2017-10-06 - A Whole Zoo World
| A Whole Zoo World | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Michiru and Kaoru are shown the world, shining, shimmering, splendid (also: full of cool animals) by Saki and Mai. | |
| Who: GM: Utena Tenjou, feat. Michiru Kiryuu and Kaoru Kiryuu | |
| Where: Tokyo Zoo | |
| OOC - IC Date: 10-06-2017 - 02-23-2015 | |
<Pose Tracker> Saki Hyuuga [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
It's a little cold to be admiring the greenery, as much as it sure is one of Saki Hyuuga's favorite passtimes. So what's a girl to do to get some time with her best friends in the whole wide world?
Well it turns out there's a special admission for middle schoolers at the ZOO today!! Saki got wind of it and has invited Mai, because Mai being more than a mile away always feels weird somehow, and her other two bestest pals, Michiru and Kaoru Kiryuu. The duo of Precure have wanted to spend more time with the pair of shy girls anyway...
So now is the chance, as the gate to the Tama zoo looms over them, a rapidly-advancing line winding its way inside. "Ahhh! Cool!" Saki chimes, holding her hands up in excitement. "It's been a long time since I came here!" she declares, and turns a beaming smile on all three friends. "What do you want to see first?"
<Pose Tracker> Utena Tenjou [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
It took two tries to get Michiru and Kaoru to stand in line like human beings. Saki and Mai only found them in the first place when they noticed the two of them walking calmly along the line towards the front.
"I don't understand. The door is right there."
"It does seem a bit counterintuitive for us to stand here instead of go in..."
Pulled aside, they were quiescent for a while, but Kaoru is impatient. "...right there..." she mutters, under her breath. Michiru elbows her, and smiles at the others.
"Now, now. We must exchange these small pieces of paper for the rite of entry." She said 'right', right? 'Rite' would be a little weird. Maybe she's punning. Regardless, Saki's deep question distracts them both.
"Hawks."
"Wolves."
They speak simultaneously, and seem surprised by the difference in their answer... then look to Saki and Mai for adjudication, and/or an alternative.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Mishou [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
"Oh, this will be fun!"
There was, of course, the awkward moment the other a day. Mai doesn't want to think about it. She tries to act like nothing is wrong at all, and she succeeds for the most part. Sublimating her concerns has never been a problem for Mai Mishou. She got through years in Kyoto with that. And, besides. Coming to the zoo, with Saki and the Kiryuu sisters, sounds like a lot of fun.
She has her hands clasped, before she nods. Then, she turns, eyes on the Kiryuus -- wide, violet, and eager as always. But, the less overstated of the two, too. "Hawks... and wolves..." She trails off for a moment. "...I do like birds. I would like to see the egrets, but--"
Her brow furrows. The weirdness is noted, and yet, she can dismiss it. Maybe they don't know Tokyo, yet.
"...Perhaps we could do the hawks, then the wolves, and then whatever Saki would like to see?"
<Pose Tracker> Saki Hyuuga [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
If the timing of Saki deciding she wants to go on a big special outing has anything to do with awkward moments, well, Saki's not saying it, anyway. Saki cracks into her usual big beaming grin as the twins give her different answers. As usual, anything that might be suspicious or strange is ENTIRELY missed. "Oh," Saki says, quirking her head a little curiously, "have you guys not come here before? Yeah, we have to wait in line so we can get in! So that everyone gets in fairly and, uhm," she blinks. "...stuff like that," she decides, and nods.
"Ooo, hawks and wolves...and the egrets, too! Uhm..." .... saki tips her head. She may have mostly wanted to see these three, honestly. "Ooo! We can check out the gorillas!" Saki says. Fortunately, the line is continuing at a pretty healthy pace, and entrance is mere moments away. "They're all big and tough! But I heard they're smart and kind, too. I like that!"
<Pose Tracker> Utena Tenjou [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
Michiru and Kaoru exchange a look at Saki's declaration of fairness; then the shorter, red-haired sister nods. Kaoru doesn't bother, but she doesn't frown either. At any rate, they trade their tickets for passage without further comment, and once inside any trace of gruffness fades from their faces entirely.
It isn't delight, that bright-eyed feeling, that pours across them, but it may stir deeper within. They are as enthusiastic as they've ever been, which for Kaoru means interest, as she studies the trees and enclosure and maps intently. For Michiru it's a slightly softer reaction; her eyes catch the first animal in view, the elephant enclosure, and are not easily dragged away.
