There were plenty of creatures stocked in the Menagerie to make for one hell of an experience, especially for those patrons that had ever only attended a normie zoo. Not that Gray would ever use the term 'normie' condescendingly, of course... he'd lived far too much of his life as one to ever consider it a detriment, and seeing the look on someone's face when they first laid eyes on creatures they'd only thought, until then, to only exist in dreams was far and away one of his favorite things about this job. Second only, of course, to the actual beasties.
He was still getting used to the whole 'Manager' aspect of things, but everything else about the job was right up his wheel house. Was that a saying? Anyway. He got to hang out and chat it up with an insane variety of monsters, and sometimes, like today, he even got to call a few old friends in for a quick touch of sparkle. Of pizzazz. Of sizzle.
Coro was a thunderbird he'd met back in his jetsetting days, and one of his more cooperative summons (cooperative meaning she didn't freak out when he pulled her through the summoning circles and toast him alive). So when the crowd had gathered, he'd set down some chalk, clapped his hands and voila, instant Coro! Craning his neck back, he shielded his eyes as she soared towards the top of the massive enclosure, her great wings creating powerful gales of wind until finally, upon reaching the apex of the tent, she flared them out to her sides, glowed a brilliant, electric violet, and slammed them together to create a deafening boom of thunder. The crowd of normies cried out first in alarm, and then, breathless with nervous laughter, they began to applaud.
Coro took her time in gliding back down to the grasslands enclosure of the Menagerie where Grayson stood, still lingering near the chalk glyph scrawled in the grass as the crowd dispersed around him. Wiping the back of his wrist across his nose, he smirked as she came a little closer, his hair a wild tumult of blonde curls in the breeze she incurred. "Show off!" he called affectionately, and the bird gave him a haughty look as she finally touched down, preening her glossy feathers and looking for all the world like she was genuinely affronted.
I was showing them... what do you call... sizzle.
He chuckled and reached up to lightly pat the side of her neck when a voice called out from behind him. Now, ordinarily he wouldn't respond to 'dickhead' for pretty obvious reasons. But the voice... it couldn't be...
He jerked his head over his shoulder, gaze immediately falling upon a too-familiar shock of unnaturally vibrant hair. His grin flacked for a second in sheer surprise. "No way," he muttered, and spun around all the way.
"No way."
Louder this time as he started towards her, the corners of his mouth lifting more with every step.
"NowaynowayNOWAY!" he shouted, and threw his arms out wide as he gained upon her, all but vibrating with excitement as he captured her in a hug. "Ani!? What the- when did- holy crap, no way!"