AN: Not a sequel chapter, a completely different story (although it has the same premise, hence why I put it in this fic).
Randomly had a vision of a deadpan Neo coming home from work, walking through the door, only to see chaos on the other side as her three bandmates (all dogs) wreak havoc. Neo being Neo (emotionless, and used to their BS) doesn't react at all, just quietly steps in and goes about her day, handling things as they come.
There was a cacophony of barking, growling, snarling, yapping, and yelping coming from just beyond the door and Neo exhaled quietly, but her expression did not change as calmly she pushed it open. To her complete and utter not-surprise, Weronika and Elsie were in the middle an argument while poor Sophia was frantically trying to keep the peace.
"You guys! Stop!" the Chinese crested dog pleaded. "If Neo finds out—!"
"Who cares what Neo thinks?! Aside from you!" Weronika snarled, eyes still glued to the silvery-white poodle snapping back at her.
"B-b-but, she's HERE!" Sophia whimpered, and at that exact moment, the door swung open.
"What the?! Sophia! Why didn't you warn us earlier?!" Weronika snapped, jumping up in alarm and scurrying away from the door as soon as Neo's sent assaulted her nostrils from the threshold.
"Eeeee! I'm sorry, sorry, sorry!" Sophia's ears went flat, and her tail tucked itself between her legs. She was too terrified to point out that she did try to warn the other two, they just refused to listen.
Elsie, meanwhile, backed away as slowly and quietly as she could, humiliation running through her pelt at being caught bickering with Weronika like a puppy. But perhaps if the other two were whiny enough, the poodle could slide away without much repercussion or negative attention...
Neo's expression still didn't change, but inwardly, she smirked. As soon as she heard the barking, she already knew exactly what she was going to find, and every prediction came true exactly as she thought it would. Even down to you trying to sneak away, Elsie. Did you really think I wouldn't notice?
But Neo was tired after a long day at work, and certainly in no mood for dog training. Sophia recognized this and ran over to Neo at once.
"Oh, Neo, Neo, dear, beloved, wonderous, amazing, enchanting Neo, is there any way I can help you? I can't even imagine how tired you must be because of how hard you work to support and provide for us!" She nuzzled the woman's leg frantically.
Sophia knew firsthand how hard life was for dogs without good, caring owners. Her first set were not physically abusive, but they were neglectful and verbally abusive. The poor little dog could only take so much yelling, threatening, and throwing of large, loud objects before she finally fled. She stumbled upon Neo a while after taking to the streets and decided to follow her home. At first, Neo ignored her, but Sophia was persistent, following Neo to and from work every day. Then, even when Neo tried to send her to a pound, she managed to escape.
Counterpoint to the present, it was one of the rare times Neo came home from work and was surprised by something. There on her doorstep was the same dog she tried to get rid of just a week prior. Despite herself, a smirk flickered across her face.
I've never met a dog so determined before… A normal person would've been fearful, but clever Neo had already thought things through. I do not fear bodily harm, for this dog seems to want nothing more than to be with me.
Elsie joined the picture a few months later. Sophia was low-maintenance, but her social anxiety was so bad that Neo finally decided to get her a companion. That way she could at least practice being around other living beings while Neo herself was away at work. This time, though, Neo went to a breeder. One of their most prized poodles took an instant shine to her. It was as if they recognized themselves in one another, the silver-furred poodle and the golden-haired girl.
Imagine Elsie's horror and disgust when she came home to find that while Neo was dignified and regal, her first dog was the opposite.
She's overgrown rat! Elsie thought of the Chinese Crested, lip curling in disgust, fangs bared slightly. Poor Sophia panicked and scurried away. It did not lessen the rat imagery in the slightest. In fact, that seals it! Even mongrel MUTTS aren't THAT ugly!
That left Weronika as the fourth and final member of Neo's pack, having met the other three at a local dog park. Like Sophia, Weronika was a stray. Unlike Sophia, she loved the stray life and was a master at navigating it, even down to knowing when and where to go in the dog park in order to get free food and affection from friendly humans. Neo was not one of these humans, but she happened to be in the vicinity the same time Weronika was there. Weronika wound up running into Sophia and Elsie, getting into a minor bark-out with the latter.
"What's going on here?" Neo strode over so quickly and smoothly that she was practically gliding. Her voice was low and fierce, and her eyes flashed. It was custom for her to allow Elsie and Sophia to roam free while she sang nearby, but when she heard Elsie's harsh, high-pitched yips, she responded at once. Inside, she was seething at the one who dared interrupt her song. As soon as she and Weronika locked eyes, the rivalry was on, each one vying to be the alpha over the other. But Neo liked the challenge. And so did Weronika.
