#and once again mirtala is. having a Not Good time

[razzle-zazzle]

Whumptober Day 06: do or die, you'll never make me, because the world will never take my heart

Forced to Watch

2445 Words; Ouroboros AU

TW for violence, exploitation, injury, trauma

AO3 ver

The locker room seemed impossibly large when Mirtala first saw it; a bench in the center more than half her height and ten lockers each as tall as her in two rows on the wall.

Mirtala had only ever heard about the locker room in passing; never from Dion, who hated talking about the arena to her, but from the Wolves and sometimes from Aster and the other kids. Of those groups, only the Wolves had ever seen the locker room, but Aster and the rest just loved to boast about how well they’d do when they were finally old enough for the arena, loved to boast about how they knew so much about it already.

But it wasn’t Aster and the rest who were standing in the locker room, a Wolf’s hand on their shoulder. It was Mirtala, her braids twisted into two tight little buns.

“Your outfit’s in the middle locker on the bottom,” the Wolf said, gently nudging Mirtala forwards. “You won’t be going in right away, but better to try it on now.”

The locker in question was unlocked. Mirtala wasn’t entirely convinced that whatever was inside would fit her—it had only been a few days since Creed drafted a contract for her, only a few days since she’d leapt into the arena with an ill-fitting wolf mask. Surely, with everything that happened in Ouroboros, there hadn’t been time to create a new outfit—every competitor in the arena was an adult or close enough, after all, and none of them were very close to Mirtala in size or stature.

To her surprise, the outfit she pulled out fit her well enough. The pants and boots and black shirt was much like Dion’s, but sized down to fit her. The shirt had the number 054 embroidered on the back in shimmery white thread—did Dion’s outfit have the same, under his vest? Mirtala figured it must have.

Where Dion’s vest was red with gold accents, Mirtala’s was white with red accents. It reminded her of candy canes, almost, or playing cards—there was a red heart on the back. Red-dyed faux feathers lined the collar, soft around Mirtala’s neck. She turned back to the locker for the final piece.

A red and white chickadee mask greeted her, the carefully shaped beak seeming to gleam under the locker room lighting. The paint was bright, unfaded by time, free of chips. It looked brand new. It looked like it’d fit her perfectly.

Mirtala pushed the mask on, reaching back to tie it.

It felt like a damnation.

+=+=+=+=+

The brawl was well underway by the time Mirtala was guided to the arena. She took a moment to peer through the gate, watching. The Opossum was already lying face down in the dirt—was he down for good, or would he get back up later? The Rhino was charging after the Rabbit, ducking around and under the obstacles in her attempts to reach hare. The audience was loud, the resounding din of the cheers and jeers louder than the groan of the gate as it rose.

“Good luck.” The Wolf shoved her forwards, out of the shadow of the gate into the searing light of the arena.

The announcer’s voice blared over the loudspeakers. “What’s this? A new challenger appears!” The audience roared. “Introducing the Chickadee! You may know her from a few nights ago, but this is her official debut! Let’s give her a warrrrrrm welcome!”

Mirtala steeled herself. She tried to imagine the arena before her as one giant jungle gym. A giant game of tag—that’s what she was about to participate in. Just a game of tag.

The announcer continued, “The first challenger to catch the Chickadee wins! Can she evade her powerful opponents? Let’s find out!” The audience was too loud, the lights too bright.

The Rhino snorted. Mirtala wasted no time in somersaulting to the nearest set of painted metal bars and flinging herself up atop them, darting about a monkey bar-like structure that curved up and over and around. The Rhino couldn’t reach her up here, so Mirtala took a moment to breathe.

Thunk. Thunk.

…Nevermind. The bar shook again as the Rhino kicked at one of the supports, and Mirtala cartwheeled over to a maze-like arrangement of metal panels. The Rhino circled around the entire thing—Mirtala had hoped to lure her into the maze entirely. Phooey.

The Rabbit chose that moment to try attacking the Rhino, landing a kick right into her leg. But the Rhino was built like a tank and it showed—she simply whirled around to face the Rabbit, who was quick to dart off.

Keep things interesting.

It was Mirtala’s whole job, in this arena—if she failed to do that, then she might as well have lost. She walked along the top of the maze walls, leaping over to another set of metal bars.

The cage bars cast shadows across the arena. Mirtala’s mask pressed against her face. She put her hands on her hips and looked at the Rhino with all of the judgment she could muster. “Are you even trying? My Nona could move faster than you!”

That did the trick. “You—” The Rhino slammed her shoulder into the pole, making the whole thing wobble. Mirtala didn’t fall, though, holding on tight. She focused not on the woman attempting to tear the structure out of the ground, but on the Opossum on the structure behind her, slowly creeping forwards.

“My baby brother’s stronger than you! He’d have knocked this whole thing over by now!” Throwing all these insults didn’t sting as much as Mirtala expected—maybe it helped that they were (kind of) true?

(Or maybe the poison of Ouroboros was getting to her. Mirtala dreaded the possibility, but she couldn’t deny it.)

The Rhino bellowed a wordless cry of rage, stepping back to throw even more force into her next shove—

The Opossum leaped down onto her from behind, arms wrapped around her neck. Mirtala watched as the Rhino stumbled this way and that trying to dislodge him. She grasped at his arms, and even slammed him against the metal panel behind her, but he held fast. Within moments, she went down, the Opossum leaping to the side to avoid being pinned.

The Opossum had hardly a moment to bask in his victory before the Rabbit’s boot was driven into his side, slamming him into the metal panel he’d just leapt off of. The Opossum was quick to get back up, darting between two metal poles to avoid the next kick. Mirtala could see his hands shaking. The Rabbit charged him again, and he yelped.

Mirtala’s whole job was to “keep the fight interesting,” as Creed had put it. So she grabbed the bar she was standing on and swung down, her legs catching the Rabbit right in hare’s shoulder. She wished she could aim for hare’s face.

The Rabbit stumbled backwards. Mirtala swung back up, flipping once in the air before grabbing the bar and landing in a handstand. “Nyeh!” She taunted. There was no time to doubt, no time to stop and think—she had to keep moving no matter what. Mirtala couldn’t stop, couldn’t let herself be caught—

She slid down a pole and dashed across the ground. The Rabbit lunged, and Mirtala ducked under hare’s tackle. She rolled to the side to avoid the next tackle, leaping into the air and slamming directly into the small of hare’s back. Hare wheezed.

Mirtala moved to climb back up, out of reach— 

Her whole world tilted as she was lifted into the air by her ankle in one smooth motion. The Opossum held her up in front of himself. The audience cheered.

Mirtala crossed her arms. The fight was over.

+=+=+=+=+

Dion was going to be sick.

Anxiety was taking a hand mixer to his organs, dread trickling down his spine. He’d never been in Creed’s private box before. He never wanted to be in here again.

Creed’s King Cobra mask glittered in the light, covering the upper half of his face. His dark brown eyes still looked like deep pits ready to swallow Dion whole even with the fake scales. “She’s doing quite well for herself.” He commented, voice light.

Dion receded further into the plush seating. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be here, sitting five feet away from this monster of a man, watching his baby sister hop about the arena like it was some kind of playground instead of the awful fighting pit it truly was—

But he wasn’t allowed to leave, either. Creed had insisted, and when Creed insisted on anything it was an incontrovertible order. When Creed insisted, someone else ended up suffering.

“You should be proud,” Creed purred, as Mirtala taunted a woman more than five times her size. “Your sister has more will to survive than half of the roster.” He took another delicate sip of wine, setting the glass down before turning to regard Dion directly. “You are proud, aren’t you?”

Pride was the last thing Dion was feeling. Complete and utter terror, sure, but—

How was he supposed to be proud of Mirtala dancing around the one place he never wanted her to go? How was he supposed to feel anything but a sense of abject failure at his ability to take care of her, to protect her from as much of Ouroboros’ ills as he could? She shouldn’t even be here, shouldn’t have ended up in Ouroboros with him—and yet his own idiocy had brought her down with him, and despite his every effort he could do nothing to protect her from his own fucking mistakes—

Dion’s hands clenched into fists. He wanted to tear his eyes away from the arena below them, wanted to tear his eyes away from his sister being chased around like something to be caught, like a goal to be grabbed—

But he couldn’t.

Hatred rose up Dion’s throat like bile. He turned his ire towards the monster beside him. Venom gathered on his tongue.

(He’d nearly yelled his throat out when he’d first found out about Mirtala’s shiny new contract. Partly at Mirtala, partly at the Wolf watching him on his next dayshift.

He hadn’t had the courage to do anything more than glare at Creed when he saw him. Had almost yelled, only for his words to lodge themselves in his throat and make it sting and tighten with unshed tears.)

“I hate you.” Dion snarled. “You’re awful. Mirtala doesn’t deserve this, nobody deserves this, and I hate you, you figlio di put—”

“Are you done?” Creed’s voice cut through Dion like a knife. All of his fight left him, his whole being coming to a halt under Creed’s gaze.

Creed grinned, the fangs of his mask gleaming. “So you can be smart sometimes.” He commented.

Dion hated him. Dion hated him so much. But he held his tongue, wary of the Wolf guarding the door, wary of the serpent sipping wine barely five feet away from him.

The audience roared. The sound grated against Dion’s ears. His throat tightened and his eyes stung, his view of Mirtala ducking under the Rabbit blurring—

He hated this. He hated Creed, he hated this place, he hated his inability to do anything to get himself or Mirtala out of this hellhole—

But he hated himself most of all.

+=+=+=+=+

Mirtala cleaned herself up in the locker room, trading her arena outfit for nightclothes. Her hands shook, her heart racing in her chest.

She wasn’t sure what scared her worse—the fight, or the thrill that she had felt during it. Mirtala had felt unstoppable up until the point that she was finally grabbed, on top of the world as she leapt and tumbled around. She didn’t need to win fights, just to evade everyone long enough to make things interesting. But she had wanted to win so badly, wanted to push herself further like it really was just one giant game—

And that scared her more than anything. Would she let that competitiveness control her? Would she let that need to win take her over until the Mirtala in the chickadee mask was unrecognizable to her? She didn’t know. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

The exhaustion in her bones, the lingering adrenaline from throwing herself around the arena like it was one giant obstacle course—

It was satisfying. It was just like home, just like tiring herself out practicing her performance and pushing herself to go higher, farther, faster—

Uncertainty and fear swirled in her stomach. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and kick and shout until the emotions swelling in her heart didn’t seem so impossibly big. She wanted to cry.

But no tears ever came.

+=+=+=+=+

Their room was bigger when Mirtala got back. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, water dripping off onto her back.

Dion was waiting on his bedroll when she returned. His face scrunched through five different expressions in the span of a second at the sight of her, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

(He looked like he’d just cried. Mirtala still wanted to cry, herself.)

Wordlessly, Dion turned away, his expression stone.

Whatever. Mirtala grabbed Francis III and sat down on her own bedroll. Dion could stay mad for all she cared; she wasn’t going to stop. She had finally found something to do that could help, and she wasn’t going to let Dion talk her out of it.

(She wasn’t allowed to, besides.)

