12506/A Trip to Remember

A Trip to Remember
Date of Scene:	09 September 2022
Location:	Emiko's Apartment
Synopsis:	Emi and Bart start a vacation in Africa!
Cast of Characters:	Emiko Queen, Bart Allen

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Emiko Queen has posed:
Emiko set up a trip for them. A way for the pair to get away and just have some fun, while indulging Bart's love of animals and Emi's love of adventure. They're going on safari! Not the hunting sort, God no, a nature safari! They'll be backpacking through the Kruger National Park, camping in (designated) safe zones, and experience the wonder and diversity of Africa's wildlife up close and personal!

It took months to arrange, passports, government and conservatory approval, waivers, fees, fees, fees, innoculations. But it's finally time! Emiko has set up a pack for each of them to carry that will hold basic emergency and nature-observing gear (plus clothes and snacks, of course). Meals will be waiting at the camping zone, they'll have to cook for themselves, but it will minimize the possibility of drawing predators or scavengers by smelling of raw meat.

Emi's kitted out in khaki shorts, hiking boots, a white tanktop under a long-sleeved linen shirt. There's even a bandana around her head and a wide-brimmed camping hat. She may smell of sunscreen and bug repellent. "Bart, you ready?"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen is actually dressed much like her, but on his head he has a pith helmet, something he has actually had before the trip was planned oddly enough. He is going over things to make sure they have all their stuff packed, he repacks his pack a couple dozen times, but finally looks to her, and says "I think so, I made sure we have some of the guys coming over to feed the animals."

Emiko Queen has posed:
Emiko snaps a picture of Bart in his safari regalia and grins, "You look like Milo, see?" She turns the phone towards him so he can see the picture while she sneaks a kiss to his cheek. "Okay. Make sure they know to keep the guest room door closed so Huginn and Muninn don't get any ideas about the smaller animals while we're gone." They're being introduced slowly and carefully as the kittens are getting older.

She hefts up her pack, then moves to Bart and slips an arm around his shoulders, "Ready when you are. You still have the coordinates?"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen smiles and will kiss her back when she sneaks the kiss. He nods, and says "Yea and made sure they know to watch out for pounces from above. We need to have Phoebe over with Idu to get them used to dogs more too." He then scoops her up, and recites the coordinates, and they are off. He takes a side trip grabbing some big belly burger for when they get there as it will be the last fast food for a bit.

Emiko Queen has posed:
Emiko chuckles and gives a nod, "Good deal. I was going to see if Damian would let us bring them around Ace, too. If any dog is going to be trained to the nines, it's a Wayne family dog. Alfred would simply not allow for anything less." She holds on tight, though there's a laugh at the pit stop at the burger joint, reminding him, "We have to eat it before we get onto the preserve, we can't carry meat with us, and no garbage allowed." But she also isn't complaining since it allows her to indulge in a shake. Once they arrive, she's looking around, pulling out a map and a compass. "Okay. First camp zone is about eight kilometers to the east. We'll be passing by at least one watering hole, so we should see a pretty wide assortment of animals. Fair warning, there's African wild dogs here, and of course rhinos and zebra, so it isn't 100% safe."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over to her, and says "True, but I think we might be able to out run them if need be." He offers with a smile at the safety comment. He will finish his food and even gets the wrappers to a recycle place. He nods, a bit and pulls out his camera to wear around his neck. "I figure we might be able to take pictures along the way, when we see neat stuff." He lets her set the pace here, so they have time to enjoy it.

Emiko Queen has posed:
"Well, apparently some of the animals here are transplants from elsewhere, too. Zoo's that shut down or circuses that lost licensing. So some of the animals may actually approach us!" Emiko grins at him, "I wanted to make it as interactive as possible. And are you really going to ignore an elephant that wants to say hi?"

She takes his hand with a smile and starts off at a brisk (but normal) pace in the direction of the first camp. Before anything else, they start seeing the birds and rodents of the African plains, soaring overhead or scurrying about underfoot. Bart's able to get some good pictures of them, though they definitely don't approach. About half an hour in, however, they'll find a pair of giraffe grazing from a copse of trees while some bonobo caper about in the branches.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen he starts taking some pictures, and will actually tell Emiko some facts on each of the animals as he spots them. He tries not to ramble on to much, but does a bit. He is a bit kid in a candy shop, but he has seen these types before just not in the wild. "Did you know there are plants out here that can turn themselves poisonous if the animals start eating them to much?

Emiko Queen has posed:
"Really? Huh, I didn't know that. But I do know that three of the deadliest snakes in the world are native to Africa." Emiko flashes a grin towards him and peeks on some of the pictures he's taking. She watches the giraffe's with a smile, "Giraffes are great. They're oddly agile for their size, and they have this sort of.. grace to them." She looks back to Bart and grins, starting off again after he's gotten his pictures. She also listens to his factoids without complaint, filing away the information for 'just in case'.

