"So you're really from Alaska?" Marlene gaped at the pale wolf keeping a gentle pace beside her person, curiously on all fours, (Marlene didn't think she'd seen anyone stay on all fours unless needed or around people). In any case, however, the otter in question had been captive born. In fact, just about everyone here besides the lemurs were captive born, so an animal brought directly from the wild was quite an unusual thing indeed. "What's it like up there?" She continued. Oh, to be able to step outside the zoo's walls and not go into a 'feral rage' (as Kowalski had put it), attacking the nearest Julien in sight… Marlene would give anything. For now though, it seemed like she'd have to live vicariously through her newest friend.
"Yes… and, cold." She guffawed. "Very cold." She reaffirmed her point once more before continuing again on a more serious note. "Beautiful though. The snow may chill but everything graceful and magnificent pales in comparison to the Divine Lights spanning itself over the night sky… or," Her tone quickened once more, like some kind of nervous tic, "Northern Lights, I think you'd know them as…" She noted, remembering not every animal shares her culture. "It's even better on a full moon." And with that, she'd concluded her response, leaving it dangling in the air for Marlene to answer on. It was her people's most celebrated times; Her pack finding themselves standing under a wide moon, the aurora proudly painting itself across the horizon. Many songs would be sung that night.
"Wow." Marlene had a brow quirked at Sesi. Did anyone really talk like that anymore? How she just had? She thought she remembered seeing something about wolves being pack animals, each one had different jobs, she quickly recalled. "Were you a diplomat or story-teller or something? Talk about fancy, big words there." She remarked on the she-wolf's speech. It would receive a perk of the ears and an icy glance from the corner of said canid's eye as she considered the question for a short second or two, (Marlene did have to admit being stared at by a predator of any sort like that made her somewhat uncomfortable, but felt slightly bad that she had felt such a way afterwards).
"… Sort of like a diplomat." She'd answered eventually, and seeing it obvious that was as far as the conversation should go, Marlene would battle her curious nature to not press on.
Luckily enough, the walk around the zoo was a relatively short one and they were rapidly coming up on Sesi's exhibit. Said wolf cast a glance over her new home, taking in the artificial environment, painted white and chilled to simulate her birthplace. It was fairly similar to her place at the other zoos, but there was indeed a difference. She'd noted whilst walking around the area that was this place, all the pins were quite… well, they looked rather half-assed to be blunt, compared to others. The others had presented her with a challenge at least, in her attempts to escape, but these; she could have just jumped right out of her exhibit whenever she pleased and waltz out the front.
What was there to stop her? What was there to stop them? She couldn't imagine being content living your life in captivity being watched over for pleasure by the humans. Even if you were born into it you'd have to wonder about the outside world every now and again, right? It puzzled her, truly, the idea of it all, but she hadn't the time to press into the matter. She hadn't much time for anything really, these days…
"Thank you," Sesi smiled softly, eyes taking another sweep over the limited lands within the fence "It looks nice", she half-lied through her teeth, face remaining an unreadable slate besides the smile playing across her jowls. Within the exhibit looked at least more efforted than the one at Hoboken, but she still dreaded the idea of remaining in any zoo, and frankly, was almost sick of the thought. She could easily make a run for it tonight, Canada was directly above New York if the maps she'd seen were correct, and then she'd at least be in the right ballpark to get home.
"Sure thing! Come see me or Skipper if you have any questions or want to talk about anything." The otter called back over her shoulder, already started off on a slow jog back to her own home, before being stopped by the she-wolf.
"Skipper?" She called back. Marlene could have face-palmed. No one else had introduced themselves; of course she wouldn't know who that was. She turned back,
"Yeah, the penguin you were talking to earlier, you know, about yay-high" The otter gestured with her paws, a pretty accurate description of the leader penguin's height. Not much more than herself. "Commando sort of thing going on… You really can't miss them, they get into everything."
"Oh, alright." What exactly was commando? Sesi hadn't the foggiest notion on the subject; in truth, she had been in captivity for a good while now, but she hadn't the time to learn everything about the civil life. She continued anyhow, as if she'd understood the part, "Will do." and gave a quick nod, but doubted she'd really need to go to either in all actuality. It was midmorning, but if she could help it, she'd be gone by the next.
This, however, wouldn't stop the others from coming to see her instead. No, she'd have many guests throughout the day, very little of which were human (not the ones that observe however, but rather keepers. It must have been an off day for the zoo.) The penguins would stop by for a bit so they could formally introduce themselves, and only now did the she-wolf think she can understand what Marlene meant by 'commando' seeing how they'd forcefully barged their way into her exhibit, effectively startling her. It probably wouldn't have had that effect if someone hadn't used explosives.
