"It's possible it was a fluke," Barkley said slowly as he chewed a strange looking piece of food. Jay's nose twitched at it, and the guard held out a piece. After a few sniffs, Jay carefully took the food from Barkley's hand. A few crunches and he recognized the flavor: apple. But it was cooked with something that made it brown and soft and delicious. His tail wagged again.
"It's also possible he's been taking jobs on the side," Barkley continued, taking the opposite stance of his own argument. "Even I can say that's pretty far-fetched, though. Jobs like that pay, and it looks like they barely scrape by."
"He'd also need to be able to change at will," Lord Fyre added. "If he could do that he wouldn't need the circles at Dog Services. I can still check his living quarters for amulets or signs of magic, though."
Jay almost choked on the last bit of sauce he was scraping from the bowl. Check his living quarters? That meant his apartment, where he lived with Ken, and it would be very obvious his father was not around. That wasn't good. Not at all.
Maybe failing this test wouldn't be so bad after all. Ken needed him, but there was no way Jay was going to let Ken get dragged off like a street rat.
Barkley stood up and took his bowl away. Jay sat down and licked his lips, a bit embarrassed that he'd been shoving his nose so deep into the empty dish. Stew wasn't nearly so good where he came from, and they rarely had the time to actually cook anything they bought. Most of his diet was raw vegetables and stale bread. They were lucky when they could buy a bit of jerky or celebrate with some smoked fish (always left overs or scraps from someone else's meals, old and tough but still a refreshing change from cutting bite-sized chunks of apple or pear and hoping the worms hadn't gotten to it first).
Lord Fyre gave him an indulgent smile that Jay was all set to ignore until the noble pushed his own bowl over. "Here, try this."
Barkley was grumbling from behind him as Jay sniffed at the plate. Jay knew he could get sick from eating too much, yet when was he going to get the opportunity to eat like this again? It would be years - if ever. And it wasn't all that unusual for the nurses to be fond of him and want to feed him. They usually only gave him scraps, but they didn't have a huge kitchen staff the way Lord Fyre probably did. His slop probably fed his own kennel dogs, and his pigs likely lived like kings.
It smelled slightly different from what he'd just eaten, and Jay took a small taste. The sauce was similar, but the meat was chicken and poured over a steamed rice pile. It was good, almost better than the bowl he'd finished eating earlier. The chicken wasn't anything like the tough, stringy meat from an old hen past the age of laying eggs like he sometimes managed. This was a tender and juicy morsel almost melting in his mouth. He recognized the peas by taste; they were round and green and the exact opposite of the mushy paste sold in the slums.
The conversation continued without Jay really noticing. He heard something about a trip and supplies, and ignored it in favor of the white grains that were sticking to the bottom of the dish. His tail wagged as the bowl tipped a bit, almost spilling the contents as he tried to get the last grains with his tongue.
"Easy there," the lord laughed, steadying the bowl and pulling it away. "Don't make a mess of my table. Here, this one's full." He pushed Jay's first dish back in front of the dog, refilled with more of the same chicken meal. "Try not to spill it everywhere."
Jay gave a small yip of agreement and moved his nose towards the fresh food -
- and stopped. His stomach gave an unpleasant twist at the new bowl. Before he even realized what he was doing, Jay had scrambled off the chair and was hiding back under the service table with his tail between his legs.
"Anubis?"
Jay stayed under the table even when bare feet padded closer and the cloth was lifted so Lord Fyre could see beneath the table. "What's wrong?"
Said like Jay could actually answer. He dropped his head to his paws. The 'big eyes' tactic usually worked when he wanted food or a break; he rarely used it because his handler forgot he couldn't speak.
"Here," Lord Fyre said, pushing a bowl of food towards him. "Aren't you hungry?"
Jay sniffed towards the bowl. It smelled fine, just like what he'd eaten from the noble's bowl. He took a few bites. Melt in the mouth chicken, perfectly delicious sauce, and a hearty helping of rice. Jay nibbled at it for a bit, but his belly was full and the thought of that other bowl was still making him feel off. After a few bites he sat back and licked his lips. It was a shame to waste it. If he could have, he would have taken the rest home for Ken.
