May 07 06:01:17 <Knave>	In the Sanctum courtyard, Callum stands awkwardly, glancing at a girl. He rubs the back of his neck, taps at his phone, then stares at it for a bit before glancing again at the girl.
May 07 06:04:57 <Nemi>	Said girl, if she happens to be the improbably-built and brilliantly-kept Ellie LaCroix, is at least pretending with excellent aptitude not to notice. Sitting on a bench and sipping at her travel mug (with Goldstein Subaru's dealership label- it was free and it was big so she still used it) and peering at her own phone, Ellie had just come out of class and was getting some air while waiting for the next. Nice blue peacoat, nice patterned scarf, nice skirt and leggings and boots.
May 07 06:07:12 <Knave>	Finally, Callum clears his throat and approaches her, hoping that this was in fact the girl Cass had described in enthusiastic terms, "Excuse me, are you Ellie?"
May 07 06:08:39 <Nemi>	Pale as snow, hair the colour of ivory, and blue eyes with way too much dark eyeshadow? Who else could it be? Ellie lifts her head and flashes a brilliant grin, the kind Callum might swear was accompanied by anime-style sparkles. "Hey there, that's me! You're Callum, right?"
May 07 06:10:25 <Knave>	"My reputation precedes me." He says, a little unreadable. There's the hint of a joking chuckle to the comment, but there's humility, shame, in there too. In terms of the improbably gorgeous, Callum's huge, muscled frame and its fading tan aren't falling too far behind.
May 07 06:12:28 <Nemi>	Ellie's most absurd quantity is certainly in her bodytype, though she is pleasantly Germanic-looking in that sort of 'American mutt' kind of way. She shifts her position slightly, crossing then recrossing her legs as she lets her phone rest in the air beside her. An elbow rests on a thigh. "You're hard to miss, big guy. What's up?"
May 07 06:14:13 <Knave>	"I, uh, I heard- that is, Cass told me, that you're, uh, psychic." He points to his temple with an index finger, subtle as a brick through a teapot.
May 07 06:16:15 <Nemi>	Ellie quirks her mouth into a more sly smile, one brow arching. "Well, yes, that's me. Ellie LaCroix, psychic TA and basically the best. Whatcha need? Usually people don't start off with that unless they need something. Yes, I can in fact do body-swaps if you really want, you weirdo."
May 07 06:18:23 <Knave>	Callum's mouth wrinkles and a slight blush crawls over his nose. He looks Ellie up and down, but he doesn't even really know what she's talking about. He taps his temple as if to jump-start his train of thought, "Um, I get... Sometimes I get these... feelings, in my head. Other people's feelings. Like if they're scared, or angry, or... And I don't know what's going on, and I was hoping you might be able to
May 07 06:18:23 <Knave>	rummage around in there and find something out. Please."
May 07 06:19:47 <Nemi>	Ellie quirks her lip the other way, and nods. "Sure. Let me have a look. Open your mind to me." The last phrase sounds much more like a command than a request, the sort of command that resonates inside one's skull.
May 07 06:22:49 <Knave>	Callum nods, but doesn't even really know what that means. Dude's been an open book since he was a child, and can't think of how to make his mind any more accessible than it is. So what he does is tilt his head forward slightly and hopes that gets the job done.
May 07 06:24:51 <Nemi>	And with that, Ellie shall.. Dig in. At the surface, first, then deeper on, wriggling and grasping about the interior of Callum's psyche to try and.. Figure him out.
May 07 06:28:58 <Knave>	The first thing to note about Callum's mind is that it's a lot like a human mind - which wouldn't occur to you as a thought if that's what it really was. It's like a house built by someone who has heard of all of the elements of a house, and seen houses from the outside, and then made one all on their own without any further help. All the right rooms are there, but the halls are too narrow and the tables are connected to the floor and the sofa is hard. Nevertheless, it's so lived-in that you might write it off as pure eccentricity. Here is the mind of an honest, caring teenage boy, built on the foundations of something else entirely.
May 07 06:30:13 <Nemi>	And that /intrigues/ Ellie. So, figurative house inspector that she is, she's willing to ignore the furniture and quirks if they're still up to code. Let's head down into the basement and get a closer look at what's down there.
May 07 06:33:53 <Knave>	Under all the memories of a normal rural childhood, real-life Americana - all of them with a subtle backbeat to them, a rhythm of "don't be different" - there's something entirely else and other. The language is foreign, but the shape is familiar enough. A script. The details are incomprehensible, but parts exude imperatives. Be strong. Be helpful. Be loved. Be perfect.
