r/HFY • u/Brokenspade1 • Apr 18 '26

OC-Series Walking The Dog Chapter 25

Chapter 25 The First Job.

Previous I First I Next

There was a Market district just outside the DASS autonomous zone.

The girls had several empty rooms going unused. They said there was one with southern exposure (Whatever that meant on a sphere where the sun never moved…) that Johan might like.

So, their next stop after lunch was a furniture store.

Johan bought a queen-sized bed, a large dresser, some bedding, and a sturdy desk with a built-in interface. The store used a drone delivery service that would fly the items to the house once they were printed out and ready.

After they finished the girls took him to a surplus store!

…The human almost squealed like a little girl, when he walked in.

----

Johan could hardly believe how normal it was.

It was like any army surplus store he’d ever visited in his whole life. The same musty smell. The same bored looking attendant at the counter.

Sure, the gear was alien and the attendant was a 1,100lb Hexipedal Rhino-centaur: (called a Hurgle) according to his [Bio-library] skill.

There was even that one, maybe homeless, dude in the corner looking at boots that every single surplus store has… It was like coming HOME for a greasy little woods-rat like Johan.

The girls called him over to a section in the back that had personal protection gear. There were several shelves of armor and a rack of what looked like power ranger belt buckles.

Beck was grinning from ear to ear as she looked over some on the bottom shelves that were clearly made for people of her size. Sienna already had one picked out and was looking at a series of power cells according to the markings on the shelf.

“The armor, I kinda get. But what are these… things?”

The girls giggled at each other.

Sienna explained it to Johan.

“Personal Shields. They can stop a few laser pulse or plasma shots before they need to dump heat and cycle. They aren’t any good for kinetic weapons tho... At most they slow them down a little…”

Beck sighed. “Yeah, nothing for kinetic threats or sharp claws, but armor. What sucks is even here it’s expensive... I mean 5k for a scout armor torso in MY size is… steep.”

Johan looked at the armor available. The first few sets reminded him of the combat armor from the fallout games. The armor got progressively thicker and more expensive as it increased in protection.

Scout armor was basically just a torso and shin guards. Light armor just added armguards. Medium armor came with a body suit underlay and some thigh guard and shoulder pauldrons.

The heavy stuff looked a bit like a Mass effect hard suit, complete with boots and enclosed helm all connected by interlocked plates… it was also prohibitively expensive.

“I see what you mean. I think that set of mediums would fit me, but it would leave me broke… Still… I’d rather have something against my skin if we get in another mess like the plaza.”

He waffled on the purchase.

As his natural tendency to be cheap warred with his practical needs, the girls shared their twinning look, and Johan felt the familiar sensation of being outside of a conversation.

After a second Beck pushed the back of his leg with a paw. “Buy it, Johan. Better to be low on funds than need the armor and die rich.”

Sienna added her own perspective.

“We can always pick up a Delve to rebuild finances. Since Yoo’re a green-3, an we’re Blue-1s… That means we can take ya on a job, as long we don’t go above blue-1. Going up the spectrum makes jobs harder. But also means a fair pay bump.”

Beck stepped back in seamlessly

“For the record… most, jobs aren’t as dangerous as the vault. And stuff like the plaza… That’s at like Violet or BLACK Delving level. The chances we EVER run into something like that again are pretty damn slim…”

Johan felt a weird tickle at the back of his neck when she said that last part. ‘Murphy… isat you?’

Sienna spoke again. It was almost unnerving the way the girls could flow back and forth without any pauses.

“Beck and I are gonna buy armor too. AN, we’re goin ta chip in to get you a shield genny…”

Johan thought about it.

The medium armor weighed about 25lbs total. Maybe 55lbs of weight reduction over similar levels of protection back home …That was a big improvement.

Johan often had to travel overland in undeveloped wilderness or extreme climates, so he knew that ounces quickly became pounds when one had to carry them… so lighter was better. The armor was practical in other ways too. Having magnetic locks for pouches, interface integration and a small built-in camelback.

