2025-02-20 - A Surprising Lack Of Piranhas

Emerson stands in front of the central tank of the aquarium, a few steps back from the window with his hands in the pockets of his dark-washed jeans. He has on a forest green hoodie and some running shoes and is definitely off duty today. So he's taken a little bit of time to explore the park and ended up here. He watches as the schools of fish swim by, followed by the graceful sweep of a small shark, and a couple of rays. There are some kids nearby with their faces pressed up against the glass, trying to get the attention of a sea turtle that swims by placidly.

Coming in from one of the smaller exhibits that branches off from the main tank, Ari looks like any other tourist enjoying the aquarium's sights, aside for how he's alone. He's careful to kind of pick his way through the crowd, making sure not to block the views of any of the little kids as he, too, takes in the slow passage of the various creatures within the water.

After coming a little bit too close to sticking his face up against the glass himself, he withdraws a small distance, ending up standing not too far off from Emerson. Unconsciously mirroring his posture, Ari tucks his own hands into the pockets of his jeans. Then a shadow descends upon him, as a giant manta ray swims leisurely by within the tank, and Ari can't help but go, "Wow. What a big guy!" As if the manta were a particularly large cat, or something.

"I used to be afraid of them when I was a kid," Emerson says in response to Ari's comment when the big manta goes by, flapping its wide flippers gracefully as it glides through the water. "When I was real little, I was standing close to a tank that had a window not much taller than me, when this big shadow went across it and I screamed and ran to my mom and started crying." His smile is a little self-deprecatingly amused. "For years I wouldn't stand near the tanks where they had them." Then he realizes he's just randomly reminiscing to a stranger and falls silent. There's no apology for it, but he also just goes back to watching the tank as though it didn't happen.

It was Ari that broke the silence first with his surprised exclamation, so he doesn't seem to mind that Emerson chimes in, just turns himself halfway towards the other man to listen. He nods once in a sympathetic sort of way, brows drawn together, as the story is related to him. And then Emerson goes quiet, maybe with a bit of an awkward atmosphere hovering between the two.

"For me it was piranhas," Ari says, nodding his head a couple of times as if to himself. "They were like quicksand, y'know?" That apparent non-sequitor is left in the air for a moment, before there's a flash of realization on Ari's face, because maybe his moon logic isn't followable by anyone but himself. "I mean," he's quick to say, almost stammering, "It was made out to be a much bigger concern in day-to-day life than it actually is."

At least not uncomfortably so. But when Ari shares his own story about piranhas, he's quick to smile and nods in agreement. The explanation only seems to set him a bit more at ease about his own random sharing. "No, I know what you mean. If cartoons were to be believed, every water source and wooded area was fraught with quicksand and piranhas. And if you didn't have a friend or a vine or a stick handy you were done for. Or.. eaten. Almost instantly." He totally followed the moon logic there.

"Right?" Ari says, sounding aggrieved. He shakes his head and squeezes his arms against his sides as he shrugs up both shoulders, like he's repressing a shiver. Then he adds, "I thought it was going to be a big deal! Like, 'Oh, you're going hiking? Better brush up on your quicksand escape skills before you go!' Turns out it's mostly, like, poison ivy and stranger danger that you gotta worry about."

Some of the kids move on to get another angle at that sea turtle from a different side of the tank, freeing up some of the glass, so Ari shuffles forward and peers in close, looking down at the foliage decorating the bottom of the tank. Then, with no preamble, Ari asks, "Have you ever heard of a selkie?" He takes out his phone and crouches down to... snap a couple pics of seaweed, by the looks of it. Maybe some of the coral.

Emerson laughs and nods. "Definitely a lot more poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, poison leaves just waiting to make you itch for weeks laying in wait. They don't warn you about that nearly enough in cartoons." He glances over toward Ari, watching as he goes over to get closer to the glass, still hanging back where he is. He seems fine letting people come and go in front of him. At 6', he's not the tallest of tall people, but he's a lot taller than many of the kids, so he just leaves plenty of room so they can run around in front of him.

