Category: Core Chapter

A New Home: Chapter 2.13 (Mitch)

~ Nerathul ~ Leave a comment

Mitch left the living room and grabbed his bags making his way up the stairs to his new room. The dorms looked pretty much like Credence described them, not changing much in the last 4 years.

On one of the bedroom doors was a little paper sign with the names, Deryn and Mitch. He opened the door. Someone had left a cat carrier on one of the beds and a calico kitten roamed about it. Mitch dropped his bag and came closer, “Heyyy buddy, you belong to my roommate?” he held out a hand for the kitten to smell but after a brief whiff, it went back inside the carrier to hide.

“Awww little buddy you don’t wanna hang out?” Mitch looked sadly at Hermes’ carrier. 

The door opened behind him and someone called, “Hey roomie!”

“Hey!” Mitch stood up from his crouch and turned back towards the door, immediately seeing two people. A normal-looking slender, feminine teen with golden-brown hair tied up in a bun and a strange-looking bird person, “oh uh,” he pointed at Deryn, making a quick guess based on the voice, “you’re the one who called me roomie right? Cause I don’t think I had two roommates listed.”

The bird person’s wings stretched out slightly and he bounced on his heels, “I just came to say hi to Deryn’s kitty.”

“This is Onez,” Deryn said, they came forward and looked at Hermes hiding in his carrier, “Oh you okay boy?” They asked, coming closer. The cat looked agitated for a second and then relaxed. 

Mitch rubbed the back of his head and laughed a tiny bit, “Sorry I probably smell like a big dog, got a Doberman at home.” He already missed Diablo a bit but since he wasn’t a service dog he couldn’t bring him. Besides that, he was technically Credence’s dog, not that they ever made a distinction about what belonged to who.

Deryn scratched the cat and brought him out to show Onez, “This is Hermes, he’s a kitten a female stray at the local shelter I volunteer at gave birth to,”

Onez came up and scratches Hermes gently on the head with his bird claw hand

“He’s a cute little guy,” Mitch says, knowing he’d be living with the kitten he gave him and Onez some space to pet him and instead started unpacking his things. Was it too early to text Credence? Was he being a little clingy to feel so desperate to talk to him when it’s only been a few hours?

“I’m Deryn,” Mitch’s new roommate extended a hand.

“Mitch,” he paused his unpacking to shake their hand with a friendly, slightly crooked smile. 

Deryn smiled, “Alright, we should give Hermes some space.”

“Awww,” Onez whined, disappointed.

Deryn patted his shoulder, “You’ll get to see him another day, right now he’s overwhelmed and only keeping still because I’m influencing him.”

“Mmmmmm okay, see you tomorrow Hermes!” Onez gave Hermes another little head scratch and started to leave, he waved at Mitch, “Bye Mitch! If you wanna text your boyfriend you should just do it. I’m sure he won’t think you’re being too clingy!” He said with sincerity before leaving the room, “bye Deryn!”

Deryn facepalmed, “Forgive Onez, he’s not exactly on the upside of telepathic etiquette.”

Mitch mentally ran back through every thought he had since Onez stepped in. How deep did the kid probe? He didn’t seem to think there was anything off about Mitch but he could have learned something he shouldn’t have about Credence. Mitch would have to avoid him in the future. Taking a deep breath, Mitch forced himself to compartmentalize and get back to normal.

“Sorry, I’ll have a talk with him about privacy tomorrow,” Deryn added.

Mitch chuckled, shaking his head. He shouldn’t act too put off about it, “so what about you? What can you do?”

“I’m an Empath,” Deryn said, “Mind if I get comfortable?”

So also psychic? But they wouldn’t be able to get too much from just emotions… Hopefully, can’t exactly avoid his roommate. Mitch shrugged, “go ahead.”

Deryn sat down, removing their shoes, then they reached into their sweater and removed their bra. “I’m a little surprised I’m rooming with a boy, but then again I did write no preference on my application form.” 

“Same” he laughed.

“Pronouns are they/them,” Deryn informed him and laid down half on their bed with legs dangling off the edge, feet still on the floor.

“He/him” Mitch replied, he finished getting a good chunk of his stuff away and sat down, pulling his phone out to text Credence, agonizing over how to tell him he missed him already and not get an eye-rolling emoji back. 

“Where are you from?” Deryn asked, drawing his attention back to them. 

“Grew up in Arizona, moved to the New York area when I was like 8 though.” 

“Do you like it?” Deryn asked, sitting up to undo their hair, letting it fall down.

“Arizona or New York? Either place is fine I guess. I don’t remember much of my friends from Arizona or anything, just how hot it always was and how close Abuela lived, how easy it was to go to her house every evening and just watch her cook.”

Deryn smiled nostalgically, “Sounds nice, and New York, how is the big city?”

“Nice, met a lot of other cape kids, and my boyfriend, here in New York and it’s definitely my hometown now.”

“You’re a cape kid?”

“Yeah…”

“Cool, my parents are mutants but they aren’t capes or anything,” Deryn said, “Now what was that about a boyfriend?” they asked with a teasing note, “Does he have a name?”

“Yeah, Credence.” Mitch showed them his home screen photo. The ‘best’ photo he had of him; in which Credence was barely visible, wearing a hoodie and his long black hair obscuring most of his face as he hugged Diablo. 

Deryn gave it a look, arching a brow. “Camera shy?” they asked.

“Yeah, he hates having his picture taken, absolutely refuses to believe he’s handsome.”

“Awww,” Deryn smirked softly, “I’m glad you found someone you love.”

“Thanks! Do you have anyone?”

Deryn paused, looking uncomfortable, “Not… anymore…”

“Ahh sorry, I’ve stepped in it,” Mitch said sheepishly. 

“No, no, it’s a fair question,” Deryn said, “I… I messed up, and it’s still fresh.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Thanks,” Deryn smiled sadly, “Ugh, you get back to gushing about your boyfriend so I can feel that contact-high empath feels,” they teased. 

Mitch laughed, he dropped down on his bed and started typing out his “I love you”s and “I miss you”s giving up on playing it cool while he answered Deryn. “He’s super cute but refuses to listen to me. Believe it or not, that is the most complete pic I have of him. Most of them He’s running away so it’s all blurry.”

“That’s the feeling,” Deryn said, lying down and smiling. “Oh, silly boy.”

“He only sat still for that one cause I said I wanted one of Diablo so he had to hold him still and I would for sure crop him out.”

“You sneaky bastard,” Deryn said, “Smart.” 

“He’s hard to trick. I was proud of myself for that one… now if only I could get his face.”

“You ever tried stealing his school photo album? Or was he too cool to sit in for a class picture?”

“He doesn’t keep any of that old nostalgia stuff around.” He threw it all out after the Tzari war.

“Damn,” Deryn stretches, Hermes has calmed down and started exploring a little.

Hermes had come out of his carrier but was intimidated at the height of the bed. “We’ll need to make you a ramp in the morning,” Deryn said, petting him.

“He looks young, how old is he?”

“About twenty weeks.”

“Just a little baby huh.”

“Yeah,” Deryn opened a bag and retrieved clothes and bathing products, “I should hit the shower.”

Mitch saluted, “I will guard your cat with my life in the meantime.”

“I’m sure you will,” Deryn smirked and went out with a wave, “Bye.”

Mitch focused back on his message to Credence. Once Deryn was gone he started typing out his actual report about what he had seen, learned, and who he had met so far, including, of course, the strange alien from some unknown planet. He received a quick reply of an eye roll emoji, an ‘understood’, and after a long time of watching a … pulse, he got an ‘I miss you too’.

A New Home: Chapter 2.12 (Thea)

~ Nerathul ~ Leave a comment

Thea made it to her room carrying her rather substantial baggage, her room was different from others; next to the bed was a large garden bed where she could replenish and meditate. 

Her eyes were drawn to her roommate; a strange girl sitting in a wheelchair by the other bed, looking far too young to be at Ravenhold, her brown skin had an unhealthy gray tint to it. The girl sat quietly with a book in her hands, only the whirling of a mechanical pump breaking the silence.

“Hi, there!” Thea said.

The girl barely looked up, “yeah,” she muttered.

Thea frowned and put down her stuff, “What are you reading?” She asked, hoping to make conversation.

The girl shrugged, lifting the book up slightly so Thea could read the title on the spine, some trashy sci-fi thing Thea had never heard of.

“Never heard of it,” Thea shrugged, she went to the window and looked out it, looking over the house’s backyard. “Hm, not bad sunlight, will be alright for plants.”

The girl finished the tiny book and sighed, tossing it aside without a care. Thea caught her staring at her directly.

“Can I help you?”

Hijack rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Thea shrugged it off, she’d been stared at before. She opened her bags and began sorting things out, organizing what would go in the drawers, what went in the closet, and what would go in the bed compartment.

The girl was still staring.

“Yes, I’m a plant.” 

“I noticed.” the girl answered.

How rude, Thea thought, most had the decency to pretend they weren’t staring.”And you’re staring at me, and it’s uncomfortable.”

“I have eyes, it’s what you do with them.”

“Do you have a problem with me? And how I am?”

“Not particularly.” She shrugged.

Thea threw her hands up, with a loud frustrated sigh, “Whatever.” She went back to her organization. “How old are you anyway? You look way too young to be here.”

“Depends on how you think of age. Could be 4, could be 10 or 11, could be 14 or 15.”

