Raelyn Hope

He grunted when she hit his side, not quite expecting the tangle of limbs and blanket that hit him, but willingly hugged her back. He knew too well the way that joy could be just as overwhelming as sadness, even moreso sometimes. Granted, for him, most happy emotions ended with the feeling that it would quickly go terribly wrong, but it seemed like she wasn’t quite there. 

“Is it too much?” He thought at her, finding it needed less concentration now that he’d found that link of magic that seemed to be connecting them. He had no idea if it was something anyone would be able to do, or if it was just because he was so sensitive to other people’s magic. Hers was light and sunny, easier on his mind than some.

She felt the grunt of him, felt the warmth of his skin beneath that shirt. Felt the jumble of confused emotions followed by simple understanding that echoed from him like that same voice bouncing around in her head. Something she’d never experienced... noise. It crowded her mind, each eloquent curve of a vowel unique, each crack of consonant nothing like she’d pictured when learning to read.

“Please keep talking.” The words sent to him as a picture she had typed with shaking fingers. She was begging as she gripped him tighter, enraptured by this entirely new sense never before experienced. Suddenly the pictures and beautiful scenery she drew and searched for seemed so plain by comparison. So lifeless without that echo of sound, that natural whisper.

Beyond this embrace, her world had both gained and lost a huge chunk of that which made it worth exploring. Within this embrace, it was something new. Something...

Beautiful.

Freya couldn’t help herself but to be completely enraptured in the girl across from her. She put off an energy that attracted her to the table, but that tended to be how she found her people. She didn’t believe it had anything to do with magic, but she tended to be able to read people’s energy easily. It’s how she knew who to pour her time and affection into, and who to put a safe distance between herself with. This woman she could easily see becoming quick friends with, perhaps even best friends if that was the fate that was meant for the two of them to share. Only time could tell what it could be, which she never minded.

Relief filled over her as her smile seemed to widen. “You’d really like to sketch me?” She asked her curiously. She knew that to have anyone to sketch you was an honor. “Of course if you want to I’d be honored to have you draw me. You’re clearly a talented artist. What’s your name?” She asked her curiously with raised eyebrows as she sat back in her seat.

Freya was someone that constantly did her best to brighten up the world around them. She knew of course that it wasn’t always possible, but with this woman it seemed so easy to just be. They seemed to both have that in common at least. “Tell me more about yourself though. What got you into art? It’s clearly a passion of yours and you’re so talented at it.”

The change was sudden, a match flaring to life as the woman read Raelyn’s response and that beautiful smile stretched from ear to ear. The girl’s mind was unlike anything Raelyn had ever seen, a jumbling of bright images tumbling over each other in eagerness to be at the forefront of thought. It was jarring, trying to keep up with each friendly flare of color whilst simultaneously watching the woman’s lips to avoid missing something she said. When Raelyn was complimented, her cheeks abruptly began engaging in an all-out war with tomatoes over who was the most red... So far, her cheeks were winning.

“Raelyn... just call me Rae” She scribbled on her pad, turning it a fraction so that it would be easier for the girl to read. The message accompanied with a bright smile following the girl’s agreement. Raelyn did not wait, head bending over her sketchpad as charcoal pencil began anew on a fresh page, scribbling soft curves at first. Eventually Freya’s face would come to life on the page, but for now it was merely about laying the groundwork.

When she felt the questions from Freya, she winced. One of the biggest downsides to being mute was that she needed her hands to talk. How, then, could she communicate with this stunning new friend whilst also attempting to draw her? 

“Tell me about yourself first.” She scribbled, “Tough to talk and draw. I promise I’ll exchange when I’m done! :)”

English and French. He really should have thought about that to start with. It wasn’t like he didn’t know English well enough to easily read and books, as well as French for that matter. But when it came to trying to pick up a new language, he would have preferred to find something in Russian. But the chances of their being a book on sign language, in Russian, in a small bookstore in Paris was…slim. He was going to have to make do with whatever he could find and deal with the added difficulty of working outside of his first, or second language. He turned to the English section, since he considered himself a little better with it that French. 

