gunsforhire | LOG: Sunny Sky Lunches

Entry tags:

LOG: Sunny Sky Lunches

Who: Florida (Native), OPEN
What: Florida has a little picnic for him and his friends
Where: Reid Gulch Park
When: Saturday, 3/12
Warnings:

The days when he doesn't have work or information to collect are so rare. Florida would have thought that taking less kill jobs would mean more time for himself, but between watching out for Tex's family, trying to be there for his girl, and everything going on with the team lately, getting out and about has been hard. So today, on his afternoon off, he decides there is only one right thing to do: enjoy the time.

He packs up a large picnic lunch, sends out messages to his teammates, Sigma, and dear little Wash from another world, and heads out to the park. With him he takes all sorts of foods, games like ring toss, a few toys for Rex, and a book for himself in case no one decides to show up. And once he arrives at the park he finds a nice sunny spot to lay out his gear, updating the messages with a gps marker in case people decide to join him.

That done he takes out Rex's frisbee and gives it a toss to watch the now full grown dog frolick off for his toy.

Today is going to be a good day, with or without company.

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The dog's playing with kids? It can't be that intimidating, then. Maybe. Sigma circles around them toward Florida.

"Thanks," he says. "I appreciate it." He has a nice setup, living with York and going home to the family for dinner, but it's nice to have a really good cook making the food.

Florida passes Sigma a plate and a container of sandwiches.

"Gladly. I'd have invited your family, but Maine's coming and I don't want to inflict an ex upon him. Omega and the twins are doing the market thing. Delta is apparently out of town and Epsilon is working, so it's just you and me and whoever else shows up."

With a sharp whistle the dog shakes off all the kids and runs over to Florida and Sigma. And instead of greeting the newcomer, Rex immediately clambers into Florida's lap and starts licking his face.

"Oh come on Rex," Florida laughs as he tries to keep his face away while petting the mutt. "Behave or your uncle Sigma is going to think his sister didn't train you well."

Oh, sandwiches. Sigma sits with the plate on his lap and opens the container.

"It's a good day for it. We finally have some sun."

He eyes the dog warily. Surely Rex has to be well-trained, if Tex had anything to say about it, but Sigma is awfully protective of his food. Still, he reaches out with curiosity to touch that furry flank.

"Hi, Rex."

Rex gives a soft wuff but he still keeps his attention on Florida. The older man falls over backwards as the mutt presses him toward the ground and licks his face, his paws pressing on Florida's shoulders.

"Down boy," Florida laughs. "Down."

And like that the dog is off him, curling up at Florida's side, tail going fast.

"Don't worry about your food. Tex taught him not to go after it. Besides, I cook special stuff just for him."

HE reaches for a white tupperware and pulls a biscuit out for the puppy. "Specific to give him sharp eyes and a glossy coat. Oh, and good muscles."

That creature is so big. Sigma watches in careful awe. If Florida says Rex won't eat his sandwich, though, he won't be as protective.

"You cook for him?" he asks. "How does his diet differ from ours?"

"Well, being a dog he can't process a lot of the fillers people put in dog food. I mean, he does it better than a cat, but he needs a lot of protein and vitamins," Florida explains. "Tex didn't like the smell of wet food, I don't like the constant crunch of dry, so I mix some wet with these custom made treats I made him. They've got a meat base with fat, flour, vitamin supplements. He can also get sick a lot easier if you feed him the wrong things."

So he had to work with the vet to come up with a good diet. "For instance, cooked meat isn't very good for dogs."

"I guess that makes sense." Sigma looks into those liquid eyes. Rex certainly looks healthy. "So he gets raw meat? Why is the cooked variety bad for him?"

"Not quite raw," Florida says. "I season it a bit, work in the supplements he needs. You don't have to cook a lot. I mean, you can cook just a little bit, but too much isn't good for them. But I also don't want him, as a guard dog, getting used to what people can give him normally."

That would make him a touch easier to bribe. "I'm working on a good mix that is sorta like canned food but better for him. I haven't perfected it yet. But he also likes his biscuits. Some mornings I just give him a handful of those instead."

Rex chomps the treat in question, and when he's done he looks up at Florida.

"Get you, go play," Florida smiles. The dog bounces to his feet and grabs his ball, dropping it in Florida's lap.

"Wanna give it a throw?" Florida asks Simga.

Huh. He honestly wouldn't have thought of mixing types of food.

"No begging at Tex's table." That doesn't surprise him in the least.

The proffered ball does, though. "I'm not very good with dogs," he admits, but he does take it. Rex watches with eager excitement. ... one toss shouldn't hurt. Sigma hurls the ball away across the field.

"I'm not very good with cats," Florida smiles as the dog races off after the ball. "Rex... he loves me, he's always there. He always cares. It's what I've got. Plus Theta and hte twins love him like nothing."

The thing is it makes him more than frustrated. Tex left and all he has now is the dog.

"Lou's taught me a lot about cats. They're pretty fun," he says. "And I like that they're independent."

Rex seems very reliant on people for praise and stimulation.

"Dogs don't make you fight for their love," Florida notes. "Dogs always love you, no matter what you do. Rex brings me his toys when I'm sad."

Plus the noises they make are less annoying.

"Does he really?" Sigma asks. That's actually kind of impressive. "Does he expect you to play with him, or is it just a compassionate gesture?"

"I don't know," Florida admits. "He knows he's got me all wrapped around his dew claw. So it could be he just knows I can't say no to those eyes."

He's a terrible disciplinarian. "He also wakes me in the mornings."

Rex comes running back with his ball, and Sigma looks at those big eyes in curiosity.

"You're not a morning person?" he asks. "Lou's cats get mad at me when I get up without them in the morning."

"Not with the new work I do," Florida shrugs. "It is what it is though. Throw it again."

Getting the dog to drop the ball takes a moment. "I guess. I'm still on the early morning college schedule."

He's always been a morning person, though.

"My work keeps me out even later these days," Florida explains.

Sigma knows better than to ask, just nods understandingly. Florida's jobs are beyond his skill level.

Rex has yielded the ball sticky with slobber. Sigma is more than happy to throw it and get rid of it.

"He slobbers a lot less than most dogs," Florida notes. Then he reaches for a tub of fruit salad and offers it to Sigma. "Please, eat up. I want there to be peace between us, and by eating my food, you are my guest, and there will be peace."

It's still more slobber than Sigma wants to deal with. He wipes his hands on a napkin and takes the fruit salad.

...peace. Right. He had fought a losing battle for his brother, and despite the bitterness of surrender, he's not sure he regrets it. "Peace. I like the sound of that."

"Good," Florida smiles. "That works for me. I am done harassing your brother, and your family."

Sigma really doesn't want to talk about Delta. They've been out of touch, and he doesn't think he has the right. Nor does Florida, for that matter.

"Sometimes Omega could use a bit of harassing," he teases. "Though he's doing better."

"Well, I'll harass him, then," Florida smiles.

"Gently. I think he misses having a big brother who can pick on him."

Maybe Omega needs a dog. Has he met Rex? The pup comes running and drops the ball in Sigma's lap.

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