Thea stopped. Had she heard correctly? She tilted her head back at the girl, “Four?”

“Four years ago three ten-to-eleven-years old girls died in the Tzari invasion and then a crazy man stitched them together and brought them to life.” She raised and spread out her hand, indicating her own body.

Thea gave her a good look for once, noticing the many scars, the way her legs were different colors from the rest of her upper body. The tank attached to her chair was actually connected to a metal plate behind her head. 

“The fuck,” was all Thea could answer. What the hell had happened to this girl?

“My thoughts exactly.” She said in a bored tone

Thea went quiet having no idea what to even say to her. She went back to her things, and the girl didn’t seem to care to talk.

“Do you have a name?”

“Hijack.”

“That’s not a name.”

“That’s what they called me.”

Thea nodded. She looked back at Hijack, she was still staring. “Do you have nothing better to do?”

“I finished the book.”

Thea sighed, took out her phone, and gave it to Hijack, “There, play a game or something.” She paused, “If you look at my pictures or DMs I will kill you.” 

There were things in there she didn’t want someone else to see, private things, things Thea wasn’t entirely proud of, but she needed money…

“I’m already dead.” Hijack said, tapping away. 

Thea soon heard the music of Beat Mania so she let Hijack out of her mind. 

The game music played quietly, only to be constantly interrupted by failure noises. Once Hijack ran out of lives in one game, she tried the next, and then the next. 

“You’re out of lives, I’m buying more.”

“I don’t have a credit card.”

Hijack let out a scream of frustration and threw the phone, thankfully it hit the soft mattress of Thea’s bed before harmlessly bouncing to the ground. 

“Hey!” Thea snapped, “That’s my phone, do you have any idea how expensive that is?”

Hijack crossed her arms angrily glaring at the phone. “Stupid game is impossible.” She muttered, rolling out of the room. 

Thea retrieved her phone, the screen protector had held. “Fucking child,” she grumbled

Thea put down her phone and finished unpacking. About ten minutes later Hijack came back, carrying manga she’d retrieved somewhere in the house. Thea stared at her, hoping to maybe shame her into an apology, but Hijack just ignored her. 

So Thea gave up, getting ready for the night, she took off her clothes, feeling no shame. It wasn’t like there was anything to see anymore; Thea no longer had human genitals or breasts. She sat down in the garden bed and closed her eyes.

Using her powers to extend roots into the earth, her body drawing in nutrients and sending its waste into the soil, Thea’s mind slowed down, when she was rooted she went into a trance of sorts, not too different to how she once slept as a human.

She was vaguely aware of Hijack putting down the manga after a time, closing the lights and going to bed, the strange tank of black fluid still connected to her. 

Hijack was going to be a problem, Thea knew, but also maybe she needed a friendly hand? 

A New Home: Chapter 2.11 (Luciana)

~ Nerathul ~ Leave a comment

Class 4 Living Room Chaos

Lucy came into the house, Mr. Kibbles was bouncing with excitement. “House!” He rushed on ahead, sniffing everything and everyone, Lucy following and apologizing. When he came into the living room there was a tall gray furry paramorph figure standing there inspecting books from a shelf.

Mr. K went to sniff them, “What’s that?” He signed to Lucy.

“I don’t know,” Luciana answered vocally, “Hi?”

The strange-looking being cocked her head, “what don’t know?” She said with an unplaceable accent.

“Sorry, my dog wanted to know what you are, are you a mutant paramorph?” Luciana asked, “Sorry, don’t mean to be rude or anything.”

“Son’ma is Ver. Not srom Ears.” Son’ma stared at Mr. Kibble, looking confused, “Sat is dog?”

“He’s a special kind of dog.” Luciana asked. “What’s a Ver?”

“Not human. Srom Ver planet.”

“More aliens?” A tall tan Latino with a black leather collar around his neck walked in. He made a little bit of a face at Son’ma but it quickly went back to an easy, cocky smile. 

“What’s this about aliens?” A tall plant girl came in next, 

Luciana looks at her wide-eyed, “Woah, you’re like a salad.”

The Salad-girl gave her a look. 

“Salad?” Son’ma asks confused, “Is type os human? Or alien?”

“I’m a mutant,” Plant-girl said, “a paramorph.”

Son’ma nodded as if she understood.

Mr. K loudly breathed with excitement, coming to greet everyone in turn. 

“What’s with your dog?” The Latino boy asked Lucy.

“I mutantized him,” Luciana shrugs, “Oh, does anyone want cupcakes? I made them myself!” Lucy opened a bag and took out some uniced cupcakes “I got some icing too, but figured it’d get all squashed up.”

“Ooo I’ll take one,” the Latino boy held out his hand, 

Son’ma looks at them curiously, “what is a cupcake? Sood? Does not look eat-able to Son’ma.”

“It’s a small cake? It’s sweet?” Luciana said. Did they not have cupcakes on Ver? If so, what a shame! 

“Can’t eat cake anymore,” Thea said, “They do look nice.”

The alien took one of the cupcakes and touched it to a long, strange dangling appendage under her arms. “Not good sor Ver eating.”

“What do you eat?” Luciana asked.

“I like your dangly things,” Thea said sitting down, “You’re very pretty.”

“Meat!” Son’ma answered, baring her sharp carnivore teeth, “Tae.” Son’ma said, wiggling her tae and pointing at the appendages, “Sank you.” she then said to Thea.

“So does that mean you’re from space?” Luciana asked. She gave one to the boy along with an icing tube, and took one for herself.

“Yes and no.” Son’ma answers, “oser space.”

Another person stepped into the living room. He was pink head to toe with axolotl gills on the side of his head and dragging an axolotl tail that peaked out of the knee-length floral skirt he wore.

“Oser space?” Lucy asks. She saw the newcomer, “Hi, woah, you’re pink! Do you want a cupcake?”

Son’ma frowns, “oser space aaaa…. oser… dimension space?” She said the word dimension somewhat haltingly

“Ooh, parallel dimension?” Luciana says, “That’s cool.”

“Papa says I shouldn’t eat sugary foods.” the pink axolotl kid said.

“Well, your dad isn’t here so a cupcake won’t hurt anything.” The Latino boy said, taking a bite of his own cupcake.

The Axolotl boy shook his head, “I’ve got to listen to Papa even when he’s not here.”

The Latino boy frowned, “what’s your name, kid?”

The axolotl boy stared at Mr. Kibbles, “I’m Gabriel.” He answered not taking his eyes of Mr. Kibbles

“I’m Luciana, but everyone calls me Lucy,” Mr. Kibbles let out a soft bark, “I was getting to you, this is Mr. Kibbles, he’s the world’s best service dog.”

The plant girl spoke up next, “I’m Thea Winters, I know Winter/plant, it’s ironic or something.”

“Mitch Garcia.” the latino boy introduced himself, “These cupcakes are pretty good!” Mitch said, finishing one-off

“Son’ma is Son’ma.”

“Thanks, I bake a lot, and Mr. K is the perfect assistant,” Lucy said. “He even helps make his biscuit,” She took one out of a small bag with a biscuit print and gave it to him. Mr K. eating the biscuit happily.

“The dog helped make these?” Mitch made a face, “how good is he at washing his paws?”

“Very good,” Lucy said, she took a second dog biscuit and bit into it. “Anyone wants one?” 

Thea paused, looking at her. “What, did you just eat a dog biscuit?” 

“What? They’re beef and peanut butter.” Lucy laughed.

Mitch laughed, “I’ll pass,” 

Son’ma looks at the dog biscuit, “meat?”

Lucy offers one, “kinda? try it?”

Son’ma took it with her hand, the tae wrapping around it at the same time, after a moment she tossed it in her mouth whole and chewed, “good.”

“We’ve got approval!” Lucy smiled, “If you want more just ask.”

“They’re my biscuits!” Mr. K protested.

“Puppy you can share.”

“So what makes an alien wanna be an Earth superhero…. especially an alien that doesn’t have a bunch of their kind running around here?” Mitch asked Son’ma

“Son’ma’s likes humans.” 

“I’ve never even heard of Ver,” Lucy said. She knew a lot of aliens; Itharii, Gimelians, Venusians, Shivats, Tzari, or Chts, but never had she heard of a ver. 

“Not come to sis Ears.”

“Ears? Oh Earth?”

“Well Son’ma did say they were from another dimension, are there lots of Ver there?”

Son’ma nodded, “Ver have ears.”

“Are you okay?” Thea said, seeing Gabriel had gone quiet.

“I’m fine!” Gabriel smiled, “Why do you ask?”

“You’ve just gone quiet,” she said, “just making sure.”

Gabriel’s eyes were wide and innocent, “I’m not supposed to talk.”

“Who said that?” Thea demanded.

“Papa. He says I shouldn’t speak until spoken to.”

Thea’s foliage wilted at the words, “Well, he’s not here, and here you can speak as much as you want.”

Gabriel frowned, his brow furrowing, “… I don’t know….”

Mitch patted Gabriel on the back, “relax a little, do what you wanna do.”

“Yeah, we’re here to have fun!” Lucy said with a smile, “I personally plan to Vlog my superhero journey!”

“Vlog?” Son’ma asked and Gabriel looked equally confused.

“It’s a video journal kind of thing,” she explains, “I do a lot of Youtube stuff.”

They both continued to look at her with complete confusion.