She clutched the plushie tighter. When Dion came back from the arena, he curled around her until their breathing matched. So why, when Mirtala came back from the arena, did Dion refuse to look at her? Was he really that mad at her?

(Probably. He’d yelled at her when he found out about the contract, his face twisted into a monstrous snarl of hurt and anger.)

Her eyes stung. Mirtala sniffed, begging herself not to cry. She was strong! She was brave! She had to be, to survive here in Ouroboros. And she was.

She heard Dion move behind her. Felt his hand ghost over her shoulder before withdrawing. “Tala—” He started, only to fall silent.

She didn’t turn around.

(Later that night, when Dion’s breathing had long evened out, she tucked herself against his side, pulling his arm around her and imagining that he’d put it there, that he’d pushed through his stupid doubt and held her himself instead of holding back like a coward—

Mirtala clutched Francis III closer. She hated this place. She hated it so much.

But she was still powerless to do anything about that.)

[tinyinvadr]

Next chapter’s up!

Psychoborrower 2

Chapter 17

Right as we left Gristol’s mind, Hollis, Sasha, Milla, and Coach arrived.

“Were you just in the Grand Head of the Psychonauts?!”

To my surprise, Norma stepped forward. Though, maybe it was just to cover her own ass. Hard to say.

“Agent Nein, it’s not what it looks like!”

Milla sighed. “Kids, we just saw you come out.”

“But we weren’t in my Dad’s mind! That’s the mole!”

“No, the mole is Nick Johnsmith! Sasha figured it out, but I always had my suspicions.”

Coach smirked proudly, as if he wasn’t one of “Nick”’s biggest defenders.

They started to move in towards Gristol’s body, but we blocked their path.

“No, his brain’s not in there! It’s in my Dad’s head! Ugh, we don’t have time for this, we’ve gotta find his real brain!”

Lili grabbed Raz by the hand and pulled us both out the door, pushing past the agents.

He tried to keep up with her, but when Lili’s got her mind set on something, it can be tough to rein her in. She had already run far ahead of us by the time the storm started.

A watery cyclone was fast approaching from the Heptadome. Gristol went and did it. He awakened Maligula. Idiot.

“Okay, there’s a big swirling vortex of death behind us and all of the adults are back at the Heptadome, what do we do?!”

“We should get back to the campsite. Maybe my Dad can help.”

That was our best option, but I couldn’t help but be concerned for his mental state. I wasn’t sure how long it would take for his memories to come back, but even if they hadn’t recovered, seeing Maligula again was sure to bring back trauma for him.

When we arrived at the campsite, the Aquatos were all gathered in front of one of the tents. Augustus sat in the center, his head in his hands. It looked like he’d been crying.

Donatella was the first to notice us. She flashed the slightest smile when she greeted us, though there was still a somber look in her eyes.

“Hello, boys. He’s… been remembering some things.”

Raz’s older brother let out a frustrated sigh. “I knew we shouldn’t have come here.”

“Dion, please. Not now.”

He immediately shut up after his mother scolded him, then turned his attention back to Augustus. Raz sat down beside him, wrapping him in a hug.

“Oh, Razputin… I lost them. I lost… everyone.”

It seemed all of his memories came back at once. It was like he was forced to relive that terrible day when he lost his parents and was taken away to the orphanage all over again. And… he remembered my family.

I knew that restoring his memories would ultimately be a good thing, but I hadn’t considered that bringing them back would also bring back the pain. All those years, he never worried about what happened to them because he couldn’t remember them.

Everyone went quiet for a moment, all of us huddling together to comfort him. I was unsure if him seeing Mom again right away was the right move, but then again, there would never really be a “right” time for that sort of thing.

I was about to try and make a telepathic connection with her to ask her to come over, but I didn’t need to. I heard her and Dad approaching.

“Reed, what if he still doesn’t remember? I don’t know if I can handle doing this again…”

“You can, honey. I know you can. You’re the strongest person I know. Now, go.”

After a second, Raz’s younger sister, Mirtala, scooted aside, letting Mom through. The entire family looked down at her, waiting for her to speak. I can only imagine how intimidating it must have looked from her perspective, but she didn’t look shaken by it at all.

“Gus?”

He lifted his head, staring at her for a second until it clicked.

“Sibi!”

As if they’d never been separated, Augustus scooped her up and held her close.

“Oh, Sibi, I thought for sure… You were back in the caravan, and by the time I came back, you were… And I didn’t…”

“It’s okay, Gus. I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere.”

I stared in disbelief for a second. “Wait, Mom, does that mean we’re staying?”

She smiled. “Of course, Flint. I had my doubts about the Psychonauts, but you and Raz brought my best friend back. I’m confident that they’ll have at least two great agents going forward.”

Raz chuckled, that ego of his seeping through. “Oh, they will.”

Unfortunately, by that point we could no longer ignore the approaching cyclone. We needed to somehow get close enough to Lucrecia to get back into her mind without getting washed away.

“We need to get back in there. Any ideas?”

At that, Dion grabbed Raz by the shoulders and started shaking him. With me still being on his shoulder, I have to say I did not appreciate it.

“What, are you crazy?! That thing’s gonna kill you! Are you forgetting about the curse that’s plagued us our entire lives?!”

“It’s not real, Dion. Ford made it up so Nona wouldn’t remember being Maligula. In fact, I’m pretty sure I inherited her Hydrokinesis. Not sure how to control it yet, but maybe if I figure that out, I’ll be able to stop her!”

I looked around and noticed that Frazie was no longer standing beside the rest of her family. She had to have snuck away when the conversation shifted to the curse. She may not have been ready to tell them the truth, but we needed her help.

“Hey, uh, Raz? Can you put me down? Gotta pee.”

“Really? Now?”

“Yes now! It’s been one thing after another today and I’ve been holding it for hours!”

“Ew! Ugh, fine, just go, but make it quick.”

He put me down, giving me my chance to go after Frazie. Thankfully, she didn’t go far. I found her sitting on her own, staring endlessly at the approaching cyclone as if entranced by it.

“Frazie, come on, we need you to help us with Maligula!”

She sighed, shaking her head. “Flint, I told you, I can’t. I’ll only make things worse.”

“You don’t know that for sure. And Raz thinks he might have Hydrokinesis powers too, but he doesn’t know how to control them. If the two of you work together, it might be enough to beat her!”

“It doesn’t matter. Either way, my parents go right back to being afraid of psychics, Dad casts Nona out of the family and gives up on using his powers for good, and Raz and I are back at square one. We’re all better off just running away. At least then none of us will get killed. And I won’t get written off as a monster.”

I tried to think of a way to convince her, but I wasn’t sure how. I got the sense she wouldn’t be willing to listen to my insistence that everything would turn out fine, and I wasn’t 100% sure myself of what the future held for us.

“I don’t know if it means anything, but I don’t think you’re a monster. Besides, it wasn’t her powers that made her become Maligula. Your Nona was manipulated and pushed to her breaking point. She was alone and vulnerable, and Gzar Theodore took advantage of that. But we can still help her. Things won’t go back to the way they were before, but maybe that’s a good thing. We’ll all get a second chance to start over. To be better.”

She smiled, holding her hand out for me to climb on.

“I’d like that.”

We returned to the group, and Donatello immediately pulled Frazie aside.

“Ah, there you are! There isn’t much time, we need you for the Devil’s Firehose!”

“What? Now?”

“Of course! How else are we supposed to get your brother to Nona?”

I leapt from Frazie’s hand onto Raz’s shoulder, and for a solid minute, he looked back and forth between the two of us.

“Why were you with my sister?”

“Not the main issue right now, let’s go!”

We headed to the edge of the cliff, and from there, Donatella took charge. I was surprised to see the youngest child, Queepie, was the strongman of the group. He easily held up the entire family as they stacked on top of each other.

Raz secured me in his pocket and began his climb up the tower of acrobats. On the way up, Augustus briefly smiled at me.

“Thank you for bringing her back, Flint.”

I gave him a quick nod, and Raz continued to climb, meeting Mirtala at the top.

“You ready?”

Raz and I exchanged a glance. The entire time we’d known each other, we knew we could never truly be ready. Neither of us expected to get to where we were back when he first showed up at camp. And yet, despite all of that, despite how unready we were, I knew we could handle it. We’d come so far, and there wasn’t a thing in the world that could stop us.

“As we’ll ever be.”

With that, Mirtala launched us straight into the storm, and with a swift throw of the psycho-portal, we went headfirst into Lucrecia’s mind.

Right away, I could see that her mental world looked very different in comparison to when we were in it before. The whole place was flooded, and there wasn’t a trace of the quilted forest or flea circus. Instead, we stood in a memory of Grulovia, destroyed in the flood. And in the center of it all was a statue of Maligula.

Raz panicked upon seeing it and PSI-Blasted it, releasing some stray thoughts. He used Mental Connection to pull us along the trail, and we witnessed the memory of his grandparents’ death.

“I really wish I could’ve met them…”

“I saw them in my Mom’s mind. I mean, I know it’s just a memory and it’s not really them, but, maybe she’ll let you see them too.”

He smiled. “I’d appreciate that. But first we need to save the family that’s still here.”

We returned to the main plaza, where Maligula’s massive glowing eyes glared down at us from behind the watery curtain. Taking a deep breath, Raz approached her.

“Um… Hi. I’m Razputin, your great nephew. Ah, I’m not saying I’m ‘great’ or anything, just… My grandma was your sister, and she wouldn’t want you to be evil anymore. I don’t either… because you’re still family.”

She went into a fit of maniacal laughter in response.

“Family? You’re just another unruly peasant that needs to be WASHED AWAY!!!”

This was it. The fight was on. I shifted to human form and stood beside Raz, taking on a defensive stance. I wasn’t sure how, but we had to beat her somehow. Everyone was counting on us. Our families, our friends, the world itself was at stake.

But whatever it took, we were gonna make sure the reign of Maligula would end once and for all.

[erigold13261]

What's your sweetest Aquato Family headcanon?

Hmm, I’ve made a few, at least I think I did, so I might repeat some.

One that I really like, and know I have said, is that Augustus could not grow a full beard for a while and Dona would kiss the patches between his beard to make him feel better. I just think that is so sweet and cute!

Frazie’s little neck frill thing is not attached to her shirt (or at least it was but no longer is) so she can take it off if she wants. If it starts to drizzle or rain lightly she will take it off and put it over Mirtala’s head and help Queepie hold his cape over his head.

Augustus is the warmest of the family members, mainly because of his pyrokinesis that he never knew he had, so if it starts getting cold he is the one the family goes to hug. He is also the one that held the kids the most when they were babies, especially during the winter months. He’d have a sling holding the baby while he worked.

Donatella has taught every single child how to do their make-up. At first it, with Dion, it was just so she could have help with her make-up when there was no time to do it all herself, but it quickly turned into a tradition of growing up to learn how to properly do make-up. Sometimes when a kid is sad, Dona will make a day for the two to just do make-up together without the rest of the family bothering them.

