The web site of blazichu

Two things happen that put events into motion:

1) the twins get back from whatever wild goose chase Hollis sent them on, having successfully commandeered said goose. Hollis is not surprised.

It's basically that episode of Leverage where Sophie turns up a legit mole on a grift.
Note that they get back while she's on her 2 week vacation. She just gets the report afterwards.

2) Over the course of her leave, Raz starts playing with hydrokinesis. He's not very good yet.
The natural conclusion here is 'put my favorite problems in a room with my newest problem and watch them go.'

So she talks to them, checking if they're up for a new mentee, focusing on hydrokinesis.

They're a little surprised, since that isn't usually their tutoring niche.
Also, who else on staff is hydrokinetic?? (I think Hollis may actually know their game.)
She's not trying to force Normal and Lizzie to work with them again, is she?

But, ultimately, they agree. By this point, they would have heard of Raz's reign of terror, and they haven't been able to meet him yet. There's a curiosity at play.

After paperwork's been done/preparations have been made, Hollis calls Raz in and lets him know what she's arranged. Technically, he can say no to this, but it's strongly encouraged.

He's not opposed. He never actually had a dedicated mentor, after all.

Well good news, kiddo. Now you've got two.

She introduces the two parties. Raz gets sparkly eyed. The twins are pleasantly surprised.
After being dismissed from Hollis's office, the twins likely lead the way to their own, so they can lay ground rules, do some placement testing and start on a lesson plan.

At one point, Raz asks if Emmet's okay with this, since they're going to be focusing on hydrokinesis. Emmet has zero problem with it. Does not elaborate.
Re: testing, they're mildly puzzled by the form Raz's hydrokinesis takes (read: the Hand), but it's also pretty interesting. They'll go more in depth at a more appropriate time.
(Note: idk how to visualize their space; I don't want it to be too close to Sasha's lab.)
When I mentioned placement testing, I think that might also include other powers and if they need work; we're just focusing on hydro since that's the main issue.

Confusion, in particular, is a point that's going to need instruction. Wait for it.
Clairvoyance and shield are also in need of honing.
Time Bubble and Mental Projection are okayed by technicality.

Eventually things wrap up for the morning and Raz leaves their office.

One of the other junior agents notices where he's coming from and asks what's up. (I'm thinking either Adam or Gisu, who are neutral to positive-ish.)
He tells them; is very excited because a) psychic training!, b) working on hydrokinesis, c) agents from True Psychic Tales!!

Whichever I go with, they're more amused by Raz's reaction than anything. Good for him.

That said, word spreads through the rest of the JAs, and the next time they meet up (probably hanging out during lunch) Lizzie tries to commiserate with him.

Raz does not understand. She explains that they were originally her and Norma's mentors.

It suuuuuucked. It was so bad Hollis reassigned at the last minute, which was why she ended up with Compton, and why Norma was basically Hollis's errand girl.
He's still confused. They're a little silly, but really nice/know what they're doing.
Lizzie groans. Yeah, but it's like they can't even breathe without the other, and what, were they expecting that from her? And Norma? Hell no.
Raz starts to speak up; says he's pretty sure that's just how they are, not what they were trying to teach, but gets interrupted.
(I think the disruption is Sam who, upon realizing she totally derailed things, asks what's up, hears 'Agents Motif' and goes 'Oh yeah, the weird twins. Anyway.')

Raz is beginning to understand why they looked so surprised earlier.

After lunch, he goes to talk to Sadha, to get his perspective on this.

Sasha is in support of it. Tells Raz (as if he didn't already know) that they're extremely skilled agents and he's quite fortunate to work with them so soon.

Raz basically goes 'yeah, that's what I thought too but that JAs don't agree.'
Sasha pauses what he's doing for just a moment. Says that it's not terribly surprising. They're very serious about their jobs, and it occasionally throws people off. But honestly, if an agent can't handle neurodivergency, they don't belong here.
I kinda want to restate 'it's as I told you before, your talents will always set you apart.'
Remind people of constant telepathy; have him add something on Milla's behalf.

I imagine they probably had something else to do that day, so end on them starting that.

So we'll probably pick back up with the beginning of formal hydrokinesis lessons.

