( 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

[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?

[partiallysquirrelblood]

Squirrel communication. And having all the proportional abilities of a squirrel. Also?
Both The powers of dual American/Canadian citizenship and the powers of a Comp-Sci student, but those aren't really relevant.

[alfa]

I see.

[ He grins faintly. ] So— you can climb trees and break really tough nuts with your teeth. All the while being very polite about it, I assume. [ Because Canadian. ]

[partiallysquirrelblood]

Sort of. It's proportional, so I can lift heavy objects multiple times my size and weight, run extremely fast and jump pretty dang high, and chew through solid steel. All the while being very polite about it.

[Because something has to offset the fact that she's actually kind of terrifying.]

[alfa]

Uh— okay, then. [ He stares like he's not entirely sure whether to believe that. But in this place, who the hell even knows. ]

Those are some handy skills. Can't say I've ever met anyone who can do those things. Not before coming here, anyway.

[partiallysquirrelblood]

[The squirrels seem less than interested in Doreen and Owen's conversation, something she picks up on. She waves them off.]

You guys can go back to what you were doing. I'll talk to you later.

[They scatter off, rushing back to their trees. The only one that remains is Tippy-Toe.}

Alternate universes. It happens. I'm Doreenm by the way. And this is Tippy-Toe.

[alfa]

[ Once the squirrels leave, Owen finally approaches, nodding at her. ]

Owen. [ He's not much of a handshake sort of guy, so he skips on that. ] I'm afraid I don't have any abilities as impressive as you— but we did have dinosaurs, in my world.

[partiallysquirrelblood]

Oh, we have those too. There's actually a nature preserve called the Savage Land in Antarctica. Kind of a long story? It mostly involves prehistoric alien technology.

[alfa]

Really? [ His eyebrows raise, but he looks visibly pleased. ] Oh, finally. I was starting to think I was going crazy. Literally everyone in my world knows about dinosaurs being alive— but here everyone's surprised when I bring it up.