open

[heavyhead]

who: Noctis and open
what: various open prompts including baby animals at the petting zoo
when: throughout May??
where: the zoo, other miscellaneous places
warnings: nothing

A. zoo/this is technically 2 prompts

[For someone who's only ever held down one job (and not for long), Noctis is doing pretty well at this petting zoo attendant thing. He gets to sit around and pet cute animals for most of his shifts? What's not to love? It almost makes up for having to clean up after them at the end of the day.

He has zero complaints about the uniform, complete with nametag, either. Actually this is probably the best part of this job.

What's not so great is how many people he has to talk to and supposedly educate, because damn, he is not great at that. The little kids are easily entertained enough, aside from the precocious ones who keep trying to correct his Animal Facts(tm), but it's a lot harder to remember everything he has to say about the various animals in the petting zoo area when there are actual adults around... He has petting zoo stage fright.

But he tries. Mostly, to varying degrees.

If you come by the petting zoo in the morning, when he's giving it his best shot, you'll probably catch him holding, at the same time, a bunny and a rough-looking, folded-and-unfolded-too-much piece of paper. The bunny is quite literally tucked into the crook of his arm, while he frowns at the paper and flounders.]

Okay, so this type of bunny— rabbit, this type of rabbit usually lives in, uh... [please save him, ask a question or something.]

[ORRRR if you come by later in the day, when he's just tired and wants to clock out and go, he'll hold up what looks mostly like a baby alligator, but for some reason, orange, and sigh.] You want to hold a lizard?

[professional.]

B. not the zoo

[When he's not at work, Noctis can be found loitering in public spaces like shopping centers and food courts, minding his own business and playing on his phone... or buying too many fishing lures at a time, or actually standing around looking like he might want to talk to someone.

The thing is: he had shit to do at home and it was pretty dang important, and now he's here and as much as he'd like to stay in his room and sleep all the time, there are people there and so he needs something else to keep busy. Which is dreadful in and of itself, but finding something to do besides mobile games? Even worse. He's compromised and gone back to the only thing he knows how to do: favors for other people. So while he loiters, there's a little sign set next to him that just says 'ODD JOBS' on it in marker. Hire him to pick vegetables or something.

He's still wearing the lion hat.]

C. etc?!

[plotting available @melodrama!]

Comments

[supersweet]

Unless you like cows, there really is nothing.

[ Jon has Strong Feelings about Cows. ]

But a zoo is better!

[heavyhead]

[What did cows do...]

Okay, okay, you win. Zoos beat farms. I guess we do have some pretty cool animals around here... [cooler than bunnies.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon smiles. ]

Are you gonna be okay with this job?

[heavyhead]

[Is a ten-year-old worried about his job performance. How uncool.]

Yeah- yeah, why wouldn't I be? It's fine.

[supersweet]

You just seemed out of your . . . [ Jon pauses, trying to find the right word. He snaps his fingers once it hits him. ] element.

[heavyhead]

[so he sucks at zookeeping, nice]

No! No way, this is... y'know. [He gestures around, like look, nothing's going too wrong.] Piece of cake.

[supersweet]

[ Jon takes pity on him. ]

Yeah. You'll figure it out in no time.

[heavyhead]

[Ego, crushed...]

Thanks. [sarcasm, but] Come back in a week and I'll run circles around your- bunny facts.

[supersweet]

I'll be counting on it.

I dunno if our school will be making a trip back here, but I can ask my dad.

[heavyhead]

Your dad's here? [Huh. Lucky.]

Tell him it's educational.

[supersweet]

[ He nods. Jon isn't going to get into the confusing details of "he's my dad but not really my dad" with someone he's just met. ]

My dad lived on a farm, like me. He probably knows a lot about animals already.

[heavyhead]

[Thaaat's close enough. Noctis would take an alternate dad if he could, so: luckyyy.]

Farm animals, yeah. If he won't come, just sneak out. [wait, how do you talk to kids] Wait, don't—don't listen to that.

[supersweet]

[ Jon grins, amused. ]

Don't worry. He'll probably let me if I ask him.

[heavyhead]

So he's a cool dad? Lucky you. Maybe I'll see you again for a rabbit facts showdown.

[kids like challenges, right??]

[supersweet]

You sure you wanna do that?

[ Jon is pretty good with animals. ]

[heavyhead]

[Noctis will get familiar with Riverview Google, it's fine. What could go wrong?]

Oh, definitely. You trying to chicken out?

[supersweet]

No way!

[ His response is immediately as he puffs his chest out. ]

I never chicken out.

[heavyhead]

Thought so. Alright, then I'll see you next week and show you how it's done.

[he will lose, it's fine. it's fine.]

[supersweet]

Count on it.

[ Jon sticks his hand out so they can shake on it. Like men. ]

[heavyhead]

[Oh, he's getting a serious business handshake. Bring it on!!]

[supersweet]

[ Jon's handshake is strong, especially for someone his age but it doesn't linger so it's easy to miss. ]

I don't think I got your name. I'm Jon!

[heavyhead]

[He might realize that later, when he's not pumped about trivia fights, but not now. So-]

Oh- Noctis. Uh— [He looks down at himself, reminded, and yep his name tag isn't there...] Guess I left my tag at home.

[supersweet]

[ Huh. ]

Have you ever had a job before?

[heavyhead]

[ouch, right in the dignity??]

Once. For a little while.

[supersweet]

[ He's ten, he has no idea dignity exists. ]

What was it?