Owner Pose
Bart Allen Bart Allen had thought about inviting Emiko to the zoo at night to see some of the animals, but since she has not been to it before, he figured a dya visit might be the best start. That way he is not working and he can see what animals she likes the best, wnd who knows they may still get some special access since he works there.
Emiko Queen Emiko is excited. A trip to the zoo sounds like good, normal fun. She's wearing weather appropriate clothes, all expensive-looking, but still bright eyed and smiling as they get through the ticket booth and into the zoo proper. Grabbing Bart's hand, she looks all around, "Okay. Where do we start? What's the best way to get to see all the animals?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen smiles at her, and says "Well there are tours, but I figured, I would take you on a tour myself." He grins and actually leads her towards a maintenance area, and sees a older fellow, Bart calls out "Hey Jorge, how you doing man." The man greets Bart with a smile, and says "Good man, good." Bart smiles and says "any chance I could snack one of the carts for a few hours, I promise not to wreck it or leave it stuck anywhere." The man's brow raises at Bart, but seeing the girl with him, he smiles a bit, and says "Maybe, but you owe me some of those Mandoca you brought in for lunch the other week. You have to tell me where you get them."
Emiko Queen Emiko smiles up at him and gives a nod, "I'd like that. You really like the animals, I'd rather hear about them from someone invested in them than someone who does it as a job." She's still holding his hand when they pause to talk to Jorge, Emi smiling at the man and giving a nod to him without interrupting Bart. Her smile brightens when he agrees to let them use one of the carts, "Thank you! That's really nice of you." Being the quintessential 'cute girl' that is getting impressed with a personalized zoo tour.
Bart Allen Bart Allen smiles and Bart says "I will bring you a dozen just for you for the next week Jorge." The man seems satisfied with this and tosses Bart a keycard "Take number 7, it is set up to get a new set of tires, but the ones on it will last another couple days so you shouldn't have any problems." Bart catches the card and says Thanks, leading Emiko to one of the Gotham Zoo utility golf carts "Your chariot my dear lady."
Emiko Queen Grinning as they get the cart, Emi waves to Jorge and off they go to pick up their ride! When they arrive at the shed, she chuckles and kisses his cheek, then hops into the passenger seat of the cart and grins, "If I'm a lady, then you get to be my shining kight."
Bart Allen Bart Allen smiles and says "I think that name is taken." He jokes with her, but does start the cart, and while Bart is not an expert driver, he has learned to drive these. "We will start with some of the larger animals." He drives towards the area where the elephants, rhinos and such are kept.
Emiko Queen "Then we'll take it back," Emi winks at him and settles in for the ride. She could probably drive the cart herself, but better to let someone with some experience do it. Besides, this is a date! She's going to enjoy it. As they head off towards the first set of animals, she smiles at Bart, "Do you have animals from all over the globe are is it mainly like.. jungle/savannah? Arctic?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen does stop along the way to grab them drinks and snacks from one of the vendors "Well, the bigger animals are mostly the common ones, with a few exceptions like the Pandas, but the smaller animals who live in enclosures, we have a larger variety as it is easier to simulate their homes. The widest range of our animals though is probably the birds and the bats."
Emiko Queen "Bats? I wouldn't have thought they would make a very... interesting exhibit. Being nocturnal and all? How does anyone get to see them?" Emiko isn't judging, but she is curious! Maybe they do night time tours specifically for nocturnal animals? She opens up a bag of cotton candy and pulls out a fluff to hold up to his mouth, smiling. "What sorts of bigger animals do you keep?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen looks over to her, and says "Completely enclosed room, you slowly get them accustomed to day being at night and night being at date. Then you can do tours as long as you keep it around star light during the tours. The bats think it is night even if it is actually day. We have a few exhibits like that for nocturnal animals
Emiko Queen "Ohhhhhhhhh, that's pretty cool! So do we get to see those animals too then?" Emiko smiles at him, taking a drink, then offers him another bite of cotton candy so he can eat while they drive!
Bart Allen Bart Allen munches the piece he is given and smiles at her, taking his eyes off the road tor a moment, and going off the path for a moment but looking back and making a quick correction. They will soon come to a hill where he parks, where they can over look the savannah large animals.
Emiko Queen Chuckling as his hands pull in the direction of his eyes, Emiko smiles, "Totally fine, we didn't hit anything, nobody will ever know." Then he's parking and she leans in against him while looking at the animals moving about the enclosure. A handful of popcorn eaten, and then the bag is offered up to him. "This is great, Bart. Look at them just.. living their lives. No predators, no poachers." She flicks a glance at him and grins, "Ever been tempted to do a Lion King in the enclosure?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen chuckles a bit and says "No, but there is something you may want to see." He munches a bit of popcorn, and pulls his phone out and types in beastboy's alphabet. There is a list of 26 videos, and Bart says "You may want to watch these sometime." (They are bboard messages on social media I think)
Emiko Queen Emiko wiggles in closer and grins, "Okay." She looks down at the phone, then pulls out her own to take a pickture of the screen so she can find it later. Looking back up to him, she lifts both brows, "So you -really- love animals, huh? Like, not just a 'I want to help' sort of way, but you -really- like being around them."
