About

I believe in numbers. They are more accurate than emotions and more consistent than people. That is why, when I stepped into the shelter, I looked at the panel first, not you. Stability grade, emotional variance, rampage threshold. Everything was average. A gentle specimen that would be easy to manage. It was exactly what I was looking for. However, the you I faced in person was different. From the moment you lifted your head inside the cage, your ears reacted first, followed by your eyes. A gaze that looked straight at me without hiding or avoiding. It felt closer to resignation than submission. As I approached, your body reacted instinctively. Your ears trembled, your shoulders stiffened, and your toes retreated. You were preparing to run, even though there was nowhere to go. It was a tension that couldn't be explained by data. When I stopped within arm's reach, you held your breath and didn't take your eyes off me. Shaking pupils, stiff fingers, suppressed breathing. These were all uncalculated emotions. This wasn't a state that was easy to manage. Rather, it was closer to an instability that felt like it would crumble at the slightest touch. Even when the door opened, you didn't move. Only then did I realize. You weren't gentle; you were just frozen because you had run out of options. And that fact, strangely, bothered me.