I think the first will either be set in their office or mindscape; I think the former tho.

As of rn, I want to save the mental world for something else, be it duality or plot.

Honestly, this isn't the point of the fic and I'm not gonna mess w/ it right now.
They stop for lunch, but, this time, Raz asks if they'd be cool w/ it if he grabs something/spends the break with them. They're a bit puzzled, but aren't about to stop him.

So he darts off to the Noodle Bowl, gets whatever it is he wants, and comes back before any of the JAs notice/question him.
When he comes back, the twins are silently playing telekinetic hot potato with a pack of red pepper slices. They're clearly having a telepathic conversation, bc Ingo snorts at Emmet, and finally plucks it out of the air and offers something as a replacement.

Finally, out loud, he points out that Emmet's not setting a very good example.
What? Emmet's not the hydrokinesis teacher here. Who says it's his responsibility?
They're co-mentors. If he's not actively teaching a psychic ability, then he owes it to their pupil to teach him something else. Like 'if you pack something for lunch, you have to eat it.'
Ingo is a cruel, cruel brother.
Of course. That's why he traded the peppers for something Emmet will actually eat.
This kind of back and forth, at least, is familiar enough to Raz.

It's also very much a moment of 'this is totally normal. Wtf was Lizzie talking about'

This is kind of an opportunity to talk outside of the psychic tutor framework.

Raz definitely quizzes them on things he's learned from TPT
At some point, they ask after his own misadventures.

He pauses, mildly confused. They read the reports already, right?
Yes, but there's a world of difference between reading a point by point list and hearing a firsthand account.

Also, the version available to agents has been somewhat redacted. That's not why they're interested, but Emmet's definitely going to mention it.
Raz is kind of surprised. Asks where the redactions happened.

The exact nature of Truman's rescue.
Several paragraphs from the Lady Luctopus mission.
Whoever Nick really is/why he was in the mail room.
A number of passages pertaining to Ford Cruller.
Maligula's civilian identity.

Of course, they actually know this last one. Hollis would have had to cover it with them so they understood the situation w/ Raz and hydrokinesis.

It's fine-- he doesn't need to tell them any of that. There's a reason it was removed from the public report, after all, and they can respect it. Legit, they just want to hear his perspective on what they've already read.

super

they

him

Whatever he recounts, it's within the Whispering Rock saga. Probably fom running away/getting to camp through the Brain Tumbler's end?

My thoughts are that Basic Braining is pretty by-the-book, the only real note in Sasha's Shooting Gallery is the Mega Censor (which Raz has been told not to talk about again) and Milla's Dance Party, which she keeps under strict control.
The Brain Tumbler Experiment is definitely something he would talk about, though, in addition to uncovering the brain stealing point.
(The 'ran away from home' plot point is definitely something that wasn't in the report, so that's news. That's probably the only one so far, though.

But, before too long, the break is over and it's back to harassing water.

When they end for the day, it somehow leads to Raz joking about Hollis's concern re: his dad and flaming pine cones.
Ingo, with the usual completely straight face, offers Emmet's assistance in that regard.

Verrrrry funny. There's a reason they only take one student at a time.

Raz hesitates, asks about that.

Lizzie said she and Norma used to be their mentees and it didn't work out.
There's a simultaneous sigh.

They'd actually been quite excited to try teaching pyrokinesis and hydrokinesis at the same time-- the skills can be highly complementary, and they'd never had the chance to explain the mechanics of it/pass their knowledge on.

(So Raz was kind of wrong. It was what they were trying to teach, but not in a 'you have to work together or else' way, just a 'hey, this is what we've found success in, and you might also be able to use it' way)

Maybe they were just too pushy. The sisters didn't seem to appreciate the teaching style they were trying to use. They tried to adapt, but every attempt seemed worse.

Raz tentatively cuts in. Lizzie and Norma... aren't the easiest people to get along with. Norma especially.
While that perspective is appreciated, they were the adults in the situation. It was up to them to identify and remedy that disconnect, and they were unable to do so.

Lizzie told him what she thought the other day. She thought they were trying to make her and Norma work together.
There's a blank silence, eventually filled by, 'Well, teamwork is definitely important; once you've found your partner, you need to be able to rely on them' but, at the same time, they're entirely aware that their situation isn't the standard.