May 07 06:36:54 <Nemi>	Very interesting. Very familiar, were it not for the figurative neon sign that was that mantra. Ellie digs deeper, now, into the fundament of Callum's consciousness- what makes him what he is. And if she can figure out more. To an outside onlooker, she's merely studying him with a sly smile, sipping at her tea in that stupid auto dealer's travel mug.
May 07 06:42:44 <Knave>	Callum, for his part, is stood there like a doofus, not sure if she's actually doing anything. And how to describe the centre of his mind? Possibly with the recurring image threaded through the whole thing - a shining sun. And right here, at the centre of it all, that sun takes its place as the largest and brightest in an ocean of stars - 52, all together, if you have the time to count - and if you listen right, it speaks. The voice is Callum's, and the shadow of Callum's, and his parents, and a high, reedy thing alien to that Kansas family. That gentle, strong voice is ready to answer what the probing mind wonders.
May 07 06:44:28 <Nemi>	And that tendril of the Lady of Black Tears has only a very simple question, as despite her curiosity, she really is intent on answering Callum's own trouble. Why is it that Callum here seems to be something of an.. Empath?
May 07 06:46:28 <Knave>	"It is pragmatic." The reedy voice dominates for that. "To know the enemy. It fits the script." Then, the voices of Callum and his family pick up, "Callum should know when he is needed. So that he can help."
May 07 06:50:40 <Nemi>	To know the enemy. Interesting phrasing. Ellie quirks her lip and fixes her grin. Thanks for your time, inner thing. It's been educational. And she'll slowly, carefully withdraw, as to not leave any muck on the figurative carpets of the figurative house that is Callum. When everything's intact, she breaks the connection properly, and just gives a wry smile. "I think I get it."
May 07 06:51:48 <Knave>	"You do?" Callum says, dumbly. It's hard not to hear it now as just a fraction of the sonorous voice of that inner sun.
May 07 06:55:56 <Nemi>	"You can pick up on how others feel so you know when you're needed, so you can help." She says, smoothly enough, and with a more pleasant, cheerful smile. "It's like you've been born to be a hero. That must be a nice feeling."
May 07 06:57:32 <Knave>	He smiles, but it looks like his eyes don't quite agree. "Yeah." He nods and the smiles reaches the rest of his face, "Yeah, I guess that's nice."
May 07 06:58:26 <Nemi>	"At least, if that's what you choose to use it for. You've got instinctual empathy. That's all say with certainty." And just be prepared for the alien part to act up as she needs.
May 07 06:59:51 <Knave>	He shrugs slowly. "Thanks. I realize this was a little out of the blue. If there's anything I can do to return the favour, let me know."
May 07 07:00:25 <Nemi>	"You'll just owe me. Don't worry. I'll find something you can do for me." There's that enigmatic grin and a sly wink as she slightly shifts her position to get more comfortable.
May 07 07:01:50 <Knave>	Callum shifts on the spot nervously. Knowing Ellie almost entirely through the lens of Cass, it's easy for the goddess to fluster him. "Right." He says, blankly.
May 07 07:04:39 <Nemi>	"Anyway, that's about all, unless you'd like commentary on how nicely appointed your head really is." Ellie winks again before she goes back to her phone. "Anything else you need?"
May 07 07:05:38 <Knave>	Callum cocks his head to the side like a confused puppy at the first comment, lagging behind Ellie already moving on. "No. I guess that's it”
May 07 07:11:05 <Nemi>	"Well, alright then! I have class in a few moments, so while I'd love to stay and chat, I've got to go. Ciao-ciao, lovely meeting you in-person, we'll have to hang out sometime." Ellie smoothly rises and grins.
May 07 07:11:48 <Knave>	"Right. Sure. You too." He smiles awkwardly, eyes narrowing in confusion when the 'in-person' part reaches his brain. "See you around."
May 07 07:15:21 <Nemi>	Ellie slips past him, deliberately going uncomfortably close to make her way on by toward the arts building. She gives a wave over her shoulder, wind catching her hair and skirt and coat just right with the afternoon light at just the right angle. And then she's gone.
May 07 07:16:29 <Knave>	Callum runs his hand through his hair with a slightly perplexed look. Why do perfect anime girls keep doing that around him?