It's not easy being greyscale

[prometheanflame]

WHO: Mohammed, Tuuri, and you
WHERE: Recolle Zoo and Aquarium
WHEN: June 11th
WHAT: Two friends visit the zoo to have some summer fun. One of them spends most of the time complaining about the heat.
WARNINGS: Prompts A and B are three-person threads, and Prompt D are for two-person threads

[It’s a beautiful day outside. Temperatures are warm, the sun is shining, nature is 80% grayscale. It’s as beautiful as it could be given their circumstances. It’s a decent day to be outside. Mohammed had hoped it would be nice when he’d make use of the tickets he won.]

Did you bring water? Sunscreen? [Surely Tuuri would know the basics of going out in warm weather, but Mohammed can never be sure.]

Yeah, of course, I have all that! [she says, a little too dismissively as she rifles through the zoo map.] Let’s see the monkeys first!

A. In which animals aren’t all that cool anymore.
[Throughout the morning, Tuuri and Mohammed make the best of the cooler temperatures and visit as many animals as they can. The monkeys are a must-see on any trip, and Mohammed takes a few pictures of them, some with Tuuri imitating their poses. The trees have grey leaves, but all in all, the recent color changes don’t detract from the exhibit.]

[The same can’t be said about the rest of the zoo. Walking by the main lawn, they pause to watch the world’s saddest peacock strut around like it’s the most gorgeous thing in the universe.]

This is just… We need to get a picture with this, I’m going to make it my userpic on that stupid app. Excuse me! [Tuuri calls out at random, holding out her phone] Can you take a picture of us in front of the pretty, pretty peacock?

[No one hears the noise that comes out of Mohammed’s mouth. He does his best to suppress a too-large grin.] For me, too. [He hands over his phone.]

[Around noon, the zookeepers bring out a chameleon as part of a show. The performance starts off promising, with the zookeeper holding up a red board for the chameleon to mimic, but quickly shifts to five minutes of cycling between indistinguishable shades of grey as the crowd around them oohs and awws. Everyone is enthralled by a grey lizard hanging out in front of a series of grey backgrounds, with the notable exception of Tuuri and Mohammed. Tuuri tosses her head back with a huge, dramatic sigh, and says not at all quietly] I can’t believe we waited twenty minutes for this.

Shhh. [Mohammed is leaning on his knees, keeping a steady gaze on the unimpressive show, but the glazed look in his eyes betrays the attentive posture. They’re in the middle of the stands, and some people are giving Tuuri a Look.]

B. In which being Tuuri is Suffering

[Tuuri tried, okay? She wore a wide-brimmed hat and a cute sundress and smuggled multiple frozen water bottles past security in her bag, but none of that can change the fact that it is unbearably hot outside. Luckily, there is a decorative fountain in the middle of the nearest plaza, and she slumps against it with all the melodrama she can muster (which, at this heat index, isn’t a lot.)] Leave me to die.

You’re not going to die. [With that tone, Mohammed may not care at all if she dies or not. She’s got enough water to last six hours if she drinks like a normal person. He unscrews the cap of his personal bottle and takes a sip, expecting her to mimic the action.]

[She does not. Instead, she uses her water bottle to cover her eyes.] It’s only going to get hotter. The zoo was a mistake. This country was a mistake.

[A pair of teenagers walk by and stare at this strange display before running off and laughing to themselves.] This is getting ridiculous.

[He spins to face Tuuri and gets into Optimal Lecture Position.] It’s not even noon yet, we can’t stay inside the entire time, we’ll miss half of the attractions. If you could just put some effort into keeping cool, Tuuri--

[Over in the corner of the plaza, there’s a tiny, overpriced ice cream stand that neither of them seem to notice, not when they’re too busy arguing over the fountain.]

C. In which they take a break (Closed)

[After deciding that Tuuri’s health and safety took priority, Mohammed checks the zoo map they were handed at the entrance for the nearest indoor exhibit that wasn’t rainforest themed. He gives the birdhouse a pause, decided that a cold building was too cruel for tropical birds, and picks the Animals of the Arctic exhibit down the road.]

It’s a bit of a walk, but you’ll make it.

[There are few visitors seeking refuge in the mild June heat, so they easily find an empty bench for themselves. Mohammed drops onto the cool stone and sighs.]

D. Wildcard

[Throughout the day, Tuuri and Mohammed can be found separately in shops, restrooms, waiting areas, and wherever you character might run into them. Use this prompt for one-on-one threads.]

Comments

c

[skald]

[The temperature difference between the outside and the arctic exhibit is enormous, and Tuuri lets out a larger sigh once they get inside. She sits down a little heavily with a laugh.]

Haha, I guess I belong in this room!