“You make a video about stuff in your life?” She tries to explain. 

“People see?” Son’ma asked.

“Wait, of course you don’t know what Youtube is,” she said, taking her phone. “It’s like a place where people put videos and music,” she puts on a pop song, her phone is quite loud.

Son’ma looks at Lucy’s phone, “How much videos?”

“More than you could ever watch,” Lucy answered, she clicked on something else; a movie trailer, “you can watch trailers, music videos, life blogs, documentaries, just about anything you can think of, well I guess you can’t watch naughty stuff.”

Mitch laughed, “I’m sure you could find some if you looked hard enough.”

Son’ma frowned, “Sree?” She asked.

“Sree?” Luciana blinked.

“No money?”

“You don’t need money, just the internet,” Luciana said, passing her the phone.

Son’ma’s eyes, well one pair of them it looked like she might have a second set that was closed, sparkled as she clicked around on Youtube, “humans are creative.”

“I guess we are,” Luciana says. Mr. Kibble signed at Lucy, asking to tell them about his art. “Yes, puppy you’re a great artist too.”

“Artist puppy?” Thea asked, “I’d like to see that.”

“Even dog can be artist?” Son’ma asked, “amazing.”

“Mr. K is special,” Lucy shrugged.

Mitch reached out to pet Mr. Kibbles’s head, “Show us some of your art buddy?”

Lucy asked for her phone back, and then quickly flipped to her Instagram, showing some pictures of Mr. Kibble’s art, it was all rather childish, but she dared any naysayer to have their dogs do better. “Such an artist, the canine Picasso.” she teased. Mr. K, meanwhile, looked very proud.

“Very talented!” Mitch praised, scratching Mr. Kibbles behind the ears.

Mr. Kibbles gratefully accepted the scratches, looking as smug as a dog can. 

Lucy’s phone buzzed with an alarm, reminding her to take her meds. “Aw man, have you seen the time?” she said, “Should unpack.”

Mitch checks his phone, “shit you’re right. See you guys tomorrow!”

“Bye!” Luciana said, grabbing her bags. 

The others filtered out with goodbyes, Gabriel was the last to leave, zoning out a bit in the middle of the living room before finally heading upstairs.

A New Home: Chapter 2.9 (Angelo)

~ Nerathul ~ Leave a comment

Angelo made his way up the stairs a bit ahead of almost everyone else. He didn’t need to grab any of his bags as they had already been taken up to his room, along with Cookie, by his driver.

He was not the first of the kitchen group to head up the stairs, however. Walking in front of him was the wolf girl, Kayla, taking the steps two at a time with her long-legged gait. She was unencumbered by any bags. Angelo called out to her, “where are your things?”

“Hmm? Oh, I had my driver bring them up earlier, and some other stuff was delivered way earlier as well.” She stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back down at Angelo. When he caught up she threw a hand over his shoulders and Angelo silently lamented the white fur that was sure to shed on his sweater and in his wig. “What about your stuff. I don’t suppose that fancy dress of yours is all you have.”

“Hardly.” Angelo sniffed, trying to wiggle out from under Kayla’s heavy arm, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m in room one.”

“What a coincidence! So am I, I guess we are roommates!” Kayla swung open the door with the tiny metal one and a piece of paper that said Angelo and Kayla on it to a room… that was absolutely bursting. Bags lined the floors almost to the point of being unable to take a step. One desk was covered in strange science equipment, spilling out onto the floor around it. On the other desk sat Cookie’s cage, hanging over the edges.

Angelo extricated himself from under Kayla’s arm and stepped inside with a sigh, “This is going to be so much work to get looking good.” He bent down to unzip the first suitcase that he recognized as his.

“Well it’s not like we have to get everything done tonight,” Kayla said, rummaging through the science equipment on and around her desk.

“I cannot,” Angelo grunted as he nearly tripped over another bag while bringing some of his clothes to the wardrobe, “sleep in a mess like this.”

“You wouldn’t have to sleep in it, the bed’s clean.”

“That’s not enough!”

Mostly in silence Angelo and Kayla put away their things until both the wardrobes, closets and under-bed drawers were full to bursting.

Angelo sighed in relief and began to gather up the things needed for his nightly routine. It was getting late and he wasn’t going to have his 8 hours of beauty sleep if he didn’t hurry. – “Hey, this you?” Kayla asked, holding up her phone. Angelo paused on his way out the door, his entire nighttime beauty routine in his hands. On Kayla’s phone was his Instagram page. He nodded. “So is it influencer money then or…?”

Angelo shook his head, “I don’t really take brand deals or anything. It’s my parents’ money… and a little bit from professional modeling gigs.”

“What do your parents do? My dad runs Walker Pharmaceuticals.”

“My dad is a designer. Mom is a model.”

“So-”

Angelo cut her off. “Sorry, but I’d really like to take a shower now.”

After an hour-long, calming routine Angelo returned to the room. With his contacts out and his glasses left in the room, he tripped over the corner of an empty suitcase. Kayla laughed, “If you weren’t carrying the dress and wig in your hands I might’ve asked who the hell you were. That transformation is amazing.”

With Angelo’s short black hair, darker eyes squinting with poor vision, and wearing an oversized t-shirt and plain black slippers, Angelo knew he couldn’t look more different from his lolita look if he tried. 

Angelo found his tiny purse and pulled his glasses out of it, putting them on, “I’ve heard that one before. Certainly not as much of a transformation as whenever you turned yourself into a… wolf. That must have given your family quite a shock when they first saw you.”

Kayla laughed again, louder this time, “Oh yeah, my dad straight up fainted!”

Angelo laughed politely as well, putting away his dress, wig, and toiletries. He flopped down on his bed. He pulled out his phone and posted a selfie he took during the tour before mindlessly scrolling until his eyelids got heavy.

A New Home: Chapter 2.8 (Avery)

~ Nerathul ~ Leave a comment

When Avery got to the staircase where all of the students’ baggage had been left by the porters, Avery frowned at the giant suitcase their mom had filled, then at the staircase. It was going to be hard…

Avery sighed and got to work, having to lift the overfilled suitcase one step at a time. When they had finally conquered the dozen steps their arms were sore and lungs hurting as they panted.. 

Avery dragged their suitcase through the door of their assigned bedroom, only for it to get stuck.“Mom, why did you pack so much?” Avery sighed and flipped the suitcase sideways to get it through the door. 

“Do you require assistance?” their roommate asked, a black kid sitting cross legged on their bed with really long braids that pooled around them on the bed.

“I’m just about there,” Avery said finally getting it all in, “But thanks!” Avery sighed and sat down on the other bed, already tired. “I’m Avery.”

“Caleb.”

“Nice to meet you,” Avery said. They wanted to pass out but their mom’s voice nagging at the back of their head to follow social protocols, and after resting a moment Avery stepped forward offering a handshake. 

Caleb shook their hand, only for Avery to be drawn into their mind, Caleb’s mind was like nothing Avery had seen before; a vast expanse of darkness, echoing with a strange humming, and there was not one but two voices echoing in it; one spoke English, the other a language Avery had never heard before.

Avery broke off the contact, blinking. “What language was that?” they mumbled out loud.

Caleb’s head cocked to the side, strange eyes with black sclera and one white and one silver iris open wide and a little blank, “hmm?”

“Sorry,” Avery recoiled a bit,  explaining often made people mad, “I did it again… your thoughts, I can hear them but I’ve never heard that language.”

Caleb’s brow furrowed and eir voice grew… deeper and darker, taking on an inhuman cavernous tone, “you read my thoughts.”

“Accidentally?” Avery winced, “I can’t really turn it off.”

“Caleb” continued to glare, shadows spreading out from under them, creeping threateningly towards Avery. Inside them, Avery could feel the two voices arguing, the human voice arguing for mercy .

Avery stepped back, clearly afraid of what they would do..

Caleb stiffened, then sighed, “fine, it is forgiven.” But Caleb’s mind was still angry. Or was it Caleb’s? When touching em, Avery had heard a name; Enozi…

Avery slowly went back to their bed, still trembling from the display of power.

Caleb closed eir eyes again and returned to meditation, Avery feeling the thing’s attention moving away from them.

Avery didn’t dare move for a minute until they were certain Caleb’s anger dissipated. 

After a minute they sighed, removing their shoes, then socks. Using a wet napkin, Avery cleaned their feet. “Freedom,” they muttered, finally rid of one of their least favorite sensory experiences.

Caleb meanwhile was still meditating, the two minds interacting but at a distance Avery could not hear what they said, only feel their presence. 

Avery ignored their roommate as much as they could, trying to feel at home in the dorm. They’d never shared a room with anyone and it was going to be a challenge… especially with whatever was happening with Caleb…

Avery picked up their phone and turned off airplane mode Immediately it buzzed with a bombardment of texts from their mother, and missed call notifications.

> Did you land safely?

> Avery are you okay?

> Please answer baby 

> I’m worried

> Pick up ASAP!

“Relax mom, I’m fine…” They mumbled, with everything happening they’d completely forgotten to report in like they were supposed to. Avery rolled their eyes, sent a quick text to tell their mom they were fine and safe at Ravenhold, and put their phone down.

Avery felt Enozi’s gaze on them again, and saw ey were staring at them.

“Yes?” 

Caleb immediately closed eir eyes again.

