Page 3735

The strangest part of it all, however, had to be the fact that her increased emotional disturbance was actually useful to her work. Her worry over her family’s circumstances made it easier to summon an emotional smokescreen for her thoughts against psychics. She just had to think about her father for a bit--or her little siblings--and the emotions popped right up, persisting even after she started thinking about other things.

Much of the training had been about achieving that emotional summon on command in one’s mind. Entering the appropriate state of mind. Controlling the breathing. Tapping into memories. Or conjuring imaginary scenarios, if memories didn’t do the trick. And meditation, too, of course.

Now that all seemed a bit unnecessary. She had a shortcut to use.

Or at least, that was how Miles had reframed the situation for her.

<“Make use of what is useful,”> he’d told her. <“However you can. Even when it’s painful.”>

She still didn’t know to feel about that. Or about him, frankly. He’d always seemed to have an answer for everything. A solution for every problem. But sometimes, those solutions were a bit... unsettling.

She’d wanted to ask him and Overra more about what had really transpired in Sair, before the war broke out, but he’d been so difficult to get ahold of. The one time she’d been able to talk to him had been over the phone, and he’d told her not to worry too much and that it would all get sorted out, eventually.

<“It’s all a big mess and too difficult to explain right now, but trust me when I say that your family and everyone else are going to be just fine. Once things settle down a little, I promise to answer all your questions. For now, just focus on your missions. Fen’s got you doing important work for him, right? I knew you’d be a perfect fit over there.”>

She didn’t exactly take that advice to heart, at first. Her trip back home to Aguarey had required quite a bit of finesse and favor-providing, especially on the part of her reaper, Ozolos. He was a very old reaper--on par, even, with Axiolis--and so, he had a number of friends within the Vanguard to ask for help.

He certainly hadn’t been quick about it, though. For as long as she’d known him, Ozolos had always been peculiar. Even among other reapers, he apparently had that reputation.