Mind Games (lxngdon and MaryGold)

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The children's eyes widened when Quinn revealed what his power was. Maritza glanced at each of their faces to make sure they weren't scared -- they shouldn't be, they had grown up with Maritza and her powers and they lived in a freaking cartel. But still, Maritza didn't want them to have any nightmares.

"No way," said Damien blankly, as if he refused to accept it.

Allegra stood up on Quinn's thighs, her face very close to Quinn's as she widened her eyes as much as she could. "Prove it."

"Allegra, you're invading his personal space," Maritza tsked, putting a hand on Allegra's chest to carefully push her back a little. She took a couple of steps back so she was now standing on Quinn's lower thighs, holding her aunt's hand so she didn't fall.

"Cmon, what am I thinking?" Allegra asked, poking Quinn's cheek.
 
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Quinn straightened his back and reposition himself so that his legs were folded. A tiny smile plastered itself onto his face at Allegra's eagerness. His powers was a headache even now the many voices swirled around in his head. It took time but he was able to surface himself from the white noise, the voices were background noises. Tapping back in to them and focusing on voice would be hard.

"In order for this to work everyone has to be quiet, no noises." He looked each and everyone of the children over with a somewhat serious look. It would only leave with a migraine to sort through the internal sounds and external both. Quinn had enough to last him a lifetime.

"With that said, please think happy thoughts," not that he thought the kid was capable of thinking horrid ones. That was thing about being a telepath, you got to see the true colors of people that no one would suspect.

Quinn closed his eyes and focused in on her in the sea of noise.
 
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The children fell silent and so did Maritza. She didn't expect them to understand why it was so important, but Maritza knew Quinn could develop a horrid headache if the noises grew to be too much and that was the last thing she wanted. She just wanted Quinn to be safe and comfortable.

Or, well, as safe and comfortable as he could be in this environment.

Allegra sat in front of Quinn with her little legs folded and her eyes closed, too, as she filled her brain with happy thoughts. Of course, Maritza didn't know this, but the little girl was thinking of ice cream on a hot day, of the scratchy feeling of her kitten's tongue on her face as the feline woke her up, and of the overwhelming sense of euphoria she had felt when Maritza had come home.

All the kids were thinking of happy thoughts and so was Maritza. She was thinking of the sound flames made when they crackled. Of the glorious experience of kissing Quinn for the first time and of the delight she had felt when he had agreed to come to Mexico with her. Of the tingly feeling she got when he called her beautiful, and of the paradise that was her home.
 
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Quinn's eyebrows furrowed when he dipped himself into the noise. He had to sort through the many voices until he recognized just that of Fuenta family in the courtyard. It brought a smile to his face, his little accomplishment. He wasn't on Maritza's level with control balance when to his special self but he was getting there, so, the little things mattered to him a lot.

First, he heard - no - saw what was going on in his girlfriend's head. The images - memories were so vivid and clear and her voice was so loud in his own he could have sworn she was talking. He opened his eyes and looked at her for a brief moment. Those were her happy thoughts? He didn't know why he was surprised when he found he was in them, he was her lover.

Quinn dwelled it no longer because he heard little Allegra and her inside picture of happy. He chuckled lightly, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Cats tongues are rough, aren't they? It's that way to help them eat a believe. And since it is a hot day today, maybe we should have ice cream. Something sweet to celebrate your aunt's return you."
 
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Allegra's eyes went as wide as saucers when Quinn identified what she had been thinking. She stared at the boy in wonder, before glancing at Maritza and then at her cousins.

"Was he right?" Damien asked. Allegra nodded.

The kids immediately jumped up, chattering in Spanish to each other and Maritza and asking Quinn to read them, too. Maritza stood up to calm them down, though she was smiling at their delighted and adoring faces. The little kids loved Quinn, and that was important to Maritza. It was important to her that her family liked her boyfriend.

"Okay, come on, let's go get some ice cream," Maritza offered. Together, the group of people made their way over to Marisol's house -- they were under strict instructions not to go to the main house when business was going on, because the kids didn't need to see that. Maritza gave each child a scoop of lemon gelato in a cone and sent them outside to eat on Marisol's back lawn so they didn't get a mess on the carpet.

Maritza handed Quinn an ice cream cone and brought him out to the backyard, where the kids were playing. She sat Quinn down on the bench on the back porch and sat in his lap. "They really like you," she told him sweetly.
 
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"They're sweet," Quinn kissed her cheek lightly and leaned back in his seat, holding his cone but had yet to dig into it. He watched the kids in the field shortly before directing his gaze ahead and not no one in particular. "God, half the day has yet to pass and I'm already tired."

