capeandcowllogs | (no subject)

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(no subject)

WHO: Kenzi and Gil
WHERE: The Zoo
WHEN: 8/10; Morning/Afternoon
WARNINGS: Kenzi's mouth? Gil freaking out over very big cats?
SUMMARY: Kenzi told Gil she was going to take him to the zoo...so they're going.
FORMAT: Quick

[It's nine in the morning and Kenzi...is running a little late. She gets up early enough, early for her anyway, and gets ready to go. Dresses in a light dress and somewhat sensible, as Kenzi doesn't really do a shoe below a three inch heel, shoes; she's even wearing sunglasses and some sunhat that goes along with her dress like Gil said she should. Her bag has sunscreen, which she's already slathered on, and some water in it for the day. One last check to make sure she had everything that would be needed and she's out the door.

The trip doesn't take long but traffic and everything else keeps her.

At the entrance she catches sight of Gil quickly enough, he really does stand out in a crowd, and rushes over.]

Sorry I'm a little late.

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Not quite as amazing as getting to hug or pet one. [Even if said wolf is really just a shifter.

She shrugs.] It's fine. I just miss home and kind of wanted to see a reminder. [She looks up at him with a little smile.] We can't always get what we want though.

As long as it's Dyson and not a real wolf. [ Otherwise it's dangerous.

He turns his head to look at her now, a small smile on his face, but strangely apologetic. ] Still, it would have been nice.

[ He understands her feelings; sometimes, he goes looking for a piece of home in this strange era. He hasn't found it outside of classical music and even then, it's not the same. It's too clearly a copy. Never authentic. ]

Maybe at another zoo?

[She gives a little laugh as she stands, reaching for his hand once she's by his side again.] Yeah, maybe. But that's a bit more travel that I feel like doing.

[She looks back toward the wolves before turning toward back toward the ramp that leads up.] So do you like birds? We're near the bird house.

Ah... [ Again, it's a strange feeling that overtakes him when she holds his hand. He's used to Oz and the others from home occasionally doing that, even if it's just as jarring. Physical contact is still new and somewhat frightening for him.

Should he say something? He merely nods and keeps up with her, trying not to stare at their hands. ]

Birds are alright. They can be noisy, but I find in the City you don't hear them as much.

[She gives his hand a little squeeze before leading him toward the birds.] I remember going to the zoo when I was little and never really wanted to leave the birds. They were noisy, yeah, but it was also kind of peaceful. And there's so many different types of birds in there.

[ A lump snags in his throat and it burns again. ]

Noisy and... peaceful? [ That's an oxymoron and it makes no sense. But he can hardly focus on that for long with them holding hands. In public.

Oh no, what if someone sees them? He's already running into someone he knows and that sets him on the edge of panic. He doesn't want people thinking improper things about them. ]

Um, what kind of birds...?

Well, y'know how sometimes it's really noisy but you can still tune it out and just relax? It's like that.

[Kenzi's mind isn't even on holding hands with him since it's something she does with a lot of people. Of course, in the case of the zoo, it's mostly to make sure they don't end up separated.]

Tropical mostly. The really colorful kinds that can learn to talk.

[ He's half tempted to pull away, but he doesn't want to do it so suddenly, afraid he'll upset her. ]

Talk? How is that possible?

[ Okay, he has to admit he's intrigued by such a thing. ]

[She wouldn't be upset, just a little confused.]

I'm not sure of the mechanics but some birds can learn to mimic human sounds. Some are even smart enough to figure out what words mean and how to respond and even how to string them together so they can have a small conversation with you. It's really neat! [Having a bird that could talk is really the only reason she could see for owning one.]

[ He's not sure if that's useful or creepy. A mix of both, he concludes.

Raven's "spoken" to him before, but it wasn't exactly a friendly conversation nor had it been a pleasant experience, as desperate as he was to contract with the Chain.

He looks upwards to see the sign indicating they're entering the avian section of the zoo. Cartoon birds are depicted on the sign, looking silly and overly friendly. ]

Not like those pigeons that are all over the City. [ They just coo a lot. He doesn't think he's ever heard them mimic human sounds before. ]

[Kenzi snorts at the cartoon birds; they looks ridiculous.]

