#datadog

Another day in the Bebop.

(Gossip) Data Dog.

The Bebop smells like many things, sometimes it smells like freshly made food, a wonderful smell coming from the kitchen, stewed meat...baked fish, although that doesn't happen often. Most of the time it smells like precooked food, which means that my humans haven't reached their targets. It also smells like Faye's fruit shampoo and all her stuff. Spike smells like fruit shampoo, too. I suspect he steals her shampoo or likes to smell like Faye. He smells like aftershave and he smells mostly of tobacco. All my humans smoke, all except Ed of course, though I don't think she' ll wait long. Today the ship smells like my pee, I might be a super smart dog and all, but I can't go for a walk alone and there are days like today when no one remembers I exist.

I decide to bark for someone to notice me... one bark, two barks and on the third one Jet shows up, the great man, the Bebop boss with his stunning figure, his neat beard and his sparse hair... Why do humans lose hair? In dogs it's a sign of illness, but Jet is a healthy, strong, determined guy with a big heart. He looks at me with disapproval.

"Ein, boy you don't do that," he says, shaking his big head.

I look at him with my best puppy face. I bend my ears in regret and rub against him. I know he loves it.

"It's all right, little fella," he said as he scratched my ears... how I like him to do that. "It'll be our secret."

I bark with joy and he smiles, what a nice guy this Jet is even though he cares too much about bringing some order to this family chaos. Oh yes, family, they don't realize it but they are a singular family, of badly adapted people, but the destiny of the humans put them on the same path and here we are all in this filthy ship. Jet shows up with the mop and cleans up my little accident. I wag my tail with joy and listen to Ed sing as she plays with her computer.

My Ed, my favorite human on the ship and in the whole galaxy, in the whole universe, I would say. I love this girl. I get close to her and she throws herself at me, I love this girl less when she does these things. So crazy she, always smiling, carefree, she's the only one on the ship who speaks her mind, sometimes I think she's half a dog. She hugs me, I feel the warmth of her thin body. She says things that don't make sense but I understand her. I love this girl.

Faye comes down the stairs and looks at us in a funny way. Ed throws himself into her arms, I know Faye will never admit it but she's crazy about her too. Faye... my odd human, Faye with purple hair, big green eyes, hard looking, but so fragile at the same time, as if she were keeping a secret, as if she preferred to push people away before letting them come close... She uses me as a confidant, oh if only the boys knew the things she says to me... but I'm a good dog and I won't say anything.

"Ed, stop torturing the poor thing," she said, sitting on the couch smoking. She looks at us carefully and gets lost in her world again.

If she didn't eat my food she'd be perfect... but she's got this damn habit. What can you do? Once when she took me out for a walk, the street guys caressed and pampered me... I suspect more for her than for me, but you have to take advantage of everything. I jumped up and stood next to her on the sofa, I missed her because she was away for a while. I curl up next to her and smell her, cigars, coffee and fruit shampoo and... Is that the smell of Spike? I hold up my ears and look at her with curiosity. She runs her hand down my spine. I see her looking straight ahead. Spike comes down the stairs with his jacket over his shoulder, looks at the three of us one by one and frowns.

"Spike" yells Ed at the sight of him. "It's been a while."

"Ed, we met this morning, I just went out to get some cigarettes," he says, sitting in his chair.

"Ed doesn't know if Spike's going to come back every time he leaves the place," she replies, how clever the girl is, we all think the same thing. Faye laughs supporting my theory.

Spike, my savior, I'll never stop thanking him for saving me from those bad guys, even though Spike is always saving someone, he's a tough guy and all, but he doesn't fool me, he cares about everyone. With his raggedy clothes and that gangly pose. With that weird green hair that's all tangled up. I wonder if he's ever brushed it, combed it I think the humans say. Spike's a great guy, sad smile, easy always smells of gunpowder and blood, so much so that I can feel the pain of his wounds. He lives like he doesn't live, with that carefree pose, always miles away from everything, living in a world of dreams

I see him look at Faye when she gets up, sometimes I feel like biting him and telling him to kiss the girl, man, don' t be an idiot. But I'm just a smart dog, not a talking dog. I smell the pheromones that those two are spewing all over the Bebop. He gets up and after scratching my ears, (today it seems they're all cuddly with me) he goes after Faye...kiss her dude.

I go out after him and I stay and spy... it's so fun to spy on those two... What's it going to be today? Fighting? Tender moment? I just have to wait and see...

"Faye, are you feeling better?" Spike asks, scratching the back of his neck casually, Fine! It' s a tender moment.

"Yes" she says as she plays with her hands without looking at his face.

Wait a minute, something happened here that I missed. Since when do they act like teenagers?

"I'm going to take a shower," she says.

"Okay," he says.

Spike turns around and goes back to the couch. If I get a shot then I don't bleed. What the hell was that? If a dog could have a face of shock, I' d have it right now. I get up on the couch and jump up next to Spike. He looks at me and raises an eyebrow.

"What is it, Ein?" He says. "Are you hungry?"