"The seal people? They come up on land and shed their skin and can walk around as people. And then sometimes sailors would take their skins, to keep them around. Kind of cruel and sad," is his opinion as he tips his head up to watch as a couple of the sharks go by up closer to the ceiling while Ari takes his photos.

Ari nods, face scrunching up at just the thought of all that itching. He resolutely does not start scratching at a phantom itch that crawls up his spine then, but he does arch his back a little and shiver in a way that suggests some sudden but minor discomfort. "Noooo thank you," he mutters.

Down basically on his knees, Ari's not too much of an impediment for most other people to come in and see into the tank. One toddler does wander over to stand next to him, their hands on the glass but all eyes on Ari's phone, and awkwardly Ari says a quick, "Hi," before he wraps up his impromptu photography session and withdraws back to where Emerson is still standing. "Yeah," he says, of the selkie. "Would you consider them 'dark fae'? I'm, uh, doing some research." He raises his phone up a little to indicate it as being involved in said research.

"Exactly," Emerson says, dropping the itchy topic lest he start making himself itch, too.

He grins just a little bit when he watches the toddler come over and awkwardly stare at Ari's phone, watching him taking his pictures. The question though has him looking thoughtful. "No. I mean, they seemed more tragic than anything else to me. They'd get trapped on land by fisherman wanting to take them as brides and stuff. Then they couldn't leave until they could recover their skins and return to the water and their families. That's.. sad. But they themselves didn't strike me as dark. Unless there are other stories that I haven't read. I think the kelpie were a lot more dark. That horse would drown you."

Ari frowns, a sad drawing down of his eyebrows accompanying the expression, and he nods his agreement at Emerson. "Yeah, pretty tragic," he says, and then he turns on his phone, thumbs tapping at the screen.

He sounds out the word "Kel - pie," as he types, his phone on his Notes app, and then he turns the phone screen off and tucks it into his pocket. "I'll look into that one next then. Trying to get inspiration for a project I'm working on. Not sure if an aquatic angle is gonna work for it, but figured I'd come at it from a different angle, see what sticks." He reaches up to adjust his glasses on his nose. "So, are you a visitor at the park, or..." The last syllable rises up a bit in tone as if he might be asking a question, though Ari looks uncertain about it.

"A Kelpie is a water horse, lives in Scottish lochs and things, usually a black horse with reversed hooves, or a horse with two front legs and a fish's tail. It could carry as many people as it needed to onto its back and would usually drag them into the water and drown them and throw their guts onto the shore," Emerson says, quietly, since there's little kids hanging around not too far away and he doesn't want to create any nightmare fuel there.

"What sort of project are you working on?" he asks curiously. Since anything involving selkies and kelpis had to be interesting.

"Oh," he offers a hand and says, "Emerson. I work over at the Château des Ténèbres. Just started."

The story of the kelpie has Ari's mouth drop open. After a beat, he musters a, "Yeah I think that counts as dark fae," which he follows up with an amused chuckle at the situation. "Just a bit."

He reaches into his pocket, not his jeans but the inside of his jacket, to pull out a small notebook. A few pages are flipped through before he finds the most current one, which he shows to Emerson. It features several sketches of strange shapes, primarily featuring seaweed and coral and a few fish and other underwater creatures fused together into what look like plans for... statues, maybe? "I'm working on some new set pieces for a performance at the Amphitheatre," he explains.

And then they're shaking hands, so Ari does that, with a nod. "Ari," the name is pronounced like the word airy. "Welcome to Spellbound then!"

"Very dark fae," Emerson says with a nod of his head. Then he leans over to take a look at the notebook that Ari shows him, studying the sketches in detail with interest. He seems to be trying to puzzle out just what it might be when Ari explains and he brightens saying, "Oh! Very cool. So you do set design stuff over there? I haven't seen the show yet but I've seen some of the advertisements for some of them."

"Thanks, I'm pretty happy to be here. The place I was working shut down since the owners retired and I was a little bit lost in the wind there. Landing here was a lucky break," Emerson says before he gestures toward the drawings. "So you need some dark water fae type creatures for the show?"

"I do!" Ari confirms, enthused. "Sometimes I just help set things up and pull them down for the performances, but new stuff that's in development, I help design everything." A pause, there. "Well, not the props. My sister does that. You should check it out, though! There's a huge variety of shows at the amphitheatre, so you'll definitely find something you'll like."