Habit had Dimitri naturally aware of his surroundings. His eyes flicked to reflective surfaces to watch behind him, and he made an effort to keep moving, even in moments when he found what he was looking for. He picked up on Raelyn watching him as found a language section and smirked to himself. She was a curious little thing. Probably most people weren’t observant enough to notice her quirks, so she could get away with them. 

“Any recommendations?” Dimitri asked, head swiveling so she would see him. Then, deciding it would be too much effort for her to read his lips from that distance, he decided to try something different. If he could manipulate reality to make realistic things appear, he could surely make something unrealistic appear, even if he had never tried anything like it. He played out the script in his head, the projected the words in front of her, signing the bottom with Dimitri, all in curly script. To her, it would look like letters floating in the air. Nobody else would be able to see it.

There was something to Dimitri that Raelyn still couldn’t quite put her finger on. A restlessness to his actions that had him constantly shifting, constantly glancing around as if worried that there might be something threatening in the room with him. In a bookstore, what was he scared of? She saw herself through his eyes in a brief flash, her own eyes reflected and curious, not even a little bit subtle. Wincing, she turned back to the bookshelf. Smooth. Lithe fingers plucking a french picture book from the shelf before mindlessly flipping through the pages. An added benefit of picture books was their lack of language. She did not need to understand French in order to appreciate the artwork. Given Raelyn only knew a small smattering of the eloquent language, this was probably for the best.

Images of hands contorted in sign language jolted Rae from her thoughts, head turning to watch Dimitri as he paced the shelves like an anxious predator, searching for a book on sign language. She couldn’t help but smile, eyes brightening at the act of selflessness from a boy she barely knew, eager to learn how to better communicate with her. Dress swishing, Raelyn wandered over to the far end of the bookstore, plucking the faded green book from its familiar place among other language texts. Cover adorned with the filigree gold lettering, “Langage des signes”. Though it was in french, the images and instructions were concise and easy to understand, a personal favourite of hers.

About to trot back over to the mysterious Dimitri, Raelyn was pulled up short as shimmering letters materialise in front of her, jaw dropping open as she blinked dumbly. For a moment, she debated if she was going insane before she saw herself through Dimitri’s eyes once more. He was watching her, gauging her reaction. Shaking her head, she smiled as that inane question was answered, a dozen more taking its place. Could he merely project images? Could others see the words, too? No... She remembered being unable to see him as he searched their room. Could he go invisible by hiding himself?

Dismissing the thoughts, she padded over to him - ducking under the letters as if they were real - before holding out the book with a warm smile. Her old phone was held up a few moments later, typed message glowing on the luminescent screen: “You must be real fun at parties.”

Dimitri was well-trained in these matters. Him and Kat had been very close, sharing a room most of their life and changing around each other out on different jobs on a regular basis. He didn’t have to be told to turn his back and and find something to keep himself busy. He laid out the few clothes he had with him on his bed, trying to decide what else he needed. More clothes could come later, that would be the easy part. He had those folded up and set on the end of his bed by the time she finished and they found their way outside, him letting her lead the way out towards the shopping area. He was still getting a feel for the city, but he didn’t mind it much. It was nothing like his home, of course, but he liked it nonetheless. It was more open, the people much friendlier. Not bad, though. And there did seem to be a good shopping selection. 

Glancing at Raelyn, it took him a moment, but he was able to piece together what she was trying to say after a moment. “How about a bookstore, first thing?” He suggested, trying to remember to keep his head turned towards her. “I need a sign language book, clearly.” He could learn quickly, he knew, but he needed something to teach him. “And then I think I saw a store at one point that I wouldn’t mind stopping in; it had pretties in it.” This was old habit. He was always the one who carried the money, and shopping with Kat meant going to look at pretties to begin with, otherwise she would complain the entire trip. This was a different situation, but he still felt the need to start with that. 

