psychcnaut-blog

[psychcnaut-blog]

{ the fact that i can’t play rhom/bus o/f rui/n ( and might never be able to ) is depressing me so i apologize because i probably won’t be able to roleplay thanks to that ,,, it’s fucking killing me and i’m sorry }

[psychcnaut-blog]

saw this and just. had to edit it.

goggalor is a monster with very complicated father issues

[psychcnaut-blog]

Your dad’s the head of the Psychonauts, Lili! I’m pretty sure he can handle just about anything. He’ll be fine, especially since we’re going to rescue him!

[Granted, Raz knew next to nothing about the details of the situation, let alone how Lili’s dad actually was, but -- he would do anything to help his girlfriend feel some sort of comfort in this type of crisis.] 

“My dad’ll be okay, he can handle anything.

……I hope…”

[psychcnaut-blog]

the-mental-minx:

“I understand, darling…I’m so sorry for everything you’ve had to go through.” Milla couldn’t resist it at this point. She reached out to place a gentle hand on Raz’s shoulder, trying to offer some form of comfort. There were people out there that would still shrug Raz off at this point, tell him he was being overdramatic and that he belonged with his family. Or maybe even that he was making all of this up as a sob story in order to get away with sneaking into camp. But Milla knew that kids were smart, often smart far beyond their years. It was wise to listen to them. And it was obvious Raz had been forced to grow up very fast.

“I’ll tell you this. I will try my best to talk to some people and pull some strings. I still cannot promise you anything, sweetie, and I so wish that I could, but I’ll do what I can to keep you here with us.” She honestly had no idea what she could do. She wasn’t aware of any sort of guideline or loophole that allowed unapproved children to stay and receive training, but…maybe there was a chance. “No matter what happens, try to keep that strength, alright? I believe in you.”

[As Milla gently placed a hand on his shoulder, Raz’s urges to bawl became more overwhelming, thanks to the fact that it was rare for him to receive this level of support. He was unbelievably grateful that she didn’t believe him to be exaggerating or making things up; such a pathetic “sob story” would’ve probably made other adults skeptical, but -- he was being genuine, and he was glad that she recognized that.]

[The ten year-old trembled and wiped his eyes and nose with his sleeve, trying not to let his sniveling drown out Milla’s words. And -- much to his dismay, she actually ensured that she would do her best to keep him there, despite not having permission from his parents. Considering her dedication to the rules earlier, that was probably a feat, and -- he was so grateful that he couldn’t keep himself from his next move, which was hugging her.]

[Normally, he wasn’t one to so easily express this sort of affection toward an authority figure, but --  well, this was a special case. The one adult who had listened to his plight and decided to help him, even though it would be against the rules that she was required to obey.]

[After a moment, the realization struck him that he was probably making her uncomfortable, and he  was quick to let go and quietly sink as he internally berated himself for such an impulsive move.]

S-Sorry -- I...um...th-thank you. I-I know how tough it must be to go against the r-rules and everything, so, I-I just -- thank you so much...

[psychcnaut-blog]

lili-zanotto:

Lili reluctantly let go of Raz’s hand so she could turn around and start walking towards the main lodge. They probably didn’t need the drama of people gossiping about them holding hands, although…it was tempting. That, and people were probably already gossiping about them anyway.  But oh well. At least it would be a good rumor this time. 

“Hmm, yeah, that’ll work for now. At least until we find something better, like…a jar or something.” Once inside the main lodge, she quickly found herself a plastic cup and filled it up with water. Setting the cup down on one of the tables in the mess hall, she put her little bouquet of flowers into it. “There, much better already.” Lili could tell that the flowers were happier now. There was a certain joy that lit up in Lili’s eyes whenever she had time to spend with plants. Sure, she wasn’t a huge fan of coming to this camp year after year, but…at least she could be surrounded by nature for awhile. That made it not so bad.

[Fortunately, Raz completely understood her reasoning for letting go of his hand; he had been just as evasive of rumors that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, despite how he felt toward her...and the fact that the other kids were gossiping regardless of their attempts to hide it.]