Nona, like all good grandparents, has candy in her pockets for the kids. She used to make her own candy but as she got older it got harder, so now she has store bought candies. Once she gains back her memory, along with her psychic powers, I can see her trying to make candy again, this time with her psychic powers to help alleviate any of the physical demand candy-making needs. It brings tears to the kids’ and Augusts’ eyes being able to once again each Nona’s candies (this would probably be the first time for Mirtala and Queepie actually).

The reason Raz wears goggles so much is because his first pair were a gift from Dion when they were kids. At the time Raz had trouble keeping his eyes open when doing acrobatics because of the wind. This prompted Dion to use his allowance, that he was saving up to get something nice for himself, to get Raz some goggles so he could see what he was doing. It is one of the nicest things Dion has done for Raz, which the two both hate to admit to when their relationship is strained.

[frankenbolt]

C-can we get more Lili and Raz headcanons/feelings please?

Ooooo! My favourite subject.

Again, my fanfic will delve more deeply into this but here we go

-When Raz introduces Lili to his family, there's a lot of reactions to go around. Frazie is the first to like Lili, and meets her independently of Raz, because she's fooling around in the abandoned mine, and Lili is looking for fungus. Frazie sees how Lili uses plant life to move around the world and is begrudgingly intrigued, and asks her about it, and they spend an hour or so talking, not mentioning Raz once. When Raz brings her to the campsite, Dion starts making fun of Raz for having a girlfriend but Frazie is the first to point out that Raz beat him to getting a girlfriend which shuts him up.

- Mirtala thinks Lili is kind of scary up close, but the more time she spends around her, the more she likes her. She's desperate to braid her hair but Raz warns Lili not to let her do it- not everyone has the strong Aquato scalp afterall.

- Queepie is largely in different to her. Raz explains later that if it's not something he's directly invested in, Queepie tends to ignore everyone and everything.

- Donatella, who has heard all about Lili from Augustus already, is both gushing about how sweet it is that her little Pootie has a girlfriend- and silently judgemental. But she sees how Lili stands up to Dion, and how she patiently deals with Mirtala, how well she gets on with Fraize, how helpful she is after dinner with this crazy bunch of acrobats and seems to thrive on the chaos and how busy and homey the campsite is...and more importantly, how much Raz smiles and radiates pride when he's around her...and decides that yes. This is a suitable pairing for her middlest child.

- Augustus is, not unsurprisingly, very enthusiastic about embarrassing his middlest baby with stories about Raz growing up and offers to show Lili memories of baby Raz. He's also intrigued by her plant powers and has only good things to say about her. He agrees with Donatella about them making a good match, and even privately thinks that the young Zanotto reminds him of his dear wife (not that he'd ever say that to her, she'd make him sleep outside their tent).

- When Truman invites Raz to a Zanotto family dinner the event is a lot smaller, and a lot more formal. It's also more quiet and this makes everything 10 times more awkward without siblings running around and making noise...until Raz remembers how HIS dad embarrassed him in front of Lili and decides to get pay back with a simple question designed to get Truman talking.

"So, Grand Head Zanotto...what was Lili like growing up? >u>"

Cue Truman lighting up and busting out the photo albums in glee.

[artnigth]

Migraines

So...I started reading a LOT of Psychic Dion headcanons and decided that I would really like to write my own fanfic based on some so here is part 1. (might post part 2 tomorrow, maybe)

MIGRAINES: The whispers wouldn't stop, no matter how many ways Dion would try to block them. He locked himself in the bathroom to block everyone else out, he stretched to ‘release’ pressure, he even stole his parents ear plugs but nothing was working. His head felt like he was about to explode. At the moment he was sitting at the back of the Aquatodome praying for the voices to go away. “Dion! Dude where are you?!”- Gisu´s voice broke the whispers just for them to continue not long after. “shit…”- he whispered to himself once he remembered that he had called her to hang out that day in the morning, when the voices weren't as bad. He couldn’t just tell her to go away, but if he went with her he would definitely do something stupid. His only option was to run. When her steps were getting closer to his location he bolted to the forest and in a matter of minutes he was… lost very lost. The voices were still there though, so not much change in that area. He never thought he would be in that position. Lost in the middle of the woods, running away from a girl and with… mysterious voices that wouldn’t leave him alone. As he kept walking forward into the woods the despair began to creep into his mind. He couldn’t do this every time this happened, specially since it had started happening much more often than before. It was starting to scare him. Ever since his brother had ran away from home two months ago and joined the Psychonauts his mind was never at ease. Remembering the morning Mirtala found the note he left on his pillow made his blood boil and made him feel like if a bucket of cold water was dumped on his head, all over again. These past two months had been a nightmare, his father was suddenly perfectly fine with psychics, even supporting his brother and dragging the rest of the family down here with him. The revelation that their grandmother was a mass murderer and that the curse that had haunted him for his whole life was a complete lie, didn’t help. Whenever his parents, siblings or anyone he knew tried to discuss the subject he would panic and avoid the subject as much as he could, that topic reminded him of too many poor decisions he had made in the past, too many lost opportunities, of too many mistakes. The only two good things that had come from this situation was being able to take a break from the constant traveling his family had gone through ever since he could remember. And meeting Gisu, that girl was the only friend he could remember having for more than a single month. She even tried to introduce him to the other interns, but he only truly felt comfortable talking with her alone. “Are you lost boy?” Dion jumped at the old voice that had appeared behind him. A high pitch squeal escaping from his lungs. At his back was Ford Cruller, old member of the Psychic Six, and for him a family destroyer. Rage filled his system, the whispers became silent for a single second but no relief came to Dion. “What do you want, Cruller?”- his voice being deeper tan what he expected, not that he minded. “I just wanted to see if you were lost, considering you were wandering aimlessly in the Forgetful Forest.”- his voice was soft and calm, a little different from the chaotic voice Raz said he had. “Yeah, I’m perfectly fine. I just wanted to take a hike.”- annoyance reflecting in his voice, he didn’t want to talk to anybody, let alone him. “Are you sure? You seem pretty shaken about something and- “WHY DON'T YOU MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS PAL?!”- Dion started screaming in the middle of the woods. All of the pain of those two months just came out of his lungs, it surprised him, but he was too altered and emotional to care or mind his tone. “Hey… I get it you’re not to happy that I was the one who found you but you need to calm down. You’re gonna break something on your mind.”- his tone a little cocerned, but he was still calm and collected. That just infuriated Dion more. “OH, MY MIND?! ARE YOU GONNA TRY TO IMPLANT FAKE MEMORIES FROM A DIFFERENT LIFE ON ME TOO?!” “I never said that… are you sure you don’t need help? I feel like there´s something under all of this?” “LIKE UNDER ALL OF MY FAMILY’S FEAR AND HARDSHIP WAS YOU BEING… BEING… being… SOMETHING, A FUCKING LIAR!!”- Dions face was red, his ears were ringing and his head felt like it was gonna explode any minute now. The whispers became much more violent and loud. His thoughts were muted by the voices and the noises around him, drowning him in a storm of chaos. “DO ME A FAVOR AND SHUT THE FUCK UP!! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR YOU, I DON’T EVEN WANT TO SEE YOU!! NONNA- LUCRECIA, MIGHT HAVE FORGIVEN YOU BUT WE SURE AS HELL HAVEN’T! SO LEAVE ME AND MY FAMILY ALONE!”- the voices were swarming, noises becoming a hurricane, Little rocks clicking as is being thrown to the ground, whispers slowly turning into screams. There was no going back. “I think I get what’s happening here, I can help you just need to go back to your family camp and I- Dion shuts his eyes and covers his ears with his hands, he couldn’t take it anymore. “JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE!!” The next noise heard by Dion were Ford Cruller’s screams. And then silence…

- END OF PART 1-

this is based on @razputin-archetype ‘s headcanons about Psychic Dion!

[wil-is-done]

Irreparable

Inspired by this angsty piece made by my good friend @/madiineko for another one of my good friends, @/funneylizzie. They both make Very Good Art and deserve a follow.

Enjoy! Also, suffer.

-

Summary: Sometimes, scars don't fade. Sometimes, wounds don't heal. Sometimes, one night's mistake can affect you for the rest of your life.

Word Count: 2.382

-

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a repost.

Two minutes.

That was how fast the night took a turn. How fast the trap was sprung. How fast everything went from bad to worse.

Lili should've known they'd bring backup. Should've known they'd try to surround her. Should've been the one to take the hit.

Raz wasn't even supposed be anywhere near her position. Wasn't supposed to do a damn hero's entrance through the ceiling. Wasn't supposed to push her out of the way.

The mission wasn't supposed to end with the baron getting away. With his body limp in her arms. With her screaming out his name.

-

Two hours.

That was how long she waited outside of the emergency ward. How long she cried, hugging her knees to her chest, until it hurt to breathe. How long she clutched Raz's jacket tight around her, praying to anyone or anything that might be listening, for him to make it.

When Sasha emerged from the door, Lili rose to her feet. When he took off his glasses, the world felt darker.

His eyes were distraught, more than she'd ever seen before.

"He'll live," he said, barely a whisper. "Other than that, I- the damage was-"

Lili didn't hear the rest. She'd barged past him and sprinted inside.

She found Raz on a wheelchair, being wheeled out of a room by a nurse, covered in bandages, but still wearing his battered uniform. The nurse took one look of Lili and wisely decided to turn on her heels and walk away.

Raz was awake, his eyes open, but empty. Raz was alive, but his eyes were lifeless.

"Raz?"

No answer. No hums. Not even a glance in her direction.

Lili approached, gently cupping his face in her hands, gently coaxing him to meet her eyes. Nothing.

"Raz...?"

Her mind reached out to his, grasping for his stupid smile, his infectious laughter, his calming embrace. Grasping for the warmth that he would always carry with him. Grasping for the light that would always be there for her.

Nothing. No smile. No laughter. No embrace. No warmth. No light. What she grasped was cold, barren, empty. What she knew, she loved, she needed, was gone.

Lili collapsed against him. Sobs wracked her body. Tears spilled down her cheeks again.

Raz was here, but he's gone.

-

Two days.

That was how long his family were forced to wait until they were finally cleared to visit him. Psychonautical bureaucracy could be complete nonsense sometimes, keeping his own family from seeing him. One of the many things she'd change once she becomes the Grand Head.

They arrived with Milla. Augustus and Donatella looked like they haven't slept since they first heard the news. Dion and Frazie didn't seem to be faring much better. Mirtala and Queepie were still too young to fully understand what had happened, but they understood it was something upsetting, and that was enough for them to wear looks of confusion and distress. They rushed to Raz's bedside, forcing Lili aside, whether they realized it or not. Lili kept her silence, and chose to wait outside.

They spent hours with him. Lili tried not to watch through the window, but occasionally the temptation wore her down. She'd glance once, and saw Augustus trying to make small talk with his son. Another time she'd glance, and saw Queepie waving a plastic action figure in front of his brother, goading him to play.

Milla stayed, waiting outside the room with her, for a while. Neither of them talked, or even really acknowledged each other, but the silence was nice. It was comforting, to simply exist, and to have their existence be enough to reassure one another. Time passed, and Milla took her leave - duty calls, she claimed. More time passed, until Lili was startled out of her thoughts when a gaggle of nurses walked past her and into the room. Must be time for a check-up. The Aquatos were urged to leave for the moment, and they obliged. With heavy steps and heavy hearts, one after another, they left the room, walking past Lili.