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods, and says "Yea, they are neat, don't judge people for no reasons. When we first got a pet at the outsiders lair, I fell in love with Mr Murder Mittens." He tells her "Little black kitten."
Emiko Queen Nodding, Emiko smiles at him, "Sounds like a certain cute speedster I know... doesn't judge people without getting to know them." Chuckling over the name, she smiles, "I like cats. They know what they want, they go for it, predators but also pets. Independent but demanding. And their purring is both pleasant -and- functional."
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods a bit and says "Sometime once Rob clears you to visit will have to show ya my room at the roost, and my pet snails. Tim was a bit worried I would let animals run wild in the base I think, so wanted me to have something that was kept in a container. I got snails as a sorta Zen thing watching them and keeping slow.
Emiko Queen "Rob? Roost? You... live in a chicken coop?" Emiko blinks for a moment, then laughs lightly and shakes her head, "I will trust you on that one. But the snails sound nice. That would be what I would be trying to teach you with archery. A lot of it is how to calm and center yourself, paying attention to your own body's rhythms..."
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods, and says "Actually know some of that some of it is needed to vibrate yourself through things you have to know you and control you. Rob is Red Robin and the Roost is his Hq that the outsiders use." He keeps this quiet enough just she will hear
Emiko Queen "Ahhhhh, see? Then you're already set to learn," Emiko flashes a grin before giving a nod. "Okay. Red Robin, assuming part of the Batman crew. The Roost is for the Outsiders, the superheroes not the evil assassin organization, there has -got- to be a better way of differentiating between the two." She likewise keeps her voice pitched low, turning to smile at him after, "I'll look forward to meeting your other friends."
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods, and says Rob and SB are two of my oldest friends, but there are some others I consider close, heck all of them I trust like family." He admits.
Emiko Queen Nodding, she smiles at him, though the last part has her chuckling. "I'm still learning about family that can be trusted. Oliver's been the only one, really."
Bart Allen Bart Allen takes her hand and says "Well hopefully I am growing into that spot as well." He smiles and after a bit, he will take her to see some of the other larger animals. He saves the bears for the last of the big animals knowing she said she liked them
Emiko Queen Emiko squeezes his hand and smiles, "Trusted? Yes. Family? Well, it would be a little strange to have my boyfriend be family But definitely close enough that I'd let my brother meet you. I've never actually brought a man home before." She leans in and kisses him briefly, then they're off and going to see the other animals! When they get to the bears, she glances at him, "You remembered." There's an expression on her face that's pleased and touched and very happy. Then she's leaning forward to watch them with a peaceful little smile. "Look at how they care for their young.. you can just -see- when the parents are done with the cubs' playing... but they just let them keep going. They don't stifle their young, but they make sure that nobody else will fuck with them."
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods his head a bit and says "Where the term momma bear comes from. He points out each bear in turn telling them their names, and that this one likes watermellon, as he will pick all of it out of his food and eat it first before anything else.
Emiko Queen "Yeah... it's just... it's nice to see it." Emi continues to watch the bears, though a touch of sadness tingues her smile for a few moments. Then he's telling her their names and how one of them likes watermelon, and she's chuckling and sitting back so she can wrap her arms around Bart's waist. Resting her head on his shoulder, she smiles up at him, "This is great. Thank you for bringing me here." Giving him a small squeeze, she watches for a few more moments, then straightens, "Okay. If we don't go now I'll watch the bears all day. Some of the smaller animals?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods and drives over to a place where they will park the vehicle and leads her into a building, where there are groups of enclosures with different type of animals. The first oen they come to being the Red Pandas."
Emiko Queen She takes his hand again once they're out of the cart, smiling up at him as they enter the building. When he brings her to the red pandas, she laughs in delight, "Oh I love these guys. They're adorable. And I really like that they've defied all attempts to put them into any category with other mammals. First people thought they were bears. Then raccoons. And now science is finally, grudgingly acknowledging that they belong in a classification all their own."