He nods at the quick backstory of how Emerson came to be here. "That seems to be a running theme, that we needed a lucky break and this place, you know... appeared out of nowhere to give it to us." He bumps a shoulder up and down in a loose shrug. "Y'know. Just saying."

When the topic of conversation returns to his work, Ari purses his lips. "Not... exactly," he manages to admit, after a moment. "I've maybe gone a little off-script. I don't think this is quite in-line with what the performance needs, but it's giving Lovecraftian vibes and I'm here for it." As he closes the notebook, Ari frowns down at it, but thoughtfully.

"I just started exploring," Emerson admits. "So I haven't seen a lot of things yet. But I'm pretty excited to check it all out. And I'll have to look out for the things you've worked on. Oh, you have family here too? That's cool. My family's mostly back in Ann Arbor where my folks have their pub." He nods vaguely in a southeasterly direction.

"I mean, if the indelible forces of the universe want to appear out of nowhere and grant me gainful employment.." Emerson says with his own little shrug. "I'll take it. There sure are worse things."

"I work at the Boo'edwalk," he laughs. "I think maybe the spooky is starting to seep in. Which, don't get me wrong -- I dig the vibe."

Ari nods to the mention of his family. "Yup, there's a whole herd of us working at the Amphitheatre," he explains. "Seven total." Though he's distracted from his own backstory by Emerson's nod, and he looks in that direction for a split second before he grins. "Oh, right. That's near Detroit, isn't it?"

He looks unsure of that, as if his knowledge of Michigan geography isn't super strong.

When Emerson brings up the Boo'edwalk, Ari rocks up on his toes, briefly looking a couple inches taller than he really is. "That's awesome! I love that place, the atmosphere is super cool. Have you been to the Spookeasy yet? They have a séance room!" he says, his whole expression lighting up.

"Seven all working here together? That's cool. Guess fate wasn't a gentle breeze but a full on windstorm there," he says with a smile. "But then I guess bringing a whole team with you has its own benefits. I wonder if someone came in with a whole restaurant staff if they'd just give them a new restaurant to run in the park." It's an idle sort of musing. He has no aspirations of actually running anything of his own. Nodding, he says, "Yeah, west of Detroit."

Emerson shakes his head about the spookeasy and says, "No. I haven't been outside of the restaurant much other than a brief stop into Stirring, just looking around at what they had there. I should go. That's the place you have to kind of poke around to find, right? The entrance is kind of hidden?"

The windstorm thing makes Ari snort. "Yeah, you could say that. Actually, they came first and I followed. Story of my life, really," he says, not unkindly. Well, all except for that last part, that came out a little bit morose. He shakes his head as if to drive the thought away, and then adds, "I know someone who came in with a pitch for a business and they worked with him to create it, so... who knows!"

He tilts his head, "I haven't heard of that. Stirring, you said?" Ari whips out his phone to add that to his Notes, this one a separate list (about places he needs to visit). "But yeah, it's kinda hidden. You gotta follow the trail of spiders into a side alley," he explains.

"Really?" Emerson asks. "Well, that's kind of cool. Not that I have an idea for a business, myself. I'm glad to be where I landed." He picks up a little bit on that moroseness and asks, "Ever thought of just sort of striking out on your own and doing something of your own? I mean, I can see how it would be cool to work with family. I worked with mine at my folks' place for quite a while. We all did. But now I'm here doing my own thing and it's actually pretty nice. Not that I don't miss working with them sometimes, but sometimes it's nice to have something you can call yours?" He then says, "Sorry.. if that's kind of an overstepping.." he backtracks just a little.

"Stirring, yeah. It's a little occult shop that has all kinds of occult knick knacks, candles, teas, and they do tea readings there, too," he says as he watches the information go down into another list. "That's a cool concept," he says, about the spiders. "What do you like about it?"

The advice Emerson gives is received with an open expression, one that turns rueful as it goes on. "Tried that," he admits, after a moment of hesitancy. "Didn't really work out, which is what led me here. But I appreciate the thought. And I'm glad to hear it's working out for you!" That bit is added on at the end, sort of tacked on, and Ari looks embarrassed for it, for making it all about him.

