"That's an interesting metaphor but I meant the mechanics of the whole thing. What are you doing to what particles to cause there to be new information in my brain?"

'I don't know.'

"Oh, well, there are loads of people who would be happy to help you figure it out!"

"We have been paused on the stairs too long," says Voli. "If you want to start generating experiment ideas it should be after we all get on the train."

"Fair point. I'm going to go buy you that train pass now." Tren goes and does something to a plastic and metal kiosk, which dispenses a dollop of clear liquid they rub all over their hands and a small plastic rectangle they offer to Ancorabenilisifentiliane.

They don't initially move more than they already have been in response.  Then:  'Am I meant to hold this.'

"Yeah, there's a thing one can tap it on to get to the part of the station where the train is."

Ancorabenilisifentiliane delicately takes the plastic rectangle and holds it near their face to examine it.

It says "Bridgecity Subway Mulitpass" and three little abstract symbols on one side and has a picture of a city skyline on the other. The skyline features lots of tall buildings of different shapes and sizes and window configurations.

They return their hand to a bras bas and watch for more behaviors from their humans to imitate.

Their humans imitably tap their cards on a pillar and then go through a turnstile and stand near a set of doors that are currently closed with nothing but a big hole on the other side.

"The train will come from that way," says Kara, pointing, "and it's a bit loud."

Tap.  The turnstile jerks a bit oddly as they first pass through it but they get to the other side alright.  Kara's comment provokes a serious-looking nod.

The train arrives! It's painted with colorful swirls that blur together interestingly (at human visual refresh rates) and then resolve as it slows to a stop. The humans pile in. There are chairs in the corners and some poles in the middle but everyone leans against the walls.

"We get a car to ourselves tonight, since it's night, but in the daytime it's a lot more crowded," Kara mentions conversationally.

Ancorabenilisifentiliane spends a moment looking at the wall before deciding to stand close to but not actually touching it.

'Thank you for warning me of the noise in advance.  How many people are there usually.'

"At the busiest times of day, as many as can fit in the car without being pressed up against each other. Because if there were more than that they'd run more or longer trains."

Nod.  'Who is responsible for the project of trains.'

"A company called, I actually forget what it's called but it's a big group of people who know how to build and run trains, and they collect money with the card system--we store money on the cards and tapping it on the thing transfers a little money to the company. And they use that to maintain the rails and the trains and keep the extra."

"It's actually three different companies running different lines!" Chirps Mark. "That's why you have to change trains at the contemporary art museum and again at fourty-third street even though it's going the same way the whole time. The first few years they had cards instead of cash you needed a different card for each section!"

"Wow, three cards? That was butts," opines Kara.

'Thinking.

Are most human projects this collaborative.'

"Maybe," Voli answers. "Definitely if you scale by impact on the world rather than simple number of projects. A thousand humans working together can do something more useful and more impressive than a thousand humans working separately."

"And even things that are mostly one person's project still involve getting raw materials from somewhere and that somewhere is usually a giant cooperative operation," adds Kara.

'I see.  My species's efforts are typically more solitary.  Though I am an atypical member."

"What sort of scale are they usually on?"

"How much of their time does a typical member of your species spend on work directly necessary for their survival?"

"How are you atypical?"

'It varies, especially with age; nearly all of it; I am less narrowly focused than most.'  A pause.  'Nearly all of it, or only for a short while after their inception.  I am uncertain of your standards.'

"Yeah, that was kind of a vague question. Maybe just describe how you generally spent your time, and for the activities that were more instrumentally than terminally valuable what their purpose was?"

'If I understand you correctly, that is not a question it would make sense to ask most members of my species.'

"You don't mark a distinction between instrumental and terminal values?"

'I am again uncertain of your standards.  I suspect not.'

"Can you try just answering the first bit, then, about how you spent your time?"