Avery sighed, and unpacked what they needed for the night. Their mom even had a checklist and routine steps prepared, which they followed; Pajamas, fresh underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel, loofah, skin cream, and slippers

Caleb climbed off the bed with a sigh, grabbed a small bag of toiletries, and left the room. Behind em, eir shadow was strange; too large, too dark and almost pulsating

Avery lied down not wanting to follow immediately after, “Why do I get the weird roommate with the creepy eyes…” 

Avery’s heart was beating fast, still tense after the confrontation. When Caleb came back, the second, more human, voice in their mind had faded. They could feel a presence but like it had gone to sleep.

Avery picked up their kit and left the room, heading for the showers, dragging on in there as long as they could. Normally their showers were quick, but that night Avery preferred dysphoria over facing their roommate… 

Avery came back, walking lightly to avoid disturbing Caleb who was meditating once again. They gave xem a look, only for Caleb to open eir eyes and match Avery’s gaze.

Avery flinched and looked away, muttering a sorry.

Caleb sighed, “I will not hurt you. In fact, I cannot.”

Avery looked at Enozi, “That’s not comforting at all.”

Ey tilted eir head to the side and stared unblinking, sending shivers down Avery’s spine “why not?”

“it just isn’t!”

Caleb’s brow furrowed and they stood up, moving for the door, Avery sensing deep confusion and annoyance.

Damn it, Avery swore internally, Caleb probably wasn’t purposefully being weird and creepy… 

“Wait,” Avery said, “Sorry… It’s just… you make me on edge…”

Enozi turned back to them and pursed eir lips, “I see that, I shall go downstairs so that you may sleep peacefully.”

Avery sighed, feeling like they were too harsh. “Sorry…”

Avery went to bed, the bed was soft and comfortable, but it wasn’t theirs. They spent the night tossing and turning, hardly finding any sleep, fifteen minds buzzing in their sleep nearby… Ravenhold was going to be harder than they’d hoped…

A New Home: Chapter 2.7 (Axel)

~ Nerathul ~ Leave a comment

Axel was the first to get to their room, the name on the door saying ‘Axel & Riley’ he smiled, he liked Riley, I mean how could you not like someone who gave you free cookies? 

Axel began undoing his luggage. Hadn’t Riley left the kitchen just after him? He shrugged off the thought. 

It took about ten minutes before Riley came in, carrying their luggage behind them. “Oh,” they laughed, “So we’re roommates now.”

“Hey Cookie kid Riley!” Axel said, excited, “Roomies!” He offered a fist bump.

Riley bumped fists with Axel, “I promise I don’t snore… or at least Teddy has told me I don’t snore. I guess he could’ve lied.”

“Does that mean I have two roomies, but one of them is an invisible monkey demon thing?” Axel pondered out loud, he really wanted to see and hear this Teddy thing, but how? “You still have cookies, right?”

Riley pulled some cookies out of a portal. “I always have cookies.”

Axel pilfered the boxes, taking some of his favorites out and piling them on his nightstand, “I have the best roomie!” he said, mouth now full of cookies. 

Riley grinned ear to ear, “I’ll make some peanut-free brownies soon too.”

“Oh my god, I love you so much!” Axel came forward and kissed their cheek.

Riley let out a loud ‘eep’ but didn’t move away, when Axel let go Riley didn’t move an inch.

“Sorry, I’m touchy-feely!” Axel said with a laugh, “So d’you get lost?”

“Hmm?” Riley unfroze and tossed their bags  down on the bed, opening up the biggest one and starting to put things away

“It just took you like ten minutes to find the room,” Axel shrugged.

“Oh, I just had to use the loo.”

“The loo? You Brits are funny.” Axel said, “biscuits, a lift, chips, crisps!” He spoke the words in a mock British accent.

“No more baked goods for you if you mock my accent.” Riley joked, putting the Tupperware of cookies back in the portal.

“I’m not mocking! I love the British! I had the biggest crush on David Tenant watching old Doctor Who reruns as a kid.” 

Riley raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

They shook their head, cotton candy-colored curls bouncing like a light and fluffy cloud, “nothing, nothing you Americans are just silly.”

“Are we?” Axel pondered seriously. To him, Americans were ‘normal’, but he could see how some of the things they did were silly to outsiders. 

“Very.”

“Noted!” Axel said stuffing more cookies in his mouth, speaking while chewing, “Aw man, now I need to figure out how to repay you for the cookies.”

“No need. Someone’s got to eat all the stuff I make, I certainly can’t eat it all.”

“But that doesn’t seem fair, you do all the work!” Axel said, it wasn’t right to take someone’s hard work and not give something in return; his family had drilled those ethics into him. 

“Well, I’d bake even if people didn’t eat them cause baking is my hobby.”

“Alright, fair,” Axel said, sitting on his bed, “Have you ever had roomies?”

“Sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Axel arched his brow, “I’m a single kid, but I have a cousin now I share a room with.”

“I bounced around foster homes, sometimes they had other kids in the house.”

“Oh, sorry, what happened to your parents, can I ask that?” Axel laid down. 

Riley shrugged, “don’t really know.”

“Ah,” Axel got back up within seconds, so much energy running through him, it was late but he was still bouncing, and started undoing his braid. 

“Your cousin moved in with you?”

“No…” he slowed down, “My parents died during the war,”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, they were heroes, they died doing the right thing,” Axel said. “They were in the first graduating class here, that’s why I’m here.”

“I’m sure you’ll make them proud.”

“Thanks,” Axel said, “What brought you here, and not in cookie academy or whatever it’s called so you can become king of all bakers?”

“Because I met Tohu-wa-Bohu and understood more about my powers and what I can do. It’d be nice to use these abilities to help people.” Riley answered, taking a cookie directly out of a portal and raising it above their shoulder, the cooking disappearing. 

“So cool, so you are pumped to be a hero too?”

Riley sits on a bed, cross-legged, knees bouncing slightly, “Yeah, if that’s the best way to help people with my powers! Not sure I want all that fame and attention though.”

“I mean, it’s part of the gig, but not every hero is Captain Thunder,” Axel rolled his eyes thinking about him, One of the world’s most powerful heroes, but he was far more concerned with publicity and licensing deals than doing the right thing.

Most capes got some form of licensing deal, it was part of the ‘standard’ contract many had to work directly for local, state, or federal government, getting some royalties, but Captain Thunder took it to new extremes.

Riley giggled, “I suppose not.”

“I mean going on Oprah? Totally cringe.” 

Riley shuddered, “Oh god, talk shows, I’d die of embarrassment the second I saw an audience.”

“I know, right!” Axel laughed.

“I heard a rumor he’s trying to get a movie made about him. I can’t imagine who that prick will pick to play him though.”

“Ugh,” Axel shook his head, “It’s just wrong y’know, using your fame so selfishly!”

“What would you do with the fame and the money?”

“Dunno,” Axel says with a shrug, eating more cookies, “I mean my parents took a modest paycheck from licensing deals, they were never big.” His parents had worked for the NYC hero brigade. It was a modest job, but the people loved them…

“If I had to be in the public eye I’d probably wanna like… advocate for foster kids and sponsor an animal shelter or something.” Riley paused for a second then continued in an overly serious voice, “I’d totally do one of those interviews where you get to play with puppies while they ask questions.”

“Oh, that sounds fun!” Axel got up from the bed where he was lying around and started pacing in a circle.

“Ahhh I am way too nervous and excited about tomorrow to sleep!” Riley exclaimed flopping down and starfishing out their limbs on the bed

“Mooood,” Axel said, “Want to go out for a run? Maybe a dip in the pool?”

“I don’t have a swimsuit but a run could be nice.” Riley sat back up.

“I mean we could skinny dip,” Axel teased, Riley turning their face away in surprise, “But I guess a good run will have to do.”

“Sure.” Riley smiled.

Riley and Axel took out some workout clothes and went to change. That done, they left the house and took off for a jog around the Ravenhold park, enjoying the fresh cool air of the oceanside. 

While Axel had trained, Riley seemed to keep up mostly through the power of long legs, their breath was getting a bit ragged after a while so Axel decided to take a stop, there was one place he’d wanted to go and they were getting close…

At the heart of the Ravenhold park stood the Hall of Heroes, a memorial to the fallen, a large marble dome held up by columns and walls about fifty feet in height. At its center was a large bronze brazier, perpetually burning, but that wasn’t what Axel was after.

Seeing his pace slow down, Riley stopped and took a few long breaths.

Axel stepped forward, around the hall were six slabs of black granite, one on six of the eight walls that made the hall. One was labeled ‘Tzari-War’ 

He walked forward, his steps uncertain, so many names were engraved in golden letters upon the surface of polished stone. 

Reading down, he found them… Ajax and Sunspot… He put a hand on the slab, feeling the cold stone against his finger and tears started pouring out, he tried to fight them back but he couldn’t…

Riley came up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Axel wiped his eyes, “I just saw and…” He can’t seem to find the words.

Riley gently traced circles upon Axel’s shoulder blade, “don’t apologize. And you don’t need to explain either.”

Axel took a moment to rebuild his facade, even after four years it still hurt, but he had to be strong, he had to make them proud, he had to be the best son they could’ve hoped for…

He turned to Riley, “Race you to the dorms?”

Riley smiled back with a slightly worried crack in their expression, “sure.”

So they ran, Axel, letting the adrenaline of the race let him forget the pain for a moment… He wouldn’t disappoint them.

