“Nora Sefares,” Nora told the man — Dyasen. “What are you doing in FelSar?”

“I’m just passing through on my way to CaSaryn. And potentially meeting up with someone.” There was an increasing look of panic on his face, and he took a step back from Nora.

He can’t actually have figured it out that quickly. Unless he literally never tells anyone his name.

No, this man didn’t look like the sort to figure things out that fast. In fact, he didn’t look like the sort to cause any real stir, and she quickly found herself losing interest. “Well, enjoy your time in FelSar,” she told him, then turned around, heading back down the street.

And here I thought I might do something of use for my town. She actually felt a bit disappointed.

“Actually, Nora, hold up,” the man’s voice called behind her.

Nora turned back around, giving him a tired look as he jogged after her. Then she blinked, brows furrowing. He was definitely a fighter of some sort, and that along with his peculiar actions made him interesting. Why had she dismissed him so quickly?

“Can we talk somewhere, just for a little bit?” he asked.

As she watched, some of the ‘guards’ turned to look at the man, looking mildly confused. They seemed to be having the same realization she was. “Why?” she asked warily.

“I need someone to give me a tour of the town.” He said it like it was a cookie-cutter answer she wasn’t supposed to take seriously.

Well, that’s something I can figure out right now. “Is that true?” she asked, using her power on the question.

“No.” He gave her a flat look, seeming unimpressed. “You really don’t have any tact, do you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” This time she didn’t use her ability — it was more of an accusation than an actual question.

“You know what it means. Come on, where can we talk in relative privacy?” At her wary look, he raised his hands. “We can be within eyesight of other people. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I just don’t think you want anyone listening in.”

So he definitely wanted to talk about her abilities. She didn’t trust this guy at all, but if he could maybe tell her more about her power… she would humor him.

“Follow me,” she told him, starting back off toward the inn. The tables were decently far apart there, and it would be an expected place for her to bring a newcomer, so no one would think anything of it. They might be surprised she was talking to anyone at all, but that couldn’t be helped.

Teslan furrowed their brows when they saw Nora enter again with the soldier. They quickly made their way over as the two of them were seated. “Nora, who’s-”

“We’re just talking really quick,” Dyasen told them.

Teslan glanced at him and shrugged, turning to Nora. “How’d it go with the new folks?”

Nora blinked. “This is one of them. Can’t you tell from the sword and everything?” But even as she gestured to the man, she found herself losing interest in whatever he had to say. I did say I’d talk, though, so I’d better at least give him a chance before deciding he’s not worth my time.

Dyasen made a very loud huff. “Yeah, I’m here with my friend Ysana. She’s delivering beets, and like I told Nora here, I’m just passing through.” He said it casually, like he fit in here. And the more Nora thought about it… he really did fit in here. Sure, he was a visitor, but it felt like he might as well have been here all along.

Teslan nodded. “Well, enjoy your conversation. Would you like anything to drink or eat?”

“No, thank you,” Dyasen told them. “If you could just make sure no one bothers us, that’d be fantastic.”

“Sure. I don’t know why they would, though.” They nodded to him, then Nora, then went to serve another table.

Dyasen turned to Nora, leaning forward. He had very striking emerald green eyes that seemed to pierce into hers, causing her to squirm nervously. “Are you trying to make this difficult?” he asked.

She frowned. Just like that, he was sticking out again. “What did I do?” she demanded.

“It was like you didn’t want the server to let us talk, from the way you kept drawing attention to how not-from-around-here I am.”

“I was just being honest.”

“At times where saying anything at all was completely unnecessary.” He sighed. “But I suppose you feel honesty is important. That’s good at least, considering your ability.”

“So you did figure something out.”

“No, you blatantly showed me what you could do.”

“I did not,” she snapped, feeling offended. “But anyway, why do you even want to talk to me?” She used her power on the question, wanting to get straight to the point.

“I want to know more about what you can do, and I can offer some information about what it is.” He let out a long sigh. “And you just did it again. I’d really appreciate it if you’d stop, though. People don’t like being made to tell other people things.”

Nora frowned. “Everyone knows about powers,” she told him, ignoring the last comment.

“Right, but did you know they’re formally called Energy Redirection Abilities? ERAs, for short?”

“Formally? By who?”

“Sheer Miracca.” Then he gritted his teeth, jerking his head to the side. “Can you not?” he hissed.

