The limo was once again silent. Bradly was staring out the window while Nora continued to ponder his last statement. What exactly was she "broadcasting"? She had waited for him to finish the thought, but wasn't surprised when he started to leave instead. It seemed like something he would do. Perhaps he was waiting till they were somewhere safer.

Didn't change the oppressive silence. People still didn't seem to mind her presence, which she was thankful for. She had worried about it up until that morning. Some part of her assumed that maybe, just maybe, people didn't care? Maybe they thought it was a costume, or some fancy trick. Or maybe she just wasn't weird enough to register. Didn't change how much she hated it. She wouldn't tell him, but she couldn't stand being like this. The scales, the wings, all of it was wrong. All of it wasn't her. She continued to fume about that as the limo pulled back up to the hotel, and they made their way back to the top.

He closed the door of the hotel room and sighed. "Ok, I think we should be fine for the moment. Look, what I'm about to tell you might be a bit scar..." He wrinkled his nose as another thought crossed, but he waived it away and continued, "Uh. Right. Point is, whatever happens now, it's not your fault. Or I should say, it is, but no one can blame you. A power like this is not something anyone can easily control. But it does explain almost everything."

She had flopped onto the bed as soon as she entered the room, but upon hearing his word, sat up. Her ears drooped just a bit. "Should I be worried?"

"Maybe? If you are, that's fine. It doesn't actually change anything. The truth is, your power seems to align with a particular magic thread known as Planetary Alignment. It's a bit of a misnomer, but the idea is sound. As a Manipulator, your emotions should affect those around you, rather that just yourself. But combine with Planetary Alignment, it goes from affecting people nearby, to affecting everything near by. In a strange twist, when I told you that you changed people emotions, it actually worked like that. At least until something stronger took over. It explains why no one has reacted to you. You didn't want them to, so they didn't. You didn't want to change, so you stopped. I suspect that may even be why the mythic transformations in general are so slow."

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Her expression flew through emotions. Sadness, anger, surprise, they all made an appearance. What settled was confusion. "So, wait, I just think something, and it happens?"

He shook his head. "No no, it's based more around your beliefs and convictions. Specifically the ones that have emotions tied to them. If there is a strong emotion tied to something, it's more likely to have an effect. You also have to truly believe it. Simply suggesting an idea wont an instant effect."

Nora thought back. Was there anything she truly believed that wasn't true? She shook her head. That was a stupid question. Of course it would be true. Right?

"Perhaps the incident at the memorial has some more answers?" Bradly turned to Frank.

Frank just shook his head. "Sorry. I still don't fully understand what happened there."

Nora spoke quietly. "I just wanted to forget." She took a deep breath. "She didn't need to be there. She didn't need to die. I just wanted to forget, so I could stop hurting."

Bradly nodded. "Makes sense. Your desire to forget must have been what got broadcast."

"That doesn't explain the dragon," Frank interrupted, "or why you couldn't sense it."

"No, but I have a good reason to think she had nothing to do with that."

"Why is that?"

"Because I think I know who is actually responsible for that one." Bradly tented his fingers, as if ready to tell them, but he kept quiet. Many moments later, he continued. "Right now, the most important part is ensuring you are focused and attentive. You might not be able to corral or control this power, but by recognizing the triggers, we can work out what it might be doing. That itself is a huge help."

Nora had been staring at the floor for this whole time. If she had something to add, she didn't say it.

"We should head back now. He'll be looking for you here, and the last thing we need is you ending up in the wrong hands."