A New Home: Chapter 2.6 (Mari)

~ Nerathul ~ Leave a comment

As people poured into the house, Mari went away from the crowd, quickly finding their room upstairs. They dumped their bag but didn’t bother unpacking, they needed some air and a smoke. 

They looked at the window and found it opened completely. Mari pushed it open and climbed out, swiftly getting onto the roof. They sat down on the tiles and, using their powers, conjured a lighter and joint from their pocket dimension. 

Mari relaxed, letting the smoke fill their lungs. 

It was only a few minutes before someone else tried to climb onto the roof, two hands gripped the edge of the roof, an old beat-up black boot swung over and hooked on the roof and a handsome boy with black hair hoisted himself up with a grunt, pausing when his eyes found Mari.

“Need a hand?” Mari offered with a smirk.

He shook his head and finished climbing up, “Wasn’t expecting someone up here already.” He pulled out a cigarette from his pants and lit it with a snap of his fingers, “you mind a bit of company?” He gave Mari a charming smile.

“Not at all,” Mari said, “Also, that’d be my room there, so I take it we’re roommates?”

“Oh nice, I really lucked out getting such a pretty roommate.” He sat down next to them without getting uncomfortably close, “I’m Sirius by the way.”

“Starting with flattery are you?” Mari leaned in, “It’ll get you far. I’m Mari.”

Sirius laid back on the roof with his hands laced behind his head and a smirk on his lips. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you,” Mari puffed and offered the joint to Sirius, “Want a puff?”

“Sure.” He held his cigarette up and took the joint with his other hand, taking a puff before offering it back to them.

Mari took it back, “Look at us, flaunting the rules of parole,” they joked, “I saw you with a collar early on, what’d you do?”

Sirius shrugged, looking a tad tense, “Just set some fires, burned some things.”

“That’s all?” Mari said, taking a few puffs and offering the joint back, “No juicy crime story? No fighting the law?”

“Not this time,” he answered somewhat quietly, not taking the joint yet.

“Shame, so what you’re saying is that you’re some big soft teddy bear?”

Sirius snorted, swiping the joint from her for a puff, “As if. I’ve beaten up plenty of people and ran from cops before just… not this last time.”

Mari’s interest was now piqued, “What went wrong?”

Sirius stared at Mari for a long time as if debating, then smiled, “That story will cost you.”

“What’s the price? Money,” Mari conjured a stack of $100 bills from their pocket dimension. 

Sirius’s eyes went wide and he barked out a laugh, “I was going to say drugs or liquor but that works too, how much are you offering?”

Mari made bags of weed appear, and some premium liquor, all loot from their previous adventures and theft, “Take your pick?”

Sirius swiped the alcohol and took a swig, “I’m going to need to be a little drunk to say this anyways.”

Mari laughed and let him take it, a brow raised. How bad was his story? “Took it off some racist shit, so enjoy.” 

“Most times I fought or ran off, even got in trouble for assaulting an officer once. This time… I turned myself in.” Sirius took another long sip of the alcohol.

“Turned yourself in?” Mari asked, “Why? Suddenly regretted things?”

“I set fire to a building that I thought was empty.” He got quieter, “It wasn’t.”

“Oh fuck,” Mari paused. That hadn’t been what they’d expected.

Sirius drank some more and spoke slowly, “A kid died, another one got badly burnt.” Mari put a hand on his shoulder. “And so I turned myself in this time.” By then Sirius had already drank half the bottle.

“Puta de mierda,” Mari said, “You can keep the bottle.”

“Thanks.” For a while, Sirius just drank in silence

Mari stood by his side, they didn’t poke further. Down in the garden, a black girl with wings came out of the house. She jumped around, beating her wings but falling back down every time. Sirius tipsily giggled at her failure.

“What do you think she’s trying to do?” Mari asked, leaning forward.

“Fly?” 

“Well, evidently that’s not the correct way,” Mari said, “You think she’s just got her powers?”

Sirius shrugged, “probably.” He cupped the hand not holding the bottle over his mouth and called down to the girl, “You can do it, pretty angel!

Mari decided to join him. “Fly little bird!” Mari added, laughing as the cannabis was getting to them. They lounged back against the roof. “You know, I thought this place would be dumb,”

“Do you think it’s dumb now? I think it’s still hard to tell.”

“I don’t know, just… I don’t do well with rules y’know.” Mari said, “Getting told who’s a bad guy and who’s a good guy by someone else.” 

Sirius shrugged again, his eyes half-lidded and drank some more

“It’s why I put on a fucking mask, to begin with, cause there were some people needing fighting and the law didn’t give a shit about.”

“You a vigilante then?” Sirius had the slightest slur to his words, clearly starting to get a bit drunk.

“Something like that, have you heard of the great and mighty Carnival?” Mari said jokingly.

“Never really paid attention to all that stuff, I was never very interested.”

“You should see my fan page,” Mari teased, “but if you weren’t why Ravenhold, and not other options?”

“The kid had wanted to be a hero.”

“Oh…”

Sirius fell silent, taking another drink, the bottle almost empty by then.

“Well that killed the mood,” Mari says.

“Well, you were the one who wanted to wheedle the backstory outta me.”

“I thought it’d be fun,” Mari said with a heavy sigh. They took out a bottle of beer from their pocket dimension, still ice cold despite weeks in there, “Now I need a drink too.”

“So what’d you get caught for that was sooo fun?”

“Where to start?” Mari answered, “I beat up drug dealers, scared the shit out of a slumlord abusing tenants, vandalized a racist’s business,”

Sirius whistled, “that does sound like fun.”

“Just doing what the cops wouldn’t, and making plenty of money so win-win.”

Sirius laughed, “my hero!”

Mari patted his head, “It was fun, but I made a dumbass mistake and got caught by the cops.”

“Boo.” He stuck his tongue out and then took one last swig. Mari took the empty bottle and disappeared the evidence back into their pocket dimension.

“So, how are you planning on getting back down while shit-faced?” Mari asked.

Sirius squinted at the edge of the roof, clearly having not considered this, “maybe I’ll just sleep up here?”

“Or could jump into the pool,” Mari teased, “It’s not that far.”

Sirius stood up and stumbled a bit, “s’only two stories.” Mari stood ready to catch his dumb drunk ass if he tumbled. 

“Probably want to pass me your electronics before you soak them,”

Sirius pulled his phone out and squinted at the screen, “my dad texted.” He started typing while swaying a bit 

“Is that bad?” Mari asked, “Need me to beat up your dad?”

“No, no he’s—” hiccups cut his sentence in half, “—he’s okay just kinda boring.”

“Well, boring’s better than a dick,” Mari joked, “What’s he nagging you about then?”

“Just asking if I’m okay. He’s a nice guy.” Sirius seems to forget why he was getting his phone out to begin with and tries to put it back in his pocket, only to miss and drop it. “fuck.”

Mari’s reflexes kicked into gear and for a moment the world moved in slow motion for them, they grabbed the falling phone before it slid off the roof. “You owe me one,” 

It was then that the winged girl finally took to the sky, another girl had come to her side. Mari and Sirius clapped and whistled for her. 

“Was wondering when she’d get it,” 

“You did it, pretty angel!” Sirius called.

After a round of the yard, the winged girl went back down to earth. 

Mari made Sirius’ phone disappear and turned to him. “See you down there?”

Sirius nodded and kicked his shoes off into the yard below, shrugging off his jacket and flinging it down too.

Mari called their powers and in an instant, their outfit changed into swimwear, they looked at the pool, slipped onto the patio’s roof, and jumped the few feet between it and the pool. 

The water was cold, giving them a bit of a shock, they emerged to see Sirius follow their lead, thankfully without slipping and breaking his neck like an idiot.

“It’s fucking cold! I’m warning you!” Mari laughed.

Sirius surfaced and spat out some water

“You made it,” Mari came over, swimming to him.

” ‘fcourse.” Sirius said.

Mari climbed out of the pool, and conjured a pair of towels, waiting for Sirius who took the ladder. He took a towel and dried himself off.

“Well, downer story aside, tonight was pretty fun,” Mari said, “Not often do you get to get high, drink, flaunt school rules, and jump in a pool from the roof of a building.”

Sirius wrung his hair out with the towel, “I should probably try not to get expelled on the first day.”

Mari laughed, “I’m not telling anyone, are you?”

“Fuck no.” He laughed

Mari grins, “Now, the only thing I’d need to make it perfect is some cute guy, girl, enby,” she said, giving him a charged look.

“Got me drunk and wet and now you’re flirting with me.” Sirius teased.

“Am I?” Mari came closer, draping an arm over him, “And would you even remember what we did in the morning?” 

Sirius leaned towards her a bit, grinning, “Oh baby I’m not that drunk yet. I’m sure I’ll remember everything we do.”

“Well, then,” They whispered, “shall we get back to our room?”

“Oh it was rather dangerous of them to put us in a room together, what were they thinking?”

“Shame we only met now, would’ve liked having someone like you before, I have a thing for bad boys.”

Sirius just leaned down and kissed them, Mari meeting him halfway.

“Look at us, first night, not even a date,” Mari teased, “my grandmother would faint from the scandal.”

“Drinking together on a rooftop doesn’t count as a date? I’m a failure of a romantic then”

“Does it?” Mari pondered, “I don’t know, I feel a date should be planned.”

