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bcdrawsandwrites · 9 days

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Day 8: Panic attacks / Dissociation / Seizure Characters: Ford Cruller, Helmut Fullbear, Bob Zanotto Warnings: Panic attack Summary: It had always been someone else helping him. Helmut had never had to help someone else with one of these before.

"Helmut?" Compton said, glancing over at the untouched tea cup sitting by an empty bean bag chair. "Could you check on Ford? He seems to be taking a while with the mail, and his tea is getting cold."

"Hm? Sure." Helmut levitated off his own bean bag chair and carefully TK'd his teacup to the floor before turning to Bob. "Wanna come with?"

Bob shrugged, hopping up as well and linking hands with his husband. "Hope it's just another case of him being mad I ordered more fertilizer," he said once they were out of the Heptadome.

"Maybe," Helmut said, then hummed. "Though the last time that happened, he just teleported to your greenhouse and told you to pick it up yourself."

Chuckling, Bob rolled his eyes. "As though he couldn't just teleport it himself." His voice took on a slightly higher pitch in imitation of Ford's: "It's the principle of the thing! I'll teleport myself fifty feet up in the air if I gotta, but you can move your crap yourself!"

Helmut laughed, but Bob grew quiet as they neared the woods. "You all right, Bobby?"

"Yeah, but... um..." He was suddenly very interested in the grass at his feet. "You think it... could be news?"

"Oh." Helmut forced a smile. "Well, maybe it's good news! Maybe Lucy's on her way home! And Ford's just... so excited he forgot to tell us?"

The insects were awfully loud today, and the noise itched at the back of Helmut's skull.

"...Maybe there's no news at all," Bob finally said.

"Yeah." Helmut squeezed his husband's hand. "Maybe."

They stayed quiet as they made their way down the forest path toward their mailboxes. Just as Helmut was about to remark how strange it was that they hadn't seen or heard Ford yet, a sound reached his ears.

The sound of panicked gasping.

Helmut's eyes widened, and he let go of Bob's hand, charging forward to find Ford bracing his hand against a tree, his face pale as his chest heaved. His eyes had gone unfocused, looking in different directions.

"FORD!" Helmut cried, hurrying up to his friend and placing a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?!"

Ford did not answer, or even acknowledge Helmut in any way.

Helmut felt his skin crawl—he had never seen Ford like this. Ford was always so down-to-earth, he hadn't thought it possible for him to ever get this shaken. Frantically he turned to Bob, whose attention had been drawn to a pile of mail on the ground. It didn't take him long to piece together what might have happened.

Taking a deep breath, Helmut guided Ford away from the tree. "Okay, okay... C'mere, Ford-truck."

Ford was shaking badly, but did not stop Helmut as he helped him down to a seated position on the ground.

"You're gonna be okay." Gently Helmut wrapped an arm around Ford and squeezed one of his hands. "I've got ya."

Though he tried to keep calm outwardly, inwardly he frantically tried to recall the methods Bob would use to help him through his freakouts. There was also the fear of just what was in the mail that caused Ford to react this way, but he tried to push that aside and focus on the more immediate problem.

"Just slow down, breathe," Helmut went on. "I know you're freaking out right now, but you're not alone, all right? Bob and I are here to help, and Cassie, and Compton, and Otto—"

"O-Otto..." Ford stammered, taking a few more breaths. "Otto... c-couldn't... h-help his way out of a..."

Helmut laughed, some of the tension loosening in his chest—it was good to hear Ford talking at least. "Well, we'll see what Otto can do."

"Pah..." Ford waved a shaky hand dismissively. But shortly after, he fell into trembling quietly again, his head hanging and eyes staring at nothing.

Meanwhile, Helmut realized he was being watched, and his head shot up to find Bob holding one of the letters in his hands, his face pale. "...Bob?" he whispered, his heart hammering in his chest.

"We gotta talk... to the others," Ford said, his voice distant.