Raelyn’s grin widened at his mention of a bookstore... Now those she could handle. It was an interesting irony, her love for books. Thoughts composed solely of images seldom allowed for the complicated understanding required of the more well-written novels. Thus, much to the amusement of those who knew her... Raelyn had a definitive love for picture books as if she were incapable of reading. There were many well-written novels out their comprised entirely of images, beautiful hand-sketched artworks telling a story as capably as any woven masterpiece of text. Those were her books.

Manchot Livres was a niche bookstore tucked away at the back end of the marketplace, high wooden tables out front stacked tall with blind books - texts wrapped in paper with only a vague description penned in neat writing on the front. Inside, long walls filled with fiction and non-fiction radiated that pleasant bookish smell oh-so-familiar to the regular bookworm.

As Raelyn wandered in, she shot a smile back at Dimitri, holding up her phone with a hastily typed message. “English is on your left, french on the right.” And with that, she was gone, long strides taking her towards a single row of picture books nestled near the counter and little more than a meter from the children’s section. In truth, she’d already begun a book... but she didn’t want it to be too obvious that she was watching him. And so, with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, Raelyn watched him over her shoulder, eager to learn anything about this mysterious boy... even something as inane as his taste in books.

Kennedy had wanted to take ASL as her required language course in undergrad but her friends convinced her that taking French was a better choice. So far, she hadn’t really used the two years of French but was certain that the sign language would have come in handy, especially as many young children used sign language before spoken word these days. It was a very common practice among preschools, even overseas.

Kennedy couldn’t help but smile as Raelyn signed different names. She couldn’t quite make out the first, but was able to read the individual letters. “Raelyn.” She glanced down at the other woman’s note and nodded. Grabbing her own pen, she clicked it open. First day is tomorrow! I’m getting nervous. She didn’t need to be nervous but she couldn’t help it. Most of these children were under the age of five and many were learning English as their second language. She knew minimal French, just what she had learned in those basic courses in undergrad; she was no where near fluent. She was just hoping the children knew more than she was expecting them to in regards to conversational English.

Another quick loop of letters to a simple question: any suggestions?

Raelyn couldn’t help but smile at the easygoing nature of her new companion, pen continuing its loopy trail along the plain paper as she recreated the lesson plans. Rae had never struggled to remember things visually, things she’d seen coming quickly to mind with little effort. It contributed heavily to her love of meeting people - she could see the surreal images that flittered through conscious thought, able to remember them. A library of human thought that occupied her every waking moment... for better or for worse.

When Kennedy wrote out her message, Raelyn couldn’t help but smile wider. People often assumed that because she herself wrote, that she was deaf... to be fair, that was an entirely fair assumption. In truth, she wrote because she was mute... yes, she was deaf, but her lipreading paired with being able to see the images in people’s minds meant she could usually understand what people were saying. Seeing that small gesture of kindness never did get old, however.

“I’m not deaf.” A white lie, she wrote it out on a notepad she placed between them. She shot Kennedy an apologetic grin. “Though everyone thinks that, don’t worry. Perhaps it can save some writing on your part! :)”

A few moments of writing out the lesson plans more, and Raelyn paused to stretch and reply to Kennedy’s own note. She herself taught sign language and martial arts for a few extra pennies... but could she really offer advice to a real teacher? Her mouth turned down at the corner, fixing the brunette with a skeptical look while she thought before shrugging.

“Treat the classroom like a shared experience, not a didactic factory.” She explained, thinking back to her own lessons in teaching: haphazard sidelong instructions by an old man who had been drunk more often than not. “And remember that they’re human, too.”

A genuine smile was followed by a final scribbled note, “And if you need someone to vent to about your horrible days, I’ll always have an open ear.” The irony was not lost on Raelyn, who had to stifle a giggle while pushing the note across the table.

