操作: [ location: Taxon Zoo ]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

Most animals, it turns out, are simple for all the complexities of a multitiered food chain (and the occasional group with fully formed temporal lobes). Many souls that see a great fake sky and don't know any better but to remember what they are. The simplicity of productive thought, a routine unvaried and safely housed, is refreshing when saddled between the choices of 'too much' and 'not enough.'

Eat, sleep, and eat.

That's more than can be said for the Extras who, for reasons only Hamsters might possibly understand, accepted her application for employment and gave her an officious khaki vest with her schedule folded neatly in the right pocket. It's almost as if they're conspiring to remind her of Simon, and she alternates between hating it completely and wearing it with wrinkled pride.

The work relationship itself is mutually beneficial: River gets to come in for free and has access to all the zoo's more entertaining hidden areas, and the zoo gets...

Well, in theory they get a nice young woman who stands at a kiosk and admits people to the butterfly room.

In reality, they get a nice young woman standing happily on one leg in the middle of the flock of flamingos as she bends down at the waist and, apparently, engages one of them in a staring contest.

"You're extinct," she informs it gently. The flamingo squawks at her but doesn't otherwise seem to care.

Hopefully no one is desperate to see the butterflies today.

Comments

[Location: Taxon Zoo] Let the horrors begin

[tailblade.livejournal.com]

Aximili is irritated by his fellow employee, and tries to avoid her when he can. Given her childish behavior, he assumes she must be younger than she looks (though in truth, the girl and the alien are of an age.) But standing in the middle of the flamingo habitat? This has gone a little far, in his opinion.

«The purpose of the exhibit is to simulate the flamingo's habitat,» he says, standing outside the habitat thank you very much. «I am given to understand that flamingos do not flock with humans.»

[Location: Taxon Zoo]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

It takes her longer than would be usual to respond. She's too occupied with watching the flamingo saunter away and too unused to having to pick out a voice in her head as something that requires actual vocal response. (For the record, she detests this kind of communication. Much too confusing.)

"Shhh," River hisses finally as she straightens (slowly gently so as not to risk a squawking pinching horde of legs and pink) back up. "There was a door."

Natural flamingo habitats seldom have doors in them, ergo it was set there as an open invitation for River to come in. Obviously.

[Location: Taxon Zoo]

[tailblade.livejournal.com]

Aximili does not appreciate being shushed by a human child.

«The door does not constitute an open invitation to the flamingo habitat,» he says stiffly. «The only occasion on which to enter the habitats is to feed the animals or assess their health.»

[Location: Taxon Zoo]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

Still up on one leg, River wobbles for the first time since Ax's appearance. There's a slick unease of shame and annoyance orbiting around her center of gravity now and it's throwing her off.

But then she's straight and steady and pointing at him as if commanding the flamingos to attack.

They don't.

"I'm assessing," she lies. Kind of. Gauging their social behavior and observing their interactions counts as assessment, right?

[Location: Taxon Zoo]

[tailblade.livejournal.com]

The extension of the index finger toward a specific target is a human gesture of accusation. Aximili knows this, but he does not know what this accusation might be.

«Impressive as your ability to stand on only one leg may be, it is not a form of assessment, unless you are attempting to model the potential instability of how these birds stand. However, given that the flamingos are consistently able to maintain their balance, I do not think such an assessment is necessary.»

[Location: Taxon Zoo]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

"It's in their ankles and toes," said as if this is somehow both obvious and relevant.

And with that she's turning her back on him and making her way (slowly on tip-toes each step precarious and new) toward another flamingo. She can't really ignore Ax, but she is going to do her best to not go along with anything he tells her to do.

[Location: Taxon Zoo]

[tailblade.livejournal.com]

«There are reasons to avoid repeated contact with these animals beyond what is necessary. Have you even considered the possibility of zoonosis?» It's unlikely to happen to Aximili, of course, since the pathogens of Earth animals are not equipped to attack his immune system, but it could happen to her.

[Location: Taxon Zoo]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

River takes a moment to glare at his hooves before turning back to acknowledge him properly. Even that is off, her eyes fixating on his shoulder instead of his face. The lack of mouth is disconcerting.

"She's working," possessing the first person is difficult just now, but gorramit she's determined. Confused, somewhat desperate amidst a flock of pink (she's fine and they're fine but why are they fine what was the purpose there had been a purpose but he interrupted her and she lost it inside the squawking-- oh right), but determined.

Oh, right.

"Everything's shiny. They shine."

[voice]

[thenormalsquint]

Um...

[Does Angela really want to touch this one with a less than ten foot pole?]

[voice]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

Their pigment is earned.

[See? She's kind of doing her job by being informative!]

[voice]

[thenormalsquint]

It goes in their mouth and goes outside.

[Well, if River is going to talk in riddles, maybe Angela can try riddles on her.]

[voice]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

And transfers downward. It's a cycle.

[This will end well.]

[voice]

[thenormalsquint]

What goes in comes out.

[Fun for who, though?]

[voice]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

Until death or parental obligations become visibly apparent.

[Innocent bystanders?]

[voice]

[thenormalsquint]

[Why must those innocent people be tortured so?]

