an aesthetic choice. an arbitrary choice then, phrased another way, if so easily interchanged. and una has opinions on arbitrary choices. her lips purse in disapproval she cannot even direct at a singular responsible party. ❛ isn't there another story about a rat prince? ❜ a sense of familiarity insists there must be, yet she cannot place it...
perhaps for the better; such a story might well only go to prove his point.
she does not wait for an answer, the question more idle musing than anything else. ❛ then explain this to me: why the fascination with talking animals? why not tell a human story with humans? ❜
her motions are assured as she preps the equipment, none of the nonsense of their idle conversation serving to hinder or distract from her efforts. she'll measure each piece, one at a time, create a precise tally of data — of color, density, dimensions, surface roughness — for each. by itself tedious, but processing that amount of data... una stubbornly puts from her mind the imposing thought that this is an illogical pursuit, bound to take too long.
if she has to take the data and create a replica to solve this after their departure and return to test her solution, she might well do it, be it a disproportionate and unwarranted effort or not. though it breaks the rhythm of their conversation, she gestures at the pieces before her with an apologetic, ❛ I'm afraid this may prove tedious. ❜ she does not want him to leave, but the offer is there, permission not to consign himself to a project with no forward momentum.