It was Zoe’s day off and she was spending it doing some research. Though, Zoe felt the need to get out of her apartment and get some fresh air. So she grabbed a book on canine communication and made her way down the street to a nearby coffee shop. She still hadn’t been able to figure out how she was able to understand Jay when he was in shift, but he couldn’t understand other dogs.

Stepping into the shop, Zoe ordered a hot chocolate, then found herself an empty table near the window. Jacket on the back of her chair, Zoe sat there sipping her drink in her tshirt and jeans staring out the window rather than cracking the book open again.

She had been spending so much time while not at work reading lately, it was like she was back in school. And, while she was still very curious about it, Zoe just couldn’t seem to open the book then. Maybe she just needed a break, Zoe thought taking another sip of her drink as she people watched out the window.

“’scuse me,” a voice touched by a southern drawl interjected Zoe’s revelry. “Would ya mind if I joined ya uh, I mean miss?”

New York City wasn’t abundant with space and strangers might join you at a table at their whim, but not the gentleman who approached. No, he was raised ri-ight but his mother and whooped when his daddy heard anything cross of the young man! You asked a lady if you could join her and if not, you apologized and scooted off.

The gentleman was probably 6’4”, dressed in a worn if clean pair of jeans and a brown jacket with some sort of cat emblazoned across one side in black. The zipper was halfway down, exposing the simple white t-shirt he wore beneath. He smiled and bowed his head slightly as he questioned the young blond. A rolled up newspaper – the want ads but the look of them – was in one hand and presumably a coffee was in the other.

“I’d much prefer to read by the daylight but that breeze is stiff today,” he chuckled. Honestly, it was. The worst part of New York City was that it actually had cold winters, but opportunity was opportunity. And really, New York City was as fun as it was diverse. Who could pass up a chance to talk to such a pretty blonde either?

Zoe was started out of her people watching when she heard a voice coming from beside her table. Looking up, she saw a man standing there, asking if he could sit. A quick glance around the coffee shop showed that it had filled up even more since she had arrived, and there really wasn’t anywhere else to sit.

”No, go ahead,” Zoe said as she turned her eyes back to the man standing there. He was tall, holding a coffee and newspaper as he stood there. He seemed to be dressed just as casually as she was, dressed for a day off. Or, Zoe realized with a glance at the newspaper he was holding, for searching for a job.

”Yeah, in the winter, this is generally the best you can get,” Zoe replied about the lighting. ”It tends to be too cold in the winter to sit outside reading. I’m Zoe, by the way.”

“Thanks,” he replied, setting down paper and coffee before pulling out the chair to take a seat. He half-frowned, half-smiled as she remarked on the winter. “Yeah, y’all walk a lot despite the cold,” he shook, shivering in jest. “I’ll get used to it.”

His eyes widened, brightening as she offered her name. “Jonas,” he grinned as held eye contact a moment. “Y’all are friendlier here than I ‘as warned or maybe that’s just you.” He chuckled before taking his attention away and flipping the newspaper over and unrolling it. One hand hefted the coffee to his lips as he sipped and glanced up and down the ads.

The age of the internet might have come and gone, given way to the mobile age, but still many took to the paper especially for the more menial, hands-on jobs. Easy, quick, barely traceable, and hopefully under the table the work. Setting up a side job here and there would be important for a few of his aliases.

The man sat down at her table, and commented about how New Yorkers walked a lot, even in the winter. Zoe shrugged. ”Traffic is already crazy enough without everyone driving,” she explained. ”Plus, most things you’d need are within walking distance almost no matter where you are, so why add to traffic?”

Zoe smiled across the table when the man introduced himself as Jonas. ”Nice to meet you,” she said, her voice friendly. Then she laughed slightly. ”Oh, don’t worry. There’s plenty more of those kind of people around the city. I’m sure it won’t take long for you to run across them.”

