A New Home: Chapter 2.1 (Avery)

As Avery was listening to the Raven’s welcome speech they felt a presence in their mind. “Hello?” They thought, “Is someone there?” 

A perky and cheerful male voice answered,  “A friend! You’re only the second person to talk directly to me with their inner voice!”

“Are you psychic too?” Avery asked, “I’ve never met another psychic!”

“Yes! I’m 1-Z but you can call me Onez!” His voice exploded with excitement.

“Uh, hi? I’m Avery,” They answered looking around trying to find him, “Who are you? I mean in the crowd?”

Following the connection,  Avery’s eyes ended up on a strange-looking kid with giant golden wings who was looking directly at them. The kid waved a weird talon-like hand, “I’m waving do you see me?!”

“I think… are you a… bird?” They asked, their words a little awkward, not wanting to offend.

“I’m like a griffin!” Onez tried to worm his way through the crowd towards Avery but knocked a few people with his wings, making them wince.

Avery waved at him, “Uh, hi?” they said out loud.

“Hi!” He responded out loud, finally getting to them as people who had been hit by the wings were glaring at him, he turned to the nearest one and sheepishly said, “sorry.”

“Are you alright?”

Onez tilted his head and looked at Avery quizzically, in his head he said “why wouldn’t I be?”

“You kind of bumped into a few people,” Avery says, trying not to stare at the griffin boy, they’d never seen a paramorph in person before, they didn’t want to be rude.

“Well it’s crowded and I got big wings. It’s hard not to bump into some people!”

Avery snickered, “I can imagine… I’m Avery… I said that already, didn’t I?”

“And I’m Onez and I said that already too.” Onez smiled brightly and offered his bird-foot-hand thing for a shake.

Avery took it, “Are you a paramorph?”

“Not exactly… I was kinda made like this.”

“Oh…” Avery frowned, Made? Not born, not transformed but made? “That doesn’t seem good.”

Onez just looks at them a little confused.

“It’s nothing,” Avery said

Onez smiled again

“So… are you excited to be here?” Avery asked. 

“Yes! I wanna make friends with all sorts of people and do all sorts of things!”

Avery smirked, “Kind of the same, my dad… he never really let me do things, meet people…”

Onez lion tail swished, “I was only ever let out for missions… still managed to make a friend! Sniper! but…” Onez trailed off and his prior enthusiasm disappeared, Avery could feel… shame? Self-hatred? 

“Missions?” Avery asked, immediately worried.

“Yeah,” Onez answered quietly

“Onez… Did you work for bad people?” Avery asked.

Onez nodded, “I think so? That’s what people tell me… and they did make me… hurt Sniper so… probably bad… very bad.” A sense of panic filled Onez, which then filtered into Avery, he was afraid of judgment…

“I’m sorry…” Avery said, tearing up, they weren’t sure if it was theirs or Onez’s emotions they were feeling, but they were strong. “Can I give you a hug?”

Onez nodded.

Avery gave him a hug, and for a moment a powerful mental loop occurred, a painful burst of feedback like when a microphone held to a speaker shook them both, but Avery held him tightly until it passed.

“You don’t have to do any of that anymore,” Avery thought, or was it Onez? Physical contact made it hard to tell who is who anymore, thoughts becoming tangled into one.

Onez wrapped both arms and wings around Avery, careful to not scratch them with his talons, “I don’t like hurting people,” was Onez’s quiet mental response

“Nobody does, at least not good people and I can feel you’re good people Onez.”

Onez’s —and by extension Avery’s— thoughts became happy again, warm and fuzzy and he squeezed Avery tighter.

“He’s really soft!” Avery thought, surprised at the feeling of feathers brushing against their skin. 

Onez’s ruffled his wings a little happily, “I take good care of my wings!” He telepathically answered quite proudly 

“I can see that,” Avery said, laughing, “You’re kind of strange, but I guess so am I.”

The Raven started calling up people by name, and students were assigned to one of five classes.

“Oh, darn it, hope we’re in the same class?” 

“Yeah me too!”

When the teacher called Avery to class one, they went along turning to Onez, “See you soon?”

“Yeah! Even if we are in different classes I’ll come find you some time!”

“Alright!” Avery waved goodbye, leaving with a big smile on their face.

As Onez was called to class four Avery’s heart sank a little, another name soon came up: Sorensen Thor, Avery’s other friend! At least these two were together?

So Avery sent a message to Onez. “I’m sad we aren’t together, but you’re with another friend of mine!” they try to send a picture of Thor, “He’s really nice, tell him Avery says hi? Oh and ignore Bastard, he’s a bastard.”

“I will! So… What’s a bastard?”

“You’ll regrettably see.” They said before shifting their focus, “Thor?” Avery tried to communicate, “Can you hear me?” 

“Whoa, where even are you?” Bastard’s voice came through as well, “The freak is back! Where is the freak?!”

“Shut up Bastard,” Avery answered, annoyed to hear it again, “About twenty meters behind you?”

“Still don’t see you… too many people…”

“It’s okay, so you see the big bird-griffin person?” Avery asks

“It’s kinda hard to miss them.”

“Well, his name is Onez and he’s really sweet, can you try to watch over him for me?”

“Sure thing!” Thor answered, bringing a smile to Avery’s face. 

“Great another freak and this one is such a garish yellow color.” Bastard whined.

“Where the fuck did you even learn the word garish?” 

Avery tried to focus and sent Thor the sensation of a hug. “Psychic hugs!”

Thor’s thoughts got a tad flustered for a sec. Ragnarok made a retching nose in their head.

Thor’s thoughts devolved into a petty argument with his resident Bastard, and Avery cut off contact, a headache beginning to form once more. 

Avery giggles, drawing attention for a second. So maybe they weren’t in the same class as them, but Avery had made not one but two friends! Maybe they’d make more soon in their own class?

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