"So, we don't really get it.  It's kinda related to what your backlash is, sort of.  Someone gets hypothermia, they can guide someone who gets a fever, 90% of the time.  10% of the time it doesn't work and nobody knows why.  You want a backlash that's the opposite of yours, they cancel out...for some reason.  Guy who gets tired, you want someone who has a mania backlash, probably, that kinda thing.  Except for when it doesn't work."

"Huh," he huhs.  "Did the guy with the tiredness backlash match with yours?"

"... yeah."  She pauses, weighing her words.  "Backlashes are - kinda private, usually.  Personal.  His is public, but it's kinda rude to ask directly.  It's like asking someone about a phobia, kinda."

" - oh, I'm sorry," he says.  

"You're good, you didn't do nothin'.  Just warning you before you touch the third rail, right?  Mine's annoyance.  It's pretty annoying."  Don't make a big deal of it don't make a big deal of it - 

Smile.  Bop.  "So how hard is it to find a compatible partner?"

Oh thank fuck he didn't make a big deal out of it.  "You gotta be kinda lucky, but it happens eventually."  She foreheads the ball back toward Lucky.  "Any esper can guide any other at least a little.  But you gotta be able to stand each other for three or four hours a day.  More if you run dungeons together, or you do some civilian shhhhtuff together.  It's kinda like dating, but it's sort of not?  Especially if you've got a professional guide, where you're paying them to snuggle.  Sometimes it gets weird."

(Hmm can he get away with trying to get this grownup to chill out about swearing in front of him.  He is not sure yet.)  He giggles at the foreheadbop.  "I never heard of professional partners."

"Some people just have a lousy power, but they can still guide.  I think, uh, you ever hear of Flay?"

"She fights swarms, right?  And sometimes really big dungeon boss monsters?"

"Yeah.  She's, like, bullshit strong.  And her husband's power is so bad they wouldn't even classify it.  But she's only able to do so many dungeons because he's got her back.  Behind every strong esper is, uh, another esper."  She pauses for a moment.  "...that sounded better in my head."

Snort.  "I know what you meant."

"Is guiding always, like, romantic?"

He's not sure if he should be asking this, and really it's Parry's business and not his, but - he has a feeling for hard-to-articulate reasons that a yes would be kind of bad news.

"Usually.  Not always.  I, uh, guide with a lot of people, I travel a lot, and we mostly just cuddle with a laptop or a tablet each.  But it's pretty common for, uh, romance to, uh.  Happen.  Not for me, though!"  Not like that.  Not again.

.......gosh, maybe a yes would be bad news for this lady too.

"...you okay?"

"Oh, yeah.  Right as rain.  Just a long night stopping cars last night."

If it hadn't been such a long night I wouldn't be fucking billboarding my emotions all over the place right now.  Fucking Carnapper.

"My sister rescued somebody from a car this morning," he says conversationally.

"Good on her.  That's the real problem with the cars.  I could stop 'em, but stopping 'em without hurting the passengers is tricky."  She's not thinking about Counterfactual Carol who may or may not have died last night.  That would be counterproductive.  That thought's going in the box.  "... guess I oughta shake her hand sometime, huh?"

"She could use a partner," Lucky says, who is somewhat but not completely aware of how worrying a combination that makes with she chased a car down the street this morning.  "Or do you just mean to say thank you."

"Why not both?  It's good to say 'thank you'.  I try to do it after every dungeon, if I work with someone."  Gotta get ahead of the bad PR somehow.

Is she being for real or is that the Type Of Edifying Shit You Say To Little Kids.  "Well, if you wanna see if you're compatible with her, she's the grumpy-looking lady with the dark-green hair who can't stop walking."

She really does make a point of it!  She's got a major reaction penalty she has to compensate for.  "If you see me while you're hanging with her, introduce us?  But if I see her first, I'll check for sure.  What's her power like, aside from 'she flies fast as a car'?"  Gotta do my research.

"Well, I've never seen her do it," he says.  "But I don't think there's really much else to say about it than that?"

Bop.  "Well, I guess."  Kid's like, ten, you can't expect him to be an expert in this shit.  "Not like I've seen it, either."  Odd he hasn't mentioned any other family.  Hope they're alive.

Bop.  Hmm.  "What's your name, by the way?"