"What?" Helmut looked down at Ford, eyes wide, though he was almost certain what he would hear.

Finally Ford looked up, staring Helmut in the eyes. "It's Lucy."

#ford cruller #helmut fullbear #bob zanotto #psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #psychonauts 2 spoilers #my writing #fanfic #have another one of these #do you ever think about the Panic Attacks in Cruller's Correspondence?#because I think about the Panic Attacks in Cruller's Correspondence #also yes Helmut calls Ford 'Ford-truck'#all of these people have stupid names for each other

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curi0uscreature · 9 months

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* Zanotto shenanigans + mini notes on their roles

#as you can tell I’m fond of the ride of the van and your mother joke /j #psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #psychonauts au #swapnauts #bob zanotto #helmut fullbear #truman zanotto #weise foretell #ford cruller #lili zanotto #curi0us artworks

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whisperingrockandroll · 7 months

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Some people ask me "why are you so obsessed with the Mystery Kids' franchises?" and truth be told I think something just hits me about stories where children are tasked with repairing the multi-generational damage caused by their elders.

#Coraline is the shakiest example of this but if you count the Bedlam as an adult and what she did to Wybie's grandma's family it checks #Coraline #Paranorman #Psychonauts #Gravity Falls #The Stan twins had a petty multi-decade rivalry that nearly destroyed the universe several times #Ford Cruller is a war criminal who truamatized all his friends and trapped himself in a mental prison made of his own failures #Norman takes the cake tho for having to unravel a 300 year old cycle of trauma that was only getting kicked down the road #This is a recurring theme in media and it's starting to feel like a desperate cry for help

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therealslimshady · 1 year

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The funniest part about psychonauts is how, well every kid wants some kind of special, personal connection with their hero right? And Raz gets to live that dream and actually have one! It’s just that instead of it being something cool like “Ford saved my life when I was a baby!” or “Ford has secretly been my grandpa this entire time!” its “Ford gaslight my entire family into thinking that my great aunt was really my grandma and then dipped"

#I guess in an extremely round about way Ford DID end up being Raz's grandpa #if by grandpa you mean grandmas boyfriend #and by grandma you mean 'what do you MEAN she's been my great aunt this entire time'#psychonauts #psychonauts spoilers #psychonauts 2 #psychonauts 2 spoilers #ford cruller #raz aquato #psynauts #My post

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jnixz · 1 year

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He doesn’t appreciate uncontrolled burning leaf piles ESPECIALLY in the part of the forest that is OFF-LIMITS

#psychonauts #ford cruller #fanart #doodle #i have not watched the documentary yet but that concept art is so funny w/o context #you seeing this shit mentallis *staring at the hidden cameras at camp that is connected to hq monitors to keep an eye at camp*#might continue to color this but just the fire dude in painting but hey who knows

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remivill · 3 months

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L'execution d'Augustus Gloop

#charlie and the chocolate factory #willy wonka #augustus gloop #after effects #simple animation #ford cruller what are you doing here???

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capricoopla · 1 year

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Vision Quest W/ skates

#art #my art #artist on tumblr #vision quest #psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #ford cruller #fanart #duuuuude I am so normal about this guy you have no idea how normal I am about him #but yeah #he skating

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worldyea · 1 year

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youtube

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PSYCHONAUTS!!!

I finished this animatic/animation to celebrate!

#psychonauts #animation #ford cruller #This took 756 layers btw .idk how my computer didn't explode #But I hope you all enjoy it!!!!!#Started this in January good lord #Youtube #psychonauts fanart

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technovillain · 1 year

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Mentioned it briefly in another post and now I am love language analyzing the Psy7. (going off the breakdown of the 5 love languages being Acts of Service, Gift Giving, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, and Physical Touch)

Otto is very much Acts of Service. He'd sooner do something for somebody than give them any soft words. It is in my eyes the definitive way that he shows people that he cares about them. And I'd argue that he'd prefer to receive Quality Time. I feel like the real way you show Otto that you care is to just spend time around him and listen to him while he talks about his projects. I think Otto secretly gets lonely in his lab. I think Ford hanging around him in the past and coexisting and Gisu hanging out with him in the present could be really pleasant for him.

