[petersamuel-sexton-deactivated2]

“Thank you. That’s really kind of you.” Peter swallowed hard against a sudden lump of what should’ve been tears in his throat, knowing that he wouldn’t really be able to cry even if his control wasn’t what it was. He hadn’t been able to cry for months. “Uh, what forms am I filling out then? I wanna remember the names,” he said, eyes focused on the desk determinedly, “if that’s how they’re gonna try and screw me over.”

[leonardobradshaw]

Leonardo smiled, hoping that he had helped. “Not a problem. I, uh, really like helping people. And, uh, I know how terrible death feels.” He looked down at his papers. “You’ll be filling out the 1040EZ most likely, but, uh for your... mother... it’ll just be the 1040. Unless... she owned a business, or something.” Leo looked back at Peter.

[leonardobradshaw]

( TW: attempted suicide )

Not much has changed for Leonardo in the past ten years. 

Despite learning how to better stand up for himself, he’s pretty much continued to stay the same around people as he’s always been. 

Around the three year mark, his medicines stopped working all together and Leonardo attempted to end his life. (Alas he was found by a neighbor and was sent to the hospital and eventually spent time in a mental health hospital.)

Leonardo eventually left the accounting business he was working at to start his own accounting place. (You can stop by any day of the week for a free consultation!)

For years after leaving the hospital, he worried about the medicines not working anymore, but at the seven year mark he finally found one that worked and continued to work by not suppressing them, but by making them only happen about people within a small radius outside of Barton Hollow. 

Now he sometimes helps the Barton Hollow police department catch and stop deaths from happening in Barton Hollow. 

However, Leonardo still does not know how to act around most people. He’s still the same awkward person he was before. 

More people seem to respect him than before though, and he cannot complain about that.

In the past ten years he’s become happier. Learned to make friends with people. Even date occasionally (he still hasn’t gotten married).

[lora-mayweather-blog]

Two Twisted Minds || Lora + Leo

[lora-mayweather-blog]

Lora let out an aggravated grunt and said rather sharply, “I can imagine.” His pain was involuntary, obviously unable to control whatever occurred to him, whereas hers was completely her own fault; if she wasn’t so damn curious, her sanity would still be in tact. His was probably slipping at the seems just because his mind wouldn’t shut up. 

Staring at his clenched hands made her roll her eyes. Another giant difference between them: this man fought his demons by inflicting pain, her visions forced her to cause herself pain. The whole situation was topsy-turvy. Grabbing napkins and wiping off her area of the table and her reddened hand, she almost decided on getting up and relocating to the group sitting across the way. There wasn’t any empty seats, but she figured if she “accidentally” kicked a leg out from one of the occupied chairs then perhaps they would get the picture and leave. 

“You gotta stop that, it’s weird,” she eventually spoke out, indicating to his whitened knuckles. “I get you’re going through some shit but you’re going to end up messing with some nerves if you’re consistently doing that.” 

[leonardobradshaw]

He didn’t want to go into much detail. He knew no one really cared. Well, with the exception of a few people, no one cared. They would prefer to keep their distance from him. And Leo was fine with keeping his distance from other people as well. He just wanted to drink his coffee in peace and not have to worry about an oncoming vision-- even though he knew it was useless to think like that.

Leo couldn’t help clinching his fists. It was almost an involuntary reaction to being around anyone. Even the smallest confrontation stressed him out. So he knew he was never going to stop it. He did relax his fists when she made a not about it.

“I can’t help that either,” he noted, dully. Looking at the palms of his hands, he could see faint scars from times before when he dug his nails into his palms. It helped him think-- helped him not be so stressed about something. “It’s-- involuntary. Besides, it’s not a problem yet.” His hands weren’t really important anyway. “I’m sure you have bad habits as well.”

[leonardobradshaw]

{ void mind } thomas & leonardo

[thomas-youngbloods-deactivated2]

Thomas glanced towards his car, where he’d been headed, but he didn’t have much planned for the day ahead. He’d finished all of his work for the day, and had headed to get coffee before he went home, but it wouldn’t kill him to sit down outside for once. 

“Thanks anyway,” Thomas said, sitting down at the table and wrapping his fingers around the cup to warm his hands. “You seemed lost in your thoughts. I’m surprised you noticed at all.”