“Why? Spontaneity is so much fun.” He pressed in for a deeper kiss not letting them talk anymore.

Mari let him, they grabbed him by the wet shirt and dragged him toward the deck, letting intoxicated minds and impulsivity win, there might be regrets in the morning, awkwardness, and bad memories, but it was a problem for future Mari to deal with.

A New Home: Chapter 2.6 (Ethan)

~ Nerathul ~ Leave a comment

After hanging out with the others, Ethan made his way upstairs, picking up the bags the staff had left at the staircase. He went up and found his way to room two. He’d seen on the board his roommate was a “Grant Smith” but he hadn’t met him.

When Ethan walked into the room he found his roommate, a black androgynous kid with short-cropped hair, wearing a raggedy hoodie. He was bent by the bedside, the drawer under the bed pulled out, and he was building something that could only be described as a shrine; a deer skull, bones, and other weird occult tchotchkes he’d seen in his sister’s witchcraft phase.

“Sup, I’m Ethan, looks like I’m your roommate.”

Grant looked up at him, and a tiny fennec fox climbed onto his shoulder, eyeing him. “Grant,” he said cautiously. 

“Careful this one also smells of old gods!” Jack spoke, appearing in the room’s large window. 

“Shut up Jack,” Ethan sighed, putting his bag down. He’d already picked a fight with one person, Ethan dreaded a second enemy. 

“What’s wrong with old gods?” Grant asked, getting up and facing him with a defensive posture. The fox growled at Jack.

“Oh great you can hear him…” Ethan said, “Nothing is wrong, Jack’s a twat who picked a fight with some other magic kid,” Ethan says.

Grant nodded. He went back to his shrine, finishing arranging it to his liking, and then bowed, whispering something Ethan couldn’t understand. That done, he put down an apple and closed the drawer. 

Great way to attract ants, Ethan thought, but didn’t say, he unpacked his bag quickly. Jack kept prattling off warnings, but Ethan tuned him out. 

It was then the Fox came down from his owner’s shoulder and jumped up on Ethan’s bed, yipping for his attention. 

Ethan bent down to pet it, “Hey you little thing, what’s your name?”

“Killer,” Grant said. 

“Hi Killer.” 

“Don’t let that cursed familiar touch you, you don’t know what it could do,” Jack warned. 

“I’ll take my chances, now shut up.”

“Killer isn’t cursed.” Grant snarled.

“Again, Jack’s an asshole,” Ethan sighed and sat down on his bed. “So, what’s your magic god-whatsit? I’m stuck with an incredibly annoying plague demon.”

“She’s a nature goddess. Really old one called Reka.” Grant picked at invisible lint on his sweatshirt as he answered.

“Never heard of her, want to trade?” Ethan joked, “I’ll pay you.”

Grant rolled his eyes, “fat chance.”

“Damn it,” Ethan laughed, “Was worth a try.”

Grant laid down on his bed, “Reka would probably still give you some perks if you prayed to her.” 

“Neat, how do you do that?” Ethan asked, more curious than committed to the idea, he had his hands full enough with Jack.

Grant paused for a bit, “I made a shrine under my bed so you can just pray in front of that and leave some food or something,” he explains, stuttering a little at first like he hadn’t expected a positive answer.

“And then the human sacrifices follow!” Jack said, “Next thing you know you’re in a temple and cutting people’s hearts out!”

“You are literally a plague demon who brags about how many he’s killed,” Ethan answered.

“Excuse me, I killed them myself, I didn’t have my minions do it!” Jack said, utterly disgusted by the comparison. “I don’t need sacrifices, human pain and misery is enough for me.”

“Like that’s so much better.”

Grant spoke, he was quiet, “I did do a human sacrifice but that was just for the powers and to become her like high priest or whatever.”

Ethan stopped “You what?” he asked flatly. Had he misheard?

“Killed my parents.” Grant said, bored matter-of-fact, he stared down Ethan’s no expression on his face.

Ethan just blinked, “what?”

“I. Killed. My. Parents.” Grant enunciated each word in an exaggerated way.

“Right…” Ethan turned around. How in the hell was Grant in Ravenhold? Murdered his own parents? Without a hint of remorse? Ethan gave him another glance; he was so relaxed, bored even.

“See? Pure evil!” Jack said, “We should kill him preemptively!”

“I’m not killing anyone, Jack”

“Well obviously the school doesn’t think I’m pure evil or else I wouldn’t be here.” Grant said with a shrug, rolling over so his back was to Ethan. Killer left Ethan and jumped onto Grant’s bed, curling up against the small of Grant’s back

He had a point? Maybe there were extenuating circumstances? 

“I feel like maybe this needs a little more context?” Ethan asked, trying to be diplomatic, he had to live with this guy after all…

“They were pretty shitty parents.”

“Ah.” Ethan said, everything went quiet for a moment, awkward and heavy silence settling between them. 

“I’m watching you, cultist,” Jack spat out. Ethan looked at the window which was swarming with bugs so much you couldn’t see out anymore… He realized he’d been subconsciously calling them to his side. He took a breath and dismissed them. 

“Well, I probably should shower and hit the hay early,” Ethan explained, “It’s been a bloody long trip for me.”

“It’d have been faster if you followed me down the Abyss like I said,” Jack calls, “Much faster!” Jack had insisted he knew a ‘shortcut’ through whatever the Abyss was, Ethan had opted with an eight hours plane ride instead. 

“I’m not going into whatever hellhole you say for a shortcut.” 

Ethan grabbed a change of clothes and showering products. 

“They said it was good she was dead. They locked me in the basement and I couldn’t even go to her funeral.” Grant muttered, was it to Ethan, or just to himself? Ethan wasn’t sure but he didn’t answer. 

Ethan gave him a last look, he was curled up in the fetal position, shaking lightly. What the hell had happened to this kid?

Ethan went out for a shower, coming back with pajama pants and an old shirt. “I’m back,” he announced gently, putting his dirty clothes into a hamper. “Do you mind if I close the light?”

Grant sat up, looking as deadpan as ever. He pulled his arms into his hoodie. After a few seconds he stuck his arms back thru and pulled out some ace bandages and dropped them under the edge of the bed before laying back down, “go ahead.”

Was Grant trans? That explained his more androgynous appearance. Maybe his parents…  Ethan thought. 

“You shouldn’t use bandages,” Ethan said, “It’ll fuck your ribs up.”

“Yeah yeah.” Grant yawned.

Knowing he wasn’t going to win an argument, Ethan didn’t push it, closing the light and getting into bed. He looked back at Grant, seeing his silhouette in the dark. Ethan had been maybe harsh, he didn’t know anything about him, Grant probably needed a hand to reach out, someone who wouldn’t judge him?

A New Home: Chapter 2.5 (Nathan)

~ Nerathul ~ Leave a comment

Nathan split up from Ryland going into his assigned dorm room. To his surprise his roommate Danalar wasn’t there yet. 

There were two beds, one of them was significantly longer, likely to accommodate a Tzari, so Nathan picked the other bed, finding an outlet by the bed’s head. He then dropped his other bags haphazardly around, pulling out a vibrating alarm clock,  plugging it, and programming it for east coast time.

The door to the room soon opened and Danalar stepped through, it took Nathan a moment to notice, the Tzari had already put down his bag and approached him, his cat-like eyes were dilated and round. 

Nathan turned around, and Danalar spoke, but he couldn’t understand. “I saw you but a moment downstairs, you escaped like a little kiswat, and we did not get acquainted.”

“Sorry, I’m deaf.” Nathan said, slipping the alarm clock under his pillow before turning to face Danalar fully with a bright smile on his face, “My name is Nathan!”

Danalar looked at him with a tilted head, cat-like ears folded. 

The big staff on Danalar’s back lit up, sparks dancing within its orb, “English Definition: Adjective, lacking the power of hearing or having impaired hearing.” 

“I am Danalar, son of Neetarin of Clan Vinek, do you understand?”

Nathan only seems to catch the tail end of that, shaking his head. “You got a phone? You could type it out?”

Normally, Nathan could understand almost half of what was said through lip reading and what his hearing aids could amplify loud enough for him but the Tzari tusks got in the way of seeing clear lip movements.He shook his head. “You got a phone? You could type it out?”

Bardiche buzzed with energy, “Seeking Solution… Solution: Holographic display activated. Try speaking now, Sir.” As Bardiche spoke this, holographic subtitles appeared in the air between them, angled so Nathan could read what was spoken.

This was definitely cooler than texting!

So Danalar repeated his introduction, his words appearing in a different color to the AI’s. “I am Danalar, son of Neetarin of Clan Vinek,” He gave a bow, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Nathan.”

“Nice to meet you too!” Nathan gave a bow back, “is your staff… talking? Also, holograms are cool. I’m supposed to get glasses that do that from the school but I’m not sure when!” Nathan winced internally, he knew he was probably rambling a bit too loud but it was hard to sense his own volume.

“Greetings Sir or Madam, this unit is Bardiche, I am indeed an artificial intelligence and a polearm.” 

“Sir, please! And that’s so cool. And Da- wait… aren’t full names kinda intimate for tzari? Would your nickname be Nalar? Anyways, did you make Bardiche?” He hoped figuring out the nickname would balance out his likely atrocious pronunciation. 

