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bcdrawsandwrites · 1 year

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[ID: A banner for a Psychonauts fanfic chapter, featuring Loboto’s prosthetic arm on the right side of the image, grasping a blue-and-white pen ballpoint pen with a Psychonauts logo and preparing to sign his name onto a form sitting on a table. On the top left of the image is written “Chapter 8: A New Practice” in black writing. /end ID]

Psychonauts Ruin Everything

Fandom: Psychonauts Rating: K+ Genre: Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort Characters: Razputin Aquato, Caligosto Loboto, Morceau Oleander, Truman Zanotto, Morris Martinez, Milla Vodello, Sasha Nein Warnings: None in this chapter Description: A few days after the whirlwind of events of Psychonauts 2, Razputin receives his first mission as a Junior Psychonaut: go into the mind of the recently-re-captured Caligosto Loboto and make sure he’s ready to be released… and if not, well… go from there. But it shouldn’t be that hard, right? Loboto’s all better now that his moral compass is back… isn’t he? Beta Readers: @jaywings and @of-science-and-stars

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Chapter 8: A New Practice

Summary: In which Raz learns his mission is not over.

—~~~—

The meeting room was silent.

Unlike the day prior, only four people sat within it, one on one side of the table and the other three on the other. Truman's gaze fell over them, looking from Oleander, to Raz, to Loboto.

Raz followed his gaze as it turned. Oleander was biting a knuckle as he watched Truman, while Loboto stared intently down at the desk. While yesterday he had been trembling in silent fury, now he shook in obvious anxiety, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. Raz couldn't project comforting thoughts into Loboto's mind thanks to the special cap he wore, so instead he wordlessly reached out and placed a hand on Loboto's back, above where the restraint held him.

Initially Loboto jerked at the sudden touch, but when his mechanical eyes flicked over to Raz, his shivering calmed down a fraction.

"You're sure of what you've seen?" Truman finally asked. "Both of you?"

"Yes, sir," Oleander replied with an eager nod.

"Absolutely," Raz said with a firm nod of his own. "We had to travel deep into his mind, so I don't think there's any room for doubt here anymore."

Truman stared at them evenly, folding his hands together in front of himself, before turning to Loboto. "Caligosto," he said, and Loboto flinched. "You've been an enemy to the Psychonauts for many years—perhaps not directly, but you've worked against us nonetheless."

Loboto curled in on himself, the lights from his optics turning cold, his lips a tight line.

Face falling, Raz looked back at Oleander, who shook his head. Though his heart sank, he opened his mouth to speak, only for Truman to go on:

"But if anyone knows people can change, it's those of us who have delved deep into the minds of others, and seen it happen again and again. And if someone is willing to change, we are willing to welcome them with open arms."

The words removed a heavy weight from Raz's chest, and Loboto lifted his head, brows raised and optics flickering.

Truman's face, however, was still serious. "But you do have to be willing to change. Is that understood?"

For a moment Loboto stared at him dumbly, mouth hanging partially open, before he managed a dazed, "...uh-huh."

"You will need to undergo psychic training so that you learn proper control of your powers, and we are fully able to provide you with that. You will also need to stay within the facility—we can have a dorm room readied for you—until your training is complete. As well, you'll have certain agents you'll need to check in with every so often. Do you agree to these terms?"

Loboto's body and head were tipped slightly to one side, as though his brain was struggling to process what was being said. With a soft nudge from Raz, he gave a full body jolt, shaking his head as though waking from a daze. "Uh..."

"Do you need to hear all that again?"

"No, no, it's fine!" Once again his optics were flicking back and forth, his mouth twisting as he gave a short series of hums. Finally his gaze locked onto Raz before turning back to Truman. "Will he still be here...?"

Though Truman raised a brow incredulously, an amused smile crossed his face. "Well, junior agents aren't typically the ones to oversee this sort of thing, but I can certainly pull a few strings, if Agent Aquato is okay with that."

"Yes!" Raz blurted out, only to realize everyone else was suddenly staring at him. Leaning back, he cleared his throat. "Um, I mean, yes, sir. I fully accept this responsibility."

"Not all of the responsibility," Truman clarified. "He'll still need instruction from our senior agents, but you can certainly help oversee all that."

"I can help out with the training too, sir," Oleander put in. His unease had melted away, and he was grinning. "My classroom's still good to take on new students, heheh."

