Chapter 1: Raz: Well… If We’re in the Area…
Chapter Text
Raz stared down at the camp.
Sure, they needed to hurry on their way as soon as Nona rested a bit, but…
It was Whispering Rock Summer Camp!! The pamphlet he’d been able to pick up last time they were in a town said it was a training camp for psychic kids like him! This was a perfect opportunity for him, and Frazie if he could convince her, to learn to better control their powers rather than just by practicing with each other and Nona - either in preparation for or during their checkups to make sure that monster didn’t come back into power.
He shuddered. Maligula had not been a fun fight. It would have been way better if he and Frazie actually had training, though at least Nona had helped as much as she could.
It also would have been easier if Dad had been there to help… or, y’know, if any of his other siblings happened to be psychic and joined as well.
”Raz?!”
He jumped to his feet, back flipping out of the tree and racing in the direction of his sister’s voice. “Frazie! How’s Nona? We ready to-“ He froze. Why had Frazie set up the tent? “Are we camping here for the night?”
”More like camping for the next little while. Nona’s sick again, so we can’t go far until she’s recovered.”
Oh, this was perfect!!
Yeah, Nona being ill sucked, it meant they’d be spending more time camping before finally making it to her old home in the Green Needle Gulch, but it also meant that they’d be camping here! When they have free time, he could sneak over to the camp and learn the skills he’d need to be a better psychonaut and finally be worth the sacrifice Nona and Frazie had made for him!!
Maybe he’d even be able to meet Nona’s old ‘friend’ (though him and Frazie knew he was a lot more than that to her) Ford Cruller! The famous psychonaut!
”Raz? Poo~ter? Earth to Razputin!” Frazie was waving her hand in front of his face.
Right, this wasn’t the time to space out. “Sorry! Just… do we know what kind of sick she is?” Sometimes she got a genuine illness, but ever since they fought Maligula, sometimes Nona would get sick when there was extra turmoil inside her head, like remembering her sister or various other events back in Grulovia…
”Not sure yet, though it came on pretty quickly, so we’re probably gonna need to do another check in her head, just in case.”
He nodded. “Are we doing that now, or-“
Frazie scoffed, adjusting her bag. “No, we’re low on food again. And since you’re hopeless when it comes to scavenging, I need you to look after Nona while I go looking at whatever’s nearby for tonight’s stew.”
Raz glared at the 13-year-old. “Hey! How was I supposed to know those mushrooms would make us all see things?!”
”They were hallucinogenic! Everyone knows not to trust strange mushrooms!” She waved her arms in his face.
”I was nine. I didn’t know any better!”
She turned away, clearly about to head out. “And now you’re ten, and just as clueless as ever! So go watch Grandma while I go get food.”
He huffed as she flipped away, but smiled once she was out of sight.
No matter how infuriating she was, he was forever grateful that her and Nona were here with him, that they’d chosen him - or, at least, that they’d for some reason decided his parents were in the wrong for kicking out his cursed and dangerous eight-year-old self.
He trudged over to the tent, patting Sugarcube before peeking in.
Nona was asleep, her breathing labored.
He picked up the flask next to her. Empty. He’d have to run to the river - though he’d only fill it halfway, just in case. At least the river was only a couple minutes away from their camp.
Gently brushing some of Nona’s hair out of her face, he stood. “Alright Nona, stay put, I’ll be right back.”
Of course, she didn’t reply, deep in sleep. So he scurried out, racing over to the river and stopping at the riverbed. The hand rose out of the waist-deep water, pointing a finger at the flask as he held it out. Pure, clear water filtered out through the finger, dropping into the flask until he wanted it to stop - one of the good things that came out of fighting Maligula was that they were slowly working on their hydrokinesis, using it safely, and learning to not fear the water as much.
Though he’d have to be careful, things could be bad if the wrong person saw any of them using hydrokinesis (Frazie was lucky, her hydrokinesis was a lot weaker, a lot less intuitive.)
Raz ran back, practicing a double jump or two through the trees to save a little time.
Nona stirred as he peeked in the tent. “Razputin?” She rasped, her voice weak and sorrowful.
Crap, this probably wasn’t a physical illness.
He moved the flask behind him. “Hey Nona, what’s wrong?”
She frowned, glancing away. “I’ve burdened you enough, pootie.”
”Nona, you’re not physically sick, are you?”
She was quiet, then, “I hurt so many of them. My friends…”
Just as he thought. “You remembered more.”
”My pootie, I can deal with it. I’ll be fine with time.”
He huffed. It wasn’t exactly that he didn’t believe her, but- “Yeah, let’s let Frazie decide when she gets back.”
”Where did your sister go?”
”She’s getting some food. She’ll be back in time for dinner.” Well, probably. As long as she didn’t encounter any trouble or something tried to attack her again. They’d been encountering strange wildlife recently…
Nona nodded. “That’s my good girl. Pootie, may I have some water?”
”Yeah.” He held out the flask with one hand, the other ready to try and counter any hostile hydrokinesis should something go wrong in her head.
Fortunately, she just sat up, using her brain to pull the water from the flask to her lips and nothing else. Good, at least she was getting more and more stable with that. Maybe she wouldn’t need a checkup today.
”So, my Pootie, did you find anything interesting when exploring earlier?”
”Yeah, actually!” He pulled off his backpack, pulling out the pamphlet he’d saved. “We’re right by Whispering Rock Summer Camp! Where kids my age get to learn how to be psychonauts! I mean, obviously I can’t go-“
”Pshh! Who says you can’t go check it out? Your Nona isn’t going to be ready to head out for a few days, plenty of time to learn some new tricks!”
Well, at least this discussion perked her up a bit, but… “Frazie would kill me! And even if she wouldn’t, who would watch over you?”
”Pootie,” the pamphlet floated from his hand to hers, the old lady quickly glancing over it. “You know, Fray-fray wouldn’t be any the wiser if you went to the orientation tonight. And maybe old Nona will need some help tomorrow, I’m so old and weak you know. The girl will be pretty busy.” She wiggled her eyebrows, grinning maliciously.
Well, at least plotting this was helping her take her mind off of… well, that stuff. Honestly this might be a win-win! Nona’s able to cope better with something to look forward to, and he’s able to squeeze in as much psychic training into a few days as possible! “Thank you, Nona!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Pootie.” She winked, her voice switching to a whisper. “But remember, while you’re around the psychics there, stay away from the water!!”
He nodded, with him having inherited Nona’s unnatural affinity for hydrokinesis, that would be a good idea. “Don’t worry, Nona, I’ll be careful.”
Chapter 2: Frazie: Cain Was an Idiot, I AM My Brother’s Keeper
Summary:
‘Hey, Pooter, where are you?’
‘You’re awake?! Why didn’t Nona- oh crap!’
He cut off the mental connection right as she detected the panic overtaking his mind, so she whirled to face Nona. After all, he’d thought ‘why didn’t Nona’ so clearly their not-grandma-but-basically-grandma was somehow implicit in this. “Where is he?!”
“Frazie, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
That was three times in a row that Nona had used her name instead of calling her ‘Fray-fray,’ she had to be lying.
