三十六

[anatural]

[ action ]
[One of the perks of being dead? Not being bothered by temperature changes. The sudden change in the weather would normally have bothered the polar bear dog, but without any internal heat to be trapped by her fur, Naga finds the change unremarkable.

Korra, of course, is another story entirely. For now, the warmth is pleasant, but once it starts getting hot, she's going to be living in the ocean. She's from the South Pole, okay? It's cold there!

Anyone who decides to head over to the beach to cool off may find them lounging in the water like the arctic creatures they are.]

Comments

[just_displaced]

It's been a couple months, but I'm kinda...

[He shrugs, somehow managing to trip over his own feet as he does so, laughs it off, keeps walking.]

I kinda keep to myself. Not because I'm shy. I'm not really shy.

[Obviously, considering the (oddly awkward) ease with which he seems to talk to strangers.]

I just haven't made a lot of friends here. How long have you been here?

[anatural]

I don't even know... a year and half? Somewhere around there.

[just_displaced]

So is that good, bad, or neutral?

[anatural]

I don't know. Some really awful things can happen here... but I think that's true of most places. [Thinking about the little she knows of Hei's world. Thinking about the things she's heard about Chekov's.] And I've met some really amazing people here.

[just_displaced]

Yeah, well, awful things happen everywhere, you're right. I never can decide if it's better or worse here. I'd go with 'different' as an answer but that seems kind of like a cop-out.

[anatural]

It's true, though. This place is different.

[Hamlet and Mocha bark excitedly and run towards them as they reach the Beach House. Mocha, always a fan of meeting new people, barrels towards Michael.]

[just_displaced]

Whoa, whoa there...

[He stumbles back a little, looking almost uneasy, but Mocha seems friendly enough, and once he regains his balance, that'll garner some pats on the head, at least.]

So. This is your zoo?

[anatural]

Mocha, behave. [She glares at the small lab and the dog reluctantly backs away from Ginsberg, tail still wagging with excitement.] And yeah, this is part of the brood. Mocha and Hamlet. [The Great Dane, though Korra doesn't get the joke.] The cats are inside and the sheep are over there.

[just_displaced]

[He, on the other hand, totally gets the joke, and laughs a little when she introduces Hamlet.]

It must be exciting, having so many animals around. I mean, either that or really frustrating.

[And he's definitely looking over to see if he can spot some sheep.]

[anatural]

It's a little of both, honestly. [The sheep Ling Ling toddles over, baaing loudly.]

[just_displaced]

Wow, that sure is...

[He eyes the sheep, somewhere between suspicious and amused.]

Interesting. Um. Color.

[anatural]

I've been told it's weird. [She's never seen just plain sheep before, so it doesn't really strike her as odd.

Ling Ling, an animal on a mission, starts sniffing Ginsberg's pockets for food.] Ling Ling! [Korra rolls her eyes and pushes the sheep away from him.] Sorry about that.

[just_displaced]

[He laughs and continues to regard the sheep curiously, quite taken by the unusual hue of its... fur? Do sheep have fur? He's not sure.]

Hey, no problem. I'm just afraid your sheep's gonna be disappointed, because I don't have anything in my pockets. I mean, unless sheep eat pens. Which I hope they don't.

[anatural]

Sheep are idiots. They'll eat just about anything. [Korra loves her whole brood, but the sheep are her least favorite part.] The cats are inside. [And she leads the way.]

[just_displaced]

[He'll just follow right along, then, after giving the sheep another pat on the head -- and trying to keep it away from his pockets.]

Okay, so, how do I know if the cat likes me? I mean, cats aren't the most affectionate animals anyway, right?

[anatural]

You've really never had a pet, have you?

[just_displaced]

No, I really really haven't. But I promise I'll do my best to take care of one. I mean, I'm okay at taking care of stuff, I think.

[anatural]

Cats aren't as mysterious as you'd think. If they like you, they'll let you know. Hey Reinbach. [Reinbach, a pretty little creature, trots over and sniffs the air curiously from a few feet away. The other cats are peeking out from various pieces of furniture, cautious but friendly.]

[just_displaced]

I think pretty much all animals are mysterious in some way, though. I mean, especially humans. Humans most of all.

[Crouching down to get on the same level as the cats and extend a hand for them to sniff, if they want, seems like the appropriate thing to do, so he does.]

[anatural]

I guess that's one way to look at it. [After a moment of careful sniffing, Reinbach butts his head against Ginsberg's hand, demanding to be petted.]

In case it's not clear, that means he likes you.

[just_displaced]

[Well, if there's one thing he can do, it's pet the cat -- even he can manage that. He smiles.]

Yeah, I can tell. He's pretty cute. If they're all this cute I might be tempted to get more than one... But one's probably enough for now.

[anatural]

[Reinbach digs his claws into Ginsberg's knee. It's an affectionate gesture, though it might not feel that way.]

I think he'd like being an only cat.

[just_displaced]

[He can kind of appreciate it being an affectionate gesture, enough so that his only response is to very gently unhook Reinbach's claws from his leg. His natural tenderness should be pretty obvious around the cat, which seems to bring out every possible softhearted tendency in him -- of which there are many.]

You think? I wouldn't want him to be lonely. I mean, I never got lonely being an only child, or not having a lot of people to spend time with, but I wasn't ever a cat, either.

[anatural]

[Korra settles onto the floor, and some of the other cats immediately crawl over and into her lap.]

He's never really played much with the other cats. He kind of minds his own business.

[just_displaced]

Okay, I can understand that. Kinda like me. We can be loners together.

[It's pretty obvious he's already feeling a great deal of affection for this small cat, and he doesn't even try to hide it.]