Private Finished Only Here for the Puppy

The student lounge was perfect today. Busy enough for Sela to feel comfortable with all the people around, but not enough to overwhelm. It was a rarity here. At least, whenever they were around. Either it was empty because people were busy, or if it was filled to the brim as people moved in and out to meet up with friends.

A voice in the back of Sela's mind told them they should feel jealous. They felt nothing. Most likely the voice was an echo of their dorm parent and minder telling them to go out, meet people, and make friends. Something they were interested in but didn't consider a priority. When they had so many friends in their dream, making friends in the awake-world wasn't important.

That didn't stop Sela from appreciating new people. Or in this case, dogs. The moment their eyes locked on the dog, they excitedly said, "Poodle," with the voice of a group of children. Sela nearly dropped the book they were reading before floating from the corner of the room to get a closer look at the dog. Only then did they notice that there was a person accompanying it. They looked floated to eye-level with the multi-colored haired girl to ask, "May I pet your poodle?"

Sela had never gotten the name of the girl, but they recognized her from the Manta Carlos Community Center. While it was never confirmed, they were fairly certain she was blind. They wondered if she recognized them back. Was their voice too different now?

They were brought back from their thoughts by the girl's question. "... Right! Um, the place I was sitting is like that. I don't like being crowded around" What was the proper procedure for guiding a blind person? Sela didn't feel right grabbing her hand, so as they floated to the corner of lounge, they narrated what they were doing and the location. People on the sides picked up on what was going on and moved out of the way before Sela had to warn the girl.

"Here's a table. I pulled a seat out for you. There are some people seated at nearby tables, but there's good room for you and Georgette."

"I'm Sela. Sorry for not introducing myself when we first met. Sometimes... I forget. I'm not used to... to..." They stopped, realizing that calling out someone's blindness may be rude. "Um, we're friends?" Caught off guard, they laughed a little. "That was easy."

Sela lowered themself to pet the dog. This time, she was significantly larger and their small hands couldn't cover as much ground as before. Despite being incapable of experiencing touch when awake, they enjoyed the excited tail wagging from Georgette. It also served as a welcome distraction from their awkwardness. They hadn't come here to socialize, just to watch, and now they were panicking as they tried to enter the proper mindset.

She didn't, but Sela wasn't going to point that out. It was the polite thing to do. Both of them made a mistake and she was being kind about it. Also, they were much too happy about having a new friend to brag about when they returned to their dorm.

Delaney's questions were unexpected, but upon second thought, they shouldn't have been. "Um... Uh. I have only one mouth. I can make more, but they don't do anything. I only have a face and body to fit in. I can change size. Shape-shifter. I'm a shape-shifter." What was the best way to describe them? "Ummm... My whole body looks like space. I have four arms. My legs turn into clouds around my shins. I have bat ears with rainbow pastels interior. My eyes and horns are also rainbow pastels. My right horn is longer than the left. When I met you, I was an adult, so my voice sounded adult. I'm a child now." They paused. "Sorry. I'm not good at this."

If Sela could blush, they would. They've been told their appearance is unique before, and call them egotistical, they enjoyed every compliment they received. Even the ones made by people who were a little too interested in them. Usually when they were presented as an adult. The subtext could easily be ignored.

"Thank you," they replied. Every time they thanked and apologized to a person, they were reminded of the fae taboo. The school told them to not worry much about it and that they were protected from the fae trying to do anything. Sela wasn't scared anyway.

No. Not now. They couldn't get lost in their head again. They were speaking to a person. They were in a conversation. A conversation with very interesting things being brought up.

"I'd clap, but my body wouldn't make a sound... The knowledge stuff sounds very cool!" "Cool" was said like it was a stranger. It was one of those slang that Sela had a grasp on but didn't know how to deliver with proper effect. "I love knowledge. I love learning. But I learn weird. If I..." Their voice quieted. Was it really okay to talk about their eating habits to Delaney? Maybe later. "If I store something in my body, it'll appear in my dream. My dream is a different dimension. I have complete power over it. In the awake world—here—I'm weaker. I don't have as many powers."