————
Or: Frazie worries over her brother, and causes him to fall out of a tree.
Notes:
Welcome to chapter 2! Posted simultaneously because why not?
If you’ve made it this far I commend you: I wrote that first chapter at least a year ago, and I think have maybe edited one word since, so if you could suffer through that you can definitely survive the rest of this fic! (/hj)Yeah. No beta, not even me. I only reread to remind myself of what’s going on. If I get started on editing perfectionism will never let me finish lol.
Also hope you like this chapter title. It may just be the sleep depravation talking, but I really like this one! (Might re-use it for a TMNT fic or something, if I still like it in the morning.)
Important reading note: Direct thoughts of people are italicized, like this this means mental conversations between people go something like this:
Person A snickered. Wow, this is a real line!
Well, obviously. Person B rolled their eyes, but a smile tugged at their lips. But it’s not that important. This is just an example, after all.Should that reading note have been in the main notes for the fic? Probably, but at least that first chapter doesn’t have any mental dialogue… at least, I think. (Pun intended)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Frazie was back at the river.
Razputin was nine again, tripping and falling in while trying to cross the rocks. The water reached up to grab him, pulling him under the waist-deep rapids as she and Nona reached for him. But instead of being pulled up, the water swirled around him, creating an even deeper, physics-defying pool around him as Nona started cackling.
She turned to face the old woman, only to be faced with the monster they’d helped her fight. Maligula grinned at her, pointing a hand in her direction as a wave came to claim her as well-
Panting and drenched in a cold sweat, Frazie sat up.
It was dark, the comforting weight of her sleeping bag pressed against her, begging her to lay back down.
Just another nightmare, that’s all it was. Nona was okay, that monster wasn’t gonna be taking power in her mind again anytime soon, and Raz had been rescued and was fine.
She glanced over, just to be sure.
And sure enough, Nona was sleeping peacefully next to her, Razputin’s empty sleeping bag on the other side of her.
All was wel- wait, EMPTY?!
She jumped out of her sleeping bag, glancing around the tent as she reached for her clothes. Her panic woke Sugarcube, who trotted over and nudged her ankles. She scooped up the tiny pony after clothing herself, realizing that her little brother wasn’t in the tent.
Where could that rascal have gone?!
Before she finished unzipping the flap, Nona woke up. “Frazie, where are you going?”
“Pooter’s gone. I’m off to find him.”
“I’m sure he’s fine, Frazie. Our little Pootie probably is just going to the bathroom.”
Oh, right. She should have thought of that.
She was still gonna double check through their telekinetic link, though (which she also should have thought of first, but oh well.)
Hey, Pooter, where are you?
You’re awake?! Why didn’t Nona- oh crap!
He cut off the connection right as she detected the panic overtaking his mind, so she whirled to face Nona. After all, he’d thought ‘why didn’t Nona,’ so clearly their not-grandma-but-basically-grandma was somehow implicit in this. “Where is he?!”
“Frazie, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
That was three times in a row that Nona had used her name instead of calling her ‘Fray-fray,’ she had to be lying. “Nona. Where. Is. Razputin?!”
“He’s off making some friends his age, pursuing his dreams. You and I both know the boy needs it.”
Well, Nona was right on that front, Raz hasn’t been the same since being kicked out of the circus a year and a half ago, and some friends would probably help him regain some of that confidence…
Wait, Razputin’s dream was to be a psychonaut. “We’re close to that camp he found a pamphlet for, aren’t we?”
Nona nodded, sitting up and scooting out of her own bedding. “I’m going to need a minute to head out anyway, might as well let the boy have some fun for a day or two.”
That made sense. Still, Frazie wished that she’d been at least previously informed about this! And what if the camp was by that lake and Raz gets spooked or something?! The place was run by psychonauts that would probably freak out thinking he’s gonna be the next-
“You know, I think you should join him. If only to keep an eye on our Pootie.”
Frazie startled at that. “What? No! Who cares about that official-agent mumbo jumbo! If Pooter’s off playing agent I’ve gotta be here to care for you-“
Hey Frazie… is Nona up?
She quickly patched Nona in to the link. Nona’s awake, what is it? What happened?
Pootie, is something wrong? Nona asked, closing her eyes to focus on their link.
Uh, well, I kinda got caught… and Milla Vodello - one of the special agents in charge of the camp - wants to talk to my parents…
Right, Raz had told her a bit about Milla from a True Psychic Tales issue he read in a library. She was apparently known for her unparalleled levitation skills.
Tell her I’m your guardian.
Through the link, Frazie could almost hear Raz stating “um, I live with my Nona.”
“Okay,” the woman stated, her words flowing through her brother’s mind, “can I have her number?”
“She doesn’t have a phone.”
“Hmm, where do you live? Is there some other way to contact her?”
“Uhhh…” help, what do I tell her?!
Honestly, I’d probably just tell her the truth. Frazie glanced at Nona, who nodded her approval.
Okay, here goes nothing. “Well, the three of us are on the road right now, we’re camping over there, maybe half a mile from this place.”
A bit too much information, Pooter.
Well what was I supposed to say?! Just bluntly state we’re temporarily homeless?!
No, but don’t go ahead and point out-
“Well,” Milla started, “how about we go talk to her for a minute?”
“But my Nona already knows I’m here! She said I could come check this place out!!”
“Sure darling, I just need to check for myself before we let you participate in anything. Okay?”
Let her come, Pootie, I’ll talk to her.
Okay. “Okay, I’ll show you where we are.” See you guys soon, I guess.
You are getting the worst wedgie later for this. Frazie smirked, cutting off the connection before Razputin could protest.
Sure, Raz needed some support, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still terrorize him. As his older sister, it was her duty to make sure he was safe from everyone but her.
Notes:
Hehe, don’t you just love when you wake up from a trauma-based dream only for the very person it’s about to have snuck out? Because Frazie sure does (/sarcastic)
But hey! At least Raz will hopefully get to spend more time at camp than canon him… right? (lol, we all know it was never the amount of time he’s allowed to stay that was the problem…)
Chapter 3: Raz: Let’s Go to Camp… Together!
Summary:
“Razputin said that you’d given him permission to sneak over to our camp down there?”
”Ah, yes. He was interested ever since he found a pamphlet for that place. When I realized we’d be so close for a day or two I told him to go ahead and check it out. My poor little Pootie doesn’t get to talk to other kids his age all that much…” Nona put a hand to her cheek, the image of a concerned grandmother.
”Well, you do realize this is supposed to be a super-secret government training facility, right?”
”Then why do you have fliers?” Frazie pointed out.————
Or Raz brings Milla to his family’s camp so she can talk to Nona, and the two come up with an unexpected arrangement.
Chapter Text
Raz hoped Frazie heard him mentally cursing her out before she cut off the connection. If she hadn’t distracted him he wouldn’t have been caught!
Well, no, he shouldn’t blame her. It’s his fault. He shouldn’t have been selfish and snuck out - regardless of Nona encouraging it.
At least he’d been allowed to sit through what little was left of Coach Oleander’s orientation meeting.
“Darling, let’s go.”
He nodded, moving to walk to the entrance-
Only for an invisible force to pick him up.