Nora’s brow furrowed. “Sheer Miracca? Why are you on a first-name basis with the Sheer of CaSaryn?”

“I work for her.” He groaned, looking up at the sky. “Seriously, please stop.” Looking back down at her, he said, “I’ll tell you what you want to know, but I’d like to do it by my own volition. Otherwise, I’m going to leave, and you’re not going to get any answers at all.”

She watched him for a long second. “You’ll actually tell me everything?” she asked, still using her power on the question.

“Yes.” He blinked, scratching his head, and gave her a curious look. “Well, that was interesting.”

“What?”

“I hadn’t actually made my decision when you asked me. So you just… made me make the decision faster. It was like I really wanted to tell the truth, but I didn’t know the answer.” He grinned. “Now, that’s fascinating.”

Nora watched him curiously. In an instant, he seemed to have gone from wary to excited. “Why is that… noteworthy?”

Dyasen leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and scrutinizing Nora. “I wonder, if I changed my mind now, would I be compelled to tell you that I did? Or can I even change my mind? If I couldn’t, now that would be something.” When she didn’t respond, he gestured at her. “Go on, ask me a question. Without using energy, please.”

“Okay… what exactly do you do for the Sheer?”

He winced. “I don’t like that question.” When she narrowed her eyes at him, he sighed, leaning back again. “I run errands for her.”

“Such as?” she prompted, resisting the urge to use her power. Or ERA, as it was apparently called.

He met her eyes. “I deliver milk every other Tuesday,” he said completely seriously.

Nora gave him a flat look. “You said you’d actually answer my questions.”

“Just experimenting,” he said defensively, raising his hands. “It appears that I can still lie, even though I explicitly told you — while you were using your ERA — that I intended to tell the truth. So you can force honesty at a given time, but you can’t account for good ol’ indecisiveness.”

She blinked. “I’ve… never…”

He gave her a grin. “Never thought of testing it like that? It’s fun, isn’t it?” When her face returned to the flat look she’d been giving him, he sighed. “Okay, fine. I’m a sort of mercenary. I find things, sometimes take things. Watch people.”

“Do you…” She was almost afraid to ask. “Do you kill people?”

He scrunched his nose. “Not really.” Looking down, he said, “Well, I used to, a little bit. But now it’s someone else’s job.”

“Who’s the someone else?”

“Someone I work with. A teammate. I think you’d like them.” His face brightened. “And they should be running a mission around here soon, which is why I’m here. If you’d like, I’ll introduce you.”

“To someone who kills people?” she demanded.

“It’s not like they enjoy it,” he said, making a face. “They’re just… really good. And Miracca needs someone really good to ensure the job gets done. But they’re the best person you’ll ever meet.” He chuckled. “I wouldn’t want to give that job to anyone else.”

“If you say so,” she said doubtfully. “So… about my ERA. What else do you think I can do?”

“Oh, I have absolutely no idea,” Dyasen told her. “But I can give you some basic coaching based on what I do know. First, if you’re talking to someone who knows about your ERA, try to ask them questions without actually asking questions.”

Nora made a face. “Why? What will that do?”

“It’s just basic respect and trust. If you say, ‘How long until dinner’s ready?’ and they answer truthfully, they’ll then second-guess whether they wanted to tell you the truth, or whether it was you making them. But if you say, ‘Please tell me how long until dinner’s ready.’ as a statement, they’ll know you weren’t affecting them and everyone will be more comfortable.”

“I… guess that makes sense. I still don’t think they should be avoiding me at all, but if I could at least do that…” She smiled slightly. “Maybe I can get someone to actually have a conversation with me.”

“What, is this not a conversation?” He looked mildly offended.

She rolled her eyes. “This is more of a lesson. I meant an actual carefree conversation. About whatever topic comes to us.”

He winced. “Can’t help you there,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not exactly a people person.”

She shrugged. “Anyway. You seem to know a lot about this ERA stuff.”

“Well, I’ve learned to be careful with my own ERA, and learned some things courtesy-wise, and it’s helped me get some ideas about other people’s ERAs too.”

“What’s your-”

He gave her a look.

“Please tell me about your ERA,” she corrected herself. “If you want to.”

“I’ve already blatantly shown you what it can do,” he noted. “At least twice.” At her incredulous look, he laughed, leaning back. “I’m not expecting you to know exactly what it is from that. In fact, that’d probably be impossible. But tell me what you’ve noticed. Let’s see if you can figure out the gist of it.”