[leonardobradshaw]

Leo smiled and bit down on his lip. He had taken the rest of the day off as a sort of break that tax season was almost coming to a close. He deserved a day to himself. Besides, he needed to do some errands... sometime... eventually. He was sort of glad to have a bit of company though.

“Oh, it’s not a problem,” Leo stated. “I was actually trying to not be lost in the thoughts that I was lost in,” he admitted. They weren’t happy thoughts. They were terrible thoughts. So he was glad for a bit of distraction from them.

[lora-mayweather-blog]

Two Twisted Minds || Lora + Leo

[lora-mayweather-blog]

Somewhat surprised at his willingness to stay, Lora figured that it was out of desperation and pitied the poor soul. “I don’t need your apologies, just sit and shut up,” she commanded before going back to her pensive mood. She sipped her own coffee but made a face at its bitter taste. Why she even continued to bother with the damned drink was beyond her. She made a mental note to try concocting a potion that will give her the same benefits as caffeine, yet not make her want to vomit. 

Suddenly, a scalding sensation touched her hand which caused the witch to shriek. Pushing herself away from the source and looking up out of reflex to the man sitting across from her, she felt her temper boiling. Why was she now the victim to people’s clumsiness? 

"Honestly!" she screamed, "What the fuck is your—” her words broke off though when she noticed the tension that ran through his body. It resembled what happened to her when she had visions. She almost genuinely pitied him, but she understood what it was like to have unwanted concern from others. “Alright, look,” Lora continued with a little less hostility, “I’m not about to be a guinea pig to your freak outs. So either you find somewhere else to sit or you promise me that you’ll keep your cool. Got it?” 

[leonardobradshaw]

Leonardo was used to crazy. He was crazy. So he didn’t really care what she was saying. Her words were not going to get to him. He was crazy too. Leo did what she said and sat down at the table, trying to concentrate on his own self. He was planning on just having a cup in silence and not think about anything other than nothing at all because that sounded rather pleasant in his opinion, but then he could feel the vision coming on. 

He hadn’t meant to make the table shake, nor for her coffee to spill on her hand. Leo hadn’t meant to disturb her at all, and now he was regretting it. He wished he had brought along some of the drug that Marilyn had given him, but it was back at his office. Plus he didn’t want to seem like an addict of any type if he put something into his drink. 

His initial reaction was to say sorry, but then she started to speak to him harshly. Leo could feel his nails digging into his palm, the pain bringing him to a calm state. “I--” Leo started to say, but just looked down at the ground, trying to think of something to say. “I can’t... help it. I can’t control it.” Why was this happening today? He wondered if he’d taken enough medicine, or if he’d even taken it at all. The past few weeks seemed to blur together in his mind.

[petersamuel-sexton-deactivated2]

"I…that would be…" Peter trailed off, trying to find the words and the air to say them with eyes grateful but sad. "I think that I should be the one to fill them out. But, um, do you have any clients after me? Would you mind if I did them here so I could ask you questions if I need to?" The man was being kind beyond words to offer to fill them out, but Pete knew he’d have to do them himself. The closure would probably be good for him, or so the young man told himself. 

[leonardobradshaw]

Leo shook his head. He didn’t have any more clients until later. “I-- wouldn’t mind helping. That’s part of what I do here. But no, I don’t have any more clients. I suggest really, really paying attention to what the program is asking you to put in. Because that’s how they get you.” Leonardo nodded and then looked back down. “I can always help.” 

[thelittle-raearchived-blog--blog]

Ariel observed him trying to explain, again she felt sorry for making him feel obligated. He seemed to be under a lot of stress, it couldn’t be good for him or his health. As he spoke, she noticed there was some kind of undertone that gave him away….well, she didn’t know if he was trying to hide it, his tiredness. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be used to it.” she said nodding as if to support her own statement “That can’t be good” It made her feel tired too, for a few seconds. She felt as if she was being dragged by his vibe. “How do taxes work?”

[leonardobradshaw]

Leo always felt like he was no help to people. Especially when they tried to ask him something. He never knew just how to explain something that would make sense to someone else. So he mostly just didn’t even try. Leo wanted to help the woman, but he had no idea how. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to be used to getting stepped all over, but he was. Leo didn’t care. He didn’t know what else to do at this point. Confrontation was not something he had ever been good with. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.” Although he knew she was right. “Taxes are complicated,” he shrugged. “It’s like... explaining thin air really. There’s this whole system behind it that’s been, well going on for so long. I don’t really like tax season, I do accounting all year. Balancing people’s checkbooks is my real talent.” 

