Sebastian Redgrave
[Day]
Face habitually propped into a contented expression, Sebastian Redgrave sat on a bench across the path from the lemur cage. He enjoyed watching the little primates leap and climb, stopping at nothing to get where they wanted to go, even if that was a nook in the ceiling. Their energy never ceased to amaze him. He didn't mind the people standing right by the glass, blocking his view of the cage floor. A couple of small children had managed to get one lemur's attention, pointing and waving as if the lemur would do what they wanted. He took pleasure in seeing their young, fascinated faces as they excitedly ran back to their mom. Maybe these children would become scientists one day, perhaps even animal biologists, sharing his love of animals.
His bottom was starting to hurt from how long he had been sitting on the hard wooden bench. He got up to stretch his legs and go observe another exhibit. Everything seemed so normal, as it had seemed ever since he was a child. But the rumours persisted, occasionally cropping up in the depths of newspapers or by word of mouth, threatening to damage the zoo's reputation as a child-friendly educational attraction. Personification and communication were among the least ridiculous. Magic? Transformations? He was a scientist, possessing a rational mind and not a superstitious one. He had to see it, maybe even run experiments on it, to believe it.
He found himself looking at the grizzly bears. A brawl seemed to be taking place in their shallow pond, with two bears trying to push each other out and even pushing each other and knocking each other over. He overheard a young boy standing in front of him asking, "Why are they fighting?" Sebastian responded, rapidly converting his biological thinking into layman language. "They're not really fighting, they're just trying to see who's stronger. The stronger one will be able to get what he wants and the weaker one won't." The boy turned around to look up at him, and he smiled. "I'm Bass. I work here. I guess you could say I run the place." The boy grinned. "Aw, cool! So like, do you know everything about animals?" Bass chuckled. "I don't know everything, but I know quite a bit." The boy's interest turned back to the battling bears. Sebastian's did, too. He briefly wondered if there might be some fantastical reason behind the bear's seemingly instinctive, ecologically sensible behaviour. He internally shook his head. He couldn't think of one here.