[They trekked their way to the main lodge, which hadn’t been too long of a walk, thankfully. The plastic cups they had been seeking were stacked up on a table, as usual, and Lili was easily able to fill one of the cups with water and place her bouquet in it. As she noted that they were feeling better now, Raz couldn’t help but notice the joy in his girlfriend’s eyes. Her genuine enthusiasm for  plants and caring for them was both admirable and  adorable, and the ten year-old couldn’t resist grinning.]

That’s good to hear! I knew they’d be in good care with you, Lili. [He gave a quick glance around the lodge to ensure that nobody was looking their way, which was a simple task, considering that the only resident here was one of Ford’s Psitanium-less personalities. Once he was sure that they were out of anybody’s eyesight, Raz gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, blushing as he did so.] ...Happy Valentine’s Day.

[psychcnaut-blog]

intergalactictelepathy:

    Chloe was a bit taken aback by Raz’s latest reply. Granted, she was still getting used to his excitement, but his latest response seemed even more energetic than his others, and she was having a bit of a hard time deducing why. It didn’t make any sense to her. Why would someone be this energetic about being given a job? It wasn’t as if Chloe were going to be paying him. It was going to be a rather big responsibility, and she didn’t see it being ‘fun’ in any way. Perhaps Earthlings found joy in different things than her? 

     She made a mental note to study the concept further. Normally she would make a quick note in her journal, but she found herself wanting to make sure not to make Raz uncomfortable. It was sort of a new feeling for her, but at least this one made sense to her. It was new, but still logical. After all, Raz was proving to be an important and reliable source of information and ideas, and making him uncomfortable might server whatever bond the two of them currently had.

     “Fascinating. I didn’t expect for it to be this exciting, but I am glad to have you on board, Raz! Our first step should be to acquire some samples of the lifeforms in general. A quick dissection should show whether they hold any resemblance to the Adrarthians, but in this case, study under a microscope might prove more sufficient. If we are to form an alliance with them, slaying a member of their species likely wouldn’t be the best way to start.”

[Raz was somewhat relieved that Chloe hadn’t instantly questioned his enthusiasm toward the position; he might be a bit too excited, but he couldn’t help it. Not only was he working with an actual extraterrestrial, he would be assisting in her research, and possibly even in finding her home planet. Any kid would be ridiculously eager to make contact with an extraterrestrial, right? Though fear might be another emotion roused by making contact with one...]

[Regardless, the ten year-old listened intently as Chloe  elaborated on her plan; the first step would be acquiring samples of the lifeforms, huh? Hopefully, Raz would be capable of doing so without actually hurting them -- kind of like how you could harmlessly obtain a sample of a human by merely plucking one of their hairs. He might  need to consult Lili about how he could do that, actually, but he wasn’t certain about whether she would be on- board with removing any part of a plant.]

Can do, Commander! I think it’d be best to seek samples for now, especially since we’re looking to ally with them. Hopefully, a thorough analysis through a microscope will yield some results, right? [Only five seconds into this,  and he was sounding like a professional. Or -- trying to, at the very least. What a dork.]

[psychcnaut-blog]

the-mental-minx:

Milla listened to the boy, her gentle gaze never leaving him. She certainly hadn’t expected such a…terrible story. Although…it did make a lot of things about Raz make sense. The word ‘tortured’ stood out to her, making her wonder what the extent of that could’ve been. This poor child. Once he was finished speaking, the trembling was rather obvious to Milla.

Her plate lifted off of her lap once again, coming down to rest on a nearby table. The lunch could wait for a few moments. She stood up from her chair and walked over to Raz, taking a seat beside of him on the couch. “So this is why you have been so determined to come here…? Sweetie…I’m so proud of you.” She smiled gently. “It takes strength to follow your dreams despite what may be holding you back. That kind of strength is a fantastic trait for a Psychonaut, darling.”

She then realized the correlations between that story, his father coming to pick him up, and his rush to get as much done at this camp before then. “Perhaps…we can convince your father to give permission for you to stay here once he arrives?” No matter how much she wanted to help, Raz was ten, and his father technically had legal custody over him and his choice to stay here at the camp.

