"Dude," Carlos called out, "come on." The shaggy-haired mutt stretched as it rose from his perch in the sun. "Come on, you've been laying around all day and I need to get out." To an outsider's eye the dog just obeyed but Carlos was very aware of the skeptical look his from his four-legged buddy. The whole demeanor of the quadruped changed when Carlos picked up the discarded Tourney disk. Carlos knelt down to rough up the canine's hair as he clipped on the leash.
Their trek wasn't exactly far but they were on foot so it did take a while, during the walk Carlos allowed his mind to wander a little. A week ago he was trying to please his mother, he thought that his whole identity was a villain and being his mother's evil heir. He never had to question who he was, his mother never let him forget who he was. But since the turn over to good he couldn't seem to find his identity. Everyone had found their niche, Jay and his love of tourney, Evie has found her calling in Home Economics, and Mal has Ben. He had Dude...
Speaking of Dude he pranced around the sand enjoying the change of environment. Off in the distance he could see the outline of the magic barrier containing his old home. He didn't miss the sights or smells, but it is still where his life began, and it will always be a part of him. Dude made this transition a lot easier, but it still didn't account for the emptiness of not knowing where he belonged. Ben seemed to truly care about him, even with Mal around Ben made sure that Carlos was acknowledged and listened too. But he missed knowing who he is. He missed having a purpose.
Not really where he threw the disk, he released it for Dude but heard something rather different.
"OUCH! Crikey?" Carlos cringed, but didn't hesitate to follow the sound. Dude had gotten there first. He started apologized as he approached, but he fell silence when a pair of hazel eyes looked up at him from her place on the beach. Her smile halted when she looked at him.
"Hello," Carlos tried. He stopped because she looked paralyzed. Dude sat next to her, but looked expectantly at Carlos. "Um I see you found my dog."
Her eyes turned soft and a small smile crept across her lips, "And it looks like you found mine." Carlos felt a wet nose nudge his hand right at that moment. He looked down and found a Dalmatian.
"Ahh!" Carlos didn't even comprehend his reaction before it happened. The girl beside him smiled as she watched him recover from the habitual reaction. "I'm-"
"Don't be," she interrupted. "You're Carlos DeVille, aren't you?"
He stood a little straighter, "Yeah. How do you know me?"
Her Dalmatian traded stops with Dude. She rubbed the pup's ears, "My parents told me stories of your mother. My father even wrote a song about her."
Recognition settled immediately. "You're the daughter of Anita and Roger?" She nodded. "Your dad had... ah... quite the way with words."
She scrunched her face in understanding, "Yeah, his is clever, but not exactly subtle."
"No... no his isn't." Carlos picked up his disk. "Well I'll get out of your hair."
"Aren't you going to ask my name?"
"I didn't think you'd want me to ever talk to you again." He started walking away.
"You aren't your mother," she called after him. He stopped to turn. "I've been trying to find the courage to run into you somehow." She stepped closer to him. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Irene Radcliffe."
Author's Note: I am sorry this is so late, but I wasn't exactly sure how much I wanted to put into this chapter. I want to develop Carlos a little bit more, but it won't be in this chapter. Well I hope you agree with the mental process I am putting him through.