byron best, totally normal wizard ✨ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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adventureic2024-02-22 09:51 pm
wizardjr) wrote in adventureic2024-02-22 09:51 pm
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WHO: Ophelia Keening & Byron Best.
WHEN: Last weekend!
WHERE: Ripley's Aquarium of Canada.
WHAT: They go to the aquarium and ponder some aquatic critters.
WARNINGS: N/A
Ophelia was turning the aquarium guide over in her hands. “There is a big tunnel we can walk through and the fish will swim over us, and a large jellyfish display, and –” Touch tanks. If Byron was afraid of hurting people, was he having trouble with animals too? Maybe he would not like that. “– an octopus, somewhere.”
She looked up at him, now, and turned the map so that he could look himself if he wanted. “Where would you like to start?”
Byron looked at the map, carefully tucking his hands into his pockets, where they couldn't hurt anyone. "I'm good with whatever you'd like—what's your favourite? We could do that first?" he offered, unwilling to make a decision when she'd been nice enough to go here with him. "Maybe we could check out all the important stuff first, then see the rest with the time we have leftover?"
“Alright,” Ophelia agreed, folding the map up and tucking it into her pocket. She did not really have a favorite, but the big attractions were obvious enough. She pointed toward the downstairs. “The tunnel is one of the first things we will see down there. We could start there?”
"I've never been in an underwater tunnel," Byron admitted, more than happy to follow along. "Have you? Do you have a favourite fish?"
He had to admit that looking at some of these fish on display was making him a little hungry—not that this was something he was willing to confess to out loud.
“No, I am excited to see what the tunnel will be like.” Ophelia glanced around at some of the fish while they passed them on their way there. “There is a clownfish,” she said, pointing past Byron to one of the tanks in the wall. “I like those.” Finding Nemo was a good movie.
"Awww, they're so cute—hey, lil buddy!" Byron said, leaning in a little closer to get a better look at them; the fish quickly panicked and hid behind an anemone, leaving Byron to frown.
"Maybe they have some Dorys," he said instead, moving onto the next tank.
Ophelia had watched for a second to see if the fish would reappear before hurrying after Byron. “Is that one of your favorites? Or are you hoping to see something else?”
"I'd really like to see an octopus. They're super smart," Byron confessed dreamily. "Or a sea turtle. Sea turtles are cute. What about you?"
“We will have to find the octopus, then.” Ophelia smiled at him. “I am excited to see everything, but sea turtles are very cute. I think they keep them here,” she said, motioning to the entrance of the tunnel as they arrived.
Ophelia blinked down at the moving sidewalk on one side of the tunnel. She stepped on it slowly, stumbling a bit as her foot got taken away from her faster than she expected.
Byron's superhuman reflexes kicked in just in time to reach out to steady her, although he quickly pulled away as soon as she was stable on her feet.
"Sorry, sorry!" Byron apologized, immediately putting up his hands in surrender. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Ophelia found herself putting her hands up too, though it was more in the way someone might go ‘whoa, whoa’ to a frightened horse. “Not at all! You do not need to apologize. You helped me. Thank you.” She eyed his hands. “Are you okay?”
"I'm fine! I just—" Byron's eyes searched the vicinity for anyone that might have spotted anything off about him. "I didn't like, claw you or crush you or anything, did I? I'm so sorry, I try never to touch anyone anymore."
Ophelia just shook her head. “All you did was help me find my balance. It did not hurt at all.” Her eyes drifted slightly, her mind still easily distracted as things fought for her attention, like the shark swimming overhead. But she looked back to Byron. “You do not touch anyone, ever?”
Byron shook his head in return. "No. Not anymore. It's not safe. I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else, and I don't really feel… well, control over any of it." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and watched the shark circle, feeling a regrettable kinship with the creature.
She watched as he hid his hands again with a slight frown, before glancing back around at what was moving around them through the tunnel. “We do not have to talk about this if you would like to just focus on being here, but…how does it happen? Just helping me as you did now could be a risk?”