[...Raz could’ve elaborated; there were...other reasons  that his father likely despised him, couldn’t stand his existence, but -- he wasn’t certain if he was ready to disclose those. Th-That would involve revealing...the other issue he had been born with, the matter of his... biological gender. He’d been doing such a good job of covering it up, and everyone was already content with calling him a boy -- it was the first time that everyone had so readily accepted him.]

[He...was really hoping that it wouldn’t come up. Deep down, he was even more terrified of coming here so confidently as a male, only to “come out” and -- and experience the same backlash that had resulted from coming out to his family. There were bound to be kids that would judge him, maybe even call him disgusting, and...he was horrified of losing all of the friends he’d made. Worse yet, one of the Psychonauts themselves might force him to call himself a “girl” because he was born as one. He couldn’t handle that sort of rejection, not again.]

[Milla was considerate and caring, but he wouldn’t... couldn’t risk it. That information was an absolute last resort to prevent his father from being his permission, and even then, he probably wouldn’t be able to force the words out.]

[...Regardless, although he had been somewhat vague, Milla appeared genuinely sympathetic. And...and then she left her lunch behind to sit beside him and comfort him. What came next surprised even him -- she...she was proud. Even though he had broken into this camp, and would essentially be breaking every single rule if he enrolled, she was sympathetic and proud of him for standing up against the odds. She even said that such bravery was a fantastic trait of a Psychonaut, and...that sentiment was enough to finally get him to tear up.]

[Immediately, Raz forced himself to stare at the ground, anywhere but her. His father would always yell at him when he cried, call him weak when he did...he didn’t want her to see him in such a feeble state, especially after she just told him how proud she was.]

[Finally, she suggested a sort of solution...but it wasn’t one that would work. Raz was well-aware that -- that if his dad found out, not only might he kill him ( that was no exaggeration in the ten year-old’s eyes ), he would never allow him around the camp again. There was no way that his father would cooperate with psychics, not after what happened all those years ago.]

Th-Thank you, s-so much...you...you don’t know how rare it is f-for me to hear that. [He sniffled a bit, took a deep breath, and finally commented on her idea.] But... th-that won’t work. I-If you knew my dad, kn-knew how scary he can be... [Even though he was able to hide his tears, he could barely cover the shakiness in his voice. It was apparent that he was starting to whimper.] H-He won’t cooperate with you...h-he’d never let me come back here, and th-there’s no way that he would let me stay...

I can’t go home...I-I can’t...please, you have to let me train, b-become a Psychonaut...I c-can’t go back.

[psychcnaut-blog]

the-mental-minx:

“You had no reason to tell me anything, sweetie. And no reason at all to apologize.” Milla relaxed once again back into her chair as she saw that Raz was relaxing as well. “But if you feel like you want to tell me, I’m happy to listen.”

Maybe she’d be able to help out somehow. She wasn’t sure if it was something that could be helped, but…it was just a shame that Raz had to deal with something like that at such a young age. Milla had a hard time seeing fear on childrens’ faces.

[...Well, he had every reason to tell her. Especially if he was going to describe his life at home in order to prove that he couldn’t go back -- the story of his family’s curse was, in a sense, the reason for everything. It was why his father despised him; why his father despised psychics, even though Raz was almost certain that his father was psychic too.]

...I guess not, but this...is kinda something you should know. [Raz took another deep breath, bracing himself.]

It’s why my dad hates psychics...why he probably hates me. Back when my dad was younger, a rival family of psychics cursed him, his family, and every single one of their descendants to...to die in water. We’ve all had to avoid it at all costs, because if we get too close, it’ll pull us in, strangle us, prevent us from resurfacing. It doesn’t let us resist; we have to fight with everything we’ve got if we don’t want to drown. I, uh...know that from experience.

My dad never let that go. He thinks that all psychics are nothing but demented, even though he’s probably psychic himself. And...when he found out that his own kid was psychic, I think he was horrified. He...probably hated me from the moment I was born. He treated me differently from his other kids, tortured me, all because I...b-because of what I am...

[...This was a bit more difficult than he thought it would be. The more he delved back into his past in the circus, the more he would tremble and feel the overwhelming urge to cry...hopefully, Milla didn’t notice that...]

