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Clorinde has never chased after such a mischievous, aggravating, albeit clever creature in all of her days as a Marechaussee Hunter.
She grunted as the tips of her fingers brushed lightly against black fur before grasping onto nothing but thin air, allowing the offending animal to continue to dash through the streets of the Court of Fontaine.
This pursuit for the small and agile creature had been lasting for almost ten minutes, starting from the streets of Quartier Narbonnais. She had to give credit to the animal for its immense stamina despite its petite build. Clorinde could only heavily sigh through her nose, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, as her pace quickened toward a certain renowned boutique.
The hunter’s presence was unwavering as citizens of the court moved to create a clear path for Clorinde, her eyes fixated on the wagging tail of her prey. She watched as the animal scampered into a bush to the side of Chioriya Boutique, and she took that as her cue;
Clorinde instantly dove, her arms outstretched and fingers flexing, and she felt her palms encompass a soft, furry body. She landed on her side, holding the whimpering and barking critter wiggling in her hold. Clorinde’s shoulders slumped, and she can feel thorns prickling her skin through the fabric of her clothing as she sat up with her back against Chioriya Botique’s wall.
“Behave,” Clorinde chided. The puppy relentlessly nibbled her fingers with its small canines. She let the puppy continue its assult on her hands, and she lifted it into the air from her lap as she stared into its eyes. “You’ve got quite the ambition.”
The puppy barked in response.
Clorinde huffed. “Where is your master? Surely you weren’t sent alone to recklessly storm the streets, disturbing the peace,” she said to no one.
A tilted head.
The puppy stopped teething on Clorinde’s fingers to instead lick the duelist’s cheek, and Clorinde blinked at the sudden wet tongue attacking her face. When Clorinde stretched her arms to hold the critter a greater distance away, she got a good look at its face which had two brown dots for eyebrows. It gave the impression that the puppy was proud of its actions.
The critter wriggled more in her grasp, its tiny paws reaching out to Clorinde.
“Hm. Helpless now, aren’t you?” Clorinde’s tone had a miniscule hint of amusement from the sight in front of her.
“Your performance earlier was impressive. You may have the potential to–”
“Clorinde?”
Clorinde paused her monologue. Eyes widened by a fraction, the duelist craned her neck to look up at bright blue eyes framed by bouncy blonde locks.
Distracted, Clorinde’s elbows retract, and the puppy licked her flushed cheek. “Navia.”
“Who are you talking to–” A gasp.
Clorinde’s ears are assaulted by a high-pitched squeal as Navia discarded her gunbrella on the floor. Kneeling next to Clorinde, her knees touching Clorinde’s thigh, Navia cooed, “Who’s this adorable baby?”
Suddenly, the puppy’s demeanor flipped like a switch from being disobedient and bold to being friendly and cuddly as it barked at Navia’s babbles. Clorinde’s gaze shifted from the animal’s slobbering mouth to the toothy grin on Navia’s lips.
“Aren’t you a good girl?”
Clorinde gulped. Seemingly for no apparent reason at all.
An assenting woof snapped Clorinde out of her thoughts.
“No.” Clorinde answered—for the puppy. “She was recklessly running across the court out of her own free will.”
Navia booped the puppy on the nose and laughed as it playfully lapped at her finger, tail wagging. “Well, you’re lucky you’re such a cutie.”
“…”
“Clorinde?”
“Yes?”
“Where’d you find this dog?” Navia scratched behind the critter’s ears, smiling. The puppy squirmed more and more in Clorinde’s air jail.
“There was a complaint about a wild animal charging around Quartier Narbonnais. I went to take care of it.” Clorinde gestured to the puppy in her hands.
A bark.
Clorinde stared, and Navia laughed.
“She’s a chestnut hunting hound,” Navia sighed, reminiscing on a distant memory.
Clorinde hummed. She tapped the puppy to face her. “So you’re a natural born hunter.”
A tilted head, and a proud woof. Clorinde’s posture straightened, eyes focused.
Navia silently watched the interaction. “Huh.” She shifted to a more comfortable position on the ground from kneeling, sitting against the wall with her side flushed with Clorinde’s.
For some reason, the left portion of Clorinde’s body began to feel like a furnace. She turned to Navia, lowering the puppy onto her lap, but still within her hold. The hound’s tail wagged endlessly. “What are you doing here?” Clorinde asked.
“Ah! I was just placing down an order from Chiori. I’ll be able to pick it up in a day or two.”