Heaving a sigh, Truman waved a hand in the Coach's direction. "Yes, Agent Oleander, that will be fine, so long as you both check in with your assigned agents. I'll be gathering up other senior agents to help out with this once they're able."

"Great!" Raz exclaimed, turning to grin at Loboto. But the dentist didn't look near as excited as Raz felt, his head lowered in contemplation.

Glancing over at some of the boxes in the room, Truman put a hand to his forehead and TK'd out a stack of paper. "I'll need you to fill out some paperwork for this and read the formal agreement, of course." He gently deposited the form in front of Loboto. "I know it's been a long day for you, but I'd like this back late tomorrow. Oh—" With another quick TK maneuver, he pulled out another stack of papers and set them before Raz and Oleander. "Speaking of, I'll need you to fill out your mission report for our records."

While Raz frowned down at the unfamiliar form, Loboto mumbled next to him, "Not sure how you plan for me to do that."

"Hm?" Truman looked at Loboto, brows knit.

Loboto squirmed in his seat, drawing attention to the fact that he was still bound by the anti-psychic restraints. "I suppose you could put a pencil in my mouth, but that's terrible for your teeth, y'know."

"Oh! Yes. Agent Oleander, could you..." Truman's eyes darted from Oleander to Loboto a few times, and he leaned slightly away from the latter. "...Release him?"

"Oh wait, I've got the key for that!" Quickly Raz TK'd the key out from his bag, inserting it into the lock at the front of Loboto's restraint. With a click, the restraint around his middle released, as did the one at his feet half a second later.

Once the restraints clattered to the floor, Loboto stretched his arms in an exaggerated manner and rolled his shoulders. "Finally," he said, pulling the anti-psychic helmet off. His showercap immediately popped back up into shape as he tossed the helmet aside.

Raz found himself smiling until he realized the room had gone silent again. Blinking, he looked back at Truman, who was leaning back warily, and Oleander, who sat at the edge of his seat, hands clenched.

But Loboto only reached beneath his apron straps to scratch his back as his optics twitched back and forth over the table. Finally he looked up, frowning. "So are you gonna give me a pencil or what?"

Immediately Truman relaxed, chuckling as he TK'd a ballpoint pen off the floor. "Here you are, Doctor."

"Thanks." Clenching the pen with his prosthetic claws, Loboto looked over the paper again.

"But as I said, there's no need for you to do it right this moment. You still have until… let’s say 6 PM tomorrow—I'd rather we not rush something important like this. Agent Oleander?" Truman waited for the Coach to perk up before he TK'd a set of keys over to him. "I'd like you to show him to the dorms."

"Hmph, am I back in college?" Loboto muttered, tapping the pen against his lips. "Always had nightmares about that..."

"It'll be a better learning experience than the one at the dump you went to before," Oleander said as he hopped off his seat, leaving the papers Truman had given him still sitting at the table. "Forward march!"

"Oh, so you're ordering me around again, are you?" Loboto said, without any bite to his words. After snapping up the forms in his claw, he pushed himself away from the table and moved to follow Oleander, only to teeter and collapse forward like an oversized domino.

"Loboto!" Raz cried, hopping off his seat. "Are you okay?!"

"Eh, he's just been all tied up and off his feet too long—" Oleander started, only to be interrupted by a loud gurgle. "...Not to mention running on an empty tank." Summoning a TK hand, he grabbed the straps on Loboto's back and hoisted him back to his feet. "Up you go."

Groaning, Loboto rubbed his forehead and wobbled where he stood.

"C'mon, Cal," the Coach urged, waving Loboto toward the meeting room door. "One foot in front of the other."

Raz nearly pushed himself away from the table as well, but stopped when Truman's voice rang in his mind: One moment.

"Huh?" Raz looked anxiously between the door that Loboto and Oleander were exiting through, and Truman, who watched him seriously. "Wh-what is it, sir?"

"Hey, you comin', private?" Oleander asked, sticking his head back through the door.

"He'll catch up in a moment," Truman answered. When Oleander shrugged and stepped back through the door, Truman faced Raz again. "Now, Agent Aquato—"

"D-did I do something wrong?" Raz asked. He'd subconsciously wrapped his arms around himself, feeling small as he faced the Grand Head. "I'm sorry, this was my first official mission, but I promise I'll try—"

"What?" Truman stared at him in utter confusion. "No, you did nothing wrong, Razputin." But before Raz could relax, Truman's gaze turned serious. "I just needed you to know that this is not the end of the mission."

