[Read Surface Thoughts] Probe her haggling ability.

You meet her gaze... and press into her mind clumsily, trying to evoke her thoughts into images and language you can understand. With any luck, or so you hope, you'll be able to read her as you haggle her down.

But her mind doesn't show you what you expect. You see her sincere desire for money, her fear of you and of your intentions, and also... a hunger. She's a predator who half-fears her prey, and you are certainly her prey... but more than you she fears a man around the corner. He's a Caucasian of some variety, covered in tattoos that blur in her mental image. This man is one of many. He is alone.

This man has been following you since you spoke with her. They're going to ambush you, and she's running every scenario in her head about how to make it happen: unlocking your front door when you're distracted with her kisses, identifying weapons she can use against you, bracing her nerves to do so once you turn to address the armed gangbanger who enters. Trapped between them both, you would fall to their attacks, or so she hopes. More images, of a casual life in a cheap apartment, of an American life, of her growing up in Oregon before coming here... the entire accent, broken English, even being a prostitute: it was all a scam.

You curse yourself internally for not using this power sooner. You started the night doing so, sure, but after the third girl addicted to heroin or crack you decided you were better off not doing so, lest depression render you soft all night. You half-withdraw from her mind, and try to make your present anger about her petty cash request, which you now realize is her way of insuring you have money worth this elaborate mugging. "I have the money inside. I won't bring it out here in the open." She hesitates. She thinks you're telling the truth, but she knows better than to trust one of "your" kind. And so you realize you must appear less threatening. "Look, let yourself in and lock the door behind you." You vanish into your apartment, breaking the link between you once she falls out of your sight... but you could see she was willing to bet on your apparent gullibility. She'd be in here soon, with the two-bit gangster following quickly after.