[video]

[bulletbiter]

[ the feed opens to julius in the garden, standing beneath a fruit tree - a young man in his early twenties, with blond hair and clear golden eyes. he looks a tad tired, with dark shadows under his eyes - but for those who knew him from before, he appears to be in better condition than they last saw him.

notably, he wasn't at the icebreaker. but - those are minor details. ]

Hello, everyone. My name is Julius.

[ he gestures to the greenery behind him with a sweep of his hand, a slight smile tugging at his lips ]

I'm interested in developing the garden - we may need to upkeep it ourselves in the future, and I would imagine the relevant skills would be necessary in other worlds for ensuring a consistent food supply. However, I don't have much knowledge on cultivation myself. If we work together, we'll have a better chance at succeeding.

[ his expression settles back into its usual quiet seriousness now, as appropriate for something more dangerous ]

I was a soldier back home, and I used to teach drills to my teammates. In the interest of keeping our skills sharp, I would also like to propose some sparring sessions and other exercises.

[ a pause, before: ]

If you're interested in either of these, please let me know. I look forward to working with everyone here.

Comments

[insubordination]

[ there's a pause, at the question, before he offers a faint smile in return. ]

Of course. He's usually with me, or Colonel Hawkeye, so I'm afraid you're out of luck on choice, when it comes to meeting Black Hayate.

[ the dog is constantly present, julius. their son will see you eventually. ]

I found him here, when I arrived. It seems Astoria brought him here.

[bulletbiter]

[ he nods, a touch bashful. he supposes he should explain.... ]

Thank you. I'll look forward to it. [ a pause ] I've never seen a real dog before. Animals... didn't exist in my world, not anymore.

[insubordination]

Of course, it's nothing to --

[ . . . ]

Wait, none? [ amestris is a mess, but at least it's habitable to . . . animals. ] Not even a bird?

[bulletbiter]

[ it's always surprising, isn't it? ]

None. Or, effectively none - sometimes we find a stray animal here or there. But most of them are gone. A great disaster befell my world, and they all died out in the following years.

[ this he says while looking down, his expression solemn. most of what he knows about animals were from books. ]

[insubordination]

[ there's a brief silence, at that, before he sighs, and calls up a quick text on his magical watch device, sending a brief message. ]

You can't live through life without meeting a dog.

[ he sounds injured, at the thought, and once roy sends out the message, he crosses his arms to wait, patiently. ]

Dogs are one of nature's greatest creations. They're loyal, and smart. Black Hayate in particular is fairly brilliant.

[bulletbiter]

[ he smiles, a touch wistful ]

I've heard of that saying. I would have very much liked to meet one, so I'm glad I'll have the opportunity now.

[ it's good to live in a world that wasn't so broken. ]

Is there... anything specific I should do when I meet them?

[insubordination]

Pet him, and don't tell Colonel Hawkeye that I allowed him to jump on you.

[ roy is That Parent and allows black hayate to do whatever he wants. and, as if right on cue, there is a bark as a black shiba inu immediately winds his way around roy's legs, barking in excitement before sitting abruptly by roy's feet, his ears suddenly pricked at perfect attention to peer at julius. curious! definitely protective, but absolutely not aggressive. ]

He loves people. He was found outside, so I think he's just grateful to be around people willing to feed him.

[ roy nudges the dog slightly with his leg, and black hayate scoots forward a little bit. ]

He won't bite.

[bulletbiter]

I won't.

[ and his smile brightens just that bit more, as the realization trickles in - one that reminds him of family. dogs truly are important. he crouches down to be at black hayate's eye level, and reaches out a hand - slowly, both out of bashfulness and out of a desire to not startle the dog. to see something so alive, so vibrant......

..... it's a reminder of how important it is to still live. ]

Can I?

[ > pet the dog? ]

[insubordination]

Of course.

[ there's a pause before black hayate gets up onto his feet, sniffing julius' hand in curiosity before licking his fingers with a soft woof, sitting down abruptly because he expects pets. and roy watches for half a moment before rubbing black hayate's back. ]

He's harmless, unless you try to hurt Colonel Hawkeye.

[ then black hayate will rip your arm off and/or chew on your face. ]

[bulletbiter]

[ Permission has been given, so Julius bends down a little to give Black Hayate a scratch on the ear, then quickly moves to petting the dog on the head. Very gently. ]

I wouldn't dream of it. [ A slight chuckle, before: ] I respect her a lot. She's experienced in many things.

[ After coming here, it's impressed on him greatly how he's... not experienced in a lot of things. ]