There is something about Claire Dearing that is enormously terrifying to Owen. Every part of her reads as dangerous and Owen is enamored by it, enthralled by the way she makes him feel like he's trying to stare down a carnivore and failing.

He notices her eyes first. Claire isn't one who blinks often, but when she does it is slow and unhurried. Never lazy. Never, ever lazy; when Claire blinks, it's because you're too small a threat to be considered dangerous. He sees her blink around Hoskins and he falls a little bit in love with her for that, especially when she tilts her head the same way Blue does when the raptor spots prey. Owen could write sonnets about it, but all he does is give her a grateful look and the blank stare he receives for it is just like Delta's, analyzing him down to the bone.

Next is her walk. Something that should be unremarkable at best and ridiculous at worst with inconveniently tall pumps and pencil skirts that should hobble her gait but neither ever do. Claire Dearing can out-walk anyone and frequently has to pause for anyone deigning to follow her so that they can catch up. Each stride she takes is long and brisk and she never runs out of energy. Owen's heard of how she's been seen in ten different places in the park within a single hour and not a single hair was out of place, no smudged makeup, and no outfit changes.

Thirdly is her smell. It's an odd thing to notice, and maybe a little creepy, but Claire doesn't have a smell. She doesn't seem to wear perfume, or if she does, it's one that smells like stone and grass and wood. Sometimes Owen will catch a hint of something savory-sweet like honey on her, but that's rare and usually fleeting. Her scent is just like the camouflage ambush predators use. People don't notice her and her danger until it's too late.

Then there are times Claire becomes 'Director' Dearing and those are when she becomes the most dangerous. Owen had no idea she could be charming up until the moment he saw Director Dearing leading investors around the park and past the raptor cages. A beautiful smile with cunning eyes and all three investors are wrapped around her finger as she explains 'what a good idea it would be to invest more money into a larger paddock for the raptors, we don't want bored raptors that are trying to escape, do we?' (When Owen tries to thank her for the additional funding later, she gives him a slow blink and a toothy smile that promises a debt to be paid before turning back to her personal assistant and leaving him stuttering behind them).

He's also seen 'Director Dearing' pissed and he would rather get in the raptor cage than have to face it. She hadn't even been mad at him at the time. No, Director Dearing had been leading investors around the park when one of the chuckle-fucks who had been sipping wine all day and staring at Claire's boobs for the same length of time decided right then to proposition her in exchange for funding. While fondling her butt. He had been on the ground within two seconds and security was hauling him out, though they hadn't been the ones to lay him out, no. It had been tiny little Claire with flimsy arms and a raptor-like smile who put the man on his ass. No one had ever seen that investor again.

(Many thought that Rexy had looked plumper than usual for the next few days afterwards.)

(One of the cleaners for T-Rex Kingdom even claims to have found a broken watch in droppings. When asked to show proof, the watch that was supposed to be in his locker 'mysteriously' went missing. No one knows what to believe.)

Then Owen sees how his girls react to Claire. Most humans are prey to them that all four like to tease and stalk in turn. They'll triangulate and plot out how they would hunt anyone dumb enough to turn their back to the cage and thank god there are bars between his raptors and people because too many would become an easy snack. Around Claire? Even Claire seems to unnerve them; maybe some of that is coming from their alpha, Owen himself and his feelings about her. He doesn't rightly know.

When Claire comes around, instead of triangulating, they group together side-by-side and watch her. They watch as he can't help but defer to her a little, ducking his head to the side. Sometimes they seem to laugh at him when Claire is around and his poor attempts at flirting with her and trying to get her to agree to a drink and all she does is give him a Look and a Slow Blink.

There is one time, right before Claire arrives, that Charlie gives him a pebble and that's the moment he knows they've A.) memorized the sound of Claire's car, B.) he now has velociraptor wingmen, and C.) Even dinosaurs are taking pity on his pathetic attempts at securing a date. So he shoves the shiny pebble in his pocket, thanks Charlie with a piece of jerky and goes and says 'hi' to Claire.

It's while talking to Claire that Charlie makes an odd coughing noise and stares Very Intently(™) at Owen. Particularly his pocket. This happens a few more times and Owen is stuttering more and more while a typically impassive Claire has started to raise an imperious eyebrow before he finally reaches into his pocket and shoves the pebble of white quartz at her.

"For- it's for- for you." He clears his throat and ducks his head away. There's a brief silence and then soft hands with sharp nails are touching his own calloused hands and gingerly plucking the pebble out of his palm.

"Thank you."

Owen holds his breath while giving her a single nod and she leaves, but not before handing him a leaf. He looks at it, completely puzzled. He looks up when he hears a satisfied little snort and Charlie looking entirely too-pleased with herself.

He means to keep the leaf only for a short while. Somehow, it ends up laminated and made into a bookmark that he uses religiously during his evening reads, some of the only down-time he truly has for himself. No dinosaurs, no Barry, no Claire; just himself, silence and a nice book of whatever has caught his attention for the week.

It's a few weeks before Owen sees Claire again, but it stops him in his tracks when he does. She has on her signature white suit and blank expression with predatory eyes. She still has that no-scent smell and her walk that devours the ground is still intact. What is new is her necklace. Set on a silver wire is a little white stone, tumbled smooth until it shines in the light and Owen wonders. He wonders: is he prey? Or is he a carnivore worthy of Claire Dearing?