At one point, however, she does halt him and motions subtly to the honey badger that's grunting it's way across their path a few feet ahead. It has a dead snake in its mouth. "Get a picture, you don't see that every day..."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and will take a few pictures, and looks to her and says "Should I send a copy of it to Gabby?" He asks her with a grin. When they were talking about giraffes he does mention Geoffrey the giraffe that was born in Gotham Zoo while he was working there.

Emiko Queen has posed:
"He's still there, right? Maybe... maybe sometime we could go feed him? Or just... hang out with him? I dunno, giraffes are cool." Emiko flashes a grin at him and continues on. She blinks at the name, "Gabby... you mean the girl from Phoebe's party? She likes honey badgers? If so, then yeah, absolutely!"

There's water for them to drink, non-meat snacks for them to eat (Cliff bars and the like) while they hike.

"I figure next time we can do this in Australia, if you want?" Emiko glances at him with a smile. "I like just being out here like this with you. It's fun, and getting these up close encounters with the animals is really great!"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods to Emiko as they are walking and since no one is about he is a little more free talking "It is her code name, she had training a lot like yours but from when she was made." He walks along with her and foes munch some of the bars, and shares with her if she wants a bit "We can yea, he is good with people, I take Phoebe to see him occasionally. She was depressed one time, and figured baby giraffe who could be depressed around one of those?

Emiko Queen has posed:
"Baby giraffe just sounds adorable." Emiko grins at him, then looks up ahead again and points, "There's a pack of the wild dogs. We shouldn't get TOO close to them, but they don't look to be in hunting mode, so we should be okay to just sort of skirt around them, get some pictures. I hope we get to see some of the rhinos. I always thought rhinos were an underrated animal."

She looks back to Bart with a smile, "People think they're ugly, but I mean... people own dog breeds that I think are hideous so..." She lifts a shrug, then watches the wild dogs as the pair move around the pack, "They'll probably have a scout follow us for a bit."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods a bit and says "Rhinos unicorns with a gland issue." He jokes a bit to her, and nods. He does use the zoom feature on his camera for the dogs. He nods a bit more and says "We will need to keep an eye out for poachers, Rhinos are one of their targets for the horn."

Emiko Queen has posed:
Chuckling at his joke, she glances sidelong at him and grins, "That may be part of why I picked this reserve over others. Because they have a large number of elephants and rhinos, the poaching attempts have gone up. I figure we can lend a hand while we're here to make sure they don't hurt any of the animals." They travel on a bit further until they reach a watering hole. There, they get the chance to see a profusion of different types of animals all coming together to get a drink. Elephants, rhinos, ibixes, gazelles, African buffalo, giraffes, even the wild dogs here are mostly peaceable, just stopping by for a drink before they're on their way.

"..whoa.. this is nuts."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over and says "Well when there is not a lot of water, it has to be used by all, and most of those down there can be friendly. No crocs, or hippos, the dogs about the only thing that might cause an issue and they probably don't want to mess with big groups, probably more go after the solo animals.

Emiko Queen has posed:
"It's still impressive. I've never seen so many species all together all at once..." Emiko watches them moving around and amongst each other, smiling. "It's amazing." She looks back to Bart and grins, "Now this calls for a full on video... we packed a video recorder, right? I'll get some still shots." Unshouldering her pack, she pulls the camera out from under a change of clothes and closes it back up.

"Got the recorder?" Emi glances to Bart with a smile.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and looks through things, it takes a minute, as he may have packed things he knew he wanted first, so they ended up on the bottom, but he can unpack and pack pretty quick. Once he has it out, he looks over to her and says "We want to see if we can get closer?" He does start it getting her on video first.

Emiko Queen has posed:
Emiko gives a grin and a peace sign for the camera then looks back to the watering hole, then around the area. "Lets see if we can't get over to that bit of brush there, that should keep us out of sight and let us get in closer," she points to the tree with the bushes around the base of the tree. Leaning in, she kisses his cheek then starts to make her way towards the bushes, sneaking around so they don't disrupt or upset the animals.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen follows Emiko along. He is not as stealthy as her, but he is trying copying her moves as he follows along trying to keep low. He wants to just zoom over there, but this is a vacation and he is wanting to learn to do this type of stuff as well. So sneak sneak sneak. Luckily he resists saying such as he does it.

Emiko Queen has posed:
They reach the brush without incident and Emiko rewards Bart for his patience and stealth with a kiss. Smiling, she turns towards the water hole and starts taking shots of the animals. "Look at how the elephants rotate who is at the water's edge, keeping a circle of adults around the younger ones, each making sure the water is safe before their child is let to play..." More shots are gotten of a baby elephant playing in the water.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and grins at the kiss, but then is bringing the camera back up. He nods to her, which of course bounces the camera as well, he is not used to using one. He will tell her about how old the babies are from their size, and says "Elephants look after one another pretty well even the grown ones, but yea, I think Momma bear may not have anything on Momma Elephant." He offers with a grin. He does spend time on the elephants, but also pans to get all the animals.