Right, psychonauts. Carrying a thin child like him should be a piece of cake.
The two floated over the fence lining the campgrounds, heading off in the direction Raz had pointed her. “So, Razputin, are you getting enough to eat at home?”
Uh.. that was an odd question. “Um, most of the time?” Sure, sometimes when there’s not enough to go around, he’ll pretend to not be hungry or have already eaten or something. It was the least he could do for his small family.
”And when you said your family is on the road, what exactly did you mean by that?”
Why was she asking these weird questions?! Fortunately, he spotted their colorful, patchwork tent down below. “Look! We’re here!”
Milla nodded, bringing them down.
Why were Frazie and Nona already outside the tent? Sure, he’d told them, but Milla didn’t know that! It’s gonna look weird!
”Hello.” Milla said as she touched down, gently setting Raz down as well. “Are you Razputin’s ‘Nona’?”
”Yes, I am.” Nona answered, smiling weakly. “Raz told us you were coming.”
”You really thought I wouldn’t wake up Nona when you called me through our mental link to tell me you got caught trying to spy on that camp? I told you going to spy on that psychic camp was a bad idea, no matter what Nona says.” Frazie said, tilting her head to wink at him without Milla being able to see before turning to the woman. “Hi, I’m Frazie, Razputin’s much wiser older sister.”
”It’s nice to meet you both. I must ask, Razputin said that you’d given him permission to sneak over to our camp down there?”
”Ah, yes. He was interested ever since he found a pamphlet for that place. When I realized we’d be so close for a day or two I told him to go ahead and check it out. My poor little Pootie doesn’t get to talk to other kids his age all that much…” Nona put a hand to her cheek, the image of a concerned grandmother.
”Well, you do realize this is supposed to be a super-secret government training facility, right?”
”Then why do you have fliers?” Frazie pointed out.
Milla hesitated. “Good point. I’ll bring that up with Truman.”
Sure, Raz was supposed to be in trouble, but- “Truman?! As in Truman Zanatto?! Current leader of the Psychonauts?!?!?!”
”So, does this place being secret mean little Razputin isn’t allowed over there?” Nona’s voice was filled with her mischievous sorrow. Fake, likely to try and get a sympathetic reaction out of Milla.
”Not necessarily, could I speak with you for a minute?”
Nona nodded, and the two adults trotted a few paces away to speak in hushed tones.
”So, what did you think of the camp?” Frazie muttered.
He startled. “Wait, so you’re not gonna get super mad that I went there without telling you?”
”Oh, I’m mad. But I’m also glad you’re pursuing something you’re passionate about. And hey, if you get a levitation lesson from Milla over there, I expect you to share your notes.”
He beamed. Not only had she remembered what Milla Vodello’s specialty was, but also she was interested!!!! Sure, Frazie had gotten a lot more positive about the idea of psychics after delving into Nona’s mind and learning their heritage was psychic and that, well, the whole water stuff was more the fault of a corrupt Gzar rather than Nona or any of her psychic friends, but he still hadn’t expected her to be willing to learn more than strictly necessary to help maintain Nona’s mental state!! “Of course!!”
Frazie smiled, her grin widening alongside her eyes as she grabbed him and turned him to face where Nona and Milla were just out of earshot - but still within sight. “Look! They’re coming back!”
Sure enough, the two adults were walking back towards them, both beaming at them. “Alright, I talked it over with Sasha and Morry, and we’d like to make you guys an offer.”
Raz couldn’t help it, he was bouncing with excitement!!
”Would you both like to come attend Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp?”
”YES!!”
”Wait, what?”
Oh, yeah. ‘Both.’ Then again, Frazie was psychic too, so it makes sense they’d offer for her to join them too-
“I can’t! I have to-“ Frazie started.
”I’ll be at the camp too.” Nona stated. “I may not be psychic-“ I’m sure you both understand why it’s best we say I’m not psychic “-but I’ll still be helpful for keeping an extra set of eyes on all the children. This will be a nice break from traveling!”
He stared at Frazie. Sure, him and Nona were all in, but would she accept? She still seemed hesitant about-
“Well, as long as I’m not put into a cabin full of little boys, I’m good with that.” Frazie smiled down at Razputin. “Means I won’t have to borrow Pooter’s notes afterwards.”
This was the best day of his life!
*The following morning…*
Raz leapt off his bunk, stopping from following everyone filing off to Basic Braining only to meet up with Frazie. “Hey, Frazie, you coming to Basic Braining?”
”Eh, only because the guy guarding the bridge to the rest of camp won’t let anyone pass until they’ve finished it.” She gestured back at a guy who looked suspiciously like Ford Cruller in… what, a janitor’s outfit? Regardless, the guy was blocking the bridge and pointing everyone up at the elaborate treehouse that everyone was heading towards.
”Well then, what are we waiting for?! Let’s go!” He grabbed her hand, tugging her behind him as he raced towards the ramp.
”Wait!” She pulled her hand from his, and he felt his spirits drop.
Right, why would she want to be seen with him of all people in such a social environment? He’d probably-
“First one to get to the top and through the entirety of Basic Braining gets to pick the first summer-camp activity we do!”
Oh.
Oh crap, she was already running.
”Hey! No fair!” He raced up after her, only for them both to reach the very top at about the same time.
And so they both encountered Maloof as he fled the classroom.
“Hey, where are you going, Maloof?” He asked, trying to hide the fact he was panting.
”SHHH!! I snuck out. That class is a death trap for crazy people!”
Can’t be worse than the first time we went into a mind. Frazie supplied mentally as she stepped back and turned invisible so as not to impose on the conversation. Razputin had to agree with his sister on that front. At the very least, there would be far less at stake.
”Listen, the Coach is strong. At the start of class he pulls you into his mind, and then there’s nothing you can do about it. But once you’re in, you can use these smelling salts to sneak out. Here-“ He pulled out the salts in question. “Take mine. I don’t need them anymore. I’m calling my parents to come get me, before I get hurt.”
”Too late!” Bobby Zilch declared.
”BOBBY!” Maloof screamed.
”Hey, kid. You owe me five arrowheads for-“
”Raz, who’s this one? He the cotton candy around here?” Frazie called, shaking off her invisibility as she dropped down from where she’d climbed higher in the tree.
Raz smirked at her. “As far as I can tell, though he seems to be convinced he’s the ringleader.”
She scoffed. “With this hair, and him picking on someone like sweet little-“ what’s his name?
Maloof.
”Maloof, here? Yeah, he wouldn’t even be able to come close to being as high a rank as Sugarcube.”
”S-Sugarcube?!” Bobby stuttered, stumbling back and inadvertently (or possibly completely intentionally, it’s possible he was that much of a jerk) shoving Benny off the edge of the wooden walkway.
Raz quickly whipped out his telekinesis, catching the (slightly) younger child just enough to physically grab him as he dove, holding the both of them up by his ankles. Thank goodness they’d kept up on their circus training even after he’d been kicked out. Swiftly, he swung the both of them back up, setting Benny down on his feet while doing a flip before landing on his own next to his sister. She nodded her approval as she used her own telekinesis to bring up the tiny pony. “Meet your superior: Sugarcube.”
