"It might only work on living things, if it's a psychic power?"

"This is something we can test! Along with someone else who looks unbusy for selectivity checking! Also my random electronics breadboard will be actually useful for something! I mean, if you don't want to we don't have to though...?"

"No, I'm into it, just trying to specify my hypothesis in advance responsibly."

"Science!"

She swings through the main area again and out to the parking lot for the stuff. Maybe nab a few more snacks and handshakes of people she hasn't already tried on the way. Then it's about three minutes on a beat-up laptop with a cord connected to the little circuit board thing before numbers start scrolling up the screen once a second.

Haru fistbumps people - the room catches on after the first few times he presents a closed hand - but nothing doing, and then he catches up to her and goes back to the room and goes invisible again.

Can she borrow an event staff for a moment to see if this invisibility power is selective?

Also, here, if he puts his hand over this it blocks the light and the voltage on screen goes down. If he's going transparent it'll go back up, if he's just not visible it should stay low.

It's selective! People to whom he is invisible see the light at full brightness, the gadget doesn't see it.

Can she see the gadget while he's, invisibly, holding or blocking it? She can see the wall behind him...

"This is really weird! I love it. I could try more kinetic stuff. But it feels like- I can only push, not pull, right, and that's definitely not the only thing I can do, is the sense I'm getting? Hmm... I almost feel like I could - push back against you being invisible to me? Except not."

Things he's holding or wearing disappear with him, things he is just standing in front of are visible through him. "Well, try it, but don't do it too much, we don't wanna get into a backlash-tanking fight."

"Okay. Just for a second or two, then."

She knows he's right there. His power is operating psychically, reaching out into her brain and removing things. She can't feel that influence but she can shove anyway-

-And then stop right away as the hairs on her arm stand up and she shivers. "God! That was - a lot more than pushing the dummy." She scratches at one arm with the other idly.

"Didn't do anything on my end, I guess trying to be invisible costs whatever it costs whether you're trying to resist it or not?" he asks, taking hold of the arm she's scratching with both hands.

Oh wow that feels nice! She can see why people, uh-

He's gay, so let's close that line of thought.

"I did see you for a second though. So... Good to know and good to have the option?"

"Yeah. If it's that pricey for you though you probably don't want to go in psychic dungeons on that alone."

"Maybe it'll get easier with practice or something."

"I don't think it works that way? Maybe if you learn how to be more - precise with it, I guess."

"Yeah, that. It felt... Really crude and violent, the way I did it just now? It's really hard to put these things into words, huh. Maybe there should be an esper conlang."

"But all our powers are different."

"...Fair. Oh hmm. I wonder if I can push things- Reactionless? Maybe I could be a stardrive! Magically push on a big spring, free of the tyranny of the rocket equation. If there weren't other problems about being in space. It'd be cool though."

"Huh, neat. You could do power generation stuff dirtside, get a feel for it under safer conditions."

"Gonna try the basic idea-"

She raises her hand and stares at the dummy. It gets shoved back a bit like a giant fistbumped it on the chest. Wendy doesn't move.

"Seems like it might work! Exciting. Do you think you can extend invisibility to the other senses?"

"Can you hear me now?" he doesn't audibly say. She can see his lips move.

"I think that worked. I don't know how to read lips. Nice!"

"I just said 'can you hear me now'. I'll be able to lay waste to monsters that can't tell I'm coming."

"Nice. The bastards won't know what hit them... This is noooot the place for it but maybe I can railgun."