Ford would probably gravitate towards Quality Time. I personally like to believe that the way that Ford bonds with anybody is through extended parallel play. What he brings to the table with the Psy7 is just ... presence. Everyone knows that he is there and that he has their backs. That's how he keeps the vibe of being their coordinator so well. I think that this would also be the love language he'd like to be on the receiving end of. Can't see him being partial to Gift-Giving or Physical Touch.

Cassie is 100% Words of Affirmation. I mean, she wrote a psychic self-help book, why wouldn't she be. She's definitely really good at making people feel welcome and loved, I just know that nothing could pick you up more than a Cassie pep talk. She just has this warm and sweet presence that makes you believe whatever she tells you. I think she would prefer to receive Physical Touch. The way that she immediately reaches out and grabs Helmut up first. Please hug this woman. After forever of closing herself off and covering herself in the green needle barbs, I just know that she's so touch-starved.

Bob seems like he would be a Gifts-Giving guy to me. Flowers, fruits and vegetables, etc. things that he spent time creating he would love to share with others. He seems like he would be more closed off in general from the others and seeing them use or appreciate something that he gave/made for them over and over is a way that he can remember that he is loved. Gifts as an extension of the self. I think that what he seeks is Words of Affirmation, however. I think that without being reminded, it is very easy for Bob to believe that he is some sort of closed-off outsider that people don't really care about. I mean we see this very clearly in canon, that he grows to believe that people like Truman, Otto, and Helmut don't care about him without the affirming words to remind him of his true worth.

Compton would be a Quality Time guy to me. But I think he has specific bounds on what he considers Quality Time. I can see that he knows his friends care about him, but no matter what he has always struggled with the intrusive thoughts that deep down his friends hate him. (those Booles and their intrusive thoughts) I think Compton's idea of Quality Time is something that must be spent one-on-one, like long private, personal conversations. Which is what leads me to believe that he also prefers to receive Words of Affirmation. This crossover space is why he and Cassie are so well-suited to one another.

Lucy is another Acts of Service person. It is absolutely her go-to to try and help others. She always jumps in and we can see that she has a sense of duty to help people and causes she cares about. While we've seen this tendency get her in trouble in canon, I like to think that it was also something that made her special to be friends with. But something that she'd really value would be a well thought out gift. (Gifts-Giving)I think that Lucy would be one to really like mementos and place sentimental value on items (something that I think came through in her personality when she became a sweet grandma, despite the memory wiping) Holding on to items for memory seems like something that she would do, especially as someone who moves around a lot with her family.

Helmut is the Physical Affection guy. He is so full of hugs and he will dispense them. It's definitely something that can catch people off-guard at first, but I see him being the type to embellish conversation by touching people's shoulders, hands, knees, etc. He just really cares about being close to other people, and I feel like after a while, the Psychic 7 were all receptive to it. He'd prefer to spend Quality Time with others. Whether it is in a group hanging out at the Heptadome doing psychic stuff, or climbing up a mountain to get high, or spending quiet time in the Feel Mobile, Helmut likes sharing stuff about his life, his hobbies, his big feelings. So to spend time with someone doing things with you that both of you can enjoy is what means a lot to him. His ideas of Quality Time can be quite different than Compton's or Ford's, however, oftentimes leaning towards the rowdier side.

#wow i just wrote a book for you all #pls read i love analyzing these hoes #psychonauts 2 #otto mentallis #ford cruller #cassie o'pia #compton boole #bob zanotto #helmut fullbear #lucrecia mux #psychic seven #i love writing it as psy7 its a fun looking abbreviation #hcs #.txt

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razzle-zazzle · 4 months

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2900 Words; post-canon

Secret Santa post for @spiirals! A little oneshot featuring the Aquatos (+ Ford and Gisu) on a snowy winter day!

