Xander nods to Seto. "Yeah, I didn't. It's sort of an uneven friendship, you know? She can't talk, most other people aren't empaths, so she's gotten really good at charades." That and the fact that Cottonball is a thumb-sized white bat with a yellow snub nose and bright oildrop eyes doesn't hurt her cuteness factor. He's pretty sure she's safe anywhere she goes, on that alone.
But Seto's next words sound so much like Alex's that it practically takes Xander's breath away. He gives another weak laugh, then.
"You sound like my twin, Alex, Seto. I could swear he said the same thing--being alone is less complicated. People are complicated. They're hard to understand! I mean. Even I try to come off as uncomplicated, but...it's like a duck. You watch them out on a lake and they look so peaceful, gliding across the water...but then when they take flight, or even if they get spooked, you realize the graceful glide is all illusion, and they're paddling like hell under the surface, just to keep going."
The look he gives Siebren may speak volumes--or, it could only be a look. He's not going to unearth anyone's secrets, despite whatever emotions of theirs he might be registering. Those secrets are their own property--unless either man chooses to share. He's got his own, after all.
"Alex liked to hole himself up in his tower," Xander says, somewhat musing. "He's always had a really hard time interacting with people--when he was a baby, he got trapped in a pocket dimension with Dr. Valkonan and his family, and so he didn't get a whole lot of socialization. He wants to be around people, and be liked, but he still doesn't quite know how. Before I came here, I was trying to teach him...he was jealous of me, because I always find it easy to interact with people...but..."
Xander looks more than a little guilty, then. "It's just...another power, I guess? Like our Earth magic, though he's a lot more powerful than I am with that. He's done so much study and research to get as good as he is, and I just kind of got it. Just like I kind of got my empathy. I can't turn it off, so I have to live with it and ignore it if I can."
Mostly he tries to, because he doesn't want to pry. People's emotions are something private; his being able to read them is like accidentally barging in on someone in a bathroom, except he can't stop it entirely. Just shield as best he can and do his best to ignore it when he can't.
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But Seto's next words sound so much like Alex's that it practically takes Xander's breath away. He gives another weak laugh, then.
"You sound like my twin, Alex, Seto. I could swear he said the same thing--being alone is less complicated. People are complicated. They're hard to understand! I mean. Even I try to come off as uncomplicated, but...it's like a duck. You watch them out on a lake and they look so peaceful, gliding across the water...but then when they take flight, or even if they get spooked, you realize the graceful glide is all illusion, and they're paddling like hell under the surface, just to keep going."
The look he gives Siebren may speak volumes--or, it could only be a look. He's not going to unearth anyone's secrets, despite whatever emotions of theirs he might be registering. Those secrets are their own property--unless either man chooses to share. He's got his own, after all.
"Alex liked to hole himself up in his tower," Xander says, somewhat musing. "He's always had a really hard time interacting with people--when he was a baby, he got trapped in a pocket dimension with Dr. Valkonan and his family, and so he didn't get a whole lot of socialization. He wants to be around people, and be liked, but he still doesn't quite know how. Before I came here, I was trying to teach him...he was jealous of me, because I always find it easy to interact with people...but..."
Xander looks more than a little guilty, then. "It's just...another power, I guess? Like our Earth magic, though he's a lot more powerful than I am with that. He's done so much study and research to get as good as he is, and I just kind of got it. Just like I kind of got my empathy. I can't turn it off, so I have to live with it and ignore it if I can."
Mostly he tries to, because he doesn't want to pry. People's emotions are something private; his being able to read them is like accidentally barging in on someone in a bathroom, except he can't stop it entirely. Just shield as best he can and do his best to ignore it when he can't.