The merchant was surprisingly friendly and affable, but as Devaguea started to ask about the egg that he had been, and the individual who had sold the egg to him, the man's gaze grew unfocused and distant, and he started to describe an incredibly indistinct figure, his voice almost monotone as he described their interaction. When probed in different directions, his answers were always the same, almost word for word. Nyrissa's expression grew grim at that; it didn't take an expert to recognize some form of mental manipulation involved.