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“So how exactly does a double date work?” Labrys asked as she and Yosuke are currently waiting at the front of Okina Station. Yosuke is wearing an orange shirt and green pants with his white jacket and signature headphones. Labrys is wearing a beige turtleneck dress with gold highlights, perfect to conceal her android body. It’s almost noon as Yosuke and Labrys are expecting the arrival of Yu and Marie.
“It’s kind of like a regular date, but with two couples instead of one.” Yosuke answered with a shrug. He’s never been on a double date before, and that disaster of a group date cafe doesn’t count. Truthfully, Yosuke Hanamura has only been on a few dates in his life. Labrys is his first girlfriend, and they only started dating just recently. Last week, Yu suggested the idea of a double date between the two couples, and Yosuke thought it was a great idea.
“So wait, does that mean we’re dating them too?” Labrys wondered, tilting her head in confusion from the wording of Yosuke’s explanation. Yosuke turns flustered from the question.
“What? No! You and I are only dating each other.” Yosuke corrected his girlfriend, scratching the back of his head to think up a better explanation. “I guess to put it more accurately, a double date is more like a friendly hangout between two couples.”
“Oooh! I think I get what ya mean. Sorry, Yosuke. This stuff’s still new to me.” Labrys grinned sheepishly at her boyfriend, but Yosuke waves it off.
“Nah, it’s okay. It was poor wording on my part.” Yosuke admitted before pulling out his phone and checking the time. “It’s five minutes til noon. I hope Yu and Marie can make it on time.”
“They’re on their way.” Labrys confirmed, staring out into the far distance and waving her hand high. Yosuke looks in the same direction Labrys is staring at, but he couldn’t locate either Yu or Marie even after squinting his eyes.
“Where? I can’t see them.” Yosuke replied as he tried to keep searching for the other couple, causing Labrys to realize her mistake and bring down her hand.
“Oops. I forgot you humans don’t have a zoom function in ya eyeballs. My bad.” Labrys apologized with an embarrassed chuckle. Yosuke stares at his girlfriend with a deadpan expression on his face.
A few minutes pass, and Yosuke is finally able to see Yu and Marie heading towards their way. Yu is wearing an unbuttoned white collared shirt with a gray t-shirt underneath and black pants. Marie is wearing a velvet blue shirt with a long white skirt paired with black stockings along with her signature red choker necklace and blue officer’s cap. Hanging over Marie’s shoulder is her deep blue bag.
“Yu! Marie! You both made it!” Yosuke welcomed the couple the moment they arrived at Onika Station. Marie waves the first couple hello, but Labrys rushes in and brings Marie into a hug. Though surprised at first, Marie kindly returns the gesture. Meanwhile, Yu and Yosuke exchange a handshake à la Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers.
“Yosuke. Labrys. It’s great to see you two again. Hope we didn’t keep you two waiting.” Yu greeted his two friends warmly. Labrys lets go of Marie and gives Yu a fist bump. Unfortunately, Labrys failed to account for her strength, and Yu responds with a wide grin to hide the pain his hand is currently in.
“Yu! Marie! You both haven’t changed one bit! Although, I think I’m spotting some hair on your chin, Yu. Tryna grow a beard or somethin’?” Labrys teased the former leader of the Investigation Team. Marie rolls her eyes and hugs Yu’s arm.
“He better not. Otherwise, his face would feel itchy.” Marie responded to the android girl while inspecting Yu’s chin for confirmation of beard hair.
“Don’t worry about being late by the way. You two are right on time. If anything, Labrys and I got here a bit too early.” Yosuke informed the other couple.
Even though this is the first time either couple have been on a double date, it’s also the first time in a long while that the four of them have gotten together for anything. Both Yu and Yosuke have been extremely busy with classes at university as well as part-time jobs. Meanwhile, Labrys is almost always on the clock thanks to her duties with the Shadow Operatives. And while Marie gets the most free time out of the four, she still has an active work schedule as a full-time weather reporter in Inaba. Luckily, today was a free day for all of them, hence the double date.
“So, where to first, partner?” Yosuke asked his best friend.
“I was thinking we could start with Chagall Cafe. We could grab a light meal from there and relax for a while.” Yu suggested to the group.
“Sounds good to me. What about you, Labrys?” Yosuke asked his girlfriend, who appears giddy at the mention of the cafe.