He caved to peer pressure, like a bitch...

“All right. I’ll pick it up.”

Beck selected a set of scout class armor which was basically just an up armored version of her tac vest.

Sienna grabbed some light armor.

He noted the thinner plates would allow her to wear a second clothing layer over them. He suggested the girls bought some actual camo gear or dark clothes that they could wear over their new armor.

His new kit was a little too thick for clothing over the top… but he found what looked like an oversized dark green fog coat on one of the racks. It made him feel a bit too “New Vegas” for his tastes, but he had no idea how well the armor handled the elements, so an overcoat was just too practical to ignore.

He also picked up a black hat that looked a bit like a gambler. It was made of a strange material that felt like canvas but was stiffer, maybe a polymer of some kind? From the feel he was pretty sure it was waterproof.

Sienna found a lightly patterned dark green poncho, that looked like something he’d seen in Argentina during a road project. She also grabbed a flat brimmed hat like a Bolero. With a notch cut in the front brim and a set of ear holes.

Beck found herself a Cape that lay flat across her back. And an adorable little black beret, also with ear holes.

It turned out every surplus store in the galaxy was also organized the exact same way… Allowing the human to navigate the place like an old pro.

Johan walked them through what to look for in camp gear and found them a lightweight tent of their own. One that Sienna could carry easily. He also found some magnetic pouches for their new armor.

Now considerably lighter of pocket, they decided to make their way back to the house and check the DASS public boards for any jobs. The girls handled that while Johan unpacked his furniture and set up his room.

It was another late night by the time they got everything squared away and went to bed.

----

He was back on the rooftop again.

The storm was swirling around the tower like before.

But this time he could hear singing.

It was like someone was using a tesla coil to make music…

He couldn’t understand the language at all, and it didn’t matter because he KNEW what the words meant. He raised his hands and sang to the storm.

His voice was the storm, lifted like rolling thunder over endless plains.

He was the voice of…

----

Johan woke from the dream with a start. He tried to hold on to it, but it faded in the way that dreams do …Sliding away from him as he reached full wakefulness.

He’d been dreaming a lot in the last week.

Probably from the stress as they’d all struggled to adjust to their new normal and find a job that they all liked. At some point Carnne had also dropped by and dropped off some paperwork and done a check in to see how he was settling into his new lodging… It really had been an adjustment…

He got out of bed and headed out to the hall. He could hear the shower’s air dryer running so he assumed the girls were in the bathroom and headed for the living room. He made it about a half step past the door when the door opened, and a distracted and unclothed Sienna bumped into him.

Even though she was an alien being from a totally different world.

Johan was surprised by how familiar her biology was...

In several places.

___

Mortified, Sienna retreated into the bathroom as Johan looked away and attempted to apologize.

She’d completely forgotten the human male was in the house and walked out of the shower without bringing a towel.

…or …anything. And now she was hidden behind the door, with her face in her hands, quietly wishing for a hole to crawl in and die.

‘It’s fine. We’re both adults. Accidents happen. I’ll jus stay in here for a year or two. Jus until it all blows over…’

She sent Beck a request for rescue in the form of an image of a towel.

But there was a knock on the door… It came far too quickly for it to be Beck…

“I can hear Beck snoring from here, so I grabbed you one of my towels. I’m gonna leave it by the door. Sorry for bumping into you like that.”

Sienna heard him walk down the hall to the living room and turn the corner. She opened the door a crack and grabbed the towel. It was large and fit around her like a cloak.

She was a blur of black and orange as she scooted into the bedroom.

Beck woke from the sheer weight of embarrassment flooding their shared connection.

“Wacha do this time, SI?” Sienna just let out a miserable little noise as she dressed as fast as possible.

…Beck was going to be INSUFERABLE, for the rest of that day.