[psychcnaut-blog]

the-mental-minx:

Raz’s extreme reaction very quickly increased Milla’s concern for the boy. His level of fear wasn’t normal, not at all. She followed his gaze up towards the water, not seeing anything out of the usual…at least not through her eyes. Milla looked back down to Raz. Within the next millisecond, she had used Clairvoyance to switch her subconscious into Raz’s point of view. Through the eyes of the terrified boy, she could not only see the menace and danger emanating off of the water above them, but she could feel it right into her own subconscious. It was enough to send shivers into her mind.

And then she was back out, into her own mind. Clairvoyance had barely taken more time than the blink of an eye, and chances are, Raz hadn’t even noticed. She immediately moved a hand towards the windows, and with a hissing sound and a thud, thick metal shutters closed over them. The shimmering light of the water disappeared, and a couple artificial lights turned on in the ceiling above them to compensate for the windows’ closures. Then the room was quiet.

Milla leaned forward towards Raz in concern. “…darling, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it would affect you like this. Are you alright now? We could go eat our lunch in Sasha’s office instead-” After experiencing that feeling, the maternal instinct to get the boy as far away as possible from such a fear was starting to kick in. That wasn’t a regular ‘he’ll grow out of it’ feeling, it was a ‘there’s truly danger in the water’ feeling. And she had no idea what the origin of it was. She wouldn’t question him on it, though. She understood what it was like to keep scary memories away from other people.

[Raz hadn’t noticed a single thing when Milla utilized her clairvoyance; his only focus at the moment was on those hands, so eager to drag him to the depths of the  lake, eager to make his suffering as lasting as possible. Soon enough after his panicked outburst, Milla began to finally cover the windows, and the thick metal shutters noisily hissed their way across the office. The moment the hands vanished from his sight, Raz felt relieved... even if the hands were still waiting, they couldn’t “see” him now, right?]

[He closed his eyes and shakily took a deep breath,  beginning to calm down now that the hands were out of sight and out of mind. There wasn’t a risk anymore, not one that Raz could sense, and that was enough to ease him out of his anxious state.]

[Once he was calmer, he finally brought himself to look back at Milla, who was expressing concern toward the horror and trepidation that the ten year-old had been expressing a moment ago. Raz rubbed at the back of his head ( or helmet, rather ), feeling somewhat guilty for making her that worried; maybe he should’ve said something on their way here, but...it hadn’t occurred to him that her office would have an underwater setting, even though it was this close to the lake.]

N-No, um...it’s alright. I’m...alright. We really don’t have to move from here, a-and I wouldn’t want to... disrupt whatever Agent Nein might be up to in his lab. [He gave a slight sigh, disappointed in himself for still not regaining his composure entirely.] Sorry about that...um...

[He debated internally whether he ought to tell her; then again, it was an integral part of why his father hated him, and the reason he was so reluctant to go home. He was here to convince her that he needed to become a Psychonaut, and...this curse was part of the reason.]

...Th-There’s a reason that I can’t be around the water. I...should’ve told you that on the way here.

[psychcnaut-blog]

lili-zanotto:

If Lili hadn’t been blushing before (which she certainly had been), then she knew she was blushing now as Raz actually held onto her hand. This is the exact kind of thing that she made fun of all the other kids for.  …and, okay, maybe she had had her own drama here and there around the camp in the past, but this time felt strangely different. A lot of the ‘relationships’ that happened around here mainly happened to fill the long summer hours with something to gossip about, but this wasn’t that. It was…well, she didn’t completely know or understand.

…alright, time to say something, Lili. Any day now. She admired their joined hands for a moment longer before getting words out. “That’s….so mushy, oh my god.” Lili teased with a content smirk. She then motioned with the hand holding the flowers. “Let’s go find a jar and get these little guys some water.”

[Sure, Raz was being exceptionally sappy today, but he figured that it’d be fine, considering the holiday. Lili didn’t even seem to mind, though she was definitely blushing, which made him glad that he’d gone to the effort instead of focusing on his training. This...his feelings toward her felt special, like the sort of relationship that would stand the test of time. He’d only met her just this summer, but she...she had won him over. And though first loves seem like forever, yet tend to be fleeting, he was somehow confident that his feelings for her would never falter.]

