Where can you see tigers? ONLY IN KENYA.

[sarkraticmethod]

....And, apparently, in Chicago. At this moment, there is a white tiger meandering around the wilder parts of Grant Park, looking about as mellow as tigers go. Sark is mostly just happy that if he has to be an animal, at least it's an animal that is good in cold conditions (not that it's as cold right now as it has been, but that's not entirely the

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[callinallfreaks]

Huck is a wolf, because being a wolf is much warmer than being a human. Granted, she's a wolf in a shiny gunmetal grey jacket, and might look a little ridiculous (and might be slightly warm), but hell if she was losing that jacket. She's already dubious about entrusting her awesome new boots to the bartender at the Conrad's bar, with a note telling him to leave them in Gladys's room. She's assuming Gladys goes to that bar enough that the bartender will eventually figure it out. That or she'll be back later for them

[sarkraticmethod]

Sark hasn't entirely acclimated to this whole 'bein' a tiger' thing and all the senses that come with it, although the tiger brain takes care of most of that- the problem is, he doesn't pay enough attention to it, because like hell if he's going to sacrifice his human brain to the animal side. It's hard enough keeping control of himself when he's a ferret. He's not going to slip just because he doesn't have to work as hard as a tiger.

That being said, there's definitely an odd smell in the air that makes his ears roll back and causes him to sneeze. He paws at his nose as if that'll help to shake the smell and the growing apprehension.

Yes, the tiger!Sark is unaccustomed to the actual scent of a potential threat, but he knows if there's a threat in the area, he has to be on guard, which is what he is... Tootally on-guard. Big, dorky paws and all.

[callinallfreaks]

Okay, that was way too awkward to be an actual tiger, so the human half of Huck relaxes a bit. It's a little difficult to get her hackles to go down, but she manages to not look quite so threatening as she picks her way out of the trees closer to Sark.

...Not that it's hard to look nonthreatening when you're a wolf wearing a giant puffy jacket. Whatever. She'd be worried about indignity if the jacket wasn't so awesomely warm when she was human.

She's just going to stand over here, in this jacket, looking very regal at you, Sark. Because you have to look doubly regal when you're a wolf in a jacket.

[sarkraticmethod]

Okay, there's a wolf. In a puffy jacket. Staring at him. Suddenly, Sark feels like an absolute dork, which somehow translates to the most wounded pride expression that a tiger can manage, and given that cats are proud creatures, it... Translates rather well.

He sits down in the snow and tries to look even more regal than the wolf, because, dammit, he is not going to look like he has absolutely nothing resembling control or understanding of his shapeshifting in front of what he assumes is another shapeshifter.

Shapeshifting pride party is a go, now.

[thecellsiam]

Aubrey's coming in from hangin' out with the Skid, which is where xe's been when xe's not in xes room lately, when xe sees Piper. Flailing Piper. Being generally cute.

So Piper's view of the sky may be interrupted by a Aubreyfaaaace. A smiling Aubreyface, though, which is slightly less unsettling -- or more, but less if you know Aubrey. "Did you lose a battle against the ice, or are you practicing to be a turtle?" xe asks, offering her a hand.

[savesomelight]

Piper flails her arms a bit, but she's smiling. "Possibly both? Which one makes me look less ridiculous.. No, wait, don't answer that. I know I look ridiculous. Did you know demon body temperature makes it very difficult to be out in the cold? Which kinda bites, because I like snow! I like snow a lot! But all I want to do now is bury myself in the ground and hibernate like a snake."

She stops flailing for a bit and pouts. "Can you give me a hand?" She holds one pathetic and gloved hand out to xem.

[thecellsiam]

"Cold-blooded sucks," Aubrey replies, though it's very obvious xe's not, given the whole 'being outside in a sweatshirt' thing xe's doing right now. The idiot. "Though hibernating through all this wouldn't be all that bad, really -- I mean, you miss the shortest day of the year, but where's the fun in the shortest day of the year anyway?"

Xe grabs her hand, pulling her up as best xe can without falling xemself. There's a tenuous moment where the tiny bit of traction xes workboots afforded xem slips a bit, but xe manages to stay upright.

[savesomelight]

Piper breathes a sigh of relief as soon as she's up and grabs a hole of xes shoulder, possibly to both keep herself upright and xem. She brushes snow off of herself with her free hand as best as she can. "Thanks."

She considers xes question, tapping a finger against her lip. "I'm not sure, actually... I mean, it's the shortest day of the year, so there's really not that much time to do anything, unless you're a night person... In which case, I'm sure it's the best day ever... Night. Whatever." She shrugs. "I vote we all hibernate until spring anyway. This cold is getting ridiculous." She flails her arms, which turns out to be a bad move, because she very nearly falls over again, but thankfully she grabs Aubrey's shoulders before she does. "Jeepers. I think the ice has got it in for me."

[deadgirlsliekme]

Victor isn't really sure what he's doing outside, other than he feels a little restless. Although he's a introvert extraordinaire, even he doesn't like being shut up in his room with his book all the time. However, it's still pretty darn cold out, and he's thinking of going back anyway and maybe doing a few more sketches.