Frazie didn't even notice her. Her eyes were too wet and red from crying.

Dion shouldered her aside. It was deliberate. It stung. It was the least that she deserved.

Mirtala looked like she understood the situation better. The frown etched on her visage was darker and deeper than it should for a girl her age.

Queepie recognized her, and waved with a polite smile. Lili tried, really tried, to do the same, but her hands were frozen and the corners of her lips were impossible to lift. He walked away, pouting, never receiving a smile.

Lili lowered her eyes when Augustus and Donatella walked in front of her. When their shoes stopped, she flinched. She knew this was coming, and slowly looked up. She expected anger, even hate. When she meet their eyes, all she saw was grief, and sorrow. Not just for their son, but for her.

Her surprise must've shown on her face, because the ghost of a smile graced Donatella's lips for a fleeting moment. She leaned closer to Augustus' ear.

"I'll keep an eye on the children," she said, planting a quick peck on his cheek, before leaving after her children. Leaving Lili alone with Augustus.

Augustus said nothing. He simply lowered himself to one knee and spread his arms open, wearing a small, gentle smile. Like a magnet, she was drawn in. Her feet moved on their own. When he wrapped his arms around her, tears flowed down her cheeks once more.

"It's not your fault," he said, gently, over and over again. "It's not your fault."

Lili never realized how much she needed to hear that.

-

Two weeks.

That was how long Raz spent under intensive care. He was treated by the best doctors the Psychonauts could spare. His eyes were still as empty as it were during that first night.

Lili arranged for him to be relocated to the best medical facility the organization had available. His family would always be permitted to visit him, no exceptions. Any expenses would be reimbursed straight from the Zanotto family fortune. Anyone saying Raz was receiving special treatment could go fuck themselves.

The room they placed Raz in was cold. Sterile. Clinical. Nothing about it felt like home. She'd have that changed soon enough.

Lili took his hand in hers, and promised him so many things. She promised she'd visit everyday. She promised the baron would pay, even if it wouldn't bring him back. She promised she'd run out of tears to shed, that she wouldn't let herself wallow in despair.

Doctors entered, Sasha acting as their lead. They weren't here for anything serious, he claimed, simply making sure nothing changed during transit.

Lili was afraid of the answer, but there was one thought that had been buzzing in her head ever since that night. "Will he ever get better?"

"Recovery is possible," one of the doctors said. "The chances are very slim, but it is possible."

Beside her, Sasha quietly scoffed.

When the doctors left, Sasha stayed behind. Lili prompted him to elaborate.

"Calling the chances 'very slim' would be a massive understatement," he said. "We'd have a better chance finding a needle in an ocean of hay."

Her breath hitched. It was exactly what she feared. Tears prickled the edges of her vision, but she pushed it down. She'd already made a promise.

Instead, Lili entwined her fingers together with Raz's.

"We can hope, can't we?"

For a long moment, Sasha didn't answer.

"We can. Of course we can."

Sasha took the spot on the other side of Raz's bed. He'd tucked his glasses in his pocket. His eyes were soft, and kind, and hid sleepless nights wracked with guilt and regret.

"If he returns, we'll be there. Smiling. Like he'd want us to."

Lili stared deep into Raz's dull, lifeless eyes, much as it pained her to do it, dreaming of the day they'd be filled with life again. Gently, she squeezed his hand.

"If not," Sasha breathed, his voice strained, "there are worse places to call home."

-

Two months.

That was how long it took to finish the case. They tracked the baron to a remote island in the Arctic Ocean. Lili personally requested to be part of the assault force. Nobody dared to refuse her.

They briefed her. The mission was to bring him in alive, to answer for his crimes. She didn't listen, or care. They knew. Everyone knew. She'll snap the baron's neck the second she saw him.

Lili touched down on the island like a missile. The baron's security swarmed her, like moths to a flame. And they burned. Anyone who got in her way burned. She tore the island apart, chasing after the baron, until he retreated into a vault deep beneath the island. She could almost laugh. The fool backed himself into a corner.

It took longer than she thought ripping the metal vault's door off of its hinges. Close to three full minutes. Eliminating the token resistance the baron brought with him took half of one. The man had no choice but to face her. She expected him to boast. To talk big about his power, how he would best her and live to wreak havoc another day.

No. He dropped to his knees, and he begged. He had the gall to beg. Spouted nonsense about how he could be useful; with his connections, his intel, his wealth.

Lili didn't break his neck. She broke everything.

The strike force arrived not long after. They paused at the threshold, seeing her with what was once the baron.

"He attacked me. I didn't have a choice," she lied.

Nobody believed her. She didn't need to read minds to know that. But nobody said a word. Funny how that worked.

-

Two years.

That was how much time had passed when she made her three hundredth visit to the facility. Nothing drastic changed during that time. A few minor rotations in staff, the most recent one being a new receptionist around visit two hundred and eighty three. He would always be surprised every time she walked through the front door. A candidate to be the next Grand Head shouldn't be wasting her time here, he'd think. One look from her would be enough to make him think about anything else.

Raz's room was much homier than it had been when he first moved in. It was one of the first things she had done. The stark white walls were replaced with warm, earthy wallpapers at visit ten. Queepie loved to draw, so since visit twenty one, she always made sure to have a box of crayons available for when the Aquatos came to visit. At visit twenty three, they started hanging up Queepie's drawing around the room, and they never stopped since. Milla came by, at visit twenty seven, bringing a pair of lava lamps that matched the wallpaper. Sasha was already there before her at visit forty two, placing a framed photo of Raz in his uniform, taken during his first day as a Psychonaut agent, on his bedside table.

Other people pitched in to add something to the room over time; most of them colleagues and friends, including ones from back at camp. Visit sixty eight, Phoebe and Quentin left behind some merch of their new band. Visit one hundred and twenty five, Clem brought a massive banner filled with hundreds of get well soon messages and hung it up from the rafters. Bobby and Chloe must've dropped by at some point, because at visit one hundred and seventy five, she found a model spaceship with Raz's initials on its side. At Dogen's suggestion, ever since visit two hundred and one, she had a stack of True Psychic Tales issues tucked neatly in a cabinet, just in case.

"Hey, Raz," she greeted as she entered the room, like she'd always do. Like always, no response came, and she'd try to ignore the pang of disappointment in her chest.

Lili sighed. This was getting harder and harder to do.

Still, it was good to see him. It's been close to a week since her last visit. She wasn't able to keep her promise of visiting everyday after all. She made it to one hundred and thirty one visits before she had to miss two whole days, simply because of a dumb security breach forced her family to go on lockdown. It tore her apart at the time, but she held the tears back. The last thing she wanted was to break two promises.

Since then, she was more lax with herself. She allowed herself to skip a day or two, if it simply wasn't possible to fit visiting him into her schedule. Those one or two day gaps became three or four or more as time passed, and her schedule grew more and more hectic. Nowadays, she's lucky if she managed to fit in a visit once a week. It didn't upset her much, though. Somehow, it made her visits feel all the more special.

The two developed a ritual, of a sort - something they'd do every time she visited. After lunch, she'd wheel him out to a hill near the edge of the facility's complex. It had a gorgeous view of the mountainside where the facility was located, and a sturdy evergreen stood nearby - she'd planted it as a sapling to commemorate visit fifty - providing shade should they ever need it.

Lili unstrapped Raz from the wheelchair and lowered him onto the grass. She joined him then, savoring the fresh smell and the way the individual blades tickled her skin. She told him everything that had happened since she last visited; about her ongoing campaign to be the next Grand Head, about Sasha's recently greenlit project, about a new class year starting at Whispering Rock, and more.

Like always, Raz said nothing, and did nothing. Like always, her chest tightened, as if she couldn't breath and it hurt. Like always, the hope she clung to so dearly in her heart slipped further and further from her reach.

Lili entwined her fingers with his, and squeezed.

Lili sighed, closed her eyes, and let herself dream.

Lili gasped when Raz squeezed back.

-

Can't have it be all the way sad without at least a smidgen of light at the end of the tunnel. That's just not how I do.

[shielddrake]

Those Who Hurt You the Most Ch. 2 - A Day at the Circus

Although she had not been an actual performer for over a decade, Nona Aquato hadn't realized how much she had missed the Aquatodome until she was in the audience herself. Having a front-row seat with her dear Crully gave her a good view of the platforms, the trapeze, the tightropes, and the high dive that had only been added back into the show in the last year.

It also gave a wonderful view of her family. She watched as her son-nephew (she latched onto the term as soon as Augustus had called her his aunt-mother) flew from trapeze to trapeze before landing on a spinning wheel, where his daughter Mirtala threw knives at him to pop the surrounding balloons. A few of the knives landed a little too close for comfort, but Lucrecia knew that Mirtala would only get better with practice. Queepie was still showing off his “amazing show of strength” but he also participated in the trampoline acts with Dion and Raz. Donatella and Frazie did cartwheels on the tightrope, leapfrogging over each other when they met in the middle.

The applause was unusually loud this particular day. Nona glanced around at the small audience space. She couldn’t remember when they last had so many people watching their show. It was certain that the family was bringing in some good money today, which was a relief to her. The financial aspect was the worst part of raising a child in the circus. She lost plenty of sleep over it. But once Donatella came along with her wild ideas, it was at least a little better. Donatella always had fresh ideas to keep people coming back for more. So much so that Augustus had to put his foot down with a few of the more dangerous ones while the children were younger. Nowadays, the entire family could do almost anything, and the influx of money was a welcome result of it.

There was even more clapping as the circus moved on to its main water act, other than the high dive. Donatella had been thrilled when the idea came to her in a dream (according to her). She called it “The Salmon Fly,” supposedly a play on the idea of a salmon run, where salmon swim upstream to breed. Raz wasn’t so sure how well the analogy worked.

Two tightropes crossed perpendicular to each other, forming a large X. Dion, Frazie, Raz and Donatella were balancing on balls on the tightrope. This by itself was impressive considering how difficult it was to balance on those alone. Then there was the added factor of passing juggling pins between the acrobats. Donatella juggled with Frazie while Dion juggled with Raz. Again, that was a remarkable show of balance and multi-tasking. But on top of that, Augustus, Mirtala and Queepie set up water jets that passed between the jugglers, only stopping occasionally to allow passing of the pins. The water landed in a pool beneath the act, and then flowed back through a pump and back into the jets. Lucrecia didn’t want to think about how much it cost the family to set that up.

If the audience gasps and oohs were any indication, however, it was well worth the expense.

Raz kept passing the juggling pins to his older brother. He timed it as best he could during the tiny interval when the water wasn’t spraying. His mother had encouraged him to try to throw the pins during the sprays as well, but it was hard to tell where the water was going to go at any one time. He also had to compensate the strength of his throw so the pin would pass through the water and reach a spot where Dion could catch it. It was difficult, but Raz was managing to do it.

“Don’t screw this up, Spaz,” he suddenly heard in his head.

