ArchivedLogs:Fine and Fancy Ramble to the Zoo
| Fine and Fancy Ramble to the Zoo | |
|---|---|
| Dramatis Personae | |
| In Absentia
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2013-03-21 Warning, lots of sex talk. And blushing. |
| Location
Cellphones, <NYC> Bronx Zoo - Bronx | |
265 acres of parkland, the Bronx zoo comprises one of the largest metropolitan zoos in the world. Home to more than four thousand animals, the zoo's exhibits span the globe, providing animal lovers an escape from the urban jungle into a real one. Or as close as they can get in the wilds of New York, at least. Sebastian's here before four, not just prompt but early. He's kind of restless somewhere just outside the zoo's front gates, dressed uncharacteristically uncolourful, for him; faded bluejeans, a baggy oversized black sweatshirt (it says 'herbivore' inside a yellow cross over the chest), plain white sneakers. He's texted Shelby to say he's here and now he is just pacing. Restless. Avoiding looking at people who come in and out of the zoo except for quick checks to see if they might be Shelby. None of them are Shelby! For one, the people roaming to and fro are all boring. For two, they're all quiet. Shelby is neither of these things, since she makes her entrance /at a run/. The instant Sebastian is spotted, she drops the backpack she'd been lugging along and takes off for him at full speed to launch at the poor guy. "Ohmigodyou'rehereImissedyooooooou!" This calls in the split second it takes to cover the last few feet of distance, the end of the sentence--dragged out though it is--ending up buried in the crook between his neck and his shoulder. Yes, she is full trusting of his ability to catch. Thankfully, freakish monsterboyfriends come with quick reflexes and a good deal of strength; Sebastian is lifting his arms to grab Shelby almost before he even seems really /aware/ of doing so. This ends in a tight hug, thin arms wrapped around her tightly and his eyes briefly scrunched tight shut. He leaves the loud to Shelby, satisfying himself with silence through TightHug, at least until he pulls his head back just enough to look her over. "Hi," he says, his smile self-consciously small. "Hi, I missed you. Too. I mean like a lot," he adds with a hint of darker color creeping into his cheeks. That look is met with a grin. Shelby had had her arms around his neck. Now she unwinds them to frame Bastian's face between her hands, holding him still for a kiss that lands at the corner of his mouth--thereby avoiding TEETH but also expressing how /glad/ she is to seem him. "Yeah? Like happy time in the shower a lot or just daydream about me a lot?" she inquires, faaar too happy to be right there in this moment to worry about things like...not making him blush. More. "We gotta get this fixed soon, okay? S'not right, if you're having happy time I wanna be able to--oh shit, the bag, someone's gonna steal it." And so Sebastian is given a chance to catch his breath when she tries to squirm free to go retrieve the backpack. Sebastian opens his mouth, closes it again, and turns a darker shade of purple. He avoids talking by squeezing Shelby again, only releasing her when she remembers the backpack. Even then there's a good longer moment when he just trails after her, fingers clenching and unclenching the strap of his own (flat and empty-looking) backpack. "A lot like -- a lot," he answers eventually, with a duck of his head. And then with a blush deeper still, and a brief flutter of his gills: "A lot like I'd probably have been a lot more of a mess now but it's good to have someone I can --" His voice is quiet, a little awkward-shy as he stops near the backpack, but he's smiling. "-- Thanks. For coming." Shelby's backpack, on the other hand, is bulging with things. And, wimpy creature that she is, there is much grunting and moaning as she heaves it up to her shoulder. No wonder she dropped it at the first possible opportunity. "Tell me about it," she says as she rights herself and reaches for his hand. "It's /real/ good for stress." Oh wait, are they talking about the same things? Maybe not! "If I didn't have my arm back, I dunno /what/ I'd do. You wanna see the monkey house? Or maybe the seals, I think they got this room you can go in that's like, underwater, you can watch them swimming." All of that ceaseless babble and for a moment it seems she might have missed the thanks--until she gives his hand a hard squeeze, determined grin slipping briefly into a smile. "For stress?" Sebastian just seems puzzled at this comment. "What's good for stress?" He looks at the