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[forgeabettertomorrow]

WHO: Darin and the Voltron Paladins
WHERE: De Chima Zoo
WHEN: October
WHAT: Teaching Allura all about Earth animals
WARNINGS: Arguments over how a space elf princess knows what the hell lions even are

It's a crisp, Autumn day. The foliage is turning to an array of warm, fiery colors. The sky is a cool blue to contrast with wispy clouds in the sky, and the crowd at the zoo is relatively light. Darin recommended going on a school day so as to avoid a ton of crowds.

Comments

Meetup at the Entrance

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Since Allura and the rest of the paladins were scattered throughout different housing, he had suggested that they all meet in the morning in front of the De Chima Zoo's main gate.

He's got tickets already in hand for everyone, and he's dressed much more casually than normal. He's wearing a greyish, blue hoodie with two crossed hammers on the back, a pair of khaki cargo shorts, and a pair of brown hiking boots, since he assumes there will be a lot of walking.

He also has maps.

"So, I've got maps and tickets here. I don't know if we all want to stick together, or go off on our own. I'll leave that up to you guys."

Reptile and Amphibian House

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This large exhibit houses all kinds of, you guessed it, reptiles. There's snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, and all kinds of exotic creatures in this building. They range from enormous boa constrictors, to tiny geckos and salamanders. It's a little muggy in certain parts of the building to simulate some more tropical environments.

Insect and Arachnid Pavillion

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For all your creepy crawly needs, this exhibit features a large array of insects. There's displays for all kinds; giant ant farms, mantises, cicadas, grasshoppers, cockroaches. You name it, it's likely here! Not to mention enormous spiders and scorpions too. Hey, wanna play with some hissing roaches or pet a tarantula? Me neither! But there's a hands-on exhibit here in the hall! And out back is the free walking butterfly enclosure!

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Approaching the exhibit, Darin just sorta stops and veers aside.

"Yeah...I'll wait outside. Or on the other side. Whichever is better. I'm not...really feeling this one, to be honest."

Yeah, he's sweating a bit nervously. Nothing shady there.

Into the Butterfly Enclosure...

[patchricide]

This is why we're here, right? Right.

As much as she finds the rest of the pavilion fascinating — once Allura knows that there was an open enclosure to walk through, she hurries ahead to get the first look. So, others will step in to find her standing at the very edge of the path, as close as she can get without stepping on the flowers. The butterflies must find something about her shining white hair fascinating, since there's quite a few of them fluttering around her head.

She reaches up towards one with an outstretched hand, grinning.

[legionnaires]

There's something serene about watching Allura try and touch one of the butterflies that were flying about her head. The scene reminded him of those cartoon movies the rest of the kids in foster care loved.

"They're rather delicate." He says softly. "Try to avoid touching their wings."

North American Wildlife Enclosure

[forgeabettertomorrow]

This section of the zoo is dedicated to all types of animals found in North America. There's cougars and mountain lions, there's a bear exhibit, and some pens feature deer, elk, and moose.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[He'd wandered away from the rest of the group after his shouting match with Allura. He contemplated heading home, but that just didn't sit right with him for some reason. After some meandering, he found himself in the North American Wildlife exhibit. It was peaceful here. After all, a lot of these animals weren't exactly exotic considering the country they were in. Darin was able to ditch the crowds as he wandered between enclosures, keeping to the shade. The trees here were a little more reminiscent of the forests back in Alvale, and the animals were awfully similar too.]

[He drapes himself over one of the railings of a black bear enclosure. The large creatures were busy sunning themselves outside of their cave. One of them sat and gnawed on a large branch that might have, at one point, had berries on it. Darin watches but heaves a sigh, unable to really enjoy the sight.]

Just what the hell is the matter with me? You talk a big game, but when push comes to shove, you don't know the first thing about opening up to someone. Hell, you don't even have a sense of self. Maybe if you weren't such a trash heap of a person, you could just come out and say what you want. That you want her approval. That you want her to like you. Instead, you clam up and turn into a giant walking child. Why? Because you're terrified of what that might mean to you. If another human being actually liked you and didn't care about what you were. That scares the hell out of you more than anything you could ever turn into.

[He fishes around in his pocket for his notebook so he can hazard a sketch or two of the bears but his heart just isn't in it. Before long he's just doodling things that aren't even there.]

I'm a master blacksmith. I can forge anything in the world. Except bonds apparently...

[patchricide]

I don't think there's many people who don't have trouble admitting something like that, actually.

[Hey, guess what these big ears are good for? She's also exploring this area, because all animals are exotic and new to her. And she has a container of some bright blue slush drink, because apparently that's what she drinks on a cool autumn day. Why not?]