He leaned his forehead against her shoulder and sighed deeply. Tired but somewhat content. This was the most content he felt since he had first arrived to the compound, to the country. And he he hoped it would stay that way. Despite their family business the Fuenta's seemed like nice people. And he wasn't as nearly as intimidated or apprehensive of them as he thought he would l.

Then again, with his power why should he feel that way about anyone?

"How in earth do you keep up with all of then?" He inquired playfully but just as curiously. He licked his ice cream not wanting it to melt, but he had grabbed a spoon while he was in the kitchen and used that to eat it instead.
 
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"Well, I find that after a while, they just tire themselves out, so we end up watching movies or something like that," Maritza explained. She held her ice cream with one hand, and kept the other arm slung around Quinn's shoulders to keep him close. She loved, more than anything, being close to Quinn.

"So, the kids have about half an hour of energy left in them, before we pile into Marisol's living room and watch a Disney movie," she assured Quinn, running a hand through her boyfriend's curly hair.

God, he was beautiful. Maritza found it difficult to understand how someone so perfect could even exist -- and it wasn't just his looks. His mind, his personality, his caring nature, everything about him was so amazing that she felt so incredibly blessed to have him in her life. To be able to call herself his.

"Did ... did you see what I was thinking before?" she asked him softly. Maritza finished up her ice cream cone, so she used her now free hand to rub his shoulder as she spoke.
 
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"Yeah, it was impossible not to." Quinn answered her truthfully, his tone slightly thoughtful. He had heard pretty much everyone around him, after all, he had yet to learn how to listen in on only one person on the spot. So, it was a searching process for the blonde young psychic.

He outstretched his legs in front of him and went on eating his frozen desert leisurely. It was a refreshing retreat, helping him to cool down in the hot weather, though, it proceeded to make him thirsty. His mother had told him how ice cream did so but when had he ever listened to her ...

He pulled his face away from her shoulder and met her gaze, blue eyes meeting brown. "Why do you ask? There was nothing private there was there?" He raised an eyebrow. Because other than that it was genuinely sweet, he never knew anyone thought so highly of him. It didn't automatically mean he was, but that was how some thought of him and she did for certain.
 
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"Oh, no, there was nothing private," Maritza assured him, kissing his cheek fleetingly. She had gotten over the fact that Quinn could read her mind -- it had scared her a little at the start, but that had only been because she hadn't wanted him to know that she liked him. But now that he definitely knew that, she had no issues with him reading her mind. She had nothing to hide from him.

And, it was his ability, his power that made him unique and special. It just made him even more beautiful than he already was.

Maritza brushed his curls away from his forehead and gazed at him affectionately. She was so lucky to have him in her life. She didn't know what she would do if he was taken away from her -- the idea was so horrible to the young girl that she didn't even want to think about it. She didn't want to entertain the possibility of ever losing Quinn.

So, she didn't.

"I ... I just wanted to know if you liked what you saw," Maritza said softly. "And ... and if you feel similarly."
 
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Quinn broke his waffle cone into bits, eating them one by one. It was rather embarrassing in a way to say theses things a loud. But he wouldn't leave her hanging, after all, it wasn't as if she could keep these things to herself if he was around. Still, there were something's he wanted to keep all to himself, like a little sweet secret kept only between himself and all for himself just like how he felt about his relationship with her. She was his girlfriend and that meant romantically she was all his.

"What was there not to like?" It was a given, wasn't it? At least that part should have been. Those moments in his life ... He enjoyed them so immensely and even thinking back on it made him reexperience that elation he felt, it had his heart pumping and his cheeks slightly flushed.

"So, I mean, I guess I do feel similar." He answered her steadily. Clearly some of his happiest moments centered around her, though, they hadn't been together long. The longer time they spent with one another he was sure it would be overrun with fond, unforgettable moments.

Which somehow brought to mind ...

"Do you ever think you'll leave here, Mexico? Or help with the family business?"
 
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Quinn felt the same way. That small reassurance brought a smile to Maritza's face, and she expressed her happiness with a kiss to her boyfriend's cheek.

Though, her smile faltered a little bit at his question.

Would she ever leave Mexico? That question did not have a simple answer. Mexico was her home, the only home she had ever known, and the short while she had spent away from it had been hell. But maybe that was because she had not had the choice, she had been stolen from her home. Maybe if she left on her own terms, it would be different.

But, she would still miss her family like crazy. And her family business was not one that could be left with ease. Even if Maritza had never touched a drug in her life, even if she had never even seen a proper deal go down, the business was still the only one she had ever known. She had never been to school, she had no qualifications so she honestly didn't know what she would do if she left.