That said, a sibling is a very important ally to have at your side.

Raz should have some kind of reaction/input here, but idk rn.

Before the end of the day, Raz meets up with Lili and they hang out for awhile.

She asks how hydro practice is going.

Obviously they're just starting out, but pretty good!
And, hey, the twins asked him about his adventures!
Lili indulges him, listens as he gushes about that.
After the fact, he belatedly asks what she thinks of them.

They're fine. A little bit like Sasha, but they stay more to themselves.
Emmet made a dormant volcano erupt once, but he won't teach her how.

????

Next lesson, I think, is going to take place out in the Questionable Area for a number of reasons.

1) Bigger bodies of water, better environment to observe the Hand's behaviors.
2) Burning pine cones are a safety concern. They want to follow up on that.
3) It's been a month and someone's probably broken the funicular again. Time to fix it.

The last one is actually refuted right away. Raz already took care of it!
The twins are taken aback, and then delighted

They tackle the second point first.

Instead of letting these two Odd But Well Meaning Psychics blindly wander into the campsite and be confronted with Donatella, Raz says, 'hey, why don't I go grab my dad. You guys meet us [wherever].'
Augustus is already aware of Raz's new mentors.

The twins greet him, ask after his introduction to pyrokinesis.

(It's not going that great yet, but he's not dissuaded.)

Eventually, they doraise the concern of wildfires, and discuss appropriate (and otherwise doable) safety measures to take when learning such a volatile skill. Emmet helms this matter, having more practical experience w/ it.

While this is going on, Raz notices Ingo glance up at the canopy/treetop structures.
His attention doesn't linger. It's more like he was verifying something.

(The model train thing doesn't come up yet. It's not an appropriate time.)

If Augustus has any questions or needs assistance, he should feel free to get in contact.

We move onto our primary reason for being out here: hydrokinesis.

Raz is asked to demonstrate what happens when he would fall into the water.

This is studied on a number of levels: physical (especially visual) and psychic (trying to figure out what, exactly, is happening-- on a technical level.)
(They were already pretty sure it was an emotional reaction being channeled through untrained hydrokinesis. In this case, a fear response that has yet to be totally quelled.)
They're going to try practical/technical training, and see if conscious use can override subconscious instinct but, privately, the twins suspect it needs resolving, not to be covered up/powered through.

They're already planning how to deal with this since Raz is too young to be helped via psycho portal.
Obviously, they're thinking standard Duality.

Again, I'm not going into specifics of training.
I think Raz heads to the campsite for lunchtime, today.

Which means he has to deal with his mom and, to an extent, Dion.

Dion's not as hostile as before, but he's still got a lot to unlearn.
Also Mirtala's curiosity.
Frazie is notably absent.

Augustus listens to the excited infodumping over lunch.

Not just TPT plotlines, but being able to work with hydrokinesis.

(Of course, he would have loved to learn from Lucrecia, but it's best not to put any undue pressure on her right now.)

And also, they're telepaths! Like him! It's so cool!

When he's heading back, they're not in the practice spot from earlier, but Raz notices Emmet at the top of the funicular's rails (by virtue of his coat being white)

And, lo and behold, Frazie is up there talking to them.
He stays put, trying to respect her privacy. Between one look and the next, all three parties disappear.

Without any fanfare, they speak up from behind, startling him.

I think the rest of this lesson is trying to get hydro to do what you want it to/testing whether that's a viable way to overcome the hydrophobia.

Not even going to bother with the next lesson bit. We'll say this is a few days later.

Alt: We could spend some time focusing on a different power to give Raz a break. Probably Clairvoyance or Shield, since we're saving Confusion for later.
For the record, the schedule from before isn't the most common one; usually it's only before or after lunch, so he has time to himself/to work with other agents if he wants/needs.

Those were just longer because it was learning the basics and/or assessing what the root of the problem was and how to approach it.

Unrelated, but Raz may eventually question how they're keeping up with their usual duties while spending so much time working with him.

There are two of them. This is a big part of why Emmet was totally fine with the way things turned out, bc he can handle a lot of it remotely. He's still paying attention to what's going on here, too, but he doesn't have an active part in it, so he can multitask.
Oh, so like with an archetype or something.

