As big of an event as this was for its attendees, the hall was rather stark. The crowd size greatly underrepresented how important this night would turn out to be. What may have seemed like a small pebble dropped in a lake would be sending out ripples for decades to come. It was something similar to the case of the boy who cried wolf. While the scientist behind this experiment himself was mostly unheard of so far, his claims were nothing new, and had always turned out unfounded in the past. This being the case, most of those who attended were already involved in the research of parapsychology.

The affair was being held at a hotel in Saint Petersburg, Russia. For convenience, many of the conference's guests chose to stay there as well, including renowned author and psychic, Dr. Oliver Davis.

Never a big fan of crowds, it was surprising how many parties Oliver had managed to entertain in the past. Before the presentation, his father had decided they should come down and socialise. It was only a small gathering, but the group was still enough to overwhelm. Luckily, these people weren't here for the great Dr. Davis, so he was able to slip out rather easily once Martin's back was turned. He found himself wandering the halls of the building, familiarizing himself with the location of the rest of the hotel's amenities. Eventually he started making his way back upstairs, thinking up an excuse to give when he finally reunited with his father. He didn't get very far however, before running into a young woman leaning over the rail and looking down towards the lobby.

Hearing footsteps stop behind her, the woman turned around, mumbling in a language Oliver was unfamiliar with. She was young, about his age, with brown skin and dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She was wearing a cream dress under a black blazer, her hands in the pockets. She looked up at him, displeased. However, it seemed she was expecting someone else, as her expression changed to shock, then embarrassment. She took a moment to look over the individual in front of her before shifting so there was more space between them, then she spoke.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were here to drag me back to the conference downstairs," she confessed, through a strong accent.

So she was another guest. He forced himself to give her a polite smile.

"Honestly, I'm avoiding it as well."

"Oh, not a fan of the chit chat?"

"I'm here for the science."

The girl cocked her head.

"Are you here to discredit me?"

This threw him off balance.

"Are you part of Dr. Ismailov's team?"

At that, she smiled shortly.

"I'm his successful subject, my name's Nona Mardonova."

She reached out her hand to shake, but Oliver didn't even notice, distracted by her reveal. He continued.

"I'm not necessarily here to discredit you. Actually, it seems your supervisor took inspiration from my methods for his experiment. I'm impressed by the results, as long as they're accurate."

Nona still hadn't retracted her hand, though her discomfort now was obvious, so he conceded and begrudgingly shook it.

"Oliver Davis."

Her face lit up.

"Oh! Dr. Ismailov spoke of your work a lot, although I did not imagine you would be so young."

"The doctorate's only honorary."

"I see..."

Nona voice trailed off.

"You know, I never really believed in any of this stuff before, I guess that's why he chose me, right? But now..."

"Now you're bound to become a symbol, an icon, a figure of the community."

"Community, huh? A group I'd been calling liars and crazy my whole life, including you."

Oliver's eyes softened and he put on a small smile before admitting, "I may be a bit crazy," which garnered a chuckle from Nona. It was a short moment though, and soon she was back to staring blank-faced over the rail. After about a minute, she broke the silence once again with her own confession.

"Honestly, I'm a little bit scared. I have this ability that... for all this time I just- never knew about. I wasn't even trying at first. What more is there I don't know about myself? I'm not doubting anymore, I'm just... afraid."

When she turned back around, Oliver's face had gone cold again.

"I worry that might be the general public's reaction as well."

"What am I supposed to do when I can't even trust myself anymore?"

"All you did was move a ball in a tube, right? You're not scary. It's me they should be afraid of."

She frowned.

"The fifty kilogram aluminum block was you, right? I never saw the experiment footage. Is the story real?"

Seeming to ignore her, he stepped forward to lean over the rail himself. The lobby was still bustling, but more people were moving into the conference room off to the side and taking their seats. It was almost time for the two of them to make their own way back downstairs. He took a deep breath as his fingertips found the edge of the rail and began tapping. 1, 2, 3-

"Dr. Davis?"

Stop.

"The story's true, but that was years ago. It's not likely to happen again anytime soon."

Breathe in.

"Do you scare yourself, too?"

Breathe out.

"We should get going. It's about time."