[Alright, alright, sappiness and relationships aside -- Lili was right, they should probably be off attempting to find a container for his gift.]

Oh, right -- do you think one of the plastic cups from the mess hall would work? Or should we look for something better?

[psychcnaut-blog]

the-mental-minx:

Milla didn’t notice Raz’s initial hesitation, as she had gotten distracted with checking a few things on a nearby computer monitor. No major messages for her and no Psychonauts alerts. That was a good thing. She turned around to see where Raz had decided to sit down at, and noticed how he had his gaze locked onto the skylights. Er, well…lakelights.

“Oh my goodness, of course not, darling. I wouldn’t trust my equipment in here if there was any chance of that happening. I promise you, you’re completely safe.” Even if any of the skylights cracked by some freak occurrence, the lake still wouldn’t come down on them. The entire construction was surrounded by an industrial strength force field on top of the extra tough exterior, which was not only meant to protect them from the water, but from any malicious attacks that may be aimed at her lab by enemies. Milla hadn’t sacrificed any safety for style.

The agent sat down in a chair across from Raz, her lunch plate finally settling down into her lap. “I’m sorry that you have troubles with the water, darling. You know, it’s perfectly normal for kids your age.” She wasn’t aware that the fear went much deeper than just a phobia. “Would you like me to cover the windows for you?” As any good secret lab should, there were also window shutters installed that could close over the windows and hide the interior from any unwanted outside viewers. And, of course, hide the water from the inside viewers as well. Maybe it would make Raz feel more at ease.

[Despite Milla’s reassurance, Raz found himself incapable of concentrating on anything but the lake water above; the hands so eager to reach out for him and grab him, choke him as he struggled to resurface, leaving him completely breathless once he finally crawled onto the shore. They... they almost appeared ready, as though they might be able to break through the intense security that Milla had set up. As though they would reach him any moment, and if he took his eyes off of them for even a second, they would make a move.]

[His breathing grew shakier as the hand’s movements  became more vivid, more intense, as though they were drawing closer -- they were definitely there, they had to be. If he wasn’t clinging to a lunch tray at the moment, he’d be desperately gripping the couch beneath him, although the couch's constant floating wouldn’t be much help either way. Raz was confident that Milla’s hideaway was built with the best security there was to offer, but the curse that haunted him and his family might be able to break any barrier.]

[Raz shook his head a bit as Milla attempted to assure him that water phobias were normal within his age group; this was a combination of a phobia and something far worse, a curse that would terrorize his family and all of its eventual descendants. He couldn’t really bring himself to elaborate on the reasoning behind his fear, not when it was “staring” him in the eyes, but...when she asked if she should cover the windows...]

P-Please...please cover them... [He wasn’t certain if that would even help, but it was better than staring his potential doom in the fingertips.]

[psychcnaut-blog]

lili-zanotto:

He liked it! Handing that to him was probably one of the most embarrassing things she had ever done in her long ten years of life, but…it turned out to be totally worth it. Her eyes dropped downwards towards the flowers in her hand, mentally telling them that she’d get them in water pretty soon. Then she heard Raz’s comment.

“…you mean you’ve never celebrated Valentine’s Day? At all?” At the very least, kids would typically get some sort of card and some candy from their parents and friends or something. Had Raz never even gotten that much? That was…kind of sad, actually. But from what Lili had overheard so far, not much about his life before dropping into the summer camp had been great. “….then I’m really glad you came here.”

[Raz hadn’t really mentioned it before now, but...for him, Valentine’s Day was essentially nonexistent. He knew of the holiday, due to some of their performances actually taking place during it, but his father wasn’t one in favor of the Hallmark holiday. That wasn’t to say that his dad had a bad relationship with his mom, just that the father never expressed gratitude toward the children or treated them to something special for the holiday. They were all essentially surrounded by treats on any given day either way, though popcorn and cotton candy weren’t really  affiliated with Valentine’s Day.]