backpack, rather bemused, and he -- trades with Shelby! Offering her his empty one as he reaches to take the one that she is grunting over off of her shoulder. "Holy carp," he says, inner eyelids blinking, "what did you -- how much stuff did you /bring/? -- I bet they'd be kinda miffed if I snuck into the tanks and ate the seals' food, right?" he adds, with a grin and a squeeze of her hand in return. "Maybe we should stick with the land-things. Do they have snakes, I want to see the /biggest/ snake." "Whacking off in the shower is good for stress," Shelby supplies as they make the bag swap. Her grin reappears at his reaction to its weight. "I brought all the stuff. And some of your books, I figured you'd want those. There's enough food in there, you better /not/ try to eat anything here," she warns, attempting stern and managing clownish. The request for snakes gets a bright, "Reptile house!" and a dragging forward, steering them for the entrance booth. The cost of this visit appears to be covered, because she pulls a wad of crumpled bills from her pocket and slides one in under the slotted glass to the attendant. Sebastian's gills /flare/ as his eyes widen, and for a moment he forgets to follow after her. "But I don't -- how did -- how did we get to be talking about --" His palm scrubs at his face, and he is reaching for his wallet as Shelby pulls out the bills. "Oh -- oh. You don't -- oh. Thank you." He is frowning with a little puzzlement, putting his wallet away and instead shifting the backpack around to his front so he can /open/ it to peer inside. "Ohmygosh, you brought my /books/," he saying even before he's opened it, "have I told you you're the best girlfriend ever?" The change is slid back and Shelby retrieves it to shove it into her pocket. She does not care that the attendant is still within earshot when she says, "You started it, I asked if you'd been fapping it to me and you said you'd be even more of a mess if you didn't have me to think about." Sort of. But it's cut and dry! Clear as crystal. She puts her smugface on when he goes for the bag. Inside, there are several packages of slim jims and beef jerky, a huge stick of pepperoni, cans of both tuna and sardines, a /ham/, and two of Bastian's thicker school books. It goes without saying that everything is crammed in haphazardly, and what can squish /has/ squished. "You just did, yeah," Shelby smugs. "I -- oh gosh I -- that is /not/ what I --" Sebastian is still scrubbing at his face, even harder now. "I meant because I -- I mean oh my gosh there's like, /so/ not enough privacy in our -- I wouldn't have time to -- /um/. I mean. Um." He's /been/ starting into the zoo now that Shelby has shelled out for their tickets, but now he's stopped to rummage through the bag. He's already grabbing a slim jim. "Oh /man/, this is so -- oh /wow/ oh thanks you're gonna have to, like, /hit/ me if I start to eat /all/ of this cuz I want to bring some back to Shane --" He stops his rummaging to lean over and kiss Shelby on the cheek. Shelby tilts her head just so to catch the kiss. Her grin could not be any larger than it is--at least until he mentions Shane, whereupon she switches to brief but thunderous frown. "Shane didn't want any," she says, with a distinct lack of charity. "But if you /have/ to...don't eat all of it. Anyway, you'd probably make yourself sick, y'know how much salt they put in that shit?" She means to leave his hands free for eating, so Shelby loops her arm through his rather than continue with hand-holding. It's easier to steer that way too. Over /this/ way is the reptile house. "It was Parley who shelled out for most of this. There's some left over too, so you'n'Shane can go out to dinner when it runs out. If you're still there. "Shane'll want some," Sebastian says, quiet but kind of /fiercely/ protective in tone, suddenly, "he's just having a rough time." He zips the backpack back up, sliding it around to sit properly on his back, but he's smiling again as Shelby loops her arm through his. He's starting to lift the slim jim towards his mouth to open it with his /teeth/, but stops with a puzzled sidelong look at Shelby. "-- Parley paid for all this?" He doesn't unwrap the snack, now, his hand lowering. "Um but -- why." "Fine, fine." Shelby might raise her eyes to the heavens but she knows better than to argue about one twin with the other. "And I told you before, he felt bad. Everyone knows how fucked up this is, the only reason you got taken away is 'cause you guys've been hitting the labs. He got a job, he had the money, why not?" She slides a glance at him to meet