Touchstone 1 - Stray

reddish-plum uniform, a new type to me. Liaison branch.
    “This is Caszandra Devlin,” the woman – Tarmian – said and the Nuran turned and looked at me. His expression was appraising, not particularly warm or pleased or anything, and he bowed, barely more than a nod of the head.
    “Hello,” I said, in English and then in Taren. I wasn’t going to attempt bowing.
    “I am indebted for your time,” said the Nuran. He spoke with an accent, and just enough hesitation to suggest that Taren was at least a different dialect to his own language.
    “Sit down, please,” said Tarmian, gesturing to a coffee table and couches arrangement. The room also had a more formal table and chairs, and a couple of corner clusters of seats and smaller tables, and even an actual long window giving an excellent view of a massive storm outside. That was disorienting; weather is so separate from daily life here.
    The couches were the firm, solid sort. Maze and Ruuel stood behind my couch, Tarmian had a smaller chair to my right and the Nuran sat in the centre of the couch opposite.
    “How did a child of Gaia reach this world?” he asked. And then there was a tickly feeling in my head and I could hear his voice add: ~Are you able to reply this way?~
    ~Yes?~ I tried thinking, all too conscious of Maze and Ruuel standing behind me, neither of whom were likely to have missed me suddenly sitting up much straighter. I’ve no idea what Ruuel’s Sights would have shown him, and I stumbled on into answering the verbal question to buy myself time. “Walked through a gate from my planet to Muina. Was there until people from Tare found me, brought me back here.”
    ~My name is Inisar.~ His eyes, long and dark, were watching me very steadily. “Can you tell me what knowledge Gaia retains of Muina?” ~I have been sent to offer you Nuri’s aid.~
    ~Aid?~ “None. I had never heard name Muina before Tarens told me it. There are no stories, no recognisable stories, about people my planet going to other planets. Were Muinans first from my planet?”
    “I do not know.” ~Aid in the form of haven.~ “That Gaia and Muina shared a bond is remembered. It is an ancient one, stretching far beyond any record.” ~I see that the distortions the people of this world inflict on themselves have been passed to you.~
    ~The interface?~
    “The path to Gaia had long been lost, however, even before we departed Muina. Had there been any unusual events in Gaia’s Ena preceding your arrival on Muina?” ~I am sorry that I am unable to undo their distortion, but I can offer an escape from this place. First to Nuri. And then to your own world.~
    Both Tarmian and Ganaran said something over the interface at this point, but I didn’t pay any attention to their suggestions, just giving Tarmian a blankly distracted look.
    “The…my planet, psychic talents are considered fiction. We have forgotten everything, if ever knew. Don’t know Ena, don’t access it.” I felt unreasonably angry. Holding two conversations at once while someone else talked at me was beyond stressful, especially when my home was dangled under my nose as some sort of bait. I could feel Maze shift behind me, and didn’t know whether to feel comforted or threatened by his presence. ~Nuri able locate natural gate my world?~
    “How greatly are the children of Gaia troubled by Ionoth?” ~With a link of both birth and heart to Gaia, a path can be found. Natural gates are not constantly open, but if you were able to travel to Muina, it will be possible to find that gate and return you.~
    “Ionoth not able reach real-space on my world. Their existence, existence of spaces, none of that is known. Are spaces memories of worlds, or nightmares of worlds?” ~Nuri wants something in exchange?~
    “Both.” ~You have opened Muina to Tare. That cannot be undone, although we would ask you to balance the act.~ “Memories, nightmares, dreams. They are the expression of the living, imprinted on the Ena.” ~Beyond that, we prefer not to see a touchstone in such misguided hands. Returning you to Gaia will remove the risks you pose.~
    ~Touchstone is me?~ I paused, because it was getting really hard to keep track of the conversation, and the person called Ganaran was saying something excitedly about some theory being validated. “Do you know if all people my planet have this enhancement talent?” ~Why does Nuri think Tare people so bad?~
    ~They repeat the arrogance of the past, seeking to reach beyond what