"What—?!" Raz looked back at the door where he'd last seen Loboto. "But he's better now! Isn't he?"

"Well... yes, and no." Sighing, Truman glanced off to the side. "While you brought the Doctor over a hurdle—which is quite an accomplishment—you should know that it's when people are brought out of terrible situations that they're at their most vulnerable." He turned back to Raz, staring him in the eye. "This is when you will need to show him the most support."

The tension in Raz's body eased. "Of course, sir! I wasn't just gonna let him go off on his own, anyway." Feeling a pang in his chest, he looked away. "He... needs a friend."

Though Raz couldn't see Truman's expression, he could hear his quiet, warm laugh from across the table. Frowning, Raz looked up. "...What is it, sir?"

"Oh, I'm just thinking," he remarked. "You've got a special quality, Raz."

"I do?" He straightened in his seat. "I mean, I think I've been pretty good with my powers, though Dion says I've never been the best with balance, and—"

"No, no, I mean..." Truman turned away, looking upward in thought. "The former Grand Head had an innate quality to see the best in people, even when they were at their worst." He chuckled. "Apparently I have the same thing... or so Hollis tells me." Finally he looked back at Raz. "If your latest mission is anything to go by... I'd say it's the same for you, Razputin."

Raz felt as though he were floating some distance away, not really sitting before Truman. "Oh! I... you really think so, sir?"

Truman nodded.

Still feeling distant, Raz could only stare for a few more moments before something jarred him back to reality. "Wait, you're not really Gristol's brain in the Grand Head's body, trying to butter me up again, are you?"

"What?" Truman reared his head back. "I hope not!" He placed a hand on his forehead, rubbing it. "What did he do in there...?"

"Oh, uh, sorry sir, didn't mean to make you worry."

After shaking his head, Truman focused back on Raz again. "That's all right. In any case, I'm glad we have you on board, Agent Aquato. You're free to go now." He cast a wary glance at the door. "I'm not sure I fully trust those two to be on their own for too long yet."

"Right! Thank you sir!" With that, Raz snatched up his papers and hurried out the door, shutting it behind. As he headed out of the office, however, Truman's words slowly sank in, and he found himself full of giddy energy, grinning as he shook his fists in delight, inadvertently crumpling up the form he carried. "I can't believe the Grand Head of the Psychonauts thinks I'm cool!" he squealed.

It took him a moment to realize he was in the Nerve Center, and he felt his face heat up when he noticed that a few of the agents were giving him funny looks. Fortunately he had enough excitement to keep himself buoyant, and he hopped on a lev ball to speed out of the room and catch up with Loboto and Oleander.

It wasn't hard to spot the two of them in the Atrium, where Loboto's presence was attracting a lot of stares. Raz hurried over, hopping off his lev ball and landing directly next to him. Both Loboto and Oleander jumped, the former letting out a small yelp.

"Sheesh, watch the blind side, private!" Oleander grunted, pointing at his glass eye.

"Right, sorry." Raz gave them a sheepish grin. "Truman had to keep me for a minute to give a few more instructions."

"That so? Huh." The Coach rubbed his chin. "You'll have to relay them to me later. First though, let's finish this part of the mission." With that, he resumed walking toward another wing of the Motherlobe that Raz had yet to explore. This one wasn't marked in big letters like the others, but instead was a quieter, much less grand hallway. There were a few benches and seats here and there, and they eventually passed a vending room (which featured a few different machines and a microwave), as well as the occasional bathroom and a laundry room.

"Seems a bit mundane for the Psychonauts," Loboto muttered, his optics twitching toward the laundry room as they passed. Through the open door, they could spot an agent in casual clothes, nearly dozing off as she stood next to a running dryer.

"Better than some musty old tower, though, right?" Oleander replied.

"That musty old tower was my home," Loboto snapped, then wilted, his eyes tilting away. "...There's not even a lab here."

"Sasha has a lab!" Raz said, turning around and walking backwards so he could look up at Loboto. "Otto too! You could probably work something out with one of them if you wanted to use those."

At that Loboto seemed startled. "Not that I'm in any particular hurry to go back to either of those places," he said, "but I'll think about it."

Nodding, Raz went to turn around, only to walk straight into another person in the hall. He let out a yelp, dropping the crumpled papers he'd been carrying.

"Hey, watch it, kid!" the agent he'd bumped into grunted.

