( 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]

Wow. Never even heard of those. [ He doesn't think??? Maybe there are comic books, maybe there aren't. Let's just leave that wall intact the way it is. ] We don't have any— superheroes. We have dinosaurs and that's about it.

[ Somehow that doesn't sound as cool, right now. ]

[honeybadgerer]

[ gabby claps her hands together. ]

Dinosaurs are cool! I think there's a place in the North Pole that's got lots of dinosaurs.

[alfa]

Yeah? [ Owen's eyebrows rise. ] Real, living dinosaurs too? That's pretty cool.

We had a park on an island, once. Few years back. I worked with the raptors.

[honeybadgerer]

Yeah, I think it's like. A special place for dinosaurs. Or something. I don't know, I've never been there.

But raptors are cool! Did you train them?

[alfa]

You're probably better off. [ Or the dinosaurs are, maybe. Owen still thinks that humans were the main issue with Jurassic World, and the way it all went down in the end. ]

Well, I tried. Some days were better than others. [ He shrugs. ] We didn't do so bad, I think. They were incredibly smart.

[honeybadgerer]

[ that and infrastructure. ]

What could they do?

[ she makes the scary dinosaur face / expression ]

Did they just eat scarily?

[alfa]

[ Yep. That wall sure worked wonderfully, GOOD JOB. ]

They ate quickly. [ He chuckles. ] They could fetch, and track certain things or people given the proper incentive. They also— were capable of attacking on command, though that wasn't what I was working with them for.

[ Even if that's what most people above him wanted to get from that program. ]

[honeybadgerer]

Oh, they were like me! Except without the dino part.

[ she seems thrilled to have things in common with dinosaurs. and she's not wrong. ]

[alfa]

Kind of, yeah. They looked scarier, though.

[ Her appearance likely works in her favor sometimes. His raptors haven't looked cute since they were a foot tall. ]

[honeybadgerer]

[ scandalous! ]

I can be scary!

[alfa]

Oh, I'm sure you can be! [ He is VERY serious and definitely not asking for a demonstration, just for the record. ] I'm just saying, you don't look scary at a first glance. That can be a good thing, though.

[honeybadgerer]

I guess that is kinda the point.

[ but she still feels DISRESPECTED. ]

[alfa]

[ He definitely didn't mean it in a bad way, whoops. ]

Sometimes it's a good thing when people underestimate you. Gives you an advantage.

[honeybadgerer]

That makes sense.

Just remember, I can be scary too!

[alfa]

Trust me, I won't forget. [ He chuckles, although he does mean that seriously. He wouldn't underestimate her, not when he now knows what he does about her. ]

[honeybadgerer]

[ honestly, it wouldn't hurt. gabby may have all the training but she has no spine for anything hard core. ]

Probably for the best.

[alfa]

I'm Owen, by the way. [ Since he didn't actually introduce himself. ] You know, if you like it here, we have a volunteering program, for all ages. You might be able to get closer to some of the animals here.

[honeybadgerer]

I'm Gabby!

And I would love that! I'm great with animals!

[alfa]

Guess we'll see about that.

[ But he has a good feeling about it. They don't have a lot of volunteers as young as her, but there's no rule against it either. Besides, it's good incentive. He thinks. ]

You can find me near the reptile section once you're done looking around the park, and we'll sign you up. [ Or she can come with him now, he just figures she might want to watch the wolverines a little longer. ]

[honeybadgerer]

Sure.

[ she leans over the fence with a smile, watching the wolverines. ]

Hey, maybe soon you'll get to meet my wolverine!

[alfa]

Yeah, maybe I will. [ It it shows up here somehow, he guesses?? He shoots her a mock salute, smiling. ] Have fun. I'll see you in a bit.

[honeybadgerer]

[ gabby waves back. ]

Absolutely!