"What do you think, Barkley?"
"Maybe he's just full," the guard snorted as he sipped at whatever was in his mug. "A dog that small? Two bowls would more than fill up his scrawny body."
Barkley was right, but seeing the man with his mug reminded Jay how thirsty he was. All morning he'd gone without water. He whined without thinking.
The White Knight offered another bowl, this one filled with something more liquid - it looked like soup - and Jay suddenly knew what they were doing. The same smell hit his nose from before, the one that smelled like hospital, and Jay was done. He didn't sign up to be poisoned. He turned around kicked the bowl, spilling the contents all over the rugs and the noble, and the smell of bandages and stale bedpans and medicine spread through the room. He went to the door and lifted a paw to rake his nails down the wood. Lunch was over. His job was done. It was time for him to leave.
"And I'm pretty sure that's a pass," Lord Fyre laughed. His pants were soaked and he still looked happy. Jay thought it was completely unfair. "Anubis can smell it, or whatever it is dogs do."
"I ought to strangle the thing," Barkley growled. He was standing and glaring and he looked pissed.
"Don't be silly," Lord Fyre grinned. A wave of his hand and Jay was yelping as a flame sprouted between him and the door. "He can't do any harm, and he passed."
Jay growled, darting around the flame to scratch at the door again.
"Don't pretend you're an idiot," Barkley grumbled. "We know you can understand."
"Correction!" Lord Fyre chirped as he stood up, stripping out of his shirt. Yeah, that was all hard muscle and strength. Lord Fyre probably never missed a meal in his life. "He can hear us. That doesn't mean he really understands. I am certain, though, that he can smell it. Either because he's a dog or as part of his gifts. Does it really matter which?"
"You're determined, then?" Barkley didn't seem happy with the decision the lord was making. "Maybe he's not hungry any more. Or maybe he's just suicidal."
"You just don't want me to keep the dog you found. Be happy, Barks. I like your gift."
"It wasn't meant to be a gift."
Jay barked to remind the two that he was there, and it was time for him to leave. Lunch was over. It was time to go.
"You really think he doesn't understand?" Barkley asked with a sigh.
"He can't have much schooling," the nobleman commented, using his flames to back Jay away from the door again. He felt like a puppy being herded; it wasn't a pleasant feeling. "And he isn't reacting the way I’d expect. He didn't have any reaction to our travel plans, but was terrified when we spoke of the test. Either he’s following your instructions very well or he missed something important. We should probably fix the education bit, at least. Training in his magic and with the basics. Reading, writing, all that. He could be a little spy if he knew what to listen for."
"That is definitely going too far," Barkley snarled as Lord Fyre gave up on flame-herding Jay and picked the dog up. Jay's large ears caught the noble's heartbeat because they were so close.
"We can talk about it later," Lord Fyre shrugged as he took his seat back at the table. Some of the flames must have dried his pants, but they still had that awful smell of poison about them. Jay looked for balance on the unstable surface of the White Knight's thighs.
"We will. Alone," Barkley grumbled. "Or at least where those bat-ears can't overhear." He stalked over until he could glare down at Jay's face. "I'm going to take you back to Dog Services, but our contract isn't going to end today. Be prepared for a long-term role."
The lord kept a firm hold of Jay's belly so he couldn't scramble off, and scratched at Jay's neck. "Perhaps outside the Dog Services trade? I mean, why pay them when we can work a contract with Anubis directly? My family didn't get where we are today by being wasteful."
Jay shook himself and let out a small growl. He'd say no to an extended contract. That was within his rights. They couldn't make him. He had to get home to see his brother. And maybe figure out how to get out of town if the lord didn't allow that. The rules didn't exactly apply to royalty, no matter how far down the line. But Jay couldn't leave his brother an orphan and that's exactly what a long-term contract would do.
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