"S-sorry." Quickly he scooped up the papers and hurried back over to Oleander and Loboto. He looked over the forms as he did so, frowning. "Man, I didn't think about how I'd have to fill out this kinda stuff after missions."

"Yeah, it's not the most fun part of the job." The Coach eyed the forms with a frown as well. "I'll have to help you out with those."

Loboto bent down, optics searching over the papers. "Oh, I could give you a hand there," he said, nodding. "I've still got a knack for forgery."

"NO," Raz and Oleander said simultaneously.

While Raz quickly folded the papers and TK'd them into his bag, Loboto straightened, looking away. "Suit yourself."

"We'll tackle that part of the mission later," Oleander went on. He looked down at the key Truman had handed him, turning it one way, then another, and eyeing some signs on the wall (one featuring room numbers, another with an arrow pointing down the hall with the label "DAY ROOM" and another arrow in a different direction with the label "KITCHEN"). "Come on, we're nearly there." It wasn't long before he stopped in front of a door, compared the number on it to the one on the keyring, and nodded. "Yep, here we are." With that, he unlocked the door and opened it, gesturing into the room. "Welcome to your new living space, Cal."

Both Raz and Loboto stepped in, the latter having to duck through the door. Raz knew he didn't really have to be here, but he'd never seen one of the dorms before, though he'd seen the posters on the bulletin board advertising movie night. The room wasn't terribly large, featuring a bed, a desk and chair, a closet, a dresser, and a shelf. A few tiny holes pockmarked the walk here and there where posters had originally hung, but otherwise the place was in decent condition.

"They're not the greatest," Oleander remarked, "but you're free to decorate 'em as you like. Typically there's a security deposit for these things, but your situation's a bit different. Pretty sure you're still responsible for paying for any repairs, though."

"I wasn't planning on trashing the place," Loboto said, setting the papers and pen Truman had given him on the table. He stared down at it for a moment, then cast another glance around the room, his gaze falling on the bed. Raz wished he could read Loboto's expressions more easily, but something told him the doctor wasn't especially happy. Maybe he was just tired?

Another gurgle filled the silence of the room.

Or hungry. That could be, too.

"Heh, well, you can follow the signs to the kitchen," Oleander went on, "but I'd say the Noodle Bowl should be our next stop. But before I forget—" He tossed the key up to Loboto, who snatched it with his left hand. "Don't lose that."

"I wasn't planning on that, either," Loboto said, pocketing the key. Or any of this, Raz swore he heard him mutter into his collar.

As Oleander ushered them out of the room and back the way they came, he put his hand to his temple.

Who are you calling? Raz asked.

The Coach barely suppressed a laugh. Just a couple of his future instructors.

Raz had an idea of what he meant, and sure enough, they ran into the two of them just as they stepped out into the Atrium.

"Good afternoon Morry, Razputin," Sasha greeted as he and Milla approached the group. He nodded toward Loboto. "...Caligosto."

"We heard from Morry that you'd be staying here for a while," Milla said, taking a step closer to the dentist. "That's so good to hear, darling!"

Loboto mumbled something unintelligible in response, looking away.

"Sasha and I will help train your psychic powers," Milla went on. "We've taught plenty of chi—of students before, and we'll be happy to help you!"

"Indeed." Sasha stepped beside his partner, gesturing toward her. "Milla in particular will be able to help you with levitation, while I'd be happy to show you how to psi-blast in my shooting gallery."

Immediately Raz, Oleander, and Milla balked. "Uh," the Coach blurted, "might wanna wait on that one for a bit, Nein."

"Why? It's a healthy way of dealing with pent-up psychic energy, which I'm sure the doctor has no shortage of, given his situation," Sasha remarked, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Let's just start with the basics for now, Sasha," Milla said hurriedly.

"Yeah, I'll be teaching him too!" Raz put in. "I... don't have a classroom like you guys, but I can probably figure something out."

"First thing's first, though, we gotta fill up the tank." Oleander jabbed a thumb in the direction of the Noodle Bowl. "You two gonna join us?"

"Oh, we won't be staying—we were just about to pick up lunch for our subject," Sasha remarked, only to clear his throat. "Er, detainee. Though we also needed to discuss a few things with you, Morry."

"Ah, really?" Scratching the back of his head, he looked between Raz and Sasha a few times. "Well, all right. Lemme just get some rations settled for these two."

