( open ) give me land, lots of land under starry skies above

[alfa]

who: Owen Grady & YOU!
what: a general catch-all for the month of August, including a zoo prompt and fun times beyond the walls, among other things
when: August
where: various places, in the Quarantine + beyond the walls
warnings: nudity and sexual content in one thread


I ▹ THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT

[ Having vast experience with dealing with some of the deadliest (if supposedly extinct) animals who walked the Earth has proven to be pretty helpful at his new job. Most of the animals at the zoo are pretty tame by comparison, but still Owen's not so stupid that he'll underestimate any of them— even the supposedly friendlier and more harmless ones.

He gets to work with various animals here, so it'll be easy to run into him doing a myriad of tasks, whether it's mucking up enclosures or feeding animals. He has a little more in-depth interaction with some of the animals, such as the ostrich-looking birds, tall and bulky, with long strong legs that could probably kill a guy with a well-aimed kick. Or at least break a lot of bones.

They don't seem intent on attacking Owen, but seem to be very interested in the bag of treats he's carrying, following him around the enclosure and trying to poke their big beaks into the bag. Owen doesn't seem particularly scared, swatting a hand at their heads as he pulls the bag away. ] Hey! Don't be an asshole. There's plenty for everyone.

[ Or, for a more exciting experience, come by the reptile area and see him attempting to help the alligators as they suffer through the intense heat during hotter days. He's pretty sweaty himself, shirt sticking to his back and all, but he doesn't seem to be too worried about that. The alligators barely seem interested in moving, but Owen tries to goad them into eating some meat, throwing large pieces at them, hosing them down with cool water even as they lay down in the shade. Big jaws there, and big teeth too, but Owen isn't overly concerned even when they open their mouths in his general direction. It's too hot, and he'd put up too much of a fight. Not worth the trouble. ]

II ▹ MAN IN THE WILDERNESS

[ Other than the zoo, it's beyond the walls that Owen spends most of his time. He likes it out here a lot, despite the various warnings of the dangers. He's taken Loki's offer a number of times and has been spending some nights at his cavern near a creek, which is where he goes to bathe. He might be in the wild but that's no excuse to stink up the place.

But other than that, he spends a lot of time exploring the forest, walking along the river, climbing up trees here and there to get a better view. He's excited to meet any wild creature out here, whether or not they're supposedly dangerous, and he also trudges through the forest collecting various small lizards, all perched up on his shoulders or tucked into his pockets. He's making friends, okay. ]

III ▹ WILDCARD

[ Despite enjoying the wilderness most of all, he doesn't turn into a complete hermit either. He can be found around the Quarantine often, whether he's looking for supplies for camping or for the animals at the zoo, or a place to have a nice cold drink. He also needs some new clothes so he'll be looking into that— light and comfortable pieces he can wear while out in the wild, preferably.

He also still has his room in communal housing, and he stays there sometimes too, so he's not exactly a complete stranger to the other residents there, nor is he the unsociable and unfriendly type. He likes having his own space, but he also enjoys good company at times. ]

Comments

[ iii ]

[honeybadgerer]

[ gabby missed her wolverine. it's rude that they brought her here without jonathan or laura or anything. and honestly, it was uncomfortable. gabby wasn't used to being on her own. she always had someone. laura's here but it's a laura she doesn't know and younger.

it's not the kind of responsibility she's ready for.

once gabby's at the zoo, she tugs on owen's shirt to get his attention. ]

Where do you keep the wolverines?

[alfa]

The wolverines? [ Owen's eyebrows raise. What an odd animal to choose, but he's amused more so than anything. ] We have a couple, actually. Well, they might not be exactly like the wolverines you know.

[ Some animals end up being a little different, being on a distant moon and all. Still, a lot of them come from some version of Earth, so they're not too far off. ]

Come with me, I'll show you.

[honeybadgerer]

[ gabby lights up, pleased. ]

Thanks. I'm kind of homesick for my wolverine.

