So now what?

Yesterday, Rei showed Rome that no matter how she phrased a question, anybody sufficiently skilled in the art of lying could twist that question around and lie without tripping Rome's new built in lie detector. Rome found this very discouraging. She thought it would be simple. It was up to Rei to teach her how to harness her new powers:

     “What do I do?” she asked sadly. “How can I know anything if the way I ask a question allows the other person to lie or mislead?”
     “From what I can tell, you shouldn’t be asking any questions at all. Just say words. Let their minds work against them. Their thoughts will betray them.”
     “I don’t understand.”
     “I’ll give you an example. Ask me if I know your father.”
     “Of course you do,” Rome said huffily.
     “So ask me then.”
     “Do you know my father?” Rome squeezed Rei’s hands tightly.
     “No,” Rei answered in all earnestness. Rome was shocked. Rei was telling the truth.
     “This is not possible!” she exclaimed. “I know you know my father.”
     “Because once again, you don’t know how I interpreted the question. From my perspective, when I think about it, nobody really knows anybody. Well, maybe except you and me. There’s too much depth. People only scratch the surface. Even me and your father.”
     Rome was breathing heavily. “I thought this was going to be the answer to all of our difficulties.”
     “It will be. It’s easy,” Rei said. “Look into my mind and just say your father’s name.”
     Rome looked at him warily and said, “Fridone.” And there it was. The image of her father appeared within Rei’s mind along with the warmth of his affection for the man. Instantly, several flashbacks came to Rei of the times they had spent together. Some good, some under not the best of circumstances.”
     “Now,” Rei said, as he saw Rome nodding. “Do I know your father?”
     “Yes,” Rome said, beaming. “I see now. I do not ask anything. I just give you reason to think about something.”
     “Exactly,” Rei said. “We Essessoni have spent our whole lives learning how to live within our heads. You have to come in without them putting up a guard. That way they can’t use their skills or defenses.”

So it isn't so much Rome grilling her subject as it is getting them to think about her topic of interest. Once she gets the hang of it, she will be unstoppable.