[ Ratio is thrown into this conversation without even so much as a hint of prior context, so he has to use his intellect to figure what is happening, even as the dream controls the body he's currently occupying to spit out words that he doesn't quite understand yet.

Cognitive psience? Phantom Thieves, permanently altering someone's cognition? His mind races, trying to connect the times with what he knows. Perhaps a memory bubble? Are they altering cognition by tampering with memories? He knows there's been research done about the effects of memoria on emotion, but he had neglected to read it before setting off to Penacony...

And then he is directly addressed, and he realizes he's finally gained control of himself. How had the teen noticed. ]

Astute observation. And a curious conversation—the ability to influence one's cognition without their knowledge is quite... alarming.

[ He crosses his arms, sitting up straight to gaze down at the young man with the discerning eye of a skeptic. ]