For a moment, Raz thought that Bobby Zilch was in the audience, but then he saw the expression on Dion’s face. It was a mixture of annoyance and disappointment that his brother had been shooting his way more and more often. Great. Not only was he looking at Raz like a failure, but he was thinking it too. He tried to stop himself from reading Dion’s thoughts and focused on his balance and juggling.

But it was too late. Raz could feel himself wobbling on his ball, and the movement passed on into the rope. That had been one of the first things he learned while doing teamwork acrobatics (other than how to fall with minimal injury): what you do will affect the other person. Raz could almost see the movement in the tightrope transfer into Dion’s ball and then into his legs.

Dion wobbled for a moment, his face shifting to concern for himself, before he dropped the pins and fell. He reached to grab the tightrope, but the ball shifted him the wrong direction on its own way down and he missed. They were all fairly high up, and with the pool the only thing beneath them, there was not a lot of space to land. Dion prepared himself to fall in the water (which was rather shallow).

He didn’t need to worry, as he soon found himself lifted up with a hand made out of water. Dion looked up to see Raz with fingers to his head, carrying himself down to the ground with a second hand of water.

Of course. The Hand of Galochio.

Donatella and Frazie follow suit and jump down. Raz took the initiative to have two more Hands carry the ladies down from the ropes. The four of them join hands and give the audience a deep bow. Lucrecia smiled. That was another big lesson in the circus: if you screw up, make it look like part of the act.

There was quite a bit of clapping, with the loudest coming from Ford and Lucrecia. She could feel the pride swell in her heart. Her family’s new act went well despite the obvious mess-up.

It was sadly short-lived, as a voice rang out from the back row. “That kid cheated! He’s psychic! He was using his powers to make their balancing acts work!”

There was a moment of silence followed by some deep grumbling from the rest of the viewers. Raz looked around, his eyes going from face to face in the audience to find the person who said that. He spotted a young man, probably not much older than Dion, with short blonde hair that swept to the left side. Raz didn’t have the chance to make out a lot of details other than that.

“Great job, Pooter,” Raz could hear Dion thinking at him. He really needed to work on not unintentionally hearing other peoples’ thoughts! “So much for acrobatic skill!”

Raz could feel everyone’s eyes on him as someone else spoke up. “It’s still a good act! With or without psychic powers.”

Now Raz wished he could see who had said that, but he hadn’t been able to recognize where the voice came from due to staring at his feet. The audience slowly came to agreement with…whoever that was, and he heard a couple people say “Yeah” and “You’re right” and “Good point.” The applause returned and Donatella led them in another bow. Raz took a deep breath, let go of Dion’s cold hand, and headed to change the ropes up above.

The show must go on.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Raz was heading over to the fire pit in the center of the circus’ camp for dinner when he felt a hand slap him upside his head. Now he was used to his older siblings doing that when they were annoyed with each other, but this time there was a bit more force to it than usual. It was also not a pinecone that flew out from who knows where, so there was only one person it could be.

“Dion! What gives?”

“Nice going today, Pooter,” he reproached. “You almost ruined the Salmon Fly!”

“Hey, falling happens!” Raz argued as he rubbed the back of his head. This was why he wore the helmet. Even with it on, that smack hurt! “And at least I caught us before someone got hurt!”

“Of course falling happens!” Dion yelled. “I’m talking about the psychic stuff! You caught us with the water! And then everyone thought you’ve been using your powers to hold up our entire act!”

“You know I wasn’t! I wouldn’t do that!”

“But the audience doesn’t!” Dion clenched his fists at his sides. By this point, the rest of the family had come over to see what the commotion was about. “We’re acrobats! Or supposed to be! It’s our hard work and skill that allows us to do what we do! Not parlor tricks!”

“Dion, that’s enough!” Augustus called out, placing himself between his two older sons. “That wasn’t what Raz was doing and you know it.”

“Frazie and Queepie can keep their stuff under control!” Dion said, turning from his brother to his father. “Why can’t Raz?”

There was a shuffle of shoes as Raz spun on his heel and ran off, leaving the camp in his wake. Donatella called out his name, but stopped when she saw him kneel down at the nearby river. He was still in sight of the camp, if out of earshot, and she decided he needed a moment to calm down. In the meantime, she had another son to chew out.

Donatella turned her attention to Dion, who was still standing face-to-face with her husband. “Dion, why do you have to rub that in your brother’s face like that?”

“Oh, like he doesn’t rub his psychic-ness in our faces?” Dion argued back. Donatella looked like she was about to say something, but Dion beat her to it. “Don’t tell me he doesn’t! He cares more about being a Psycho-nut than being an acrobat!”

“Gee, you’d think you’re be more accepting of psychics by now,” Frazie scolded him, hands on her hips. “Considering how many members of your own family are psychics and your girlfriend is psychic!”

“Gisu’s not my—whatever! Not the point!” He threw his hands up in the air. “The rest of you at least try to be normal! Raz goes around showing it off every chance he gets!”

“Excuse me?" Frazie almost snarled. "Normal?!”

“Between the five of us kids, Mirtala and I are the only ones not psychic,” Dion debated. “It’s ridiculous that it keeps getting shoved in our faces.”

Dion saw his parents’ faces fall, Augustus’ in regret and Donatella’s in disappointment. Queepie’s eyes widened in shock. This was the first time his eldest brother had so openly described his psychic powers as “abnormal.” Young as he was, Queepie wasn’t unused to hearing anti-psychic sentiment. He had heard quite a bit of it as an infant thanks to Ford’s mental meddling of Augustus’ memories, but it was a little different when it was directed at you.

But it was Mirtala that surprised everyone.

“Dion, I’m psychic too.” Dion cocked an eyebrow at his nine-year-old sister. She was giving him a hard look of determination. “Don’t believe me? Watch this!”

Mirtala leapt, using her unusually bouncy braids to reach the very top of their chief caravan. She spun around to look at her family and, smiling, let herself fall.

Donatella gave a gasp. That height was too high, and Mirtala wasn’t preparing herself for a proper landing like they taught her while she was still in diapers. There was a certain way you twisted you body as you fell and tumbled once you hit the ground to minimize injury. Mirtala was doing none of those things.

But this was a demonstration of some kind of psychic ability. Donatella should have known by now that psychics can do all sorts of things. Including floating down using a semi-transparent balloon made of psychic energy, which happened to be pink in color.

Mirtala landed on her feet with a flip. She looked up at her oldest sibling, challenging him to say anything. Her squint was enough to put him in his place. Dion kept quiet, his mouth hanging open.

“How long have you been able to do that?” Donatella asked her.

“Raz showed me how a few weeks ago,” Mirtala explained. “I asked him to keep it to himself. I was going to tell you…”

“Well, at least he’s better at keeping his sister’s secret this time around,” Frazie mused.

“This is my fault.” Everyone turned to Augustus as he whispered this. He put a hand to his forehead and sighed. “I taught you all to hate psychics. Everything I told you for so long, all those years, and I had no idea…”

“Amore mio…” Donatella walked over to put a hand on his chest.

“I wish I could change the past, so my sons wouldn’t fight like this…I’m sorry.”

Augustus turned and walked back in the opposite direction, holding his head in his hands. Everyone else was silent as they watched him go. Queepie was the first to move after several seconds of waiting. He shuffled after his dad, his usual bounce and dance absent from his stride. Mirtala made a point of leaving while balancing on her levitation ball, giving a small huff as she passed Dion. Frazie followed suit, giving her brother a punch in the shoulder before chasing after Mirtala.

Dion gave the back of his sisters’ heads a look of exasperation. He bit his tongue to keep himself was yelling out at them again. His mother cleared her throat, and he took a second before looking at her. He had a pretty good idea of what was coming. She had her “disappointed mother” expression on. Dion realized it was similar to the challenging look Mirtala had given him moments ago.

“Dionysios Aquato.” Uh-oh, she used his full name. Donatella only did that when she was especially upset. “You are going to go apologize to your brother. Right now. And you are going to mean it.”

“Mom, you can’t seriously think what he did is okay,” he tried to argue, but a lot of the wind had been taken out of his sails. “You distrust psychics just as much as I do.”

“And I am trying to do better. You are not.” Donatella sharply pointed her finger towards the river. “Apologize. Now.”

Dion didn’t bother to keep his grumbling down as he stomped over to the general area where Raz was playing. Well, sort of playing. He seemed to be idly forming balls out of water and making them float in the air for a few seconds before splashing them back into the stream. Dion could feel the ache in his jaw from grinding his teeth. This kid couldn’t even stop with the psychic stuff for two minutes? For crying out loud…

He intentionally made his steps louder so Raz wouldn’t be as startled as he approached. At the snap of a twig, Raz dropped the water ball he was levitating and looked up. His eyes were glossy, matching the shine on the goggles sitting on his head. Maybe it was his reflection in the lenses or the poor moonlight, but Dion couldn’t help but think that Raz was seeing him as some sort of weird zombie that was going to eat his brain. Dion shook the sight off and crossed his arms.

“Mom wants me to apologize to you. So…Sorry.”

Raz looked back at the running water. “…Yeah. Thanks.”

Thinking that his assigned task was finished, Dion turned around and took a few steps away. He had every intention of going back to his tent and flopping into his bedroll. But something nagged at his mind, the source of the argument, and he spun around to his brother again.

“Just tell me this,” he said. “Why do you have to be so obvious with your…stuff?”

“You can say it you know.” Raz gave Dion a glare. “Psychics. I’m psychic, Dion.”

“Answer the—”

“Dad’s psychic. Frazie and Queepie are psychic. And Gisu’s psychic, and you’re dating her!” Raz finally stood up and faced Dion. “What is it about me that makes it a problem?!”

This time Dion ignored the jab about Gisu being his girlfriend. “You really can’t figure it out? You saw that guy in the audience when you used that water power—”

“Hydrokinesis.”

“Whatever. You heard him! How can we be considered real acrobats when we can just make ourselves float around?” Dion was almost growling at this point. “It makes all our hard work and training look like nothing!”

Raz raised his hands into fists. “That’s not true!”

“And I don’t get how you even want to associate with psychics after everything they did to Dad and Nona!” Dion had to keep himself from pulling at his well-coiffed hair. “Hasn’t our family been through enough?”

“Hey, the whole curse thing was fake, remember?” Raz debated. “And we saved Nona—”

“And who caused the whole thing with Maligula anyway? Who made Dad believe there was a curse?” Dion shouted back. “That Cruller guy and his gang! Psychics!”

“But—”

“If it wasn’t for them and their messing around with their own brains, our grandma might be alive and Nona wouldn’t have gone through all that!”

“But that wasn’t Ford’s fault! Or Nona’s! They didn’t mean for any of that to happen! They didn’t know—”

“Yeah, yeah, but the worst things happen cause of the best intentions, huh?” Dion pointed a finger right between Raz’s eyes. “They didn’t mean to hurt anyone, but they did. How do we know you won’t?”

“I’m being trained to—”

“If Nona could kill her own sister, how do we know you won’t do the same?” Dion crossed his arms again as he turned around. He paused. “Maybe if we’re lucky, you’ll run away again before you really hurt someone.”

