Chapter Text
"Mx. Rosario, I'm glad you could join me."
Hollis Forsythe stood behid her desk, hands behind her back and eyes - or rather the eye I could see - was. staring though to my soul. She towered over me just enough to be intimidating if I were acutely aware of the play she was making.
"I'm glad you would have me, it's not everyday that I get an invitation from an institute as esteemed and…particular in their employees."
Hollis sighed and nodded her head. "This is more of a interview for Truman's sake, he's read many of your papers." Hollis picked up a stack of stappled papers that mounted to chest height.
"The work you have done towards mental health, the benefits of plants, animals and music have on the human psyche, psychic and otherwise. Your work has truly inspired The Grand Head as well as myself."
Though the heat rushed to my face, I absorbed the praise that my hard work awarded me.
"I only need to ask, when did you discover you were psychic? How did you hone your powers without ever being apart of our psychic summer camp program?"
"I was about 4 years old, listening to my mother's records and I begin to levitate. I honed my ability by myself as neither of my parents nor my siblings were psychics themselves. I've read many of Cassie O'pia's books, listened to recording of Helmut Fullbear's music, and studied as many of Robert Zanotto's works one plants and applied them in a way that best represented who I am and what I wanted to do, which is help people become the best version of themselves."
Hollis seemed satisfied with my answer
"It must have been hard being the only psychic in your family?"
"I had my books and my plants, I was content."
That answer sure didn't raise some questions.
Hollis finally sat down in her plush chair, now face to face with myself as an equal instead as an intimidating figure. I steeled my nerves for the next words out of her mouth.
"We're looking to begin a mental health counselor sector at Truman's insistence, though at the moment we only have space for two counselors. Someone that is good with people and willing to see the worst of the agents psyche to assure they are fit for the field. Someone that is will respect our agents rights and wishes while also being able to make the hard choices when it comes to a mission to safety and success. Also the patience to do check ins with our interns and Junior agents to be able to assist if trauma forms."
There were hidden tasks inside of every item listed by Hollis, building trust with each and every one of these individuals so that their mental defenses lowered, assuring the correct mental connections were in check, knowing the signs of a trauma forming and the best way to stop it for each person.
"I'm assuming you don't want to just talk about how I can perform these skills?"
Hollis chucked under her breath, raising a psycho portal from her suit pocket.
"You'd be right. Can't help others if you can't take care of yourself."
Hollis walked down an isle of stairs, surrounded by rows and rows of maroon velvet seats places in bleacher fashion. When she looked up she could box seats creating pockets along the walls all cut off by prison bars. The boxs say arranged in rows and columns sectioned off by signs. W - Z then X - Y in reverse order. The higher she looked the more boxes she saw all blocked off from being accessed.
In the center of the stage laid a football field with cardboard cutouts of various band members. Low brass in the back, woodwinds in the front with drumline surrounded in the middle. There was a conductors podium at the head of the stage that laid bare of its maestro.
Hollis took a few steps closer to a box seating, releasing a wave of censors, light and heavy hitting in front of her.
Censors were of no issue to defeat, but the loud blaring tuba sound from behind her shocked her straight.
The marching band moved in a synced formation closer to the bleachers, flutes and clarinets played so loud, projectiles of thorns sprayed in constant rallies. Sousaphones and trombones played so low that the ground underneath her shook. In the center, drumline played so fast, summoning more censors with each hit of the skins.
Hollis stood on shaky legs, overwhelmed with the amount of pressure she was receiving for stepping towards a locked box seat.
Suddenly a loud whistle blew and the band reset into center stage and the censors disappear in a rattling motion. On the podium stood Atom, golden and glowing whistle in mouth with a a deep red string tied around their neck.
"Those boxes are for clients only, as much as I would like this job I can't negotiate on strict counselor-client confidentiality unless they are a harm to themselves or others."
Raising one hand, the whistle transformed into a conductors baton in that hand. The sound of instruments tuning and warming up unlocked a door in the backdrop, revealing the depths of their mind.
"This is the personal side of my mind, you are more then welcome to go through here."
Atom smiled behind his golden rimmed glasses. Though Hollis tried to look unaffected by the near annihilation from waves of defense, the waves of silent appraisal was palpable. Her steps were measure as she reached the stage, walked past the band as they continued to warm up and into the trap door. She was not shocked when Atom appeared back next to her in the tunnel or when the music stopped and the door shut behind them.
When the door shut, another opened in front to a beautiful field of flowers. Rows upon rows alternating between roses lines with gold and sunflowers lined in maroon. The flowers never left their rows but shifted aside as Agent Forsythe and Atom stepped through the field. Trees surrounded the perimeter flowering with fruits of all kinds. Peaches, pomegranates and nectarines and along with bushes of strawberries and blackberries. A vault could be seen chasing after a butterfly in the corner and a pig pen sat on a plot with two pigs sunbathing in the grass. Two pools of water sandwiched the pen with a picnic blanket with a spread of figment foods.
The blanket is where Atom rested, the pigs waddled their way to sit on either side of him and snorted away noisily.
"Thoughts Agent Hollis? This is where I do my best thinking."
Hollis turned in a 360 motion, taking in the sights of the sun and the semi-cloudy sky, the pollination of butterflies and bees on flowers that shone as if they held threads of the sun in them.
"This is peaceful. What happened to all of-"
"It's just a precaution, I keep my work safe from possible prying eyes to protect the clients rights to confidentiality. It's taken me quite a few years to make the security but all that meditation was worth it in the end."
"And this place?"
"My personal life, a place that I hold dear that allows me peace and tranquility. If I am not calm, how can I best formulate the thoughts needed to to help someone else?"
Hollis nodded along, following every word from their mouth. She pointed next to Atom at the potbellied and Mangalica pigs under each arm.
"And them?"
"My friends that help defend my mind. They fight off bad ideas and brighten up my bad moods. Sooty is my childhood pig," Atom pet the pink and black sow under his right arm, scratching under her chin. "Peaches is my current pet pig." They scratched the ears of the hairier sow on his left.
"Which brings me to ask, I will need a good amount of space for Peaches and my plants, will that be a problem?"
Hollis looked down at Atom and fully took him in. A potbellied individual with locs arranged in a neat ponytail with two locs and a pair of golden rimmed glasses framing their face. Dark, purple buttonup threaded in gold with matching roses across the shoulder and tattooed down their arms. The Cuban chain link necklace sat comfortably on his chest.
Atom saw the end of the appraisal in Hollis' mind and the smile that ran across her face let them know that they had an offer in hand.
"That won't be an issue, if you provide the housing I believe we have an area you can set up a comfortable distance from the Motherlobe. Now, let's talk employment."
Peaches was the first sight Atom had when they arrived home, sitting at the fence as if knowing exactly when they would drive back into the gravel driveway.
As soon as he was through the gate, Atom dropped to their knees and wrapped their arms around Peaches fuzzy head.
"I did it Peach, I'm a Psychonaut now!"
Tears soaked into the sow's fur and while Peaches snorted in concern, she could not see the smile on Atom's face.
"I can make a difference, I know I can. Just one person at a time."