“We got a Chagall Cafe back in Iwatodai, and they have the tastiest cakes. I think it’s a great idea.” Labrys agreed with a firm nod, and Marie raised an eyebrow at the android girl.
“You can eat? I always thought you couldn’t because of your metal body.” Marie responded with a puzzled expression.
“Well, I don’t actually need to eat. I don’t get any of the nutrients, but I do possess a sense of taste like any regular human. Plus, I enjoy eatin’. It makes me feel human.” Labrys explained to the goddess, making the latter even more curious. Yosuke is still thankful he knew this information before his first date with Labrys. Otherwise, that night at the restaurant would’ve been awkward.
“In that case, I’d like to go to the Chagall Cafe too.” Marie told her boyfriend as the goddess is quite eager to see how Labrys eats.
“Then it’s settled. Our first stop is the Chagall Cafe.” Yu confirmed as he leads the group towards their first destination.
At the Chagall Cafe, the two couples are sharing a table together with their respective foods and drinks in front of them. Yu is having a caramel macchiato and a cinnamon pull-apart, Marie is having a blueberry streusel muffin and iced tea, Yosuke is having a pumpkin spice latte and a pumpkin cream cheese muffin, and Labrys is having a chocolate croissant and hot chocolate. The android girl has developed quite the sweet tooth after discovering she could eat food.
“So Aigis told me we can’t eat food but then one day, she eats this fat hamburger right in front of me! Can you believe it? It was like yea big and everything!” Labrys exclaimed, using her hands to comically exaggerate the size of the hamburger Aigis ate as she tells the group of how she first discovered she can eat food. “I can’t believe I fell for Sis’ prank!”
“So what did you do right after?” Yu inquired as Labrys drank some more of her hot chocolate.
“I ordered a large pizza! I wanted to share it with Yosuke, but he didn’t like the toppings that I chose.” Labrys replied, resulting in an annoyed eyeroll from her boyfriend.
“That’s because one of the toppings you picked was pineapple!” Yosuke griped, and Labrys shrugged her shoulders in response.
“I seriously don’t get ya issue with pineapple on pizza. It tasted good in my opinion.” Labrys restated, taking a bite out her chocolate croissant.
“Pineapple is too sweet to mix with something salty like pizza.” Yosuke argued before turning his attention over to Yu. “Partner, back me up here.”
“Yeah… no. Count me out.” Yu stated bluntly, having seen other people have this debate lots of times, and they usually never end well. Yosuke deflates from the rejection.
“You know I like sweet stuff, and I love ya for all the times you’ve been sweet to me.” Labrys informed her boyfriend as she kissed him on the cheek, causing Yosuke to blush immensely. Labrys giggles afterward, which Yosuke believes is from him blushing and not because her kiss left a lip-shaped chocolate stain on his cheek.
“So what happens to all the food that you eat?” Marie asked Labrys after watching the latter scarf down more of her food.
“Oh. The Kirijo Group modified my body so that any food I eat will get burned up for extra energy.” Labrys revealed, tapping her metal body. The android girl then develops a curious look on her face. “What about you, Marie-chan? You’re a goddess, right? Do you need food to eat?”
“Huh? Well, I never really thought about it. My body functions similar to a human’s, so I guess I do need to eat food.” Marie acknowledged before taking a bite of her muffin. The goddess turns her head and is immediately surprised when she finds Yu staring at her.
“W-What are you staring at me for?” Marie muttered shyly as she pulled down her cap to cover her face.
“You look cute when you eat.” Yu responded, and Marie whipped her head back towards him with mouth wide open in shock and face completely red.
“What?! Who says something like that in public?! Stupidhandsomeboyfriendyou’resoembarrassing!” Marie shouts while everyone else in the group couldn’t help but laugh. “Shut up! All of you!”
The next spot on the double date is Croco Fur. Both Labrys and Marie wanted to try out some new clothes, and Yu and Yosuke were willing to oblige. Clothes shopping is still new to Labrys while Marie hasn't gone clothes shopping with anyone after becoming a weather reporter. Both girls believe it’ll be a fun activity to do together with their boyfriends along for the ride. While the girls are currently trying out new clothes, Yu and Yosuke decide to catch up while waiting outside the dressing rooms.