[Honestly, Raz never really had a reason to complain -- even if his father did celebrate it, it wouldn’t be likely that the ten year-old would be offered anything that his siblings or mother received. Maybe a small piece of chocolate at the very most, or a store-bought holiday card that had no personal message, only a signature.]

That surprising, huh? [He didn’t reveal any of the turmoil he felt toward his life in the circus, but simply grinned and held Lili’s spare hand.] ...I’m really glad that I came here, too. I’m glad that I met you.

[psychcnaut-blog]

The bacon is safe

[psychcnaut-blog]

the-mental-minx:

“Then it’s a date. Let’s take a walk.” She smiled and turned to walk towards the mess hall. Lunch turned out to be fairly basic camp fare, a cheeseburger cooked on the grill with some fries for the side. Milla happily took a plate for herself and handed Raz’s plate off to him when it was ready.

The walk to Milla’s office followed the path that led to Lake Oblongata. She made a turn along the path, heading towards what looked to be a dead end behind the boat house. However, once they got closer, a cleverly hidden opening became apparent behind a few boulders and foliage. 

“Watch your step, dear.” Entering the opening, a set of stairs stretched downwards into the earth. About halfway down the stairs, the walls went from earthen to white and solid. When the stairs ended, a metal door with a keypad greeted them. Milla let go of her plate of food, which hovered in the air beside of her instead of dropping to the ground, and punched in the entry code.

The door slid open in front of them, revealing a drastically different scene, one that was entirely Milla’s style. Bright colors were everywhere, from the colored lights to the floating lava lamps. In fact, there were a whole lot of floating things. There were also quite a few incredibly comfortable looking couches and lounge chairs. The center of the room had a unique shimmery light to it, originating from the large windows above them. The light was coming in through the lake that seemed to be right on top of them. 

Milla didn’t bother picking her plate up again, letting it follow behind her in the air as she walked into her lab. “Make yourself at home wherever you’d like, Razputin.”

[As they walked, Raz barely made a sound; he wasn’t necessarily capable of making conversation, especially when he was already somewhat concerned about their future discussion. He didn’t necessarily want to reveal too much about the traumas of his home life, but...that might be mandatory if he wanted to really convince her that he needed to become a Psychonaut before his dad arrived. Maybe it’d do him some good to speak with  someone about his issues anyway, but...that didn’t keep him from feeling uneasy.]

[Soon enough, they passed through the mess hall, and Milla handed him a tray holding the standard lunch of a cheeseburger with fries. Once they were out, they began to approach the path that led to Milla’s office -- and Raz was somewhat disconcerted to find that they happened to be following the same path that led to Lake Oblongata. His phobia of the water there might...lead to him being unable to follow her, after all...]

[Much to his relief, however, they simply made their way behind the boathouse and entered a secret passage with a downward staircase. Pretty cool, actually, he had to  admit -- especially when Milla began holding her tray with her telekinetic abilities in order to enter a security code to her hideaway.]

[Initially, the ten year-old was dazzled and impressed;  the style of the place definitely fit Milla, after all, and all of the floating furniture was amazing in the child’s eyes. However, that astonishment only lasted until Raz looked upwards -- only to find that the lake was...above them. It was clear already that he was stunned, nearly frozen in place -- his aquaphobia wouldn’t let him have an easy time in here.]

[He gulped, staring above and hesitantly stepping toward the nearest floating couch he could find. He wasn’t sure  whether they were really there, but he could make out a pair of hands that was eagerly waiting to drag him under... or above, in this case. Raz bit his lip, refusing to take his eyes off of the water above as he finally seated himself  and attempted to speak.]

Agent Vodello...your...y-your office is underwater...? Th- This...might be a weird question to ask, but... [He took a deep breath, mildly trembling as the hands’ fingers all enthusiastically twitched.] There’s...there’s no chance it could...I don’t know, l-leak, or pour down on us, right...?

[psychcnaut-blog]

lili-zanotto:

“Pft…now you’re getting embarrassing.” She teased, getting a little more of her typical snark back into her voice. It just took a little bit to recover from the surprise of the gift, and she definitely still wasn’t over it completely. “But…this is nice. …oh! I, uh…have something for you too!”