"What if I accidentally broke your arm? Or clawed you? I'd never forgive myself," Byron said sullenly. "I'm a danger to myself and others." Feeling sheepish, he tried to change the subject. "Hey, look at these jellyfish. They don't even have brains. They're just floating along, without a care in the world. They've got it figured out."
“I am not afraid of you hurting me,” Ophelia said quietly, and though she wanted to keep asking questions, to remind him that there was no injury that could stay with her, she knew it wasn’t her place to push.
She studied the jellyfish he pointed out to her. “If they do not have brains, how do they decide what they want to do?”
"I don't think they decide anything. They're just a bundle of nerves, swimming around, unaware of their own existence," Byron said sadly—although he felt sad for the jellyfish or for himself for not being a jellyfish was not entirely clear.
Fortunately, he caught himself before he could be too much of a bummer. "They'll never get to enjoy trashy reality television, though." he joked.
Ophelia laughed. “Or any of the movies they are featured in. Hollywood loves a jellyfish sting plot.” She watched them float along for another moment. “I wonder if they are really unaware, or if we just don’t understand a consciousness that has to be different than our own.”
Byron appeared to seriously consider the question. He ran his hands through his own hair thoughtfully. "I dunno. Maybe we can ask Sharona to talk to them. Or ask a marine biologist. Someone's got to know."
“Oh, Sharona is an excellent idea,” Ophelia agreed. As the moving sidewalk moved them along through the tunnel, Ophelia looked up and saw a shark swimming overhead. She reached out to touch Byron’s arm, to get his attention, but stopped at the last second, retracting it and just pointing up instead. “Byron, a shark.”
He looked up, an enormous grin spreading across his face. "Ohhhhhhh, wow! Look at it go! It's HUGE! It's amazing!" He applauded it despite the fact that the shark probably couldn't hear it.
Ophelia laughed, finding his excitement contagious. She watched with equal awe as the shark passed them by, and looked forward to seeing what else they’d be surprised by.
WHEN: Last weekend!
WHERE: Ripley's Aquarium of Canada.
WHAT: They go to the aquarium and ponder some aquatic critters.
WARNINGS: N/A
Ophelia was turning the aquarium guide over in her hands. “There is a big tunnel we can walk through and the fish will swim over us, and a large jellyfish display, and –” Touch tanks. If Byron was afraid of hurting people, was he having trouble with animals too? Maybe he would not like that. “– an octopus, somewhere.”
She looked up at him, now, and turned the map so that he could look himself if he wanted. “Where would you like to start?”
Byron looked at the map, carefully tucking his hands into his pockets, where they couldn't hurt anyone. "I'm good with whatever you'd like—what's your favourite? We could do that first?" he offered, unwilling to make a decision when she'd been nice enough to go here with him. "Maybe we could check out all the important stuff first, then see the rest with the time we have leftover?"
“Alright,” Ophelia agreed, folding the map up and tucking it into her pocket. She did not really have a favorite, but the big attractions were obvious enough. She pointed toward the downstairs. “The tunnel is one of the first things we will see down there. We could start there?”
"I've never been in an underwater tunnel," Byron admitted, more than happy to follow along. "Have you? Do you have a favourite fish?"
He had to admit that looking at some of these fish on display was making him a little hungry—not that this was something he was willing to confess to out loud.
“No, I am excited to see what the tunnel will be like.” Ophelia glanced around at some of the fish while they passed them on their way there. “There is a clownfish,” she said, pointing past Byron to one of the tanks in the wall. “I like those.” Finding Nemo was a good movie.
"Awww, they're so cute—hey, lil buddy!" Byron said, leaning in a little closer to get a better look at them; the fish quickly panicked and hid behind an anemone, leaving Byron to frown.
"Maybe they have some Dorys," he said instead, moving onto the next tank.