Dion only managed to make it a few steps before he heard Raz get in the final word. It was not quite a whisper, but soft enough that Dion almost missed it.

“Next time I’ll just let you fall.”

That made Dion pause. He stopped and halfway looked over his shoulder at Raz, who had returned his attention to the river. He wasn't using any psychic powers, as Dion had expected him to start doing. Instead he was staring out into the darkness of the surrounding forest, not focusing on anything. He held his upper arms tight in a self-hug.

Dion felt his heart ache a little at the sight of his little brother looking so depressed. He quashed down the feeling, shook his head, and headed back to the tent he ironically shared with Raz.

He didn’t hear Raz come into the tent to sleep that night.

[razzle-zazzle]

Whumptober Day 26: sometimes i get so tired, i don't even know myself

Working to Exhaustion

2330 Words; Ouroboros AU

TW for violence, bloodsport, exploitation, murder, death

AO3 ver

“Next one’s heavy.”

Dion grunted as another box was dropped into his arms. “They’re all heavy.” He muttered, carrying it over to the shelf. But he didn’t have to carry it far, and it wasn’t that heavy. It was kind of big, though, high enough to press against Dion’s mask.

The other guy on unloading duty—Hunter? It was hard to tell, when they were all wearing the same plain white masks—whistled. “I swear, it’s like you never stop.” He commented, as Dion shoved the box into place. “The fuck did they feed you in your old life?”

“...food?” Dion pulled out his boxcutter to cut the box open.

Hunter chuckled. “A kid your age does not just handle heavy boxes like that.” He insisted.

Most people Dion’s age also didn’t have a body count, but that was besides the point. Dion rolled his eyes behind his mask.

There was always something to do in Ouroboros. And if Dion wanted to live, then he needed to be doing something. And he needed to live, no matter what—if Dion didn’t survive, then Mirtala would be the only Aquato in Ouroboros. And he couldn’t—he wouldn’t let her be left alone here. Not if he could help it.

(Mirtala didn’t deserve to be here at all, but there was nothing Dion could do on that front. His powerlessness would drive him crazy if he wasn’t able to at least provide for her.)

“Right, this one’s gotta be at least a little heavy to you.” Hunter grunted, slowly sliding the next box off the stack to pass to Dion.

Dion took the box, wincing slightly. Yeah, this one was kind of heavy—he wouldn’t want to carry that many boxes like it. But Dion knew how to handle heavy things. It was part and parcel of growing up in the circus, after all, from equipment to the other members of his family. Frazie was at least as heavy as this box, probably. Dion hadn’t had the chance to lift her in a while. Maybe she had gotten heavier, gotten the kind of muscle to make girls swoon over her.

(Dion swallowed that thought down. With any luck, he might never see Frazie again—which was for the better, because the day any more of his family ended up in Ouroboros was a day that Dion never wanted to see.)

Dion shoved the box into place on the shelf, pausing for a moment once it was in place. Still, it wasn’t that heavy.

(Queepie might have handled the weight better than Dion—

Dion shoved that thought away immediately. Queepie would be turning four soon; he should be nowhere near Ouroboros, ever. None of his family should, really—none of them but Dion.)

“Heavy, right?” Hunter prompted, already holding the next box.

Dion grunted, pulling his boxcutter out once again. So what if it was? He could handle it. He had to handle it.

Hunter shook his head. “Kids.” He grumbled. “You’re going to run smack into a wall with that kind of attitude.”

Whatever. Dion would be fine.

He had to be—there was no other way. If he slowed down for even a moment, if he let weakness show—

Dion took the next box. He’d survive.

No matter what.

+=+=+=+=+

Mirtala came back that night with a fresh bruise on her arm, her hair still damp from her shower.

“Tala—” Dion started. Stopped, his words catching on the knot of feelings in his throat. He reached out. Stopped.

Mirtala stared at him with tired eyes. She sat down on her bedroll, not saying a thing.

Dion looked away. What was he supposed to say? He didn’t want to encourage this. He never wanted Mirtala anywhere near the arena—she only just turned six. It was Dion’s job, his responsibility to take care of her—and every time she stepped into that arena, he failed.

What was he supposed to say? He didn’t know. He didn’t know.

(An apology might be a good start.

But Dion had always been a coward when it came to apologies.)

Dion’s jaw worked, his shoulders tensing. He should say something—

Too late. Mirtala laid down on her own cot, facing away from him. She huffed, curling up without a word.

I’m sorry. Dion wanted to say it. He needed to say it.

I’m sorry. The words got stuck in his throat.

Dion clenched his hands into fists, his eyes darting away from where Mirtala was lying—

Wait. “Um.” He managed, the sound of his voice surprising even himself. “Do you… do you want your unicorn?” Mirtala usually always grabbed it, when the light in their room started to fade. Dion couldn’t fathom why it was on his cot.

Mirtala rolled over, squinting at Dion. “Her name is Francis III.” She muttered.

“Oh.” Shit, when did Mirtala name it? How long ago? Wow, Dion felt like an idiot. His face was already heating up. “Well, do you want Francis III?” He really needed to apologize.

“No.” Mirtala said. She blinked, and yawned. “But you do.” And with that, she rolled back over, pulling the blanket tight around herself.

Dion swallowed. He grabbed Francis III, running his thumb over the felt strips making up the mane. One of the Wolves had gifted it to Mirtala when they had first gotten here—Dion looked over at his baby sister, who was the nicest person he’d ever known, and he could guess why. Even if she wasn’t his responsibility, he still wanted her to get the best that she could. Mirtala was just easy to spoil like that.

And yet he still couldn’t find the words to talk to her…

Dion looked Francis III in her beady little button eyes. He wanted to put the plush into Mirtala’s arms, adjust the blanket around her like he was tucking her in—anything to prove that he wasn’t an awful brother.

But he just sat there instead, choking on the knot in his throat.

Like a coward.

+=+=+=+=+

Dion looked up at the sound of footsteps, the mop coming to a stop.

He immediately looked back down, moving the mop again the moment he saw who was waling across the tiled floor. Oh, god, was this the end? Was he somehow mopping wrong? Or was it just fun to torment him?

Creed came to a stop not far from Dion, hands folded behind his back.

Dion continued mopping. If Creed wanted him to stop, he’d say so. Probably.

“Boy.” Creed started. Dion gripped the handle of the mop harder. “Look at me.”

Dion lifted his eyes to meet Creed’s dark brown. He paused in his mopping—he needed to rewet the mop in the bucket again, anyway—and waited to see what Creed would do.

Creed’s eyes flicked over Dion. He immediately felt like an ant confronting a boot—certain doom was all that awaited him, now.

“You’ve got a fight tonight.” Creed commented airily. “I’m sure you’ve had plenty of time to… recuperate.”

It had been a while since Dion had had a fight—he hadn’t been scheduled for the last two Death Pits. And he wasn’t allowed back into the regular fights—though Dion really didn’t want to think about that.

“Okay.” Dion said, hating the way it sounded so small in the empty air. “I’ll be ready.”

(He wouldn’t, not really—he never was.

But Dion didn’t survive by waiting until he was ready—he couldn’t. Either he got his head above water, or he drowned—and Dion refused to drown. He’d survive however he needed to.)

“Good boy.” Creed nodded. He turned around and began to walk away—

“Oh,” Creed paused, “And this next fight?”

Dion looked up at him. “Yeah?”

“Win it.” Creed growled. “Your opponent isn’t meant to make it out of that arena alive, you got it?”

Winning was what Dion normally did, though? Dion stared at Creed a moment longer, then nodded slowly. “Yeah.” He confirmed, still unsure why Creed felt the need to tell him this.

“Good.” And with that, Creed left.

Doubts and uncertainties floated around in Dion’s head. He was finally going back in the ring, and the notion terrified and excited him in equal measure. He could finally get ahead just a little bit more—but he’d have to kill someone to do so.

(Well, it wasn’t like Dion’s hands weren’t already covered in blood.

He would survive. He had to.)

Dion sighed.

Back to work.

+=+=+=+=+

Dion waited for the gate to rise. The bars of the gate casted shadows across him, the audience already a loud din outside. It sounded bigger than usual, too, which grated on Dion’s nerves. He watched as another gate opened and his opponent-to-be was forced into the arena, stumbling across the sand. His own gate hadn’t opened, yet—god, Dion hoped it wasn’t broken.

The announcer was saying something, now, trying to get the audience to chant—

“DEATH! BY! LION!”

Dion went rigid. Suddenly, the earlier interaction with Creed made a lot more sense.

But… why him? Surely Creed had more popular fighters, more capable fighters—

The gate began to rise. No more time to doubt. Dion walked out into the arena, out into the lights hanging down, the cage bars casting shadows across him—

The audience ROARED.

“AND THE LION MAKES HIS RETURN!” The announcer cheered. “Let’s see some BLOOD!”

Dion’s opponent stood, staring at him through their orange and blue Ox mask. They snorted.

“This is it?” They asked. “This is the big bad Lion?” Derision colored their voice. Dion’s face flushed behind his mask, his hands squeezing into fists. “You’re just some kid!”

“And you’re dead meat.” Dion snarled. It was him or them, and Dion had no intention of losing.

The Ox broke out into a charge, raising their hand. Metal glinted in the light, and they swung down—

Dion ducked out of the way, rolling to the side and using his hands to spring up onto a hanging cord. The “Jungle Arena” was full of hanging cords and bars, like some twisted trapeze, and Dion was quick to fling himself up out of the Ox’ reach.

You’d think I was the Leopard, with the way I’m climbing around. Dion thought to himself, coming to a stop halfway up the rope. He looked down at the Ox, considering what to do.

Him or them. Dion would survive, no matter what.

He was supposed to make a show of it, too.

The Ox bellowed, grabbing the rope Dion was on. They yanked—

And Dion twisted over to the next rope with practiced ease. He didn’t want to have a favorite arena—he didn’t want to be in the arenas at all, really—but if he had to choose, it was probably this one. So many things to climb, so many ways to fling himself around!

(The arena that Mirtala made her official debut was similar, but Dion didn’t want to think about Mirtala in any arena.)

The Ox couldn’t climb as well as Dion could—if they could at all, seeing as they weren’t even trying—so Dion couldn’t lead them on a merry chase through the ropes and bars. So much for that idea.

Still, how to make this look good?

The audience was chanting, jeering, roaring for blood and violence and death. It was either Dion or the Ox—and Dion intended to win.

“That might work…” Dion muttered, flipping over backwards onto one of the hanging bars. He lifted himself up so that he was doing a handstand on it, allowing his legs to hook onto another bar higher up. He let go of the bar and looked down on the Ox.

“Are you even trying?” He jeered, “Surely you can take out ‘some kid’!” He flipped over to a knotted rope, then flung himself with a forwards flip onto a sideways one. The tightropes back home were way narrower than this. Confidence filled Dion as he paced along it, the Ox yelling below him.

“Get down here!” They shouted. “You little shit!”

Dion laughed. The sound shocked him, escaping his throat before he even recognized what it was.

What was he doing? This was a life-or-death situation! The cage bars cast shadows across the arena. The audience was cheering, jeering, roaring. Dion’s mask pressed against his face.

