"I feel everything whether I want to or not, but my father taught me from a young age how to put up mental blocks against others," Emma told him, trying to stick to simple facts to explain how her presence here would not be a hindrance to anyone. "This keeps me from becoming overwhelmed in most cases, but they do occasionally fail me. Maybe three times a year I have to put myself away from others to recover from that. With concentration I can read the emotional echoes left on objects and places, as well as influence the emotions of other humans - although that doesn't work on everyone."
She met Kennet's eyes seriously. "I am here because I want to improve what I can do and learn more about myself and my gift. The cirque seems like the perfect place for this. I honestly cannot tell you what my empathy will be like when faced with the emotions of things not human." Hopefully, she thought, it wouldn't be like that first moment of meeting Kennet every time.