As they headed into the cafeteria and made their orders, Raz watched the three camp counselors chatter, while Loboto remained oddly silent. His gaze remained fixed on the floor, though occasionally he looked up, eyes twitching left and right anxiously before hurriedly looking downward again. It looked like he might be shivering, too, though he supposed it might be a little chilly in this place.

"Razputin, darling," Milla said, jarring Raz out of his thoughts, "why don't you and Caligosto take your meal outside?"

Remembering the spots he'd seen around the outside of the Motherlobe, Raz brightened. "Sure! That sounds fun!"

Just let us know immediately if there's any problems, Sasha added telepathically.

Raz straightened. Sure thing, Agent Nein, but I don't think he'll be any trouble.

Hopefully not.

Just as he was about to say something else to Sasha, Raz found himself interrupted by a plastic salad container and a water bottle held out to him. "Oh, thanks, Coach!" he said, grinning as he accepted the food.

"No problem, soldier." Oleander winced as he held up a greasy-looking container and water bottle to Loboto, who hesitated a moment before snatching them. Frantically the Coach wiped his gloves with a napkin as he glanced back at Raz. "I'll meet up with you later to help with that paperwork. For now, dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" After waving to the Coach with the water bottle he was holding, he looked up at Loboto, who fiddled with his own water bottle in his claw. "C'mon, Doctor Loboto, there's some nice seats outside."

Loboto only made a hum of acknowledgement, but followed him regardless as he headed back out into the Atrium and toward the lobby.

Raz had to apologize before holding Loboto's apron straps in a gentle TK grip as they took the lift down. ("Milla will teach you about levitation later so you can use these on your own," he had explained.) He had to do the same once again to use one of the lifts outside to get to the balcony. Once there, he sighed at finding one of the tables free from other agents, and took a seat.

The sun was still high and kept the quarry warm, while a cool breeze prevented it from getting too hot—perfect weather to explore more of this place... or to just relax for a moment. After how hectic the past week or so had been, Raz felt a bit more comfortable just unwinding for now. He cracked open his water bottle and eagerly dug into his salad—a sort of food he was still getting used to eating, but it was a lot better than he'd expected—but after a few moments, he noticed that Loboto... hadn't started eating, nor had he said much in the past while. Frowning, Raz turned to look at him.

Rather than sitting back in his chair, Loboto was sitting at the edge of the seat, shoulders hunched and back stiff. Yet he made no move to eat his food either—the food box and water bottle sat untouched on the table. His eyes looked out into the distance, yet not focused on any specific point, and his lips were a tight line.

"...Doctor Loboto?" Raz ventured, and the doctor jumped in his seat, as though startled out of a trance. He winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Are you okay?"

"P-perfectly fine," he stammered, waving Raz off.

Frowning, Raz looked from Loboto to the greasy box on the table. "Do you not like hamburgers?" he asked. "I mean, I get it if you don't—I really used to like them myself, but uh, some kinda messed up stuff happened, and I've been staying away from meat for the past few days." He held up his salad box. "But you can have some of my salad if you—"

"I'm not hungry," Loboto said, only for his words to be followed by a growl from his stomach. In a quick move, he swung his prosthetic arm and hit himself in the gut, wincing. "Don't listen to that—it's lying."

Raz raised an eyebrow. "Uhh... okay. I'll take your word for it."

They sat in awkward silence for a few moments, Raz shoveling more food into his mouth. Loboto still wouldn't look at his food, instead opting to stare down at the water in the quarry. Even when Raz finished his meal, Loboto had still barely moved.

"So, uh..." Raz bit his lip, tapping his fingers against the edge of the table. "That was a lotta stuff that happened, wasn't it? In your mind, I mean. And here, too! But everything should be a lot better now, right?" Turning to face Loboto, he gave him a hopeful smile. "How do you feel?"

Still Loboto did not look at him, instead continuing to stare silently down at the water. He did not immediately answer, only continuing to gaze downward until a shudder wracked his frame. Finally he spoke, his words so quiet and fleeting that Raz could barely catch them: "I'm terrified."

A sudden gust of wind knocked the empty food box off the table and tipped over the mostly-empty water bottle. The air around them was suddenly cold.

"Wh... why?" Raz leaned closer, feeling a tug in his chest. "What are you afraid of?"

Raising up his hand, Loboto gestured at the quarry, the psychoisolation chamber, the lab, the Motherlobe.