[surmamort]

Look, do you need a coffee or something? My break is almost over. It’s on the house?

[leonardobradshaw]

“Coffee would be nice,” he nodded.

[leonardobradshaw]

{ void mind } thomas & leonardo

[thomas-youngbloods-deactivated2]

Thomas tended to zone out when he didn’t actively try to focus on what he was doing. His mind would drift to his work and his patients or, on his gloomier days, Camilla or his sister. Today it was a book he was reading; a biography of some poet whose name he’d already forgotten. That was a sure sign that he was hardly bothering to pay attention to the book, but he’d never let a book go half-read. 

He was walking out of the Mystic when a voice cut through his thoughts, informing him of the leak in his cup. “Oh, yeah, you’re right,” he stopped, holding the cup out so it wouldn’t leak on him “I’m just going to set this here for a second—” he set the cup on the man’s table and walked back into the Mystic, coming back a moment later with another cup and a few napkins. “Sorry I dripped coffee all over your table. This is the second time I’ve spilled coffee here this week. I’m starting to think I should just give up coffee.” 

[leonardobradshaw]

Leonardo didn’t normally pay attention to what was going on around him. Especially if it involved talking to other people. He liked to stay lost in his own mind, which bothered some people, but he didn’t care. That’s just the way he was. Leo was never very social... but that was just the way he liked it. Of course he couldn’t help but notice the coffee that was spilling out of the man’s cup as he walked by. Even though only a few drops got on his table. 

“It’s... not a problem,” Leo smiled, wiping off the little bit of coffee that was on the table with his sleeve. He didn’t even wait for the napkins. “I was telling you for your own benefit more than mine, really,” he said reassuring him. “You didn’t really even spill it on me though. You can... um, sit down if you want.” 

[thelittle-raearchived-blog--blog]

It didn’t feel like an answer at all, that’s what she thought. Feeling bad for being so demanding, he seemed stressed and he had no obligation of answering her doubts. But she wanted those answers, curiosity was getting the best of her. She was also saddened by her own ignorance, when talking about the topic that was economy she felt helpless, she didn’t know much about it. “…I don’t know what that means” she muttered, not aware of it. “but it’s a shame that he got so angry, that’s definitely no good for him and his family…” Ariel shook her head and looked at him “Are you okay?” 

[leonardobradshaw]

Wondering if he was helping at all or even making any sense at all, he stopped talking and looked down at the desk in front of him. Leo knew that taxes were a complicated matter and he knew that he could only do so much to help. He hoped that he was helping her as much as he could. "No, you're-- alright. I-- he just... didn't-- care how he was spending his money. Luckily for him, he's single." Leonardo sighed, biting down on his lip. "I'm fine. It happens all the time. I've gotten used to it."

[leonardobradshaw]

{ void mind } thomas & leonardo

Leonardo's mind was never really clear. He always had something on his mind, which made people not want to talk to him. That was technically alright with him because most of the time he didn't want to talk to anyone. Talking to people meant that he was going to have to share things with them and he was really terrible at that. He didn't want to burden anyone. Leo just acted friendly to the people that he talked to, but he didn't really say anything too personal. It was easier that way. 

The Mystic was never crowded at this time of night, so Leo was happy as he settled into one of the tables outside, where he could feel the fresh air. Leo's mind was as clear as it would ever be at the current moment. A person walked by him and Leo noticed that his cup was dripping. "Excuse me," he called, "I think you've got a leak in your cup." 

[petersamuel-sexton-deactivated2]

It was a hollow reverb in his chest as Peter realized he would need to file taxes for his mother, and, presumably, Jesse too. Swallowing hard, he said softly, “Thank you. She did claim me, yes, but I’m twenty one now so I’m not sure if…if I have to do it for myself now? Will I need my own forms?” He paused to take a bit of a steadying breath, feeling his core go a little trembly. “Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it.”

[leonardobradshaw]

He nodded, happy that he could help, even though he didn't know how helpful he was really being. He knew it was hard to hear that you had to fill the taxes out. "If she claimed you, then you can just fill out the one form, or you can do the two." He felt sick talking about death. Truly it was one of the only topics he hated to talk about. "Look, I'll be frank with you, I can do them for you, and I'll--" he didn't know what to say, "I can do them for a smaller fee. I-- don't want you to feel burdened." 