his eyes with hers. "I don't think it's pity meat," she points out, "so it's okay to eat it." "It's pretty screwed up," Sebastian agrees, hitching one shoulder up absently to test the weight of the pack on his back. His eyes meet Shelby's, still kind of puzzled, and his gills shift in slow open-close-open-close as he considers this. "Why not," he echoes, "Yeah, I -- guess." But he's swiveling his free arm around to cram the slimjim back into the bag, his brow slightly furrowed. The furrow smoothes out as he readjusts the bag, a quick smile spreading across his face. "-- You said there was a whole /building/ full of reptiles?" Shelby's eyes shift to watch the putting away of the snack food and her brow furrows as well. She does not get it but in the end, she is content to chalk it up to '/boys/'. With a soft snort of breath that flares her nostrils, she looks ahead and points to a white roof around the bend in the path. "That's it, I think. Snakes, lizards, all the creepy crawly shit. It smells almost as bad as the monkey house," she warns, smile creeping back, "but I guess if you could handle the sewers, you can handle snake shit. Lots of dark corners in there too." /So/ innocent, Shelby. Good job. "Oh gosh the sewers. Oh man. I am /so/ not going down there /ever/ again, the next person who decides to go get kidnapped by sewermonsters can press their panic button." Sebastian is /so firm/ about this. Except that immediately after he recants: "OK, no, I'd go into the sewers to save you." Frown. "-- Or Shane. Or Rasa. Or Daiki. Or --" He sighs, nose wrinkling. "I'd probably even save Peter again, um, did you know our classmates are sometimes --" He drops his voice, kind of guiltily, "-- kind of they don't have the best judgment?" This is as close as he gets to insulting them before tugging Shelby along DOUBLETIME towards the Reptile House. "I totally want to get a chameleon," he confides, "like a pet -- errr." That last comment seems to have sunk in, because now he's blushing. "I --" His eyes slant sideways, studying Shelby a long moment. His head ducks but what he says is: "Yeah I guess it will. I mean, um -- yeah." "Seriously," Shelby says to the almost-insult, "Peter makes /me/ look good. But you'd /better/ come after me if I get kidnapped by a sewermonster." She is not above aiming a poketickle at his ribs before "Oof!" she's being dragged towards that building. In addition to the breathy exclamation, a laugh is knocked out of her while she works to match pace. "Hang up, dude! It's not going anywhere, geez." And it's not--the building stays just where it, growing larger and larger until it's right there in front of them. There are no windows, except for those that decorate the double doors that lead inside. Even with those doors shut, the earthy-meaty-dusty smell of the habitats escapes. When the doors /are/ opened, the air that rolls out is thick and humid. "Y'know, I haven't ever really been into the pet thing but chameleons are kinda cute. All goggle-eyed." The girl keeps her innocent face even, even when Sebastian's lights go on. Her smile is guileless as she reaches for the door to hold it open for him. "Or maybe a trouser snake. Ever heard of those?" "/Don't/ get kidnapped by a sewermonster!" Sebastian orders, but it's kind of a /laughing/ order so it doesn't really come out all that firm. "I mean c'/mon/ there are /way/ better places to have a date than knee-deep in sewage. Do you want to, maybe, find a place after here for like. I could take you for /dinner/." He is also reaching to hold the door for Shelby, but her opening it first just makes him smile, backstep a little awkwardly, and slip inside. "Chameleons are adorable. Their eyes go differnet directions and they always look like they're totally disdainful of the whole world. Chameleons are the /most/ blase reptiles. It's the opposite of bearded dragons, they /always/ look like they're super excited to see you." The look he gives Shelby is mostly just puzzled. "-- No, do they have those here?" "I would sooo be down for dinner." Oops, was she supposed to let him do the door? Shelby forgot. She shuffles awkwardly until he's through, then quicksteps to catch up and slide her hand into his again. "How come you don't want a pet that's super excited to see you?" she asks, sounding puzzled. The walls of the exhibit are also the habitats, long, dark rectangles of glass behind which are the various creepy critters with branches or twigs or grass or wood chips to slither and skitter around on. Beside each is a small plaque that describes the species within, where they're usually