Thankfully there's a topic shift. "The vibe at the Spookeasy is really nice. I'm not much of a social drinker but I like to listen to the live music, and just kind of poke around. The attic in particular is really neat." As he pockets his phone yet again, Ari smiles. "Stirring sounds neat, I'll check it out for sure."

"Oh," Emerson says and it's his turn to seem just a little sheepish. "Sorry, I mean, it's not like it's any of my business. Sorry it didn't work out though. But cool that you ended up here, at least, with the rest of us wind-blown rabble. Maybe it's here that things'll turn around."

But the talk about the Spookeasy has him smiling again. "I'll have a drink every so often but I wouldn't say that I drink very often -- a nice wine with a nice meal if I'm feeling fancy. I do like live music though, and vibes. What's in the attic?" He pauses, "Don't tell me it's ghosts." Because Boo'edwalk.

"I'm happy that I'm here," Ari says, because it feels like the right thing to say to that. And he nods too, to the last thing Emerson says, about things turning around. "Seems so." He's trying not to sound too excited about that. Keep his expectations low.

Then he's cracking a smile. "It's definitely ghosts," is his immediate answer, but then he's saying, "No, no, it's just a cool area. Like, collections of antiques and stuff, cool to poke around in. Plus there's some quieter seating up there too. I've spent some time up there just looking around and kind of chilling, it was fun." Not exactly the party type, apparently, and Ari senses that this is what he's getting across so he just adds on, "I'm not big into like, mingling with big crowds or any of that."

Emerson smiles a little when there does seem to be some hope there. But he doesn't pry further, letting the conversation drift elsewhere. The confirmation of ghosts gets a wry little smile. "Oh good, because I was about to say if there are ghosts maybe I'm not going to go there by myself."

"Collections of neat stuff sounds interesting, though. Where I work has some of that, too, collections of cool things in cabinets and no the walls. There's a lot to look at." He smiles then and shakes his head, "Nothing wrong with that." He himself seems to be wandering alone, after all. "I like small gatherings, myself. Not really big on huge social events."

Ari stops to point out, "There is a séance room, I think I mentioned. So there still could be ghosts, you never know." Which just means he adds, grinning, "We can go together sometime, then!" He subsides a little bit, and throws in a quick, "No presh, though. I'm sure they have a wine list so you can definitely get your drink on there if you want."

As they talk about collections, he narrows his eyes behind his glasses. Briefly Ari looks upwards, like he's trying to remember something, and then he goes "Ah!" He nods. "You said you worked at the Château, right? Well, I'll definitely have to check the place out once I can ever get a reservation!" Honestly Ari has no idea how difficult that might be, but he says, "I mean, if it's got the same spooky vibe I need to see it."

Then Ari mentions the séance room again and Emerson asks, "Do they actually hold séances in the séance room?" Because who knows? It could just be for visual effect. But when Ari offers to go together, he laughs and says, "Will you keep the ghosts from getting me?" But he's pulling his phone out of his hoodie pocket and handing it over to Ari. "Unless you're in the directory or something. Want to give me your number?" Seems like he's in for trying it out, ghosts or not.

He nods when Ari mentions the Château and says, "If you can't, I could probably get you in with me sometime. I'm pretty sure if there's a lull before dinner or late after close..." he trails off, leaving options open. "Definitely the same spooky vibe. I think that's the whole area's vibe. Which is fun."

"I mean, I think so? But I've never seen one myself. Maybe we can catch one while we're there!" Though Ari remembers Emerson's reticence right after, so he continues with, "Or just get a drink together and check out the music, that's cool with me too." Either way, Ari's putting his number into Emerson's phone, which reveals his full name. Yes, he's an Arizona, not just Ari.

As he hands the cell back over, he says, "That would be cool if you can, but only if it's not an imposition. Thank you, though! What do you do there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Maybe," Emerson says, and there's a little less trepidation with the idea of company. He seems a little less reticent if Ari's also going to be there than if he were just alone with the ghosts (and all the other people in the bar, presumably). "Though yeah, definitely getting a drink and listening to the music." But he's willing to consider more than just that, it seems. When he gets his phone back he glances down at the contact and grins, "Oh, cool name." Then he sends a text over with his own full name, just so that Ari has his as well before he slips the phone back into his hoodie.