“HOW DARE YO-“
“What, gonna try to deny it? Because at least Sugarcube doesn’t need to try and beat someone else up just to feel marginally better about their miserable excuse for a life. Unlike someone I’m looking at.”
Bobby scoffed. “This isn’t over! I’ll see you two on the battlefield!” He fled past them and over to the coach. Benny, after a moment’s hesitation, scurried after.
Frazie knelt down so she was about the same height as Maloof. “Hey, Maloof. You okay?”
Maloof nodded. “Thanks for scaring him off. I’ll get out of your way now.” He sniffled.
Mutually agree to drop our race so I can cheer this kid up?
Mutually agree to drop our race so you can cheer this kid up. He agreed.
Alright. Smash whatever record they have for me. ”Actually, I was just making sure my little brother made it to Basic Braining on time. After this I was gonna head over to my Nona and help her make some cookies.” She paused, pretending to thoughtfully adjust her bag. “You know, we could use a taste-tester. You in?”
He furrowed his brows. “Why is your grandma here?”
”She volunteered to help with watching over all the kids here, especially with the additions of me and my brother. So, you wanna help us with the cookies?” She held out her hand.
He nodded, gently taking her hand. “Can we make one with salt instead of sugar for Bobby?”
”I think we can manage that.” She waved as she led the kid back down the ramp. Good luck, Raz! Not that you’ll need it.
He smiled. He had the best older sister in the world.
Time to complete Basic Braining!
**Just shy of ten minutes later…**
”What do you think you’re doing, soldier?!” Coach demanded as he dragged Raz away from the strange curtains.
”I was just looking for a way out!”
”How did you get to the end this fast? I didn’t think you’d make it to the end at all! Much less- what, was that ten minutes in and out?!” Coach set him back down.
”Yeah. Not my best. If I hadn’t missed that cutout on the final round of the punching game, or maybe if I’d been able to carry Dogen instead of just leading him through the minefield-“
”Kid, what part of ’this is insanely impressive’ do you not understand?! Here.” He pulled out a basic braining badge, floating it over to Raz. “You more than earned it, soldier.”
Raz beamed. If someone as harsh as the Coach said that, maybe he had actually done something right! (Or, at least, something right that wasn’t part of righting a wrong he’d previously committed.)
This camp was gonna be the best summer of his life! He could feel it!
Notes:
Fun fact: Psychonauts 100% speed runners will run through Basic Braining the first go-through in about 7 or less minutes, which is what I based the 10 minute run here off of!
Chapter 4: Frazie: No One Should Be Alone
Summary:
“Why are you being nice to me?” He asked as they reached the other side.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
”Because everyone else isn’t!” He exclaimed, stopping and yanking his hand from hers. “Why do you care?!”
Sighing, she knelt down in front of him. “Do you really want to know why I want to help? Why I care about someone like you not being given a chance, and being made an outcast?”
He nodded.
”Because the same thing happened to my little brother when he was about your age.”
Notes:
Sorry this is later than I intended to post it. We love ✨ depression ✨ (/sarcastic)
Chapter Text
Frazie smiled down at the little boy. He couldn’t be older than Raz had been when their family had gone insane and kicked him out, which was probably why she hadn’t hesitated to step in when that bully started targeting the already disheartened boy.
She should probably tell Nona that they have to make cookies now. Hey, Nona! You busy?
Frazie! Ah, not exactly. The kids are all at Basic Braining. Why, what’s wrong?
Well… you have access to cooking materials for the camp, right?
Yes. I was planning on making some pies for dessert to go with lunch or something!
Can it be cookies instead? I told a kid I was helping you make some cookies.
… why did you tell them that?
Frazie just sent a playback of the scene with mister cotton-candy.
Ah. I suppose we’re making cookies for everyone. With a salty one for Bobby.
Thanks, Nona.
Before she could cut off the connection, little Maloof asked: “why are you so quiet?”
“Oh, sorry. I was just telling my Nona that we’ll have you helping us. And seeing if she’s decided what flavor the cookies should be.”
Maloof perked up at that. “Can they be Snickerdoodle?!”
Well, can they?
I don’t see why not.
“Nona says she doesn’t see why not.” She could tell Nona was nodding her approval before cutting off the connection between the two of them.
They made it to the janitor guy blocking the bridge. “Nuh-uh! The rest of camp is off-limits until you have a Basic Braining Merit Badge! Now git!”
She saluted at him. “Sir! We were reassigned to cookie baking duty, sir! Mixing, baking, and cleaning!!”
“Hmm… and who reassigned you?”
“Lucy Aquato, sir!” The fake name they’d given the heads of the camp for their Nona. Well, it wasn’t entirely fake, but at least sticking with Aquato was a safer bet than going with Mux like they’d all started to after finding out that that was Nona’s real last name.
The janitor nodded. “Right, I heard about her coming to help. Well, what are you waiting for?! Go on, git!” He stepped to the side, motioning for them to go by.
She skipped on past, smiling down at Maloof as they crossed.
“Why are you being nice to me?” He asked as they reached the other side.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
”Because everyone else isn’t!” He exclaimed, stopping and yanking his hand from hers. “Why do you care?!”
Sighing, she knelt down in front of him. “Do you really want to know why I want to help? Why I care about someone like you not being given a chance, and being made an outcast?”
He nodded.
”Because the same thing happened to my little brother when he was about your age.”
Maloof tilted his head. “He went to a summer camp too?”
She chuckled. “No, we were in the circus. The Aquato Family Circus.”
”Oh! I saw that once! But I didn’t see you there.”
”Yeah, we haven’t been there for a year or two. When Razputin was eight, he got kicked out for being… different.” She could practically hear their father shouting that he’s not gonna raise the monster that will undoubtedly kill them all. “Our parents, our siblings, refused to give him a chance, so me and Nona left with him.”
Maloof looked at her with wide eyes.
“Yep. Our parents didn’t much like psychics, and Raz is a pretty skilled one - just don’t tell him I said that. But, we made sure he had us to support him - and I’ll happily help stick with you too. Until - and even after - you find some friends here.” She ruffled his hair, and he smiled. “Now come on, enough serious stuff. Nona’s waiting for us to help her with the cookies!”
”Isn’t she your Nona?”
”Trust me, the second she meets you she’s gonna insist you call her Nona too. I know, because she does that with everyone she likes.” She stood back up, grabbing the little one under the armpits and gently throwing him onto her shoulders. “Now, hold on tight!”
He cheered as she ran towards the main lodge.
*One baking session later*
While making the cookies, Frazie taught Maloof how to make a direct mental connection to her, especially from a distance. That way he could contact her if someone (Bobby) tried to bully him again.
Afterwards, she talked with Nona-
Apparently, the guy who kept showing up all around camp was Ford Cruller, Nona’s old lover who had also kinda brainwashed her and her nephew into thinking they were mother and son. And also it seems his mind has shattered, so… guess what Frazie’s gonna be doing throughout this camp!
It’ll be fun though, having an actual mission to work towards, especially since she’s not sure she really wants to become a psychonaut or not. Razputin gets to run around having fun in the sun, and she gets to play therapist matchmaker!
This was gonna be great!
