The Maryland Zoo, Baltimore, Saturday

[uncertain_dume]

After a conversation with Rey yesterday about how much longer before she had to head back to Jakku, Kanan had offered to show her a bit more of what was out there in the galaxy. They had about a month, after all, and it would be a month wasted if she didn't take advantage of the fact that portals and starships could get them to practically any kind of world she'd ever dreamed of seeing.

The fact that they'd wound up in Baltimore was kind of hilarious, then. She'd wanted to see a city, and there happened to be one right across the Causeway that she still hadn't been to. From there it had been a matter of figuring out something to do, and the zoo had seemed amenable, so... here they were, after a walk to catch a cab, because 'the zoo' was not exactly the ultimate city experience and Kanan figured that at the very least, they could stand to take in some scenery.

Buildings, people, traffic, litter... City life.

After the cab pulled in at the zoo and Kanan settled up with the driver, he nodded toward the front gate, feeling weirdly naked standing there without armor on his shoulder or a blaster at his hip. He did have his lightsaber, though, stashed in a bag over his shoulder along with a few extra bottles of water and his phone.

"Welcome to the closest thing to wilderness you can find in a big city," Kanan said, managing to not make a comment about how every city on the planet was actually kind of cute when your entire homeworld happened to be one. "Watch out for kids, we'll probably be tripping over them all day."

[OOC: For Rey!]

Comments

[thatwaslucky]

Rey was completely fine admitting that she was sheltered, that there was a lot she didn't know about the world or galaxy at large, and she had no idea why it took her this long to do anything like this. But as she looked around, there was one specific point she needed to make. "This is wilderness?"

[uncertain_dume]

"Not even remotely," Kanan chuckled, "but it isn't like the kids know that. They're just here to see big cats and monkeys and things, mostly."

[thatwaslucky]

"Those are a draw," Rey said, and thought of something. "Are there any pandas here?"

[uncertain_dume]

"You know, I don't think they do," Kanan said apologetically. "But they have polar bears. And a penguin feeding demonstration in about twenty minutes?"

He'd gone researching last night after the impromptu beach party, yes.

[thatwaslucky]

"That's all right. I was just wondering if I'd see one without getting accused of trying to steal it," she said. "Polar bears?"

[uncertain_dume]

"They're like pandas, if they were huge, aquatic, and all white," Kanan offered. "Somebody accused you of trying to steal a panda?"

He figured Rey was smarter than that. Somebody was clearly delusional.

[thatwaslucky]

"Wrong place at the wrong time while we were in China. I was with someone who probably was trying to, I had nothing to do with it." This point has to be made.

[uncertain_dume]

"I believe you," Kanan replied, holding up his hands for a moment in surrender before stepping up to the booth and paying their admission. He grinned a little as he turned back to her. "Where would you even keep a panda?"

They'd be miserable on Jakku.

[thatwaslucky]

"My place is not big enough for an animal," she said. And that was if her place was still there! "Sand would be tough on the paws, I'd think."

[uncertain_dume]

"Not to mention their very particular diet," Kanan agreed. "I was under the impression that they aren't an easy animal to feed."

The poor thing would starve to death before they could find an analog to bamboo. Especially on Jakku.

[thatwaslucky]

"It could learn to like eating sand? And it isn't like they can live in a dorm room. See, this is why it's bad to yell at me," she said.

Anakin.

[uncertain_dume]

"Yeah, yelling at you over a panda seems like an ill thought-out plan overall," Kanan sighed, shaking his head. "So, where would you like to start? I promise I won't yell at you."

[thatwaslucky]

"Polar bears," she said immediately. "It's important."

[uncertain_dume]

"Polar bears it is," Kanan agreed, grinning. "All the charm of pandas, none of the yelling."

Unless you counted excited kids.

[thatwaslucky]

"I think I need to see the cold animals," Rey said. "And commit them to memory."

[uncertain_dume]

"Well, the bears should be near that penguin feeding," Kanan mused. "I think you might like the penguins. Maybe the keeper will let you try feeding them."

[thatwaslucky]

"Wait, they let you do that?"

She didn't think that would be an exciting prospect and yet here she was.

[uncertain_dume]

"I mean, you might have to body-check a few ten-year-olds out of the way first..."

Kanan grinned and shrugged.

"They're hungry birds. I'm sure the penguins don't mind who's feeding them."

[thatwaslucky]

"I'm okay with not doing it if it's busy, or I actually have to body check anyone," she said. "As long as I get to see them."

She wasn't picky. This was just good to get to do.

[uncertain_dume]

"Seeing them should be easy," Kanan mused, and then nodded toward the arctic exhibits, keeping an eye open for somebody in a zoo uniform along the way. The moment he spotted somebody who looked like they might be a zookeeper, he held up a finger and made a beeline toward them.

The conversation was short and sweet, a quick "What would it take to have my friend here get a crack at feeding one of the penguins?" And a shameless winning grin.

A minute later and some brief chatting and he came back, looking pleased with himself.

"They're going to save you a fish for once the crowd moves on," he shared. "So, we won't want to miss that feeding."

[thatwaslucky]

Okay, maybe she'd kind of wanted to do it more than she thought. "Really? How did you do that?"

[uncertain_dume]

"I asked really nicely," Kanan replied. And then paused and added, "And explained that you're a student here on exchange and will be heading back home on a month. Wanted to make this zoo trip memorable."

Another pause.

"I didn't even have to get extra persuasive. I kinda like this zoo."

[thatwaslucky]

"I do, too. Thanks." She really should be over him doing stuff like this by now, and yet. "So polar bears before feeding time?"

[uncertain_dume]

"Polar bears before feeding time," Kanan agreed, nodding and starting toward the polar bear habitat. "Big white not-pandas, coming right up."

[thatwaslucky]

"Is there anything you're going to want to see?" Rey asked as they walked.