Dimitri waved a hand easily. Of course that was it. It seemed such a prevalent thing with everyone he met since leaving him. Everyone always concerned with money. He had never really given it much thought, in the past. It wasn’t that he hadn’t needed to earn his keep in the family; he’d worked every single day, if not on a job, then to train himself to be better for the job. It only so happened that he was very good at what he did, and what he did made quite a lot of money. Even if he hadn’t been smart enough to pull what he could out of the family funds before running, he was at least smart enough to make money, if he needed it, wherever her went. The idea of worrying about there being enough of it was a foreign thing to him. Hell, he had been called a prince half his life. A prince to a less than legal empire, but a prince nonetheless. 

This was the point, though. Learn to live like an average human being, learn to be different. He had wanted this, after all. A life that didn’t stink of death and shadows and cold steel. If he wanted that, he was going to have to actually make an adjustment and try to understand the life he wanted. Of course, that didn’t have to mean that he couldn’t use the money he had, did it? If nothing else, he would just stick to the money he had earned as a street performer, which was a pretty penny considering the things he could pretend to do. 

“No need to worry about money.” He did realize that he didn’t look much like the type of person to have money. He was wearing average clothes and came with only one bag of clothes. Blending was something he did know how to do, at least in the physical sense. “I mostly need to get some general supplies since I don’t have much.” He had yet to discover where these general things were stored. He assumed they all had to be somewhere, but at home they had always just appeared when he needed them. “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing? I’m happy to have all the company.” 

Five seconds later she was slipping into the sun-dress she hadn’t worn in weeks, sliding straps over pale arms that seldom saw the sun. Thirty seconds, and she was striding back out into their shared room, a smile on her lips, eyes twinkling with the thrill of a new friend, new adventures, new thoughts. Five minutes more, and she was walking down the street towards the local markets - a collection of stalls and shopfronts made presentable to tourists, each harkening a wide variety of wares. All tailored, designer, expensive. Raelyn did not look at them with the envy one might expect of the average woman... Envy required opportunity and for Raelyn? She’d never been anything but poor.

Well... not poor. She had enough to scrape by, a meager income from teaching sign language to children and cleaning at the local library. The sort of income that left her well away from the sleek design and shiny material of the clothes and technology scattered about them.

As they strode down that street, Raelyn found herself watching Dimitri walk with curiosity. Watching the graceful stride of muscle-bound legs take him forward with the pride of a lion. He was a force in the street, not just some passerby. Being near him, she imaged she could feel the crackling of his energy sending goosebumps roaring across flesh. She tapped his shoulder to get his attention, before signing ‘What are you looking for?’ in sign, simplifying the complicated gestures by spelling each letter in ASL. She’d seen him follow that much, at least.

He pushed away the thoughts of his past with an effort made easy from years of practice. He would deal with it one day, or he would die, whichever came first. He generally preferred the latter.

He did have to stop for a moment at her question, tilting his head in thought. He’d never had to describe sound to someone, and he imagined it was as difficult as describing something you saw everyday to a blind man. 

He pulled his feet up on the couch, crossing them underneath him as he focused a bit on that slight pull of her magic he could all but feel in his head, pushing the sound of his voice towards her. “I have no idea if this works like this.” He thought as loudly as he could.

Raelyn waited in baited anticipation as silence settled.... It was a funny thing to a deaf woman. It was not silence of words or sounds, but rather a silence of thoughts and emotions in the pregnant interlude between conversational components. In this one, however, she felt judged. He was, after all, the first one at the house she’d told of her own deafness. Perhaps he would laugh at her? She doubted it.

What came instead took her breath away. The very oxygen of life snatched from her lungs as her mouth worked around unformed words, uncomprehending. She had... heard him. His voice. The rolling lilt, his faint accent, the chestnut reverberation in his chest. How to describe it? She couldn't... not with words.

