Devin lets the explanation go without argument. It would be simple enough to use it as a diversion from getting to the heart of this conversation and normally he might take it, but he's delayed long enough. The wrapping on the Fool's arm is visible out of the corner of his eye though there's no accompanying limitation on mobility. He'll note that for later, if they have time.

"Too much," Devin admits. "With everything that's happened recently, it's been difficult to keep things as compartmentalized as I normally do." A breath, and he dives in. "When X made his call to the network a few months ago, it was because he had accidentally been subject to the entire lives and experiences of myself and one other." Valdis' story is her own to tell. "My life is fraught and violent, and trusting people with my secrets has never been safe. Some things I know are so dangerous that I could unbalance the order of my world if I'm misused. I was built for a purpose. Neither X nor I were given a choice in what he learned - and it was everything. I'm honestly surprised we didn't kill him with what he absorbed."

He pauses again and fiddles with a pebble, rolling it between his fingers. The next thing Devin says is barely audible. "I recognized his screams as my own-- it feels like being held hostage by my own life. That was why I started avoiding everything and everyone."

This world had betrayed him, and he was lucky that X was the one his universe fell to. But even now, Devin cringes when he remembers another horror that X now holds, another moment stolen.