betterthanaplan | The Maryland Zoo, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Tuesday evening

It'd been a nice day in Baltimore, sunny and cool without quite being cold, so there were a few more people still wandering around the park and the zoo than Duke had anticipated when they got there. Still, while there were some people, it still wasn't a lot of people. Slightly more than Fandom numbers, much less than usual downtown Baltimore numbers.

"So, what should we check out first?" Duke asked. "Polar bears? Alligators? Oh hey, porcupines!"

[it's Tuesday where

okteiviakom is, and I'm impatient. For the one expected, and probably some slowplay!]

[Somewhat belated content note: the Park thread gets pretty dark, and involves references to: alcohol and drug abuse, prostitution, child endangerment, and domestic violence.]

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From:

okteiviakom

"Great way to get chained to a rock."

There'd been zero chance of that not being her first thought.

From:

betterthanaplan

"Well. If I was Greek, it would be. Other tricksters were better at not getting caught."

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia shrugged one shoulder.

"Well, the Greeks couldn't be best at everything."

From:

betterthanaplan

"I mean. They sure thought they were." Duke tilted his head as they approached the otter enclosure. "You dip into any other mythologies since you've been here? Or are you all Greek all the way when it comes to myths and legends?"

From:

okteiviakom

"Greek and Roman," Octavia replied, though the Roman part of the Blakes' education had always dealt a little more with straight-forward history than it had with myth. "I've read a little bit about Vikings and their gods, here, but it's only bits and pieces."

From:

betterthanaplan

"Vikings can be fun," Duke said. "We got a fair amount of Native American lore where I grew up -- or bastardized, white people versions of them, anyway. Town was even named by them, originally. Tuwiuwok. Means something like 'Haven for God's Orphans'."

From:

okteiviakom

"Huh," Octavia said, the slightly distracted softness of her tone betraying that she was thinking back to something, something else but still related. "Quite a name."

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke snorted softly and nodded. "You can see why we shortened it."

He crouched down in front of the otter enclosure, spotting one of them in the cut-away, underwater view. "There we are," he said, wiggling his fingers at the otter. "Hey, buddy."

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia watched him for a couple of seconds, thinking back to Luna - or really, to what Lincoln had said about her and her clan.

Then she, too, crouched to get better acquainted with their new friend. "Oh, wow."

From:

betterthanaplan

Someday, Octavia was going to have to tell Duke a little more about Floukru. Since she'd decided they were his people and all.

The otter, quite used to being watched by humans, did a couple flips and barrel rolls in the water. Duke pressed his hand lightly to the glass as he watched, grin going a little wistful.

"I can't wait until it's warm enough to swim again."

From:

okteiviakom

"You'll have to teach me," Octavia replied, tone soft and distracted again, though this time for an obvious reason. "Can't promise I'll be as graceful about it as this guy, though."

From:

betterthanaplan

"Not at first," Duke said with a shrug. "But I bet you could get there." He looked over at her. "I bet you'd be great at diving."

It was quiet and wild and beautiful under the water. She'd fit right in.

From:

okteiviakom

"You think so?" Octavia asked, with a very quick glance at him before her eyes were drawn back to the otter. "Because I'm so great with hidden depths?"

Well, she'd been repeatedly told she had those, anyway.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke laughed. "Yes. That's it exactly."

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia snorted.

"Well, I'll be your greatest student, then."

From:

betterthanaplan

"Probably," Duke said, and meant it. "I mean, to be fair, I haven't actually taught very many people how to swim. Or . . . anyone, actually."

From:

okteiviakom

"Can't be harder than teaching them how to be pirates."

She thought, anyway. At least swimming was just a single, tangible skill!

From:

betterthanaplan

"Dunno, that I just kind of made up as I went along. Swimming's an actual, like, skill."

Well, at least they agreed on the skill part.

From:

okteiviakom

"It's going to be fine."

She had reason to believe he wasn't going to let her drown, or anything. So it was going to be fine.

"And another thing to look forward to." It was still weird to her, to have those.

From:

betterthanaplan

"Shouldn't even have to wait too long around here," Duke noted. "It's like, barely been winter."

From:

okteiviakom

"True. I've barely even had to break out my winter coat, so far." Too bad, really: she liked that coat.

She wiggled her fingers at the otter, then straightened up when it finally swam away so she could get a different point of view on the enclosure.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke stood to join her. "I'm not sure I've even seen your winter coat." Which was too bad, he was sure she looked adorable in it. "On the other hand, I haven't had to move yoga inside too often. . . ."

From:

okteiviakom

"Where'd you move that to, anyway?"

From:

betterthanaplan

"Spare room on the Rouge. Seemed like the easiest way to do it."

And the porgs wouldn't get lost trying to find him.

From:

okteiviakom

"That's... making it way too easy for the porgs." And she couldn't even read narrative! She just knew what the birds were like. And looked amused about it. "Have fun getting relentlessly climbed on."