Chapter 3
Johannes didn’t get out much. Far too enveloped in his studies to get much socialization with other humans. His only average social interaction came from his frequent visits to his neighborhoods fluffmart. It was your standard chain store housed in between a Chinese take out place and a law office. With the signature bright bubble letters sticking out from the rather bland concrete architecture. He was a regular there. Like always the cashiers greeted him with a smile and a kind hello.
“Oh hey joahn, back for more?”
Johannes chucked to himself as he picked out a shopping cart “yea, fluffies are awfully demanding pets, need some new toys”
“I thought you just bought them toys?”
Johannes voice hitched. He didint want to make himself sound suspicious. “Oh it’s for a freind actually…”
“Ah see, have fun shopping”
Johannes quickly backed away from the stranger. Shoulders and mind tense with anxiety. Nobody needed to know about ayako. Nobody needed to know she was even alive. He didint say a word to the cashier as he checked out his pile of fluffy related goods, a towering pile of foal formula and intellect toys. Even with the cashiers small talk he didint have the brain or heart to respond. The mans expansive mind had been consumed by a torrent of anxiety and bizzare scientific curiosity.
Upon returning home johannes didint say a word to his family of fluffies. He merely dragged his plastic bags of goods down the the basement and shut the door behind him.
“Ayako, i got you some new things”
This time the creature didint hide. She still certainly seemed intimidated by Johannes presence, but not to the point of hiding. She responded with a soft chirp and a raise of her hand.
“Here buddy I got you some stuff to keep you company. Must be boring spending so much time down here by yourself” he emptied the contents of the crumpled fluffart bag onto the concrete floor as ayako stared in amazement. “I got you some new toys and some milkies like you asked”
“Miwkies….?”
“Yep, the best milkies money can buy” he mixed the creamy powder into a lukewarm water bottle and handed it over to ayako. Her dexterous hands gripped the bottle, but instead of biting it like an ape, she managed to twist off the bottle cap and sip the milk.
Johannes was quick to back up into a corner and take out his pad. “Human/fluffy hybrid study day 2. Ayako was given a bottle of water with formula mixed in. Ayako possessed enough dexterity to twist off the bottle cap and consume the milk” he sat by quietly and observed ayakos movements. She seemed too preoccupied by the milk, so the man took a moment to study her anatomy.
“Ayako exhibits human and fluffy traits, as well as the traits of species who had been combined to create fluffies. Further genetic study must be conducted to learn how she is able to exist. But the 1.5% percent human dna found in all fluffies is likely a contributing factor”
The hybrid had seemingly finished off the bottle of milk. Now preoccupied with a set of fluffy toys, the kind where you fit different shapes into holes. She seemed to be struggling to angle the star shape into the correct slot
“Ayako has begun communicating via speech after her 3rd month. Her first words have been “milkies” so I assume this is a result of hasbio foal programming. I suspect it arose later due to the combination of human and foal-“
His writing was cut off by ayakos touch. She held the toy with one hand and excitedly jangled it in front of johannes. she had seemingly managed to complete it.
“Wow ayako…your smarter than tanjo said you were”
“Tanjo….?” She pointed at johannes
He put down his pad of paper so he could communicate clearly “I’m not tanjo, I’m johannes. Can you say that? Yo-hon-es, johannes, do you get it?”
“Yo…Ham…esh”
“You’re getting closer” he smiled eagerly at ayako. She seemed to trust him, a bizzare little friendship. “One more try…johannes, yo-hon-es”
“Jo…hannes?”