Uh...yeah. Sure...

I think Raz has just finished up the Whispering Rock saga, glazing over some of the worse aspects of the Meat Circus, and left it on the cliffhanger of Truman having been kidnapped.

He gets a stereo round of applause and approving, 'very dramatic, good job'
(It's also worth noting that where and with who he spends lunch is highly variable.)

So they get started, but, this time, there doesn't seem to be anything to work with around.

That's because Raz's trouble isn't something that can be overcome with hydro training alone. How familiar is he with the concept of Duality?

Not at all!

Perfectly fine/reasonable. Duality is an invisible skill used for (for lack of a better term rn) maintenance. A coping mechanism. If you're feeling adrift, you can use it to ground yourself. If you're overwhelmed, it can be used to break a problem down.

Basically, if you're listing in one extreme direction, Duality can be employed to reel yourself back into balance-- or to find balance if you've yet to achieve one.
In this case, it could potentially be employed to help cope with hydrophobia.

I'm gonna be real here, even though Duality is my own creation ~~(and I command it to stop)~~ I don't know exactly how to handle this.

I think I just need to look up real-world strategies and see if I can adapt something.
My original plan was different, but it may work better to transition into Rhoombus talk from here. That would be a big point in time where Raz was faced with his fear, but managed to progress in spite of it being literally everywhere.
Emmet does not take kindly to the sudden allusion to the RoR. Ingo takes it better, but is visibly uncomfortable; he's v concerned as to why Raz was anywhere near it.

(He's also trying to defuse the situation winding itself up next to him.)
Raz remembers, 'oh yeah, that was redacted'. Well, he's already said it now, might as well put their minds at ease since it turned out okay.
It has the opposite effect. Emmet's smile has taken on a dangerous slant. Ingo, troubled, says that he doesn't understand why Hollis didn't say anything to them.

He tries to redirect things and get them back on track, but that ain't happening.

Emmet promptly tells Raz that he has the rest of the day free/to see himself out and teleports the both of them away.
Raz is keenly aware that he has Fucked Up.

He's pretty sure it's not as bad as what happened w/ Hollis this time, at least.

So he wanders off and tries to figure out what to do with himself for the rest of the day.

At some point, I think he ends up in the classroom wing, notices Hollis's door is closed.
While he's in that area (but not right there) there's a very loud, indistinct noise.

An agent is nearby when it happens, and says not to worry, it's just Motif again.

Before too much longer, Emmet storms out with Ingo half a step behind him, clearly trying to mediate telepathically. He makes it all the way into the atrium before Ingo grabs him and teleports them elsewhere, cutting the scene short.

Notably, they can teleport. Storming through the Motherlobe was a calculated dramatic move on Emmet's part.

Unsure what to make of all that, Raz goes to Milla.

She's... somewhat forthcoming, but clearly choosing her words carefully.

You see, some years ago, Ingo went missing in the Rhombus of Ruin, and couldn't be found through psychic means. When he finally turned up, it was due to a chance encounter by researchers investigating strange patterns in arctic auroras.
The circumstances were very strange, and, while they found someone who'd had a hand in what happened, the truth behind it may be lost for good.

It seems quite likely that a missing persons case within the Psychonauts being tied to the Rhombus was a trigger. It's entirely possible that Hollis anticipated it and redacted the file for this express reason.
She hesitates and adds one more thing: Raz should pay attention to what happens in the wake of all this. She knows Sasha touched upon there being agents who, while perfectly competent in their own rights, were lacking a certain perspective on mental health. Remember: a good Psychonaut is someone who listens and responds with compassion.

They don't meet up the next day; Raz gets plenty of warning, and isn't terribly surprised.

He approaches Hollis and asks if everything is okay/if he did something wrong.

No, he's fine. He had no way of knowing that would happen. She asks if he's familiar with the concept of triggers (he is) and not to dwell on having discovered one. The important thing is to mindful of it in the future.

She also tells him not to worry about the Motifs. They're adults, they're skilled agents. They'll deal with it on their own or seek assistance if they can't.
He feels bad that he's the reason (at least) one of her friends was upset with her.