"I ... well, before, it was always the only option I had," she said to Quinn out loud. Maritza leaned her head against her boyfriend's chest. She was so tiny she barely weighed anything, so she doubted she was making a difference to his comfort level. "But, I mean, that was before I met you. I know you don't want to stay here and I don't ever want to leave you. So ... I don't know."
 
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Perhaps he shouldn't have asked. Her answer was one he could understand and slightly relate to. How was he supposed to feel about it? He hadn't a clue, it left him puzzled himself. She was too attached to home and so was he. If they both pursued there deeply rooted wants where was the relationship heading?

Quinn frowned ahead and made a quick decision not to think about it any longer. They'd have confront it eventually but just not now. He needed to distraction or another puzzle to focus his head on. It was a habit as well as a hobby of his to solve puzzles of many kinds. He found joy in it, using his brain muscles. So, yes, he was a strange guy who also liked doing his homework.

He kissed the top of her head and set her to his side instead of his lap. "Your niece said you have puzzles? Can we pull some out?"
 
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Maritza visibly deflated when Quinn moved her from his lap. She immediately started to worry, thinking that she had done or said something wrong or that his feelings for her had changed somehow. The last thing she wanted was to upset Quinn in any way, shape or form, and he was her first boyfriend so, of course, she didn't want to mess it up.

So, she stopped sulking and sat up. "Yeah," she said, pushing a hand through her curls before standing up and stepping down from the veranda and onto the lawn. She approached the kids, who scrambled to their feet excitedly.

"Okay, who wants to do a jigsaw puzzle?" Maritza picked up little baby Trisha, who was almost asleep, and held her close with one arm, then did the same with Vivienne, who was also tired. In fact, Allegra and Tatiana were quite tired, too, so Maritza brought the four littlest kids into Marisol's den and tucked them into the beanbags for their naps. She then got out a large, five-thousand piece jigsaw puzzle and brought it into the living room.

"Okay, guys, let's do this. It's a coral reef." Maritza opened the box and tipped all the pieces out and onto the coffee table. The remaining kids, Gabriela, Valentina, Romeo, Luis and Damien, stood on their knees and helped to turn all the pieces over so they could all see the pictures printed onto the cardboard.

Maritza brought in a can of soda for everyone, made them all use coasters and sat down beside Quinn. She bit her lip and glanced at him. "Can ... can I sit in your lap?" she asked carefully, not knowing if she had done anything wrong and therefore treading carefully.
 
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Again, it was literally impossible for him not to know what was going on in her head.

Quinn frowned slightly but the expression was brief and dissipated almost as soon as it appeared. He glanced at Maritza seriously from his spot at the table where they worked on the puzzle picture. He let out a sigh, not one of annoyance, a sigh of something else entirely. There was no thinking involved when he decided to clear up their little misunderstanding

"Maritza, I'm not upset with you. If anything, I appreciate your honesty." He offered her a tiny smile and picked up a puzzle piece between his fingers. "Don't over think everything. I'm just confused, is all." He wouldn't go into depth on that. If she asked him "on what" his answer would be a mess. The boy was still trying to sort that out himself.

"You can sit in my lap, I guess, I'm just going to work on this," Quinn connected the piece in his hand with another. When it came to these activities he was an efficient and swift. There wasn't one piece he picked up and didn't know what to do with nor did he have to think long, barely thirty seconds between each piece. The picture was coming along fastly and he knew he could have beennhad it done but he slowed himself for the children.
 
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It was a huge relief for Maritza to learn that Quinn wasn't mad at her and that she hadn't done anything wrong. She knew that one of the many things she needed to work on was not jumping to conclusions and overthinking things. It was a critical flaw that she was aware of and one she needed to fix.

She happily climbed onto Quinn's lap, seating herself on his thighs and leaning back against his chest as she watched him solve the jigsaw puzzle. He was very adept at what he was doing and that was something she found endearing -- she liked to watch her boyfriend do things he was good at.

"You got any other secret talents I should know about?" she playfully teased him, kissing him on the cheek fleetingly.

"Look, Riza!" chirped Gabriela, showing her aunt the pieces she had put together.

"Good job, sweetie!" Maritza replied.
 
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Quinn chortled at her compliment, smiling slightly. "Eh, solving puzzles is my real only talent and it's not very arcane either." He watched the children work on the picture while he leisurely pieced together one side with one hand. "Frankly, I'm not a very interesting person." He told her earnestly, laying his chin on top of her head as he worked.