Chapter 5: Raz: What Do You Mean This Doesn’t Look Like My Mind?
Summary:
Raz froze. “‘Brain tumbler’? We’re going into my mind?”
“Yes, we’ll be opening the doors in your head in order to allow you to reach your full potential. Step up to the brain tumbler when you’re ready.”
… Wasn’t this the exact thing Nona and the other first psychonauts were doing before she went to war and, y’know, went crazy?! “Uh, what if I want the doors to stay closed?”
”You can step up to the brain tumbler whenever you’re ready.”
Notes:
Who’s ready for Sasha’s Special Training?
Chapter Text
Raz opened the door to the ‘GPC’, Maloof stumbling out. “Thanks, I need- I should call Frazie.”
Oh, did Frazie teach him how to mentally connect to her? How badly was this little kid bullied?! “Do you need me to walk you to her?”
”Are you sure you can fight off Bobby?”
”I’m-“
”Bully should pick on same size or larger only.” Mikhail stated, walking over. “Have either of you seen large hairless bear?”
Both of them shook their heads. “If you help me with Bobby, I can help you look!” Maloof stated, perking up slightly.
”Hm. Not bad idea. Okay.”
Raz smiled. Maloof should be pretty safe with Mikhail, even Bobby wouldn’t mess with the Russian.
Now, he’s pretty sure there was a missing button… aha!
He jumped into the geodesic psychoisolation chamber, gently putting the button right back where it belonged. It screwed itself back into place, a hatch slowly opening from beneath the middle pad. Jackpot!
He jumped down, staring in wonder at the underground lab. This was so cool!
He rushed over to Sasha, eagerly bouncing. “So what are we gonna learn first?! Burning stuff? Psi Blast? You know, I’ve been hearing a lot about head explosion, and-”
“Science, Razputin. That is what we practice down here. Not parlor tricks. If you are serious about exploring the possibilities of your mind, step up to the brain tumbler, and we’ll begin.”
Raz froze. “‘Brain tumbler’? We’re going into my mind?”
“Yes, we’ll be opening the doors in your head in order to allow you to reach your full potential. Step up to the brain tumbler when you’re ready.”
… Wasn’t this the exact thing Nona and the other first psychonauts were doing before she went to war and, y’know, went crazy?! “Uh, what if I want the doors to stay closed?”
”You can step up to the brain tumbler whenever you’re ready.”
Wow. This guy really had a one-track mind.
Hey Frazie?
A bit busy, Raz. What is it?
He took a breath, stepping back into a corner of the lab - which, why was there a hollow tree stump here? - before continuing. Um. I decimated Basic Braining so well that Sasha offered to give me special training…
And? I would’ve expected you to be ecstatic about that.
Well… he kinda wants to have me go into my own mind… He’s really insistent about it and I don’t know what to tell him. I want the special training! But, with what happened to Nona… and I can’t just explain why I suddenly don’t want this!
Hmm… I suppose I can take a break from trying to find Ford’s ‘sanctuary’ thing to make sure nothing goes wrong. You up to pulling me in with you?
Raz sighed with relief. Thank you.
No problem. It’s my job as your sister.
Steeling himself, he stiffly walked up to the brain tumbler. “O-okay. I think I’m ready.”
”Ah, you’re ready for the brain tumbler. With this device we will send you deep into your own psyche, where you should find unparalleled insight and power.”
Raz pulled his goggles down, focusing on his connection to Frazie as the machine behind him whirled to life.
”Now just relax. This will not hurt, unless something really bad happens.”
That was… a feeling.
Needless to say, while it wasn’t painful, he was very grateful when he wound up in the collective unconscious, surrounded by closed doors other than the ones leading to the coach's obstacle course, two family members’ minds, and what had to be his own. Frazie’s form flickered into place next to him, quickly grabbing his hand when he reached towards her.
The two walked towards the door - his door - silently stepping through.
They were in a foggy area, nothing but a few stray figments and…
”Razputin, can you hear me?”
”Yeah, I can hear you.” Frazie gave him a weird look. So she couldn’t hear Sasha, good to know. He added “Sasha.” onto the end, so she knew who he was talking to. He considered telepathically talking to her, but wasn’t sure whether he’d say those thoughts aloud in the real world, what with this method of entering a mind so different - not to mention it being his own mind.
“Excellent. Tell me, what can you see?” Well, at least Sasha couldn’t see that he’s brought Frazie for support. He wasn’t sure how the man would have reacted to that.
”A run-down caravan.”
”Do you recognize it?”
”Yes.” He huffed, trying to make it sound more irritated rather than being on the verge of laughter as Frazie flipped off the wooden cart. “It’s where I was born.”
”I see. Compelling.”
”So… should we head inside?” Frazie asked.
Razputin froze. Would Sasha hear that?
…
… Evidently not.
He nodded. ”I think I’m gonna head inside the caravan.”
”Alright, what do you see inside?”
The two trudged inside, the white static overwhelming them and suddenly encompassing the two.
Frazie punched the wall, instantly breaking open the weird egg and ending the staticky sounds. She’d never been a big fan of white noise and that stuff.
“Uh, it was staticky, but I punched it and now…” He looked down, a small, bunny-like animal sitting at his feet. “I see a small, bunny-like animal thing.”
”Huh, this looks nothing like your mind did the last time I was in here. Raz, how much redecorating have you done?! It’s been two months!!” She looked at him, before seeming to remember that Sasha didn’t know she was there. “Don’t answer that, just think about the answer and I’ll ask you again later.”
Before she even finished, Sasha started up again. “Hmmm. An unfamiliar animal entity in a dream often represents a primal fear or memory. Follow it, and it should lead you somewhere important.”
”Check.” He glanced back down at the bunny. “Okay, mister bun, we’re gonna be traveling together, okay?”
The bunny started bouncing away, the two trailing behind it.
They didn’t get far before-
“Raz, considering there’s no way you’ve gotten a new inner demon this quickly, I’m not so sure this is your mind…”
What? He looked in the direction her finger was pointing. “What is that?!”
”What is it, another bunny?”
”No, this is more of a super scary, flaming-eyed demon kind of thing.”
”Oh. Hmm.”
”What?” What could this thing possibly mean?! Is this his fear of… wait, Frazie said he didn’t have this thing when she last went in! What could have possibly happened in the last two months for him to develop this?!
”Okay, I’m pulling you out of there. Just give me a second.”
”Pulling me out?!” He glanced at Frazie.
”Well, guess that’s my cue to leave. Let me know if you need me when coming back, but I really don’t think this is your mind. Anyway, love you, byeeee!” She gave him a peace sign as her astral projection faded away.
”Yes. Hold on. I’m getting some unusual interference. It’s fascinating, as if someone else were-“
”Agent Nein?” He asked, stepping back as the shadowed demon stepped forward. Oh, his psi-blast was not refined enough to fight something like this!
”Sorry, almost ready!”
“SASHA!” Raz cried, rolling out of the way of the diving helmet, only to find himself back in the real world before he finished the roll.
”Aah!”
“Hmm. That should not have happened. We need to try that again.”
