A set of curious eyes watched Preserve as he laid out his notes in front of him. He had decided to, just for today, pick up his notes and move his workspace to the ground level of the colony, so he could sit in the fresh air and the warm rays of the sun. He supposed it shouldn't have been surprising that others would be out and about, too, but he still wasn't expecting Flow to just curiously watch him make notes for a good couple of hours. The whelp didn't speak. Preserve remember being explained that the whelp couldn't talk, as a result of being born without hearing. Depart had been complaining about it, his voice filled with affection as he did, as he had explained that they were trying to teach Flow (and by extend the rest of the colony) to talk using her hands. Preserve had heard of that before, and was honestly rather curious about the concept. Now, sitting in the sun with Flow watching him, his curiosity about the whelp grew. It wasn't often that a whelp would sit to attentively for so long, after all. Flow continued to watch as Preserve flipped through his

notes, her small hands moving occasionally, as if mimicking something she had seen. He paused, glancing up to meet her gaze. She seemed a bit shy but interested, her bright eyes locking onto his. "Do you want to see?" Preserve asked, his voice gentle. He knew she couldn’t hear him, but his tone was instinctive. Carefully, he slid a piece of parchment in her direction, offering her one of the simpler drawings from his research. It showed a drawing of the bunker, one that Preserve himself had made while he was trying to figure the code out. This copy was useless for his research, mostly being something he made for fun during a quick break, but seeing Flow's curiosity he hoped she would appreciate it regardless. Preserve smiled watching Flow's reaction. He tapped his chest lightly and then pointed to the drawing, trying to indicate that it was something he had made himself. Flow’s eyes darted to his hand, then back to the drawing, her expression thoughtful- it didn't seem like the message was quite received. Then, to his surprise, Flow raised her hands and made a series of quick, deliberate gestures. It took a moment for Preserve to realize

what she was doing, for a moment mistaking it for just playful whelp movements. Her hands moved fluidly, but the gestures were simple. He couldn’t fully understand, but her eyes and her smile told him all he needed to know. She was grateful to be included, and maybe even a little impressed. Preserve chuckled softly. He wasn’t sure how to respond in her language, but reached out to ruffle the mane on top of the whelp's face smiling warmly, hoping the gesture conveyed his approval. Flow grinned back, her eyes sparkling. The two spent most of the rest of the day in the afternoon sun.