to be found. The smell is as thick as Shelby had described, enough so that she briefly presses the back of her other hand to her nose. "Ugh...I bet they do. Trouser snakes are super...um. What's the word for not-rare? Common? They're pretty cool though. Not really big, and they got these ridges around their heads. They spit at you when you handle 'em too." "I've got Obie, he's like a giant doofus and he's always excited to see everyone. Anyway chameleons remind me of Shane," Sebastian answers with a bit of sheepish amusement, "like they think they are just /totally/ Too Cool for everything. But actually they're kind of small and adorable?" He shrugs, and in the soupy-thick air his gills press flat against his neck, his nose wrinkling as his hand curls around Shelby's. But excitement wins out over smell, and he hurries over towards the bank of habitats, peering in to find a Madagascar tree boa curled up against a rock. "-- Spit?" He turns his head, eyes wide and kind of impressed. "I didn't know there were snakes that could /do/ that, I mean I've leard of lizards that squirt blood but -- do they spit /poison/?" He asks this like that would be TOTALLY COOL. Reptiles aren't quite as much Shelby's thing but being able to make a joke /based/ on snakes? Priceless. She's grinning again as she's dragged over the snake thingy, the smell gradually fading from her awareness. A bad zoo patron, she taps on the glass to see if it'll get the boa moving. "Shane /is/ kind of small and adorable. But he's pretty loud too, chameleons don't make noise, do they? Trouser snakes don't either. Mostly." It's all she can do to keep from laughing at the oh so sincere question. In fact, Bastian will probably notice her biting her lip when he looks over in spite of the poor lighting conditions. "I don't think it's poison, noooo...but it sure tastes like it." The boa just sits there lazily napping, though Sebastian seems fascinated enough by this. His attention is drawn away, though, watching Shelby with increasing puzzlement. "-- taste -- what?" His brow furrows, eyes fixing on her, confused. "Why would you -- ever -- you know snakes have all kinds of -- You're laughing." He's straightening now, looking away from the boa to look at Shelby. And back at the snake. "Trouser --" And then -- down, at his jeans, his face promptly darkening. "/Oh/ oh are you, you mean, oh, that's a penis joke," he blurts out, abruptly enough to draw the attention of a family nearby. Who quickly shoos their children on towards turtles further away. "Nuh uh!" Maybe if she denies it emphatically enough, it will become true! But Shelby's having a harder and harder time fighting off the giggles--especially as she's treated to a front row seat, watching Sebastian connect the dots courtesy of Mister Madagascar Boa. Thank you, sleepy snake. "A penis joke would be if I'd said I /want/ a trouser snake. To keep. And pet, and cuddle, and stroke, and love on," she says stoutly, slipping her arm around the back of his waist. The brief tug at the waist of his jeans might be coincidence. Might not. She's looking off after that rapidly departing family with a grin. "Man, it's like parents forget how they /got/ their kids." "It /so/ is!" But despite the blushing Sebastian is leaning slightly against Shelby as she puts her arm around him, though the tug of his waistband does not /help/ his purpling. "To -- /cuddle/? Is that -- but they aren't -- but --" He ends up deciding to not really think about this too much, glancing after the departing family. "-- How they got their kids? How do you mean?" This time his expression is more /deadpan/ than innocent, determinedly straightfaced. Maybe a slight twitch at the corners of his lips. His arm curls around Shelby's waist, in return. "What, Jax hasn't given you The Talk yet? I thought he was a /great/ dad. See, when a mommy and a daddy love each other /very/ much..." Shelby hooks her thumb down inside his waistband--just to keep her hand in place!