My new home.

Travis Ashe

Travis raised an eyebrow at his companion. He had just met this guy, but for whatever reason, he felt a strong need to make him even the slightest bit happier. Maybe it was all the general good cheer hanging around the island, or maybe it was just Travis's deep sense of wanting to do something good. He was going to make this boy feel better if it took the whole semester.

How, then, was the question? His recent comments had made it clear that he hadn't really had much connection with humans in his past. Most of his interaction with them had been bad, and he didn't even really know who he was. Travis wracked his brain, trying to think of a way to help him, when a thought snuck into the back of his head.

"Those little things you're made of- are they animals? Or more like robots? They definitely act like a colony, so they must have some sort of animal connection. If they're even the tiniest bit like animals, then I have an idea that might be able to help you get at least a little piece of your memory back. OR, if not, it'll definitely show you your true potential. Maybe you won't feel so down, then."

Coaliander smiled from the floor and nodded at his master, understanding Travis's intent.

Travis Ashe

Travis listened closely to Tellios's explanation. It made sense, he just had to think about it for a bit. So the nanobots were exactly like a colony of bees, or cells. They even replicated themselves. It would be pushing it, but perhaps he could push his power enough to recognize robotic, yet somehow living creatures. Tellios was as alive as anything, so he had to give it a shot.

"Look, I'm not sure if this will work, but I have a proposition for you," started Travis. He was a bit nervous. He had never really directly explained the full extent of his powers to anyone before, let alone someone who was almost a complete stranger. But what use were his powers if he wasn't able to help someone with them?

"I have this power to push animals to unlock their true potential. For example, when I use it on Coaliander here, he grows a bit bigger, gets a bit stronger, and gain the ability to cause fire to erupt from the ground. There's no way he could do that without my help. I know that your nanobots aren't textbook animals, but perhaps i can bend my power just enough to perform that on you, and then, who knows? If you can usually decode things to an advanced extent, then perhaps my power can push it farther and you can decode a tiny bit more?"

Travis exhaled. He was sure this sounded completely stupid. To let a complete stranger pump your body with a weird power just so you can decode something probably sounded rather strange, but he was hoping that maybe he'd try it. Any way he could help.

"If you don't want to try, I understand, but, well, the offer's there"

Travis Ashe

'Ah,' thought Travis. 'Of course he would refuse.' Travis never really learned much about robotics- they weren't really his thing. He just assumed they worked in the same way that animals did. He watched as Tellios pet Coaliander. His best friend really seemed to like the attention, especially since many couldn't pet him on his head or back due to his flames. He was smiling and generally enjoying himself, for which Travis was glad. At least one of them was.

"Well, maybe some day." Travis looked at all the achievements up and down the walls. Who had given them out, anyway? No one knew about the island except the people who already lived there. "Anyway, I'm glad I could at least try to help. No one should feel this bad on their first day. Maybe you should head down to the beach or something after you check out the Ballroom. Get some fresh air."

Which reminded him.

"Oh, the Ballroom! We only got about halfway there! Here, let me show you! And as for a map, I think you can find one in the headmistress's office, if you poke your head in there. Unfortunately, I think we may only have them in paper form... but you should go anyway! The headmistress likes to meet all her students anyway." He was relieved that he could finally push the conversation to a more pleasant area again.

Travis Ashe

Travis glanced at Tellios's burned hand, staring at the nanobots as the scurried around, trying to repair the damage. He glanced at his face and saw no pain at all, which relieve him for a moment. He wondered briefly if the nanobots themselves could feel pain. He hoped not as the pair took a left.

"Sooo... You have been here since you were in Kindergarten? All your life? The ones known as 'Foster Parents? Adopted?" asked Tellios.

Travis smiled. Talking about himself was easy. He didn't have to worry about offending himself or saying the wrong thing about himself. Not to mention, after over fifteen years at Starlight, he had sort of detached himself from the real world. Talking about his few memories of it did not hurt, and he did not care much about his parents.

"I guess one time when I was younger, I brought a bear home from the woods or something. I don't really remember much about it- I was quite young. But I guess they got scared and shipped me off here as soon as we got the letter. They're still good people. They don't really write me or anything, but they're still supporting me in their own way, I guess. They're still sending the check in the mail. Figuratively, of course, since Starlight is free, but, I dunno. I used to get pretty upset about it, but I've sort of made peace about it lately."

Travis Ashe

"No, I've never really visited my parents since I left. I've actually never left the island since I got here. There's no real reason to, I've found. That world out there has sort of rejected me. Like how people outside of the islands don't tend to like to move away from their home country unless they have to. My parents did write me one letter, actually. I think it might have been just to prove to the Academy that they still knew I existed."

Travis closed his eyes as he walked. He was remembering the day he received it. It had only been three years ago, on the day he graduated from Starlight. Odd how mail gets to you exactly when you need it to. He had already made peace with his parents' rejection of him. The weather outside was much warmer than usual that day. The letter was much longer than what he'd been expecting when he got it. He could almost feel the coolness of the paper in his hands.

"The letter was actually really long, and I couldn't be sure, but it sounded like they were sorry for never seeing me. They said I had a sister. I never knew about her. She was seven years old at the time. They said she was normal."

The word 'normal' caught in his throat. Travis had never really talked to anyone about the letter before, but he figured a stranger was a good enough pair of ears as anyone. He opened his eyes and seemed to zoom back into the present, latching his eyes on Tellios and continuing to talk with a smile, as if he had never been back in that day.

"Sorry your childhood kinda sucked. I wish you had come here earlier. Then we could have been friends sooner!"