Nalar’s ears perked up in surprise. “Indeed, Nalar would be more appropriate, and yes I salvaged his core from a destroyed ship and programmed him, created his current platform,” He says, “You know of Tzari culture?”

Nathan’s cheeks heated up a little, “Not a whole lot but I think alien cultures are cool. I know more about Venusians because I have a really good Venusian friend.”

“I have had encounters with Venusians they were… Interesting characters.” Danalar answered, “It is a pleasure to meet someone with interest in other worlds, many humans can be closed to such due to my species’ actions.”

“Well, it’s not the fault of the culture and all the individual people what the government and armies did. Just like wars between countries on Earth.”

Danalar smiled, “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you,” he offered a hand, seemingly to shake.

Nathan shook his hand, still smiling brightly, “so how long have you been on Earth?”

To his surprise, Danalar bent and brought Nathan’s hand to his lips, kissing it softly. He then let it go, a smirk appearing on his lips. He said something but Nathan missed it, his brain overheating too much to try and read subtitles or lips.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Nathan asked.

“I have been on this planet for four of your years, I came as an apprentice armorer with my people,” Danalar repeated.

“Ah so since the war pretty much? Guess you like it here since you’re still here?” Nathan asked, still bright red with a tingly feeling on the back of his hand. Was that flirting? Was he being flirted with?? By a hot alien???

“Well, many of my people could not escape and were stranded, but I do love this chaotic little planet, the inhabitants are quite charming,” He said with a grin.

“Do you want to go home?” Nathan couldn’t imagine going to war and being trapped lightyears away from his family… How hard it must have been for them. 

“I do not know,” Danalar said with a shrug, “I have family here, my sister you would call us fraternal twins in your language.”

“Oh cool! I have four sisters! Two older, two younger.” Nathan’s expression soured saying that. The ‘two younger’ being slightly hesitant. Had, not have. He reminded himself.

Danalar frowned. “Speaking of family made you sad, I can see that, but why?”

“Well I said two younger but one of them is… she’s gone.”

Danalar nodded, putting a hand on Nathan’s shoulder, “I am sorry, may she rest among your ancestors.”

Nathan smiled sadly, “Thanks.”

“So if you are here does this mean you wish to be a Hero?” Danalar asked. 

“It would be cool but I’m actually here cause someone is hunting down those of us with these things” he tapped his meteor fragment, a red, mostly circular gem embedded in his forehead, “Ravenhold is a safe place for us.”

“I am sorry to hear, if any dare come to hurt you then Bardiche and I shall assist in your defense,” Danalar said.

“Thank you!”

“I cannot provide a threat assessment from lack of information, please be careful sir,” Bardiche answered.

Nathan laughed at Bardiche’s words, “No one knows a whole lot about the threat, just that they are probably a meteor child as well.”

“Bardiche?” Danalar asked.

“Researching… Meteor Children: A recent type of metahuman created from the exposure to exotic matter from the Asteroid Iapetus.” 

“Thank you Bardiche.”

Nathan giggled at the interaction, “Ooo we’re on Wikipedia already?”

“Bardiche assists me when I do not know certain things about Earth,” Danalar explained, “So you are one of these children and this is why you have…” he scratched his forehead.

“Yep! My buddy Ryland is in this class as well!”

“Was this the one you were with?” He asked, “You came and took food and escaped like a little kiswat.”

“Yeah! Ryland’s not a huge fan of crowds and a big group of new people who don’t know ASL isn’t exactly the most fun for me either so we swiped some pizza and took his dog Callie out back to let her run around.”

“He has a dog?” Danalar asked, flinching a little, “They are not always friendly to my kind,”

“Aww, Callie’s a good girl, though. Very well behaved.”

“That is good to hear,” Danalar says with a smile. He opens his bag and starts unpacking.

Nathan smiles and begins unpacking as well, he doesn’t have a lot, just one suitcase that’s not even full size, and he haphazardly shoves everything away without folding, “I’m going to see how open the showers are.” He says, gathering up some toiletries and clothes.

“Noted,” Danalar answered, “I should finish things and see to bathing as well.”

Nathan dashed downstairs, he quickly checked his phone and saw Nathan’s message, seeing Svar and his new Naga-like friend made him laugh. He texted back, telling Svar about his Tzari roommate and the funky polearm that came with its own subtitles.

Thankfully for Nathan and other trans students, the bathrooms were mixed gender —so Nathan didn’t have to gauge people’s reaction if he went into the ‘wrong’ bathroom— but split into eight different small enclosed rooms for maximum privacy. 

When he was done, Nathan put on an old bleach-stained t-shirt and sweatpants and went back upstairs. There he found Danalar sitting on his bed with a box of tools and Bardiche’s chassis open, Nalar tinkering with him. Being so late and his hair still damp, Nathan didn’t put his hearing aids back on. 

“Welcome back, Sir” Bardiche called, “Careful Sir, it tickles!”

“You cannot be tickled, Bardiche, you are a machine,” Danalar reminded him. 

“My sensors are picking a strange sensation which I ascribe as tickling from my research.”

Nathan laughed, “I don’t know Nalar, if Bardiche says it tickles I’d believe him!”

Danalar smirked, slightly shaking his head, “Well, I believe I am about done, would you keep Bardiche company while I see to matters of hygiene?” 

“Sure thing!”

Danalar passed him the polearm before departing, and Nathan held it for a moment. It was so light, he’d expected it to be heavy and unbalanced, but a counterweight at the bottom of the shaft balanced out Bardiche’s baseball-sized-AI core.

“Can I swing you a little?” Nathan asked.

“Sir, do be careful.”

Nathan slowly moved Bardiche about, getting a feel for him. “You’re so cool!”

“Erroneous, my temperature is currently within operational range.”

Nathan laughed, “I mean awesome.”

“Cool, added as a synonym for awesome.”

Nathan sat down and propped Bardiche against his nightstand. “You okay like this?”

“I am.”

“So Bardiche, Danalar told me to keep you company…” Nathan tapped his lips, “Ooh, do you know how to play video games?”

“I cannot say I have had the opportunity,” Bardiche says, “Researching Video Games…” There was a brief pause, “Video games found and acquired by chronological order, further download will be necessary.”

“I bet we could run Pong on you… or Tetris… Or Doom, I bet you can run Doom, everything runs Doom!” Nathan joked.

Bardiche’s holographic display expanded to show the opening screen of Doom. “Doom, released April 1995, considered a seminal title in the first-person shooter category of games.”

Nathan applauded. “Amazing! Try playing it.”

“Play it? If you insist, Sir.”

Bardiche began playing, evidently controlling the game in some way Nathan couldn’t see, only to struggle with the first enemy. 

Nathan laughed, “you’re an AI how are you so bad at this.”

“This function is not within my standard operating procedure,” Bardiche answered seriously.

“I wonder if you’d be better at something like Tetris, that’s just a thinking game or like online chess, you do get on the Internet right? The Earth Internet where you search things up?”

“This platform is equipped with what you call ‘Wifi'”

“Sweeeeet try those instead?” Nathan lounged on his bed, watching Bardiche play old-school arcade games like Tetris, Pac-man, or puzzle-bobble, doing much better. He cheered on the AI whenever he would win.

Sometime later Danalar came back wearing human boxer shorts and a tank top which exposed the bone structure of his chest armor plates. He gave a look to Bardiche and Nathan.

“What is happening here?”

“Introducing Bardiche to the glory of video games! He’s already beat my Tetris high score!” Nathan said, fake pouting, remembering old days spent at the arcade, his mother could only spare a few quarters at a time so he’d learned to get good and make them last as long as possible. 

“Some of these are quite difficult, such as the Doom, this game however is simpler for me as it is a question of understanding and predicting patterns,” Bardiche explained.

“Well enjoy yourself then,” Danalar says, sitting down on the bed.

“Do you like video games?” Nathan asks Danalar

“I admit I did not spend much time playing them” Danalar answered, “I had other preoccupations and entertainment.”

“Like what?”

“Getting to know the locals, intimately,” he answered with a suggestive grin. 

“Sir, please is this appropriate?” Bardiche protested, “You are to share a room for the foreseeable future.”

Nathan blushed bright red, turning away from Danalar. “I think it’s time for bed now good night.” He said hurriedly. He checked his vibrating alarm once more and stuck it under his pillow before plugging his phone in near the top end of his bed as well and laying down.

Danalar took Bardiche and set him up by the bed. “Let’s set you up for charging,” he takes out the cord, its smart head adapted itself to fit the local sockets. “Entering Sleep Mode, goodnight Sirs.”

Danalar gets ready for bed himself.

Nathan manages to look over in time to catch the subtitles and smiled, “Goodnight Bardiche”

“May your rest be peaceful,” Danalar wished.

“That’s a nice goodnight wish.”

“It is traditional among my kind,”

Nathan smiled, the light going off.

A New Home: Chapter 2.4 (Ryland)

~ Nerathul ~ Leave a comment

After seeing the class breakdown Nathan waved his hand at Ryland to get his attention then signed excitedly, “Same class!”

“Awesome,” Ryland grinned, they followed people going on with the tour. When they reached closer to the dorm, worms began slithering in his guts. 

“I’m a little anxious about living with so many people…” He said vocally, not knowing the proper signs. 

“I have a lot of siblings so I’m used to it!” He signed with big wild hands as he did when excited, “it’s probably too much to hope we’ll be roommates.”