"I probably can. Just depends on how busy things are and what's going on, but pretty sure as long as I don't make any additional work for anybody else, no one is going to mind," Emerson says after a moment's thought. "The fancy French name is Grillardin, a Chef de Partie.. which basically makes me sound like a grill genie or something. But but basically I am a chef that grills things. Meat, fish, veggies. Anything that needs grilling."

The desire to check his phone after it buzzes in his pocket is too strong for Ari to resist, so he pulls it out, sees the message from Emerson, and double-taps it to Like it. "Thanks. Named after the state I was born in," he explains. And then he follows Emerson's lead by putting his phone back in his pocket as well, hands following the motion so that they're tucked away too.

He makes a wordless noise in his throat at the explanation of Emerson's job. "That does sound fancy," he agrees. "Anything in French does, but especially that. Very cool. I'm just learning how to cook myself, so I can't imagine being responsible for a whole grill all by myself." Ari pauses, looking embarrassed, a blush on his cheeks. "I can barely make pasta," he admits.

"I was born in Michigan," Emerson says, "I think Arizona sounds cooler," with a little laugh. He watches as Ari checks his phone and then puts it away again. People kind of come and go around them, watching the fish in the tank, engaged in their own conversations, none of them seeing too bothered by the two standing there as the fish idly swim by.

"French makes everything sound fancier. I'm learning it a little, but most of the words I know are from the restaurant," he admits. "I had a lot of practice. Before I even went to school for it, I used to work in my parents' Pub in Ann Arbor." He smiles a little at the blush and says, "Nothing wrong with that. It's a skill like anything else. If you want to learn, you can. I'll teach you, if you want to learn some things."

"You could be names Mich! But then you'd have to share your name with my cat, who I'm assuming was born here," Ari says with laughter in his voice. It's a near thing, but he resists the urge to whip out his phone and share cat pics. Instead he turns to look at the tank again, just in time to catch the turtle swimming by, a trail of children following after it.

He gives a little shake of his head. "I took French during high school, even though everyone said I should just take the easy route and go for Spanish. Felt like cheating, though now I don't know anything in French except, uh, bonjour and I think I remember the word for the number nine. Neuf, right?" His accent isn't great, though at least his knowing only two words means it's not too torturous. "And you'd really do that? I mean, I don't need to know much, just how to make basic meals. I've been learning on my own."

"Can I see?" Ari might be resisting the urge to share cat pictures but Emerson seems interested in seeing them none-the-less. "If I were a cat, I suppose I'd be an orange cat. At least they're cute, if not smart." A wry smile follows.

He nods in confirmation and says, "Technically you know a few more than that since a bunch of English words are stolen from French, like pretty much everything ending in 'tion'. Attention! Récitation!" His accent is not perfect, but he's practiced enough that it's not terrible. He doesn't have to read the food names to the guests after all, just make them. "Yeah, sure, why not? It'll be fun and cooking for and with someone is always more fun than just making things for myself."

Say no more! Ari pulls out his phone so fast he nearly chucks his phone straight onto the ground, only managing to snag it from where it half-slipped from his fingers. "Whoops," he says, chagrinned, but then he's got his camera roll open and he only has to flip through a few pics from the aquarium before he's got to one of Mich.

Handing the phone over, it shows a black cat laying on a piece of plywood, the background a garage or shop or something. The cat's long and lanky, with just a flash of pink as it sticks its tongue out in mid-groom of one paw.

While Emerson browses, Ari nods. "Makes sense, English is a mishmash of loan words." He looks enthused when Emerson actually seems interested in cooking with him, so adds, "Let's do it, then! Do you bake any, by the way? I haven't even tried that yet. Seems more science-y than cooking is."

Emerson winces just a little when the phone thumps on the floor but it seems to have survived the fall and soon there are cat pictures. He takes the phone wen presented it and takes a look at Mich, sprawled out on the plywood. "Cute! Love black cats." He takes a few moments to peruse any other cat pics that might be forthcoming before handing it back to Ari. "I don't have any pets, but I really like other people's."

