Draconia Offline vol. 1

16.2. I'm a Telepath - Part 2

"Ryuuto!"

"Ryuu, do you hear me?"

I don't open my eyes because of the voice. I wake up because Erik's love pulls me out of unconsciousness in which I took refuge.

"Oh, Ryuu, you're finally up," he hugs me and keeps hugging me for a while. My mind finds balance thanks to him and I don't feel so dazed anymore.

"Is it... over?" I'm almost afraid to ask.

"Yeah, they got the bastards," Erik assures me.

"B-but... someone died? I felt..."

"One of the intruders was shot by the security," he explains. "Two guards were injured but they'll recover. They had the element of surprise thanks to you."

Erik then helps me sit and puts me on his lap. I was so lost in his soothing mind that I didn't notice my friends are here as well. And so are Dr Stein and Hana. They're stepping in one place, nervous, still shaken and not sure what just happened but suspecting.

"Ryuu, I'm afraid there's no talking your way out of it," Erik sighs. "You prevented a catastrophe tonight and they want to know how you did it. Fortunately, we could tell the rest of the employees that Liana got an anonymous tip from her acquaintances."

Liana, Fefnir, Ingri, Hana and Dr Stein are all staring at me, eagerly awaiting my answer. I start shivering and my hearts races. I could maybe manage to tell my friends but the housekeeper and the doctor? Dr Stein especially is a dangerous person to tell. My worst nightmare.

"Aefener," Liana sits close to us and her voice is soft. "Whatever it is, you don't have to be afraid to tell us, okay?"

"That's right, we'll accept everything about you," Ingri seconds. "I think I already know but you have to tell us yourself."

"You know? How?" Fefnir is confused.

"Not everyone is as oblivious as you, Fefnir," Ingri nudges him. "Aefener, if my hunch is right, I'm totally okay with it. Of course, I'm mega curious but it won't affect our friendship in any way."

"See? Your friends are with you," Erik kisses my cheek.

"W-what about Mrs Hana and Dr Stein?" I voice my biggest concern.

"If I was Batman, Hana would be my Alfred," Liana says encouragingly. "As for Dr Stein...," she looks at her sternly. "She knows very well what would happen if she revealed something that I forbid her to."

They generously give me another minute to process it. Liana gently touches my left wing as if she had already guessed right and wanted me to check her resolution. Ingri hurries to touch my right wing and she's pretty much set on it anyway. Their encouragement calms my panic.

"I...," taking a deep breath, "I... I'm a t-telepath."

And... it's out. I came out to them and can't take it back. There're ten long seconds of absolute stillness.

"I knew it!" Ingri breaks the silence by exclaiming excitedly.

"I thought I felt something strange during my transformation," Liana smiles. "You blunted my pain back then, didn't you?"

Liana's and Ingri's emotions are more or less excited. Fefnir is totally dumbfounded and Mrs Hana and Dr Stein can't grasp it at all. But my friends are taking it well so I relax a bit.

"I need to test it," Fefnir shakes his head violently, squeezes next to the girls and touches me as well.

I'm thinking of a pink elephant right now, he says in his mind and even tries it imagine it. With a hat on its trunk.