As Jonas turned his eyes down to the newspaper he had brought in with him, Zoe turned her eyes to her own book. She really should be reading, she thought as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. Pulling the book closer to her, Zoe opened it and looked down at the words. And then simply sat there staring blankly at the page in front of her.

After a couple of minutes without really making sense of a single word, Zoe closed the book with a soft sigh and turned her eyes back out the window again, watching the people walk by.

>> ”Traffic is already crazy enough without everyone driving,”

Jonas chuckled, nodded, and grinned broadly.

>> ”Plus, most things you’d need are within walking distance almost no matter where you are, so why add to traffic?”

“It’s so cold,” he chuckled again, “But I git ya. Maybe call an Uber or a Lyft or whatev. Yet here I am, walking around.” They made a friendly acquaintance after that and Zoe encouraged him that he’d meet plenty of the other sort here in New York soon enough. Yeah, maybe he would, though he never quite feared meeting someone he couldn’t get to smile…

Into his newspaper he went while the warm joy of mocha filled him. There were a lot of odd job postings to be had. Zoe turned quieter too, reading briefly before turning her attention outside.

Jonas didn’t let that go on long before speaking up, “Everything okay? You waitin’ for company? I can git another seat…”

Zoe shrugged slightly when Jonas suggested getting an Uber or a Lyft or something rather than walking. ”That is an idea,” Zoe agreed, then shrugged again. ”Half the time I’m heading into the Park, so those won’t help anyway. But you get used to it.”

A few minutes later, Zoe was a little startled when Jonas asked if she was waiting for someone. ”No, I’m not waiting for anyone,” Zoe replied with a shake of her head. ”I think I’ve overdone the research lately, because I’m having trouble focusing. I thought a change of scenery would help, but apparently not.”

Zoe clarified she wasn’t waiting for anyone. He hadn’t expected she was, but it was always served well to lead with that. His grin softened to a smile as he nodded his head slightly at the mention of research. The idea of reading research information at a coffee house sounded irregular to him, not that he did research of any kind other than when he was looking into a person or job.

His eyes scanned her book, “Yeah. Canine communication? I assume you’d rather be out there readin’.” A nod gestured out the wood. “The Park ya said, ya? I haven’t had a chance yet really, maybe a stroll through. I ‘magine if I have the time I’ll be joining y’all out there this spring.”

Jonas looked again to the book. “That looks more academic than pleasure. Are you a biologist or a vet?”

Zoe shook her head when Jonas asked if she'd rather be outside reading. ”Too many distractions out there,” Zoe said. ”I mean, it'd be great to read under a tree on a warm day, but with this,” Zoe tapped the cover of her book. ”But I have too much trouble concentrating when I'm outside.”

As Jonas mentioned heading out to the park in the spring for a stroll, Zoe nodded. ”It is rather pretty in the spring out there,” she told him. ”As everything starts growing and blooming. It’s great after the winter starkness.”

And then the question about the book, about how detailed it was. Zoe nodded. ”I’m a biologist,” she told him. ”I work at the zoo as a trainer, hence why I’m in the park every day, heading to work. But I’ve realized lately just how little I really know about dogs and other canines, so I’m trying to fix that.”

As far as ‘Jonas’ was concerned there was only one distraction: Zoe. But Ved knew there were distractions everywhere. It was New York City after all. New clubs, restaurants, bars, karaoke, shops, businesses, and all sorts of art projects opening every day. It was intensely exciting!

But darn, she worked for the zoo. Well there was still a chance she was a biological researcher studying animal behavior or something. There was a chance. Besides, it might be nice to have a friendly face at the zoo. The Haven organization’s headquarters were practically across the street and Ved aimed to get himself an invitation. High ups and normal borns all mixed together in a hot night club? Yeah, sounded fun. Of course there was always the possibility he might develop an ability to influence animals too one day. Maybe?

