AFFILIATION AND BLISS [PART 1] [ASA MITAKA] [WLW]

look at this cool pebble

You two walk throughout the aquarium, passing by a few of the exhibits as she explains the marine life.

"Garden eels are relatives of the Conger eel family. The little guys live in burrows in the sea floor and they poke their head out of their burrows. The rest of their bodies stay in the sand. As you can see, they resemble plants in a garden, so I guess that's how they were named. They vary in color, which is dependent on the species. There's a species of garden eel that can grow up to 120 centimeters, but most only reach to around 60 centimeters if I recall correctly. They typically live on the border of coral reefs, and camouflage themselves among sea grass occasionally. They feed on small plankton that float on by. Luckily for them, they have good eyesight that allows them to spot prey and even predators, so I guess it balances how fragile they are. Fun fact, they'll only ever leave their burrows to move closer to their partner during mating season, which I find to be sweet."

You get a closer look at the eels, and see them wiggling their heads a bit. It's cute.

"How do you know so much about sea animals?"

"I studied up on plenty of them."

"Oooh, I see.." You turn towards her and smile. "That was a lot to hear, but I was listenin'. The part about them leaving their burrows to get closer to each other and stuff was cute. Sounds scary if they really are fragile."

..She listened?

You can see her face turn a light pink hue as her eyes soften. "I'm glad you were listening.. are you sure I'm not boring you?"

"You were definitely boring me. Again." Yoru says from beside her. Asa's eyes narrow a little as she looks to her side, but she immediately brings her attention back towards you.

"Nah, you aren't boring me. It was a good explanation." You take her hand and continue down the hallway. She trails behind you, and you can feel her eyes staring at the back of your head.

You stumble upon the penguin exhibit. She stops and stares at them. "Do you wanna know about the penguins? I know a bit about them, they were the first animal I studied up on."

"Of course! I love penguins, they're so silly.." You get closer to the glass, admiring the little guys.

She clears her throat and stands next to you.

"Penguins, obviously, are flightless birds. They live exclusively in the southern hemisphere, aside from the Galápagos penguin. They're a species found up north. Penguins spend half their life in the sea, and the other on land. Most of their diet contains of krill, fish, squid, etcetera. They swallow their pray whole. On average, adult penguins are 1.1 meters tall. The smallest species is the little blue penguin, commonly known as the fairy penguin. They stand to about 30 to 33 centimeters tall. Quite a big difference. Also, they're not only found in cold climates. I'm referring to the species that lives on Galápagos Island. It's only made possible due to the cold, rich waters that surround the island. If you saw a penguin skeleton, you'd notice they actually have knees. Although that sounds a bit creepy to imagine, or to even witness, it's still fascinating to say the least. On a lighter note, when penguins fall in love, they search for the most perfect, smooth pebble they can find. Once they do, they waddle over to their mate and place it down in front of them. It seems to be some form of proposal or symbol of their love."

A penguin waddles near the window and tilts its head. "Penguins are so cute.. I didn't know some of that stuff. Plus, I can't imagine them having knees! That's so weird!" You exclaim, trying to examine the penguin. Asa remains silent as she watches you tap the glass gently while giggling at the penguin. She steps a bit closer to you and holds her hands together. She lets her arms hang below her waist.