Lion Head Mesa teacup ride

@Gucci meeting of the smalls time…

Though she was never far from the Queen, sometimes Anaelle did go it alone. If only while Treva was busy, of course, she wasn’t going to leave the woman who gave her everything.

Oh yes, there was an admiration there.

But it was during one of these times away, that she saw it. Small. Round. Fluffy. Not a child. Another small.

Small!!! Had she the fingers, she would have pointed. SMALL!!!

She let out an odd noise in response to this astonishing sight. A small in a world of long leggeds. This was heresy to all she knew!

well of course he'd heard the queen had brought home a pet. it only made sense that a royal advisor would keep his ears perked and attentive. unfortunately, that approach to information gathering only worked so long as those eavesdropped on knew what they were talking about.

( and the one eavesdropping had a smidge more imagination. )

so it was that gucci had expected some sort of malformed, radio-collared coyote - 

and not to meet face-to-face with a purebred piccolo levriero italiano.

his little mouth fell as he watched this other dog at the other end of the hallway, utterly flabbergasted.

it much resembled the world's least intense standoff.

The other dog was. Was not like her (in fact, she thought she may be somewhat taller). But, this was the only other domesticated face she had seen since she had wandered into this land.

She didn’t stare for long. She let out an odd, almost squeaky toy noise, before rushing forward with all the anxious shaking characteristic of her breed.

Bonjourhihello!

She couldn’t stop the shaking, the near aggressive want to dart around the other dog like a maniac.

when the greyhound actually moved and noised, it sent the royal advisor stumbling backwise with a startled jump, until paw found paw and he'd landed on his fluffy rump.

he very nearly laid an egg when what could've been a figment of his aging mind came near for the world's speediest hi.

gucci was astonished for a long moment.

then, tentatively, cautiously - his tail began to sweep the floor.

"...hullo t'you too?" his head slightly canted to a side, ears, mismatched, turned this way and that.

"...you'se a-real, yeah?"

What an accent! Her eyes bored into the brown ones in front of her, her nose appearing even longer with the angle she was currently staring at the poor man with.

She remembered herself a second later and took a little step back.

…oui? I am real as rock? She patted the ground with a paw.

Are you? She was assuming so, after all. She had no reason to think her mind would just make up another small!

"...yes." 

his eyes shut.

that did not need to sound so uncertain.

"um, wha'e'er, ne'ermind." gucci shook his head out, then smoothed down the tussled cheek fluff with a paw.

he looked at the completely real toy breed before him again.

"goodness gracious, how'dya evah make it 'ere, miz--?" and he went quiet, realizing in his shock he'd skipped quite a few foundatonal blocks of social interacting.

Anaëlle. She gently demurred, swinging her head down into a quick approximation of a bow.

Is…odd story. I do not know it. I feel like a blink once and then poof! I am here! Her memory was full of holes, slowly mending, but she was unable to come up with much of her past. She was sure she was a puppy once, and she was sure she lived with the tall two leggeds, but other than that everything was a technicolor blur.

I am sorry for any fright I gave. I am just…excited! I have not seen another small, just long leggeds, since I arrived!

"ah-nah-elle." he drawled back, fully confident.

gucci felt a pang of pity - and scolded himself for such. think, back to those very first days! all the fretting, all the hoping, all those conversations awkward in hindsight -

what right had he to find another strange?

so, the vizier put up his charms to the max.

"aah, yeah, ya ain't gon find many much us vertically challenged 'ere." the chihuahua grinned, hopping his girth up on all fours. "closest is them 'yotes, but lemme tells ya -" and he leaned in to conspiratorially whisper up at a folded ear. "they won't say, but they'd take offense at such comparin'." 

he padded back, then, and plopped himself into a play bow ( hoping the delight in his face distracted from the noises his spine made ), tail up and waving.

"but you, miz, how's ya likin' it 'ere sah far?"

She couldn’t help it, the sesh tittered a laugh at the playful bowing and the pronunciation of her name, raising one delicate paw like a lady trying to cover her smile. The maiden’s tail wagged, back and forth, a happy little thing.

Oh, it is so nice here! I am not cold, I am fed and I have met you! In Anaelle’s little book, this was shaping up to be the best experience of her life.

I have not met the long legged I followed to get here, but I do not think I much want to. The man had such a smile on his face..and for no reason!

How rude! She huffed a little note to even think about it.

Are you sesh too?

-and i met you!

gucci, with every ounce of dramatics, raised then threw his head back, and lifted a paw to his forehead.

"oh! oh ah'm butterd's a hot pan!" he exclaimed.

then, fixing his posture, in a tone more suitable, said; "don'tcha fret 'bout none a-them mean ones, they's all bark, none bite." he added an encouraging wink.

"sesh?" this made him pause. gucci looked the lady over again. "sayin' that's wha' y'are?" it puzzled him. "why'd they stick ya there?"

I know plant! She chirped eagerly, tail picking up speed enough that she was compelled to stand.

Herb! She said a second later, just in case what she said wasn’t clear. Anaelle’s feet did little tapsies on the ground in something of a happy dance for a moment, before she stopped to stare at Gucci.

What of you? You are not sesh?

"oh, herb!" he understood now, although it surprised him. somehow he'd never expected a dog to know those things.

yes, yes, nala existed, but that was clearly different!

"as fer me, well..." and he trailed off a lil', half-bashful half-proud. 

"...ahm vizier tah his great royal mightfulness, pharaoh ramesses th' second, whom reigns ovah th' 'shingo 'n' huntin' grounds fram steppes t' meadow." the chihuhua said with a lift of his chin.

maybe more than half-proud.

She stared, owl eyed, for a second, before she was tittering again, far more nervously this time.

A-ah! A vizier! You are king’s advisor, conseiller! She plopped back down on her rear.

A small advising for the long leggeds! Does he listen? She asked, eyes wide and curious with a tinge of nerves. He was so high up! It was amazing, the idea that this fe-oh-a listened to a small’s advice!

This was such a place!

he saw that nervousness grip the woman, and hurried to reassure; "w-well he does, on- on occasion! but that don't mean ahm much 'sides good ol'--"

and there he realized he'd never introduced himself.

"oh, shoot! sincerest apologies, miz an-nah-el, but this lil' dog's, uhm, --" georgia honeys veni vidi "--gucci!" he feared the woman might suffer a fainting spell at his legal name. his showdog titles? perish the thought.

he gave her a bow that saw the tag bearing his 'crest' tinkle. 

"but, ain't naw need fer formalities!" gucci hopped up and circled miss anaelle, coming to stand at her side. "why don'tya come visit mah villa, miz? mah children should be gone 'til sundown, lil' crickets they."