“Uh, I would, Sasha, but…” How should he put this? “Last time I tried to use my psychic powers to attack something, I ended up just making a continuous laser and nearly killed my sister. I don’t think I’m ready to fight that thing yet.”
”I can train you to fight. Come see me when you’re ready.” Sasha wasn’t looking at him by the end of his statement, so Raz scurried back over.
”I’m ready now!”
”Oh, really?” He turned, eyebrows raised.
”What?”
”Uh, nothing. It’s just that I didn’t think you’d really take me up on that offer. It usually scares the kids off.”
Raz huffed. “Not me! I’ve helped fight some pretty scary things before. I just want some actual training so I don’t take off my own hands while trying to kill it!” He’d gotten lucky that you can’t lose fingers in your astral form a few too many times.
”Listen, I’m sorry, but I can’t train you. Agent Vodello would kill me for ‘endangering’ you like that.”
”What’s the big deal? What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her!”
”You don’t even have a Marksmanship Learner’s Permit. I could lose my job!”
Ras scoffed. “Then I’ll get one!”
”Even if you used that secret passage over there,” Sasha pointed to one of the hollow tree trunks Raz had seen scattered throughout the camp, “and snuck into his sanctuary Agent Cruller would never just give you a Marksmanship learner’s permit.”
”Agent Cruller, huh?” Sasha started saying something, but Raz ignored him. He’d get to meet Ford Cruller! “I’m off! Be right back after I talk to Agent Cruller!”
He’d stop by wherever Frazie was and pick her up first, she’d said she was looking for Ford’s sanctuary anyway.
Chapter 6
Summary:
”Yeah, your mind is shattered, right?” She asked. Sure, here he seemed pretty sane, but he sure wasn’t when up on the surface.
His eyes widened, probably not having expected that question. “Uh, well-“
”Frazie! You can’t just ask someone if he’s crazy!!” Raz hissed at her.
Chapter Text
Wow, was Raz going back into that not-Raz’s-mindscape again? Already? What’s up?
I found out how to get to Ford’s secret sanctuary! Where are you?
Impressive! She’d been looking almost all morning, but trying to read the minds of Ford’s different personalities wasn’t giving her anything useful. I’m by the campfire area, what about you?
I’ll meet up with you in a second. See you soon! And then the little jerk cut off the connection. Rude.
Just as she was about to try and call him back, there was a rustling behind her, and Raz walked out of the bushes. “Hey, Frazie! You ready?”
”Where did you- how did you get here so fast?!” Sure, Raz could teleport a little, but it wasn’t precise and he could only do it when panicked!
“The same way we get to Ford’s sanctuary! C’mon!” He gestured for her to follow, trudging back into the bushes.
With the obligatory older sister roll of her eyes, she trailed after him.
He stopped at an old stump. “Hup!” He cried, grinning at her as he jumped inside. After a moment, she jumped in too.
She landed in a chair, Raz having scrambled onto the thing’s armrest while waiting. An automated, female voice asked “Where would you like me to take you, Agent Cruller?”
Raz plopped onto her lap. “Let’s go to Ford’s- I mean, my sanctuary.”
”Yes, noble psychomaster.”
And they were off, wrenching to a stop mere moments after starting, but having traveled quite the distance. Raz jumped up, easily wall jumping to the top and leaping out of the stump. Frazie followed, flipping to land beside him.
”Hm. You finally made it.”
”It’s an honor to finally meet you in person, sir.” Raz saluted, and Frazie held back a chuckle at her brother’s poor form. “I thought I recognized you in my dream, but I couldn't be sure. Now that I see you in the flesh I know you’re Ford Cruller. The greatest leader the psychonauts ever had!”
Wait, so this guy showed up in Raz’s dream? Was that last night?! Not fair!
”Well, you shouldn’t believe everything you read in ‘True Psychic Tales’ Magazine.” Ford nodded at her. “I see you brought your sister too.”
”Yeah, your mind is shattered, right?” She asked. Sure, here he seemed pretty sane, but he sure wasn’t when up on the surface.
His eyes widened, probably not having expected that question. “Uh, well-“
”Frazie! You can’t just ask someone if he’s crazy!!” Raz hissed at her.
She sighed. “Look, I’m not asking to be rude about it or anything like that, I’m asking because our Nona noticed your crazy forms didn’t recognize her and were, well, crazy. So I’m here to offer to help fix it!”
”Ah, well, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think there’s anything you could do that I haven’t already tried…”
She scoffed, wrapping an arm around her brother’s shoulders. “Yeah, well, me and Raz here were able to help Nona conquer her mind. I’m sure you can’t be much more messed up than her.”
Ford raised a bushy eyebrow. “And who is your ‘Nona’?”
Well, he was bound to recognize her once he met her anyways. “Lucrecia Mux.”
The old man startled so hard, she’s pretty sure if he had dentures they would have come flying out. “W-what?! She… she’s…” He swallowed, voice going soft. “She’s alive? And sane again? There’s no more…”
Huh, how come he didn’t remember she was alive and what he did to her? Was it something to do with him being crazy…?
She shrugged. “Well, technically she still has Maligula in her brain, but last I checked that monster was pretty small and she’s getting better at managing it. She’s been getting better and better at maintaining her sanity all on her own, which is exactly what I’d like to help you with. You willing to let me try?”
“You both would be willing to try this?” He asked, looking at them with wide eyes and a soft frown.
”Well, Frazie’s gonna be the main one doing it, but I’ll pop in when she needs my help! Mostly I’m here because I need a marksmanship learners permit so Sasha can train me to fight better!” Raz bounced on his heels as he imitated a few punches.
”Sasha wants to teach you advanced combat on your first day?”
”Yeah, I had a vision with a huge monster with yellow eyes and a big mouth full of gnashing teeth. It spat a diving helmet at me.” Huh, Frazie left a bit early, she didn’t see that last part.
Ford nodded. “Yes, well, we better get you armed. Here, this is a Marksmanship Learners Permit, it’ll only work in Sasha’s mind.” He handed Raz a small green slip of paper. Frazie has no idea how that’s supposed to ‘only work in Sasha’s mind’… or even work at all, but she’s not about to question it.
”And what about me? Are you willing to let me try and help you?”
Ford hesitated a moment longer, before finally saying “Sure, but trying to go into my mind here is gonna be of no help to you. You’ll have to run around camp collecting the shards of my psyche from each of my ‘personalities’ around the camp. Are you sure you’re up for the task?”
She smirked. “Sounds like fun.”
“Oh, and before I forget!” He pulled out a piece of bacon, handing it to Raz. “I’ve got a feeling I should keep my eye on you, so I’ll be hanging out in your head. If you ever want to make me appear, just use this special device.”
”… Is that-?”
”Oh yeah! I just love bacon! I smell that stuff and I’ll come running!”
She chuckled as Razputin hesitantly put the bacon into his backpack. “O-okay, well, I’m off to Sasha’s lab! You good, Frazie?”
”Yeah. I got this. I’ll let you know if I need you, little bro!” She rubbed the top of his helmet, slightly frustrated that she couldn’t ruffle his hair with the helmet covering it.
He ducked to get away from her hand, a goofy smile on his face as he gave a mock salute before jumping into the strange transportation stump.
