After a successful, if a bit long and painful, reorganizing session, Sasha fell asleep, utterly exhausted. He awoke to a timid tap on his door. He grunted and pinged whoever it was, wondering why they were bothering him. It wasn't Milla. She would have woken him with a ping instead of knocking. The sensation he got back was surprised alarm and confusion, and he sat up, blinking. He reached out with his mind and threw back the blankets when he realized it was Raz. After pulling on his glasses, he opened his door and stared blearily at the boy.

"Yes, Razputin? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Um, you're a bit late for my appointment?" Raz asked, unsure of himself.

"What?" Sasha demanded then spun to look at the clock. "Scheisse! Oh, Ich bin ein Idiot!"

Looking around, he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out what to do. Then he heard voices. "Get in here!" Sasha ordered tightly, grabbing Raz's collar and yanking him in before snapping the door shut.

He leaned against it and sighed in relief when nobody pinged him. Then he straightened and looked at Raz. "My apologies. I do not like Agent Alvares."

"Noted," Raz said. He glanced around, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "So… what now?"

Sasha glanced down at himself, embarrassed at being seen in his nightshirt. It was old-fashioned, but he'd never felt the need to change what he wore in his own room. Missions were different, and he had a few nice pairs of normal pajamas, which he desperately wished he'd put on the night before. "I need to shower and get ready. Then we can go to my lab."

"Okay."

"You may look through my notes if you'd like," Sasha said, guiding him to a bookshelf stuffed full of notebooks. "I would limit yourself to the first shelf, though."

"Oh, yeah! Thanks!" Raz said, and he began picking through the books, peering at the covers before putting them back exactly where they belonged.

Sasha hurriedly showered and got ready for the day in his bathroom then came out to see Raz studying his notes on Mental Exams. He was very pleased by this.

"Oh, hey," Raz said when he noticed Sasha. "I just thought I'd familiarize myself with the process, you know?"

"A very good thing to do," Sasha said, nodding his head. He reached for a pack of cigarettes then stopped. "Do you mind if I smoke?"

"As long as I don't have to," Raz quipped.

That brought a small smile to Sasha's face, and Raz suddenly looked proud. Sasha schooled his expression again then lit up a cigarette and took a deep drag. The nicotine helped clear his mind, and his stomach growled, alerting him to the fact that he'd missed breakfast.

"Hungry?" Raz asked.

"I overslept," Sasha said tightly.

"I did too for like three weeks after we stopped Maligula. And I'm still really tired sometimes. Is that normal?"

Sasha's mind latched onto the problem, and he clamped the cigarette between his teeth as he shuffled through his secret food stash. "It's certainly time for you to have a Mental Exam. You're probably fighting in your sleep without realizing this. Some awareness training can help to bring you to consciousness during these periods, which will assist you in knowing when you need help."

"Ooh, can I have one?" Raz asked as Sasha pulled out some breakfast pastries.

"I don't think you'll like it," Sasha warned, but he passed one over.

Raz opened it and took a big bite. "Mm. Govikberry jam, right?"

"You like govikberry?" Sasha asked, spinning around.

"Oh yeah," Raz said, licking his fingers. "Mom still makes some recipes from the old country for my dad. We always bought govikberries when we came across them during my circus days."

This pleased Sasha even more, and he quickly pulled out a larger selection of food from Germania. "I have more you might like," he said, setting out an array of treats.

Raz's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Cool! Stern bars! Man, I've got to take one for my dad! He talks all the time about those!"

"If you'd like, I'll take you with me the next time I go for a shopping trip and we can get your family as much as you want," Sasha said, his low voice taking on an excited edge. "I can help you build up your food stash."

"Should I have one?"

"Trust me, Razputin, it's a good idea," Sasha said, puffing on the cigarette again as he paced and gesticulated. "Sometimes when you get back from a mission, you'll need to process some things, and a trip to the cafeteria will be the last thing you want. An array of snacks is most advantageous for those days."

"Then just let me know when we're going," Raz said.

Sasha ate more breakfast than he usually did, too busy explaining the foods to Raz to even notice that he was eating. Raz tried everything he'd set out before declaring the govikberry tarts to be his favorite.

