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Post by crosswise on Jul 6, 2007 4:05:20 GMT -5
A cute one? Seriously I'm not sure just yet but no fear you'll be there...probably hitting on Lucky--giving me one more reason to hate him.
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Post by Two-Tone on Jul 6, 2007 4:09:24 GMT -5
aw, don't hate Lucky. He's a nice guy and a great friend once you get to know him better Crosswise
and I'll teach him to remember your name so you and him can be friends
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Post by crosswise on Jul 9, 2007 13:00:37 GMT -5
Over the next few days Crosswise started working for Tic-Tac: sorting his files, arranging his chemicals, and fetching various materials for him. Crosswise had never been so happy, finally he was doing something useful!
Lucky and his friends—who generally kept an eye on Tac as a matter of course—couldn’t help but notice. What they saw was Crosswise going to and fro all over the farm fetching this and carrying that while Tac used the extra time to do things with Dipstick, which made the intelligent-deficient puppy very happy.
Finally, one day, Lucky and his friends confronted Crosswise as he pushed a large box of books and charts towards Tac’s shed. “Crosswire? Can we talk?” Lucky asked as he, Cadpig, and Rolly walked up. Crosswise’s eye twitched.
“It’s Crosswise!” He snapped. “What do you want?”
“Well we couldn’t help that notice that you seem to be doing a lot of busy work for Tac and was wondering well…” Cadpig trailed off.
“What’s Tac got on you?” Lucky broke in. “Is he blackmailing you? Threatening you? Whatever it is, we can help—” Crosswise just rolled his eyes.
“Oh for the love of…I’m not doing anything I don’t want to!” He snapped at him.
“So you mean to tell us that you want to spend all day moving Tac’s garbage all over the barn while he has fun with Dipstick?” Lucky demanded. Crosswise couldn’t repress a grimace. He was a little jealous of how close Dipstick was to Tac despite being…well, an idiot.
“Mind your own business…or roll around in it, whatever you prefer.” Crosswise sniffed.
“We just want to help.” Cadpig said calmly, interposing herself between Crosswise and Lucky. “I can sense that you have some issues with socialization but the answer isn’t going to be solved by rash action…”
“And you don’t get much rasher than hanging around Tac.” Lucky frowned. “He’s a creep who doesn’t care about anyone but himself. If you think he’s ever going to think of you as a friend then you’re just fooling yourself.”
“If I wanted your opinion, I’d have given it to you!” Crosswise growled. “And you’re wrong! Petty and wrong! As hard as it might be for you to believe, there actually are puppies here who’d rather be friends with someone other than you. That’s what this is really all about: your ego: Where Lucky leads all MUST follow!”
“Is THAT you really think?” Lucky scoffed.
“It’s the truth isn’t it? You can’t stand that ever popular ‘Lucky’ isn’t immediately idolized by everyone else. I think you’re just jealous that Tac is smarter than you and that I’d rather be moving and sorting Tac’s stuff than hanging around with you!”
“Jealous? Of that psychotic little nut? Man he’s really done a number on you hasn’t he?” Lucky snorted. “I never thought I’d meet someone as gullible and dumb as Dipstick but you sure take the cake…maybe that’s why Tac lets you buzz around him: He likes his friends ignorant and obedient.”
“Since you clearly have nothing intelligent to say,” Crosswise said slowly. “I see no purpose in continuing this conversation.” With that, Crosswise turned around and continued pushing the box towards the shack. Lucky turned around and stormed off as well.
Cadpig turned to Rolly and commented. “I’m sensing some hostility issues there.”
Crosswise finished with his duties and stormed off. He didn’t know where he was going or even why, but he was determined to physically put as much distance between himself and Lucky’s words as possible.
“He’s lying.” Crosswise thought to himself: “Lying. That’s all. Tac wouldn’t use me like that. He just wouldn’t. Sure, he has some issues to deal with but Tac’s NOT evil. He’s more…Byronic that’s it: An anti-hero of sorts. Right. I know Tac. He’s a genius. He can do so much good for everyone if they only gave him the chance…but they’re just jealous. And cruel. And—”
“Crosswise?” At the sound of his name Crosswise looked up. Without even meaning too he had found himself down at the swimming hole. Tac and Dipstick were there. Dipstick was swimming and Tac was sitting with his hind legs in the water.
Dipstick looked he was having fun doggy-paddling from one side to the other. There was a pile of tennis balls along the bank that Tac had been tossing in periodically for Dipstick to retrieve.
Crosswise looked at the fun they were having and felt an intense pang of jealousy. Tac, who had been the one to call him, cocked his head and looked at him. “Crosswise? Have you been crying?”