“So, how’s university life treating you, partner?” Yosuke asked, resting his arms behind his head nonchalantly as he turned his head towards Yu. The former leader of the Investigation Team is leaning against a wall browsing through his phone. Yu looks up from his phone after hearing the question.
“It’s been good. Classes are hard, but nothing I can’t handle. Yu answered. After graduating from high school, Yu enrolled at the University of Tokyo with plans on being a detective like his uncle and Naoto. In addition, Yu took a couple of part-time jobs to cover expenses similar to his year in Inaba, making life pretty busy for the former leader of the Investigation Team. “What about you? How’s things been going for you?”
“Feels like every day has been kicking my ass. Between classes and Junes, I’ve hardly had any time to relax. Things were much simpler back when we were in high school.” Yosuke sighed, crossing his arms.
“You mean when we had to travel to a supernatural world inside the TV, fight monsters that tried to kill us, confront the darkest part of ourselves, stop a murderer, and save the world from gods multiple times?” Yu recalls, chuckling how these insane feats can be considered simple compared to the busy and mundane life they’re living right now.
“I-I mean! I’m not trying to downplay the murders or our lives constantly at risk! It’s just… I miss the days when the whole gang was hanging out together, you know? Even when we were focused on stopping the murders and finding out the killer, we always found time to have fun and goof off.” Yosuke clarified as some fondness can be heard in his voice. However, his expression turns into a frown. “But now? Almost everyone has moved out of Inaba, and we’re all too busy to hang out.”
“I feel the same way.” Yu agreed with a slight nod. After the Investigation Team had graduated from high school, life had taken each member in different directions. Both Naoto and Rise are continuing their careers as a detective and idol respectively. Chie is enrolled in the police academy for a future career in law enforcement. Yu and Yosuke are taking classes in different universities. The only members of their team still in Inaba are Teddie, Marie, Yukiko, and Kanji with the latter two taking over their families’ establishments in the near future. Despite their now busy lives, the former Investigation Team still keep in touch through a group chat they share.
“I’ve been thinking about what I want to do after I get my degree. After the whole mess with Sho and the red mist was over, I started to put a lot of work into my studies. Yet after all that, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do in the future. At least up until now.” Yosuke revealed, and Yu can recognize the serious tone in his best friend’s voice. “I’m planning on joining the Shadow Operatives.”
“You are?” Yu responded in shock. The Shadow Operatives are an elite team of Persona users formed by Mitsuru Kirijo to work with the government and law enforcement. The Investigation Team first met them inside the TV World at Labrys’ dungeon and teamed up with them to stop Sho from ending the world.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I have my reasons. For one thing, I’ll get to be closer to Labrys. We’ve been making our long distance relationship work, but I miss her and I know she misses me back. And it’s not only that, but I’m scared that Labrys will go on a mission that she might never come back from. I want to fight alongside her and protect her. I want to always be by her side more than anything else.” Yosuke explained, and Yu can tell his friend really put a lot of thought into his decision. However, Yosuke has more to say.
“It’s not just that though. I know Kirijo-san only calls us when there’s a real emergency, but I can’t just sit around and wait when I can be out there helping people. After what happened to Saki-senpai and Yamano-san, I don’t want to stay on the sidelines any longer. Not when I still have the power to fight shadows and save people.” Yosuke continued, and Yu couldn’t help but smile at his friend’s words.
“If that’s what you want to do, then you have my full support, Yosuke. I’m positive Labrys will love the news when you tell her.” Yu congratulated his friend, and Yosuke responded back with a grin.
“I’m planning on surprising her. And hey, maybe Kirijo-san will give us a flexible schedule so we can visit you guys more.” Yosuke stated happily. Before the two could continue their conversation, one of the dressing rooms opens up.
“How do I look? Pretty nifty, huh?” Labrys grinned as she stepped out of the dressing room wearing a cream colored sleeveless turtleneck shirt and dark jeans with a black leather jacket. The android girl strikes a dynamic pose, and Yosuke lets out a whistle as he eyes his girlfriend.
“Really rocking the Terminator look, which shouldn’t be surprising now that I think about it. All you need left is the dark sunglasses to finish it off.” Yosuke complimented, but Labrys gave her boyfriend a confused look.
