He didn't beat around the bush. But then again, this was what they were here for, and in a way it was a relief to be able to get straight into what had been bothering her ever since the HYDRA soldiers had turned on them.
Still, it took her a moment to reply; there was so much going on, and Sarissa didn't even know where to start, especially given that she hadn't given him much information the last time they talked about this.
"I told you a while back that there's a force acting on me and I wish I knew how to control it better," she finally said. "There's more to it than that." But he'd probably figured that much out.
"My power comes a Mantle that was forced upon me. And the Mantle has a way of...influencing its host, to the point where it takes them over completely. It happened to my predecessor within ten years, and I know it's going to happen to me. I know that one day I'll be gone, and all that will be left in this body would be the Mantle."
She gave him a resigned, bittersweet smile. "I got a taste of it in Argentina. HYDRA soldiers attacked, and I...I killed them." The last words were spoken in a haunted whisper.