AO3 ver

“Hey, Pooter!”

Raz turned at the sound of Frazie’s voice—only to immediately get a snowball to the face. It wasn’t a very tightly-packed snowball, bursting into cold and wet on impact without really pushing Raz back—he was more shocked than hurt.

“Pleh!” Raz spat out cold water. He rubbed at his face trying to get rid of the rest of the snow, sticking his tongue out at his sister. “What was that for?”

Frazie chuckled, another snowball already in hand. “Your head’s so big I thought it was a target.” She teased.

“You called my name to make me face you, though.” Raz pointed out. He shrugged—it didn’t really matter. Frazie did this every year—or all the time, if Raz counted pinecones and rocks alongside snowballs. “Have you gotten Dion yet?”

Frazie’s grin told Raz all he needed to know. The thrum of satisfaction in her head only further confirmed Raz’ suspicions.

“And I’ll get him again!” Frazie boasted, tossing her snowball up into the air. She flipped over into a handstand, catching and balancing her ammo on her foot.

Raz snorted. His boots crunched in the snow as he turned to continue on towards the camp proper. “Good luck!”

“Like I’ll need it.” Frazie scoffed, kicking the snowball from foot to foot. “You joining us for dinner tonight?”

Raz nodded. “Yeah, I was just heading over to let Mom know.” He started to continue along towards camp—

A snowball nailed him directly in the back. Raz stumbled forwards a bit to the sound of Frazie’s laughter—but, even as he regained his footing and turned back to shoot her a glare, Raz couldn’t help but chuckle. He should have seen that one coming, honestly. “Good shot!” He complimented honestly, then started flipping forwards to get out of his sister’s range quicker.

Frazie’s laughter rang in his ears the whole way to camp. She had still been balancing on a gloved hand when she had launched that snowball—either she kicked it or launched it with telekinesis. Raz had a strong suspicion that it was the latter—it was good to see her getting more comfortable with her powers. Even if they were only further fueling her usual antics.

Raz stepped under the string of fairy lights marking the edge of his family’s camp—

“Razrazrazraz!” Mirtala came up from seemingly out of nowhere, bells jingling as she barreled into Raz. “Look look look!” She angled her braid hoops towards him the moment they separated, shaking her head slightly to show off the glittery blue-and-silver ribbons threaded through them. “Aren’t they pretty?” She bounced on the balls of her feet, the thick winter coat she was bundled up in doing nothing to slow her movements. “Mom helped me put them in!”

Raz grinned. “They suit you well!” He complimented. And really, the glitter did suit Mirtala well—the shimmer combined with the jingle of Mirtala’s bells was almost soothing in how nice it felt to Raz’ senses. It only served to make Raz all the more excited to give Mirtala her gift—though that day wasn’t for another week and a half.

Mirtala beamed. She looked at Raz, now that the excitement of showing off her new ribbons no longer had her full attention. “Did Frazie get you on the way in?” She asked, noticing the snow still clinging to Raz’ scarf.

“Yeah.” Raz admitted, making his way towards the caravan. Mirtala kept pace with him, her bells jingling as she walked. “Has she gotten Mom and Dad yet?” While Frazie mostly stuck to her siblings—Dion and Raz in particular—during the warmer months, nobody was safe from her when there was snow on the ground. Well, nobody but Nona, who had recently rediscovered a trick to turn snow into water—and wasted no time in using it this year, even if it was just to remove snow from her clothes. Even Queepie and Mirtala sometimes got hit by the lighter, less dense snowballs when Frazie was really getting into the spirit of winter.

Mirtala nodded. “Dad shook a branch with his mind to get her back,” She informed him, “But I think Mom’s still waiting for the right moment.”