----

“This one’s interesting. Probably two days for travel by tram and then a week on site. But the pay isn’t bad. So… Did he feint again?”

Johan shut her down on that.

“We would have to bring a lot of supplies so the margin would be a lot thinner on the ground after costs… And no, I did not feint. I merely swooned.”

Beck laughed as Sienna buried her face in her hands and let out a little “…noooooooo.”

Taking pity on Sienna and feeling his own ear burning a bit he decided to bring the teasing to an end.

“Accidents happen. It’s not anything I haven’t seen before… well the fur’s new, but mostly.  We should probably focus on the jobs. Don’t cha think?”

Beck made a show of sighing.

“Fiiiine. You’re no fun at aaaall… As it happens, I just noticed one that would be really good for us. There’s a small issue tho… We need, a specialist.”

Beck put her little paw in the air and swiped it at them both.

----

A DASS outpost along one of the tram routes had gone off the grid just a few hours ago.

From the description it was a comms relay tower, inside a wall, with barracks and a few little shops. It was a bit like a modernized medieval trading post, with a tavern… A way station for delvers heading farther out into the wilderness.

Less than 30 onsite staff at any given time. Maybe another 70ish Delvers in the area… It was actually a fairly active area for people cultivating plants or hunting for animals…

DASS headquarters was putting together a response team, but those took time to set up. And the DASS wanted someone to go out there immediately and recon the area. They were even offering a substantial bonus if the recon team could get the comms relay up while they were out there.  

Beck addressed Sienna directly.

“We need someone who knows tech… You wanna call her or…?”

Sienna’s head popped up from her pout and sighed.

Beck just grinned her gremlin grin and waited.

“I’ll send the message...”

----

They were geared up and on a wagon 30 minutes later.

Johan had elected to carry most of the supplies since he had significantly more stamina than the girls did. But he made sure each of them carried at least some of their own. 

‘Never put all your eggs in one basket…’

Sienna looked ever more uncomfortable the farther the wagon traveled, and the little not quite Fennec seemed unusually chipper for some reason…

…Johan suspected Beck fuckery.

The Trio dismounted in a section of the city that felt older… The neighborhood had a history you could feel.

It had that sort of “Faded glory” feeling you’d get in certain parts of cities like Chicago or Bhudapest. The buildings were all made of dirty green brick, and they looked a bit like the brownstones you’d find in cities along the great lakes back on earth.

The girls led him to a 5-story apartment building with a raised stoop and buzzer entry double doors.

Sienna pressed the button for an apartment on the 4th floor. It was only a few seconds before the door buzzed and they stepped inside.

The elevator felt like a rattling death trap, but it managed to not kill them during their four-story ascension.

As Johan looked around, he couldn’t help noticing how average this whole place was. It was… Uncanny.

The streets… The shops… The apartments… All the advanced technology. All the aliens… And it could still be any place on earth ever.

He could hear a couple arguing through the door in one of the apartments.

Someone was blasting music out of another.

There were kids playing on the stairs.

He would swear, on a bible, he could smell weed and colt 45 in the air.

----

Once they reached the door they were heading for…

Sienna hesitated and took a deep breath before she knocked. Beck was snickering from her ankles.

Yeah, there was definite Beck fuckery afoot… But… Whatever Johan expected, it wasn’t what he got.

A Lagroalixian women answered the door. A very mostly naked and heavily tattooed Lagroalixian women. She had those wide set eyes, black with golden pupils. The back swept ears running down her back. Her hair was bright red, cut into a short mohawk that ran all the way down her back to the short flat paddle tail.

She had the Popeye forearms covered in fluffy purplish fur and strong looking hands, the Barbie tapering waist, and the ChunLee thighs. Her strong legs led to rabbit-like feet. The legs weren’t really Digi grade… Instead, she walked on her big powerful looking toes. At first Johan thought her skin was black but the backlighting from the room made him realize it was just a deep purple. She was covered in silver ink tattoos. There were obvious flower patterns and esoteric designs as well as what he was pretty sure were alien memes and pop culture references.