Aviary

[forgeabettertomorrow]

This large building is just brimming with all kinds of birds from all over. Here, they're free to fly around since there's a large canopy above that keeps them from going too far. There's also an enclosure where you can feed a number of the birds from your hand.

[lasersounds]

For a kid that grew up around the exotic beaches of Cuba's Varadero Penisula, the aviary was kind of a close reminder to the reserves he used to clamor through both as a kid. It's a weird taste of home in the last place he expected to find it. So it's no surprise that his almost nervous energy for the day has settled here, a calm grin firmly in place as he holds his hands out to a few of the vireo nestled on a branch nearby.

"Hey, little guys...haven't seen ones like you for a while." A soft, bitter-sweet comment. It's been a good long while since the homesickness last sunk in. "You think you got a song for me?"

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Not far away Darin is sketching a bird with a very exotic crest and plumage. He notices Lance and wanders over, curious to see what has his attention.

"You've got birds like this back home?"

Primates

[forgeabettertomorrow]

This large exhibit features all types of primates from chimps to gorillas. There's a demonstration going on where a handler is communicating with one of the gorillas via sign language. Also, many of the zoo-goers are entertaining themselves with the chimps, getting them to mimic what they do.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Darin is watching the sign language demonstration with considerable interest. He's even got a little notepad out, scribbling some notes and thoughts.

And behind him, behind a pane of glass, is a chimpanzee literally mocking every move he makes.

[pidgewidgeon]

The chimpanzee's mocking ability is amazing, and has Pidge entertained more than she should be. She's been keeping in most of the snickers, just letting loose the occasional huff, but when the chimp curls it's lip at the back of Darin's head before blowing a raspberry at him she can't help herself. Pidge breaks into full belly laughs and has to use a nearby bench to keep herself standing.

African Mammals Exhibit

[forgeabettertomorrow]

This large section of the zoo is devoted to the many animals and species found in Africa. There's giraffes and hippos, rhinos and tigers, jaguars and elephants, and naturally, lions! Most of them seem content to just be lounging just out of sight, though. Figures, right?

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Darin drapes himself over one of the railings, sipping from a water bottle in exasperation. He's been here for ten minutes and the lions have barely moved. They just lie there.

"...So, if Voltron is based off of these things, Voltron must be the laziest weapon in the universe."

[legionnaires]

No one said that they had to stick together as a group. When they do reach the African animal exhibit he takes the moment to break off from the rest of them. Though, in a smart move, Keith doesn't say anything before he does this.

He finds himself at the hippo exhibit, sitting on a bench watching them swim around in the enclosure. Maybe it was to feel some sort of nostalgia when he was younger with his father. Going to the zoo in Arizona was always a treat, but when he took him to Zoológico de Chapultepec? Hippos became his new favorite animal.

So, here he was, relaxing in the shade to watch the hippos for a bit. He hopes everyone else is having fun at least.

Penguin Enclosure

[forgeabettertomorrow]

It's penguins. What else do you need? They're adorable and they're having a grand time swimming and waddling around.

[pidgewidgeon]

Pidge arrives at the Penguin Enclosure just in time for the feeding show to start. She grabs an available seat and settles back to enjoy the show.

Soon enough the penquins are flying through the water and doing tricks to get a fish from the trainer. Pidge can't help the grin that forms, she loves the weird flightless birds.

Rodent House

[forgeabettertomorrow]

This relatively small building houses a large array of rodents and other rodent like critters. The lights are kept a little low and there is a strict 'Don't tap on the glass' policy here!

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Darin wanders through the rodent house, looking at all the different kinds of mice. He seems to be looking for something in particular.

"Huh...that's weird. I guess they don't have that species at this zoo. Maybe they're rare?"

Nocturnal Animal Exibit

[forgeabettertomorrow]

This large building houses a great deal of nocturnal animals. The building itself is kept completely dark save for a number of black lights and very low wattage bulbs. Here you'll see several species of bats, as well as other nocturnal rodents and creatures, all just barely illuminated by the eerie lighting.

[pidgewidgeon]

Pidge and an aye-aye are staring at each other, each cocking their head one way and then another. She just couldn't get over the creepy, big orange eyes and the overly long fingers. It was just so weird.

Giftshop

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Literally brimming with all types of souvenirs, from wide brimmed hats and baseball caps, to tee shirts, sweaters, hoodies, and backpacks. Liked a particular animal? You better believe there's a plush of it. There's tons of plushes of it! Of varying size! Want a hippopotamus beanbag chair? What about a 1:1 scale plush boar constrictor? Or a giant seal body pillow? It's all here at ridiculously inflated prices!