She stared, her icy blue eyes wide at the intruders coming up from the manhole just a few feet away, shocked from her spot she had been peacefully sunbathing in and onto her paws, hackles raised. It was like instinct that she'd drop into her default fighting stance, looking less like a frightened civilian and more akin to, with lips pulled slightly back to reveal pearly fangs, a belligerent ready to rip someone's throat out… but as soon as she had, it was gone again, her tensed muscles relaxed and fur returning from its puffed state once she'd seen who her "assailants" were; Skipper and his troupe of penguin followers who she'd yet to learn the names of. Her reaction, however, wouldn't go unnoticed by the commander, as she would have preferred.
"What was that about?!" She blanked, sounding thoroughly exasperated. In her whole two years of transferring from zoo to zoo across the nation, she didn't think she'd ever been so rudely intruded on.
"We came to officially introduce ourselves." The eldest of the four replied simply as if it were a normal occurrence, (or who she guessed was the eldest, him being the obvious leader after all). Said eldest would make a mental note of her jump to action upon their entrance. It hadn't just been result of a lack of etiquette as it turns out; it had been a test of sorts… they did also, in any case, have a lack of etiquette worthy of noting on.
"I'm Skipper" He started, introducing himself first, then gesturing to the rest, he added: "These are my men; Kowalski," He pointed to the tallest of the four who would smile politely to her, "Rico," And then there was one, curiously, with a Mohawk and a scar spanning over the left side of his beak, that would merely grunt in response to his name being called on, (looks like she isn't the only fighter here, the canid mused to herself). "And Private." This left the shortest and obviously youngest of the penguins judging by his wide eyes and broad smile as he waved a flipper at her.
The wolf settled back on her haunches as she looked them all over, not particularly sure how to react to what had just happened (and suddenly they were acting so polite and neighborly?) It confused her a bit, but she wouldn't act on her feelings, settling simply to say. "Well, it's nice to meet you all, but can you next time maybe not blow a hole in the floor? There is a front gate, yes?"
"It's always nice to meet somebody new." Private agreed with her, but completely disregarded her request on the not bursting their ways into her pin anymore. She was glad she wouldn't be staying here if that was what she'd have to deal with, and suddenly felt very bad for Marlene that she'd have to be left here with them once she was gone… and then when she found another three figures making their way through the manhole and into the becoming very rapidly crowded space, she found all feelings for Marlene gone, replaced by her own desperate desire to leave.
Her attention shifted to the new figures within her exhibit, ears going flat against her head in annoyance… and, ah, yes, she remembered them. "King" Julien, and… Mort, if she had heard correct, while he was being pushed away by the tallest of the three for touching his feet. She had to admit, the shortest was indeed a little creepy (being named after death itself, and mix that with it having a foot fetish…not to mention those big eyes that stare into your soul). She probably wouldn't be crazy about having him grope her paws either… And still, she had yet to find out the… er, heavier-set… one's name.
"Nice indeed, but it is being even better when that someone is as pretty as you," the so-called king said whilst going down on a single knee and grabbing her by a hand to plant a light kiss on. "Almost as pretty as me." He added before she could respond, but only after thoroughly smooching said paw. You could almost hear the eyes collectively rolling in their skulls at the whole scene before them, but as for Sesi, she could not have been more horrified. She'd eaten animals this size (and relatively similar in looks too). Not only that but… going… inter-species… the thought'd never even crossed her mind… she would have preferred it stayed that way.
"That's… very kind of you," She'd said, gently tugging her paw from his grip. Was that some kind of compliment? Pick-up line? This guy was supposed to be a king, where was his charisma? "I think." Comparing your looks to another's was no form of flattery, at least in her opinion. She hadn't even any clue of what he actually was.
It was at least another hour before she could finally convince the penguins to go, remarking on how exhausted she was from her trip to New York.
'It worked, I think' she thought amongst herself as the penguins were ready to depart. She thought. The leader penguin, Skipper, ever the suspicious one had seen right through the lie, however; as they say, if you're looking for things, you'll start to see it everywhere you go. He'd have a talk about it with his men back at the base. Though for Sesi the ordeal was not yet over, it was almost another hour of humoring Julien's compliments towards her person before she finally agreed to one of his date proposals just to have him leave her be for the rest of the night: "For preparation" of course. Spirits, she hoped tonight went off without a hitch.