--and steers him towards the next pane of glass. This one stretches from floor to ceiling to allow a view of the tree inside, around which an anaconda is coiled. "They hug and hug and hug and then the Stork brings them a baby," she finishes, squinting at the plaque beside the window. "Man, they're all sleeping...hey, this one lives in the water like you." Sebastian is back to smiling, not toothy like Shane but warm and amused nevertheless. /His/ fingers do not slip into any waistbands but they do nudge beneath the hem of Shelby's shirt, resting lightly against her waist. "I thought it happened something like that, I read too many Xanth books," he says, "but then Pa ruined my whole impression by being all /open/ about things, you know, he, like, makes sure we have a stash of condoms and told us if we ever need like --" His nose crinkles up. "I don't know. Things. For sex. Then he'd take us shopping you know, I didn't even know you /could/ go shopping for sex?" This makes him cringe slightly. "Or I guess not /for/ it but --" HEY BIG SNAKE. He examines the placard in front of the anaconda's cage, and then studies it with slowly widening eyes. "-- I knew they were big but that's like. Huge ohmygosh. You want to go to the Amazon? I would catch you all the fish." Whoa, was that a hand-to-skin touch. Shelby shoots him the most surprised of looks--though it only lasts briefly before she's back to grinning. More so when he describes Jax's parenting methods. "Seriously? Like, so, if you told him you wanted to get us some stuff, he'd take you to a sex shop?" She sounds entirely too thoughtful. Warning bells should be going off and if they don't for /that/, then they should definitely trigger when she adjusts the position of her hand to fit it into the rear pocket of his jeans. All the better to squeeze him with. "Where's the Amazon, again?" It's difficult to tell if Shelby is serious because she's distracted, but she spares the snake another glance. "If the snakes get that big, I bet the bugs are huge too. So...no." "He took Shane," Sebastian affirms, with a blush, "I bet he'd take me -- er, us, er -- I mean I don't know what -- like I kinda just thought sex was -- I don't know what you'd even --" He shakes his head and looks abruptly back at the anaconda at the squeeze -- which kind of makes him /startle/-jump just a little. He settles back against Shelby, though, before eeeedging sideways towards a king cobra, busily uncoiling itself to recoil around a /different/ rock. "Probably it has huge bugs but it's also got some of the /prettiest/ birds. Plus electric eels, I totally want to wrestle one." "/Why/ would you want to wrestle an electric eel? You're not electric-proof, B." Shelby is nose-crinkling at the very thought. The grip she has on him through his jeans briefly gets a little more possessive. "Oh man, don't /these/ snakes spit?" Ha ha, see what she did there? The thought of pretty birds won't distract her but spitting snakes? Definitely. Given the context. Which also leads her back to consideration of the stammering reply, re: sex shops. "You kinda just thought sex was what?" For once, she manages a tone that is just curious rather than salacious. "To see who'd win," Sebastian answers, surprised. Like why /else/ would you want to fight an electric eel? "These are way venomous but I don't think they /spit/ I think they just have -- fangs that -- wait are you joking again?" He turns his head to look at Shelby uncertainly. "Because the snake isn't a penis." The question draws his eyes downwards, one shoulder lifting and falling; the heavy backpack shifts slightly with this motion. "I don't know. Like. Just. A people-thing? Like I don't know what you'd -- need to /buy/ don't people just come, um, already equipped with everything you need?" "Totally joking again," Shelby says deadpan. Her smile is surprisingly fond--almost gentle--when she returns that look. "I think I'd put my money on you. /I/ wouldn't wrestle you and I'm like, a tri-state wrestling champ." That's probably another joke. Then she decides they've spent enough time ogling the cobra. There are turles up ahead, including one large pig-nosed fellow who's floating at eye-level. She steers Bastian that way, via bum on hand. The family ahead of them had best watch out. "It's kinda like food? Plain food can be really, really tasty and it gives you everything you need. But you add some chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream, and /bam/...fucking delicious. It's just for fun, y'know? But uh...yeah. If you're just starting out..." "Really?" Sebastian's eyebrows raise even as his eyes widen, caught somewhere between impressed and unsure again. "You know, we have a wrestling team -- Shane and I aren't allowed on, we just fight Taylor in the gym a lot but um I bet /you/ could..." He trails off, his teeth pressing lightly against his lip as he looks in at the turtles. His nose presses up against the glass. But his eyes are slanting sideways, cheeks still dark and his gills restlessly quivering as he considers this. "-- Do you like, um, chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream?" This time, Shelby turns sideways and loops her arms across his shoulders. It lets her put her lips far too close to the dip that serves as a Bastian-ear. "I'm not /really/ a wrestling champ," she confides via whisper, "but any time you wanna wrestle..." She leans back to allow him to closely inspect the turtles, a process she watches with some interest--can he /talk/ to them?