. Unfortunately for the dog, the panting was far from quiet after a run like that, and his body was tired from keeping up with a bicycle at this distance.

And, to make things worse, its feet were bleeding.

Apparently, the Beast’s paws were much tougher than the hide of this desexed working animal.

Shit.

It could bolt away a second time. After all, it was not trapped, but this was a safer bet than it had been so close to its target. Or at least it thought so.

The dog stared back at the thin man with round orange eyes, and then made a soft whine sound, and army-crawled forward, away from the phone it left in the corner. The phone had already done its job transmitting his coordinates. If necessary, they could find him, but hopefully, it would not be.

Before too long, the animal was at the edge of the dumpster. Its coat was so dirty that it seemed almost brownish rather than black, the fibers of its fur bleached by the sun to a lighter shade. The mark of a collar buried into the ragged fur of its neck.

It turned its head as if listening to him with the empty stare of an animal, then lay its head down on its paws, now panting close-mouthed.

[hadopelagic]

Tentatively, the man reached out; when Cassius didn't try to bite, he scratched his forehead.

"If you belong to a witch," he said, "blink three times."

Instead of blinking, the Cassius dog grunted and rolled on his side.

"I'm not sure I believe you." He smiled faintly. "It's fine. You're blameless." The mystery man held up his hands, palm outwards. Then, he untied his black ascot and pulled it taut between his fists. He slapped his hands shut, crushing the fabric between them.

"Watch closely, now."

He opened his hands, and a long ribbon of colorful handkerchiefs fell out. There must have been thirty bright squares, all tied together. He made a loop at one end and placed it around Cassius's neck like a leash.

"Inform your witch that they have twelve hours to collect you before I call an animal shelter," he said. "Blink twice if you want steak for supper."