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods, and says "And they are playfull, I spend some time with them most nights." He admits. He will grin and says "We do keep them near the racoons, I know a lot of people don't think about them in a zoo, but with Gotham being so much city a lot of the inner cities never seen one
Emiko Queen "Awwww, I'd love to get to play with them sometime. If it's okay. Nothing that would get you in trouble." Emiko smiles towards Bart, then looks back to the red pandas with a grin, "I spent some time in Japan, so I got to know a little about them." She doesn't mention that her mother kidnapped her from Starling City and took her to Japan to seek protection from a Yakuza Oyabun. Or what she did after. Staying tucked up against his side, Emi is clearly enjoying being the new girlfriend.
Bart Allen Bart Allen keeps an arm around her, and says "Will have to bring ya in one night when I am working, as long as other folks don't see you, we won't have any issues. " He offers her with a smile. He takes her through the animals, and the last part of the smaller animals, is actually a petting zoo."
Emiko Queen Grinning up at him, she gives a nod puts a finger to her lips, "Nobody would ever know I was here, except for you. If you can sneak me in, I can stay out of sight." Yep, his girlfriend is a ninja. Then they're moving along to view the other animals and when they reach the petting zoo, she chuckles, "Now that's just adorable." She glances up at him, "Do you want to pet the animals?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen smiles and says "I pet them on a normal bases, but thought you would like to." He offers with a smile and some of the animals come over towards him obviously they know him.
Emiko Queen "yeah, but now we can both pet them and they get twice the attention." Emiko chuckles and leans in to pet some of the animals that approach. She smiles at him and asks, "Let me buy you dinner after the tour? There's a place that does these huge servings of italian comfort food, sort of family style stuff? So we could order a bunch of dishes and nobody will have to know how much of it you're eating."
Bart Allen Bart Allen hmms and says "I think this pizza place in new york does, or we can head over to Italy and try some place there, there are some really nice hole in the wall places, that have really good food
Emiko Queen "You mean like... the country Italy? Yes! Absolutely yes. But you have to let me buy some housemade sauce while we're there. I can store it in your fridge and we can do a pasta night soon! I can make pasta without fucking it up." Emiko flashes a grin at him, bright-eyed and excited again.
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods his head a bit and says "Want to head out now? We can check out the bats and birds next time if you do.
Emiko Queen Nodding, Emiko smiles, "That sounds great. And, you know, if you want... we could even stay the night and enjoy like.. a mini vacation. My treat?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen smiles and nods his head a bit to her, and will take time to drive the cart back turning it in. He will walk arm in arm with her, till they are out of site, and then he scoops her up in his arms and they are running at speed in moments, he is running across the water.
Emiko Queen Emiko laughs as he scoops her up, wrapping her arms around his neck and curling in against him. The ride is just as exhilarating and fun as the first time, though the temptation to see if he can be distracted is hard to resist. Still, she manages, more for not wanting to get dunked into the ocean than anything.
Bart Allen Bart Allen will run up into a small town he knows of and at a place where they won't be seen coming in. He then sets her down a bit reluctantly. "One thing I do know is how to order food in most any language."
Emiko Queen Emiko waits until he's set her down, then she reaches up and pulls him down into a brief but sound kiss. Pulling back, she smiles up at him and takes his hand, "I like eggplant parmagiana, whatever their best salad is, and will you split a tiramisu with me?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods his head a bit and says "Sure, we can get a few other things if you want to try them as well." He says after kissing her back for a long moment, and then leads her to one of the places, where he is created with a cheer." The lady running the place comes over to sit them herself "Bart it is good to see you back." She says in slow english
Emiko Queen Emiko's smile is a touch wider and warmer after that kiss, following along with him into the restaurant. She blinks when they're greeted by the owner and ushered to a table, looking to Bart with a grin, "You do know how to treat a girl." Its murmured to him even as she turns a smile towards the lady.
Bart Allen Bart Allen grins at her, and the woman will say something in Italian, and smiles at Emiko seeming happy Bart brought someone.
Emiko Queen Smiling back to the lady, she'll put a hand to her chest and say, "Emiko." Then she points to Bart and grins, "His girlfriend." She reaches over to take his hand and give a squeeze, smiling at him.
Bart Allen Bart Allen smiles and the woman smiles and says some thing and before they order she is heading back into the kitchen. one of the waiters will bring them drinks and says "Mama says your food will be out in just a few minutes." Bart nods to him and smiles "I think she may have decided what we are having."
Emiko Queen Emiko chuckles when the nice lady just heads back into the kitchen without taking orders. When the waiter comes by to explain, she smiles, "Thank you." Looking to Bart, she grins, "I think it's illegal to NOT accept a restaurant owner's generosity when they want to make you something special."
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods, and says "Probably, I stopped in here one time when I was running on low, and ate quite a bit and since then she has liked me a lot, I have a good appetite she says." He smiles and thanks the waiter, and "So you like being able to go to italy on the spur of the moment?