"You have a good palate, Razputin," Sasha said, a small, pleased smile on his face. "Those are my favorite, too. So nice and sour-sweet. And you should try some right out of the oven with some buttermilk sauce to dip it in. There was this wonderful little shop down the road from my home, and once a year I'd get a tart for my birthday. It was such a treat, Razputin. So warm and gooey with a nice, buttery crust. Ach! You must try one when we go!"

Sasha realized only when he looked at Raz that he was being far more animated than usual. Razputin's eyes gleamed with delight at being able to see this side of Sasha. Sasha stopped talking then looked away and reached for his cigarettes again as he calmed himself down.

"Anyway, let's go to my lab for your exam. You may take a few Stern bars for your family."

Raz grinned and picked out a few. "They're touring right now. But I'll take theirs!"

They cleaned up and stashed the uneaten food back in the hidden compartment before heading for the lab. Sasha pulled out a set of chairs for them and gestured for Raz to sit down.

"Come now. Our task today is your exam, Razputin. Do you consent to a full Mental Exam?"

"Yes," Raz said, sitting down. He pulled his goggles over his eyes and sat rather stiffly. "I'm ready, Agent Nein."

Sasha pulled out his door and paused for a moment. "Have you made one for yourself?"

"No."

"Then that shall be a task for another day. You may continue to use my spare."

"You're not mad?"

"No," Sasha said simply. "Now, relax, Razputin. Let's see what you've been experiencing."

Sasha used telekinesis to place the door on his forehead. It opened and Sasha projected himself outward and through it. When he landed, he opened his eyes but was dazzled by darkly striped circus patterns. "Ach! Scheisse!" he muttered, reaching under his glasses to rub his smarting eyes.

"Agent Nein?" Raz asked in a small voice.

Sasha quickly adjusted his glasses and peered down. "My apologies. I didn't expect such strong psychic colors in such a young mind."

"Yeah, it's a bit of a mess," Raz said softly. He peered around. "I tried to explore a couple times by myself, but…"

"It was too much," Sasha finished. "Naturally. I suggest refraining from over-stretching yourself, and that includes exploring your own mind without training. Yes, you are young and powerful, but you have plenty of time to learn more. Too much too fast can be dangerous."

"Okay, Agent Nein."

Sasha hesitated, his lips tightening. "When it's just the two of us, you may refer to me as Sasha if you'd like."

Raz grinned. "Okay, Sasha! So what do we do first?"

"A bit of exploring," Sasha said. "Show me around and we'll listen for stray thoughts. I'll try and help you make some connections."

"Okay then. Um," Raz glanced around then started walking. "This way, I think. The show's about to start."

Sasha ducked inside the tent and peered around. It was chaos, with projections of Raz's family running around. Raz shrank in on himself and glanced up. "I haven't talked much with my family. It's complicated."

"Well, let's explore that," Sasha said. "Pick one problem to focus on at a time. What would you like to work on first?"

Raz looked around at the options then winced. "How about… Dion?"

"Focus on him then," Sasha encouraged. He watched as Dion came into focus. As he approached, he grew so much larger. Raz whimpered and stepped behind Sasha.

"Hey, traitor. Who's your loser friend?"

Sasha studied Dion. "Razputin, does your brother intimidate you?"

"Um… yeah. He kinda does," Raz admitted, clenching his fists. "He's the favorite son, after all. He gets away with everything and he bosses me around all the time. Mom loves him best. Nona loves him best. Everybody does. And Queepie, he gets away with stuff because he's cute. And Frazie blames stuff she did on me. You know that?" Raz laughed and turned away, ashamed of his tears. "She blames me for stuff if she thinks I'm getting too big for myself."

"How does that make you feel?" Sasha asked, continuing to stand between Dion's towering projection and Raz. He reached back to gently squeeze Raz's shoulder when Raz hesitated.

"I… I don't like this," Raz whimpered.

"It's necessary, Razputin. Now focus on the problem. He intimidates you. And you feel small?"

Raz peeked out from behind Sasha and Dion scoffed. "Can't even fight your own battles, traitor?"

"I'm not a traitor!" Raz yelled, his voice cracking. "I just… I just wanted…"

"Say it," Sasha said.

