She hums. "As technology gets better people get less diseases and stuff - we have a really low death rate compared to like when our world had this level of technology - but it's also easier for one person to cause a lot of damage if they decide to attack somewhere. And that's without adding superpowers into the mix..."

"What kinds of superpowers? You've mentioned at least some of yours..."

"They really vary... Most people with powers - who are a small minority of everyone - just look different, or can see heat, or are a bit stronger or faster than normal, or heal a bit quickly, or can hear sounds other people can't. Then there's the serious powers, like teleporting, controlling technology, controlling the weather, mind control, mind reading, controlling all metal objects, super speed, healing fatal wounds in seconds..."

"Huh. So not much like mages."

"Yeah. There's people who can do magic and have broader stuff, but most people get one power or set of related powers."

"How do they get these powers? Mages study for theirs and paladins get them when we make our vows, so long as we keep them."

"Lots of ways. Mutants have powers the same way people have certain eye colors - it's passed down through a family, but sometimes the thing that causes powers skips a generation. Mutants are pretty common. Some people get powers through - ways you can alter a person after they're born, basically? Like, some things if you expose a kid to them cause physical or mental problems as the kid grows up, and other things cause powers. That's how I got my power. Some people get theirs through study, or through having a really special piece of technology no one else does. Some people only have powers in reference to humans - like, Skrulls are a species from another world who can shapeshift. They're not considered powered on their home world, but humans can't shapeshift, so a skrull living in a human city effectively has a power."

"What were you exposed to?"

"Program trying to make more people with specific superpowers."

"I guess that worked. What did they want you for?"

"Experiments, pretty much. See what they could do."

"...doesn't sound great."

"Lots of not-great people in the world."

"Here too."

She nods.

"That's what we're for, though," says Signe.

"Yeah. My world has superheroes in about the same role, I think."

"That seems like it might be worse without a Light as a check on abuse of power..."

"Mostly there's not much centralization, so groups keep each other in check, or are kept in check by their government or some internal organization. But, yeah, it can get nasty sometimes."

"Other people just won't catch everything," says Colborn. "If a paladin falls it can be a complete surprise to everyone else."

"Yup. We've had that problem plenty."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah." She shrugs.

Over the next little bit she does assorted chores, relays more random science knowledge, doesn't let her martial skills go rusty...

She doesn't like sitting in one place, though, and once she has a handle on the language's basics (quite quickly, her enhanced mental acuity helps there) arranges to do chores in a town-wards direction, in the hopes of transitioning out of the paladins' care.

There aren't really any town errands more efficiently done by a non-paladin - the not having a mount slows her down even if she wants to flat run the whole way - but they can assign her some inefficient ones, even though they seem reluctant to let her handle money. They let her take a packet of letters down to Andivar.