i still have hope

Zoo day. Maekar hates this place. He wants to get in and get out and maybe read a few information boards and NOT BE BOTHERED whilst he's reading about the ivory trade and pretending it doesn't tug on his heartstrings a little. Daeron is miserable too because he's a hyper-empath for the animals and he spends the entire day walking really slowly kicking the ground muttering about how they're imprisoned AND SO IS HE!!! We are the same... Dyanna is desperately trying to make this a nice day so she latches onto the first child who is enthusiastic: Aerion, who wants to see a live feeding but has a false impression of Komodo dragons and thinks he will actually see them hunt a man. When this doesn't happen he kicks the glass so hard it splinters. Aemon is outmogging his dad reading the boards way faster than he can and irritating the fucking life out of him. Daella is feeding the giraffes and when she's done a zookeeper is like, "the giraffe experience is another £50 by the way" and Maekar visibly almost goes into cardiac arrest even though he can absolutely afford that. He tells Rhae she can't do it and she bursts into tears because Daella did so why not me!? Him and Dyanna begin having one of those really awkward whisper fights that everyone can clearly hear and tell is a fight and all the kids share a miserable glance of solidarity. This heartfelt moment is ruined when Aerion decides to put Egg into the ostrich exhibit and they immediately start pecking his bald head and he runs away screaming and goes even further in. They are removed from the zoo. Daeron in tears because he got the blame ("why didn't you stop your brother!?"); Aerion in tears because he didn't get to see anyone hunted by beasts and also missed the gift shop; Daella crying because Maekar yelled at her for the giraffe thing; Aemon crying because he was actually interested and they had to leave early; Egg crying because he has been mauled by animals; Rhae is crying because she didn't get to feed giraffes. Dyanna is sitting there absolutely fuming out of her mind angry with her husband for this giraffe argument and she's being really nice to all the kids to make up for it. Every time she says something nice to one of them she gives Maekar a look as if to say see, look, HOW HARD IS IT. Maekar pretends not to notice. White knuckled grip on the wheel. Staring straight ahead. Doesn't slow down when taking corners so the kids are thrown around like ragdolls. They do not go back to the zoo. Everyone eats in different rooms that night in silence.