Sallie & Raguel's hot date

[un_fallen]

"I have to say, I'm glad that you chose the zoo," Raguel says enthusiastically, piloting the battered pickup along a climbing, winding road toward Griffith Park. "I spend as much time as I can in this area, but I don't get to wander that part of it much."

Once they enter the park, the road takes them through an area that has clearly been devastated by fire, now with signs of new growth here and there as the greenery starts to come back. Around and around goes the road, Raguel taking turns confidently enough but with no apparent reasoning. He points out landmarks as they go, some more recognizable through the devastation than others.

"There was a fire here last year," he says by way of explanation. "A few of these roads are still closed, but I think it's worth the detours to come this way instead of the freeway."

He glances over at her hopefully. Though at this point he should be mostly hopeful that she's not about to be sick.

Comments

[realmrsreynolds]

Focusing on the pickup truck as they travel to the zoo is comforting to Sallie. It's easier to focus on than the alien asphault (though she's seen such things before) and the endless amounts of cars (and she's never seen so many of those).

And the winding turns?

"It's shuai, in its way," Sallie affirms. "Shadow is...flat. Not like this at all."

[un_fallen]

He has to think to figure out what shuai means, but eventually he comes up with it and grins briefly.

"Flat - like, the whole planet? Must get kinda dull after a while. Least I have this and the desert on either side. The ocean, too, if I go far enough."

The truck hits a large-ish pothole, and they both bounce around a little before it settles.

[realmrsreynolds]

"Shadow's supposed to be as close to Earth-th...Earth, that you can get in my where and when."

For a second, Sallie almost thinks to ask why Raguel couldn't come visit. She doesn't voice the question.

"There's an ocean, sure. Two moons, even -- makes the tides funny."

[un_fallen]

"We have one that makes them funny enough," he says eagerly, "but two. I can't imagine. You must have some surfers with death wishes." He laughs.

"I don't know what they're trying to pass off to you all, but there are mountains and plains alike here, and that's only this little part of the world. It sounds like things are more spread out where you come from."

He turns into an area that looks a little more populated. There are 'Zoo' signs here, and all the cars and buses seem to have children inside.

[realmrsreynolds]

"...And spread out would be the exact opposite of all o' this, I think. It's been awhile since I've seen this many folk together who weren't trying to trade for something."

The pickup gets parked, and Sallie waits until Raguel steps out of the truck to figure out how the lock works, and then follows.

"Must be fair popular."

[un_fallen]

"It is, yeah. But this isn't even their busiest time," he says. "I think we'll find a way to see everything we came to see, though."

Raguel produces tickets from somewhere as they approach the entrance: a wide gate with banners and a huge sign proclaiming that this is the LOS ANGELES ZOO.

[realmrsreynolds]

"What, exactly, are we coming to see? In particular, I mean."

Sallie stares up at the sign, possibly expecting it to grow wings.

"Beyond horse, cows, and squirrels, I think most anything'll be a surprise."

[un_fallen]

"Oh, they've got a pretty good collection here," he says as they pass through the gate. "Uh. Tigers and reptiles. Um. Penguins, maybe? Oh, here we go, he adds in relief, grabbing a publicity flyer with a map from a stack just inside the entrance.

"Elephants and camels and kangaroos and lions. Lots of birds. No penguins listed, sorry. Dragons, but I didn't think they were shown in public." He shrugs and hands her the flyer.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie takes the flyer, but doesn't look down, not at all.






"Did you just say dragons. Like. Dragons, dragons."

[un_fallen]

"Well, yeah, but. I don't know, it might be the smaller kind," he says uncertainly. "That's what it said. We can go see, if you want?"

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie nods, fervently.

"Do you know what dragons are, to the myths o' my where and when?" the woman asks, following Raguel through the beginnings of pathways, passing animals she doesn't quite take the time to look at yet.

Continuing, "Water 'n rain and such. Even on the churches sometimes you'll find dragons for luck and protection."

[un_fallen]

"Yeah?" he says vaguely as they go past an aviary full of squawks and whistles. He thinks he detects the hoot of an owl in all the chirping, and grimaces as they hurry past.

"On churches. Do they get to be some kind of sacred animal? I've seen some with doves on the windows. And then lions, snakes, that sort of thing."

They turn into a small circle with low buildings on all sides; two housing marsupials, one spiders, and one advertising Komodo dragons.

"Doesn't really look big enough," Raguel says doubtfully.

[realmrsreynolds]

"Not necessarily sacred, on churches, anyhow."

After eyeing the building, and wondering what the hell Komodo meant, Sallie looks to Raguel, attempting to sound hopeful.

"...maybe they're babies?"

[un_fallen]

"Maybe," he says, still sounding uncertain. "And when they're bigger they give them to the wranglers? We can check, anyway."

They duck into the building, narrowly avoiding a schoolteacher and a pack of fourth-graders.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie walks up to the first enclosure, and there's a textbook specimen relaxing on a large (artificial-looking) log, and Sallie tilts her head to match the tilt of the reptile's, staring back.

"Kind of looks like Malcolm, doesn't 'e?"

[un_fallen]

Raguel is frowning in confusion at the creature, but laughs aloud at this.

"I don't think we should repeat that where he can hear. Or at least I shouldn't. Think I see what you mean, though. Something about that stubborn look."

[realmrsreynolds]

"And the scales." Beat. "Joking! Promise. C'mon."

They exit the house again, staring at the remaining choices.

"I'm thinking on skipping the spiders, if you don't mind overmuch."

[un_fallen]

Raguel glances at the building labeled HOUSE OF SPIDERS warily. There are a lot of children going in, talking with a lot of gesturing about how cool this will be, and an equal amount coming out looking alternately awed and shaken.

"Yeah, I'm not really stuck on that one. How about the marsupials? You remember kangaroos?"

[realmrsreynolds]

"That I do -- lil' furry things, hopping and what not. I approve."

Old ladies are generally predictable, in the fight between furry creatures and...well, theoretically spiders can have something like fur, but Sallie doesn't equate the two by any stretch of the imagination.

[un_fallen]

"After you, then," Raguel says, grinning. They stroll into the building and blink around at the animal enclosures. A couple of kangaroos are visible already, one scratching its belly, unconcerned.

Farther over, there are also a few koala bears visible. Raguel stares at them.

[realmrsreynolds]

The kangaroo might be unconcerned with Sallie, but Sallie is staring quite intently at it, leaning on a post of the barrier between them.

"How neat. Like bein' born with aprons on."

[un_fallen]

"Yeah," he says, still distracted. "Think it's only the females that have them; gotta be convenient, though. Look at those, asleep!"

He gestures to three or four visible koala bears, most of them asleep in the trees.

[realmrsreynolds]

"Only the female humans with the aprons too, in my experience," Sallie jokes.

Sallie 'oooh's appropriately, then asks, "What's a capture look like, here? I didn't want to bring one from home..."

[un_fallen]

Raguel blinks away long enough to look confused.

"A capture? How do you mean?"

Something over there smells really good.

[realmrsreynolds]

"Um. Lord, how do you explain a capture?" There really needs to be an official introduction to Earth-that-Was written down someplace. "A machine, that captures images, so's to have them saved for later?"