Raz followed Loboto's gestures before turning back to him. "I know this place is big, but it's really great here. You'll get used to it!"

"It's not that," he growled, shaking his head. Slowly he pulled his hand back to his chest, and clenched it. "You... plucked me from that crumbling cavernous cave I was trapped in all that time, like a tiny tooth swallowed by a child before they could get anything valuable for it. But now I feel…” He hesitated, then looked up. “Crooked? Fallen out of place? Like… someone dropped me, and I bounced under the fridge.”

After taking a moment to parse the metaphor, Raz sighed and looked down at the ground. "I think I know how you feel." To his surprise, Loboto turned to look at him, and he continued: "Everything here is different from what I've been doing my whole life. I've never..." He tried to gesture with his hands, but wasn't sure what to do. "I've never stayed in one place before. We always moved around, and... now, this is where I'll be."

He paused for a moment, feeling his stomach knot up again. "To be honest, Cali... I'm scared too."

Loboto shifted, turning his body to face Raz and tipping his head.

"I learned a lot of stuff I'd always thought was true... wasn't true at all. And there's things that are still... kinda new to me." Raz glanced at the spilled water on the table, and with a bit of concentration, a little hand sprouted out of the water and waved at him. His smile was brief, and he stared down at his hands. "My whole life's gonna be different from now on, but..." Finally he clenched his hands, looking up. "It's going to be better. It's how I want it to be."

After a moment he looked back at Loboto, who was back to staring downward. This time, though, instead of his eyes staring off into space, his brow was furrowed, his mouth twisting in thought.

"Don't you want things to go better, Cali?" Raz asked. "Don't you wanna use your powers for the right thing?"

Loboto's chest heaved in a deep sigh. He looked up at the items on the table and reached out with his prosthetic arm, pressing a claw against the top of his water bottle and wobbling it, watching the water slosh inside. "...Y'know, old dentist practice was just to pull teeth."

Raz blinked. "Uh... come again?"

"If there was a problem with a tooth, you'd pull it. Certainly the most fun way to handle things, but not the most... productive." He flicked the bottle, knocking it over. "But that's not what's done nowadays. Always better to save the tooth when you can. But it's... not quite the easiest way of doing things." Sighing, he set the water bottle upright again. "I've been pulling teeth all this time."

Perking up, Raz nodded. "But you know the better thing to do, now, right?"

Loboto hesitated. "I... I think so...?"

"Well..." Raz looked aside for a second, then shrugged before looking back. "We'll figure it out together. How's that sound?"

"Together...?" Loboto murmured. His mechanical eyes twitched in one direction, then another, his mouth wobbling. Then his optics turned to face Raz, the mechanics whirring as he stared into his eyes. Finally he clenched his claw, not in anger, but determination. "All right. Let's do it."

---~~~---

The moon gleamed over the quarry, its light reflecting off the water and the brain-shaped dome of the Motherlobe. Crickets chirped around the dozing goats, but luckily their high-pitched cries didn't reach the microphones set up within the tree house. Morris kept an eye on Queepie as the kid skillfully tuned the radio, while across from them Raz sat cross-legged on the floor, glancing up to observe Loboto’s latest… look.

While, even when perched on a stool, he more-or-less retained his familiar silhouette, his entire outfit other than his shower cap had completely changed: Rather than his filthy lab coat (which was in the process of being thoroughly cleaned), he wore a long, yellow dress, a green turtleneck over said dress, a pink glove on his left hand, knee-length white socks, and black shoes with medium heels. The clothing had been lent from a variety of donors—Sasha and Cassie being the main ones, since they were closest to his height, and Otto and Milla had pitched in too. The doctor's appearance garnered more stares than he'd gotten previously, but he'd assured Raz he was comfortable in the outfit (the dress especially made him think of his lab coat).

Now, though, he seemed slightly less comfortable, hands on his knees as one of his legs bouncing uncertainly. Once Queepie gave Morris a thumbs-up and skipped out onto the balcony, however, Loboto perked up, looking more alert and excited, while Morris TK'd one mic closer to Loboto while moving his own closer to himself.

"Goooood evening, everyone!" Morris began. "You're listening to K-L.O.B., the Motherlobe's exclusive radio station! Tonight we've got a special guest for you—"

"Oooh, I've always wanted to do one of these things!"