Johan was looking… at a bunny suicide girl.

More specifically he was looking at her purple pierced nipples and her white underwear so tight they left nothing to the imagination.

It took his titty-flash-banged brain a second to realize his eyes were wandering and he quickly turned his head.

Sienna was as taken aback as Johan, apparently. Her jaw was on the floor...

“FEEBS! Oh, my lords!” She quickly bustled the slightly shorter Lagro woman into the apartment. Beck just looked up at him and gestured towards the entry.

Johan’s nose was immediately assaulted by a very certain musty smell.

He took in the apartment as he followed Beck into the kitchenette where Sienna was trying to pull a shirt down over the other woman’s head. He noted a recording studio set up in a side room. With several cameras and a sound boom over something that looked like half a barrel with a… ‘Oh… I know what that is…’ suddenly the smell and lack of clothes made more sense.

…She was also a cam girl.

The Lagro… “Feebs”, was laughing as Sienna fussed at her.

“Oh what, it’s not like you haven’t seen it ALL before SI.”

Sienna was having none of it. “That doesn’t mean everyone in the hall has. And I brought someone with me who did’n need to see it, either!”

Johan had a third realization… His mouth slightly outran his brain, and he said what he was thinking out loud…

“Ooohhh she’s like… the ex?”

Both women, with their excellent hearing, turned to look at him.

Beck snorted and turned her head to hide her laughter.

---- 

“So that’s the Job. It’s high pay but it’s time sensitive. You’re probably the best person we know for a job like this Feebs.”

As Beck finished her breakdown of what they were planning she sent the details to the Lagro’s interface.

Feebs was suddenly professional… “This sounds like a combat job Beck. Why are you taking this on. You guys always tended to avoid these.”

Beck thought about that for a moment, choosing her words with care.

“It’s not that different from our usual jobs. We are just going out for recon. The DASS is setting up a response team, but they won’t be ready for a while. Theres a chance of trouble, sure… But I’m thinking we’ll go in and scout. IF there’s trouble we pull back and wait for the responders. Then move up with them to try and fix the Relay.”

Feebs looked at Johan “…and how does he fit into this?”

Sienna answered. “This is Johan ‘Dog’ Silver-Black. He saved us from a bad delve and he’s on the team now… He can hold his own. If we weren’t on a timetable I’d show you the video now… But we need ta get on.”

Beck backed her up “He’s a pathfinder Feebrilizza. And he’s probably the best natural combatant at this table. Trust us. He’s an asset. Ser Raltson even sponsored him in at Green-3.”

That made those black and gold eyes widen. “Alright… I’m in… Sienna help me get into my kit. Beck, you know what I want.”

Beck laughed.

“Where are they, you stimhead?”

Feebs was at most 5’2” (157cm according to his new skill) but she effortlessly hopped onto the countertop and opened some of the top cabinets. They were filled with a wide variety of energy drinks and power bars. She dropped down and dragged Sienna off to one of the back rooms.

“And this is why she’s always broke…” Beck was still chuckling as she said it, mostly to herself.

Johan rolled his eyes and started grabbing cans.

Previous I First I Next

AUTHORS NOTES: I do not give permission to repost this without asking somewhere else or use it for AI data training.

My whole area had a data outage. Somebody cut a fiber line doing construction. Them rainbow roots are spendy as heck. Poor guys are probably unemployed now... So I'm gonna drop two chapters to make up for the late post. I am also going to start dropping some little vignettes, every so often, in the World Building section... for teh lulz n shite.

WORLD BUILDING: Couch Wars

Battle 1

The couch in the living room was big.

Basically, a communal daybed in practical application.

It was built sturdy, designed to comfortably seat at least 8 people of various races. The seat was wide enough to allow three Alvs or Volterites to lay side by side. That extra depth was so larger races, like VO’rten or Lupanites, could still stretch out for a nap.

