Sera grinned as she stepped through the entryway to the zoo, looking around. There were no animals directly in sight, since the otters were sleeping somewhere, but she knew they'd get to see a lot of other animals. She and her best friend had won special tickets, allowing them a whole year to come to the zoo. Not only that, but the tickets included a list of occasions they could come to; fundraisers, sleepovers, special night-time tours, the works. And that was what they were gathering for, a night tour. It wasn't dark yet, but it would be soon.

"Come on, let's go!" Sera bounded off into the park, her brown-red hair caught in a ponytail trailing down her back. She didn't look back to make sure her friend was following; she knew she was. Just not quite as quickly, as usual.

"Sera!" Rose tossed her long, dark braid back over her shoulder and ran after her friend. "Darn it, Sera, slow down!" She was excited too, but honestly, it wasn't like she was a track star or anything. The free year's-passes to the zoo had been a wonderful thing, and they'd already gone on three day-trips, but a night-tour was something else entirely. It was already dusk, so it was going to start soon. Finally, she caught up to her friend. "Sera, really, you know I'm not as good at running as you are."

"It's not my fault!" Sera pouted a little. "I'm excited! I can't help it!" She moved over next to Rose, looking around. They were supposed to meet with a tour guide, who was going to take them back behind the scenes and around the park, and they'd talk to various trainers on the way. At least, that's what it had sounded like. She was definitely looking forward to this.

"And how much caffiene have you had since noon?" Rose asked teasingly. She pulled her jacket around herself a bit tighter as a cool breeze blew. She liked the cold well enough, but just standing around in it wasn't fun. The breeze made her earrings wave a bit, but she ignored them. "Honestly, Sera, you'd be bouncing off the walls without me here to hold you down."

Sera stuck her tongue out at her. "Yea, sure. Come on, we're about to go. Maybe you'll see some cute keeper." She waggled her eyebrows at Rose playfully.

Rose blushed slightly and gave her friend a playful shove.

"Hush, you," she said. "That's your idea, not mine." Not that she would complain, of course. She was a living, warm-blooded female. Attractive men was a wonderful thought.

Sera laughed a little and shook her head, walking behind the rest of the group. She wasn't a huge people person, but she did enjoy getting out. She went through the first few exhibits until they got to their first big cat cage.

Damien looked out at the group, his gray eyes focusing on the two women in the back before he started telling them all about the black panther behind him. The animal paced its cage, knowing it was going to get a treat.

Rose edged her way to the front of the group to get a better view of the panther. It was a beautiful animal... She listened as the handler spoke, but her eyes stayed mostly on the cat. Every so often, though, she glanced at the handler. He wasn't so bad-looking himself... She mentally waved that thought away.

Damien noticed Rose's interest and couldn't help but smile a little. "This panther is very special. I hand-raised him as a cub, when his mother died." He moved back a bit to poke his fingers through the cage. The panther rubbed against them, purring.

Sera noticed Rose moving up to the front of the group and grinned, sticking back. She could see the panter very well from there, and she thought Rose should get a good view of the handler.

"He's beautiful," Rose murmured. She had always been very much a cat person, rather than a dog person, so it was only natural that she was drawn to the big cats as well. It was getting darker, and the panther's eyes glinted in the dying light, and somehow, so did the handler's.

Damien finished his presentation and shooed them all along to the next exhibit. He noticed that Rose lingered a little bit and moved over to her with a charming smile. "Would you like to meet him?" he asked, his voice a little lower than it had been before. "You seem to like him." He liked people who liked cats. Besides, she seemed shy, which was always fun.

Sera grinned and followed the group more slowly to their next area.

Rose jumped a little and blushed when she realized that she'd been caught.

"He's a beautiful cat," she said softly. She blinked and looked at him, surprised, when he offered to let her meet the panther. "You would... let me?" she asked. "Is it safe?"