And so, tears streaming down her cheeks, Raelyn dived sideways and none too gently hugged Nico, skinny arms wrapping around his torso before squeezing. She did not vocalize her thanks - for she could not - nor did she send him images to that effect. She hoped that her sobs of sheer, unbridled joy passed that message along just fine.

Freya wasn’t one that usually found herself in a bar, but since moving into the house she did find one that felt like home in some strange way. It was busy and loud two things that she usually avoided but it was nice being surrounded by others when she felt completely alone. At least then she wouldn’t be physically alone. In a bar there was always someone to talk to. Whether it was the bartender who was paid to listen, or some older person who felt just as lonely as she was.

Although lately she was finding herself making more friends and keeping herself busy. That didn’t keep her fro still seeking out to make more as she settled into her usual routine with a hot tea in her hands as she walked around making small talk with the regulars that she knew, and making a passing greeting to those that she didn’t.

Freya had noticed someone new though with an art pad in front of her. She had no artistic ability herself, but she did have an appreciation for it. Before she could ask her anything about it though she caught that the woman had signed to her. She wasn’t sure exactly what she had said and was thankful for the scribbled down note as she sat down to read over it before grabbing her phone out and typing out a quick message for her to read as she slid it over. What are you drawing?

The girl had flowed over to the seat beside Raelyn with the grace of a dancer, her smile quick and easy as those deep eyes flicked between the pad and her pencil clutched loosely. She seemed at ease here, the comfort of a regular in the warm, woodfire setting. Raelyn herself felt at ease, though not because she was a regular - because she wasn’t - but because she had the innate ability to see herself through the eyes of those around her. Much of the discomfort found in new settings was the far of judgement... Raelyn was not arrogant, but she could see that she was little more than a blip on the radar of those around her. A passing newcomer. There was peace in anonymity.

As the typed message slid across the bar surface on illuminated screen, Raelyn’s face split into a friendly smile. One would be surprised to see how often people simply neglected the effort required to talk to someone who was deaf... that said, Raelyn did not make it common knowledge that she had no hearing. She disliked the pity that usually followed. Besides, it was easier and quicker for her to read lips and minds than for messages to be typed and exchanged by both parties. Raelyn scribbled on her notepad, a tightly-spaced message in messy handwriting that she slid across the table along with her art-pad.

Raelyn found peace in drawing the images she saw flitter through other’s minds. Often they were not even aware of the surreal beauty contained within those thoughts... Raelyn’s drawing was a herald to that beauty, trying to give it form. The frontmost pages were adorned with quick charcoal sketches of landscapes and homes she had glimpsed through the eyes of those around her. Places she had never been save for in the memory of others. Beautiful. This was the world through the eyes of others, simply put.

The scribbled words read simply, “I’m not deaf. You can talk. I love your smile, by the way... could I maybe sketch you quickly?” A black smiley face accompanying the message, mirrored on Raelyn’s face.

A thousand things flash through his mind, only to be pushed down again immediately. None are possible, none are things he even deserved to see again, the small voice in the back of his head whispered, and he finally shrugged. “I think I’ll be okay for now. Can’t remember much anyways, so it’s fine.” He clung to the memories he did have, but he was doing his best to not think about those. Even with her claims that she wasn’t searching his thoughts, he didn’t know how much she could hear without even trying.

“So, um, how long have you been in the house?”

The flood of images made Raelyn gasp, an onslaught of imagery she’d not been prepared for. Having had her powers for years, she very rarely got overwhelmed by the thoughts of those around her - her enjoyment of those thoughts likely helping. In that moment, a plethora of jumbled senses cascaded through her mind unbidden, making her reel as she tried and failed to make sense of any particular one.

She felt cold. Chilled to the bone. She did not want to see intimate thoughts of his, images he thought he didn’t deserve. That regret, that pain... she had no right.