[She takes a sip or two of her water bottle before taking on an uncertain] Thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be such a pain.

[prometheanflame]

[The bench does feel nice under his hands. Even though the heat is nothing to him, it is relaxing to sit down in a cool, dark, empty place. Cooling off literally and metaphorically. Seeing Tuuri finally happy during this visit should be a good thing, but that along with her apology only leaves a gnawing sense of guilt.]

It's not your fault. [He looks at the glass before him, showcasing an empty pool.] I shouldn't have snapped at you like that.

[skald]

No, it's fine! You were right. [She says it almost immediately; she's been feeling guilty about how much of a brat she was being herself. She plays with the top of her water bottle, watching the empty pool instead of glancing over at Mohammed.] You just wanted to have fun at the zoo and I was complaining all the time. You probably had specific exhibits that you wanted to see, but I made you come into the stupid arctic room anyway.

I can rest here if you want.

[prometheanflame]

[He sighs. He could tell her the truth that he was disappointed, or he could tell a white lie and say it was alright. Either way, he would end up feeling worse.

Why not do both.] I wanted to see the tropical birds exhibit - only a few of them are blue, and the southern half of the zoo. At this rate, we'll have to stay indoors for hours before it starts to cool down.

But staying upset about it is selfish. I'm here because I want to spend time with a friend. So in a way...I'm not all that upset.

[skald]

[Hearing that really bums her out, despite his saying that he's not that upset. It just confirms what she'd already suspected: that hanging out with her was inconveniencing Mohammed. She sits up, alarmed, gesturing emphatically with her water bottle.]

No! We don't have to do that! I'll be able to cool off soon, we can definitely see the southern half of the zoo before it gets dark! And we can go to the tropical birds right after this! You don't have to miss it! If anything, I'm the one being selfish!

[prometheanflame]

Not when you're on the verge of collapsing. [He presses a hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to lie down again.] I can come back later, it's a big zoo.

[Though one could see 90% of the area in one day, it's not something worth mentioning to Tuuri. She doesn't have to know that yet.]

Besides...I never go to this exhibit. [He's been to see the polar bears before, but it's never on the top of his must-see list.] Maybe it's time that I stay here instead and learn something new.

[skald]

[She does lie back down, if reluctantly, more because she thinks Mohammed will keep insisting than because she feels she needs to.] Mmmh... five minutes. Give me five minutes in the stupid arctic exhibit so I can pretend I'm back home, then we'll go and see your birds.

[Then, after a second of thought, she smiles up at the ceiling and asks excitedly]

--Wait, do they have penguins in this exhibit? [Not unless they also have an Antarctic exhibit around the corner...]

b

[appraiser]

[ It's warm out, for June, but Ryoji's here in long sleeves and pants anyways, glancing over at the exchange between the two as he passes and plops himself down a bit further along the fountain. The last time he came to the zoo, it was to die. It didn't work, though, and he's since moved on from dying, but there's still some irony in wandering around the zoo now listening to somebody go through the same(?) ]

...My name's Ryoji. I work at the clinic over at Chata. Is there anything I can help with?

[ He's not a medical anything of the sort, but he's sat through enough doctors' counseling to patients to be familiar with many things. ]

[prometheanflame]

[Mohammed turns to the voice that interrupted him: someone young, but no one he can't deal with.] We're fine. She just needs some water and rest.

[It's barely 80. Dehydration isn't a major issue. They're fine, nothing to see here.]

[skald]

[At almost the same time as Mohammed, Tuuri says] What are the signs of heat stroke?

[It's 80 degrees and she's dying.]

[appraiser]

[ The person in question knows their body the best, so he turns to Tuuri first to answer her question. ]

A high body temperature comes to mind first. [ He scoots over and sets the back of his hand on her forehead. Even if it's just the griping about 80 degrees being scorching hot, better safe than sorry. ] The skin would be hot, dry, red... Do you have a headache, or feel confused?

[ The treatment would probably also include water and rest, so Ryoji just... dips his other hand into the fountain and flicks the water at Tuuri. Also at Mohammed, for good measure. ]

[prometheanflame]

[Mohammed leans down to watch Ryoji only to get water flicked at his face. Tuuri does not to have any of those symptoms, so he doesn't feel all that worried about her.]

She's not used to this weather.

[skald]

[Yeah, Tuuri is definitely not displaying any of these symptoms-- in fact, her forehead is a little damp from the condensation from her water bottle. But hey, at least the water splashing on her face is a little nice...?]

Oh, no, I don't have any of that. But it's just like Mohammed said, this weather is scorching and terrible. [That's exactly what Mohammed said.]

a

[obscultator]

[Karl is right in the middle of staring mordantly at the unfortunate peacock himself when a snatch of half-heard conversation from nearby catches some corner of his attention. "That stupid app...?"]

