<Cool! I assume if they offered she wants to be borrowed, right?>

<Or at least is cool with it, I don't know if she's actively excited.>

<So how is that supposed to work?>

<Well, if you don't mind I guess we'd meet up, probably here so my friend doesn't have to go in you or a fishbowl, and I'd go check her out and then go back to you.>

Imaginary nodding. He's kind of distantly wondering if he also gets to meet this person but why would she want to meet him, he has basically nothing to offer anyone except a voice and a pair of eyes and the bare fact of having any thoughts whatsoever.

<I have no idea if she'll want to talk to you.>

Imaginary shrug. <It doesn't really matter.>

Vague sadness doesn't clash quite so much with what his body's doing as fear does, and so it doesn't feel cut off in the same way.

<If you're lonely I could probably find an interim host so you could go do stuff without me missing classes, but I was hoping making telepathy friends with Elves would do it.>

<I don't know how to make telepathy friends. I don't know how to talk to other people about math and that's the only thing I could even maybe have anything to say about, otherwise it's just - I don't watch television or read books or have hobbies and I don't know how to tell if it's a good time to talk to someone...>

<Hmmmm... oh! I can get us an Andalite doodad that projects in thoughtspeak and you can listen to podcasts or something.>

That does sound nice. Even if it doesn't help him make friends - how is he supposed to know who else would want to talk about the podcasts? - it might be nice in itself.

<You can leave thoughts public without shoving them at anyone and then people can listen in and comment if they want and you seem receptive.>

<I guess so.>

<I think that's how the Elves do it, anyway.>

He continues to not be in a good mood but slightly less so.

Ashkon arranges a meeting with his friend and her host. The friend dunks in the pool, and Ashkon puts his host's ear to the friend's host's ear.

He's not sure if it would be too awkward to say hi. He really has no idea what to do.

"Hi," says Ashkon in the stranger's voice. "Ready for me to come back?"

Shrug. "Okay. Thanks, um, I didn’t get your name if you have one."

"I'm Paloma." The body language changes, shyer and softer, when Ashkon lets her answer.

"Nice to meet you."

"Mhm, I hope this helps." And then she steps forward and puts her ear to his again. Shlorp.

He just talked to another human and that is awesome!

<So, first thing I noticed is that you are mindbogglingly hungry.>

He can’t remember ever being hungry, that sounds fake.

Maybe he should just trust Ashkon.

He’s not going to just believe what he’s told about his own feelings. But he really wouldn’t know. <If you say so.>