[ The cards are an ingenious if obvious tool for manipulation. The pressure to comply in order to have some modicum of control over his own life is immense. Considering how horrifying it is for him personally to have his agency and safety held for ransom in exchange for performing intimate or sexual acts in the public eye, Essek thinks he is doing a remarkably good job of remaining composed.

Well, perhaps his frustration is showing a bit when he attempts to use his device in the way he's been directed and it continuously refuses to work. The woman who approaches him is absent the mark on her throat that would denote Submissive status, but she has a kind offer, and her contempt for the city is refreshing when he's been subject to nothing but a deluge of propaganda all day. Though accepting charity rankles his innate pride, and he would be a fool to trust a stranger's motivations at face value, he is hardly in a position to refuse. Proceed with caution, then. ]

While the latter is far more appealing, your assistance would be appreciated. [ Essek is matter-of-fact and slightly wry, but a keen observer might detect a subtle sense of abashment as well. He is a prodigy; for him, to be seen struggling at anything is an embarrassment. His wrist is already extended, his sleeve folded back just far enough to expose the cuff around it. ] This technology is unlike anything I am familiar with.