"Where to now?" Lexa asked as she reached for her hand bag.
"Mmmmm… Oh! There will be some sort of lectures on raccoons in 40 minutes!" Clarke replied, excited.
Lexa took a vial of sunscreen from her bag and squeezed a small amount on her palm.
"Sounds good. Come here, you need some sunscreen."
"Yes, mother." The blonde said with a grin.
"I'm just taking care of you." Lexa said as she spread the creme on Clarke's face. "I didn't expect to be so sunny today."
"Perfect day for zoo trip!" The blonde cheered, raising both arms to the air.
"It is good to finally have a day off, indeed. Last few weeks have been mad."
"I know! Dante is driving me crazy, honestly. I never thought I'd be working so hard with him."
"It's good for you. How many pieces did you manage to add to your portfolio since you started this internship?"
"Technically, none. I'm just trying to complete as many paintings as possible so he can have a look and at some point I'll start putting the portfolio together."
"You want to get on it sooner rather than later, Clarke. The due date for your University application is in three months."
"I know, I know… But hey, that last photoshoot of yours was fun, huh?"
"If you think photographing nine extremely hormonal pregnant women is fun, then yes, it was a bliss."
They both fell into a laughter as they interlaced their fingers. Clarke took a deep breath and stared at the brunette that examined the zoo map. Their shoulders brushed slightly as a peaceful silence took place as they walked. She liked that. She liked to be able to talk about anything with Lexa and yet feel extremely comfortable when they are just silent. She liked to hear her breathing, to gently caress the brunette's thumb with her own when they walked hand in hand. It was a state of contemptation that she doesn't remember experiencing ever before.
"Here we are." Lexa said as they stopped in front of the caged area that housed a fairly large number of raccoons.
"Aaawwwww… Look at them!" Clarke said as she crouched down to see the critter from closer.
"Bandit-masked Raccoon. Native from North America." Lexa read the small sign by the side of the cage. "I guess they are cute."
The cage door opened slightly, revealing a small young man who smiled nervously.
"Anyone here for the raccoon lecture?"
A number of people approached him as he made way for everyone to come in. Clarke and Lexa followed the people towards the clearly unsettled zoo keeper. The young man placed the group in a corner as he adjusted a small microphone. Crouching down, he grabbed one of the raccoons.
"So, is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. The raccoon is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of 40 to 70 cm and a body weight of 3.5 to 9 kg. The original habitats of the raccoon are deciduous and mixed forests, but due to their adaptability they have extended their range to mountainous areas, coastal marshes, and urban areas, where some homeowners consider them to be pests. This little lady here is called Heda. She is four years old."
"Oh my god Lex she is so cute!" Clarke whispered.
"Pshhhh… We're trying to learn here." The brunette responded, smiling as the keeper carried on his lecture.
"Captive raccoons have been known to live for more than 20 years. However, the species' life expectancy in the wild is only 1.8 to 3.1 years, depending on the local conditions in terms of traffic volume, hunting, and weather severity."
"I want one!" Clarke said, excited.
"Raccoons are sometimes kept as pets, which is discouraged by many experts because the raccoon is not a domesticated species." The zoo keeper added, causing Lexa to laugh quietly.
"Well… That's bullshit, straight off." Clarke whispered again. "Stop laughing." She elbowed her girlfriend gently.
The young man proceeded explaining more details about the raccoon such as feeding and social habits. Clarke kept getting more and more excited about the cuteness of the critters while Lexa seemed to be very interested in the facts provided by the keeper. Every now and then, Clarke turned her attention from the furry animals to the brunette by her side. She could see that Lexa was enjoying it, which made her smile even broader.
"Alright, who wants to pet Heda for a bit?" The boy asked making Clarke raise her hand promptly. He walked towards the blonde and showed her how to properly hold the animal.
Clarke grabbed the small mammal with uncertainty.
"Don't worry, Heda looks vicious but she is actually a sweetheart and she loves cuddles." The boy said as Clarke adjusted the creature in her arms.
The zoo keeper took a few steps back and went to grab a couple more raccoons to other people who also wanted to pet the animals. Clarke seemed completely mesmerized by the little furry ball in her arms.
"Look at her Lexa. So damn cute! Do you not want to pet her a bit?"
Lexa reached out and caressed the animal's head as she smiled.
"Do you remember last week when we watched that cartoon after we got back from that opening night in the gallery?" Clarke asked with a grin.
"The Good Dinosaur, yes. That's a random memory, Clarke."
"Not random at all. You do remember bawling your eyes out, right?"
"It was a very emotional movie, Clarke. And if I remember well, you were also sobbing."
"Not the point. You were wearing a hell load of eyeliner and eyeshadow that day."
"Your point?" Lexa asked, very confused.
"When the movie was over, your eye make up was all smeared onto your face, it was even going down your cheeks."
"I'm still failing to see the point, Clarke."
"Look at Heda, Lex. Look at her. She looks just like you when you had your make up all over your face. Look at her big eyes. Remember what the keeper said? Vicious face but is really a sweetheart who loves some cuddles.!"
Clarke started laughing as the brunette sighed deeply shaking her head.
"Yes! You're my Heda, my little raccoon!" The blonde continued laughing.
"Alright, alright, that's hilarious." Lexa said with a smile of acceptance. "Now give it here." She reached out and grabbed the animal from Clarke's arms.
Looking down, she faced the little critter who looked back at the brunette with big eyes.
"Hello Heda. I'm Lexa. Looks like we are related."
Clarke started laughing as the keeper approached them to take the little animal back. They said goodbye to the critter and thanked the boy as they made their way out of the closed area.
Reaching for her handbag again, Lexa grabbed the map and looked at clarke who was still laughing. She sighed and smiled, handing the paper to her girlfriend.
"Alright… Where to?"