[ Another soft puff of breath, this time a little stuttered and out of his nose. It's a laugh, muted for Thomas's sake but still definitely audible. Jesus, kid, he's met cops Too Old For This Shit that seem less wary than you.

But hey, he doesn't know your life, so. He's not gonna say a word about it. Instead, he's just gonna hold out his hands - but not let them be touched yet, he'll reel them in a little if Thomas goes for them. ]

It works through the empathy bond. They tell you about it when you first get here, but it does more than just feelings. It does mean there's gonna be a feeling swap anyway, no getting around that, it's just something you can't really turn off.

[ Which Ian doesn't mind, because unless it's a really bad day his surface-level emotions are pretty level. Level enough to withstand someone else's onslaught, too, usually. ]

So no, no hangovers. No missing limbs, no losing your sense of smell. But I gotta know first - how much can you handle? You wanna see the good parts and the bad parts, or is your mental state a little more conducive to the former right now? Be honest.

[ He won't judge - and he seems to communicate that with one earnestly raised eyebrow.

Trusting you to be mature enough to know yourself right now. ]