These plans are derailed by seeing a young lady slip on a patch of ice and land on her back. Victor may be shy around most girls, but he isn't going to leave one who's in trouble. He turns and goes over to be of assistance.

Of course, given that he's Victor, he promptly manages to slip on the same patch of ice. There's a very amusing moment of Victor flailing about like a stork doing a mating dance, desperately trying to keep his balance, before he lands in the snow on his stomach. He's just going to lay there a moment and wonder why he can't do anything right.

[savesomelight]

Piper raises her head a bit to watch this display and tries not to laugh... No one should ever laugh at someone in the same predicament as they are... Or really laugh at anyone suffering misfortune at all. Piper doesn't believe in schadenfreude. She's a sweetheart like that.

"Watch that first step, it's a real zinger," she murmurs, before flopping back down in the snow. Maybe while she's down here, she'll make snow angels. Yes, that's what she'll do.

[deadgirlsliekme]

Victor appreciates Piper not laughing, though he wouldn't have blamed her if she had. He knows he's ridiculous. He lives with it daily.

Being her for a little over two weeks hasn't gotten him used to all the slang (especially since he spends most of his time in his room, adjusting to modern technology), but it's pretty easy to guess what she means by "zinger." He carefully props himself up on his elbows, then gets up onto his knees, brushing the snow off himself. "Y-yes, I see," he says, glancing over at her. "I-I was rather h-hoping I could help y-you up, but. . . ." He lets that sentence trail off, because she saw how well that went. "I'm Victor Van Dort," he quickly adds. Introductions are important.

[savesomelight]

She giggles a little, finally wobbling up into a sitting position- well, it's a start. "Aww you're sweet!" She gets the whole nervous vibe feeling from him and finds it adorable- it's much better than the swaggering confidence she gets from most of the people here.

"I'm Piper. Piper Paxton. D'you live here? Well... I guess you do, if you're out here, unless you were just visiting. Or something."

[cyfor]

Big!Cy is a-hunting. Specifically, she is a-hunting tigers who smell like certain snarky Brits she is inexplicably fond of. If Sark didn't want to be reminded of his tiny, scrawney-ness, Cy will not help, as her current size has her at almost thirteen feet from nose to tail and her build is nearly as heavy as a bear's.

She pauses behind a bush far too small to hide her bulk and rumbles cheerfully, poised to strike.

Or fall over and get tangled in her own legs.

Whichever.

[sarkraticmethod]

Sark's tiger senses are not entirely up to snuff, but you'd have to be a complete idiot to not notice a MONSTERCAT hiding behind a too big bush. He yawns and shakes his head, plopping down in the snow and just stares at the bush with an unamused look.

Oh, you're very subtle, Cy.

[cyfor]

She grumbles, ears flicking back and forth, hunkering down as though he is not paying her any attention. She is a mighty hunter, the capturer of great prey! She is Tag, square-shouldered and fierce, killing a rat and dusting the neighborhood Toms.

She's Cy for sneaky.

POUNCE!!

[sarkraticmethod]

ARGH. WHAT? WHAT?

Sark somehow didn't think she was actually going to pounce him, considering he was just sitting there staring at her and thus ruining her element of surprise, but that's what he gets for assuming when it comes to Cy. He tumbles over and flails his paws a bit and then tries to squirm out from under her, because there is no way this is in any way dignified and he'd like to get away now, if it's all the same to her.

[juneswan]

Okay, Juni is seeing a tiger, a kind of tiny tiger admittedly but considering that she has never seen a tiger close up before (unless you count tiger shaped demons, which you have to be on drugs to do) it is still quite an impressive sight to stare at.

...Or stroll up to and tilt her head at, either way works.

[sarkraticmethod]

Sark has a moment where he wonders what sort of people actually walk up to tigers... Unless they're just greatly used to shapeshifters. Well, it happens. He stares back for a moment and then sits down on his haunches and stares right back.

Yes, I'm a tiger. Isn't that lovely?

Sarcasm, unfortunately, doesn't really come across when you're covered in fur.

[juneswan]

Juni isn't greatly used to shapeshifters, she's just insane... Which can broadly be considered the same thing, it's Chicago after all.

...And now she's getting into a staring match with a tiger, a creature which is a cat and thus can probably stare for months (if not years) if the mood takes it, Juni has faced cats before, they are quite fearsome foes and one of the few creatures who can beat her in a staring contest.

She keeps staring anyway... Being competitive and mildly insane don't really go well together.

[sarkraticmethod]

Sark closes his eyes in the tiger approximation of an aggrieved expression, which means he loses the staring contest, but he wasn't really playing to begin with. He stands up again and makes to cross past her, keeping his head turned over his shoulders a bit as if he's wondering what might happen if he turns his back on her.

Well, he is a tiger, so... There's not much that could happen, but Sark doesn't make it a habit to turn his back on people, whether he's an animal or a human.