Navia continued. “Though, I never expected to run into you here, Clorinde. Especially with such an adorable thing!” Navia leaned down toward the puppy on Clorinde’s lap, squishing its happy little face. Her lips puckered as she made kissy noises.
Clorinde thought the hound was a little too happy. She cleared her throat, forcing the unwelcoming flush down her neck. “It doesn’t seem to have an owner.” Clorinde’s thumb rubbed the puppy’s neck, which was bare of a collar. The puppy tilted its head, questioning. Clorinde raised a brow in return.
“Aw.” Navia’s hand ran across the puppy’s fur. “Oh! If I remember correctly, the House of the Hearth are willing to take in stray animals. At least that’s what I heard from Lynette…”
The puppy whimpered, sadly licking Clorinde’s gloved fingers.
“No,” Clorinde said.
“No?”
“I’ll take her under my wing. She’ll have to learn to hunt in the wild before living on her own.”
“Pfft, seriously? You’re going to adopt this puppy right now? I mean, if you do, don’t be surprised when I show up to your house more often.” Navia squished the puppy’s face again.
“I wouldn’t mind that,” Clorinde said—in her head.
The hound whimpered, but then joyfully barked when Navia pressed a kiss to the top of its head.
Hm.
“I’ll commission Chiori to make a collar for her right now.” Clorinde began to stand up, and Navia did so, too, dragging her gunbrella with her from the ground.
“Wait, what about her name?” Navia asked.
“A name,” Clorinde repeated. She looked down at the puppy as she held it in one hand, its body laying on her forearm. The puppy barked at Navia’s question.
“What should your name be sweetie?” Navia cooed at the puppy in Clorinde’s hand as a bell rang above their heads, signaling Chiori of incoming customers.
“Welcome to Chioriya Boutique,” Chiori said. “Oh, Navia. Back so early? Did you want to add something to the lace—“
“No!” Navia screeched. “I’m back because Clorinde wanted to order something.”
“A collar,” Clorinde finishes.
Chiori, her eyes remaining her default uninterested look, looked the pair down-up, before her gaze locked on the puppy in Clorinde’s hand.
“…Did you guys adopt a dog together already?”
“Clorinde did, yes!” Navia paused. “Wait, what do you mean by that?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Chiori strided across the boutique until she reached behind her counter. “Any particular design ideas? Inspiration?”
“...I believe a classic dog collar would suffice.” Clorinde shrugged.
“Oh! Add a little purple bow with golden accents,” Navia added.
“What happened to this dog being just Clorinde’s?” Chiori muttered, efficiently scribbling on a notepad.
Once Clorinde and Navia finished up placing their order from Chiori, the designer informed them that they’d be able to pick up the garment by tomorrow evening.
“Thank you, Chiori!” Navia called as Clorinde held the boutique’s door open, the puppy in her other hand.
“Anytime.” Chiori waved goodbye, and she immediately got back to work after the door’s bell chimed.
The hound barked, and Clorinde and Navia began their stroll down toward Vasari Passage.
“Are you ever gonna let her down?” Navia asked.
“...I wouldn’t risk that,” Clorinde answered. She wouldn’t want to spend another ten minutes chasing after this stubbornly fast and sly dog.
“She’s such a sweetie.” Navia stratched the underside of the puppy’s head. “Such a good girl.”
Clorinde coughed. “Name her for me.”
Navia’s scratches pause. “Really?”
“Yes. I’m…I’m not great with names.”
“Hm.” Navia tapped her chin. “What about something sweet? Like Berrypuff.”
“...”
“No, wait. Maddie. Short for Madeleine.”
“I can work with that. Maddie it is, then.” Clorinde gave Navia a small smile, and the blonde grinned back.
Madeleine barked in approval.
“So adorable, aren’t you?” Navia pinched Maddie’s nose. “I can’t wait to spend more time with you.”
“Me, too,” Clorinde thought.
So, when Clorinde and Navia finally parted ways, with Navia bidding the duelist and puppy her goodbyes with a chaste kiss to the cheek, Clorinde and Madeleine watched the woman walk away in silence. Only the sound of active meka machinery filled the air of the dark, empty streets of the court. Clorinde looked down at Madeleine, and Madeleine looked up at Clorinde with a whine.
“Attracting your prey with such ease; maybe you’re too natural of a hunter,” Clorinde commented, heat rising from her neck after Navia’s peck.
Madeleine tilted her head.
However, Clorinde wasn’t complaining as her thoughts stumbled back onto images of a certain, sunny blonde on her way back home.