[ Wasn't that just a loaded question? She knew it was coming, but that doesn't make answering it much easier.

Here it goes, though. ]

... [ With a sigh, she braces, just in case there's backlash anyway, regardless of her assurances that he hadn't been a target of her abilities at any point, because honestly a lot of people tend to assume the worst when they learn you can manipulate others. ]

You remember the guards back at the gate? That wasn't entirely acting. I can... convince people to do what I tell them. That's how I got into the dungeons to find you. I told them to let me in, and they did. It's called "charmspeak".