195/It's a Zoo out there.

It's a Zoo out there.
Date of Scene:	29 February 2020
Location:	Central Park Zoo
Synopsis:	Mike meets Floyd at the Zoo. Floyd gets a bit of a thank you gift.
Cast of Characters:	Michael Hannigan, Floyd Lawton

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Michael Hannigan has posed:
While not at its warmest months, the temperatures do make the Zoo... inhabitable for those willing to bundle up. The attendance is a bit down but that's an added bonus as there's plenty of space to move around. It's quiet, not counting the occasional utterance of the Zoo residence from their respective enclosures.

Perhaps that's why Mike has opted to come here. To the western side of the park near the Snow Leopard exhibit, Mike sits on a bench, leaning back slightly while propping one leg up on a nearby curb. The raised leg helping to create a makeshift easel for his sketch book to rest. ON the pages, a snow leopard positioned in a different way than the one strutting around. It looks more like he's observing the creature now, penciling in details when he can spot them.

Floyd Lawton has posed:
"I know. I know. I said we could go to the New York |Zoo" Floyd says calmly, "And look at the aninals and learn about them. But you two behave. Zoey, keep an eye on Suchi, and please. Don't stab anyone for looking at you wrong, okay?" Floyd asks. He's dressed like...God forbid. A....tourist?

Yes. Sandals. Socks. Khaki shorts. A t-shirt. Shades. Sun hat. And he's got a camera on him, too. He's barely able finish speaking before an exciteable ten year old drags him off to look at the pretty animals and how she wants a tiger or...or...a wolf or..or....this thing that catches her eye. It's a leopard. Then there's all the other animals. Floyd's barely got feet on ground. "No you can't have a tiger, Suchi" Floyd says....to the disappointed wails of a ten year old girl...who quits wailing when she decides ice cream will make it better. Which is how Floyd and Suchi got ice cream. Zoey's insisting her dad buy her one too. Which, Floyd does. So, the assassin who can turn an ice cream cone into a murder weapon...is enjoying ice cream with his kids.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Hearing the sounds of a family being, well- a family. The musician's thoughtful frown, like ice cream, melts a little. It's a bit hard not to. It's just so, domesticated! He glances over, a slight smile forming as he momentarily takes part in the scene vicariously through them. He could kind of imagine this happening when he was young, well- if his mom had money and she had li-

The smile dies away as he turns back to the sketch book and then towards the snow leopard. Oh hey! It moved! He can now see the side he had initially sketched! Pencil hitting paper, he starts adding a few more bits of detail.

Floyd Lawton has posed:
Floyd keeps an eye out, even though he's here to have fun....he's still on alert. Spotting the guy sketching he goes over. "Hey, what're you drawing?" he asks. Sketching here seems....oddly out of place. Yet he watches the cat for a moment. Looking over, Floyd nods, the girls joining him arguing over who wants a cat more. "Shhh, this man is drawing. Don't disturb him" Floyd says.quietly. The girls take their arguing to whispers, though still heated. Ah, sisters. Floyd's in a world of trouble with that.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike's pencil slows as the question is addressed to him. Or at least he assumes it is to him. Not many other people here sketching. Either way, the question is not that invasive.

"The snow leopard." Mike answers, turning to look over to Floyd, "Takes awhile. He moves a lot."

Floyd Lawton has posed:
Floyd nods. "Beautiful cat" he says and nods to Mike then the cat. "You an artist?" Floyd adds with a cautious look. Watching Mike, Floyd steps back and goes back to watching the animals, the girls wandering nearby to keep themselves occupied. Floyd glances over every so often. He's brought a stun gun just in case. But given he's still got ice cream...

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Not the way you think." Mike replies, giving a slight chuckle, "I make my money in the performing arts." He nods to the sketch, "This is more for stress relief or gathering my thoughts." As the leopard changes direction, Mike sighs, lowering the pencil. Time to wait some more, "Forces you to slow down if you're drawing something that doesn't know to hold still."

He glances over to the two girls. Your turn with the kids?"

