Welcome to Gaia! ::

The question had an immediate dampening effect on Oliver's mood. He looked away, finding something on the rocks nearby to focus on rather than the buckets in front of him, or even his companion.

"They will probably get dissected..." He replied, suddenly pulling out his paddle with more fuss than was necessary. "Tissue samples and stuff... I d-don't suppose I need this many, I know they are just monsters and things though..."

Whatever else he might have grown up to be during his last year or so on the island, there was no changing his fragile heart. Thoughts of pain and death still weighed heavily on him. He had even cried after euthanizing minipets, and they were nothing more than little knots of the FEAR the island was dedicated to fighting against. He knew he needed to grow a thicker skin, but it was easier said than done.

Immediately the kid's face lit up with hope. "You think we could?" He asked, leaning forward to look into the bucket. "I don't know much about, um... keeping aquariums, but it might be possible..."

Oliver was silent for a couple seconds, but it was a thoughtful silence rather than a miserable one. "We could probably find a tank for it in the labs, at least for a little bit."