Damien smiled. "I'll make sure you're safe. Come on. Don't worry." Damien led Rose up to the cage and held out his hand so the panther would come sniff. "Just put your hand up to the cage like this."

Rose did so, putting her hand up against the metal of the cage. Up close, the panther was much bigger than he seemed from afar, and she was very aware that he was a dangerous animal.

"Don't be scared," Damien murmured, urging the cat closer. "He won't hurt you. He can't get to you."

Sera glanced back at the panther exhibit. They were about to go in to the vet's office to see how it all worked back there. She shrugged. She'd just have to fill Rose in later.

"I tend to have a very deep respect for something with paws the size of my face," Rose replied tartly before she could stop herself. She blushed a bit when she realized how she'd replied. People tended not to realize that she had a bit of steel in her backbone. She was usually a bit shyer around people she didn't know.

Taylor looked over the group that came into the room, taking a quick head count. Was he supposed to have eleven or twelve...? He couldn't remember, but he was in the general ballpark, so any stragglers would probably filter in in a few moments, so he began his part of the tour. As he explained his job, he couldn't help but keep noticing the redhead in the back of the group, though he had no idea what was so fascinating about her.

Damien chuckled. "Well, well." The panther came forward, sniffing their hands and pushing his nose through the cage bars. "I think he likes you."

Sera watched the presentation with interest, looking around. She loved this part. She was interested in the vet things, and she enjoyed learning about them. She moved closer to the front of the group to get a better look.

"Does he really?" Rose asked. "Or are you just saying that?"

Taylor noticed the redhead moving to the front of the crowd, and flashed her a quick smile. He still didn't know how she was able to catch his attention so completely, but she was, and he wasn't complaning. She was really easy on the eyes, after all.

"No, look. He keeps sniffing you." The panther was indeed sniffing her hand, pushing his nose against her palm. The panther made a chuffing sound, and Damien let out a quiet, surprised laugh.

Sera blinked and smiled a little, watching the vet more closely. He wasn't exactly hard to watch, or listen to. Maybe if she was lucky she could ask him some more questions afterwards.

"That's a good thing, I'm assuming," Rose replied. She was a bit feistier than first impressions would suggest, but she also wasn't in the middle of a crowd. She was much more comfortable with fewer people around.

Taylor finished his part of the tour and ushered the group out of the room, onto the next tour guide. He was a bit surprised when the redhead lingered near the end of the group.

"Yes it is," Damien said. "Unless you were handling raw meat in the past hour or so and didn't wash your hands. Then he might just want to lick the juices off." He grinned.

"I was wondering if I could ask a few questions," Sera said after a few moments. "I work at a vet's office, so."

"Fortunately for my hands, I wasn't," Rose replied. She sighed slightly. "He really is a beautiful creature."

"Well, far be it from me to discourage a future member of my chosen profession," Taylor replied smoothly. He grinned at her. "Ask away."

Damien laughed quietly. "Maybe I can pull a few strings and you can get a little better acquainted." He glanced at Rose, raising his eyebrows.

"How do you get the big cats in here? I mean, do you have a little golf cart or something, or do you have a group of people to carry them over?" Sera moved over into the room, looking at the table.

"That would be both amazing and terrifying," Rose replied honestly. The little voice in the back of her mind was already going 'big kitty~' and she quickly shut it up.

"Damien usually takes care of anything like that," Taylor replied. "He's good with them, and he can usually get them in here without too much fuss. If he can't... Well, chances are, the feline in question has already been sedated, and we usually have a few of the other handlers bring it in." It was an honest enough answer without going into classified specifics.

Damien chuckled. "Well, perhaps we'll take it a little more slowly so you won't be so terrified." The big cat sniffed their hands one last time before he let out another chuffing noise, and Damien went over to a cooler in the back, fishing out a steak. "Here you go, you lug." He tossed the steak into the cage.

Sera nodded. "That makes sense. Do you have a quarantine section? Can I see it?" She looked over at him, eager.