"There are so many creatures here... so different from one another," she reflects.
"Mai said hawks first," Kaoru announces, and it is true. But, after a moment, she adds, "And I bet the egrets will be nearby. The birds are all together, see?"
<Pose Tracker> Mai Mishou [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
"Mm-hm," Mai says, nodding after Saki's explanation. She doesn't really have a better explanation for why they must stand in line. She has come to accept it, though. She looks sideways, back to Kaoru. She hesitates at what she says, and then she smiles. "Yes. The birds are. Though... they usually keep the birds of prey in a separate habitat."
She motions ahead. There is a tunnel, leading into that habitat. It leads through a sunlit area that resembles a forest. It is, of course, enclosed by glass.
"I think they should be through there. Are... hawks your favorite animal?"
<Pose Tracker> Saki Hyuuga [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
Saki has enough pattern recognition to be pleased at Kaoru not declaring a social nicety pointless. She's finally coming out of her shell, Saki decides this means.
Saki, like always, has that energy and bright-eyed enthusiasm as she zooms into the gate and looks around the entry square. "Yeah!" Saki says to Michiru, leaning over a little to take a look at what she's seeing. "There's a ton of amazing animals in nature! So many things, so different from anything else! The world's a really amazing place, with really amazing things!" she declares, boldly.
"Hmmm...birds sound good!" Saki adds, nodding. She does not, however, barrel off, but waits for the group to gather up. She has an irrepressable smile splashed across her face.
<Pose Tracker> Utena Tenjou [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
"I don't know. I've never seen one. But I've... heard about them."
"Sometimes we watch birds over the ocean," Michiru adds.
She and Kaoru trail after Saki and Mai; this is not their domain and they are disinclined to take the lead. In general they make slower progress than some would like, pausing to exclaim and mutter respectively over every animal between the entrance and the bird enclosure.
For example:
"I do not see the point of such a creature. No prehensile limbs..."
"It's efficient, Kaoru, it's all prehensile limb!"
But make it to the birds they shall, and do. It happens to be a moment where there's a loud noise that startles dozens and dozens of birds of all shapes and sizes into flight, and the two of them are startled too, by all the motion. Instinctively they grab for nearby hands; Kaoru gets Mai's and Michiru gets Saki's.
"Saki's right," Kaoru reflects. "The world..."
"...is pretty amazing," Michiru agrees.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Mishou [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
"Oh! I love to watch birds over the ocean," Mai says, cheerfully, as she walks along. "Or the ocean... ah, I could get lost in seeing all of it."
She nods to them both -- and she follows along after, and her head tilts. Efficient limbs? She has to fight back a giggle, and she doesn't try to fight that battle very hard. As they enter the habitat, though, she gasps -- and she feels comforted, as she starts to startle, that a hand takes hers.
Not the one that she is used to, though. Mai squeezes Kaoru's hand back, before she looks sideways at her.
"It is," she says, quietly. "I always thought so, but... it wasn't until I moved back to Tokyo that I really appreciated how amazing it was. And the birds here are part of it, aren't they?"
<Pose Tracker> Saki Hyuuga [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
Saki has learned a lot about patience, being friends with Mai; although eager, and visibly a few steps ahead of the rest, she manages not to go haring too far off, entertaining herself with signage or just looking at things of more personal interest to her while the Kiryuus and Mai occasionally dawdle. She is, if anything, pleased that her friends all seem invested, and she can't conceal that smile of hers in the slightest. "Yeah...it's amazing the different things between the sea birds and land birds, too...I don't really get all of it, but they're so different!"
They covered this in class like yesterday...
Saki giggles at Michiru and Kaoru's commentary on beasts with no limbs, but then finds her hand clutched at a sudden noise. She's fully expecting it to be Mai, but in fact it's Michiru, and Saki gives her a slightly surprised look at the grasp. But then she grins, and squeezes back assuringly. "It's gonna be noisy here. Animals do all sorts of stuff to talk to each other!"
That grin tempers down a little, as she looks across the habitat area. "Dad and Mom have been telling me all the time, but...it took me a long time to notice," she admits. "The flowers and the birds, the sky and the moon...everything about this world is incredible!"
<Pose Tracker> Utena Tenjou [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
"Too many people," Kaoru grouses, but lightly. She looks down at their joined hands with surprise, as though they're on fire, and reclaims hers quickly but not rudely. "More birds would be better."
