"Probably, yeah. I've never heard of anyone getting inaccurate visions."

"Okay. Um." She should probably unhug for this part. ..............unhug. "I think one of them did a love-at-first-sight-only-not-literally-sight thing."

"And you got me. Um. Okay. Parameters? Is there anything you can think of that you wouldn't have wanted before that you would have a hard time saying no to if I asked for it, if I don't ever fall in love with you will it make things better or worse if I act in casually affectionate ways, if at any point I don't know if I will or not will it make things worse in the long run if the answer is no and I say-for-example kiss you while uncertain...? We can't place you with a standard displaced persons agency or anything, if you're psychologically dependent on being near me, but I bet I can talk my parents into giving you the guest room..."

...okay, this is not the worst reaction she could have gotten. "Um, to the first question I am freaked out by mind magic - which makes this artifact's own effect kind of uncomfortable, but still - which you said you had. The casual affection and uncertain kissing thing I think would depend on what you were doing and why... and on what you mean by 'better or worse'. And - I am probably that thing."

"No mind magic, got it. I mean if I decide I like you enough that under normal circumstances I would be interested in dating you, should I refrain from doing that, and related activities like kissing, until I'm sure I'm in it for the long run on the grounds that it would make you worse off if you'd had that and lost it than if you'd never had that at all. Affectionate I largely mean things like hugging and standard platonic kissing locations--I usually don't do these things as much as I'm inclined because other people are less inclined than I am. I'm guessing right now that you couldn't say no to any kind of positive physical contact if you tried. Should I refrain from hugging and kissing you on the cheek or top of the head or whatever on the grounds that a) you would not do those things platonically and pre-love-spell you would feel that I was taking advantage or being creepy, or b) because it would make it hurt more that I wasn't doing those things romantically?"

"...I find myself trying to evaluate this question almost entirely in terms of whether it makes the long haul more or less likely. Which you'd know better than I would."

"...I think if you can give me accurate information about--how you feel about things separate from how I feel about them or how I feel about how you feel about them then that makes the long haul more likely on the grounds that it would make it more possible to have a healthy relationship."

"I. Might only be able to do that by ridiculous mental convolution. But I can try."

"I don't want to take advantage of you. Just--okay, if it helps, I prefer to hear honest answers to answers I'll like better in the short term, does that help? I want to do right by you."

"It - helps but only in a sort of sideways fashion? I haven't had very long to work all the details of what happened to me out yet and I don't know very much about how to trick it or steer it or anything... um, I think in sort of the same sense I am probably psychologically dependent on being around you even platonic or not-sure-where-this-is-going touch would be good if and only if you are not construing it as an obligation on your part or something."

"...Define obligation. You're my responsibility now, emotionally speaking--I'm sorry, I know that sounds horribly patronizing, I don't mean it that way but I can't think of a better word--and--that's going to affect things? I won't do anything I don't want to, but I might not have--gone out of my way to be in a position to want it? Under different circumstances? Does that make any sense?"

"Kinda yeah but that's not what I'm talking about. Like... if you forget about me all day and then you're almost asleep and then you think 'oops, I have to get out of bed and go hug Annie' then no you don't. But if you don't forget about me all day and it occurs to you to hug me and that seems like it would be nice then you can."

"Ah. Yeah, no, that sounds unpleasant."

Nod.

"Does the discomfort around mind-magic extend to doing it with other people? Because my sister and I read each others' minds sometimes, and there are other instances of consensual usages that come up."

"I'm likely flinchier about it than average but if it's consensual and so on it's probably not going to bother me that much."

"Nothing," Emily reports, walking back in.

"Some stuff happened while you were gone."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Let me just show you. Mind Mirror."

A full-length mirror appears.

Emily shrugs and walks into it.

...this must be some of that.

...And walks out a few minutes later. "Damn. I'm sorry. For the fact that you met the object of your artifact-effect and then immediately had to see her engage in lethal combat, if nothing else."

"It was not the most fun I have ever had in my life."

"The fact that you activated over it is pretty impressive, though. Nice outfit, by the way, much more tasteful than some of them."