Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Chionti Zoo 1x1

Ianto watched her and smiled, "I like to teach people about tigers, so I do the show a few times a day. The trainers think they've taught me some amazing tricks and it helps fund a lot of the efforts to reestablish tigers and get these cubs back into the wild."

Pori ask what she could do and he murmured as he thought about it, "I'm not sure...you'd have to talk to Draeval about that. I mostly just work with getting new animals situated and then the day to day stuff. But the owner or Elsie the volunteer coordinator usually assigns jobs."

Pori listened to him and nodded a bit. "So you really have been able to keep it that much of a secret? It seems like that would be something very hard to do." She listened as he mentioned speaking to Draeval. "Oh...the owner?" She was quiet for a bit. Owner. Human. Naturally, she didn't like that idea. "If I went...would you come with me? Please? Um...in this form, if that's okay?" If he was in his human form, she'd only feel trapped with two humans watching her and that would set her phobia off terribly.

"I don't really like being alone with humans." she explained quietly. "That's one of the reasons I went a bit wild in the infirmary.."

Ianto watched her for a moment and shrugged, "I lived and was forced to work in a circus for almost half my life Pori. I learned a few magic tricks of my own, and after a while well...I kinda just fused to that life. Most people here don't really know me." He looked back off, Draeval knew and Pori knew a little. Leona likewise knew but she wasn't here. Most people just thought the tiger was reclusive and Ianto the man was a serial killer that was very good to animals.

Pori mentioned Draeval and he tilted his head, "He's...yeah he's the owner. But he's good, takes really great care of this place. He's been busy, he built this place and then has worked to rebuild it since the war. I can take you to the offices and we can see if he's there though."

Pori was asking him to go with her as a tiger and he blinked, "Yeah...sure I can do that. Might freak some people out but eh, they'll survive." There was another one of those feline grins. And then she's explaining and he watched her for a moment, "I know it's hard to believe but honestly no one is going to hurt you here. Most of the workers are either humanoid or human. But they all have to go through extensive testing to become certified and then they have to log so many hours before they can even come into a biome. But I can understand...my past left me a little uh...aggressive."

Ianto acted like a mild mannered pet so that may seem weird.

Pori nodded a bit in understanding. Yeah, if he spent that much time, he'd understand how to keep such a thing a secret. She was relieved when he said he would come with her, smiling a bit. "Thank you so much." It did mean a lot to her, and she knew it would help.

When he spoke of the people there, she nodded slightly. "I know...I mean, my mind knows it. But there's just...always that doubt. And my body keeps saying no, they're all the same, they're all going to hurt me." She blinked when he spoke of being aggressive. "...you? Aggressive? You're not aggressive at all."

Ianto gave her a bit of a smile, "No problem. I think that you'll like Draeval though. Well once you know him a bit. He's kinda manic, but a decent fella." Ianto shifted and stretched his back before settling again in his seated position.

"It's hard, I definitely understand. You'll grow accustomed to it here though, you seem like you want to at least. And that goes a long way. Some never adjust, every creature here comes from pretty rough backgrounds. We all have our baggage so...it takes a bit and we're all adjusting in our own way."

He chuffled lightly and flicked his tail again, "Believe it or not I tried to eat the ring leader once at the circus. I was having a bad day."

Pori wondered just what Ianto meant by 'manic'. She listened to him and nodded a little. "I do want to. It seems alright here. And it does seem...safe. I like safe." She smiled a bit, though stared as he talked about trying to eat a ring leader. "...Really??"

Ianto smiled again, "Then you'll be fine even if it takes time." He murmured again and then pulled himself to stand, he was a restless thing.

"Really. Done other things, I'm more protective lately than aggressive. But I still can throw around my weight when needed."

Pori nodded. "Alright." She hoped he was right. She watched as he stood up, giving a little giggle as he spoke again. "Well...there's a lot of you to throw around." she teased, poking his side. He was a large tiger after all, not fat though. But she enjoyed teasing.

Ianto chuffled softly, "Yeah I guess there is." He's getting poked and he gently batted his tail at her. "I'm not a rollie pollie if that's what you're thinking. This is good hard muscle!" He chuffled again and stretched once more, one leg at a time.

Pori giggled as she was batted at by his tail. "Good hard muscle...riiight." She giggled and smiled at him, watching him stretch. "So...what do you do now?" She stretched a little bit herself and settled in comfortably to her seat. She watched him for a moment or two, then looked around the biome.

Ianto chuffled at her again, "You're goofy." And he slipped off the car hood in an easy motion. The car would lurch and groan with the loss of his weight. It probably sprang up a few inches higher than it had been before.

Pori asked a question and it made him pull back his lips to smile, "Now? Now I do a bit of diving." And he put his paws in the stream and padded to the pool flicking his tail behind him as he came to a stop. Ianto looked over his shoulder and mewled before turning back to the pool and leaping in.