[alfa]

[ Whoa hold up right there. Owen nearly does a double take. ]

You have a pet wolverine. [ Is 'pet' even the right word?? ]

III

[partiallysquirrelblood]

[There are squirrels outside the communal housing. There are always squirrels outside the communal housing, but they don't usually gather in large groups around people. There's a very sizeable scurry of squirrels, broken up by a few Pachirisu and Emolga, hanging around a girl with squirrel tail of her own. She seems to be chittering back and forth with them as if she's capable of understanding them and speaking in their language.]

[alfa]

[ That is indeed a lot of squirrels, particularly for such a crowded area. That alone isn't what catches Owen's attention the most, though. He makes his way over when he realizes that the girl they're gathering around, sporting a tail herself, seems to be able to talk to them. ]

Chatty bunch, are they? [ Crossing his arms and tilting his head, but not getting any closer for now. Wouldn't want to scare away her little friends.]

[partiallysquirrelblood]

[The squirrels hesitate. They're curious about this human that talks like them, but the other human could be a threat. Doreen calms them down, telling them that she'll punch the newcomer if he tries to hurt them.]

They're curious about me and Tippy-Toe. [She points to the squirrel in the pink bow that's riding on her shoulder.] Can't really blame them. Most of the squirrels in New York are used to my whole thing, but these guys aren't.

[alfa]

[ That's why Owen keeps his distance, and stays right where he is. He knows more than enough about animals to know what kinds of behaviours would scare them off, and he doesn't want to send her new friends running away. ]

That so? And what's your... thing, exactly?

ii

[backwaterbelle]

[Being from a small town in the backwaters of Mississippi, Rogue appreciates the wilderness for its beauty as well as its solace, both of which she's in dire need of lately. It's taken some internal coaxing, but she's left a mountain of food for the cats back at the apartment, packed a backpack of simple supplies, and set off to simply get away from it all for a few days.

The clean, crisp air and scenery eases her bitter ire somewhat, but it's the physical hike broken up by delightfully dispatching monsters that's helping siphon off a large chunk of her built up negative energy. By the time she approaches the crisp waters of a creek she's familiar with, she's tired and sweaty enough that she simply tosses her pack to the side and starts peeling off layers, boots and utility belt first, but next come her gloves, sturdy leggings, and dark green, long-sleeved athletic shirt.

Shaking her hair down from a messy bun, she plans to wash them after taking a bit of a relaxing dip in a deeper section of the creek.]

[alfa]

[ Owen's gotten used to being out here on his own, not another soul in sight. It's probably why he hasn't been nearly as careful as he should be, as of late. Case in point: he's totally naked in the deeper part of the stream, clothes, knives and a tranq gun all in a pile half-hidden behind a rock. Too far away for them to be of any actual use if any dangerous wild animal decided to join him for a swim.

At the moment, he's actually completely submersed, and not particularly easy to spot with the water moving and rushing past. He doesn't see her either— that is, not until he pushes up and breaks the surface, then wipes a hand over his eyes and startles visibly, letting out an alarmed sound as he somehow manages not to slip up on the rock at the bottom of the stream. ]

Jesus Christ, you scared the hell out of me! [ But okay, now he's kind of relieved. Also apparently not bothering to cover himself up. Look, at least the water level goes all the way up to his navel?? ]

[backwaterbelle]

[The water's cool and refreshing against her salty, sun and exercise heated skin, and she sighs with relief as she splashes some up onto her torso and face. His form remains hidden between the movement of the water and the patches of sunlight that have managed to slip through the trees. Even though she believes herself alone, she takes a moment to scan her surroundings one last time, entirely missing his gear and clothing tucked away.

Relaxing entirely, she crosses her arms in front of her and hooks her fingers beneath the sports bra, tugging it easily over her head with a smile, the breeze cooling the patches of sweat and spring water clinging to her bare skin.

It's as she's submerging the bra in the water that he abruptly exits, and of all the things she might have expected to explode out of a creek in these woods, a naked hunk of man's not one of them. She herself lets out a startled noise, smoothly moving into a fighting stance until she realizes that she's entirely topless. One arm across the girls then.]

You're one to talk. Poppin' out of the water like a... [She waves her free, wet bra toting hand at his general location as her brain tries to work. Oh lord he's naked too. Probably had the same idea as she did.] A damn gator or somethin'.