"I just wanted to try something else. I don't want to just be an acrobat. I want to be a Psychonaut."

"And that makes you a traitor," Dion sneered.

"But does it?" Sasha asked. "You ultimately helped your family, Razputin, even if you appeared to be betraying them. It will take time for them to realize the extent of what you've done for them. But there is no reason to divide your life into Psychonaut versus acrobat. Why not be both?"

Raz sniffled and wiped at his cheeks. "Is that allowed?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Sasha asked. "Now, let's cut this problem down to a manageable size."

"Uh, you won't tell Mom what I'm doing, right?"

"This is your mind. I am not allowed to disclose anything to your family barring medical emergencies," Sasha said. He paused then smirked just the tiniest bit. "Would you like to beat up your brother, Razputin?"

Raz grinned and lowered his goggles. "You'll help?"

"It's why I'm here."

Raz rubbed his hands together. "Let's do this!"

Between the two of them, Dion was soon taken care of. With one final blast, he faded down to his usual size and the distortions went away.

"Okay, that wasn't so bad," Raz said.

"Who's next?" Sasha asked, adjusting his coat.

Raz smiled and picked out Queepie. That battle was far more acrobatic than Dion's and Sasha was astounded by Raz's ability. No wonder he could make it through minds so quickly and with so little training! Sasha watched with absolute glee as he tamed his jealousy of his brother.

"Excellent Razputin! Excellent!" Sasha exclaimed. "Who's next?"

Raz hesitated, wiping his forehead. "I'm a little tired."

"One more!" Sasha begged. "This is fascinating. Please, Razputin, just one more!"

Raz turned away and glanced around. "Um… I don't want to do dad yet. Frazie… Matala… Nona… No, I don't want to do this again today."

"Please Razputin," Sasha urged. "What about your mother?"

Raz's eyes grew big and he shook his head. "No. No, I don't want to think about… Mom?" He peered behind Sasha and whimpered. "Sasha please don't make me do this."

Sasha froze. Raz sounded so small, so frightened, so unwilling. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to but Sasha was trying to make him.

"Sasha?" Raz asked. "Hey! Hey, Sasha! Look out!"

Sasha didn't expect the powerful attack that hit him. One moment he was staring blankly ahead, a deep sense of unease and loss pounding inside of him, the next he was brutally thrown out of Raz's mind. His body jerked violently and he flung himself backward out of his chair, gulping for breath. He recognized what had happened only when he felt the wetness soaking his pants. He tore off his glasses and began scrubbing his face, gasping in hiccuping breaths. He hadn't been kicked out of a mind in years, but that wasn't what bothered him.

"Sasha!" Raz gasped, coming around to face him. "Sasha, I'm sorry! Please, what's wrong?"

Sasha looked up, and Raz's eyes widened.

"He has grey eyes!" Raz thought, the noise rebounding around Sasha's mind like a pinball. "And… whoa…" His jaw went slack and Sasha saw the connections beginning to form. Horrified, he cried out and shoved Raz away.

"We will continue later," he gasped then he grabbed his glasses and jerked them on, bolting to his office where he had a fresh set of clothes and a pack of cigarettes waiting. He would change and chain smoke a whole damn pack, even if it wasn't healthy! Anything to get his mind off the fact that he had been willing, for a minute at least, to dismiss Raz's desire to stop and try to change his mind to suit his own curiosity.

He grabbed a cigarette first and lit it up before pulling out a clean set of clothes. Then he froze as something hot traced down his cheek. Reaching up his gloved hand, he swiped at it and was startled to see that his glove was wet. He was crying. Oh no. The leak wasn't going away. He needed a Mental Exam as soon as possible, but there wasn't a chance in hell he'd tell anybody about his unease, not even Milla or Ford. He'd probed just enough to know his unease was tied with his mentor and their experiments, and he refused to go down that road. Then he stopped and looked at the mirror that hung on the wall. He reached up and took off his glasses and stared at himself.

Razputin had seen him without his glasses.

"But is it the proper solution?" he asked his reflection. "He's just a boy." He got no response, and he moaned then lit up another cigarette.

Looked like it was chain-smoking after all. Maybe he'd come up with a better idea.