Emiko Queen has posed:
Emiko laughs lightly and turns her camera towards the other animals, getting shots of them, trying to pick out any young for pictures (babies are cute!). "Some recent studies have shown that elephants may have a greater emotional maturity than humans do. They care for their young and old with much more reliability and care than we show for our own. In the general sense, anyways." She lowers the camera and glances at him with a smile, "I'm really glad we did this. I like spending time with you like this."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen smiles and tries to hold the camera while he turns his head to look to her "I love spending time with you too, time where we are just being us, and times where we do all kinds of things." He smiles and says "Love you." He says looking into her eyes.

Emiko Queen has posed:
Emiko smiles at him and leans in, kissing him softly, "Love you too." Leaning back, she looks into his eyes, "I've never been happier than the day you moved in. It's been wonderful to share a life together with you." Scrunching her nose at him, she winks and looks back to the camera to take a fw more pictures. "I was thinking, when we get back... we should plan a party. Invite your friends. We can host it on the roof. One last big bash before the weather starts turning."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods his head a bit to this and says "Sounds like it would be fun, and I think most of them are our friends now." He tells her. He will take a bit more video, and then says "Lets find where we want to set up camp, make plans to come back and take some more pics here after dark."

Emiko Queen has posed:
"Maybe they are... I'm.. cautious." Emiko puts the camera down and smiles at him, "But I do like them." She gives a nod and tucks the camera away, "C'mon, lets get back to the trail so we can get to camp." Winking, she picks out a path back to the trail so they won't disturb the animals. Once there, she takes his hand and laces her fingers through his. "Okay. So we'll have a party for /our/ friends. Now lets get to camp, I'm definitely getting hungry so I know you must be! We'll get some dinner, get things situated, and come back."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and holding hands with her, he will let her lead him, his stomach does grumble a bit, but luckily he has not done any speedy things since they last ate, so he aint to bad off. He continues to talk to her, as they walk "Heck think you and Rob may talk more than I do, though it maybe trash talk." He jokes of their gaming rivalry.

Emiko Queen has posed:
Laughing lightly, she grins at him, "Possibly, but only because I keep the same insane hours he does." She squeezes his hand, "Besides, I wouldn't give up those early mornings with you for anything." Winking, Emi chuckles and draws him down to the campsite, the area fenced in to keep it safe from predators. She glances around the area and nods, "Good spot. Okay. Lets set up and get dinner cooking so your stomach doesn't scare off the gazelle with that growling." Winking, she moves to unload the tent.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen laughs a bit and says "I think we can do this" he again resists the urge to speed through it, he is getting better about it. "You know I used to not see much reason to do things at normal speed, but with you, it is nice, means I get to spend more time with you." He puts up the tent as the instructions said, though he does not look at them now.

Emiko Queen has posed:
Emiko grins and looks sidelong at him, "It's definitely more fun doing things with you than alone." She holds the tentpoles so he can get them pounded into place, then moves along to the other side to steady those poles for him. "I... didn't know what I was missing out on. I used to think that it was better. Being alone, I mean. I thought that it was stupid to let people get close." Smiling towards him, she adds, "Ollie was right, though you can never repeat that to him, it's better to let people in."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen chuckles abit and says "No problem, I won't rat you out to him, besides I still think Red is better than Green." He tells her with a smile and says "I know the relationship, Wally is my cousin but at times we are like that too.

Emiko Queen has posed:
Grinning, she leans in to kiss him lightly, "And I'm sure that has nothing to do with red being part of your own costume." Winking, she moves to set the center poles that lifts the ten up and allows them to move freely. She sets out their bedrolls and packs, grabbing the toiletries to set aside in a separate area. The solar shower is set up and she looks to Bart with a smile, "Want to get the cooking area set up while I see what sort of supplies they left us?"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and uses skills she taught him in the savage land. Luckily they do not have to go looking for elephant dung or something to burn, they have supplies and after a bit he has it set up "Saw a solar oven I should have gotten for us to try,"

Emiko Queen has posed:
"We'll have to do that next time, that would be really useful out here. Lots of sun, near the equator, and no flora to block the solar panels." Emiko grins towards him before moving to the food supplies, "Oh nice! We've got some good fresh steaks, salted fish.. we'll probably want to steam those to help leech out some of the salt.. onions, cabbage, peppers, eggplant.. really good stuff. Ooooooo, there's dates! And honeyed figs!" She flashes a grin, "We have dessert!"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen grins and says "If we cook the fish on the eggplants would that help leach the salt out and into the eggplant?" He asks since he does cook some, but not often with this type of ingredients. He smiles at her, and says "Sweets for my sweet."

Emiko Queen has posed:
"Yes! We can slice the eggplants lengthwise, lay the fish one slice, cover it with another, then wrap the whole thing in a banana leaf and steam it up. We can grill the eggplant while the fish cool to give them a little more flavor." Emiko flashes a grin towards Bart and brings the supplies over to the cooking pit. She pops a fig into her mouth, chewing it up and swallowing, then giving him a kiss, "Sweet kisses for the man that makes me happy."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen kisses her back and will hold her close a moment, before they start to prep and cook the food. He smiles goofily just happy to be here with her.