Ophelia had watched for a second to see if the fish would reappear before hurrying after Byron. “Is that one of your favorites? Or are you hoping to see something else?”
"I'd really like to see an octopus. They're super smart," Byron confessed dreamily. "Or a sea turtle. Sea turtles are cute. What about you?"
“We will have to find the octopus, then.” Ophelia smiled at him. “I am excited to see everything, but sea turtles are very cute. I think they keep them here,” she said, motioning to the entrance of the tunnel as they arrived.
Ophelia blinked down at the moving sidewalk on one side of the tunnel. She stepped on it slowly, stumbling a bit as her foot got taken away from her faster than she expected.
Byron's superhuman reflexes kicked in just in time to reach out to steady her, although he quickly pulled away as soon as she was stable on her feet.
"Sorry, sorry!" Byron apologized, immediately putting up his hands in surrender. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Ophelia found herself putting her hands up too, though it was more in the way someone might go ‘whoa, whoa’ to a frightened horse. “Not at all! You do not need to apologize. You helped me. Thank you.” She eyed his hands. “Are you okay?”
"I'm fine! I just—" Byron's eyes searched the vicinity for anyone that might have spotted anything off about him. "I didn't like, claw you or crush you or anything, did I? I'm so sorry, I try never to touch anyone anymore."
Ophelia just shook her head. “All you did was help me find my balance. It did not hurt at all.” Her eyes drifted slightly, her mind still easily distracted as things fought for her attention, like the shark swimming overhead. But she looked back to Byron. “You do not touch anyone, ever?”
Byron shook his head in return. "No. Not anymore. It's not safe. I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else, and I don't really feel… well, control over any of it." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and watched the shark circle, feeling a regrettable kinship with the creature.
She watched as he hid his hands again with a slight frown, before glancing back around at what was moving around them through the tunnel. “We do not have to talk about this if you would like to just focus on being here, but…how does it happen? Just helping me as you did now could be a risk?”
"What if I accidentally broke your arm? Or clawed you? I'd never forgive myself," Byron said sullenly. "I'm a danger to myself and others." Feeling sheepish, he tried to change the subject. "Hey, look at these jellyfish. They don't even have brains. They're just floating along, without a care in the world. They've got it figured out."
“I am not afraid of you hurting me,” Ophelia said quietly, and though she wanted to keep asking questions, to remind him that there was no injury that could stay with her, she knew it wasn’t her place to push.
She studied the jellyfish he pointed out to her. “If they do not have brains, how do they decide what they want to do?”
"I don't think they decide anything. They're just a bundle of nerves, swimming around, unaware of their own existence," Byron said sadly—although he felt sad for the jellyfish or for himself for not being a jellyfish was not entirely clear.
Fortunately, he caught himself before he could be too much of a bummer. "They'll never get to enjoy trashy reality television, though." he joked.
Ophelia laughed. “Or any of the movies they are featured in. Hollywood loves a jellyfish sting plot.” She watched them float along for another moment. “I wonder if they are really unaware, or if we just don’t understand a consciousness that has to be different than our own.”
Byron appeared to seriously consider the question. He ran his hands through his own hair thoughtfully. "I dunno. Maybe we can ask Sharona to talk to them. Or ask a marine biologist. Someone's got to know."
“Oh, Sharona is an excellent idea,” Ophelia agreed. As the moving sidewalk moved them along through the tunnel, Ophelia looked up and saw a shark swimming overhead. She reached out to touch Byron’s arm, to get his attention, but stopped at the last second, retracting it and just pointing up instead. “Byron, a shark.”
He looked up, an enormous grin spreading across his face. "Ohhhhhhh, wow! Look at it go! It's HUGE! It's amazing!" He applauded it despite the fact that the shark probably couldn't hear it.
Ophelia laughed, finding his excitement contagious. She watched with equal awe as the shark passed them by, and looked forward to seeing what else they’d be surprised by.