Chapter 2 - Mysterious Happenings

Robbie takes some bread from her lunch, breaks it up into smaller pieces, and tosses it towards the birds. The pigeons initially react with some caution. They watch the tossed food with wary eyes, but as they realize it's a source of sustenance, their natural instincts take over. One of the pigeons, the one that was previously dancing around, takes a few hesitant steps forward and pecks at the offered food. The other pigeons soon follow suit, and within a minute or two, they are all gathered eating the food.

As they eat, the dancing pigeon pauses and says, "Yummy worms!" before returning to its meal. The other pigeons don't seem to mind the commentary"

The pigeons respond with a curious tilt of their heads as they pause in their meal, their beady eyes studying Tanya. After a brief moment of silence, the dancing pigeon, the most talkative of the group, chimes in with an inquisitive tone, "Bread... worms... words? I LOVE WORMS." The bird who was studying the shiny object before stops abruptly and hushes the others. "Of course it's bread. Be quiet. I can hear something." After a moment, he seems to forget and starts eating bread again.

Tanya thinks she can hear some faint rustling in the distance, but she can’t discern if it’s more than the wind.

As Tanya tries to get the pigeons to mimic her, one of them, which hasn't spoken yet, replies in a tone that sounds strangely close to that of a stern teacher, "Everyone not covered in dirt stays after school. No excuses!" The other pigeons suddenly pause in their meal, looking at the talking pigeon as if it were the teacher. A moment of awkward silence hangs in the air before the pigeons go back to their food.

The group of pigeons remain focused on their food and the shiny object, occasionally pausing to exchange words in their mechanical voices. Their conversations consist of a mixture of phrases like "Worms!", "Hush," and what sounds like a teacher issuing instructions. As Emilia concentrates on the rustling noise, it becomes increasingly distinct, indicating that something is approaching, although the noise is intermittent and difficult to pinpoint. Unfortunately, the birds do not seem to respond to Tanya's attempt at mind reading.