Ianto would have gone below the surface to the bottom of the pool. He was down there for a few moments and when he broke the surface he had a ball in his mouth. "Iagweolasdjfwiebaviuwe" He just made noises before dropping it on the ground. Ianto's paws rested on either side of it and he was using his hind legs to keep him afloat. "I uh...like water sports."

Pori giggled. "Yeah. I guess I am." She wiggled a bit, trying to keep her balance as he got off the car. "Diving?" she asked curiously. She watched as he moved into the water, laughing as he went underneath and then came back up...with a ball in his mouth! She giggled, finding it quite amusing.

"I see. Well it looks fun." She got off the car and walked over to the pool. She smiled and took the ball. "Want to go get it again, then?" She tossed it into the water, to let him fetch it again. He liked water sports, so perhaps he'd like this game of theirs.

Ianto chortled at Pori, "Oh yes, I'm a master diver." And then he's under the water and coming up with that ball, he was a trained show cat after all! He had flair and he was goofy, but also dripping wet. And then she's tossing the ball back into the water and he'll flip backwards going head first and pushing off the edge with his hind paws.

When he got the ball he grabbed it with his claws and then pushed straight off the bottom jetting up to toss the ball back in the air. And then! VOILA! He caught it on his nose like a seal! He's a weirdo, but he looks like he's having fun.

Pori watched him and laughed. He did seem to be having fun, and it made her smile. "Ianto, you're pretty good at this. You look like you're having fun, too." She smiled and sat down by the edge of the water. "...tell me more about this place, Ianto. About the people who come here.." She poked a finger into the water, watching him for a moment and then just watching the ripples.

Ianto tossed the ball up on the edge and swam over to rest his paws there and his head between them. His rear is still going strong, keeping him a float. "I love it, I'm at home in the water everything just goes quiet down there and it's just me and that pool. Sometimes the ball." He gave a toothy feline grin before tilting his head up at her.

"Well...it's a lot of families, the little ones are fun. They are so full of life and curious, they just want to know what's going on and every thing to them is amazing. The parents, sometimes are a lot of fun but not nearly so full of wonder as the kids. Then there are the art students, they're cool but mostly stick to the Aquarium. This place as a lot for them and they're on grants so they're able to come and draw and stuff here whenever they want."

He paused and lashed his tongue across his nose, "And then...there are the animal kids. The teens and college students working to learn about animals, they do volunteer work and work behind the scenes. They're really hands on and really just good. They -want- to learn which is a big difference than a lot of people that come through."

He shrugged and then began to pull himself out of the pool, not nearly as graceful as his dive as it was wrought with effort. Ianto was heavy, and when wet heavier but he managed it and then flopped in the dirt with a grunt. "There aren't usually bad apples that come through, but if they do they're handled pretty quickly."

Pori listened to him carefully. "...I see." she said softly. "I guess that's a good thing then. So um...what can I do, here? To help. I don't just want to freeload off this place. I don't think I would make a very good 'exhibit'...I'm probably too humanlike. But maybe I could help out in places."

She fidgeted a little bit and then looked over at him. She couldn't help but giggle. "You look silly. You're soaking wet."

Ianto thought about it and looked up, "Well...how are you with animals? We always need help in the nursery or in the med center. We get a lot of rescues in that have had hard lives, that need a gentle hand or a friendly face. They don't trust everyone and sometimes something big and muscular like me doesn't look good." He shifted and laid on his stomach, water just rolling off his fur. "Plus behind the scenes there's always work to be done, a lot of it is rehabing the animals here and that kind of thing. Helping them adjust so they can be released, if release is possible."

Then she's laughing at him and he flicked his tail, "Yeah...a big ole wet weasel." He chuffled and pushed himself up to give a shake, water flying everywhere. "But I totally had a blast!"

Pori was easily able to answer. "I'm fine with animals. I don't do well with people...but animals I'm fine with. You've probably noticed. Even...with you. When you're like this, I'm fine. But in your human form...I don't like getting close." She nodded as he continued speaking. "I'd be happy to help them."

She chuckled a bit as he spoke and she nodded. "Yes...a big wet weasel."

Ianto flicked his tail a bit and nodded, "Well I suppose we should get you introduced to everyone then huh?" He stretched and rolled his shoulders, "I'll have to be human though, my tiger side is uh...on a short leash during operating hours."

He dipped a paw in the water and tilted his head, "Watch it, or you'll be the big wet weasel." But he was grinning and totally teasing...a little.

Pori nodded a little. "I understand." When he put his paw in the water, she scrambled to her feet and hopped away. "Hey, no getting me wet! I'm not a weasel, I'm a panda!" She smiled slightly and just stayed standing. She would let him go change into his other form.