Again, don't be. They're adults, they can handle it as such.
There were a whole host of reasons she'd redacted the file like that, and that was one of them. She should have forseen it coming up when she assigned them as Raz's mentors, though.

I'm going to skip over a fair amount of this, but we should definitely meat up with the JAs and Lili.

Over the course of this, it would also make sense to demonstrate what Sasha and Milla were alluding to.

The next scheduled lesson comes around and things seem to have returned more or less to normal.

There's a bit of tension as Raz gets to their office, but they make a point of apologizing and clearing the air ahead of time.

The goings-on the other day weren't Raz's fault in the slightest; it's just a sensitive topic that neither of them expected to come up in this context.
While, in hindsight, they recognize why he elaborated, and appreciate that he shared with them, it would be highly appreciated if they could avoid that topic in the future. If he has any questions, it would be best to get them out of the way now.

Tentatively, Raz asks if it's just the Rhombus he should avoid mention of in the future, or if there was something else he did that made it worse.

The Rhombus is the main problem; it was coincidence that it was brought up in the context of a missing person, but that really didn't help.

If he's asking that, he's aware of the situation?

...kind of? He's put some of the pieces together. Do they want him to know?
Not especially. If he needs to know, they'll inform him.

Fair enough.

With that, they try to pick up where they left off re: Duality and using it to cope with a phobia.

That said, it's kind of an abstract concept, and Raz is struggling with it.

The lesson comes to an end. Offscreen, the twins discuss how to communicate Duality in a way that will actually connect with Raz.

Eventually, they conclude that, since he's a very hands-on learner, it might be better to give him a sense for what it feels like. This doesn't mean full-on showing off their unconventional use, just bringing attention to the ambient psychic energy between them.

So the next day, they try that.

It seems to do a little bit, but not as much as anyone would prefer.

Following this, they go quiet for a not insubstantial amount of time. We don't hear it, but they're discussing whether or not they should speak to Hollis about finding Raz a different mentor. They seem to be messing this up, too.

I don't know what, but Raz says or does something that makes them look to the other and go 'okay, you know what? Last ditch effort.'

We're going to take a trip to their mental world. Don't ask me how the psycho portal works here.

Raz is simultaneously excited and confused when he realizes what's going on. Whose mental world are they going to? He's the only one being offered the portal, how does that work?

The questions are ignored-- not maliciously, but in a 'give it a minute and you'll see' way.

His first steps in this mental world are actually stepping out of a train and onto a platform. He takes a second to adjust and figure out what's going on.

I have no idea what the scenery is rn. Fake it til you make it babey.
There's a light tap on either shoulder, and the twins pass him a second later, stopping not too far away to tell him that it's dangerous to obstruct an exit while there are still passengers who need to disembark.
He snaps back to it; asks how this works-- if one of them is astral projecting without a psycho portal, etc.

No, neither of them is astral projecting right now. They share a mental world.
Raz is intrigued. Clearly has more questions, but reins himself in.

We follow them to wherever they want to talk.

We get the whole 'on paper' bit and draw his attention to the same mental energy they were emphasizing earlier, before swapping/demonstrating that both of them can use pyro/hydro. Swap back.
This is also Duality, it's just not an avenue open to most people. Give the explanation and, eventually, mention lending of psychic ability short-term.
That's what finally makes it click for Raz, since he's experienced it before.

There's something akin to 'of course that's what did it' from Emmet.

This is also a very good format for visual representations and the comparison to censors/stamping things out.
Bear in mind that Duality isn't an immediate fix; it's a tool to help balance oneself so they can recognize and address a problem. It's going to take time and a lot of practice to get anywhere with it.

We don't actually spend a ton of time here. It was just an attempt to illustrate things.

But it does mark a turning point.

This is some time later. Not a huge amount, but hydro's going well enough that they're spending a little more time honing other powers, and have been discussing branching out into Conduction.

I think they're meant to be practicing Confusion today, but the usual areas aren't available and the weather isn't permitting, so they take it to the mental world.

By this point, Raz has been there a handful of times. He hasn't seen a ton, but he knows the theme is trains. He's likely seen that there's something else going on, but not had the chance to figure it out.
This particular visit, they're in the Gear Station expy area, and he's picking on the Censors that naturally approach him. He's got the potency of Confusion down already-- it's mostly just his technique in application that needs work.