“Terminator?” Labrys wondered out loud, tilting her head perplexed at the unfamiliar reference. Yosuke opens his mouth to answer, but the dressing room next to Labrys’ opens up as Marie steps out in the new outfit she’s wearing. Her outfit consists of a comfortable black top and velvet blue blazer and pants with a red tie. Marie has been looking for a new set of clothes for her weather reporter job. While she still loves her black blazer, the goddess wanted to mix things up for a change and add something new to her wardrobe.
“W-What do you think?” Marie shyly asked with her eyes directed straight towards Yu, who stared at the goddess with his mouth slightly gaping. Marie’s shyness quickly turns into a huff of annoyance as she crosses her arms at her boyfriend. “Well?”
“You look beautiful.” Yu answered, startling Marie as she began to blush from her boyfriend’s response.
“Really? Good.” Marie muttered in embarrassment as she looked down to hide her face. Labrys hooks her arm around Yosuke’s.
“C’mon, Yosuke! Let’s go pick out some other clothes!” Labrys shouted enthusiastically and ran off while dragging her boyfriend with her.
“W-Wait, Labrys! You need to change out of those clothes first!” Yosuke exclaimed as he’s pulled away by the android girl, leaving Yu and Marie as the only ones left in the dressing room area. For a moment, there was just silence between the two with Marie still looking away.
“Is something wrong?” Yu asked out of concern for his girlfriend. While Marie is normally quiet, the former leader of the Investigation Team can tell the goddess has something on her mind.
“There’s a reason why I chose this blazer in particular.” Marie replied, looking down at the clothes she had picked out. It was then that Yu noticed the blazer’s buttons are gold in color.
“Because it’s similar to the outfit Margaret wears?” Yu guessed, and the goddess nodded her head to confirm.
“I know I made a life for myself here in your world, but I can’t help but miss the Velvet Room sometimes. When I lost my memories, Margaret and the Nose took me in. They didn’t have any reason to do that, but they still did it anyway. After that, the Velvet Room became the first place I truly called home.” Marie wistfully confessed to her boyfriend.
“Do you wish you could go back?” Yu curiously asked, and Marie shrugs in response. The former leader of the Investigation Team hasn’t had contact with the Velvet Room or its residents since 2012. It makes sense for him since his journey has long been over and the world isn’t in danger, but he understands the homesickness his girlfriend is feeling.
“Don’t get me wrong. I love my life here. I have you and our friends, but I don’t mind a visit to the Velvet Room from time to time. It’d be nice to see Margaret and the Nose. I miss those two but don’t tell them I said that. They’ll never let me hear the end of it.” Marie admitted with a slight warning towards Yu at the end, earning a light chuckle from her boyfriend.
“Don’t worry. I miss Igor and Margaret too. I hope you and I get to see them again soon. I bet they’ll be proud of how far you’ve grown.” Yu stated, causing the goddess to pout out of embarrassment.
“Stupidhandsomeboyfriendalwaysknowingwhattosay.” Marie mumbles to herself. However, the goddess couldn't keep herself from smiling.
For the last big part of the double date, the two couples chose to go to the movie theater 30 Frame. There was a bit of a debate over what kind of movie they should watch. Yu suggested a mystery movie, but Yosuke wanted to see an action thriller. Marie pointed out a pure romance movie that had caught her attention, and Labrys looked eager to watch an animated movie from a poster she saw. In the end, the two couples somehow ended up watching a horror movie instead. Each of them has various reactions while watching the horror movie.
“You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to.” Yu whispered to Marie. While Yu is sporting a calm demeanor during the movie, the same can’t be said for his girlfriend. Marie is clinging tightly onto Yu, burying her head onto her boyfriend’s chest to avoid every graphic kill that shows up on the screen.
“Shut up. Just tell me when it’s over.” Marie whimpered, and Yu wrapped an arm around his girlfriend. Yosuke spies the scene taking place next to him before directing his attention back to the movie. He winces as another graphic kill appears on the screen.
“Hey, Labrys. How are you holding up?” Yosuke asked, trying to put up a brave face instead of sounding squeamish. Seeing how Yu has his arm around Marie, Yosuke wonders if he can get the same opportunity with Labrys.
However, Yosuke is met with silence. Confused, the Junes part-timer turns his head and sees Labrys munching on popcorn as she looks completely engrossed in the film. Yosuke is perplexed as he didn’t expect Labrys to be interested in the horror movie considering she was pitching for them to watch a cartoon film earlier. Noticing her boyfriend staring at her, Labrys turns to face him.