“A few weeks.” She typed out numbly, sending the image to him to give herself a chance to think. She felt as if she knew him a little better, now. A little better than perhaps he wanted her to know him.

Feeling as if, perhaps, he deserved to know her a little better... she typed out a quick message. Fingers quivering slightly, hesitant... before finally pressing that glowing blue arrow.

“What does your voice sound like? I’ve always wondered what voices sound like...”

He’d struck a chord, somewhere in that. Honestly, Dimitri could not understand how people got stuck on objects so easily. Even Kat, with her knives, she couldn’t leave any of them anywhere. He couldn’t think of anything he wouldn’t be willing to leave behind. He had always thought she was only thing he couldn’t leave behind, but here he was, completely without strings for the first time in his life. It was a strange and floating feeling and maybe, considering that, he could see why some people wanted to find their ties in things that they could choose to hang onto. He would still rather stick with money, but to each their own, he supposed. Or maybe it was none of that and she just couldn’t afford a new one. That was another thing he couldn’t understand. He had grown up with the mindset that if he wanted something, he bought it. If he couldn’t buy it, he stole it. He didn’t so much like the second, thieving felt so petty and needy. And he was only petty when didn’t like someone. 

All too quickly, they had moved past it, anyway. She was a fast writer, having put away the phone as if she thought he might take it from her and toss it in the trash himself. A single eyebrow flew upwards as he read the what she wrote, wide smile returning to his face. Oh, he was going to have to be careful with this one, apparently. She hadn’t seen right through his power, else she wouldn’t have asked what he could do. Which meant she was still fishing for clues and Dimitri was well past skilled when it came to a poker face. 

He leaned over to tweak her nose and wink. “Well, looks like I’m not the only one with secrets. There’s a fancy little trick there.” He chose not to feed into the comment about him being a pervert, or answer the question about finding any secrets. She would know the contents of her sock drawer, and the fact that she didn’t look worried meant that she probably didn’t have anything of value hidden in her room. 

“What do people do around here, anyway? I’ve never spent much time in Paris, but there’s good shopping here or something, right? Do you want to go?” He had a notoriously short attention span, and he’d already managed to get bored with their current conversation, looking for something else to occupy himself with. 

The flashes were a jumbled mess of colour and symbolism that, even while devoting her entire focus on un-jumbling them, she failed to understand. Cold steel swirled past bleached faces, hard eyes staring back from the darkness of memory as glinting steel caught ethereal light, as deadly as the one holding it. Those blades had eyes of their own, loved, possessed. They were wanted, even as they buried into a blurred reflection of her own outdated phone, the thoughts connected in surreal beauty.

Raelyn could very easily get lost in her own thoughts, the way others might get lost in a book. Sometimes she could not discern from where the thoughts of the people she was with ended and her own began, a winding journey her brain was all too happy to take her on. Her new roommate was far from the simplistic, friendly facade he presented. That much was evident by his thoughts, far from those of the average twenty-something having just wandered into their latest apartment.

Attention refocused just as he was finishing something about fancy tricks. Eyes remembering to flick to his lips to read the final few words. It was slip-ups like this that gave away her deafness, little mistakes that cost her weeks of making people believe she was only mute. Perhaps he would chalk it down to her loss of focus... if only she could be so lucky. Regardless, he continued on - changing the topic of conversation with all the grace of a troll in a china-shop. She let the matter drop, not eager to make this boy dislike her quite that early. She would likely be living with him for the imminent future, after all.

When he asked her to go shopping, her brow furrowed in confusion. Lips pursed as if displeased, she scribbled rapidly on her notepad. “I don’t have much money.” The writing messy and cramped as she stood from the bed, going to shove her hands in the pockets of her pyjama pants before realising she’d gone for shorts that night. Darn. She favoured folding her arms over her chest instead, fiddling around in her dresser before coming up with a plain summer-dress and warm leggings. She deposits another note in his lap before skipping towards the bathroom, a grin on her lips. “But I will keep you company. Wouldn’t want you to be lonely.”

