He had seen many Nevermore students drift in and out of Weathervane, rarely lingering for long. The reception they received from the townspeople was… less than warm, and most did not care to endure the glances or hushed remarks that followed them.

When you stepped inside, the bell above the door chiming softly, his attention was caught almost immediately. The purple-striped Nevermore uniform was hard to miss, but it was the way your eyes scanned the room—taking in every unfamiliar detail—that made him certain he’d never seen you before. “Judging by the way you’re looking around,” he remarked once you reached the counter, “I’m going to guess you’re new here.” He had met outcasts before and, truth be told, found them intriguing—at least the ones who posed no harm. He wasn’t proud of it, but he had been unkind to them once. A few months of therapy with Dr. Kinbott had done him some good, though; he carried himself differently now.

“Is it that obvious?”

“You kind of make it obvious,” he replied with a small, easy laugh, leaning forward against the counter. “No need to be on edge. People here tend to leave you alone… as long as you extend them the same courtesy.” Outcasts weren’t exactly part of his inner circle—if Wednesday could even be considered part of it, given the mixed signals she sends—but he didn’t mind meeting someone new.