After that first encounter, whenever Neo was at or near the park, no matter who she was with, Weronika would always find her. At last, Neo was so amused by the dog's determined, slightly one-sided rivalry with her that she decided to simply allow the dog to move in with her. As with Sophia, her logic ran that if Weronika was truly a danger, she would've caused a far more trouble than growling and snapping by then. But the fact that her presence was common at the park, as well as Neo having seen Weronika play with the kids that visited, it was evident that she wasn't actually as feral as she pretended to be. In fact, even though she was always defiant with Neo, she'd never actually tried to attack.
"We shall be able to compete with much greater ease and efficiency if we do not have to keep returning to this park just to meet," she said as she held a collar over Weronika's head. Of course, Weronika growled, snapped, and bared her teeth at once.
"You try putting that thing around my neck and my teeth are ripping through YOURS!"
An hour later, she collapsed to the wooden floor of Neo's house with an angry huff. The other two didn't look any happier.
"You're adopting HER?!" Elsie yipped and whined. Sophia just kept her distance, eyes down, ears and tail flat and tucked. Neo was unmoved by all of it. She was the alpha, they were the pack, end of story. What Neo wanted, Neo got.
But Neo was not a cruel alpha, even if her judgement wasn't always the best. She sighed tiredly, ignoring her three hounds as she made her way into the kitchen. Setting down her keys, purse, and the armload of groceries she was carrying, she immediately got to work preparing dinner.
The things I do for you, she thought dryly. Sophia would've gladly eaten anything Neo gave her, but she had a weak stomach and a weak immune system (no doubt due to her endless anxiety and her time under abusive owners and an abusive street), so her diet had to be tailored around her health needs. Elsie was just picky. Even though certain foods were encouraged for her, most of it was just taste and class.
"There's no way I'M eating something like THAT!" She sneered down her snout at the kibble and mash in Sophia's bowl.
Sophia's eyes flicked up from her bowl only once, and even rarer, there was just a hint of anger within them. Elsie was so ungrateful to their owner!
As for Weronika, her preference was meat. Neo smirked as she tossed a hunk of meat into a bowl and slid it over to the irritated Polish hound. Weronika also didn't look any more grateful than Elsie did, but she didn't hesitate to sink her fangs into what was offered to her.
As Neo watched from the kitchen, the smirk didn't budge an inch. Weronika may have acted tough, but watching her eat showed just how much damage she was truly capable of. The worst Neo ever got was a warning growl or nip. Neo knew the Polish hound would sooner die than admit it, but in the months she'd lived with Neo and the others, she had at least gained the ability to tolerate them. As hostile as they could be to one another, Neo no longer had to feed them in different rooms of the house. Now, they were all in a perfect line side by side.
Neo joined them shortly thereafter, her table and chair intentionally pushed against the same wall the dogs' bowls were. The three dogs were too busy snapping down their food to notice, but as Neo quietly dipped a fork into hers, the tiniest of smiles graced her face. There was something pleasant from ages past about eating in a room where the only sounds to be heard were crunching and munching. It was… peaceful.
It also wasn't like that back at Neo's home, her other one. It used to be, until her mother died, then her father became obsessed with the idea of her mother's legacy living on through her. Dinnertime was no longer a place of rest or refreshment, it was tension and preparation. Neo was always silently pressured to eat as healthy as possible as quickly as possible so she could resume vocal training. In time, she began pushing herself just because the less time spent in the kitchen during dinnertime meant less time spent around her father at all.
Moving out was the best thing she'd ever done, and she had more than enough saved from all the people who left coins and bills whenever she sang in public parks. It was enough to support her, the tiny house she called a new home, and her three canine companions. They were the reason Neo was smiling, even though it was small, and even though her eyes didn't leave her plate. It was just… pleasant to hear food being eaten steadily, and bowls sliding against a wooden floor as they gently bumped into the wall, and collars rattling as tongues licked and lapped.
By the time dinner was done, Neo was in a much calmer mood than before. The evening was quiet and serene, as if her hounds were infected by her unusually soft presence. There was no outward change, but once Neo was finished with the dishes, she collapsed on the couch with a bar of dark chocolate. Sophia, Elsie, and Weronika suddenly seemed to love her again.
"Oh, boy is that chocolate?!" Weronika's tail started wagging and she started panting.
"Oh, please, as if Neo would ever waste something so delicious on someone like YOU!" Elsie snorted, slapping Weronika's side with her tail.
Only Sophia stayed silent, eyes glued not on the chocolate, but Neo's face. A blue eye slid lazily over to the dogs.
"No, you can't have this," she deadpanned, breaking off a small square and placing it delicately on her tongue. She closed her eyes and sighed as she closed her mouth, allowing the richness of the chocolate to melt and spread across every inch of her tongue…
"WERONIKA!" The mood was only slightly dampened when Weronika lunged as soon as Neo's eyes were closed. Suddenly, Neo was on the floor, one hand around Weronika's neck while the other reached for her mouth. "Give! That! Back! Bad dog!" she grunted as she wrestled with the Polish hound. The only reason Weronika wasn't able to swallow the entire bar was because as soon as Weronika struck, so did Sophia.
