[Myr's ears twitch at Niles' description, and so does a corner of his mouth.]

A "quick-fix" scam? If Alder were only asking for handouts and Parliament votes from his loyal followers--with or without the charm magic--we'd be a lot better off than we are, I think.

[He then sighs.] Likewise if falling for what he was offering was only a matter of being too dim to see through it. The man's quite sincere, Niles, and he's offering something these folk hardly get otherwise. [Quietly, then,] The smartest ones are the best at rationalizing their involvement.

[Smartest and most damaged; let him not dwell too long on what particular flaw in Viren's personality they'd exploited through their mind control. That hurt to think about.

Likewise untrustworthiness among the Mirrorbound.]