[lora-mayweather-blog]

Two Twisted Minds || Lora + Leo

[lora-mayweather-blog]

Lora heard the footsteps and assumed before the person spoke what was going to be asked. The coffee shop was indeed busy—the bell at the door chiming every few seconds—and most chairs at the tables were preoccupied either with people or belongings of single person. She exhaled dramatically without looking at the person, making sure her irritation was noted. "Yes, you may," she said, deciding that this would be her good act of charity for the next year. "And I will not look at you because I will eventually see you again, wherever that may be, and I will immediately judge you for the time you interrupted my coffee break. I will probably also want to hurt you."  After speaking so much, she figured she should now keep quiet and let the stranger decide whether or not they still wished to sit with Loony Lora.  

[leonardobradshaw]

Leonardo probably made a mistake in coming to the shop at it's busiest time of the day, but he couldn't care less. He just really wanted coffee. Five cups today and he felt like he still didn't have enough of the stuff. And especially because of the headache he got after his last vision, he didn't really care if he had to sit beside someone. He'd learned not to care if a person was crazy or not. He was probably ten times more crazy than anyone else. So he sat down beside her, not saying a word because he didn't know what to say at first. Silence never bothered him, not like it bothered other people. 

"I really do apologize," he muttered. His headache was getting worse and he knew that he needed to start drinking the cup of coffee before it got worse. Leonardo sipped at the cup, almost instantly he felt better. It was probably more of a psychosomatic thing, but he didn't care. As long as it made him feel better. Perhaps he hadn't taken enough medicine that morning, but he could feel another vision coming on. He clutched the table making it wobble and closed his eyes, feeding into it instead of fighting it. 

The flash was only a moment, but he felt a metallic taste in his mouth from biting down on the side of his mouth. "I-- sorry," it was all he could manage to say. He had spilled his cup of coffee a bit. He balled his fist, digging his nails into his palm, and feeling the pain it caused him, but he sighed in relief. He probably needed a stress ball. Leonardo picked up a napkin from the pile he had set down before he sat and cleaned up the small mess that he had made. No one liked crazy people and he probably seemed more than crazy to the woman he was sitting beside. 

[lora-mayweather-blog]

Two Twisted Minds || Lora + Leo

For a person who wasn’t fond of coffee—or caffeine in general, for that matter—Lora found herself back at a café. She figured, however, that caffeine would help her mental and physical state since she acquired little-to-no sleep. At night, her mind raced with thoughts and visions of the future that she sought after for specific answers. They didn’t come easy, though. Somehow, her mind would deter from its path and lose itself in a frenzy of different predictions and insights. The scariest part being the unavoidable lapses, the void catching her between a vision and reality, which could paralyze her for hours, perhaps even days. It’s things such as these that caused her slip of sanity, each day getting worse than the last. 

Ordering a small coffee, she perched herself on a chair in the far corner of the shop. Lora fiddled with the brown liquid, stirring it around and around with a mixing stick, her eyes locked on the almost-soothing circular motion it was moving in. 

[leonardobradshaw]

Coffee was the only thing that was on his mind right now. It had to be the only thing on his mind. Otherwise he was going to focus on the vision that he just had and he didn't really want that. Death was not something that he wanted to think about often, but of course he had to think about it sometimes. The new medicine that Marilyn gave him was working better than the old stuff. He only saw something about once a week. So he anticipated it as much as he could. But was wasn't trying to think about anything but the cup of coffee he was on his way to get. This was almost a routine now, but it was a routine that he liked. Simplistic. Almost normal. Leo liked normal. If only his actual life was normal, then he would be a lot happier. Normal was not something that he could afford. So this would make due. He breathed a fresh breath of the coffee scented air in the shop and almost felt relieved. This was the only addiction that he would ever have.

It was busy in the shop and there weren't many tables that were filled, so after he ordered, he lingered by the condiment section, playing with a packet of sugar even though he drank his coffee black. Pursing his lips, he turned around to find a table. There wasn't really one. Perhaps someone might let him sit near them. He looked for a table closer to the edge of the shop. Most of them were filled with couples or pairs of people. Except one.

