"Fear is like a direction on a compass," he says. "I've always gone towards it. Maybe I do fear the things you can do, but I can ... just, see them, too."

And it's neat. Armand is very powerful, and he's very skilled. Anyone who can move things with their mind could drag a sofa across a room. His maker is unspooling all of their clothes, leaving skin on skin, and Daniel's back on the luxury rug in this room.

Neat, and impressive. It's very Armand. Detailed and precise and unusual. It's an expression of how sees the world, and it always surprises Daniel. He likes it. He does sometimes think of being crunched repeatedly into the floor, or his tapes being turned into shiny black noodles of their own accord, but those terrifying memories are things to be dissected now. Interesting that he's had them for fewer years than they've existed. Interesting that they met in such a deranged fashion.

"It makes me happy that you feel comfortable doing it. Letting me see."