Morris winced, making a swiping motion at his throat. "Yes, that voice you just heard is our special guest, the newest trainee of the Psychonauts, Doctoooor..." He drew out the word, flipping through some notecards before glancing frantically over to Raz. Help me out, how do you pronounce this guy's name again?

Cah-lee-goh-stoh, Raz answered with a nod.

"Caligosto Loboto!" Morris finished with a flourish.

Loboto giggled, clasping his hand and claw together in delight. "Yeah, you hear that, dad?" he cried, leaning aggressively into his mic. "I'm on the radio! Too bad you never got that interview, eh?"

While Morris grit his teeth, stealing an already-exasperated look at Raz, Raz covered his mouth to hide his silent laughter.

I told you to keep this from getting out of hand! Morris hissed into his mind.

What, you can't handle this?

Clearing his throat, Morris faced Loboto again. "So, Doctor Loboto, I'm told you have quite the patchy history with the Psychonauts?"

"Oh, yes, it’s practically a quilt at this point. I've probably worked for half the scoundrels in their rogues' gallery!" Loboto waved a hand flippantly, as though he were admitting to an extremely petty crime.

"Uh... huh."

Raz frowned when he noticed Morris glancing at the entrance to the tree house as though eyeing the escape route. Queepie was sitting just outside, legs dangling over the edge of the porch and finger shoved firmly up his nose. Man, Queepie's less scared of Cali than Morris is, Raz thought with deliberate loudness.

Morris shook his head, straightening in his chair. "But now here you are, living at Psychonauts Headquarters! Quite the change, huh?"

"Certainly. My last room was in an abandoned asylum, and it had windows. Though this place seems to be in better shape."

To Raz's relief, his fellow Junior Psychonaut decided to overlook the asylum comment. "Ah," Morris continued with a smirk. "So you haven't seen the dorm kitchen yet."

"I said it was in better shape, not perfect. The kitchen at Thorney Towers was cleaner than that dump!"

"Man, I am not surprised." Morris chuckled. "How about work-wise, though? What's it like going from a dastardly villain to working with the good guys?"

"Dastardly?" Loboto tipped his head, tapping a claw against his lip. "That's... evil in a handsome way, right?"

"...Sure."

"Well, there's no more terrifying bosses lurking over me."

"Right, you haven't met Hollis."

"What—?"

"The work's pretty different too, right?"

Loboto leaned back, his optics swiveling away. (Raz TK'd his microphone closer, an action that received a grateful nod from Morris.) "It's... not work exactly..."

"Yeah? They let you loaf around all day?"

"No, no! It's..." His mouth twisted for a moment. "Psychic... training."

"Interesting! Did you not use your powers much when—"

Nope, nope, don't go there, Raz thought hurriedly, waving his hands.

Morris cocked an eyebrow at him, but shrugged and flipped to a different note card. "What kind of training do you do here?"

"Oh, stuff like levitation... and telekinesis..."

He moved his right arm, and a clawed, purple hand materialized in front of Morris, who rolled back in surprise as the claw shakily plucked up a note card before flicking it to the floor. While Raz was excited at seeing the progress, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety at how Morris would respond.

To his surprise, Morris zipped back up to his mic, disregarding the dropped card. "So our listeners didn't see that, but our guest just did a quick demonstration of his telekinesis powers." Grinning in excitement, he looked back up at Loboto. "Did you do that with your prosthesis?"

"What?" Loboto's optics switched on and off quickly in a “blink.” "Is that unusual?"

"I've never seen a psychic do that before! Then again, you're the first psychic I've met with a prosthesis."

Raz swallowed back the urge to inform them that True Psychic Tales #299 featured a psychic from Canada with a prosthetic leg; Morris wouldn't be keen on the interruption.

"Psychic..." Loboto murmured, his mouth forming the word uncomfortably as he stared down at his claw.

"I suppose it's not too surprising," Morris went on, switching to his calmer radio voice. He shifted his chair back and forth slightly and patted the armrest to indicate it, raising an eyebrow. "We psychics are known for solving problems, right?"

Loboto gave a start, looking up at Morris, then down at Raz, who grinned back up at him.

"...Right," Loboto answered slowly, and his expression softened. "I... suppose we are."

#caligosto loboto #razputin aquato #morceau oleander #psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #truman zanotto #milla vodello #sasha nein #morris martinez #my art #my writing #fanfic #psychics ruin everything #OKAY IT'S FINALLY POSTED #MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS #gonna try to get some oneshots posted too before the year is up

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