[alfa]

[ He takes a few seconds to calm himself down again, then the circumstances of their meeting dawn on him. Not that he's embarrassed, that much is likely obvious given that he doesn't even bother moving to a deeper part of the creek, nor does he cover himself up between his legs. If she looks, she gets a really nice view of his wet bare arms and chest, and a trail of hair that goes all the way down to his navel and still shows a little past the line of water and down to the base of his—

Yes, well. You get the idea. Point is, it's all there and he's not covering it up. Unlike her, which honestly is a shame. He thinks. He wasn't ogling before, but what glimpse he caught of her breasts? Really nice content. Wouldn't have minded to admire said content for a little longer. ]

I thought I was alone. [ An eyebrow raises as she waves her bra at him, lips curling into an amused smile. ] You're not gonna smack me in the face with that, are you?

I ▹ THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT

[whosthemonsternow]

[South is...roaming. Her regular guard shift is over and she's pretty bored just sitting around. She hasn't checked out the zoo, regardless that she's been here for almost a year now. She didn't even honestly know there was a zoo until they had a missing kid who was found nearby. So she finds her way there, curious what creatures they kept alive.

She's captured many kinds, ones that were said she couldn't kill, ones she's pretty sure are probably dangerous and should be away from people- but she's not the boss, she just points and shoots. Sometimes, those are dart guns instead of real bullets, followed by hauling huge beasts into crates to go off to god knows where.

Here sometimes, apparently. She's pretty sure she's seen some of these guys when out, probably took out some of their group, might've even darted them and let them get sent here. It's...interesting. To give it a word. Weird, but she never really went to zoos before. Maybe as a kid but that was a lifetime ago now.

She hears a voice and follows, curious to see who works around the beasts. She peers in to see the man, see him swat away at them as he holds a bag. Treats? Not food exactly, if he's handing them out like that candy. She cocks her head, looking the creatures over curiously and letting out a chuckle. "You training these things?"

[alfa]

South's not alone in finding this amusing. Kids seem to love watching him interact with the large birds, even the parents have a good chuckle at his expense. He doesn't mind, honestly. They're complex and potentially dangerous creatures, but they also do look pretty silly, so he gets that.

He glances over at the chuckle before anything else, lips curling into a crooked grin. "Well, I'm trying to," he shrugs, offering up a few mover of the treats over his shoulder, a couple of the birds eating out of his hand. "Building a relationship, first of all. It's a tough crowd."

[whosthemonsternow]

"Yea, I know. Been on the shooting side of that crowd usually. It's...weird to see them not eating your face off your body." She eyes the creatures, but they seem pretty docile right now. With him at least. "You a beast whisperer or something?"

[alfa]

He stares blankly at her for just a second. "Thanks. I'll try not to think of that possibility too hard."

Just, you know, it'd be nice if the animals he's around for a good portion of his day didn't decide to claw his skin off. Not that he's not used to living with that possibility, but still. "Never been called that before," he tilts his head. "If you wanna look at it that way. I was a raptor behaviorist back in my world. It can be extrapolated to other animals— it's been working with these guys, so far."

I

[enveloped]

Excuse me? Hello.

[A tall man with sunglasses leans over the reptile exhibit railing, watching the show. It's interesting. He's seen intimate care of lions, elephants, monkeys, even snakes, there are many places in the world (on Earth, he has to keep reminding himself) people co-exist with animals, but never alligators. Not unless you count that little farm in front of the House of Blues in North Carolina, but given that was the first and only time he tried fried gator, Cam's fairly certain they were food, and not friends.

This is like an alligator daycare, if alligators were lazy, grumpy, heat-stricken toddlers, which he's starting to think they might be. They're almost cute. For cold-blooded man-eating predators.]

Could I throw them a piece? If it's not too much trouble.

[So maybe that privilege is usually reserved for small children, and less carnivorous animals, but no one's around to judge/tattle/whine. Adults are allowed to have fun too.]

I promise I won't tell.

[alfa]

[ Owen looks up when addressed, nodding in acknowledgment. It's a hot sunny day, and he's debated more than once the pros and cons of using that hose on himself too. He feels a little sticky and maybe not in the best mood for chatting, but— the guy's actually pretty polite.

