How Green Becomes Wood

The drive to the aquarium was about an hour but the traffic was light. Near the end, Ivy got a bit frustrated because it was not very fun to be in the car for so long, but Dark had prepared enough to be able to hand her a second unexpected toy which was able to soothe her back down. When they arrived and he had parked, he stepped out and went into the trunk to get the stroller, "I have the tickets on my phone so we shouldn't have much of a line to get in."
 
Alec took Ivy out of her car seat and held her, bouncing around and dancing with her as they waited for the stroller to be ready. "Are you ready, Ivy? Are you ready to go see the fish?"

Xander watched in amusement as he held the diaper bag. "I think she's ready to not be in a seat strapped down tight."
 
"Ivy, my dear daughter, I'm afraid to admit you're going in yet another seat." Dark told her, taking the diaper bag from Xander and setting it beneath the stroller while Alec buckled Ivy in, "If you could walk, it would be different."
 
Ivy was a bit grumpy to be back in a seat, but Dark just cooed at her, promising she'd have fun soon. And sure enough, after their tickets were scanned, they walked down a hallway with blue lighting reflecting waves on the ceiling. This alone made Ivy's eyes go wide and she gurgled, reaching her hands upwards when she saw it.
 
Alec was on about the same page as Ivy as he stared around in awe. "It's so pretty!" he breathed.

Xander nodded approvingly as he followed Dark. "Pretty cool in here."

"And this is just the beginning!" Alec chirped happily.
 
Dark looked up at the ceiling, wishing it was something Daizi would be able to see it. Then they moved on to the first room which was all fish local to their native rivers and lakes, "I picked up a map so we can be certain we see everything. It looks like they do have penguins."
 
"Nice! Penguins are hilarious!" Alec grinned. He moved erratically from side to side, trying to see everything at once in the most inefficient manner possible, until Xander caught him by the collar and made him slow down. Alec calmed from his initial excitement and studiously rad every sign they came to, resisting the urge to plaster himself up against the glass.

"This is so cool!"he breathed, watching an enormous river fish glide past.
 
"They have whales?" Alec squeaked, finally pulling his eyes away from the fish. "Really? Here? That's so cool!"

"Huh. It says here some of the animals, like some penguins, are failed releases," Xander remarked, reading a sign. "What's that mean?"
 
"Only belugas," Dark replied, handing the map to Xander if he wanted to take a look at it, "I do not know the ethics of keeping any whales in captivity, but I know the aquarium has AZA accreditation, so I leave it to the experts. Failed releases are, I believe, rescue animals which could not safely be returned to the wild."
 
"Oh. Cool. This place is a warren," Xander remarked, studying the map. "If we want the most efficient way to cover everything... left here and straight. There should be a swamp habitat coming up."

"I wonder if they'll have an ogre in the swamp," Alec remarked thoughtfully.
 
The twins snickered and turned back to the creatures. Even Xander couldn't fully maintain his aloof mannerisms when faced with a tank full of upside down jellyfish or seahorses and zipping otters playing and diving.
 
Dark chuckled to himself and took Ivy out of her stroller, choosing instead to carry her for awhile so she could have a better view of the fish. After they stopped to watch the jellyfish for a little while, Dark started to walk on but then Ivy cried out emphatically and swiveled in his arms, trying to still see them.

"Would you like to watch them longer?" Dark asked, and went back in front of the tank while Ivy stared wide-eyed at the large orange creatures floating in the water.
 
"They are kind of hypnotic," Alec admitted, tipping his head sideways as he watched.

Xander pushed the empty stroller and leaned on it as he watched the lion fish in the next tank over. "It says here that the lion fish is an invader in some parts of the coral reef and that fishermen are actually encouraged to kill them because nothing else can. That'd be an interesting job."
 
"I think I had heard something like that," Dark said, walking closer to the glass for Ivy who began squirming to be set down. He went to look with her and then knelt down with her in his lap but almost immediately she stood up and stood with her tiny hands spread out against the glass, her eyes wide and amazed.
 
"And parrot fish eat the reef, but there's too many of those," he remarked. "Interesting. I wonder if anyone has invented a type of fishing that isolates only one type of fish?"

Alec took a picture of Dark and Ivy, knowing Dark would like to see it later. "Never mind that. Too much information, not enough wondering. Look how beautiful it all is!"

Xander looked up from the plaque and nodded. "It is beautiful."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top