"I can bake," he says, "I didn't really train professionally in it, but I can manage a recipe and improvise a little without making a hockey puck."

Oh, his photo roll is nearly full of Mich pics. Ari leans in to swipe a few times, only taking his phone back when the next one is a selfie of him mugging for the camera with a silly look on his face. "Whoops," he says, not sounding particularly embarrassed for Emerson having seen that. He keeps his phone in his hand this time, hanging by his side as they continue talking.

"Cool. I just wanna make garlic bread, to go with the pasta." He purses his lips together. "I'm kinda low-key obsessed with it, it's my favorite. Pasta, I mean. But I'm open to trying other things. My diet will probably thank me for it," he adds, laughing.

Emerson seems more than happy to look at as many cat pictures as Ari is willing to show him, pointing out the ones that he finds particularly cute. Then he grins at the silly selfie, too. "Cute," he chuckles.

"Oh, garlic bread is pretty easy. You don't even have to bake the bread. You just get a good loaf nd make a garlic butter mixture with some herbs to give it that buttery, salty, garlic flavor and bake it. I could eat my body weight in garlic bread." Grinning, he says, "Well I can teach you to make a few other simple things for variety, and some things you can use to top your pasta with different stuff."

"Thanks. He's my stinky little baby," Ari says, of his cat, with a sigh. He loves that little brat.

As for the rest, well, Ari's chest puffs out a bit. "I know how to do that! I've made garlic bread that way before, it's really good. But, I dunno, just once I want to make, like, everything on the table, y'know? That's what family meals were like back home and I wanna do that too, for my sibs. That's the goal." He nods to the pasta toppings mention, adding, "I'm doing chicken piccata this weekend. With linguine. Super hopeful it turns out okay, I have the whole recipe annotated already."

"Well, I can definitely teach you how to make a simple italian bread loaf. That's definitely within my capabilities. If you want real fancy little pastry curls and stuffed puff things that are lighter than air... we'll need to enlist some help," Emerson. "But I can bake some bread, make cupcakes, cakes, muffins.." Things that are not particularly complex or fancy, as far as baking goes.

"Chicken piccata sounds good," Emerson says, "And yeah, I can understand that. I liked cooking for my family back home. We all kind of chipped in for family meals. The kitchen got chaotic." Probably where he got used to operating in the chaos of a kitchen.

Ari is quick to assure that he wants, "Nothing fancy, no. Don't worry about it." But a bread loaf? Yeah, that sounds good, and he nods. "Maybe cakes," he admits, too. That's more a want than a need, though... all of this is a want, not a need. So he just smiles, only cringing a little bit for having asked.

"Family meals once a week fall squarely on my shoulders. I think that's my payment for people helping me get settled, moved in and all. But I don't mind it. Just want to be able to make things that they really enjoy, y'know?" He looks once more to the water before his eyes start to wander. "Do you want to walk around any, or were you watching this tank in particular?"

Emerson, on the other hand, doesn't seem to think anything of it -- the asking, or the offering. "Cakes, I can do." His smile is warm and reassuring. "Which in turn includes cupcakes which are just cake babies."

It's only when Ari mentions moving that he really seems to realize just how long he's been lingering in front of the tank and he smiles, "Yeah, let's walk." He then turns, drifting around the side of the tank toward some of the smaller adjacent tanks. As they walk he says, "I get that, wanting to make something that you're proud to share with them, that they'll like. Do you have like, a list of things that they really like? Maybe we could look over some of those recipes and pick one to start with."

"Cakes and cake babies, then," Ari amends. Phone and hands go back into pockets now, and as they begin their stroll around the marine center, his eyes lift to the glass tanks. The darting by of fish and other creatures is reflected on his glasses as he walks, not in any particular rush and more than happy to follow Emerson's lead.

He's silent for a moment or two after the question, really giving it some thought judging by the furrow of his forehead. "It's hard to say. They all like different things... we're very different people. But simple stuff, you know, that'll go over well with everyone." He pauses, then blurts out, "I'm trying really hard not to hyperfocus on pasta here. Maybe, uhh, a stew or soup or something like that?"