Floyd Lawton has posed:
"Nah, my kids. Ex-wife cleared off and got some nweew guy. So I got my daughters. We're here from Gotham actually" he says, as if studyuing Mike for a momenn, then he shakes his head licking his ice cream. He's sure he's seen Mike around before, but there's millions of people with that skin and hair and eyes...

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Ah. Single parent then. That's rough." Mike surmises, glancing over to the snow leopard. "I used to live in Gotham with my mom. Long time ago. Then ended up in Hell's Kitchen with my aunt."

He nods to the kids, "And you probably already know this but, no matter how challenging they may make it for you later on in life, just remember that they're trying and they love you. They might forget to actually say that out loud. Its just implied."

Floyd Lawton has posed:
"There's times I could hang them, and times I drive them up the wall. You said Gotham huh? Where?" he asks. "curiously, watching Mike then nods. "Musician or something?" he muses, looking impressed, respectful of musicians and...and....stuff.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Mom and I lived at a hotel in the Randall neighborhood area." Mike answers, giving a slight nod, "Yeah. Musician mainly. Turns out living in a rough neighborhod helps greatly with your sense of rhythm so I have a knack for percussion. Everything else is lots of practice and study." He looks back to the enclosure to check on the status of the snow leopard, "I do some acting from time to time too but its mainly music."

Floyd Lawton has posed:
Floyd nods. "Hotel. Hey, I helped out a mom and her kid, some robbers. I ran them off and dealt with them. Kid got a new bike out of it all" he says with a nod. "Fire red bike, flames on the frame, BMX" he says with a knowing smile. Okay so what if he stole it? Hey. he did the kid a favor. "Found the guys dead in the alley a week later. Gangland shooting"

That's the story Floyd's sticking to. No sense in him outing himself as the gunman. "Apparently the cops didn't look into it. Just a gang fight and those guys were dead" he says, he too watching the majestic feline.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike's brows raise, the cat is ignored as he just looks at Floyd, wide eyed, not expecting that to be said. He's quiet, processing the information, glancing to the two girls that are off doing their own thing.

"That's more information in five seconds than I've gotten in 17 years."

Floyd Lawton has posed:
"Oh? You were that kid, hey, keep the bike" Floyd nods being dragged over to watch the...whatever that animal is. Some sort of big cat, though he keeps his eyes on Mike. "Info's a valuable commodity really. So enjoy the info dump. Hopefully you'll...I dunno, do something with it?" he offers, a little lost for words outside his comfort zone

Michael Hannigan has posed:
The musician shakes his head. "In Gotham? That bike didn't last a day. Honestly until you described it, I thought I had imagined it." Mike comments, looking back over to the cat, "Like a kind of mental coping mechanism or something of that nature. Kind of lost some details. Biggest thing I got from that and growing up in the kitchen later is how little the police help out when you're nobody."

Floyd Lawton has posed:
"I know, right? Look, you need anything done, you go to people who sort it out, yeah? Cops don't care. So you get things done, right?" he asks cryptically and looks amused, then shakes his head. "Cops won't do jack unless you're famous. Then they go after you for defending yourself." he gripes.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Yeah. No matter who you are or what you become, there will always be someone gunning for you." Mike responds back with a nod, "Never see the first punch, just the response. Someone sees you with success, they try to pull you down. Someone sees you down, they add in a few kicks..."

As the leopard turns around, he glances to it before quickly picking up his pencil, sketching in some of the smaller details, "But, in a weird way it helped. Still angry at times, still have counseling but- Don't think I'd be in the career I am now if everything was coasting easily."

"And, as I get more of a foothold, I get more of a voice that I can use to get some stuff done."

He frowns, "And there's a lot of stuf.""

Drawing finished, Mike smiles, signing the artwork before packing up his pencils. With a swift motion he rips the drawing out of the sketchpad and hands it over to Floyd.

"A little less maintenance than a real cat." He explains, giving a bit of a smile, "And thanks. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Drawing passed along, the musician gets up, walking away.