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Greetings, everyone. Originally, I was going to inquire about everyone's thoughts on birthdays and whether or not to adjust for time discrepancies between here and back home, but then I stumbled upon something most peculiar. Phanfiction.net This is a real site, and it seems to be run largely by the cognitions. There are stories about us, and many of them are quite absurd. One of the summaries is... "Falcon struggles with whether or not to honestly answer a captcha." And then there's... "Aki-chan brings home a pet dinosaur and has to hide it in his closet." There are... interesting stories about myself and some of the people I am close to. There's even a fic about Igor's supposed history as a heartbreaker. But perhaps the most perplexing is a bizarre love triangle between Falcon, Phoenix, and the Ren that goes by Fiend. At any rate, read at your own discretion. I think it's all rather absurd and worth a laugh, but there is the ethical concern of our likenesses being used without consent.

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"Well, I suppose I'll take the Mega Beef Bowl Special, then. I'm curious about what makes it good."

He waits for them to make their orders, and after a little pause, he tries to make conversation.

"How have you been? I know things have been rough for you lately, so I hope you are better."

"To be honest, things have entered a sort of lull." As for the order... Heh. Crow looks at the cognitive server. "Two of the specials, please."

The cognition gives an empty smile and trots off.

"I suppose Raven already gave you the gist of what happened. Since then, we've hit a standstill with our... mission, you could say. I'm afraid I can't give too many details in the interest of privacy, however."

"I see. I get that it's complicated, but I hope things can move forward soon. It's not good to let situations like that fester."

He sighs, and looks downwards.

"Then again, empty words don't help. Is there anything I can do?"

"I wouldn't want to burden you, but I do appreciate the offer. I suppose... just knowing that you care is already helpful." His fingers drum on the bartop.

Fortunately, the specials arrive. To call the portion obscenely abundant would be a vast understatement.

"Heh... And here we are. The infamous Mega Beef Bowl, in the flesh."

"Oh wow, they weren't kidding with the name!"

He isn't sure he can actually finish the thing! But he still starts digging in, to see how it tastes like.

"I like it, though."

"It's all right if you can't eat it all in one sitting. I believe that's the norm, if anything." And yet Crow has no difficulty digging in, taking a piece of beef in his chopsticks. "It took a great deal of time for me to finally complete the challenge."

"It's... supposed to be a challenge? I guess it's impressive to be able to eat that much food, but isn't it kinda wasteful?"

He keeps eating, although he's pretty sure he isn't going to finish (and definitely won't force himself to try).

"Well, you can take what you don't finish home to reheat. It simply costs money if you don't finish it in one go." Nonetheless, Crow continues eating, pausing to blot his face in the interest of politeness. "The only reason I'm able to finish it now is due to a great deal of courage, diligence, knowledge, expression, and understanding."

"...uh-huh."

...Not the reaction he was expecting. Ahem.

"That is to say, it takes a great deal of time and practice to hone the skills required, and given the lack of currency, you can simply take the leftovers regardless."

Edited 2024-06-06 01:41 (UTC)

"There's like, three whole meals in this... 'Leftovers' seem small of a word when most of it will probably remain."

Still, he keeps eating for now.

"True, but at the very least, you'll save yourself some trouble later if you need a snack." There's still a great mountain of meat, yet Crow shows no sign of stopping. Just what is his stomach made of?

After a while, Ken starts to slow down, but Crow seems to be able to keep going. Just what is his stomach made of, indeed.

"I think I'm done," he says a moment after. "No point making myself sick over a dumb challenge."

"There's no shame in that. An ordinary person is unlikely to consume the vast mountain of meat..." A soft, flutter of laughter follows. "I suppose that proves you're still human."

"A rabbit is 'unlikely to consume the vast mountain of meat', does that prove rabbits are human? There are things that can be debated, but it's a fact that I've lost my humanity."

For an outing that was supposed to be a distraction, being back to existential questions is perhaps not the best move...

"A rabbit is also a herbivore. When we're speaking strictly about people, then most will struggle to complete the challenge." He sets his chopsticks down, folding his hands on the table. "Even if your body has changed, you're human where it counts."

Ken snorts, despite him. "What does that even mean?"

"I've known robots and Shadows who 'became' human through their connections to other. Sometimes, humanity is less about the state of your physical being and more about who you are as a person." Hmm... How else to put this...

"Your connection with Raven is precious and proof that you haven't fully lost yourself. And while Raven may be the closest example, I know you've connected with others, like Amamiya-kun."

"Oh, so that's what you mean by human... I don't think it's debatable that I no longer belong to the human species. But you were talking about something else the whole time."

...

Ken looks downwards and takes some time to think.

"Having made all these connections is not a good thing, Crow-san. It just will get everyone hurt. I've tried telling this to Raven many times, but he is stubborn."

"You're putting up walls. Given your circumstances, I can understand. Raven and I were very much the same, though I suppose the severity was nowhere near comparable."

Sighing heavily, Crow takes a sip from his drink. "I'm sure you have reasons for the way you feel, but try not to shut doors to other possibilities."

"Ultimately, I have something important to do, too important to be ignored. I don't have 'other possibilities'."

He sighs, too. "You know what I've told Raven, right? I am an instrument. You can all treat me like I'm not one, but this won't change the ending."

"Why do you believe that's the only path forward?" It's spoken calmly, with no particular hint of disdain. "You're more than an instrument, Ken, even if you can't see it. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not worth your time and energy."

"I've become an instrument because I chose to, Crow-san. And now I have to commit to my choice. I've sacrificed my ability to do otherwise."

He smiles a sad smile. It's just how things are. There's no use thinking about it over and over.

"Is it that you literally have no choice, or that you believe it, and finding other paths is simply daunting? Choices are not etched in stone. It is perfectly acceptable to have second thoughts or realizations that put you on a different path."

Despite his words, Crow's voice remains gentle. It's not his place to fight over this, just to make Ken think.

"Even if I could just give up, it would be wrong of me to do so. I have important things to do. More important than myself."

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