Fuck this. Fuck putting on a show. Dion wasn’t here to entertain, for all that Creed wanted him to. He was in here to survive, dammit!

With a cry, Dion flung himself down. He rolled as he fell, kicking out as he landed to hit the Ox square in the back. The impact flung him away, and he rolled with the impact, springing up off the floor at the soonest opportunity.

The Ox whirled around to face him, snarling through their mask. Dion darted to the side, cartwheeling up onto one of the ropes. They charged, and instead of climbing up Dion flung himself onto their shoulders when they passed, locking his ankles together in front of their face.

The Ox reached up, trying to pull Dion off—

Dion squeezed his thighs together. The Ox’ hands scrambled against Dion’s legs, prying uselessly at his boots—

Crack!

Dion jumped away as the body fell, flipping over backwards. That probably looked cool, right?

The audience was cheering. The chant from earlier returned, harsh against Dion’s ears.

“DEATH! BY! LION! DEATH! BY! LION!”

Across the arena, the gate rose. Dion stared up at the audience for only a moment longer before darting back to the tunnel.

His hands were shaking. He needed to get his mask off right now. He needed a shower, he needed a drink, he needed to lie down and stare at the wall until he felt human again—

Dion stumbled, leaning against the tunnel wall. He'd just killed someone.

But he had survived. It was him or the Ox, and he had won.

Dion stared at his hands. He had survived. Grim satisfaction knotted in his throat, and he struggled to breathe around it.

Dion had survived.

He was more willing to pay the cost than he wanted.

[erigold13261]

thinks about lucrecia and compton cooking together when it was just the psychic seven. thinks about compton losing a cooking buddy when lucrecia becomes maligula. thinks about lucrecia and compton cooking together again after pn2. sobs

I love the idea that Lucy cooked a lot. I do like to think she cooked more deserts and sweets while Compton cooked more savory meals, but the two still helped each other out a lot.

Honestly, it would have been really cool if it was just Compton and Lucy at first, but then Cassie came in to help out and learn how to cook since she only knew how to cook the basics. It was a really good bonding exercise for the three, but soon it mainly because Compton and Cassie who would cook while Lucy started to slowly stop cooking over time because she was busy with Ford. That didn't stop her from making really nice sweets every so often. (And honestly, I like the idea she helped either Bob or Helmut make sweets for the other for one of their first dates).

But yeah, once Lucy left to go fight in the war, it was just Compton and Cassie for a while, until they all had to go and stop Maligula. From there I doubt Compton or Cassie really cooked at all, especially not Compton. Lucy, as Nona, did cook for Augustus and then later on the Aquato family as a whole, but not nearly as much as she would have if she had her memories. It got to the point that she never cooked anymore and Mirtala and Queepie never got any of her sweets until after the events of the game.

Once she got her memory back though, you better believe she went back to cooking. Her, Cassie, and Compton all just cook for a good majority of the time and make so much the Aquatos and Psychic 7 can't finish it, so Compton uses his mentor status to have the interns either eat the food or deliver it to people who want to try some. Most of the deserts get eaten before they get delivered lol.

[shielddrake]

Those Who Hurt You The Most Ch. 1 - Lull Before the Storm

Oh boy. So, like many others, I can't stop thinking about Psychonauts 2, and so I write fanfic for it. It's just that simple.

I usually outline a story before I start posting, but I'm outlining as I go for this one. I've got about nine chapters outlined so far, so this story will be at least that long. Suggestions for improvements and/or ideas are welcome and appreciated!

There's going to be quite a bit of family and friend interactions in here, both positive and negative, so be prepared for that.

Usual Disclaimer: I don't own the Psychonauts franchise. Also, I'm not a psychologist/psychiatrist, so I apologize in advance for anything that is inaccurate in regards to anything in those fields. I'm trying my hardest to be accurate, but I could miss things. Constructive criticism on this is also appreciated.

Lastly, spoiler alert for Psychonauts 2! You have been warned.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy!

“Thank you all for coming today!” Truman Zanotto, the Grand Head of the Psychonauts, declared to the atrium of the Motherlobe. “I am pleased so many are here to celebrate the Psychonauts' twenty-first anniversary!”

“Psychonauts is old enough to drink!” Someone shouted from the crowd, bringing about a few chuckles from the rest of the agents.

Truman ignored whoever that was. “Now, we have a lot to go over tonight, and I’d like to start with going over a few advancements we’ve achieved in the past year.”

With a wave of his hand, Truman brought up a screen large behind him. It was big enough to completely cover the doors leading to the classroom, nerve center and agents’ quarters. He clapped his hands and the lights went down, allowing everyone to see the screen more clearly. Truman cleared his throat.

“First, we have Larry to thank for his work in the Telepathy Department,” he began. “His efforts have created a method to increase communication range two hundred percent…”

There was a long speech that went on for a good forty-five minutes, and to be honest Frazie tuned out most of it. While she was sure it was fascinating for the Psychonauts, and certainly for her younger brother Raz, she was not interested in hearing about this stuff. She had spent the last year in the Psychonauts’ intern program, learning a lot about her psychic powers and how to use them responsibly. But that was over and now Frazie was eager to get back home to the Aquato Family Circus on a regular basis.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Truman turned the lights of the atrium back on. Frazie blinked to help her eyes adjust.

“And now, I would like to invite our Second Head of the Psychonauts, Hollis Forsythe, to present our interns.”

There was a round of applause as Hollis took the stage, which was only a few steps higher than the center of the room. She briefly shook hands with Truman before turning her attention to the rest of the Psychonauts.

“Thank you. Now I know you’re all eager to get to socializing—”

“And food!”

Hollis paused, an annoyed expression on her face. “So I will keep this short. I would like to congratulate this year’s graduating intern class!”

As Hollis announced the names of each intern, they joined her on the stage to receive their junior agent badges. There was much more applauding and cheering this time around, possibly because a few of the interns were children of a few Psychonauts. Frazie recognized the name Mikhail Bulgakov, who not only was her fellow intern but also a friend of Raz from Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. There was Autumn Harper, Gema Ayerbe, Sidney Marks, Barnaby Goldberg and Isaac Wright as well. Why they announced the names in non-alphabetical order was a mystery, but she wasn’t in charge and Frazie wasn’t about to question Agent Forsythe’s methods.

But finally, it came.

“And last but not least, Frazie Aquato.”

Thanking the stars that Hollis respected her request to not announce her full name, Frazie walked up to join the new junior agents. The crowd gave them a round of praise as they all took a bow together.

The noise emanating from where her family stood was particularly deafening. Frazie couldn’t keep the smile off her face at the proud expression on her parents’ faces. It had taken time, but both Augustus and Donatella had eventually (and with much prodding from her brother) had accepted her as a psychic and agreed to let her intern at the Motherlobe.

The applause slowed as they left the stage, with Hollis giving a few final claps once Frazie rejoined her family. She waited until the room was quiet again, or as quiet as it could get, before speaking again.

“Now, before we wrap up, I would like to announce a special award,” Hollis revealed, her hands behind her back. “In acknowledgment of both his achievements in the field as well as recognition as our most improved junior agent. Please give a round of applause for Razputin Aquato.”

The young man in question grinned as he walked up to the stage. Raz stood straight and proud she pinned another badge to his jacket. It was the same one he wore ever since his hazing at the beginning of his intern program a year ago. Frazie supposed that actually made it Sasha Nein’s jacket, but Raz seemed to have claimed it for his own. The older Psychonaut hadn’t asked for it back, so she wasn’t going to sweat the details.

Frazie noticed how her older brother Dion’s support was rather half-hearted. His clapping lasted only a few seconds before giving up entirely and crossing his arms over his chest. Gisu, Raz’s fellow junior agent, was whistling in celebration. She immediately stopped when she spotted Dion sulking.

“Is that really any way to congratulate your own brother?” Gisu asked. “Even Norma admits that the kid deserves it. He’s been working his butt off.”

Dion huffed. “Raz gets enough attention from everyone else. He doesn’t need me fawning over him too.”

Frazie stopped herself from slapping her only older sibling upside the head.

After that, the presentation ended and the socialization began. Most of the other Psychonauts avoided the Aquatos, as they were still quite…cautious about the circus family, to say it kindly. They accepted Raz eagerly enough after the whole Maligula incident, and Frazie as well to an extent. But the rest of the family? They were still an unknown. Frazier was sure their circus attire played a role in that too.

Among the number of cautious Psychonauts was not Hollis Forsythe. She kept to the Aquatos throughout most of the party, conversing with the occasional other agent who came up to them. Or perhaps she was supervising them to prevent another fire from breaking out. Frazie could never be certain.

“Augustus is not allowed in the Noodle Bowl after that incident,” Hollis explained to everyone. “The autumn decorations still need to be replaced.”

“I did offer to repair the painted pinecones,” Augustus protested, but only weakly. He still took responsibility for that. “And I haven’t had an incident like that since then.”

“Dad, what about the—” Mirtala started, but Augustus put a hand over her mouth.

“I don’t think the Second Head needs to know about that, Tala.”

Augustus smiled at Hollis, who rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep the smile from her face. At least she knew he was trying. Augustus was actually one of her more enthusiastic students, as well as oldest. It was easy to see where Raz got it.

“In any case, it’s still good to see two of your children doing so well.” Hollis turned her attention back to Raz and Frazie. “Your family has produced psychics with…exceptional potential. I’m curious to see where they will go in the future.”

Frazie hummed. “Sorry Agent Forsythe, but I think I’m done with the Psychonaut thing.”

Raz spun around to look at his older sister. “What?”

“I’m going back to the circus,” Frazie explained. “I’m happy I’ve learned everything I have, but I prefer the acrobat life.”

“I thought we were going to be going on missions together,” Raz complained, giving her puppy eyes. “Two Agent Aquatos working together!”

“Raz, being a Psychonaut is your thing, not mine,” Frazie insisted.

“Come on!”

“Zip it, Raspy!” Her tone went harder as he opened his mouth to protest again.

“When do I get to join?” Queepie jumped in. Literally. He placed himself in the middle of the circle of adults and teens (and a few children) and started jumping up and down. “When’s it my turn?”

“Not for a while, young man,” Hollis answered. “You’re still too young.”

“How young is too young?” Queepie asked.

“How old are you?”

“Seven.”

“That young.”

“But Raz was ten when he became a Psychonaut!”

Raz’s eyes widened. Was his little brother trying to take the title of Youngest Psychonaut Ever from him?

“Your brother was an intern first, and there were…extenuating circumstances.” Hollis glanced at Raz out of the corner of her eye, and Raz tried to keep the grimace off his face. He knew very well what she was referring to. “An exception I’m not willing to make again.”

“You’ll be doing this soon enough, Son,” Augustus reassured him.

“There are enough Psychonauts in my family as it is,” Donatella declared, speaking up for the first time in the conversation. Frazie found this surprising since her mother was usually the most outspoken person in the room. She suspected it had to do with trying to keep the peace between her and Hollis. “Remember, we still have a show next week, Razputin. If your psychic business makes you late..."

She let her sentence trail off at the warning.