Raz grinned—oh, he wished he’d thought of dumping a whole branch’s worth of snow on Frazie. Maybe that was something he could try on Dion…

“Pootie!” And there Donatella was, coming out of the caravan with her cloak drawn tight around her shoulders. “Are you staying for dinner tonight?”

Raz nodded. “Will we be eating at the Gulch?” It wasn’t uncommon; though the Gulch was Lucrecia and the Psychic Seven’s space first and foremost, Nona was still an Aquato—and it was easier on her old bones for the family to visit her.

Donatella hummed. “She said she’d be joining us tonight.” Her lips pressed into a frown, “Though that does mean Cruller will also be there…” It did make sense—with Ford’s ability to teleport, Nona wouldn’t have to make the journey to and from the camp. But, despite the months since the summer, the family as a whole still didn’t regard Ford super high. Raz felt better about the old man than he had immediately after that week—but his feelings were definitely still mixed.

“But I suppose it is on theme,” Donatella mused, “Since Dion will be bringing along Gisu.” She turned to Raz, her eyes twinkling. “I don’t suppose you could invite Lili? Your little girlfriend is always a delight.”

Raz flushed. “Well—maybe.” He managed, trying desperately to not remember the first time Lili had joined the Aquatos for dinner. Nothing had gone too spectacularly wrong—but Raz wasn’t sure he would ever live down the embarrassment of his mom practically drilling Lili to decide if she was “good enough” by her standards. As though Lili could ever be anything less than one of Raz’ favorite people in the whole world. “I’d have to ask her, though.”

Not that that was hard—a quick mental nudge was all it took to deliver the question. Lili’s response was just as easily made—a wave of mild apology and prior obligation crawled up their link like vines up a trellis. Raz sent back a pulse of understanding, and a reminding curl of fondness that she was pretty much always invited over.

Lili’s response was a fiery of course—she knew how Donatella and Augustus thought of her.

“She can’t make it tonight,” Raz reported. Donatella frowned, and shrugged her shoulders.

Raz’ mind took that moment to catch up with everything his mother had said. “Wait, Gisu’s coming? She didn’t tell me that.” Then again, she had been more busy lately—they’d only had enough time to exchange good mornings before Gisu had headed off to Otto’s lab. But Gisu was cool, and fun, and if she was coming—

Raz made a face. Oh, Dion was going to be obnoxious.

“Pootie,” Donatella chided, correctly intuiting Raz’ thoughts without any psychic power at all, “Don’t be like that. If Dion wants to invite his girlfriend to dinner, that’s his choice.” She briefly made a face, “Though I suppose I should probably remind him not to be gross at the dinner table…” She trailed off, and Raz took that as a signal the conversation was over.

He turned towards Mirtala, who had wandered off to do handstands by her tent, gloves crunching in the snow and bells jingling. He watched as she did a flip, then another.

Raz turned. He looked around the camp, but couldn’t see Queepie anywhere—Raz guessed Queepie was still in the K.L.O.B. treehouse with Morris, then. Since it was still a while yet before dinner—Raz had headed out pretty much immediately after lunch at the Noodle Bowl, and the Ottobon tubes were fast—Raz wasn’t particularly worried. Queepie would either turn up for dinner on his own, or Morris would prod him to get home the moment it started getting dark.

With that in mind, Raz turned to go look for Augustus. He really wanted to hear about the tree branch trick.

He didn’t have to look for long—he was halfway to the funicular when his father called out.

“Razputin!” Augustus’ voice was warm, his arm wrapped around a thick bundle of sticks on his shoulder. “Come to help your old man with the firewood?”

“Sure!” Raz darted over, looking for logs to grab with his telekinesis. “Bet I can lift more with my mind than you.” He dared.

Augustus laughed. “I don’t doubt that, my boy.” He nodded towards the trees to his left. “There’s still some more good wood over there, if you want to help.”