“Trainer eh?” Jonas smiled and nodded. “That’s pretty fun. I ‘aven’t been but I plan to, ya bet,” he nodded again. “The zoo has wolves?” he gestured to the book. “I can’t imagine they’d be ‘appy in New York City.”

Zoe nodded when Jonas repeated her job. ”Yeah, a trainer,” Zoe repeated. ”Pretty much it’s just a fancy way of saying I take care of animals. Not as exciting as if I were working with the wolves, I’m sure, but the zebras have their own interesting personalities. I do love my job, though.”

He didn’t think that the wolves would be happy in New York. Zoe shrugged slightly. ”Well, obviously it’d be better if they had much more room to roam,” she told Jonas. ”But if I’m not mistaken, all of our wolves were born in captivity, so it’s not like they would likely do well out in the wild.

“But you should check out the zoo at some point,” Zoe continued. ”You may not see as many active animals during the winter, but it’s still interesting even now.”

Jonas grinned, chuckling a bit more at the affirmation of her job as he took on an apologetic look. Zebras definitely weren’t as cool as wolves, but likely safer. He gave another nod as she noted her love for the job.

He listened with rapt curiosity – though honestly only half-interest – as she spoke of the wolves likely wanting more land to roam. They weren’t naturally born and apparently that made it so they wouldn’t survive in the wild. No kill mentality maybe? Unable to hunt? There was truly nothing like being raised in dangerous, high risk conditions, learning to fight and get what you need as you go. Maybe Ved never struggled to get food, but to get more than survival’s basic had taken time. To get what he wanted? Longer.

>> ”You may not see as many active animals during the winter, but it’s still interesting even now.”

“Well alright,” Jonas said with an upbeat tone. He stood, tucking the newspaper in a back pocket. “Let’s go then.”

Jonas seemed rather interested in what she was saying about the wolves, and what little she had said about her zebras. Not that they were really hers, she just thought of them that way because she had worked with them for so long at this point.

And then when she said that the zoo was still interesting in the winter, Jonas immediately stood up. Zoe blinked. He wanted to go, right then, with her? That was certainly unexpected. But he seemed to be excited about the idea, and after walking through the zoo with Jay, Zoe had realized that she’d been missing out by not actually seeing the rest of the place.

Plus, it wasn’t like he was asking her to his place or anything. The zoo was somewhere she knew very well, and was very public.

”You really want to go right now? With me?” Zoe asked, a small, amused smile on her face. After a moment, Zoe grabbed her book, sticking it in her bag before standing and putting her coat on. ”Sure. I mean, it’s not like I’ve been very productive on my own.”

>> ”You really want to go right now? With me?”

“Ya,” Jonas nodded eagerly. “Let’s git out of ‘ere. Why look outside when we can go.” He grinned right back at her as he zipped up his jacket. Getting out to explore would be fun if nothing else.

>> ”Sure. I mean, it’s not like I’ve been very productive on my own.”

“That’s the spirit. I caint imagine a better guide to the zoo then someone who work’s there,” he said cheerfully, pushing his chair in and hefting his coffee. He moved to the door and pushed it open for Zoe to head out. “A walk might ‘elp jog the mind, kick up yer energy.”

Jonas shivered playfully as he stepped outside. “And keep me warm.”

Jonas seemed really interested in going to the zoo with her right then and there. With her. Zoe’s smile grew a bit as she zipped her coat up. Then she grabbed her bag and what was left of her coffee before following Jonas to the door outside.

”You may be disappointed,” Zoe warned Jonas as he held the door open for her to walk through and head outside. ”I generally stay pretty close to the zebra enclosure, so I’m not sure how great of a guide I will be. But I’ll do my best.”

As she finished speaking, Zoe looked over at Jonas just in time to see him shiver, and she laughed slightly. ”You do realize that the majority of the zoo is outside, right?” She asked, slightly teasing. ”If you’re that cold now, I don’t know how you’ll manage at the zoo.”