The brightly colored coral fish in the next tank dart about, magnified by the curve of the tank's surface, making them seem larger than they actually are but also putting their brilliant colors on display. Emerson takes some time to look at them and even takes out his camera to shoot a little video of them swimming around before it gets tucked back into his hoodie. "We can do a stew and a soup, too," he says. "There's nothing wrong with pasta and a lot you can do with pasta." Then he adds, "But if you do want to break away from pasta a bit, I can bring some recipes and we can work on those, too."

They walk, and Ari mostly watches, letting Emerson do the fish photography this time around. He seems content to do just that, simple observation and nothing more.

For some reason Ari starts looking guilty, as they continue to talk about food. "Actually... well. I'm only allowed to make pasta once a month because they're... kinda sick of it. Maybe I can whip out some of my dad's recipes, though, and we could work through them together? He always wanted to teach me but it's just, never happened."

There's a little sidelong smile when Ari admits that his siblings are a little sick of pasta. But the mention of his father's recipes catches Emerson's attention and he nods quickly. "Yes, absolutely! Let's do that. I can help you learn how to make them." He definitely seems game for that. The chance to help out with a missed opportunity.

Emerson doesn't really take many pictures. Just a couple, perhaps some of his favorite things. He lingers for a while with the sea horses and takes a few pictures of them before just watching them make their awkward way around the plants that they hide in.

"Then maybe we can start with his pozole, since we were already talking about soups?" Ari suggests. "I'll have to call him to get some other recipes." He chews on his lower lip as he contemplates that, but it doesn't seem to cause him too much strife.

Nor does waiting for Emerson to take his pictures. Nothing in this side tank seems to fit with that dark fae theme that Ari was angling for earlier, so he just takes them in with his eyes, no photography sessions this time around. He's quiet, but not in an awkward way, at least not coming from his end; more than once he ends up deeply entrenched in reading one of the signs about the species in the tanks. Ari is definitely the type to read all the plaques at museums.

Emerson seems to alternate between reading thoroughly whatever happens to catch his eye and interest him, and completely ignoring some of the plaques without reading them at all. There's no real rhyme or reason to it; just whatever manages to catch and hold his attention. On past the seahorses, it's around to the other side for the fresh water Lake Michigan and surrounding ecosystem exhibit, taking them on a loop of this big main room. "Okay," he says when Ari mentions the pozole and nods his approval. "We'll start with that, then. Can you send me a copy of the recipe? That way I can make sure we have everything we need when we go to make it." But for the most part he is very content to wander around in companionable silence broken by conversation. It doesn't seem awkward for him at all.

The octopi and squid interest Ari the most, of the underwater creatures they pass by. He does actually take his phone out for those, though only for a few quick pics, making sure his flash is off. And then they're onto the next section, letting Emerson lead the way once more.

"So these guys are out in the water surrounding us right now, huh," Ari muses. Then he nods, to the request. "Sure, I'll send it when I get back home, just have to find it!"

Emerson lingers by the octopus in particular, studying it thoughtfully. "Can you imagine having nine brains all operating different parts of your body at once? What must they all be thinking? Do half the arms wish the other ones would stop fiddling around with that shell and help them move somewhere?" It's an idle sort of musing. "Also, I can't imagine eating something that seems like it might be smarter than me."

But then they are moving on toward the Lake Michigan exhibit and he crouches down a little to look into the tank to look at some of the fish swimming along the bottom. "A shocking lack of piranhas," he tells Ari with a grin.

"Half the time I'm not sure I have one brain operating half of my body," is Ari's reply to that, grinning as he says it. "So, no to calamari then?" he asks, and someone walking past side-eyes him for that, but Ari only shrugs his shoulders. It's a valid question!

He bends over to look at the tank next to Emerson, but only for a moment. As if confirming the lack of piranhas. "Do they even have piranhas here at all? I kinda want them not to. It'd just reinforce my point, honestly." Aware now that people may or may not be eavesdropping on him, he quiets his voice to a whisper to ask, "So, do we eat any of these fish?"

