oh, love!

She hadn't expected bears to be so ... Lazy. All the nature shows had depicted them as active, constantly fighting and running and frolicking with their bear friends. They looked more yellow than white, and incredibly large. Their pelts hung off their bodies, and she could see the faintest ripple of muscle beneath the furry exterior. A tiny, pocket size bear would be cute, though. She imagined it would be extra fierce to make up for the lost size, though. Most of the animals on the island were brightly coloured, festive for the tropical climate. "Rainbow coloured mini-bears. Like that parrots feathers. " She couldn't imagine a bear with bright colours like the birds on the island, but she thought that it would probably be very pretty to look at. You would be able to see when you're being hunted, too.

Glancing up, she studied Hadrian from this odd angle. He looked good with stubble, older. She wasn't sure when she had begun to think of him as hers, but as little as she liked to admit it, her mind had begun to label him as her Hadrian. She noticed things that she probably shouldn't, like how a few female keepers seemed to cast sideways glances at him more than the norm, and how she felt happier the closer she was. A little conflicted, she watched the bears, and admired their carefree lives. They didn't have to worry about their minds claiming things that weren't theirs. Lucky animals. "I wonder what their fur feels like. I bet it would be soft. Like a cat. "

She wasn't quite sure how effective it would be to wash a bear. You would have to have tamed it from a young age. The thought of a bear covered in bubbles made her smile a bit, and she wondered if that's how they cleaned circus bears. It would be nice to see that one day, watch someone clean a circus bear.
Hadrian asked if she wanted to know something, and she froze, watching him. He was frowning, was that a bad sign? Frowning usually meant something bad was about to happen. Maybe he was going to say something she didn't want to hear.

"Depends on the something, I think." Of course, now she was already curious and wanted to know either way. "Is it a goood something?" Wouldn't it just be her luck to find out he wasn't interested in girls or something of the sort. "Okay tell me anyway. I'm curious now. Tell me, tell meee."

Ania froze when Hadrian confessed that he liked her. A lot. He said he liked her a lot! Determined to not act foolish, she stared at her companion with a somber expression. He thought she was pretty. For a second, her mask slipped and delight shone in her face. She had forgotten what it felt like to truly feel this happy. She had especially forgotten what it was like to have a person that could give you happiness. Ania could feel darkness curling at the corners of her mind. He still didn't know the entire truth about her past. The truth that caused so many people to back away and break off all ties. She wanted to believe that this person was different, she wanted to believe it so desperately. The thought came to her that perhaps she liked this person too much. She had let the cute library boy sweep her away and take her on an adventure to Rome. She felt like she had known him for years, maybe even centuries. Fate had a funny way of placing people in lives, it might be true that they had known each other once.

Launching herself at him, she hugged him tight, blinking back the tears that welled up. In an odd little whisper, she admitted that she liked him a lot too. Why was she sad? She didn't have any good reason to feel sadness. He wanted to kiss her. She reasoned that her inability to show affection through kissing might be the cause of her change in emotion. She could always kiss his face, though. She admired Hadrian, far more than he may have realised. He had a secret power hidden away, one that could make people like him without them even knowing it. Even if they had built up years of immunity to this emotion nonsense, the walls were useless if he was on the job. Thinking about she would get out of being kissed, Ania didn't think he would mind if she promised to kiss him if they were in a different environment. Like maybe at home next to a full bathtub, instead of next to a pit full of hungry bears. She had come way too far to be fed to bears. "Well, um. I'll kiss you, but you'll have to wait to kiss me. Like in a safer ... Setting." Reaching up, she tugged his face down and kissed him several times, avoiding his mouth cautiously. Pulling back before anything could touch her own mouth, Ania smiled tentatively, hoping that wasn't too risky of a move. Then again, he did say that he wanted to kiss her first. "I think I might even like you too much."

If she didn't know better, she'd think she was even starting to fall in love. Despite her fears that he wouldn't accept her powers and past, Ania couldn't help but feel so, so happy. "Um. My clothes come off when I'm kissed?" It was true in a way, she did lose her clothes when she changed. "No, I turn into a fish. I haven't learned how to control it yet. Hey, maybe if you kiss me enough I can learn how to control it. " As a result of her powers, she had been kissed only a few times in her lifetime. And even if it didn't work, she could kiss him lots anyway. It would probably hurt a lot, though, constantly morphing back and forth. She wouldn't feel so bad though, if her Hadrian was there with maybe an aspirin or two. She could get used to this liking people thing.

Secretly, she was also glad that he hadn't studied for that exam. She hoped his grades didn't suffer because of her, though. Ania decided not to ask, on the off chance that she had. It was nice to be held close, though. She didn't mind spending the rest of the day standing here like this. Ania couldn't help but wonder how many other girls he had dated, a little worried that she was up against so much experience. He would know the right things to say, and she would be fumbling along. Storing away that thought for a less nice moment, Ania pressed her face into Hadrian, memorising the feeling of being so close. The familiar loud squawk of a penguin jolted her back to reality, and she cringed, looking around for any signs of their enemy. A penguin advertisement was being played from a speaker somewhere, with crackles punctuating the penguin noises and the friendly voice of a keeper. "I think ... Bears are my new favourite, too. That penguin ruined me. At least bears don't make that ... Awful noise."

"Another kiss can change me back. As a fish, a kiss to another fish or human will suffice. " She was very proud of her fish body. Most koi she had seen were not as nicely painted as her own scales were. She thought it would be nice to spend time at his house, and she had to admit that she was curious to see how he lived. He had hinted earlier at affluence, and Ania was immediately curious. She had always had an odd fascination with expensive kitchens especially. He meant come stay as in ... sleepover, right? She hadn't ever planned to sleepover with a boy before. This was all very exciting. No, she mustn't get too ahead of herself. "Stay? I'd love to." Ah, she had forgotten the tiger. Hadrian had said he wasn't a mean tiger, right? At least if she ended up dying, it would be at the velvety soft paws of a tiger. Certainly better than a boring, polite death. "I hope he likes me, anyway. I don't think I'd like to die just yet."

A tiger as big as a bear, now that would be a sight to see. Were there tigers at this zoo? Probably, what kind of zoo didn't have tigers of all things. "Can we go see the tigers, too?" It was sad sometimes, to see large animals like them in a zoo. Many were unhappy and bored in their small enclosures, treated unfairly and expected to preform nonetheless for the public. However, the animals that she had seen so far in this zoo seemed to be quite pleased with their homes. "How did you even get Altair in the first place?"