“I hope so too,” Ryland signed “nobody here knows we’re trans…” 

He’d done his research, Ravenhold was very strongly pro-trans students, but having to live with strangers? Sharing bedrooms and bathroom space? That was more mortifying than any villain Ryland could think of. 

“Well, it probably won’t be a problem. I read that superheroes are disproportionately queer.”  Nathan joked, a big grin on his face.

Ryland snickered. “Still it’d be nice to be… seen as normal?”

Nathan shrugged, “Normal never really was a priority of mine or an achievable goal.”

It made sense, Nathan was Deaf, Asian, and trans, he couldn’t exactly blend in with “proper” WASP society… 

Ryland looked around, the class he’d been assigned to was quite unusual; multiple paramorphs, even a Tzari. What was normal to superheroes anyway? 

They reached the house and people poured in, the two of them found the kitchen and snatched some pizza that had been left on the counter for the students. Ryland looked around and found rooming arrangements, drawing Nathan’s attention to it.

Hands full of pizza Nathan gave a pout studying the board, soon followed by Ryland. They hadn’t roomed together… 

“Awww, I’m with Kiyoshi? Sounds Japanese?” He shrugged, Nathan’s roommate was far stranger, “What kind of name is Danalar?”

Nathan finished one of the slices and finger spelled with his free hand; “t-z-a-r-i.”

Ryland’s gaze wandered and there he (or she? Ryland wasn’t sure how to determine Tzari sex) was, standing with the others at the kitchen counter, Danalar was tall like all of his species, dressed like a human and speaking fluent English. Danalar had strong chiseled features similar to a human, but the tusk and cat-like ears gave the illusion away. 

“They’re kind of handsome for an alien,” Ryland said. 

“Tzaries are hot.” Nathan signed extremely matter-of-factly before wiping the grease on his hands off on his jeans. 

Ryland gave him a punch to the arm lightly, “What about Svar?”

“Venusians are very much non-monogamous, why would I be even if I was dating Svar. Which I’m not. Yet.” Nathan’s hand movements were sharp and pointed but his face was animated with an eye roll, pursed lips, and finally an eyebrow wiggle

“Slow down,” Ryland joked. Nathan repeated himself vocally, as quiet as he could, being Deaf he wasn’t exactly capable of gauging volume.

“Yet?” Ryland shook his head, he didn’t entirely understand Nathan’s attraction, Svar was a great person but he was a giant blue alien lizard, how would one even be intimate with them? 

At Ryland’s feet, Callie was practically vibrating, so many people, so long spent being a good girl. He nudged his friend toward the back of the house and they went out through the backyard’s patio door.

Ryland unleashed Callie and she immediately sprinted around the yard a half dozen times yipping with excitement. She had a lot of energy to burn off…

As Ryland sat down on the deck’s stairs, Nathan found a stick. He whistled and grabbed Callie’s attention, wiggling it around before tossing it. Callie ran after it at maximum speed.

Nathan sat down, “Wish Svar and the girls were in this class too.”

“Me too, at least it’s just us, I don’t sense any other meteor children in our class.”

Nathan nodded, Callie brought back the stick and he threw it again.

Ryland closed his eyes, the Meteor shards were linked together and he could feel their presence. He could sense all the ones on campus and even in the city around it.

“I can feel a few more around campus.”

Nathan nodded, “Hopefully they are just like us.”

“I’m glad to have you with me.” Ryland put a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. 

Nathan smiled before Callie jumped on him, shoving the stick at his face, demanding he throw it again.

“Callie!” Ryland laughed, “We’re having a heart-to-heart you silly spoiled puppy.”

Nathan laughed and took the stick, giving Callie a fake-out throw so she went running while the stick was still in his hand. Callie went all over looking at every corner of the yard for the missing stick.

“I’ve always got your back.” Nathan offered a fist for a fistbump.

Ryland returns it. “Should probably unpack soon?”

Nathan shrugs, “probably.”

Ryland gets up and calls Callie, “Come here, girl.” 

She came back sad and confused, where had the stick gone? Nathan chuckled at her reaction and gave it to her to chew on. Immediately she became excited again.

Ryland touched her for attention. “Follow.”

Callie picked her stick up, and followed them.

Nathan stretched and followed after Ryland, jogging around him so he could get in front of him to sign, “if our roommates end up sucking, maybe we can just force them to let us have a room together.“

“That could be fun,” Ryland said, he found his bags and brought them upstairs, finding their rooms. “At least we’re neighbors?”

Nathan nods happily with a smile and opens the door to his room

Ryland went into his, waving goodbye to Nathan for now. Ryland came in, looking at the room. It wasn’t so small, at least for two people. A pair of storage beds, dressers, small desks, and two closets. 

There was a single duffel bag hanging on the bedpost of the other bed, but no sign of the owner. Ryland took out Callie’s bed and bowls from his bag, filling them for her. That done he climbed in his bed and collapsed face first into the pillow. The texture grated against his sensitive skin, but he didn’t move. He wanted to pass out and wake up three months earlier before all of this had happened…

Callie suddenly went from eating to jumping and barking excitedly. “What is it, girl?” Ryland asked, not moving an inch.

He heard her jump onto the other bed, claws scratching against the bed cover. Ryland finally decided to move. 

He turned around, “What is—” he stopped when he saw what had caught her attention; a cat boy was now on the other bed, curled up in the corner to stay away from her. “When did you get here?” Ryland asked, confused. The door hadn’t opened. Callie meanwhile was trying to jump into his bed.

“Always here.” The cat boy said, anxiously, eyeing Callie, “I was always here.”

“You were?” Ryland asked. But how?

Was that Kiyoshi? He looked Japanese-ish, it was a little hard to tell, his face had markings like a Siamese cat.

Callie finally managed to make it onto the bed, she stopped just shy of Kiyoshi and panted with excitement. 

Kiyoshi disappeared for a second and reappeared, invisibility? “Yeah uh, what does it want?” He pointed at Callie.

Callie made pathetic little begging noises, unused to not being spoiled with love.

“She just wants scratches,” Ryland answered, sitting up on the bed.

Kiyoshi cautiously put his hand on her head and curled his fingers to scratch the very top of her head. Callie leaned into the scratches, making some happy noises.

“She’s harmless, just a bit of a slut,” Ryland joked, Callie would ask scratches of strangers, having no fear whatsoever of them. “I’m Ryland.”

Kiyoshi flinched a bit and then muttered; “I’m Kiyoshi.”

“Nice to meet you, I guess,” Ryland said, “Callie, come here girl, stop bothering him.” She came back quickly, Ryland picked her up and gave her some scratches. 

Kiyoshi sighed in relief, “it’s nice to meet you too.”

Rylands lay back down, emotionally and physically exhausted. “So you turn invisible?”

Kiyoshi nodded, “and teleport.”

“Cool,” Ryland said, he raised his left hand where a bright red gem was embedded, “I’m a meteor child, I kind of slow or speed down time.”

“Cool,” Kiyoshi said, nodding again. He uncurled a little and stretched his cat-like legs out. 

Silence settled between them, it was awkward and Ryland did not have any energy left to socialize with a stranger. He took out his phone and sent a text to his friends, asking them how they were settling in.

Svar was first to answer, “Svar has found a friend-reptile!” Attached was a picture of a human boy with his bottom half replaced by a snake’s tail. 

Ryland smirked and put the phone down. Kiyoshi’s stomach growling incredibly loudly drew his attention. He blinked. “Was that you?”

Kiyoshi’s face grew a little red, “sorry.”

“There’s pizza downstairs,” Ryland said, “People have probably moved on by now.” 

Kiyoshi nodded and disappeared, the indent in the bed going away. About a minute later he came back through the door with two slices of pepperoni pizza in his hand, biting one of them.

“How far can you teleport?” Ryland asked.

Kiyoshi shrugged, then swallowed the bite in his mouth, “not very far.”

Ryland nodded, “right.”

Kiyoshi finished the pizza and wiped his fingers off on the seat of his jeans before going to rifle through his duffle bag, he pulled out some sweats and a Coke.

“I think I’ll get ready for bed,” Ryland said, grabbing pajamas from his own bag. He would unpack in the morning. 

Kiyoshi was already changing his clothes, he had no hesitation in getting undressed. What Ryland saw slightly worried him, Kiyoshi was almost deathly thin, ribs and bones exposed, with a stylized-S on his hip branded into his flesh like cattle…

Ryland frowned but didn’t say anything, slipping out of the room. He took out his phone and googled S-brand, S-tattoo, bringing him onto a page about human trafficking… What Ryland read horrified him; Kiyoshi had been a modern-day slave of an organization known as the Syndicate. 

Ryland read more about them; a global criminal enterprise, the largest in history. They dealt in drugs, weapons, human trafficking, but also chimeras… Humans forcibly mutated into half-animal hybrids often as exotic sex slaves…

Ryland wanted to throw up… Was that what Kiyoshi had gone through? The website spoke of chimeras used in illegal bloodsports, but Kiyoshi was so small…

Ryland closed his phone, he knew enough, more than he had wanted to… He went to shower and change, trying to push away the horrible image in his mind. When he came back to his room, he looked back at Kiyoshi, curled up on his bed. 

“Going to bed,” Ryland mumbled.

“Goodnight.” Kiyoshi’s voice, slightly muffled by his pillow, responded.

“Goodnight,” Ryland answered, his mind still heavy with questions and horror.