"Do you mind if I..." he trailed off, his eyes flickered around the room. Leonardo bit down on his lip for a moment. He knew that no one liked to be disturbed. "I promise I won't talk, unless you want me to," he added. The psychic balled his free hand into a nervous fist, anticipating the worst.

[thelittle-raearchived-blog--blog]

She didn’t know the first thing about taxes, she did know that it made people angry. She knew it was about money. Why was she there anyway? she couldn’t remember actually. Perhaps it was like all of those times in the woods but this time she happened to be taking a stroll around the city. Who knew. Her eyes closed as she wimped, people slamming doors definitely was something off putting to her. There was so much a person could say with just doing that, so much anger. “What’s wrong with him?” she asked curiously, a flash of concern appeared in her eyes “Is he going be alright?”

[leonardobradshaw]

Most people didn't care about taxes. Or they didn't know the first thing about them. Leonardo didn't care if someone know anything about them or not. It was his job to do what he did best and numbers-- with an occasional vision of someone else dead-- were what he did best. People got angry at him when they didn't get what they wanted. He didn't care. He did what he could and that was not enough for the man, apparently. Someone appeared at his doorway and he tried his best not to look like the man had bothered him. "He was angry that he was not getting back as much money on his tax return as he wanted."

[matron-marilyn-blog]

remedy // marilyn & leo

[matron-marilyn-blog]

  Marilyn’s smile faded into an incredulous, tight-lipped frown. “I already told you—its fine, Leo. I don’t know what more you could do for me than what you’ve already done… unless—,” her eyebrows twitched upward “You’re offering something else?”

  By this point, Marilyn almost had a pang of reluctance to take any more from Leo. Before it was just indifference—she knew for a fact that he didn’t have anything of worth for her, and she was fine helping him and collecting collateral from other patrons. Of those that she aided who she deemed worthy and in need of her help, she was more than willing to aid them and set them on the right path at whatever cost.

  “I see,” she said, glancing down. What he’d said intrigued her, but it seemed only to be a generalization that he always had some impending sense of dread. Which, was understandable, given his condition. “They will go away—they’ll become manageable,” she assured “Things may seem bleak now but I promise they’ll get better. There will be no worst comes to worst if I can do anything about it. There will always be something we could try—something we could do. I know I can do a dozen and more things should this not work.”

  “Coffee is… fine,” she said hesitantly, thinking over any possible mishaps should the two ever mix. “Just be careful, alright? You’ve never had this before and you don’t know exactly how you’re going to be feeling,” she cautioned “Just use your best judgment.”

[leonardobradshaw]

   Leonardo picked himself off the ground, finally feeling calm enough that he could function properly in the real world. (Although he was going to qualify that as his apartment because he wasn't going back to work today.) "I know, but sometimes I just feel bad." He knew he didn't have anything else to offer her. Money was not something that he had a ton of, he wasn't poor, but he wasn't rich either.

   He shook his head. "I don't have anything else. I don't-- I wish I did." He knew that she understood. Leo wasn't made of gold. He didn't have anything else to give her. Taxes were it. That was all he could do.

   Majority of the time, his mood seemed negative. It wasn't that he was a pessimist, he just had nothing to look forward to. "I sure do hope so," he muttered as reassurance mostly to himself. "I don't want to put pressure on you anymore than I probably already have. It's not your fault I have this-- gift," Leonardo sighed at the word. "Things have always been bleak for me, I don't know how they can get worse." It wasn't pessimism, but it wasn't optimism either. That's just how his mind worked.

   "Alright. I don't know what I'd do without coffee," he laughed. Taking one last sigh and finally felt better. "I'll be careful, I promise." The psychic held on tightly to the bag. "Thank you. I'll come back soon."

[madelineainsworth]

Madeline jumped as a door slammed and a man stomped past, his fists clenched at his sides. Her first thought was not one of query, but rather of concern. First for the man left inside the room and the tantrum he may have just been at the centre of, and then for herself. Had the man’s anger been simply due to an unquenched greed, or had it been justified? With the secretary now ushering Madeline into the next room, she supposed she’d just have to find out first hand.

[leonardobradshaw]

Perhaps Leonardo was wrong in the situation, but for some reason he didn't think he was. Half the year people spent their time mocking him and then come this time of year, they were suddenly nice to him. He hated it, but what was he supposed to do about it? Leonardo looked up to see someone at his door. "Hello?" he said, attempting to smile, but feeling as if his day was only going to get more frustrating.