“Okay.” Raz nodded, heading over to where his father indicated. He started lifting sticks and small branches—first with his arms, then with his mind—and carried them back over to Augustus.

They headed back to camp together. “Will you be joining us for dinner?” Augustus asked.

“Yep!” Raz responded. “I asked Lili, but she can’t come tonight.” He added.

“That’s a shame.” Augustus remarked. “Gruloky is more fun with more players.” He stroked his beard with his free hand. “Well, I assume you’ve told her that she’s always welcome to join us if she wants.”

Raz nodded. “Yeah.” Twirling some of his telekinesis-held sticks a bit, he switched topics. “Frazie’s already taking advantage of all the snow.” He commented, “She got me in the face and back on my way in.”

Augustus chuckled. “Yes, she’s up to her usual antics—your mother and I found out this morning.” His eyes twinkled, “But this old man’s still got a few tricks up his sleeve.”

“Yeah! Mirtala said you dumped a whole bunch of snow on her! With your telekinesis!” It was good, Raz felt, that his family was getting more comfortable with psychic powers. Excitement thrummed in Raz’ chest, matched by the jovial mischief humming at the edge of his father’s mind.

“Oh, I don’t doubt she’ll get me back.” Augustus responded. “But I suppose it’s just that time of year again.”

They walked under the string of fairy lights, setting what they had gathered with the rest of the firewood. Augustus moved to start setting up the firepit, only to stop. “I forgot the matches,” He said, standing back and aiming a hand at the firepit. A look of concentration crossed his face, and flames burst into life around the wood. The immediate area around the pit was already snow-free, but Raz had to clear the logs and stumps circling around of snow before he could sit on them. Not that that was really all that hard.

Donatella came over, pressing a kiss to Augustus’ cheek. “Mio caro, can you help me find my blue eyeshadow? I couldn’t find it this morning.”

Augustus grinned, pressing a kiss of his own to Donatella’s cheek. “Of course, дорогая.” With that, the two of them went back over to the caravan, leaving Raz at the fire.

“Ewwww.” Mirtala hopped up onto the log, right next to Raz. “Is Deedee going to be like that with Gisu?” She asked.

Raz made a face. “Oh, I hope not.” If Dion and Gisu decided to get all sappy and gross and kissy, Raz would lose his appetite. “I bet Frazie’ll dunk him in a snow drift if he does.”

Mirtala giggled. She hopped off the log, bells jingling. “Gimme a bouncy ball, I wanna do some flips!”

“It’s called a levball.” Raz corrected, forming one anyway. Mirtala cheered and hopped atop it, flipping over onto her hands and rolling it around.

“But it’s so bouncy!” She riposted, launching herself into the air.

The rest of the evening continued like that, Raz and Mirtala entertaining themselves by the fire. It wasn’t long before Augustus and Donatella returned, sitting together by the fire and talking in low tones. No, wait—flirting in low tones, gross.

Ford and Nona showed up just as the sky was beginning to pinken, and Queepie trudged into camp not long after. With all the layers he was bundled up in, Queepie had to sort of waddle through the snow, and any impediment to his movement always made him grumpy. But Raz could remember when he was the one being bundled up like that—it was as much of a yearly tradition to wrap the babies in as many layers as possible as it was for Frazie to nail everyone with snowballs.

Gisu turned up, and Donatella was quick to greet her warmly and recruit her into setting up the table. The caravan wasn’t up for family dinners—but they had a large tent meant for exactly that. Everyone not setting up the table or still out and about was gathered around the fire, though, enjoying the warmth of it.

Dion trudged into camp not long after a snickering Frazie, snow in his hair and on his shoulders. Mirtala giggled, and Dion’s shoulders hunched. “Not a word.” He growled, already making for his tent.

Too late—Gisu and Donatella had returned, and Gisu was already giggling. Dion squeaked, and hurried over to his tent before anyone could say anything else.

