Elion's voice lowered slightly, "At least, not as far as I have ever seen."
The last part was quieter, but Mira caught it. "So you have wondered about it before," she said.
Elion looked at her. "Yes." He leaned back and let out a slow breath.
"Do you think I never thought about that? When everything started changing, when my charm rose, when you, who should have loathed me, began looking at me differently, when my body, talents, and abilities all changed in ways I did not fully understand…"
His fingers curled slightly. "I wondered if any of it was real."
"I wondered whether my feelings were real too. Whether I liked all of you because I truly liked you, or because the system somehow pushed me toward you."
He smiled faintly, though there was not much humour in it. "It is not a pleasant thing to think about."
Mira looked at him steadily. "And what conclusion did you reach?"
