He understood immediately what had been so unsettling to both Macy and Grace.  Jane’s response reverberated in his head, yet her lips never moved in synchronization.  He kept his gaze on hers, never batting an eye at her mental intrusion.<br/><br/>Different.  Out of all her words dancing in his head, that was the one which stood out like a beacon in the night.  What exactly was so different, he wondered.  Not to mention, what was she expecting?  Try as she might to mask it, he ascertained that she was still uncomfortable with the present situation, regardless of a full and contented belly.  Jane kept shifting in her seat, while continuously looking around, as if she were searching for an escape route of sorts.<br/><br/>When she was done, he leaned in close.  Close enough to smell her pancake breath.  Which of course meant that if he could sniff that, then she most assuredly caught whiffs of his maple syrup or sausage patty or bacon breath.  He wished to make this short and sweet, mostly for her sake.  “Okay, with what you just did there?  Talking to me in my head only?  You might wanna try to reel that in and not do that too much,” he explained.<br/><br/>Draining the last of his orange juice, Oskar continued, “I mean, you saw for yourself the effect that had on Macy and Grace.  Is that something you wish to confront every time you answer a simple question?  It doesn’t bother me, as I am, um, anyway.”  Now it was his turn squirm.<br/><br/>A change of subject was dearly needed right now.  “So you say you’ve been travelling for three weeks now?  Who or what are you pursuing?”