He chuckles, eyeing the gator closest to him again. ]

That's one weird as hell request, man.

[ He looks down at the bucket full of raw meat. Shit, why not? turning off the hose, he goes over to the bridge going over the enclosure where the man is, unceremoniously climbing all the way up until he's next to him. ]

You better not tell. I'd rather not get sacked during my first month.

[ Holding the bucket up at him. Have at it. ]

[enveloped]

It can't be that weird. You're doing it.

[Cam won't complain if Owen wants to hose himself down, even if that's an altogether different show than the one he paid for. If wet, muscular men are a common feature at this zoo he'll have to buy himself a season's pass.]

Trust me. I can keep a secret.

[A smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, his own private joke. Cam could take down a country, make that several countries, with just a fraction of the dirt he's collected over the years. If he were so inclined.

Lucky for Owen (and world peace), Cam's very discreet.

He rolls up the sleeves of his shirt and dips a hand into the bucket, grabbing a handful of meat and throwing it underhand into the enclosure. It lands in the water with a splash. Not far enough. He grabs another piece and throws it overhand. Hitting an alligator right between the eyes. Too far.

Thankfully, the gator doesn't seem to mind. He gobbles the meat up nonetheless.]

He or she seems relaxed.

[Now that Cam's got the hang of it, he's distributing more meaty goodness to the other hungry gators like some kind of carnivorous Oprah.]

ii;

[wiccant]

( the city's nice, but every once in a while, it's--nice to get out a little. check out the forest, search for new things, mess around a bit. the galaxy-covered spandex doesn't help him blend in any but it's--not as if he stops to think about that, either.

which is where he finds owen, turning around a rather large tree to find some dude covered in tiny lizards. both hands raise palms up to show he's not some weird jungle-threat (honestly, billy wouldn't be surprised to find human-shaped monsters out here) as lips twist into a smile. )

Starting your own clan of lizard-folk out here?

[alfa]

[ City's nice but it can't beat the great outdoors. Owen vastly prefers it out here, he has to admit. He's gotten used to not having people around much, over the past few years. Even back at the park, he spent little time with other people, and enjoyed his time off on his own by the trailer, or sticking to the raptor paddock.

No dinosaurs out here, but he has seen a couple creatures that come close. He's still studying the best way to approach them, but until then? Collecting lizards seems to be the way to go. ]

They like me, what can I say? [ He shrugs, not particularly startled by the sudden appearance. ] Thinking of starting a clan of your own, out here?

[wiccant]

Not really. I've already got a huge clan to contain back in the city. They're a big enough pain as it is without me adding more to it. ( full of stinky boys and talking mice and. . squirrels. so many squirrels, now. hands lower as soon as it's obvious owen isn't startled. you never know with people here. ) I was more out here looking for adventures. New things.

( but his attention shifts back to those tiny lizard bros. )

Have you given them names yet?

i. because alligators

[mistyday]

[Now here's a sight you don't see every day, at the zoo or otherwise: a young boho-looking woman humming to herself and carrying a little baby alligator on her shoulder. The alligator seems perfectly content to perch there with its head tilted up to catch the sun's rays. They check out a few of the other animals together, but for the most part they are headed straight for the reptile exhibits. It seems only proper that the little one should get to spend some time with her own kind every now and then, after all.

The woman stops at the alligator exhibit and settles her friend on the railing so she can see better too.]

See, Rhiannon? You're gonna grow up to be big and strong like them!

[Improbably, the gator seems to respond to her, letting out a tiny series of grunts before nuzzling at her hand.]

alligators are always quality content

[alfa]

[ Usually, Owen would find that a very weird image. He might've even wondered if she was crazy and had kidnapped a baby alligator from the zoo. However, so far he's met one young woman who could talk to squirrels, a god(dess??) who has a huge snake, and a girl that apparently kept a wolverine as a pet back home. Also, he had raptors. So honestly, at this point he'll believe almost anything.

Women around here sure love their wild animals, though. He kinda digs it. ]

Might be tough carrying her around on your shoulder by then, [ He points out with a smile, looking up at her. ]

[mistyday]

Yeah by then she'll have to carry me instead!

[Rhiannon makes what sounds like a grumble of disapproval at that.]