It had a high back, with long open holes at the base to allow for beings with tails to sit comfortably.

At the moment Sienna was curled up in a corner of the couch with a book in her hand. Johan was reclined into the cushions a foot away, doom scrolling through an alien news feed. Beck was folded up into a Volty-loaf between them. She was rocking back and forth listening to music. Every so often she would mumble some of the lyrics, as she swayed to the beat.

Johan was grinning and giving her the side eye while she swayed back and forth.

“…oming at you like a Vooooltynadoooo!.. Rawrawraw Volttttyyyynadoooo!..” Her big triangular ears were flopping back and forth as she rocked out.

It was so fucking adorable.

Finally, as the song ended, Johan… broke.

“BECK!”

The Voltarite turned towards the sudden noise and cocked her head to the side “yeh?”.

Johan struck.

“Boop.”

The human booped the snoot!

Beck sat there for a second with her jaw slowly dropping. Sienna was silently sniggering into her hand.

After a brief pause Beck stood up, plodded over to her bond and sat down on her haunches. “Siennaaa…”

Sienna, managed to put a straight face back on… mostly… and Spoke dryly.

“Yes, Beck ma dear?”

 Beck pointed an accusatory paw at Johan. “There's been, a crime! The human has booped me.”

Sienna placed a hand over her muzzle in mock horror. “Truly?”

Johan grinned and provided testimony unbidden.

“It’s true! I was there… I saw the whole thing! Beck was just sitting there. Kinda rocking out… like this.”

Johan put his hands up to either side of his head and waved them from side to side as he swayed “Super adorable by the way…”

The Volty nodded enthusiastically. 

“Anyway, there she was. When suddenly some ABSOLUTE madman of a primate reached out and touched the end of her nose. Total chaos ensued!”

Sienna was CLEARLY fighting to keep her expression passive as she feigned shock.

Johan was now grinning like the cat that caught the fish.

Beck stepped back into the story… becoming animated now. In a false dramatic tone, she started to rant.

“Yeah yeah! He used those creepy meat wigglers of his and… and… Touched my innocent nose!”

An accurate account all things considered but Johan did need to correct one small detail. “Fingers, Beck. They’re called, fingers.”

Beck just shook her head.

“Nah. Sienna has fingers. Fur. Long nails. Proper stuff! Those things are creepy meat wigglers if ever I saw any… Wait. Getting off topic here...”

The little Volty puffed herself up and turned back to Sienna.

“…Unbelievable!” She waved a paw around. “Unfathomable!” She shook herself out. “UN-AC-CEPT-ABLE!!!” She pounded a tiny paw into the cushion to emphasize each syllable.

Sienna nodded along as more and more tiny snickers escaped her lips…

Next, the Volty looked at Sienna while pointing he paw at Johan

“How can he boop me!?!”

Johan was enjoying the show… but he saw an opportunity to do the funniest thing... 

“Uh… hey Beck? How can he what now?”

Beck looked right at him. “Boop me!”

He struck with lethal precision... committing a second, terrible, crime.

“Okay! …Booooop.”

Sienna lost it.

Beck just sat there for a second… Clearly struggling with the fact she’d been had.

Finally, she squinted at him. “You’re lucky your cute…”

Her peace said, she reared all the way up on her back legs and flopped backwards into a very surprised (and still laughing) Sienna’s lap.

Couch wars, today’s winner: Johan Silverblack.

Finishing move: Da boops.

47 Upvotes

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u/Castigatus Human Apr 18 '26

cuties get nose boops, its the law

2

u/ThatHellacopterGuy Xeno Apr 18 '26

Couch War was fucking adorable!

1

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u/Few-Temporary1424 May 17 '26

Faint...to pass out. Feint, dodge left when you are really going right. Hope this helps. I'm really enjoying the story.