Akane stared at Hamuko’s grabbing gesture, her LED-lit eyes flickering as she processed the absurdity of the question.
"I… haven’t exactly interacted with physical things," she admitted, voice flat. "Kinda hard to grab a pigeon when you don’t have hands. Or, y’know, a body most of the time."
Still, the thought stuck with her, and she tapped a finger against her mask in thought. "Also, pigeons? Uh. Yeah, about that. Most birds—especially pigeons—are kinda… super endangered where I’m from. Like, so rare that they’re basically reserved for high society events and, like, government-run community rehab zones until things get better and they are let out freely again. You can’t just see one on the street. And even if you did, good luck getting anywhere near it. The closest thing to a real bird I’ve ever seen is probably a surveillance drone shaped like one."
She shrugged. "Not that I’d know firsthand. Wolf’s fieldwork doesn’t exactly take him to normal places. I’ve never actually been to a park before."
Akane paused at that, as if the realization had only just fully clicked in her mind.
...Most of them were closed off anyway. Nostalgia’s a big problem in her world. Some people fell into despair at the very sight of an innocent park, over things that remind them too much of the past. Parks were monitored real heavily to make sure no one starts spiraling into existential despair over, like, an old playground slide and eventually become EMMA's victim in the process.
A beat of silence.
"...But now I’m kinda curious," she admitted, tilting her head. "What’s the big deal with birds, anyway? Why would you want to scoop one up? What’s the appeal? Is it its warmth or just the touch?"
no subject
"I… haven’t exactly interacted with physical things," she admitted, voice flat. "Kinda hard to grab a pigeon when you don’t have hands. Or, y’know, a body most of the time."
Still, the thought stuck with her, and she tapped a finger against her mask in thought. "Also, pigeons? Uh. Yeah, about that. Most birds—especially pigeons—are kinda… super endangered where I’m from. Like, so rare that they’re basically reserved for high society events and, like, government-run community rehab zones until things get better and they are let out freely again. You can’t just see one on the street. And even if you did, good luck getting anywhere near it. The closest thing to a real bird I’ve ever seen is probably a surveillance drone shaped like one."
She shrugged. "Not that I’d know firsthand. Wolf’s fieldwork doesn’t exactly take him to normal places. I’ve never actually been to a park before."
Akane paused at that, as if the realization had only just fully clicked in her mind.
...Most of them were closed off anyway. Nostalgia’s a big problem in her world. Some people fell into despair at the very sight of an innocent park, over things that remind them too much of the past. Parks were monitored real heavily to make sure no one starts spiraling into existential despair over, like, an old playground slide and eventually become EMMA's victim in the process.
A beat of silence.
"...But now I’m kinda curious," she admitted, tilting her head. "What’s the big deal with birds, anyway? Why would you want to scoop one up? What’s the appeal? Is it its warmth or just the touch?"