She knew he and his team were stronger than she could taken on, possibly even with support from the group that had saved her all those years ago. But the fact that he hadn't so far only meant he might be playing a longer game. And yet... Something Tsitua did resonated with her Sight, and the young woman slowly reached out to tap into it. Someone who seemed a lot like her...his daughter? A Seer, with her sense of reality shattered. Amuné shuddered. She knew that feeling, she'd come so close to losing herself to it. It still threatened at times. Pain both remembered and shared brought silent tears to her eyes. When the vision was over, the girl remained silent for a long moment. "I believe you," she said at last, feeling like an intruder. "And speaking from the position of someone who knows how she felt...I believe your daughter would thank you." She looked at the ground, weighing her choices for another long, silent moment. Amuné decided to make the leap. "It was a long time ago, now. My father did not handle Mom's death well. Whether it was his knowing decision or if he was taken advantage of, I do not know, and it doesn't matter. A group called the Ring of Shadows acquired me. I was what, three? Four? My memory of what followed is...fragmented at best." The words came slowly, softly, the endings bitten short as if parting with each each one was an effort. "I wasn't the only one they'd found, nor even the only Seer. It was...." She trailed off. "There are no words. Agony barely begins to cover it. Had my powers been different, I would have been brainwashed and trained to fight for them. As a Seer, my value lay in visions. They had a drug that lowered my control, my ability to shut things out. My barriers...there were telepaths that had been twisted so they were little more than slaves, sent to fish through my thoughts and report whatever might be useful." Even remembering it hurt. Amuné shuddered, hugging herself as if it would help her stay together. The pattern rippled, strands breaking and coming loose, and the world wavered around her. She stopped to take a deep breath, strengthen her inner stability. "The other Seer tried to protect me. The Ring knew enough to know I was more vulnerable, being so young, but in the end they really weren't very cautious. Madness claimed her, and still they drugged her, drew what they could from her mind. Until she just...burned out. I barely knew reality from vision by then. It all just blurred together. "After their actions were uncovered, the facility captured and those of us who survived rescued, recovery was...slow. I spent most of a year on the border of sanity and madness." She turned away, bowing her head. "They came very close to breaking my mind, leaving me unable to tell past and future from present, unable to separate myself from those in my visions. Some days I still have trouble. I learned techniques to help me stay grounded and keep it all straight. It works well enough, usually, and the times I lose track I can find one of my anchors and weave it again. But it's...terrifying," she confessed, sounding reluctant. Despite her reticence, it was a relief to be able to share this with someone who might be able to comprehend some of it. "I worry that one day I won't be able to find a place to start, and that will be the end." Slowly the girl turned back to Tsitua, arms still wrapped around her chest. "I don't react well to people who want to invade my thoughts. Even those who approach politely give me trouble. I don't...I can't trust other people in my head. It's hard enough to trust myself." Grey eyes watched him, seeking understanding. --- The woman moved close and then she buried her face inJareth's shirt. For the space of a heartbeat Jareth was frozen, too shocked to move. He slowly wrapped an arm around her, gently, as if she might turn out to be an illusion if he pressed too hard. Lya lead the way to the hanger, where they had entered the facility. The lady working on the bike leaped up and gave him a hug. He took a step back, but she grabbed him all the same, squealing and calling him cute. A hot bush rose in his cheeks and he looked over at Lya with a pleading expression. "Um...it's nice to meet you?" What he really wanted to meet was the bike she'd been working on. "That doesn't look like the motorcycles I've seen..."