--but when that sidelong glimpse is caught, she gives him another winning smile. "Sometimes. I like vanilla too. A little of everything, y'know? But only if /you/ like it too." Shelby really seems just determined to /keep/ Bastian purple. Her whisper does not help relieve him of blushing. It might be genetic! Except oh yeah Jax isn't /really/ his father but it's been inherited anyway, apparently. The turtle in question stares back at Bastian, and then turns away. Bastian straightens, gradually edging on towards FROGS -- bright blue ones! Tiny. He does not actually go 'd'awww' but his expression kind of does, rather delighted by them. "I," he admits, and he's smiling too but it's small and bashful. "I mean, I don't. Know. What I like. I haven't, um, had a lot of -- dessert." Okay, those frogs are pretty darn cute. Shelby resumes tapping on the glass, actually showing some interest for once. Unfortunately for Bastian, it is not enough to distract her from sex talk. But she is bending forward and studying froggy markings instead of looking at him or whispering in his ear or any other aggravating factors for blushes. "There's only one way to find out...well, okay, maybe not just one, you could look shit up on Google too and watch clips until you find one you /really/ like, but. The /better/ way is to do it. How long 'til they miss you?" The frogs at least respond to the tapping. Hopping around. Froglike. "I don't think I need to google -- I mean I know /how/ people -- I mean Shane talks enough about --" Sebastian's nose crinkles up. His gills are still flapping, slow, open and closed. He's rather enthralled by the frogs but not so much to not sneak another peek over towards Shelby. "Probably not a -- few hours. Shane's covering for me if anyone notices." Shelby reaches out to slide her finger over his gills to help stop their fluttering. That the touch lingers once she's accomplished that is incidental. "A few hours, huh? That's not too long," she says thoughtfully, her own eyes fixed on his profile. Stolen peeks provoke a deeper smile. She ducks her head forward, nudges his cheek with her...nose. Because that's soooo romantic. "Since it's your birthday, you wanna...maybe skip dinner and find our own room for a little while?" The fluttering does quiet, under Shelby's touch, gills slowly closing flat. Sebastian's head tilts, slightly, stretching his neck to press a little more into the touch; he seems all too happy to let it linger. His eyes squeeze shut, not scrunched so much as a slooow press of blink. Somewhat akin to a cat being scritched. He freezes, though, at the question. His throat rolls over a long swallow as his skin flushes deep-dark. For a long while he is silent, eventually opening his eyes to look at the frogs. "I --" He seems almost apologetic, this time, as he looks over at her. "I -- will you be mad at me if I -- can the answer be yes, but I don't want to --" More blushing, but he manages to actually /say/, "-- To have sex? Cuz I -- ohgosh that /is/ what you're asking me right?" It isn't anger but disappointment that flashes in Shelby's eyes and dims her smile. She looks back at the turtle in its little pond, breaking eye-contact. But her finger remains against his gills, lifting away only so she can lift and repeat the stroking movement. "Yeah, birthday sex is kinda like a tradition. But I'm not mad at you, nah." It takes her a moment to pull her voice into something approximating casual. Shane isn't the only one who tries to be too cool. "It's no fun if you're not really into it. There was a sign outside about baby tortoises, wanna see if we can find them?" Sebastian's eyes close again, and he relaxes at this stroking, a small smile touching his lips. He opens them, though, to glance over at Shelby with a small frown. "I /do/ want -- I am into -- I just mean --" His cheeks are flushing again. "I just mean I kind of only just -- I've never even -- can't we maybe start with --" His apologetic look has returned, with this stammering. "I don't even know /how/ to not /hurt you/," finally comes out in a rush, "I'm still kind of trying to work out kissing without -- can't we maybe start with some. Of that. Because I'd really like to be kissing you right now," he says this still sort of rushed, words spilling out but at least they're not