”So… is that stump how I get out of here too?”
”You could. Or I could teleport you to the main lodge and you can start with the version of me in there.”
Hmm. Not a bad idea. “Alright! Sounds good.”
He nodded. “Alright, this is going to feel a little strange. Try not to throw up when you arrive.”
Before she could ask about that, Ford had lifted a hand to his head and the world spun out of focus, warping into the logs and tables of the main cabin somewhat similar to how the world shifts when entering someone’s mind. Two kids were on the stage, trying to play music together.
She turned, glancing around. Just behind the counter was some form of Ford, flipping hamburgers. Perfect.
Frazie strode over. “Hey, you mind if-”
”The burgers ain’t ready yet! Won’t be for a week!”
She blinked. “What?”
”The coals ain’t hot! And they’re back-ordered! I’m the only one back here!!” He didn’t even look at her, clearly focused on those burgers.
”I don’t even-“ She cut herself off, a smile crossing her face as she leaned on the counter. “Oh, I’m not here for a hamburger, I’m here to help!”
That caught his attention, him turning towards her with one eyebrow raised. “Really? Well, it’s about time that they gave me a sous chef! Get over here!”
With him motioning her over, she jumped over the counter and stood next to him, glancing at the barely-lit coals. “Alright, I think I’ve got something that can heat up the coals more in my bag,” she gestured to the small bag over her shoulder.
”What are you waiting for?! Get it out then!” Apparently fully trusting her, he turned back to the coals.
Frazie smirked, pulling the door they’d found almost six months ago and tossing it onto the back of the guy’s head. “Hey! Don’t flip the burgers onto me…” the last word was drawn out as he went into the typical trance.
The giant kitchen cabinet she landed in wasn’t completely unexpected, though being so tiny was a bit strange as she looked around the kitchen, unable to see the floor from her angle.
Seeing the eggs next to her (which should really be in the fridge, or at least in a carton) and the path down leading towards a mixing bowl on the island counter… next to a giant recipe book flipped to a recipe for pancakes.
Well, this should be a piece of cake. Pancake, that is. She sent to Raz, alongside a brief rundown of the situation.
Wow. Hate that. Don’t ever contact me again. My new favorite sister is the hand of Galochio.
She rolled her eyes at his joke, softly jumping onto the egg. Love you too, Pooter. Rolling forward, she moved enough to spot the flooring, fortunately before she had cut off the connection with her brother. Uh, Raz?
What? He asked, concern lacing his thoughts - likely at the tone she’d sent her thoughts in - as the water coating the tile floor below swirled up, forming a woman’s figure that started fishing a whisk out of a drawer.
Um, how did Ford’s mind get shattered again?
In the battle against - are you being attacked by Maligula?! I’m coming, I’ll ditch Sasha’s-
No no! I just - she’s not attacking anything yet, but-
Oh. Wait, didn’t her and Ford date before she left for… y’know?
That was right! So there was a chance this was pre-Maligula Nona. Right. I should be fine, then. I’ll call you up if things start going w-
No, you’re going to leave Ford’s mind if she attacks you, then you can call me up and I’ll come over so we can deal with it together. Deal?
She huffed, rolling down the ramp. Deal. Now get back to Sasha’s special training or whatever.
Alright, talk to you after I’ve blocked off these censor outlets!
He cut off before she could ask him to elaborate on that.
Well, Sasha had to know what he was doing, so he probably had everything under control. And if he didn’t, well, it’s his fault for letting a ten-year-old into his mind unsupervised!
The obstacles were pretty easy, though she’d almost made it up the ramp to jump the egg into the bowl when the watery hand grabbed the egg, lifting it into the air and hitting it against the side of the bowl, the momentum destroying what little grip she had on the relatively smooth surface and sending her flying. She looked - she was hurtling directly towards a blender on the top shelf.
Panicking, she reached out-
A strong, unnatural gust swept her off course, hurtling into the cracked-open fridge.
Thank goodness that fickle thing worked the way she wanted for once.
The fridge was relatively empty, but leaning against the milk carton was a large, red-headed, Viking-helmet wearing guy that she’s pretty sure she saw a glimpse of in one of Razputin’s comics. In front of him and whispering to him about something was a much shorter guy with darkly-colored hair. A little plant growth was growing out of his hair as well.
Huh, maybe they’d help her find the shard of Ford’s mind. “Hey!”
Both startled, acting like young lovers that had just gotten caught or something. “Oh, uh, hello there!” The shorter’s voice was gruff, but relatively friendly.
”Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” She cartwheeled over, ending with a backflip that landed right in front of them. “I’m just looking for a piece of Ford’s mind, have you guys seen it?” She really wished she had some idea what it looked like.
“Why wouldn’t his brain be inside his head? On his body?”
The larger chuckled, grabbing the shorter’s hand and using it to pull him closer. “Come now, Ford’s always kind of had his head up in the clouds, especially when around Lucy.” He winked at the smaller one. “Me and him are the same, in that way.”
The shorter blushed, looking away but tightening the grip on their intertwined hands. Aww, these two were adorable! “Ahem, anyways, if you’re looking for Ford, I’d suggest wherever Lucrecia is. Wherever she’s gone, he can’t be far behind.”
She nodded. “Alright, thanks!”
”Here.” The two stepped away as the larger gestured towards the carton. “I’ll bet you can catch a ride on this.”
She hopped up, sitting in the handle before glancing back down. “How is this supposed to-“
The door opened - a watery hand grabbing the handle and pulling her out with the milk jug.
”Safe travels!” The two waved.
She looked around as she was lifted into the air, perched just below the water hand. Up above the stove was a cloud of steam, in the shape of Ford’s face. The stove now had a pan with butter starting to melt on it, a pot next to it that contained something that looked similar to caramel.
Alright, so maybe the pancakes would end up as a bridge up to his head? Easy.
Notes:
Hey, thanks for still reading this awful story*. I know it’s a dumpster fire but I’m grateful that you’re willing to even get this far.
*note, the author acknowledges that this statement may not be completely true, and is likely partially the depression talking, but in case it’s not and is absolutely true it has been included.
Chapter 7: Frazie: ‘Intended Design?’ Sounds Like a Waste of Time to Me.
Summary:
Frazie finishes the first aspect of Ford… and speed runs the second.
Notes:
Sorry about the notes on the last chapter. I’m still depressed but I know that was a lot more deprecative than necessary. On the bright side, I really like the next two chapters! (This one’s okay, more funny than fun though.)
Also yes, some Frazie chapters in a row! This first game focuses more on her since Raz primarily goes the canon route.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Frazie scurried up the ‘lumberstack’ staircase, avoiding the dripping, hot syrup that grew more and more prevalent as she reached the top. The top had access to the back of Ford’s head, an open door revealing a shockingly realistic inside of the skull inside the strange mist. Inside the head was a tiny brain, a little shard of what appeared to be a mirror embedded in the brain. As she grabbed the shard and yanked it out - ignoring the chef persona of Ford telling her to get lost as she’d approached it - the world faded, shifting into this strange platform surrounded by floating shards of what appeared to be the scenery. It looked like someone had paused time mid-hurricane. Ford himself was standing next to the edge, headless but holding a shattered mirror. Ah, so that’s where the shard goes, she kinda wished that she’d been shown this place earlier.