He (accidentally) misapplies it, and, instead, gets one of the twins.
Our first point of interest is that the twin he hit believes he's his brother.

Our second point of interest is that, even though one wasn't anywhere near the radius, he's being affected the same way.
Our third point of interest is that oh fuck, something wrong with the station.

I'm not going to go into this all the way (it's not even a proper level, bc the confusion dissipates before too long. My main thesis here is that, even though we see the gimmick and there are puzzles to traverse, there's no overarching crisis or boss here. They've got things under control. For real.)

Raz is extremely confused, and a little scared he managed to break his teacher(s) mind again.

This is the third time, and he's beginning to think he needs to work on that habit.

They assure him no, no, he's fine. Their mental landscape is perfectly intact, they just needed a minute to reorient themselves. (It's entirely possible he got a first-person look at how Duality is used inside one's own mind, after the fog had cleared.)

That's... just the downside of sharing a mindscape. Confusion is a power that bypasses any and all mental defenses (minus an active shield) so long as it connects. Since their mental worlds can't be split apart/distinguished between, confusion affects both of them at once.
Don't worry; it's uncomfortable, but won't do any lasting damage. Just don't do it on purpose.

I don't know how to broach this subject, but this is where a plot could go: it comes to light that a) Raz has actively lost his brain before and b) it... kinda sounded like someone was after it at some point?

Pause. Confusion. Active concern. Who said that, and have they been dealt with?

Loboto, and... maybe? Raz is hesitant to go into any specifics when asked, and before long it clicks why that would be.

Ingo asks specifically if this happened in the Rhombus of Ruin, and he's trying to be considerate of their boundaries. The answer is yes.
They're quiet for a bit, talking amongst themselves.
Eventually, Emmet breaks the silence.

He doesn't love the fact that this happened-- yes, for the reason Raz would assume, but also because it means that, twice now, hydrokinetics have been targeted there.
Raz pauses, considers that. Raises the point that he didn't even know he was hydrokinetic then, or that Lucrecia was.
Doesn't matter. You don't need to know what you're capable of for someone else to extrapolate. An esper could easily figure it out independent of Raz's own knowledge.

That's... not great to hear.

Reluctantly, Ingo says they could check the brain in Otto's lab, if Emmet thinks it might help.

Emmet does not think it will help. He's verrry confident there's nothing to see there.

Ingo doesn't argue. Doesn't elaborate, either, even for Raz's sake.
Raz does, eventually, pitch in. There wasn't much of Helmut's mind at first, either, but it's possible to help someone with advanced sensory deprivation.

Emmet looks at him. Flatly says that's not the problem.

This was the person responsible for his brother's disappearance. Ingo had been in an unfortunate mental state, and Emmet wasn't much better, but he'd been allowed an interrogation, and used Mental Connection to its fullest extent.

As to why: he hadn't been allowed on fieldwork, but anything in-house had been fair game. The fact that he was close to this case was seen as motivation to do it right (+ he's encountered this person before and could have insight there.)
Also, the twins have a reputation for being/doing things by the book.

What it turned up didn't make sense. He put most everything back to rights, but hadn't been particularly gentle about it. As angry as he was, he wasn't going to forsake everything they'd worked toward to get back at this one grunt.

He left exactly one series of connections in place, ensuring that this person wouldn't willingly bother either of them again. He made sure they associated anyone who looked like him with complete terror.

He knows it was wrong. He shouldn't have gotten away with it, and he wouldn't do it again if he had the opportunity. That said, he doesn't regret doing it back then.

This is... complicated, because yes, Raz knows it's wrong, but also:

He did something very similar, for selfish reasons, and was forgiven.
It was an act of desperation, meant to protect this person's victim.

Also, Emmet knows it was wrong, and said he wouldn't repeat it.

There's also... kind of a question what kind of reaction Raz might have gotten if it hadn't been Hollis's head he messed with. The whole 'experiments' thing that so many people seem chill with is kind of unnerving.
And, last but not least, he knows what the loss of Marona did to Lucrecia.

(Telepathically, Ingo calls him on that. Sure, he wouldn't make the connection again, but there's little doubt he would still do something equally drastic.