stammering this time. "Oh." /Oh/. D'uh. Stammering or no, he does an excellent job of salving that disappointment. Shelby steals a glance at him, fighting her smile, but then finally gives into it--and into the urge to curl her arms around his shoulders again to hug him close. "All this has really just been 'cause you didn't wanna hurt me? Jesus, B. You could've just said. That's a /lot/ cooler than just "nah don't wanna but I do but not really"." /Boys/. She rolls her eyes and by then the smile is back in full force, remaining even as she dips in to make that last birthday wish come true, at least. Carefully though--/she/ hasn't figured out how to kiss while avoiding the teeth either. Bastian's arm curls around Shelby's waist, holding her close as -- well, more tumblingwords spill out. "Yes, I mean I don't -- I /really/ like you and, I mean, I want to -- I want /you/ but I don't even -- what if I --" The stammering comes to an abrupt halt, though, cut off by the kiss. There's a moment where his lips curl automatically up into a happy smile! Until he remembers oh right /kiss/. And returns it, careful and slow, but slowly deepening. There might be small presses of sharpteeth unfortunately scraping skin. But he tries to minimize them. At least until there's a passing pair of other teenagers who /have/ been similarly attempting to get the snakes to move and are now moving on to -- snort, at the couple. "Jesus, you're supposed to look at the animals, not make out with them," comments one. Small scrapes are not minded because kissing! Bigoted assholes, on the other hand... Shelby breaks the slow and careful exploration of how to properly make a shark breathless in order to flip a double-bird at the teenagers over Bastian's shoulders. "Go fuck yourselves, douche nozzles," she instructs them with a narrow glare. Then she draws back and makes a grab for the boyfriend's hand, intent on pulling him /away/ from assholery. "C'mon, let's go see if we can find a motel nearby, huh? I'll get naked and you can touch me all over." Was it really necessary that she say this so loudly? Yes, yes it was. The boy's comment just results in a slight tensing through Sebastian's posture, a slight duck of his head. But Shelby's answer makes him smile -- bright and cheered enough even with his deeper blushing that he turns to flash his sharp-toothed smile towards the others. He takes Shelby's hand, squeezing it as he's following along with her. "Oh -- oh. I -- ohgosh." His gills flutter but his smile, for once unselfconsciously toothy, doesn't dim. "OK," is all he says in (admittedly still-blushing) acceptance. But it's a pretty enthused OK. "Ohgosh is right. No one's seen me /all/ the way naked since I got to New York, you should feel special." Shelby leads him back through the exhibit, past the frogs, and the cobra, and the anaconda, and the boa, none of which seem to notice the bubbly energy the girl is putting out. Their loss! "Except Rasa, I guess," she qualifies as she goes, "but that doesn't really count 'cause zie's my roommate and you can't help the naked thing with your roommate. Oh man...we oughta set some ground rules, like...you /totally/ can't go near my feet or the back of my knees, okay?" What? This is important stuff. "I think I saw a Motel 6 on the way in..." "Your -- knees? OK. I won't, um, are your knees hurt?" Now Sebastian is asking this with some concern, eying the backs of Shelby's knees as he heads along with her. He has his own share of energy, though, his smile not fading even with his kind of puzzled concern. "Are those the only rules?" "Feet are gross and I'm like, /super/ ticklish there," Shelby explains with a grin. Once they are free of the reptile house, she does ease up on the pace a little--it is possible some of the speed came from not wanting brodudes to interrupt the possibility of happy alone time. His hand is given the most reassuring of squeezes, her thumb skimming his knuckles. "The only other rule is you can't take it too serious, okay? I mean, like...it's not like /studying/," she warns, glancing at him with a look that's between teasing and knowing. "It's not an exam, okay? This is one of those practice things. Can you do that?" "So it's like a /quiz/, then." Sebastian might be teasing. His tone is very serious! His mouth has curled up into a smile. "OK, not studying. -- Well except isn't it, kind of? Like. Studying /you/. Like what ummmm kinds of," He hesitates, head dipping. "Um, toppings you like. I want to remember that kind of stuff, you know?" He squeezes her hand back; his other is wringing restlessly at the