That, and she was a curious sort. So many puzzles in this boy she still wanted to uncover.

“Cute puppy though!”

Raelyn smiled genuinely as she felt him slowly coming to senses with her powers, beginning to understand what she had shown him. She had never meant to harm him, never meant to shock him. Fingers tapped out another quick message before she shot the message through the interstellar pipes between their brains.

“Is there anything you would like to see? That you miss?”

Nico turned his head as he listened to her footsteps recede. “Bye?” He didn’t think he’d scared her off with anything, but honestly who knew what kind of people got attracted to the house. Plus, people could be weird about a lot of things, and especially their magic. He could still trace hers, light and airy, the smell of rain on a sunny day. 

Then she was back, a new image popping in his head in a way that he was almost getting used to. It was still strange, and the fact that the room seemed to be entirely dark now even more so. “Probably for the best, no one wants those. I’m Nico? And did the lights go out?”

Raelyn smiled at the mention of his name, her head filling with a few fleeting images of her own. Rainfall, crackling fire, whispering grass. She shook her head, focusing as her fingers typed out another quick message.

“I didn’t want to overwhelm you... I thought that darkness might help.” This was followed by a small image of a Labrador retriever puppy with it’s tongue out.

She could only restrain herself so much.

Nico was actually a little relieved when the images disappeared, it felt more natural to listen at this point. The whole thing was overwhelming, even if he wasn’t actually seeing it, just in his head, which made it even more confusing.

“Right. Right. So probably not on drugs.” His fingers tapped in rapid staccato against his leg. “I think I might be having a bit of existential crisis, you’ll have to give me a minute. So you can do telepathy, obviously, right?”

Raelyn blinked, momentarily shocked at the flooding of relief in his mind. She had guessed the images would be confronting, overwhelming... but she hadn’t expected it to be quite so forthcoming. Then again, Rae didn’t know how she’d cope if she could suddenly hear again.

Mind whirring with possibilities, Raelyn stood and took off at a dead sprint, thundering past confused residents with a huge grin on her lips. Barely thirty seconds later she was back to the couch, hefting a giant stuffed blanket covered in various dog-breed decals. Another thirty seconds and she was back in her place beside him, though covered in the blanket like a child hiding from nightmares. Typing a quick message on her phone, she sends the image the boy’s mind. Now, it was only an illuminated texting screen with the message. No overbearing bright colours or details of the room around them... just a message and a black background. She hoped it was less confronting.

“I can send and receive images, that is all. No reading your deep innermost thoughts :).

My name is Raelyn by the way!”

Hello and welcome to my latest muse, Raelyn! She’s a weird little kiddie, but soft of heart and an angel by nature… I hope she fits in nicely with our ragtag group of misfits! I am completely open to connections and ideas for plots :) I want her as interweaved as possible!

A brief summary of her backstory - keeping it brief!

·         Raelyn was born mute and deaf to a reasonably wealthy family in America, though the latter only found out some years prior thanks to her latent powerful telekinetic and psychic powers.

·         At first she was terrified of her powers, constantly hearing the coherent thoughts of those around her. This lead to multiple rough encounters, yelling matches and interactions through which Rae simply bowed her head against the storm and… survived. Such is her nature. Raelyn will never put her own wellbeing above that of the people she meets, no matter the situation… however that doesn’t stop her from dishing out countless sarcastic barbs often only understood by those fluent in sign language.

·         Raelyn has learned to express herself through emotive expressions and gestures, though favours Ozlan: Australian Sign Language. She favours this over traditional forms of sign language due to its capacity for sarcastic, rude and humorous gestures.

·         Raelyn has been taken advantage of more times than she can count, always seeing the best in people… and yet she continues to help those she meets. Sometimes this takes time, slowly warming to those she meets… but once she becomes dedicated to a new companion, she is truly devoted. An honest, real friend.