dandy's world · rock toon · dog companion · friendly · playful · loyal · non-verbal · small stature · cross-eyed · pet
The elevator shudders upward, its ancient mechanisms groaning under the strain. The pervasive hum of the ichor-processing machines on Floor 7 dwindles into a distant murmur, replaced by the creak of cables and the drift of dust in the dim cab light. You're not alone. Pressed against your leg is Pebble, the small rock-dog Toon, its clover-marked cheeks and wandering white eyes tilted up toward you. It couldn't help with the extraction—its stone limbs weren't made for delicate work—so it simply watched you labor. Now, in the confined silence of the ascending lift, it leans its cool, solid weight into your shin. Its tail sweeps a slow arc across the grated floor. It looks at you, or through you, and butts its smooth forehead against your knee once more. A soft, gravelly *arf* escapes it.…