Naw, nothing like the pigeons. For once these birds have a lot more color.

[As if to demonstrate her point a peacock stops in their path and lets out a squawk. Okay, it's not one of the talking birds but it's still very colourful.]

More -- huh?!

[ He nearly stumbles when he notices the peacock crossing their path. His hand pulls away from Kenzi's unnoticed and he stares at the strangely coloured bird. ]

What is that?

[ He's never seen a bird like that. His eyes trail to its tail, which is suddenly lifting? What is it it --

The peacock's feathers spread and it continues its strut, undisturbed by all the humans wandering closer to it to get pictures and its attention. ]

[Kenzi can't help but laugh as Gil's reaction. She figures she should have warned him about the peacocks but too late now.]

It's a male peacock. [She watches the bird continue on his way for a few moment before turning back to Gil.]

The birds I was walking about aren't quite like that.

[ He's still following the peacock with his eyes, amazed by how calm the bird is and how it walks past everyone who are trying to get photos and kids trying to get close enough to touch it. ]

Aren't the handlers worried it'll fly away?

Naw, they probably clip the wings so it can't fly.

[Once the peacock is out of sight she turns and starts toward the avian building.]

Clip? [ He can't see anything out of the normal, but his attention strays when Kenzi heads toward the building and he turns to follow. ]

Yeah, they shorten some of the feathers on the wings so the birds can't fly.

[The build temperature controlled and has automatic doors on it. So the moment they reach the doors they open and the sounds of the birds and running water within filter out to them.]

[ That seems needlessly cruel from his perspective. So these birds are trapped in the zoo, unable to ever fly again.

A bit like them, he realizes. The City, or this world the birdcage and Lachesis the keeper with them as the birds stuck within it.

It's a lot cooler in this building, so he can't help a light shudder as they venture further to the displays with the birds. He can hear a lot of squawking already and other chirping, some much softer than others. ]

Noisy...

[ Although he doesn't sound annoyed at all. He's lost in thought, even as they get closer to some of the prettier birds that are flapping about from branch to branch in the enclosure. ]

[The building isn't all cages. There's practically a little garden between them, trees and various other plants set around a little indoor river with benches here and there. If not for the birds it'd be an incredibly peaceful place.

Kenzi makes an amused sound as she looks up at Gil.] Yeah.

[She doesn't make the parallel between the birds and the imPorts. Clipping the birds wings is necessary to keep them from getting hurt. Plus peacocks are notorious for having lots of babies and would certainly take over the city in no time if allowed to roam completely free.]

[ It's nice scenery he looks up to when he finally snaps out of his thoughts. He's surprised by how clean it is especially, but with so many people visiting everyday it only makes sense. ]

I've never seen such colours before.

[ He points to the parrots in particular, vibrant hues of red and blue all over the place. ]

[Kenzi skips over to one of the benches and settles down with a twirl, her dresses skirt fluttering as she moves. She takes her hat off and sets it aside before digging around in her bag for a bottle of water.]

They're gorgeous aren't they? Most of them live in rainforests.

Rain forests? [ He shakes his head, unfamiliar with the term or location. ] There's a lot of this world I haven't heard of or seen yet.

I think they're, like, mostly in South America. They're like forests we know of only the trees are different. [She looks around them, most of the trees appear to be tropical trees.] Well, they look like the trees around us. And it rains a lot, so that's how they get their name.

[She takes a drink of water.] Some people also call them jungles.

[ He gazes back at the trees. They're definitely not any kind of tree he's seen before. ]

Oh. [ It sounds too hot, sticky, and dirty in that place. He doesn't think he would like to visit it ever. The humidity would ruin his hair. ] So they bring these birds from these jungles.

[ The animals don't seem miserable, at least. With so many handlers and people in and out of this place, they probably get all the attention and care they need.

It's not like the freak show he and Vincent were sold to back in Sablier one hundred years ago. ]

Yup. Some of the birds were probably actually born in this zoo or other zoos rather then directly from the wild. Actually, that's probably the case with more than just the birds.

[She takes another drink of water.] Some people keep birds like these as pets. [Although the same can be said about a lot of the animals in the zoo. But the birds are probably one of the safer animals to own.]