She had been entirely on the fence if she was actually going to give him this, but after this display, she guessed it would be alright. She pulled it out of her back pocket, where it had gotten a little crumped, but it was stil alright. “It’s nothing big…”

She had pulled out a handmade Valentine card, made from the art supplies that were stored in the craft room. On the inside she had written in black careful marker Roses are red, violets are blue, your face is dumb, but kind of cute too.

[He knew he was being ridiculously cheesy here, but -- technically, that was what Valentine’s Day was all about, right? A mushy holiday to remind the loved ones in your life that they were important to you. Valentine’s Day was practically the definition of cheesy, but Raz was intent  on spending it with Lili.]

[And -- apparently, he hadn’t been the only one who had prepared a gift. Actually, he was sort of shocked that Lili created something for him too -- but then again, she  usually hid her dorkiness and sweetness behind that snarky attitude of hers. It was honestly a habit that he found adorable.]

[Raz didn’t mind that it was slightly crumpled, nor the fact that it was handmade -- in fact, it was that sort of effort that was more impressive than anything else. He opened it, and grinned to find such a sweet little “poem” within -- written in a manner that reflected Lili’s usual attitude.]

And you thought I was being embarrassingly cheesy... [He laughed to himself, closing the card and holding it close to him. It really did mean a lot to him that Lili  went through the effort of making this for him, even if it “wasn’t much.”] Thank you, Lili. I-It, uh, actually  means a lot...I’ve never really even gotten a chance to celebrate this gushy holiday, so...I’m glad I can do it with you.

[psychcnaut-blog]

[Raz gave a slight sigh of disappointment as she did her best to reassure him; he was well-aware that, if he was forced to go home before achieving the ranks of a Psychonaut, there wouldn’t be any way that he’d be able to communicate ever again with the friends he’d made. His father would probably forbid it -- he despised psychics, after all, and...Raz didn’t dare think about what sort of punishment he might get  after breaking into this camp. The very concept of his father coming here terrified him, but...if he could become a Psychonaut by then, his father wouldn’t be able to do anything, right?]

[...Regardless, her offer to get lunch was one that Raz couldn’t really turn down. He hadn’t had a single meal yet in his rush to finish his training, and he didn’t have any of the snacks he packed for the trip left. He’d read that the camp would be serving its own meals, and that dissuaded him from packing too much in terms of food anyway...maybe he should accept the offer. Especially if he could somehow convince her to let him train with her.]

...No, I haven’t had anything to eat today. [He bit his lip before continuing.] I, um...I’d appreciate it if we could speak more about this over lunch, Agent Vodello.

@psychcnaut

(RP ask cont.)

Honestly, the tone in Razputin’s voice absolutely killed her inside. The longing in his voice, maybe even a little bit of fear…despite how she knew that calling the parents of any child who snuck in here without authorization was protocol, and she had followed that protocol, it was still so hard to hear. Could there be exceptions? Would there be? Milla wasn’t sure how far her authority reached at this point…to be fair, the other counselors seemed fascinated with the young boy. To hear how Sasha was talking about Raz…he might be worth breaking the protocol just this once.

But, it was too late to consider all of that now. The phone call had already been made and she was sure that his father was in transit already. She was used to kids who didn’t have a fantastic life at home, they came here all the time, but…there was something possibly even deeper than the usual problems in Raz’s voice. “Oh, darling, I’m sure you’ll be able to talk to them…” She said softly. “…have you had any lunch today, Razputin? Every time I’ve seen you, you’ve been running around all over the place. We could pick up some food and stop by my office if you’d like to talk further, sweetie." 

She had a feeling that there was more to Raz than he was telling out here in the middle of the campgrounds. He was more than welcome to decline the offer, but she wanted to make sure that he knew that her door was always open.

[psychcnaut-blog]

Quick doodle of everyone’s favorite psychic duo…

I’m just getting sicker, ugh. >.<;; I’ve been trying to do some layout stuff for Patches and another story but I’m just too headachey to make anything decent… maybe tomorrow.