Average, at best, was what he considered himself before he was diagnosed with paranoia schizophrenia. And before he came to realize he was a psychic. Those type of things tend to make a person stand out more than usual. It had had turned his world upsidedown to the point he honestly had no idea what to do. He still had no idea how he was going to proceed from it all. But while he was in Mexico he decided to focus on his time there.

"If you exclude the fact that I'm a delirious psychic," He said coolly, having already come to terms with it. Or at least the part about him being I'll in the head, he had believed it for years now, so as much as it hurt, he was used to it. It was one thing he'd have to learn to live with.
 
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"Hey," Maritza gently chastised her boyfriend, flicking him on the cheek with her forefinger as if to tell him off. "Don't say that about yourself. I happen to think you're absolutely enthralling."

Maritza meant what was said. She found every part of Quinn completely captivating, from the curls of his blonde hair, to the sparkle in his beautiful eyes and to his wonderful and amazing personality. There wasn't an inch of Quinn, physical and mental alike, that she didn't adore with every fibre of her being.

"If anyone is boring it's me." Even if she grew up in a cartel, even if she was a pyrokinetic, Maritza failed to recognise any positive qualities in herself. She wasn't particularly nice, nor was she resourceful or overly intelligent. She was also a lot to handle, and very aggressive, meaning that she could be too much for most people.

But that was something Maritza had long adjusted to, so she didn't care anymore.

Most of the time, anyway. A hint of sadness touched her face as she stood up, finding herself unable to sit still anymore.

"Come help me make lunch?" she asked Quinn, already leaving the room.
 
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Quinn still honestly didn't see why she found him enchanting. He really wasn't but he did not plan to argue with her. She was being sweet and he wouldn't be rude and rebuff her statement. He did almost laugh or snort about herself being boring. That was probably the most ridiculous thing he heard. It was almost as ridiculous as the fact that she genuinely believed it.

He frowned at her sudden change in behavior, nonetheless, he stood up and followed her to the kitchen. He seriously doubted he would be of any help in the process of preparing lunch. It was rare that he had ever cooked for himself, his parents had hired a cook along with a maid or two. They always had household help, the meals he did male himself were as simple as it could get.

"I'm not a cook, at all, but I'll do what I can." He leaned against the counter top, crossing his arms over his chest. "Also, you can't call me 'enthralling' and then go and call yourself 'boring'. You're not."

If Maritza was "boring" as she claimed to be, he was certain he wouldn't be in the country of Mexico as they spoke. He probably wouldn't even had tried at having a relationship with her. She was literally everything but what she called herself and it was absurd she couldn't see it.

"So, what's on the menu?"
 
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Maritza was absolutely certain that if she didn't have her ability with fire there would be nothing interesting about her at all. Her mother certainly wouldn't have had much time with her as she was growing up -- not that she would have blamed her for that if it were the case. But she would have been mostly overlooked by generally everyone.

But she wasn't going to argue with Quinn while he was being so nice and caring. She wasn't going to argue with Quinn at all. Maritza gave him a small smile and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips gently, just once, before dropping back down onto her feet.

"Thank you," she said, and then in the same sentence, "fish fingers and fries."

She gave Quinn the task of taking the deep fryer out of its cupboard and turning it on as she took two boxes of fish fingers out of the freezer and spread them out on baking trays to go in the oven. She sprinkled some spices on top of them because the entire family had grown up eating spicy food, they loved it. Once the fish was in the oven, she took the fries out of the freezer too and sat on the bench to wait for the time to cook them.

"What did you do in Ireland, before you were taken to that place?" Maritza asked quietly, putting her hands on Quinn's shoulders and rubbing them softly, also pulling him close to her so he stood between her legs. "What was your home like?"
 
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"Quiet," Answered Quinn in short, thinking back to his almost mansion sized house, which was more than necessary for a four people family. Still, despite the house's quiet atmosphere and lack of parents around half of the time, it was surely a warm and fond house. It was home and he loved and missed.

He placed his hands on the counter edge on either side if Maritza and looked up to recall his time at home. It was so long ago, two years to be exact and he managed to remember it vividly as if it hadn't been a day that passed. "The only kids were me and my sister, our parents weren't home half the time, but we weren't alone. We had a chef, Bruno, and two maids, Camila and Matilda." He easily recalled. "We spent a lot of time with them, their practically family."

"I had a ton of friends, surprisingly, but I was only close to two." He chuckled softly, feeling nostalgic. He wondered if they still thought about him like he did them. Everyone at home. "My sister hung out a lot with me, she's absolutely the sweetest person I know. Lucy didn't have many companions of her own. She's ..."

He tapped his earlobe slowly, "she's deaf."
 
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