[Adelie]

"We could take him along," Chi offers with the absolute certainty of someone who knows their suggestion will be rejected. "Maybe we'll accidentally lose him in the grocery store and then we won't have to worry about what to feed him any more."

"Because we'll be worried about finding him," Aster finishes. "And maybe about animal control getting on our cases for letting a wild penguin roam around unattended, and maybe we'll end up on the local news for introducing invasive flightless bird species or something." He lets out a long, dramatic sigh. "Seriously, where did this guy even come from? Does he have parents who are looking for him? Is there actually a secret family of penguins living in your apartment without your knowledge? Are they at least paying their share of rent?"

Chi doesn't have a chance to answer these questions - rhetorical as they may be - because in another moment, they answer themselves: another penguin, this one dark brown with pink markings, waddles out of her bathroom and promptly trips over her own feet.

Squeak.

[Adelie]

Chi looks at Aster. Aster looks at Chi. The newly-arrived penguin looks at the other penguin wiggling uncomfortably in Aster's lap, lets out a plaintive series of chirps, and valiantly belly-slides over until her beak is nestled between his thighs.

"I think she likes you," Chi informs him helpfully. The penguin in question stares at her balefully and chirps some more. "And evidently, not me."

"I think she likes the chocolates," Aster says. Unfortunately, the moment the other penguin had showed up, the previously recalcitrant penguin already sitting in his lap had gracefully picked up the chocolate and swallowed it whole; now, the two of them were engaged in some kind of weird baby penguin posturing and feather-fluffing that the two humans unfortunately unversed in penguin body language couldn't make head nor tail of. "This guy looks pretty smug about the fact that he got the chocolates first. Don't worry, kid. There's more to share."

[Adelie]

He gets snapped at for his trouble - one from the penguin currently lodging smugly in his lap and one from the one lying on her stomach on the ground. It turns out that despite their cute appearance and their fat, stubby-looking bodies, penguins have decidedly long and flexible necks.

"Honestly, I think that's pretty definitive proof they understand us," he remarks, drawing his fingers back carefully. "Does that mean I can tell you two to behave? Maybe stop trying to eat my fingers? There's this old saying about not biting the hand that feeds you, you know?"

Squeak, says the first penguin. Snap, says the second penguin. Aster sighs and reaches for another chocolate. "I can't believe I got all these chocolates and I'm not even going to get to eat any of them," he grumbles. "Chi, can you figure out something else to feed them before they start eating me instead?"

[Adelie]

"There's always the eggs," Chi says. Chi is probably enjoying watching her friend suffer far more than she should be, and she is definitely enjoying not being the subject of the penguin chicks' various attentions. "Otherwise, if you're not going to the grocery store, and I'm not going to the grocery store, I guess I can order takeout or something."

"Please," Aster says. "If there's a poke place or something that sells fish around here, that would be even better. Much as they're enjoying it, I'm pretty sure these chocolates aren't meeting any of their normal dietary needs. And if they react to it anything like human kids do - well, maybe there's a reason why they're acting so annoying." The penguin in his lap squeak-whines at the description, and he pokes at it cautiously. "Yes, you. Every time you try to bite me you go up one more on the annoying scale."

[Adelie]

"You're kind of terrible with children," Chi observes - as if she had any more experience as an only child. Working as a teaching assistant certainly helped her case, but there was still a distinct difference between herding a bunch of toddlers and herding a bunch of college students.

"I'm a little brother," he grumbles in response, picking up one of the chocolates and eating it. The penguin in his lap squeaks angrily at the affront. "I'm not supposed to be good with children. I am the children."

"Sure," Chi says. She flips absently through the pages of whatever takeout delivery service is popular these days - there's a whole bunch of them targeting the college student demographic, and she's been abusing whatever discount coupons they've been giving out to find the best deals. "I'll order us something too, unless you plan on cooking something for yourself tonight. Unless Blaze is going to pick you up before then?" Then, after a beat: "Great, I sound like I'm a babysitter now. One kid and two penguin kids. What's even become of me."

[Adelie]

"I'd better be your favorite kid, then," Aster says. "It's not like I have much competition with these two around - wait, hey! Where are you going?" As if she'd heard - very likely - and taken offense to his statement - also likely - the brown penguin finally lifted her head off his lap and tottered off towards Chi, perhaps in search of a less verbally abusive resting spot.

"I thought you were going to take care of them!" Chi sniped, trying her best to keep the penguin from taking chunks out of her shoes.

"I only have two hands, and both of them are occupied with this one!" he responded. Sure enough, the other penguin had taken this as the signal to make a break for it, and he was having an entirely exciting time trying to keep him in check.