Crosswise lifted a paw to his cheek; sure enough, it came away wet with tears. He hadn’t even realized he’d been crying.
“No sir.” He lied. Even Dipstick would’ve been able to see through a lie that transparent.
“Crosswise,” Tac looked at him. “Just what is the matter with you?”
“It’s nothing! I just—well, I was sort of wondering if…”
“If. What?” Tac asked. Crosswise gulped and tried wiping his eyes and asked the question he was scared to hear.
“Could we be friends sir?”
To Be Continued...
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Post by Two-Tone on Jul 9, 2007 14:21:06 GMT -5
hm this is getting interesting.
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Post by crosswise on Jul 9, 2007 15:00:08 GMT -5
Thanks! I hope to ensure that things stay...interesting.
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Post by Two-Tone on Jul 9, 2007 15:13:29 GMT -5
yeah.
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Post by crosswise on Jul 9, 2007 20:14:13 GMT -5
A question: What does Two-Tone think of Tic-Tac? And how adventurous is she?
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Post by Two-Tone on Jul 9, 2007 20:16:45 GMT -5
well she doesn't like Tac at all, and she does try to adventure with Lucky and the main pups sometimes, in one of my older fics Two-Tone got into a fight with Tac and almost took out Tac's eye with her earring, Tac escaped and plotted revenge.
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Post by crosswise on Jul 9, 2007 20:19:25 GMT -5
Is there anything you've done with the character besides what appeared in the series? She still love fashion and all that?
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Post by Two-Tone on Jul 9, 2007 20:22:03 GMT -5
yup, she still loves fashion and yard sales.
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Post by crosswise on Jul 9, 2007 20:26:40 GMT -5
Cool. I hope to work her in soon.
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Post by Two-Tone on Jul 9, 2007 20:28:59 GMT -5
cool
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Post by crosswise on Jul 10, 2007 17:48:42 GMT -5
Crosswise felt his knees tremble as Tic-Tac studied him like a hawk. A blush erupted across his cheeks as Crosswise realized what he’d just said. “Could we be friends sir?” What the heck was he thinking? Could he have sounded any more like clingy, frightened, useless pup? Tac was a GENIUS. Why would he waste his time on me? Crosswise asked himself. True there was Dipstick but Crosswise was sure that there was some logical, rational reason for it.
Tac saw Crosswise’s obvious embarrassment and nervousness and felt an uncharacteristic flash of pity. Once he cared about what other’s thought of him, but no longer. Save for Dipstick and his siblings, Tac didn’t care what others thought of him—save to the extent that it fit in with his plans. But here was a pup who just wanted a friend and had—against all reason—decided to choose Tac over Lucky and the more “well adjusted” pups. That had to count for something; added to that was his overwhelming desire to be useful. Loyalty counted for Tac.
“Crosswise.” Tac said to get his attention. “Since I’ve taken the time to know you you’ve proven yourself hardworking and dedicated…once properly motivated. You displayed an unquestioning loyalty that is very rare indeed. We haven’t known each other long enough or well enough to really be friends yet but I’m certain that it will happen.”
“R-really boss?” Crosswise whimpered. Tac smirked and gave a brief nod.
“Yes. Really. Now, since you look a bit…drained, perhaps it’d be best if you got some rest. Feel free to stay in my shack to get some quiet.”
“Thank you sir!” Crosswise said his chest fairly swelling with pride as he marched away.
“And you don’t always have to call me sir!” Tac called out before turning back to Dipstick.
As Crosswise made his way towards Tac’s shack he felt his heart lighten with the knowledge that Tac COULD see him as a friend—in the future, possibly. But at the same time Crosswise was furious with himself for believing Lucky’s slanderous lies about Tac: making Crosswise doubt his own friend. It was a horrible feeling.
“I’d like to make him doubt his friends.” He muttered to himself. Then remembering some of the files he’d organized for Tac; an idea struck him. “It’s perfect.” Crosswise whispered: A way to strike back at Lucky and get himself into Tac’s good graces at the same time!
Crosswise raced into Tac’s shed. Once there, he got Tac’s master experiment file directory: the compendium of all of Tac’s scientific experiments. Pouring through the pages of this master tome of science Crosswise found what he was looking for: Tac had originally developed this as a hallucinogenic to be placed into the water trough—Tac made sure never to write just what he intended to do with all of his experiments as a safety measure—but Crosswise wasn’t interested in that in any event. But Tac had also created several more refined versions that could inspire just about any emotion in the subject AND better yet, was a powder to be breathed in rather than a liquid.