No matter, she gently placed the shard on the mirror, it looked like there were three other empty spots - one for each remaining persona.
Ford was saying something, it sounded like he was talking to himself, something about his love life with Nona and how much he missed the person she’d been. Normally Frazie would be all-in on the gossip, but it was hard to care when she’d already heard all about this from Nona’s perspective - and Ford’s shattered perspective was rather vague and lined with worthless regret (what’s done is done, admit your mistakes and get over it already!)
Well, it was pretty clear there wasn’t much more to do here, with Ford having finished talking to himself and was now just looking at her through the reflection of his face (which wasn’t there in reality, but that’s not exactly unusual in the mind scape.)
”What are you still doing here? Don’t you have more shards of my mind to find?”
She gave him a sarcastic salute. “Yeah, yeah, I’m heading out!”
Exiting his mind, she found that she was now alone behind the counter and next to the grill, which she immediately reached over to turn off. Chef Ford was nowhere to be found.
Well, one down, three to- ooh, there was some shelf that was clearly supposed to be some sort of shop for the kids. She’s sure there’s something there that Raz would love.
Hmm. None of them were labeled. Probably were supposed to be told what it is or something. Well… maybe the strange bagpipe-like contraption? It could be some sort of vacuum or something, Raz would probably know what it is and how to use it.
She also snagged a few pieces of candy for them to eat together.
How’s special training going?
Good! I’ve just defeated the strange monster I encountered and am ready to continue onwards to find out whose mind this really is. Even though this place is creepy, it’s honestly a relief to know this isn’t my mind I’m in.
She chuckled slightly. Yeah, I wouldn’t want to be messing around in my own mind either. Have fun following that bunny! I’ll see you when we both take a break for Milla’s levitation lesson!
Pfft. Like you need the lesson. Have fun collecting Ford’s brain!
They disabled the connection. Well, Frazie probably only had time for one more fragment before the levitation lesson on the docks… maybe she’d look for the one that had been blocking the bridge earlier or something? Save whatever one was by the docks (because there had to be one over there, why wouldn’t there be?) for after the lesson. She honestly might recruit Raz for it, if the chef fragment had that much water she doesn’t want to think what a navy officer, or something, shard would be like.
He wasn’t near the bridge anymore, nor was he by the cabins or the main lodge, so she trotted over into the tree line, over by something called the ‘GPC.’
There! There was one!
It wasn’t the janitor persona, but that’s fine. As long as it wasn’t full of water or the post-war version of Nona everything would be perfectly fine.
“Hey!” She waved, jumping out of the trees and landing softly on the roof of the boarded-up shed next to him. “What’s-”
”This area of the woods is prohibited to campers! Now git!” He shooed her away with his rake.
Hmm, how to get close enough for this…
What even was this one? A forest ranger?
“Oh, is this not the right spot? Sasha Nein said to find the ‘Ranger’ and lead him to this giant bear that made its way into the main camp and has been terrifying the kids. He said that ‘only Ranger Cruller can deal with this,’ but if you’re not him, well, could you at least point me in the right direction?” She sat down on the edge of the roof, kicking her legs as she looked down at him, trying her best to look frightened and unsure of herself.
”What? Where is it?!”
”Over by the kids’ cabins, that’s part of why it’s such a problem.”
”Well then what are you waiting for?! We gotta go!!” He dropped the rake, motioning her over.
She jumped, landing behind him just as he turned to leave, a perfect angle to place the door on his head.
With him distracted, it was trivial to go up on her tiptoes and stick the door onto his frizzy hair. “This better be in the woods.” She muttered, projecting herself into his head.
His mind was a dense forest, each and every tree and animal made out of a glittering purple stone - right, that was psitanium. Only the ground and what appeared to be one extra-large tree she could barely see through the glittering leaves was normal.
“Well, this is… trippy. This almost looks familiar…” Maybe she’d seen it in Nona’s mind?
Well, the best way to determine that would be to get up in the trees. Hopefully psitanium was a sturdy material.
She jumped, using a branch as a springboard onto another tree, a few sparkling leaves scratching at her astral projection as she flew past and scrambled to the top of the tree.
“Hey! What are you doing here?! This part of the woods is prohibited!”
Oh, great. The giant tree was Ford.
A massive branch swung towards her, throwing her towards a cave that had some guy that looked like your stereotypical inventor standing in it.
Yeah, no. It wouldn’t be long before levitation lessons, and she was not missing the one actual activity she’d been excited about in this camp!
Reaching for the wind flying past, she focused on forming a levitation ball, holding onto the white rim (ring?) from below as a strong gust blew her back towards the tree.
Said tree glared at her, and below she could see far more aspects of the mind as she blatantly skipped over them.
“What are you doing?! Get back!” Tree-Ford cried as she drifted behind him, landing amidst some of the top branches. “This part of the woods is forbidden! Forbidden I say!!!”
”Yeah yeah, be quiet!” She muttered, finding the handle and wrenching open the trapdoor, dropping into the same strange inner-skull thing.
”Get out of these mines!”
Mines? Eh, no matter. She grabbed the shard, this time actually paying attention as Ford talked to himself.
”We never should have started that mining operation in the first place. If we hadn’t all gotten together like that, if we hadn’t been experimenting with that stuff, maybe everything would have been okay.”
”Or maybe we never would have met Lucrecia, or any of the others, and she still would have gone back for that war, and no one would have stopped her. Dwelling on all these ‘what if’s does nothing, you just gotta learn to forgive yourself and move forward.”
Huh, the ramblings of a crazy person - literally.
“Well, I’m out. See you when I’m getting the third shard!” With that, she left his mind.
Notes:
Sorry for skipping most of the ford mind - it’s not that I didn’t plan it, it’s just that I’ve gotta save some headcanon mind builds for other aus that have Ford fixed up in the first game. ;)
Ironchef13 (Guest) on Chapter 2 Mon 02 Jun 2025 02:29AM UTC
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Warped_Daydream on Chapter 2 Mon 02 Jun 2025 05:21AM UTC
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Ironchef13 on Chapter 2 Mon 02 Jun 2025 12:53PM UTC
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Warped_Daydream on Chapter 2 Mon 02 Jun 2025 06:13PM UTC
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Ironchef13 on Chapter 2 Tue 03 Jun 2025 04:27PM UTC
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Warped_Daydream on Chapter 2 Thu 05 Jun 2025 07:24AM UTC
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Ironchef13 on Chapter 2 Thu 05 Jun 2025 01:42PM UTC
Last Edited Thu 05 Jun 2025 01:47PM UTC
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Glitchy1 on Chapter 3 Mon 02 Jun 2025 08:45AM UTC
Last Edited Mon 02 Jun 2025 08:46AM UTC
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Warped_Daydream on Chapter 3 Mon 02 Jun 2025 06:09PM UTC
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larvaelady on Chapter 3 Tue 03 Jun 2025 11:49AM UTC
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Warped_Daydream on Chapter 3 Thu 05 Jun 2025 07:26AM UTC
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