strap of his heavy-laden backpack. Shelby huffs when he argues. So /factual/. "Gawd, you're such a geek." Again the eyes roll but it is a more amused expression than previous incarnations. Her palm against his has grown a little warmer, and the tips of her ears are tinted pink. "Don't think I'm gonna give you a cheat sheet, either. You're gonna have to figure it out on your own. And fair's fair, I wanna figure some stuff out too," she says with a look that strays downwards. Her grin is irrepressible. "Like if you get a little growly if you scent blood." "Kinda a geek," Sebastian agrees, nose crinkling up. "I'll convert you some day. You can join the Shadowru -- er, the roleplaying campaign I'm starting." He extends this invitation quite seriously, but is rather quickly returning to intense blushing at her /look/. "I -- I get --" Flustered, he bows his head, just hurrying back along the path towards the zoo exit. "-- I guess you can figure out." He even gives her a smile as he says this! It's too shy to be lascivious. "Nuh uh, I'm totally turning you into a thug," Shelby counters, gaze springing back to his face. The thought of /either/ of them playing these supposed future roles soon has her laughing though. Real laughter, not the chuff or rumble of a chuckle. Somehow the day's from ick to yay!, and it's worth marking with the real thing. As the exit arch scrolls by overhead, she adds, "We'll come back some time for a real tour, 'kay?" "Ohmygosh, can we have a /gang/?" Sebastian asks at this. "Like. Can you give me /gang/ tattoos?" He is laughing, too, and he tips his head back to look up at the arch as they pass under it. "-- When we come back can we see red pandas, are there red pandas? If I could get one of /them/ as a pet I'd -- probably die of cute, actually. Then I'd be dead, so maybe no red panda." He hooks his arm through hers as they head back out. "That's called 'wearing the brand', dude, c'mon, you can't sport the colors if you don't have the right...what's the word?" Shelby snaps a couple of times but it doesn't come to her. "I might be able to hook you up though," she adds, and this time it's /her/ glance that's shy. "Just...not with a panda." "I don't think I'm into pandas," Sebastian says -- after apparently serious /thought/ given to this, "I've never met a panda-person. Prooobably a red panda tattoo wouldn't really exactly be appropriately /hardcore/ for a gang tat, right? It'd be as badass as my Pa's Care Bears." He's jostled for actually /thinking/ about that, with Shelby snickering. She doesn't even need to say it--geek. "I actually kinda...I mean. I already sort've...put something together for you," she remarks, hanging a left on the sidewalk. If she /was/ right about there being a motel nearby, apparently it is this way. That or the bus stop. "But if you /really/ wanted a red panda tattoo I could change it up." Her tone shades more towards the off-hand when she explains, "I looked up badass Vietnamese stuff and came across something called, uh...Ky lan?" The word puts a smile on Bastian's face, and he squeezes at Shelby's hand again. "They're good omens, you know. They bring luck. I think this year could use some of that." He leans in to kiss her cheek lightly. "It's sweet that you -- I think I'd like one. Where do you think it'd look good?" He's looking down at his arms thoughtfully, as though he could even see them through his sweatshirt. "Yeah, I know. I read it in a /book/," she says as she tilts her cheek to accept that kiss. Shelby's smile is pleased, but without the smugness this time. "You should feel special, I don't study just for anyone. I was thinking maybe, um. High up on your arm. Or your chest. On a pec. But you gotta find it first. Brought it with me." Her hand straightens the strap of the empty backpack on her shoulder, then pats her chest--though it's meant more as a general gesture than a specific location. "/See/, I /am/ making you into a geek!" Sebastian's smile brightens into a grin. And promptly fades back again into blushing. "You -- oh-oh-oh." He's eying /her/ arms, now. Then chest, though when he catches himself at /this/ he pulls his eyes back up to her face quickly. "... I haven't played hide and seek in forever." "Pft, you wish!" Shelby glories in the return of the blush, as if there were points to be earned for every shade darker he turns. Her grin is back and the color high in her own cheeks. His hand is given a tug to help with picking up the pace--there's a bus stop just ahead. "...c'mon, then. If my B wants a game of hide and seek on his birthday, that's what he's gonna get." | |