“I remember, Mom,” Raz said with a smile. He’d been doing all right balancing being a Psychonaut and performing in the Aquato Family Circus. Of course, having access to the Psychonauts’ jet made it much easier. “Next Sunday.”

"And don't forget to practice in the meantime!"

"I know, Mom!"

Donatello chuckled. “I hope so, Pootie.”

Raz somehow managed to keep the groan from escaping his mouth at the nickname. Dion, on the other hand, grunted and had to bite his tongue.

Two older guests walked up to the already rather large group. One stood far above everyone, lean as a sapling. The other was her opposite, being very short and barely taller than Raz himself. It never ceased to amuse Raz at their contrary appearances but not contrary personalities. They complimented each other perfectly.

“Congratulations on the award, Razputin,” Cassie said, giving the young man a hug. “If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

“Yes. Well done, young man,” Compton added. “I must say I’m rather impressed at the progress you’ve made in only a year.”

“Well,” Raz dragged out. “I’ve had some pretty awesome teachers.”

“Brownnoser,” came the voice of Raz’s (Sort of? Maybe?) girlfriend Lili, standing with her father Truman as she gave him a small punch in the shoulder. “You can brag about it more after you’ve perfected the Clairvoyance Jump of yours.”

“Clairvoyance Jump?” Truman inquired. Raz’s cheeks went a little pink.

“It’s a technique I’m working on that I started figuring out at the Rhombus of Ruin,” the acrobat described. “It allows for long-distance Clairvoyance through several brains in a row.”

“I’ve heard of some psychics doing that, but I don’t believe it’s been perfected into a teachable power yet,” Truman acknowledged. “It’s wonderful to see a young psychic working so hard to advance our knowledge.”

“That’s my boy,” Augustus said, rubbing Raz's hair with pride while his wife looked a little exasperated.

Donatella still hadn’t said much during the party, other than her pestering Raz about the future show. Frazie was starting to wonder if her mother was feeling ill. She did spot Donatella giving Hollis a few displeased looks, and according to Raz the two of them didn’t get along very well. Was she trying to keep the peace by keeping her mouth shut around Agent Forsythe? That didn’t seem much like their incredibly outspoken and extroverted mother.

This concern did not distract Frazie enough that she didn’t spot the small cheek kiss Lili gave Raz once Truman had turned his back. She held back a giggle at her brother's flush.

There was a sudden silence in the entire atrium. Raz raised his head to look around to see if he could find the cause, his mind immediately going to a possible threat. His guard went down when he saw exactly the cause of the Psychonauts staring at the entrance. Many of them dropped their jaws open.

Bob Zanotto stood there with a small, nervous grin. He appeared to have gotten around to at least trimming his beard, making him look not quite so old. He finally replaced his broken glasses, making his eyes look larger. He also looked like he had lost a little bit of weight, and he smelled much cleaner than Raz remembered. Raz’s eyes moved down Bob’s arm to his hand, which he kept enveloped by another.

That hand then led up to the arm of none other than Helmut Fullbear. He looked much like he did when Raz had recovered his mind from Otto’s lab. His coat was still as extravagant as ever, and he cut his hair ever so slightly. His namesake sat on his head, looking freshly polished.

Raz ran up to them. “Bob! Helmut! You found your body!”

“It certainly took long enough,” Helmut joked. He gave Bob’s hand a squeezed and the two continued into the main area of the atrium. Helmut's legs wobbled a bit in his stride. “And I’m still getting used to having my body back.”

“Brain re-integration going okay?”

“As good as it can be.”

“Bob! You’re looking well!” Cassie shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. She gave him a tight hug. “I haven’t seen you look this good in years!”

“Well, turns out that spending months digging in a frozen lake is good exercise,” Bob jested, rubbing the back of his neck. “Lost a bit of weight doing that.”

“Honey, you are perfect as you are, but we’re still getting you that treadmill,” Helmut teased. “I worry about your cholesterol at our age.”

The group laughed at the teasing until a stuttered cough rang out through the still-silent room. Truman slowly walked up to his uncle, looking more embarrassed than Raz had ever seen Lili’s father look. He waited until Bob finally walked over to him and slowly embraced his nephew. Truman immediately returned it, gripping the older man’s back with tight fingers.

“I’m so sorry.” Raz was only able to make out the whisper Bob said to Truman.

Truman shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. I should have done more. I’m just happy you’re doing so much better.”

“Every day is a challenge, but I am doing better.” Bob released his nephew as Helmut walked up to them, and he and Truman firmly shook hands.

With that, the tension in the room dispersed. Everyone returned to their own conversations, which no doubt going to turn into gossip before the night was over.

The part continued, and Raz eventually made his way over to the buffet table. He could practically hear his mother’s voice telling him to eat something healthy and full of protein before he stuffed himself with candy or chocolate. As he was about to reach for the famous honey pepper boar bacon, Helmut walked up to him, followed by his father. Raz’s cheeks hurt from the smile that spread across his face. This was a night of joy, to be certain.

“Helmut! You’ve got to have this bacon!” he announced. He immediately tried to take it back. “But, uh, maybe a small amount at first?”

Helmut let out a big laugh. “Razputin, my boy, you have quite the heart. But I’m actually here for another reason.”

“Huh? And what’s that?”

“There’s someone else who wants to talk to you.” Helmut gestured to Augustus. “Both of you. A couple of someones actually. They’re outside by Otto’s lab.”

Raz glanced at his dad, who shrugged, looking as confused as he felt. Helmut returned to Bob’s side as father and son left the Motherlode. They hopped across the floating platforms to the building housing Otto’s lab. Even now, Raz felt a little uneasy going there, knowing that the inventor kept a vault full of deceased agents’ brains there. And the idea that Otto thought Raz’s brain would one day be in there as well…Ew.

Raz didn’t think twice about that though once he saw Ford Cruller and Lucrecia Mux, his Nona, holding hands. Both of them looked a little nervous, but they did manage to smile as the two other psychics approached.

“Nona! Ford!” Raz sprinted forward to grab Nona in a tight but still gentle hug. She patted the back of his head in response, closing her eyes as she felt her grandnephew in her arms again. Raz gave her one last squeeze before grabbing Ford around the waist. “I didn’t know if you were coming or not!”

“Sorry we’re a little late,” Ford said. “Lucy was taking her time doing her hair.”

“Oh hush, Crully,” Lucy teased back. “I had to spend half an hour convincing you to come at all. Don’t go blaming me.”

Augustus was keeping his distance, glancing back and forth between the ground and the couple. Raz watched his father with concern, knowing he still had a little trouble in regards to how Ford had modified his memories against his will as a child. Augustus had spent the last year on-and-off with the Psychonauts and their available therapists to come to terms with this and what transpired a year ago. Or at least that’s what Augustus told his family. Raz really wasn’t sure what kind of progress he had made, and he didn’t want to push the topic if his dad wasn’t up to it.

The one who finally broke the silence was Ford. He walked over to Augustus, followed closely by Lucy and Raz, and he bowed his head to the younger man.

“Augustus, I haven’t had the chance, or really the courage, to talk to you before now,” he began. He took a deep breath. “But I guess it’s better late than never to say how sorry I am—”

“Ford Cruller.” Augustus put his hand on the old man’s shoulder, prompting Ford to meet his gaze. “I have been through the gamut of emotions over the last year. I've been angry, sad, disappointed, confused, disgusted…and a lot of other things. But I have learned one very important thing: There is no point staying angry with someone who hurt you, especially if they show regret for it. It keeps bringing up old wounds when we should be able to move forward.”

Augustus put his hand forward, and Ford hesitated for a single moment before shaking it with his own. They both let out a breath that Raz was sure neither knew they were holding. Augustus then moved on to Lucy, who had stayed behind to let Ford have his say first. He didn’t even pause in kneeling and hugging her. After a moment of the two embracing each other, Augustus pulled away with a smile.

“Lucy, you may be my aunt, but the memories we made together when you were my mother, or my acting mother, were real,” he described. “You're my aunt-mother, and nothing will change that.”

The tears finally started falling from Lucrecia’s eyes, and she buried her face in her nephew’s chest. Ford hugged her from the other side, with one hand on Augustus’ back. Raz wiped away his own tears, and was taken aback when a telekinesis hand grabbed him and placed him smack in the middle of the family hug. Augustus released his son and grabbed his with his physical hand, not letting go of his family.

Once the four psychics had their fill of hugs, Raz jumped in front of Lucy.

“Nona! I have something really cool to show you!”

“Is it that…you know?” Augustus probed mysteriously.

Raz grinned. “Yup.”

“What’s that?” Ford asked.

“I’ve been practicing with Lizzie on this a lot, and I’ve gotten pretty good at it.” Raz headed to the edge of the platform. “Watch this!”

“Stay away from the—” Lucy began, out of habit, but stopped when Raz jumped over the edge and into the small lake below.

Or rather, he would have landed in the water if the Hand of Galochio hadn’t sprung up and held him in place. Raz did a couple of tumbles and flips with the Hand, followed by a matching handstand and handstand walk over the water, with flourishes of water sprays and streams going all over the place at the same time. He ended his little show a bit of juggling of small balls of water, which exploded into rain with a clap of his hands.

The three adults applauded as Raz gave a bow and used the water to step back down to the dock. He was wringing his hands as he returned to Lucy.

“Whatcha think?”

“That was amazing, Pootie!” she praised.

“A showstopper for certain!” Ford added.

Augustus patted his son’s shoulder. “He’s been working on that show for weeks.”

“You’ve obviously worked hard on it,” Lucy said. “How many hours a week?”

“Um, a lot?” Raz answered with a crooked smile. “I didn’t keep track.”

“It’s comforting to see you using water again,” she continued. “But remember how dangerous it can be, Razputin.”

The preteen nodded. “I know, Nona. I just don’t want water to be a bad part of our lives anymore.”

“We're all performing a few water acts in the circus now,” Augustus informed them. “Would you like to come see? We have a show next week.”

“It would be wonderful to see the family perform again.” Lucy looked up at her elderly boyfriend. “What do you think, Crully?”

“You don’t think they’d mind if I came?” Ford asked.

“Of course not!” Raz asserted. “I know mom’s been wondering about you. And Tala and Queepie have been asking about Nona a lot. They miss you.”

“We better not disappoint them then,” Lucy conceded.

“Even better, let’s go back inside. I think it’s about time our Nona formally introduced her boyfriend to the family,” Augustus teased. “By the way, Ford, we need to have a talk about your intensions towards my aunt-mother.”

“Gussy!” Lucy gave her nephew-son a pretend scandalous expression.

Raz groaned and rolled his eyes. “Now I know where he gets it from.”

Ford levitated the adults over the water back to the Motherlobe, while Raz did a few hops with the Hand of Galochio to join them. As they did so, a figure kept to the shadows as he turned off his psychic invisibility. He kept an eye on Razputin as he watched the boy return to the Psychonauts’ party. The figure bit his tongue to keep quiet until he was sure the psychics were out of both hearing and telepathy range. One he was sure they were, he put his fingers up to his temple.

“Minister, I have news to report,” he telepathically called. “I think you’ll be very interested to hear about this."