“Huh? Were you sayin’ something, Yosuke?” Labrys asked, tilting her head at her boyfriend.
“Oh, I was just wondering how you’re liking the movie. I was worried you might've been scared. That’s all.” Yosuke stated, hoping that the android girl doesn’t see through his false bravado. Instead, Labrys merely looks at him funny.
“Scared? Why would I be scared? I’m having a blast!” Labrys resounded before quieting herself after receiving a loud shush from another moviegoer. “Sorry.”
“Oh. I mean, aside from Yukiko, lots of people get scared from watching horror movies.” Yosuke attempted to explain, feeling himself fumbling over his worlds.
“Really? Well, none of the stuff that was shown on screen phased me. I guess my trauma of havin’ to kill my sisters really desensitized me from bein’ scared of horror movies. Is that weird?” Labrys admitted nonchalantly. There’s a lot to unpack there, and Yosuke doesn’t know how to best respond to his girlfriend’s question. “Wait. Are you askin’ if I’m scared because you’re scared too, Yosuke?”
“Uh… yeah! The movie's been making me feel squeamish just by looking at it.” Yosuke confessed, deciding that it’s better to tell the truth rather than act all brave.
“Aww. Don’t you worry, Yosuke. You’re safe here with me at your side.” Labrys cooed as she wrapped an arm around Yosuke and pulled him closer to her, causing the Junes part-timer to blush from the affection. While this scenario isn’t what he had imagined, Yosuke decides that he doesn’t mind it at all.
After the movie, Yu took Marie to the crane machine to calm her nerves as the goddess was still shaken up from the horror film. The former leader of the Investigation Team figured winning his girlfriend a prize would cheer her up as well as serve as an apology for making her watch said horror movie.
“Hey, Yosuke. Do you mind if we could talk alone? Just you and me?” Labrys requested her boyfriend as she pulled him aside along with their shopping bags. Yosuke wonders what the android girl wanted to talk about and accepts with a nod. Once the two are alone, Labrys faces Yosuke with a determined expression on her face.
“So what did you want to talk about?” Yosuke asked. “Is there something wrong?”
“Is it true? You’re gonna join the Shadow Operatives?” Labrys responded, shocking her boyfriend as his eyes widened from the sudden revelation.
“You knew?! How did you find out?” Yosuke exclaimed, wondering if Yu had told Labrys at some point during their time at the movie theater. However, the Junes part-timer dismissed that possibility as his partner wouldn’t betray his trust like that. Plus, Yu wouldn’t have had an opportunity to tell Labrys at all since Marie held onto him throughout the whole movie.
“I overheard ya and Narukami talkin’ while I was in the dressing room. My hearing is far better than a human’s. Sorry for eavesdroppin’ by the way.” Labrys confessed, frowning a little during the apology. “So you’re plannin’ on joinin’ then?”
“Do you not want me to join?” Yosuke questioned, sounding a bit hurt. The idea of his girlfriend being against him joining the Shadow Operatives didn’t cross Yosuke’s mind until now. He should’ve realized he’d receive some pushback over his decision. But from Labrys from all people?
“Don’t get me wrong. You joinin’ the Shadow Operatives means we get to be closer together instead of spendin’ time apart, but the missions Sis and I go on are very dangerous. I hate to see you get hurt for my sake. The last thing I want is to lose ya, Yosuke.” Labrys fretted as she stared at her boyfriend with concern. Yosuke takes both of his girlfriend’s hands and holds onto them.
“I know the risks of joining the Shadow Operatives but if you overheard my conversation with Yu earlier, then you know I also have other reasons for wanting to join. I want to help people and protect the world just like you’re doing right now.” Yosuke insisted as he brought Labrys’ hands up to his face and kissed them. Yosuke then gives his girlfriend a wink and a smirk. “Besides, you’re looking at one of the winners of the P1 Grand Climax. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“Okay, you win you big charmer, but be sure not to try that with Mitsuru-san. If you’re really serious about joinin’ the Shadow Operatives, then you need to be a total professional with her.” Labrys giggled to her boyfriend. However, the android girl’s expression quickly turns serious. “Since we’re givin’ each other news, there’s something I want to tell ya.”
“What is it?” Yosuke asked, curious to know what else his girlfriend had to say.