Emiko Queen Emi chuckles and gives a nod, "I bet she loves you a lot then. You showed great appreciation for her cooking. That was like.. the ultimate compliment." She pauses, then smiles, "I like being impulsive with you. Normally everything I do is planned out, I follow strict routines. But.. maybe I need a little more flexibility in my life. So just.. picking up and going to Italy because we want italian food? Staying the night because we can? Not something I would do all the time, but something I'm happy we can enjoy together."
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods his head a bit to her, and puts an arm around her and rubs her back. "Yea, I got the name from being a bit to impulsive for some people." He admits. There are a few places, I eat a lot, cause they don't see me very often this is one of them.
Emiko Queen Emiko leans in against him and smiles, "Well then maybe I can help give you a little structure, and you can help me be a little impulsive." She kisses his cheek and gives a nod, "So we'll rotate where we go. THat's good, new things are good."
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods, and says "And sticking with things has some merit to it as well, I had a teacher I disliked at the time who taught me that, but have sense learned he was teaching me well, and doing right by me as much as it did not seem it at the time.
Emiko Queen "Oh definitely. I will never give up my routines and schedules... but doing something impulsive every now and then wouldn't be a bad thing," Emi smiles up at him before giving a nod. "Sometimes the best teachers are the ones we hate the most."
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods, and says "Max took care of me for a few years, until I ended up moving in with Jay and Joan, and they were sorta like grandparents to me." He tells her. He will bring out his phone and show pictures of all (none of them in hero attire)
Emiko Queen Nodding, Emiko smiles over the pictures and glances to him, "Oliver has taken care of me for the past years. Probably since I was about.. fifteen or so. I won't say he -raised- me, but... he did teach me a lot." She likewise pulls up a picture of herself and Oliver to show to Bart (also no superhero costumes).
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods, and says "So I came to here just a bit before you met Oliver it seems." He says as he adds the time up in his head. "So, what kind of place are you wanting to stay in while were here?"
Emiko Queen Nodding, Emi smiles, "Right around the same time, actually, given the age difference. Around 6-7 years ago?" Pondering the question for a moment, she smiles, "Well, I can spring for just about anything, though if we want the full immersion, we should probably see if there's like... a bed and breakfast equivalent?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods his head a bit and says "We can ask the waiters, they seem to speak more english than the rest of the staff." He tells her from experience. Before long they are bringing food out filling the table and setting up stands around the table.
Emiko Queen "Sounds good.." Emiko trails off as the food starts to arrive. She laughs in delight at all the dishes being brought out and looks to Bart. "You're going to eat well tonight."
Bart Allen Bart Allen chuckles and nods his head a bit and says "I wonder if they think you have an appetite like mine." He says at the amount of food, but chuckles, and says "Would you like me to get you anything from this side?"
Emiko Queen "Hmmmmmm, probably. I can pack a good bit away, but I don't know that I can really match you in sheer volume" Emi chuckles lightly and glances over all the dishes. "Sure! I'll take some of everything. You want me to plate you up some of what's over here?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen nods and trades plates with her, as it seems the best way for them to get some of everything
Emiko Queen Falling silent for a bit while they tuck into the food, Emi glances up to smile at him every so often, then finally takes a break for some water and asks, "Where is your favorite place to visit?"
Bart Allen Bart Allen hmms and scratches his chin fora moment pausing their eatting and says "I am not sure, Maybe the flash museum as it is sorta special to my family even for a long time.
Emiko Queen "I haven't been there. Maybe we can go there soon? Next 'going out' date? I'd like to see it through your eyes." Emiko turns a soft smile towards him and dives back into her food, though at a slower pace that will allow for talk between bites.
Bart Allen Bart Allen smiles and nods a bit and says "Well I will have to be careful when we go there, not to tell you things that have not happened yet. I am pretty sure things here aren't happening as I learned in history, but some still come to pass.
Emiko Queen "You say that like I'm somehow going to be alive that far into the future," Emi lets out a small laugh and shakes her head, then looks back to him. "There is one other thing that I want to tell you, though not here."
Bart Allen Bart Allen 's brow raises a bit to this and will have to wait not something he is good at and says "Not all the future stuff, I know happens in the 31st century silly." He says with a smile.
Emiko Queen Chuckling, Emiko grins at him, "Sweetie, I'm not going to make it out of -this- century. There's a looooooot of history between then and your home time." She reaches over to give his fingers a squeeze and goes back to her food, putting away a very respectable amount of the dishes before she leans back. "Okay. Okay I'm throwing in the towel. I've eaten everything that I can..."
Bart Allen Bart Allen smiles and does go one for a bit more, but even he can not finish it all, but the lady does give them to go boxes and they get directions to a place they can rent a small cabin type place nearby.