Thanks! Lemme show you the marmosets. They're these hyper little monkeys, super funny…
One of the enclosure doors opened, and out came a short man of indeterminate age wearing a turquoise smock and a goofy monkey-head hat. He carried a bucket of water and a broom, set them down, and when he spotted the visitors, he rushed over to Erich, mumbling something excitedly.
Hey hey, Toshi! I'm always happy to see you, buddy! – Erich, never missing a chance to hug someone, wrapped the man up in a warm embrace, and chatted with Nibi as he did it: We hired Toshi not long ago, but he's already a core part of our little As you can see, he's
got a few health things going on, but that doesn't stop him from being a hard worker—and honestly, the kindest, most genuine human on Earth!
He paused, and then added with a little blush:
Well… one of the top You're obviously the other. M.K. would've made the list, but, yeah— he's not technically human.
What a softie… Despite all the kindness practically floating in the air, wrapping her up like a blanket, Nibi still felt out of place. Maybe it was her own baggage. Why couldn't she just feel things like Erich did? Why was she always so wound up?
She reached out her hand to Toshi. He respectfully wiped his own with a wet wipe before shaking hers with a grin.
I'm
I'm Gonna head to the supply room. Don't wanna get in the way. You're not in the – Erich protested warmly, but the polite man was already walking off on his own path.
The three of them were alone again. M.K. was engaged in a heated standoff with a goat who chewed nonstop, like he had eternal gum in his mouth. The goat was winning by staying totally calm, and that drove M.K. absolutely nuts. He even got up on two legs and started pawing at the wooden barrier, like he was gonna climb over and throw paws with that smug herbivore.
Erich moved in to calm him down… and walked straight into a trap. Evil never sleeps. And neither does the rooster.
The bird pulled off a textbook sneak attack, hopped along the railing, and charged like a feathery assassin—landing a brutal peck to the back of Erich's hand.
Ow ow ow… damn… – he yelped, and then exhaled, spotting Nibi laughing her heart out at the whole thing. She was clearly enjoying the show, and it loosened her up a bit. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Erich flashed a wonky smile and tried to pet the comb-headed hitman, but the rooster backed off with attitude, like, -Don't touch me, loser.-
He sprayed some antiseptic on the wound, saw there was no blood, and shuffled back to Nibi.
If I'd known that's what cracks you up, I'd have been offering up my hand to that guy way more
Please don't. Your parents probably prefer you – Nibi warned him. – Anyway, look at those alpacas begging for snacks. Have they been fed today? Hey, don't insult me! Of course they've been But we can give them a little treat.
He jogged over to the feed stand, grabbed a cup with a slightly different mix, and handed it to her.
This one's got sprouts, hay, moss, and—get this—finely chopped These fluffballs go nuts for it. Honestly, so do I. Yeah, well, I'm not feeding you. – Nibi shot him a look, and they exchanged a moment of mutual
One of the chill beasts had a split lower lip, and it munched away happily on whatever it was given.
Looks like a lip split, huh? – Erich said, clarifying, – You know, that mod where people slice their lip or tongue to look cooler. Though I kinda doubt this alpaca walked into a piercing studio and asked for a badass body mod. – Nibi smirked.
From one of the covered pens came a low hooting sound—the kind that only one creature could make.
An owl! I love – Nibi confessed, and Erich perked right up:
Then let's go say hi! What's the problem? I'll grab their special food and we'll go chat with them right now.