“At some point in the future, I’m plannin’ on leavin’ the Shadow Operatives for a while. I know fightin’ shadows is what I’m good at, but there’s a lot more I want to do with my life than just that. I want to live a happy, peaceful life in Inaba and explore new things that humans get to enjoy. Maybe I’ll get to experience school life for real but as a teacher! Or maybe run my own shop at Junes! But whatever the case may be, I want to do all that with you, Yosuke.” Labrys declared brightly.
“I didn’t know you felt that way. Will the others be okay with that?” Yosuke questioned as he didn’t want Labrys to get in trouble with Mitsuru or the Kirijo Group.
“I spoke to Aigis about it many times. I know she’ll stay with the Shadow Operatives and continue fightin’ shadows. Sis told me about a promise she made to someone precious to her. That’s why she’ll keep helpin’ people and makin’ the world better. I won’t be surprised if she takes over the leadership role after Mitsuru-san retires.” Labrys informed Yosuke. “But yeah, I don’t think there’d be any problems.”
“In that case, I’m looking forward to living that peaceful life with you in the future.” Yosuke affirmed, giving his girlfriend a reassuring nod.
“You better, mistah. Whether in the Shadow Operatives or a quiet life in Inaba, you and I are stickin’ together forever!” Labrys vowed before pulling Yosuke in for a kiss. After their lips break apart, the android girl lets out a cheerful grin. “Gotta say, this double date has been great!”
“Oh shoot! We’ve been gone for a long time! Yu and Marie must be wondering where we are!” Yosuke gasped upon realization.
“They still gotta be at the crane machine. Speaking of which, those things give out grand prizes, right? Win me one, and I’ll show you the nurse uniform I bought earlier.” Labrys teased as she wagged her shopping bag at her boyfriend.
“N-Nurse uniform?” Yosuke repeated dumbfoundedly as his face started turning red from blushing. Instead of saying anything, Labrys winks at her boyfriend and runs off to meet back with Yu and Marie at the crane machine. Realizing he can’t let this opportunity slip by, Yosuke feels his resolve skyrocket and quickly follows after his girlfriend.
After the double date ended, it was time for both couples to head home. Labrys had to take the train back to Iwatodai, so Yosuke offered to walk his girlfriend to the station. That left just Yu and Marie, and the two decided to travel back to Inaba together. Marie is holding a large Jack Frost doll that Yu won for her. The goddess remembers Jack Frost as one of Yu’s personas, so seeing a doll version of it is surreal for her. Marie notes how soft the doll is.
“Sorry again about the movie. In hindsight, we should’ve discussed more to reach a better compromise.” Yu apologized as the two walked on the sidewalk. While Marie is holding the Jack Frost doll, Yu is carrying their shopping bags from Croco Fur. Marie shrugs her shoulders in response.
“It’s alright. I thought I could handle it. Even though I didn’t like the movie, it didn’t ruin the double date for me. I had fun.” Marie praised and looked at Yu with a fond smile. “Thank you.”
“No problem. I’m glad you had fun. Maybe we can do it again sometime.” Yu suggested, earning a soft chuckle from Marie.
“I’d love that.” Marie agreed as she hugged Yu’s arm and pressed her head against his shoulder. “The double date inspired another poem in me. Want to hear it?”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.” Yu encouraged the goddess. Back then, Marie had always been shy about her poetry and would always hide the poems she wrote from other people. But after she and Yu started dating, the goddess opened up more and shared her poems with her boyfriend. Marie thought about publishing her poems, but she doesn’t feel like she’s ready yet. For now, Yu is the person Marie wants to show her poems to.
“R-Right now?! F-Fine then!” Marie sputtered in shock as her face began to blush. After a few seconds of hesitation, the goddess clears her throat.
“A lonely bird found herself lost with broken wings.
She was brought to a safe haven, but the bird was still scared.
Everything was new and strange. She couldn’t understand?
But she wasn’t alone. There were other inhabitants in the haven.
The little bird spent time with the other animals. How odd they are.
The bird becomes whole and is ready to leave for good.
But she looks at the small haven and sees a grand menagerie instead.
The other animals. Her new friends. She couldn’t leave them.
After wandering aimlessly, the lonely bird found herself a new home.
A new home to protect. A new life with love and companions.
Even when life brings change, their bonds still remain.”