(Equally drastic and untraceable, Emmet corrects.)
Note: the reason he got away with this was because nobody noticed the effects. Emmet didn't interact with this person again, and any panicking was chalked up to agents believing it was an 'oh I'm fucked' realization.

Evidence of the connection still exists, but nobody knew to look.

Anyway, he's already checked that brain extremely thoroughly. They can revisit his report for the specifics, in case there's any new context that could change the information he gathered, but he'd rather not risk their careers, thanks.

Raz says he could just remove the connection.

He could, but just because he wouldn't do it again doesn't mean he wants to remove the safety measure he put into place, either.
Besides, the thought's been there for X years. It's probably ingrained by now.

Belatedly, Raz catches the 'their careers' bit. He doesn't say it aloud, but realizes that, yeah, if Emmet was let go, there wasn't any doubt Ingo would go with him.

He guesses that's kind of the risk they run.

Okay, so if the Brainframe is out, and Loboto's on the lam, what to do?

Raz is quiet in a way that suggests he has an idea. After having Emmet reiterate that he definitely wouldn't misuse Mental Connection again, right, he says what's on his mind.

'Nick' was the mole. He had connections to the Delugionists, and was in contact with Loboto re: Truman. He definitely wasn't the client Loboto was talking about, but there could be something there.

The problem is that he's already been to 'Nick's' mental world, and it's just one big facade reinforcing his world view. He doesn't know how much they can get from him.
In spite of the explicit reference to Mental Connection, Emmet says that they could use it-- not to alter his thoughts!-- but to narrow down his motivation.

No need. Nick was happy to explain it back then. It wasn't very complex.

Well... maybe they could get a retrocog or esper to divine something. Past actions or ambient psychic energy or something. Hell, it would even be possible to bring the concern up to Milla and see if she could pinpoint anything pertaining to it.

Before they break off to look into different avenues this could go, Ingo catches Raz and telepathically says that he knows that was a lot to process, that it's uncomfortable to hear, but please try not to hold it against Emmet.

He understands if this marks the end of the mentorship, however.

I think they were definitely made aware of Raz's mistake, so as to keep an eye out for any concerning behavior.

Raz basically says that he needs some time to really think about it, but that he thinks he understand where it came from.

I think what might end up happening is that they do, in fact, risk interacting w/ the grunt's brain.

(Ahead of time, we probably have to do some research into the Psychonauts' current profile on the Delugionists.)
Not entering it, but, since it's been isolated for so long, using Mental Connection on it in a different sense-- reaching out to any connections it might have had on the physical plane.

(As to why they didn't do this before: a) not in the right head space to think of it, b) probably couldn't at the time, between the mental fatigue and further practice over the years.)

They may also be using Duality to be able to do this.

Obviously that pulls toward the two of them, and a couple of people in the Motherlobe

(Figure out someone specific and have them as a secondary mole? Maybe whoever entered grunt into Otto's collection? Colress would work as a rogue/triple agent...)

The results on this aren't spectacular, but it does net them some information-- and the idea is actually to try to triangulate, using Gristol as well, so this is only half of what they're doing.

It's... kinda concerning that Gristol is still in custory by this point. The twins kind of give each other a 'yeah, that tracks' look; Raz is the only one remotely surprised.

(To be fair, jailing is a slow process, so it's probably not as bad as a 10 y/o might think.)
Note: this definitely won't work while Gristol is in Psychoisolation. Will probably take place in some manner of interrogation room; I think a one-way mirror setup would work here.

Not sure who's the one in contact with him (bc it's definitely a one-on-one interaction, with the other brother and Raz observing) but, when he sees them, there's a flicker of recognition that Raz (accidentally) telepathically picks up on.

He informs whichever twin he's with, who forwards the thought to his brother.

Mental Connection doesn't pull up nearly as much info in this case, since Gristol-as-Nick has been in contact with a lot more people over the years.

Notably, there are a lot of lines throughout the Motherlobe (including the NPC from before, more recently than others), a couple that tie to the Lucktopus, then, finally, a few that could theoretically indicate something re: Delugionists.

Honestly, there is no reason this shouldn't also lead them to Loboto. Consider.

This might've been it, but with what Raz noticed, it seems prudent to try to follow up on that in Gristol's mindscape.