All Crosswise had to do was find the right one and douse Lucky with it. Transporting and launching a powder was tricky but Tic-Tac’s notes suggested wrapping them up in tissue-paper and dropping them from above as a delivery system. Fairly giggling to himself with glee, Crosswise set about finding the right powder. Unfortunately, there were a lot of them!
“Fear…Anger…Depression…” Crosswise read off as he went through vial after vial of white powder on a shelf. “Tac sure is methodical!”
“Dum…does it hurt?” A voice from behind called. Startled, Crosswise spun around and accidentally bumped into the shelf containing the vials. They rattled and started to fall! Crosswise dived: barely managing to catch them before they fell. Crosswise sighed in relief.
“Wow.” Dipstick said as he looked down at Crosswise. Crosswises’ eye twitched in annoyance.
“Dipstick…” Crosswise growled. “Why are you here? And why did you sneak up on me?”
“Uhhh….oh yeah!” Dipstick said, looking proud for remembering. “You said Tac was methodicical…”
“Methodical.” Crosswise corrected.
“Yeah…does that hurt?” Dipstick asked. Crosswise rolled his eyes.
“Dipstick unless you can help me find the vial for Doubt, then I really think you should be quiet now.”
“Okay!” Dipstick chirped happily. Crosswise ignored him and carefully picked himself and the vial rack off the floor and carried it over to the desk. Throwing himself back into his work Crosswise started examining the vials again.
“Got it!” He announced as he picked out a vial from the rack. “Hmm…I better get some gloves to handle this stuff.” As Crosswise went in back to fetch some of Tac’s spare latex gloves, Dipstick started poking at the vial Crosswise picked out. He wanted to sniff it and so started pulling at the cork.
It was wedged in tight. Dipstick pulled harder and harder until he toppled over, sending the vial flying. It shattered on the floor. “Uh-oh.” Dipstick said. Trying to avoid getting in trouble he pulled out another vial and put it on the table.
When Crosswise returned he didn’t think to examine the vial again. Dipstick just thingyed his head and watched as Crosswise poured the powder out of the vial and onto a piece of tissue paper. Then he tied the edges together forming a small packet full of the powder. Looking happy with himself, Crosswise left not paying Dipstick the slightest note. Dipstick idly looked at the vial he had taken out. It was labeled: Fondness. Dipstick shrugged. He didn’t know what it said, what it meant, or what the powder was supposed to do. In about two seconds he’d forgotten the whole thing and went to look for someone to play with.
Meanwhile, Crosswise headed into the barn and then up the ladder to the loft. Hiding himself Crosswise waited for Lucky to show up. And then…He grinned. “Payback.”
An hour slowly passed by. Then two. It was all Crosswise could do to keep his eyes open. It was so boring! Almost without meaning to Crosswise felt himself lay his head on his paws as he crossed his eyes.
Then, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes later he faintly heard voices. Loud and insistent voices, probably arguing. thingying his head and raising his ear Crosswise was able to make out who it was. It was Lucky!
“Finally!” Crosswise thought as he reached for the powder bomb and dropped it down. He was still a bit drowsy and that’s why he wasn’t thinking as clearly as he would’ve been otherwise. Crosswise peered over to look at who had been under him when he dropped it. Lucky was there all right, covered in the powder but so was Two-Tone…and Tac! The three puppies looked dazed for a minute then shook the powder off of them.
Crosswise gulped. “Uh-oh.” Two Tone looked at Tac and sighed.
“What were we saying?” She swooned at Tac, batting her eyes romantically. Crosswise looked baffled.
“I don’t know and frankly—” Tac said before a goofy look spread across his face. “I don’t care about anything…but you.”
“Oh Ticky-Tacky, I love you!” Two Tone giggled as she rubbed his nose with her own. Tac smiled stupidly and returned the favor.
Crosswise felt his jaw drop as he realized that something had gone disastrously wrong. He looked down at Lucky who should be blowing a gasket that his girlfriend and his archenemy were falling for each other. Instead, Lucky just looked proud and whispered “Way to go man!” into Tac’s ear. Tac grinned at Lucky and have him a high paw before giving Two Tone a peck on the cheek.
Crosswise winced and covered his head with his paws. “I am sooo dead!”
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Post by Two-Tone on Jul 10, 2007 18:02:41 GMT -5
I'm gonna be sick
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Post by Tic-Tac on Jul 10, 2007 18:07:32 GMT -5
Crosswise winced and covered his head with his paws. “I am sooo dead!”
LOL Ooooooh no. Nonononon, "Dead" doesn't even BEGIN to encompss what's gonna happen to Crosswise once Tac eludes the effects of his potion.
Great story! I love the way you managed to weave in our characters, without butchering them at the same time. You've got a real talent for this!
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