"NEO! NEO! NEO! NEO!" Her yelps were frantic and desperate as she jumped onto Weronika's back and bit at her ruff, struggling to gain enough balance that she could try ripping the chocolate bar free from Weronika's fangs.
"You! Dumb! Stupid! Idiot!" Weronika growled, shaking her head in attempt to free herself from Sophia's grip. Neo held on tighter as she was almost thrown, eyes still narrowed, and teeth still grit in grim determination. If anyone could've seen her now, they would've never believed it. The distant, dignified ice queen was being dragged off her own couch by her largest dog, both of them fighting over a candy bar that was currently halfway down the dog's throat. Elsie hopped daintily upon one of the other living room chairs, watching from it as if it was a perch or throne.
Fools! All of them! Her lip curled. Even her respect for Neo was starting to dip. I bitterly regret the day I thought she would be a worthy—
In one fluid motion, Neo suddenly pulled herself upright, completing the headlock on Weronika. Rather than attempting to pull the chocolate bar from Weronika's maw, Neo used her free hand to apply pressure near Weronika's molars. Then she pushed the edge of Weronika's lips over her fangs. If she tried biting down, she would only hurt herself. Then, Neo hazarded one attempt at poking Weronika's tongue closer to the back, triggering Weronika's gag reflex.
Three simple steps in one fluid motion, and the bar all but fell out of Weronika's mouth. Neo picked it up calmly, set it on the kitchen table, returned to the couch, and looked Weronika dead in the eyes. "No. Bad dog." She waggled a finger and shook a head, expression stern and eyes almost devoid of emotion. Weronika held her gaze as long as she could, but as the seconds ticked on, Neo barely even seemed to move to breath. It was unnatural, and Weronika finally gave one last growl before storming off.
Neo smirked as she collapsed back onto the couch. Maybe I'll have the rest of that chocolate later. It was far from the first time Neo had needed to wrestling something away from her largest dog, and luckily, although part of the bar had been damaged beyond repair, there were still a few squares that had remained untouched. No point in throwing away and wasting perfectly good dark chocolate.
"Oh, Neo, Neo, Neo! Are you all right? Did she hurt you?!" Sophia whimpered and licked Neo's hands and face, and despite herself, Neo smiled.
"Enough, Sophia," she said, and Sophia stopped immediately. "I am perfectly fine." As a reward for such swift obedience, Neo rested a hand on Sophia's head and Sophia's tail and hindlegs went crazy, even though she was sitting upright.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Elsie smirked to herself and hopped off of her throne to join Neo at hers.
I was mistaken. Neo is still the same as she ever was. Watching Weronika get defeated and told off in such humiliating fashion was more than enough for Elsie to decide that she wasn't embarrassed to have Neo as an owner.
"Hello, Elsie." Neo raised an eyebrow, a knowing and teasing smile on her face. "You have finally joined us."
"Oh, don't give me that!" Elsie whined softly. "Elsie doesn't do roughhousing tomfoolery like that!"
"I heard that!" Weronika moaned piteously from the next room.
"If you're willing to play nice and treat your alpha with the respect you know she deserves, and that you know how to give, you may join us as well, Weronika," Neo called out. There was another self-pitying whine-moan from the next room, so Neo only shrugged. So be it then.
Even though she was no longer in the mood for chocolate, her eyes drifted shut again and she exhaled. Her mind traveled far and wide and the next time it came back to her little home, she suddenly realized that Sophia had managed to sneak up into her arms without her noticing. As the smallest and lightest of the pack, perhaps that was how.
Neo opened one eye to look at the rat-like dog, one eyebrow raised. Sophia, though, was fast asleep, curled up happily on Neo's chest with her head just below Neo's neck, Neo's arms surrounding her on either side. Neo's blue eye drifted lazily over to Elsie, who was still watching them. Neo patted the couch and Elsie hesitated only for a moment.
"Eh, why not?" Then she hopped up as well, Neo curling her legs in so that Elsie could take the third cushion.
"Weronika?" Neo called out. At first, there was no response. Several minutes after Neo shrugged and shut her eyes again, though, Elsie heard the soft clacking of claws on wood and saw Weronika's shadow stretching through the threshold.
Neo's pack was an unusual lot, from the owner to the dogs, but as dysfunctional as they could be, they still knew enough to look after one another against a world that had otherwise left them so terribly alone. Soon, all four members of the pack were fast asleep, Neo on the couch with Sophia on her chest and Elsie at her feet and Weronika lying parallel to the couch on the floor.