“Bah.” Aoba made a face and a playful sound when his cheeks were squished. He knew well enough that Kuro wouldn’t talk down to him about his rank as an angel- or a fallen one for that matter. In fact, he didn’t feel much of anything when he mentioned, but that wasn’t what was important. 

The talk of the Ocularus made Aoba nibble his food quietly and more thoughtfully. He tried to remember the countless library escapades he had been on, combing through books to figure out all he could that others wouldn’t teach him about. The name itself sounded familiar, but he couldn’t fully remember the details of it. He was sure the books skewed information for safety anyway. Fortunately, he had Kuro to give him that. 

It was a much bigger deal than the demon made it sound, but Aoba nodded and hummed to show he was still listening while he was eating. “Wouldn’t want your head to explode, that’s not ideal.” Aoba said to no one in particular, before his attention focused fully on Kuro once more. “What kinds of things would you even want to know? About the future at least? It sounds useful learning about the past or the present… but the future?” He set his plate down on the side table and leaned back, pulled his knees to his chest. The young angel pulled a wing across him to fiddle with his feathers. “The future has… so many possibilities. So many things that could go right or wrong. Wouldn’t it be better to live in the present and wait for those experiences to happen?” At some point, Aoba was moreso talking to himself than Kuro. 

There were many things about the future he couldn’t- or didn’t want to think about. When he was first tossed down to earth he knew there was a possible chance in the future that he could redeem himself and go back home. But when Kuro came to him, in some odd debt, he knew the future for him was wildly unclear and so many things could go wrong or right. And almost everyday something new presented itself, causing that to change and- 

His train of thought snapped back when he plucked a loose feather. “Ah.. It just sounds like a lot is all.” He continued, combing through making sure all his feathers weren’t just falling out until he lost his wings completely. “Hey, weird question.” He seemed to shift the conversation again without realizing it. “Have you ever seen an angel without wings?” A thought crossed his mind that made his wings pull closer to him. “Wait, better question. Have you ever seen an angel without wings- that weren’t forcefully taken? I’m just, uh, curious. I didn’t realize how many feathers I lost until I got here. I don’t think I actually lost many back… uh, there actually. No reason to. Could be the extra maintenance.”