[But he has not time at all to think on that before the same female voice says "Excuse me!" and Karl turns to see a blond woman in a hat and sundress suddenly handing him her phone and asking for a picture with the peacock in question.]

Ah... [blink] Of course, I'd be happy to.

[He doesn't notice the man with her until he hands over his own phone too, and Karl glances between them, looking perfectly willing but, for a moment, slightly bewildered.]

[skald]

Hee, thank you! [She notices the look and says, in a voice of confident reassurance as if she knows exactly what the problem is,] Don't worry, he can crouch down so we both fit in the shot!

[Right, Mohammed? Tuuri can't very well grow taller than 5 feet, so it's up to him to come down to her level!]

[prometheanflame]

[It's not his fault he's a giant. At least they're not on the grass so his pants don't stain as he kneels beside the peacock.]

You too. The bird is the main attraction. [Look at that thing. When everything is in shades of gray, one can appreciate how the feathers get darker on one end. How they shine.

Birds are beautiful.]

[obscultator]

[Well, those particular problems hadn't actually occurred to him yet, but now that they have he's glad they've already volunteered solutions.]

Um, yes, good idea.

[While the two of them are getting themselves sorted out, Karl is busy delicately juggling two complete strangers' cell phones between his hands without dropping one and also taking a little too long to figure out how this particular camera app works exactly and also visibly waffling on whether to take the picture in a vertical or horizontal orientation. Karl is bad at smartphones okay.]

[skald]

Fine, fine. [Man, she almost forgot that Mohammed was a bird nerd; she sighs and leans in as carefully as she can in her dress. She sticks out her tongue and gives the peacock a hearty thumbs down, waiting patiently for Karl to figure out how to work her phone.

Waiting patiently... waitin-- no, she should probably go help him.]

Here, do you need a hand? If you hold it like this-- [wait, that's Mohammed's phone, she just accidentally locked it.] Uh, Mohammed, where's your camera button? Or do we have to unlock it again?

[prometheanflame]

You can take photos even when it's unlocked. [He steadies himself with a hand on the pavement and stands up.] If you press the button on the front, there should be a camera icon for you to press.

[Lots of older people have trouble with technology, he really shouldn't judge. Not too much, anyway. He rotates his phone into a horizontal position and turns it on.]

See that button in the screen? That's what you use to take photos, and you can zoom in with your fingers.

A

[wantshappiness]

[Yuuri was wearing a sundress and sensible shoes for her visit to the zoo. She was staring at the strutting peacock with an reflexive smile that wasn't amused so much as her attempt to not be rude.

It was doubly weird to watch the bird because the entire lawn was grey.

But at least it was camouflaged now and if any predators showed up they probably wouldn't even see it.

Yuuri was still working out if the protection from predators would be worth not being able to (ever) find a girlfriend when someone called out to her.]

Of course, I'd love to help! [She readjusts the bag she had on her shoulder and reaches out to take the phones. Then she looks at the bird. And then looks back at them.] ...are you sure you want to take a picture with this one? I think one of the peahens might show up better. [Since they're not grey and all. But she's leaning in a whispering because she doesn't want to hurt the peacock's feelings...]

[skald]

[Tuuri leans in to whisper back-- she's not sure why they're whispering, but it seems wrong to reply in a normal tone of voice.] No, we definitely want the peacock!

[She looks over her shoulder at both Mohammed and the peacock to confirm this, though she realizes now that the peacock is a little hard to see against the grass, particularly in a picture... hm.]

Maybe we can take it at a different angle, though? To get more of... [the sky is also grey. hm.] Uh. The pavement? Is that possible?

[prometheanflame]

[Why are they whispering, they can keep their voices low and still not have nearby visitors wonder why peahens are easier to see. He remains where he stands.]

If we can get it to turn around, we'd use the building as a backdrop. [Nods at the beige brick wall in the distance.]

[wantshappiness]

The wall sounds like a better idea than the pavement but...]

...how are we going to do that? {They are whispering to avoid hurting the bird's feelings and now to prevent it from hearing their scheming.]

[skald]

[Tuuri holds her finger to her lips as if to remind Mohammed to keep his voice down, because obviously they wouldn't have started whispering in the first place if it wasn't important.]

Well, what do peacocks like to eat? Maybe we can lure it closer to this direction with some food.

[prometheanflame]

We're not allowed to feed the birds. [Sorry but not sorry to ruin your fun.] We have to distract it.

[He pulls out his phone and dangles it in front of the peacock. It doesn't turn around.]

...Do either of you have any jewelry?