Honor thy mother and father?

[And if Angela wasn't lost before, she definitely is now.]

[voice]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

[If only Angela could see her face right now.]

They gave them pigment.

[This is neither agreement or denial. Not even clarification really. Mostly just 'why don't you know this already.']

[ voice ]

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

Shhh, don't tell them.

[ voice ]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

Have a right to know. Descendants undecended.

[Pause.]

The lack of roots doesn't inhibit their growth.

[Write this down, Dawn. There'll be a test later. Maybe.]

[ Location: Frye Ranch ]

[gotcouplings.livejournal.com]

Serenity is prepped and ready for visitors. Kaylee has made careful sure that everything on the ship is in order, and has even gone so far as to clean up the ranch house a bit. It doesn't necessarily mean that the Master will ever see inside the house, but it makes the mechanic feel a bit better that things are a little more snazzed up than usual.

Lawn chair parked outside the cargo bay door, Kaylee's currently sifting through her tablet. Plans for drills, plans for ships, plans for air filters...plenty of projects to work on, and she might as well be looking them over while she's waiting for her guest.

[ Location: Frye Ranch ] OK OK I'LL SAY IT: Meanwhile, back at the Ranch...

[syncopath]

Although this visit is not a date, exactly, the Master's taken the trouble to hatch a new suit, splash on a small whiff of cologne, and, after a little more thought, gather a small bouquet of some of the wildflowers growing along the crevices of his mountain. She's a girl, after all, so none of these measures could possibly hurt.

He walks around the side of the ranch house, as he's been instructed-- although the ship is large enough that he'd have to be half-blind not to see it. And there's his tour guide, straight ahead. The Master strolls toward her, grinning sunnily with his hands behind his back.

"Quite beautiful," he observes. It is, perhaps, unclear from his tone whether he is referring to Serenity, the Ranch, or Kaylee herself.

[ Location: Frye Ranch ] ...totally forgot about that part. >>;;;

[gotcouplings.livejournal.com]

The mechanic glances up from her work as the Master approaches and offers him the brightest smile she can, partly to convey her excitement of a tour, partly to hide the fact that she is completely underdressed compared to him. He’s certainly an impressive sight, and she’s never been one to complain about someone going through a little effort to look nice on her part.

Kaylee shoves her tablet into her pocket and bounces up out of her chair, grinning at his compliment toward Serenity behind her (because really, so far as Kaylee’s concerned, that’s all it can be).

“She is, ain’t she?”

[ Location: Frye Ranch ] hee

[syncopath]

He was waiting to see which she would choose; now he has his answer. The Master takes in her obvious pride and affection for the ship with an assessing eye. It's quite a bit like the Doctor, really.

"I can see already why she's so special to you," he purrs, to get his mind off that ugly comparison. In reality he's amazed the thing can get off the ground, and he thinks the thing looks rather akin to the rocket ship he built as a human. Serviceable, perhaps even ingenious in its way-- but ultimately pathetic and limited.

He brings the bouquet from behind his back as he draws closer and holds it out to her. "Thought you might be interested in these. They grew on my home world. It's a bit past their season, but then I'm not entirely sure this City observes quite the same calendar."

[ Location: Frye Ranch ]

[gotcouplings.livejournal.com]

It's hard for Kaylee not to have every ounce of pride in this ship as she does. For most crews, she's fairly sure Serenity would have dropped out of the skies long before. Run on pure love, this ship.

"You'd be surprised how many people wouldn't think it, just by her looks. She tends to fool 'em, though. Can't find a ship like her anywhere else in the 'verse." No two ships are alike, from that standpoint. They're just like people, with their own personalities and quirks, and from growing up around ships Kaylee's learned that you have to get to know your ship just as you would a person.

The flowers are unexpected, and Kaylee is all but glowing as she takes them. "Zhēnshi tài piàoliang le! Like nothin' I've ever seen--I should get some water for--xiè xiè!!"


[[ Translation: "They're beautiful!" / "Thank you!!" ]]

[ Location: Frye Ranch ]

[syncopath]

"Appearances aren't always so reliable, are they?" the Master agrees amiably, with a little smile. Certainly he knows a thing or two about hiding in plain sight.

"And you're very welcome." He says that second part in perfectly articulated Mandarin, though her dialect isn't quite the same as the one he's learned. "Go on, put them in water. I can wait."

Perhaps he can even do some investigating of the ship on his own, while she's off doing so. Because as much as he's unimpressed by Serenity's looks so far, even the Doctor's TARDIS (outmoded pile of rubbish it is) has its uses.

[ Location: Frye Ranch ]

[gotcouplings.livejournal.com]

"All depends. There're some things out there that are the same all the way through. Capissen 38s, as an example."

She gives a small, giddy squeal, pleased beyond belief that someone around here's got a bit of Mandarin in their system besides River and Mal. She sweeps an arm toward the ship, not quite as gracefully as she means it to be, and nods.

"There'll be water in the mess," she explains. "Make it a quick pit stop on the tour." Inside, she points at the closest staircase with one hand, and the back door of the cargo bay with the flowers. "Biggest question now is whether you wanna work back to front or front to back."