Michiru also takes her hand back without much comment, but while they were joined, it was very warm. Some of that lingers in her eyes as she looks around at all the birds. "I don't know about everything," she says so lightly that it's almost a tease. "Is homework incredible?"
Kaoru's arm lances out like an arrow loosed from a bow. "Look!" she almost shouts, raw with thrill. "An egret!" The hawks are in a separate enclosure, of course. But egrets are free to mix with the main display.
Embarrassed by her own outburst, she looks down. "It's pretty good, I guess." she hedges. "I mean, for what it is."
<Pose Tracker> Mai Mishou [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
"I like the people," Mai admits to Kaoru, "but I think I would like to have many more birds in my life."
She nods seriously at that, before her eyes shift to Michiru. She starts to smile, ready to laugh. But, then, she sees a hand shoot out so fast. She startles at that, turning sideways to stare at Kaoru -- and then follows it to the Egret. That makes her smile, brightly, and she lifts her free hand over her heart.
"Oh... look!" she calls out. "It's so beautiful! Isn't it, Saki? Ah... so graceful."
But then she looks back at Kaoru. She doesn't even try to fight the giggle. She shakes her head. "It is wonderful, Kaoru-san. It's all right to say so."
<Pose Tracker> Saki Hyuuga [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
Saki lets Michiru have her hand back without comment, even if her smile has modulated to something a little warmer than her usual undifferentiated happiness. AND THEN SHE GETS TEASED
"Ahh! I mean..." She shuffles a foot, looking away for a second while she thinks of a response. A certain sempai comes to mind, before she glances back to Michiru. "It's definitely pretty unbelievable, sometimes!" she says, and giggles.
Kaoru's immediate excitement catches Saki's eye as well, and the auburn-haired pitcher follows the point. "Oooo..." she says, and, because she is a bad friend, adds, "So that's what they look like! I haven't seen one in person before!"
She grins at Mai, nodding eagerly with a happy little "Un, un!" as vocalization.
Kaoru's embarrassment sees Saki nodding along to Mai's gentle chide. "Yeah! It's good to let people know how you feel!" Says the single most extroverted person present...
<Pose Tracker> Utena Tenjou [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
Michiru and Kaoru exchange glances again. "It's not for you to tell us what's all right," the former remarks, as though defending her sister. She sounds almost regretful, though. "It's always unbelievably boring," Kaoru adds, and maybe she means homework, and maybe she means the idea of wearing her heart on her sleeve. Either way, they shrug, not quite in unison but as though one infects the other, and then reflects back to the first.
They haven't cooled completely, though. This place makes that impossible. Instead they trot ahead, drawn on by this toucan and that flock of finches, until finally they pass out of this enclosure and into another entirely.
By the time the zoo is closing, they haven't gotten to half of the exhibits. Not even a third. And they leave very reluctantly, stolidly indifferent to the stern words of adults but ever so slightly more pliable to the advice of their friends.
It's time to part.
"This was a good idea."
"Yes..."
They aren't really the gratitude type, but it's there, tucked into the corners of their eyes, the softness of their mouths.
"Good night," they say together, and then vanish into the crowds of the train station.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Mishou [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
It has been, of course, wonderful. Mai loves the chance to take it slow -- to get the chance to appreciate the company and talk to the twins. They are, perhaps, strange. But for a girl who has been called strange, she wouldn't use that word.
"I'm glad you had fun!" Mai says, hands clasped together. She nods once. "I hope we can spend more time together soon, Kaoru-san. Michiru-san." She smiles, bobbing her head once to them. She waves, then watches as they walk away.
Her head turns to the side, to Saki. "That went well, didn't it?"
<Pose Tracker> Saki Hyuuga [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.
Saki is an adept leader, inasmuch as she is easily entertaine by simple things and clearly enraptured by everything. The Twins' mild rebuke maybe stung - but the day rolls on and by the end of it, Saki is with Mai, smiling and waving. "It was great seeing you like this!" she says, waving with her whole arm. Saki emotes enough for four, and doubly so as she detects those subtle looks. "Let's hang out again! Good night!"
She draws in a few slowly decelerating breaths, like the work of saying goodbye had gotten her blood up and she needed to calm down. "Yeah," she agrees, looking to Mai with her lips curled wide. "Yeah!"