"Calamari is squid," Emerson says glancing over at the squid tank. "I'll eat a squid." Apparently calamari is on the menu!

"I didn't see any," Emerson says, which doesn't mean that there aren't any, but if there were he didn't notice. Nodding back to the display he says, "Salmon, Trout, Walleye, Perch.. you could eat any of them, though because of potential chemicals in the fish, it's not recommended to eat a lot of it. Maybe a serving once a month out of the lake." He straightens then, once more, hands slipping into his pockets. "It's not really a big deal if you're not eating it a lot."

"Oh," Ari says, stretching out the sound of the word. "Right, squid, okay." He pauses. "Never had it, to be honest." He makes a mental note of the difference, then moves on.

His nose wrinkles and he grimaces a little bit at the mention of chemicals. "Gotcha," he replies, looking critically at the fish swimming around in the tank. "Well, now I know. Not that I was planning on going fishing or anything, not really my thing. I'm, uh, not really outdoorsy at all." He turns to Emerson. "How about you? I can make a sportsball joke here to really sell my lack of athleticism, if you want."

"I like being outside, but swimming was my primary sport. I was on the swim team. And I like to go horseback riding, and sailing," Emerson says of his outdoor activities. "But not really fishing. And I don't play much sportsball. I can, but I tend to spend more time in the garden when I'm outside than anything else lately. I like that Deer Hollow has a community garden. I've been enjoying spending some time in it," Emerson says as they continue along, walking the length of the tank before gradually heading off to one of the side exhibits. This time, it's the manatee exhibit. "What about you? What non-sportsball things do you like doing when you're not working?"

Nodding along, Ari doesn't seem surprised to hear that Emerson is, in fact, a fan of outdoorsy stuff. It's because Ari knows he himself is a bit of an outlier. So he's prepared for this. "Well, I game a lot. Video games, board games, that sort of thing. Plus I enjoy sketching and painting for myself, when I'm not doing it for work."

He looks up at the signage for the next exhibit, then follows after Emerson, having lagged a little bit behind. "My favorite thing is doing escape rooms, though. I haven't had the chance to do any since I've come here."

"I like video games and board games," Emerson says as they wander toward the Manatee exhibit. "I don't really have any artistic talent at all," he admits a little embarrassedly. "I'm kind of a stick figure sort of guy. But I like other people's arts, and art museums, and watching people make art." He wanders around a group of people and over toward the far side of the exhibit where they can look down a bit and watch the manatees swimming in their pool.

"I love those things," Emerson says, of escape rooms. "I've done a few and they are always a blast. Sometimes I'm real good at the puzzles and sometimes, nope, just can't see it." He leans against the railing and looks out over the manatee pool. "I would definitely be down to do more of those."

"Awesome! We should hang out some time and do one, if there are any local. That would be great." Ari steps up to the railing too, looking down into the pool. One of the manatees floats by, looking more like a grey lump in the water than an animal, and Ari grins down at it.

He rests his elbow on the railing and bends over it a little, chin in his palm. "My friend and I were thinking of starting up an art night, if you'd ever want to come chill for that, too."

Emerson watches the peaceful creatures drifting by for a little bit. "Yeah," he says, nodding to Ari. "I'd like that."

He says, "Hello sea potato," to the manatee as it drifts below them. Then he says, "An art night? Like to make art? I'd come." Even if he just said he had no talent in making art at all. That doesn't seem like it's going to stop him.

It's a little bit longer that the two wander through the aquarium until they've seen the sights. Once they arrive back in the room of the main tank, Emerson comes to a stop and says, "This was really cool. I'm glad that we met. And I'll give you a text soon so that we can go and get that drink."

Ari nods. "Yeah, exactly. But like, with snacks and drinks." He ends up snapping a couple of pics of the manatees smooshing against the glass a little bit later, and then they're on the move, to finish up their tour.

Back at the entrance, Ari shifts his weight from one foot to the next, and then he smiles over at Emerson. "Yeah, me too! This was great, much better than just wandering around on my own. Thanks for the company."

With that, he makes for the exit, only to turn back halfway there to wave. And then Ari tucks his hands into his pockets and heads out.