“You got him good, huh?” Gisu asked, sitting down right next to Frazie. She held her gloved hands out towards the fire.

Frazie grinned. “Of course.” She boasted good-naturedly. “He makes it too easy! But enough about my brother,” She focused in on Gisu, “You and I haven’t had a Girls Night in forever.”

“Well, I’ve been busy,” Gisu shrugged. “But I’ve got some free time tomorrow, and I was hoping to get some levboarding in.” She offered.

“Oh, I’m there.” Frazie decided. “Dee’ll be helping Mom with groceries tomorrow, but I’m free all day.”

“See you then!” Gisu beamed.

Dion chose that moment to reemerge from his tent, hair fixed and snow-free. Raz lost the thread of the conversation at that point—Lili started nudging him through their link, and dragged Raz into a mental conversation about whether a blindfolded Sasha could beat a team of future-seeing laser sharks.

The evening continued on, and Dion left for the caravan with Donatella to handle the cooking. The fire was dying down, now, and instead of feeding it more wood Augustus moved to put it out. At that, everyone started making their way inside the tent, where a space heater kept the dining room comfortably warm.

It looked like Nona wasn’t up for cooking tonight—she followed Ford inside, finding a cozy spot near the space heater to pull out her knitting needles and current project. Queepie waddled over to her, taking advantage of the space heater to escape his coat prison.

Frazie and Gisu continued to chatter at the table, while Augustus and Mirtala joining in so often. Raz also piped up, though he and Lili were still working through their own conversation. The whole tent was alive with conversation and warmth—it was a familiar sight, to Raz, even after having his whole life turned upside down over the summer. Some things just didn’t change, it seemed.

At some point, Raz lost sight of Ford. He looked around—the old man was nowhere to be seen. Nona’s needles continued clacking away, and Mirtala had joined Queepie in sitting near her.

Raz was just wondering if he should go looking for Ford when Dion’s voice rang out from the caravan.

“Don’t think I don’t see you slinking around!” A dull thunk sounded out, and Ford appeared next to Raz with the shimmer of teleportation, rubbing his hand and muttering.

Nona cackled. Ford shrank a little further, and Raz couldn’t help but chuckle. Dion had never really gotten along with Ford—but could manage a grudging politeness when he had to. Apparently, politeness went out the window when cooking was involved.

Gisu snorted. “No luck, huh?” Frazie snickered.

Ford grumbled, but otherwise didn’t respond. Instead he made his way over to Nona, sitting next to her as the two began talking quietly.

Ford hadn’t picked an awful time to try snagging a bite of food early—it wasn’t much longer before the table was fully set and everyone was seated. Raz had ended up in between Gisu and Queepie, with Dion on Gisu’s other side. Frazie had been seated between Queepie and Mirtala, who was shooting dirty looks to Ford directly next to her. With Donatella next to Dion and Augustus, and Augustus next to Nona, there were no particularly pressing complaints about the arrangement.

The table was alive with conversation during the meal, and there was a stack of cards already waiting for post-dinner Gruloky. The tent itself was aglow with fairy lights and the space heater, warm with lively conversation and a filling meal. It was so familiar to Raz, a sight he had seen and a feeling he had experienced so many times before—but it was different, too. Gisu and Ford were the most obvious example, but—

Raz’ chest felt light. Warm. Lili had receded a bit, to pay more attention to her own dinner, but Raz could still feel her at the other end of their connection if he tried. Augustus was trying to control his fork and knife telekinetically, and Gisu was challenging Frazie to a snowball fight for tomorrow. There was none of the tenseness there used to be when psychics came up, with even Donatella’s protests about Augustus’ behavior being lighthearted—

Raz swallowed, his eyes stinging. His chest tightened, then relaxed. It was warm, and his family was alive and happy around him—alive and happy with him.

Raz couldn’t wish for anything more.

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