King withdrew the moment he felt the veil lift, away from the voices within her that so angrily protested his invasion. He understood the outrage; to reach into another's mind without invitation was no small thing. But when he opened his eyes he found Charlotte looking right at him, her hand extended, her expression changed. Somehow it didn't invite confidence. King's expression didn't change, though, and he smiled as he gently shook the offered hand. His grip was stronger than it might have seemed for a man using a cane. "A pleasure, Charlotte. They call me King around here." He glanced over at the nurse's station and waved slightly. "No need for that, Minny. All's well. I just need to talk to her."<br/><br/>He turned his attention back to the other woman, his eyes narrowing. The voices within her--he felt as if he knew them, or should know them. The familiarity was difficult to place. "I sense you aren't the sort to bandy words when you know it isn't necessary, so I'll be direct and as honest as I can be. I sense turbulence within you, Charlotte. Chaos. You hear them but you do not listen. Not until they scream, and by then it's too late to resist them, is it not?" He leaned his chin on his cane as he watched her. "Are you thinking you can take this? Use it as a weapon to secure your escape? Or is that them?"<br/><br/>His eyebrow arched a little, and his head canted slightly to one side. "You must be aware that whatever you try to do, I can counter. Don't mistake this shell for all that there is, my dear." He smiled again, nothing but kind. "But all that nonsense aside, tell me of yourself. How did you come to be here? How did...<i>they</i>come to be with you?"