I didn't actually plan for this, but it makes sense, so I'm winging it rn. Could you tell?

Fatherland Follies is about the same as before. Maybe a little more rundown, alluding to Gristol's prolongued stay in psychoisolation.
If the thought hadn't been recently sparked, it would have been nearly impossible to track down among the various propaganda, but it's fresh enough in mind that it's not far off.

Raz is a little concerned about this, all things considered. He doesn't like Gristol, but he doesn't want him to be hurt, and still has hope for his rehabilitation.
I think the twins pick up on this, and pointedly have Ingo track down where that thought was coming from/going.

Gristol doesn't know much-- like I said, it was a fleeting recognition, but when they follow the thread, it does lead to Deligionist involvement. No names.

The most they get is a sense of 'What a stupid experiment, Maligula's [existence?] couldn't have been recreated.'

Honestly, more digging could be done here, but it's not happening (right now or at all in the fic) bc everyone is very uncomfortable with this development and they quickly wrap it up.

I honestly don't have much of a finale planned. I'm pretty settled on Ghetsis as the head of the Delugionists but, similar to his role in BW, his intentions aren't really what he preaches.

I'll go more in w/ this later, but the baseline is that he's able to isolate Raz and start shit.

The specifics aren't the point rn.

The responders split up into a recovery party and an offensive one; the twins are the entirety of the second, going after Ghetsis (who, on top of the shit re: Raz, has some kind of enhancement going).

I do want to say that this division isn't purely for the drama of it. It makes sense to have the tag team working offensively/defensively; there wouuld need to be multiple people anyway, so this is just a natural fit.

Also, they have a stake in this beyond the others.

Granted, that logic didn't work out so well last time, but only Raz knows that.
Emmet in particular is very invested in seeing this through.

Hydreigon iconography for Ghetsis? Three heads and all that? Denotes him as a threat against a two-person team, and vaguely foreshadows what's to come.
Fight scenes aren't my forte, but he's really leaning into Confusion, and the brothers are going for a combination of Conduction and Teleportation to avoid it.

Notably, this is happening somewhere nearly devoid of water, bc of what's up w/ Raz, so Hydrokinesis isn't the best option right now; Pyro can be used, but I'm aiming for balance.
I actually like the idea of incorporating their history with swing dance in combat. Look into that, to see what exactly it entails.

He switches tactics when it becomes obvious he's just wasting energy w/ Confusion. Idk what he goes to, exactly. I'm not sure what a good specialty for him would be, bc manipulation/mind control would be fitting, but that's not very applicable in this situation.

In any case, he does, eventually, manage to land a hit with Confusion.

This is not the insta-win he thought it would be.
The way I'm thinking of setting it up, it would be that he managed to take Emmet off-guard and corner/pin him after the fact.
Notable in that Confusion makes them think they're each other.

So now Ingo-as-Emmet isn't in his periphery, and that was a mistake.
Because guess which one of them was verrrrry personally invested in taking Ghetsis out.
He lashes out w/ Pyro, gives real Emmet some breathing room.

Emmet-as-Ingo uses Hydro in some capacity as he gets away, but idk in a vacuum.

Maybe not right away, but Ghetsis ends up trying/succeeding with Confusion a second time.

And, while it does briefly stun this time, it also brings out the other Confusion quirk.
It convinces them, for the moment, that they're one person.

This triggers Duality in a sense, but not the way it would if one was specifically lending the other all of their power.
The whole situation is... basically Swagger for Sp Atk.

Anyway, they're not exactly working as a team anymore, but they are directly mirroring each other's movements, actions, words, etc.

Really leaning into Conduction at this point; likely blow the lights out.
I like the idea that, before it goes dark, both drop the Pstandard Psychic Pstance to cover the lower halves of the face, and stay that way until Confusion fades.

If memory serves, they link their arms when they do that, right? Same here.
I guess we're getting a cameo from Coop.
Maybe even after Confusion fades, tbh, until the conflict is over.

That's really all I've got for now. They manage to subdue/contain Ghetsis and belatedly turn the lights back on.

I kind of dig the concept that Hollis is still running communications, and hears it when Confusion hits/the twins swap personas. She may be able to retrieve security footage later?