You should've just ducked or something. Instead you looked where Pomni was shouting your name, said "Huh?" out loud, and got hit in the face.
You collapse into a pile of ribbons and porcelain, your comedy mask shattering on the ground as you groan. You hear footsteps coming close, and you begin to gather yourself back up, teardrops tinkling against your face.
"I am so sorry, Gangle," says Pomni, clutching something in her hands. "It just kind of bounced off his face and flew to you. I didn't mean-"
"It's fine. I know it was an accident," you sigh.
"No, it's okay... I have more at home."
You finally look at what Pomni's holding; a bright green frisbee. Next to her sits a large golden retriever, a completely normal dog except for the fact that it has a television for a head.
Pomni catches your stare and smiles. "I was just kind of wandering through the park, and this fella came up to me. He wanted to play, and I wasn't doing anything, so..."
"I think they're called netpups? I don't really come out here often," you say, turning to look out at the park. This isn't the only screen-headed dog around, there's a lot of them. You can see other Spirale residents playing with them petting them or just sitting with them. It reminds you of those times on campus where they would bring in dogs for stressed students to pet, presumably because it was cheaper than hiring campus therapists.
You look down at Pomni, frowning. "Why, uh... why a frisbee, though? It's not like it can catch."
"Well, it brought it to me. I throw it, it runs after it, and then I go to pick it up, and so on. It's good exercise, I guess?" she says, shrugging.
"Do we... need exercise?"
"I try not to think about it too hard."
There's still a touch of guilt on her face when she hands the frisbee out towards you. "Do you want to try? Play with us, I mean?"
You weren't really doing anything; your plan was just to go home and binge anime until you passed out, but it's been a while since you've spent time with Pomni. It might be nice.
"Um... Okay. I'm not really good at this kind of thing, though," you say, wrapping your hand around the disc.
It took you a while to learn doing physical stuff with your body like this. Turns out you were taking having things like fingers for granted, but you take hold of the frisbee and give it a toss. It doesn't get much distance, which you kind of expected, but the netpup goes bounding after it, tail wagging all the way.
The two of you laugh as it nudges the frisbee with its face before looking back at you. Pomni gestures you to follow as she begins to walk towards it.
"See? Don't want to leave it hanging," she says. "Come on, Gangle. Might as well get our exercise for the day, right?"
You kind of had plans already. You don't really like physical activity very much. Honestly, you're not a big dog person either. It's kind of hot out. It's noisy. Your comedy mask broke.
You step onto the grass, not loving the feeling of sod on your ribbons, but finding yourself oddly willing to face it. Pomni smiles as you fall in beside her, and the two of you walk over to the netpup eagerly awaiting the continuation of the game.
"Maybe we can throw it back and forth," you say. "It won't have to wait as long that way."
"Oh, good idea. Sure, let's do that," says Pomni. "Here, I'll go long."
With that, she jogs off, leaving you as you pick the frisbee up off the ground. The netpup stares up at you, the faint sound of panting coming from its speakers as it wags its tail. You stare back, and reach out a hand to pet its back.
It might bite you. It might decide you make a better toy. You might regret this.
It whines happily as you run your ribbon through its fur. It's softer than you would've thought.
"Gangle! I'm ready, throw it here!" shouts Pomni.
Hopefully you do better this time. You grip the frisbee, pull back, and...
It goes further than last time, though still not that far. The netpup doesn't seem to mind, and dashes after it as Pomni moves in to try and catch it.
You didn't do a good job. You're embarrassing yourself. Pomni just feels sorry for you.
A small smile creases your mask, despite the thoughts buzzing through your head. This is nice. It's even a little fun.
You watch as Pomni and the netpup collide as the pup jumps up to catch your throw, sending them both sprawling. You can't help but laugh even as you call out to her.
"Fine!" she calls back, throwing up a thumbs-up from the ground. "Been through worse!"
You have, haven't you? All things considered, this isn't so bad. This is fine for now. You're fine for now.
The netpup nudges Pomni as she gets back up and readies her own throw. "Ready? Catch!"
You probably won't. But you'll try. Your mask is already broken, so what's the worst that can happen?
