019: Have the worst Christmas ever.

[ra_ra_razputin]

[Raz knew it was a trap, it had to be a trap, but when his door opened onto a familiar scene- his family's circus caravan- he forgot everything he had learned about surviving in Mayfield and ran through, eager to find everyone and tell them he was okay.

His parents and his brothers and sisters were gathered together and exchanging presents. They were having Christmas, too? Did that mean time was passing back home while he was stuck in Mayfield? He really had been gone for over a year? He would have a lot of explaining to do. Better get started.

It took him a few minutes of waving his arms and yelling loudly to realize that no matter what he did, they couldn't see or hear him. He'd had a dream like this once, when he- wait, of course! Suddenly he remembered thinking that this was a trap. Of course it was. It was just a dream. Stupid Mayfield. Sadly, he turned to retreat back to his bedroom, but stopped one more time to get a good look at his family. It might be a while before he sees them again.

His youngest sister brought him up. She wondered where Raz went. It was an innocent enough question, but his father reacted as if she had said something incredibly rude. Don't mention that name! Do you hear me? Raz was taken aback as his family started talking about him, but not in the way he expected. They were so glad Raz was gone. He never pulled his weight around the circus, he was always off reading comic books or pretending he could levitate things with his mind! Didn't he know psychics cursed their family? Psychics were the worst! The words stung, even though Raz tried to convince himself it was just a dream.

And that was when someone kicked the caravan door in.

A sinister looking man entered, carrying a... BB Gun? Raz's mother screamed. He shot her first. One by one, the stranger gunned his entire family down, then turned and left as swiftly as he came. It was surreal. Raz pinched himself, but didn't wake up. It wasn't a dream? No, it had to be! Stupid Mayfield. Stupid, stupid Mayfield. Stupid him for standing there and watching his whole family get killed. He ran back through the stupid door, slammed it, grabbed the stupid key and chucked it out the stupid window and the next time he opened the stupid door it was led back to the stupid house he lived at in stupid Mayfield.]

---

[Later, Raz can be found sitting on the front step of his house. His goggles have been tossed to the side. He's rubbing his eyes and making rather suspicious hiccuping sounds.]

Comments

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

[Quinn's checking in his housemates. Christmas morning has been a little weird for him - he looks suddenly much older. He'll quietly sit down next to you.]

Hey man. Hangin' in there?

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

I don't wanna talk about it. [That had to be the most unconvincing "I don't wanna talk about it" ever uttered.]

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. If the town sent ya a crappy present, try not to let it bother ya too much. They just like to see us squirm, I think.

[He lights up a cigarette. He could use about 5 right now.]

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

I should be used to this stuff by now, but... [he hears Quinn light up a cig and looks up.] W-what happened to you?

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

Merry Christmas, Mayfield-style. They gave me my magic back, but I apparently age every time I use it. Figures. This kinda stuff... it ain't permanent, right?

Oh, how 'bout I give you an actual gift? Or at least the plans for it.

[He reaches into his back pocket and hands you a folded up piece of paper. It's a blueprint for a treehouse.]

Whattaya think?

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

[Groooan.] I'm sorry, I should've warned you that they would pull something like this. I shouldn't have fallen for it, either.

[And then Raz gets a present! He examines it for a moment before his eyes light up.] You made this for me? This is... great! Thank you!

...I didn't really have much for presents, so I just made these for everybody. [He reached into his pocket and produces a friendship bracelet made out of colorful string that might have come from the house's drone mom clothes.]

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

Yeah, man! I figure, once the town starts thawin' out, we'll get to buildin' it. Sound good? I got some of the supplies so far, but I figure, we got time yet.

[He breaks out into a grin. He looks the bracelet over.] Hey, don't worry 'bout it, man. This is perfect! [He ties it on. Be sure that he'll wear it till it falls off, too.]

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

[Most of the fear and anxiety have been replaced by a serious case of the warm fuzzies. It's a Christmas miracle.]

Y-yeah! I can't wait! I'm glad you like the bracelet, too.

[notsaul.livejournal.com]

[Annie sits down next to him. For the first time in a long time, she's not smiling. She actually looks concerned.]

... Don't like your present, Coco?

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

Lemme alone. [The tone of his voice does not match his attempt to give the cold shoulder, however.]

[notsaul.livejournal.com]

... C'mere, kiddo. [She's had little brothers. She's had upset little brothers. She knows how to deal with this. She opens up her arms and smiles at him a bit.]

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

[For someone who wanted to be left alone, Raz sure did jump into your arms pretty fast. He's now sniffling and snorting awkwardly into your shirt. Sorry about that.]

[notsaul.livejournal.com]

[It's okay, she's got a fuckton of laundry to do, anyway.] Everybody's been saying that the stuff they gave us is fake... and if you're so upset about it, I think they're right.

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

It felt real enough.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[After resolving his own gift, someone's just been wandering around, trying to clear his head, when he notices you Raz. He tries to will himself to keep going, to ignore you...but he can't. Because in part? After talking to him after some of the crap hes gone through, he owes you one.]

...Christmas sucks, huh?

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

This whole place sucks.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

You're telling me. How'd this hellhole screw you over?

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

I saw, uh, something bad happen to my family.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Oh.

[THERE THERE Raz. THERE THERE> That's...kind of how sympathy goes when Pokey's around. He doesn't really get family loyalty aside from his brother, so like hell that means crap to him. And you're just an ally he's temporarily working with. Nothing more.]

...Could just be the town screwing with us. We don't know it actually means anything.

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

Lemme guess, you got something bad, too? [Of course you got a bad present and aren't just feigning sympathy! This is how Raz's mind works.]

It had to be them screwed with us again! I've been here long enough to see that. I dunno why I fell for it again.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Got something bad?

[Have a bitter little laugh.]

Yeah. It was pretty bad.

...Maybe we can't help it.

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

[Raz decides not to pry any further after hearing that laugh.]

You think they're mind-controlling us?

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Completely control? Not entirely. But they're messing around with our heads friggin' somehow. Jerks.

...I'm not even fully convinced the town actually exists.

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

It's possible. And with all the other stuff they do to us, I wouldn't put it past 'em.

[Eyebrow raise.] Okay, I have to hear this theory.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Well, to be blunt? If she's a powerful enough psychic, and that's what she's actually doing? The entire town could be an illusion. Maybe everything we experience to. I don't see any reason to think we're in real physical bodies at the moment.

...It might not even be due to psychic powers that she can do that.

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

Funny you should say that. Nigel and me talked about the same thing before. It's definitely possible, but it would take an extremely powerful psychic to do something like it, and if she IS that powerful of a psychic, then we're in trouble.

You think it might be something else, though?

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

There is.

The same thing could be done with virtual reality. Or a really, really sophisticated computer program.

[ra-ra-razputin.livejournal.com]

You think Mayfield might be a video game?

...

That would be so cool if this place didn't suck so hard.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Not necessarily a videogame. Maybe a simulation. Why, I don't know.

.....

Heh. I know, right?