Duplicity Detection

Duplicity is more than just saying something untrue. It's a divide between what's presented and the foundation beneath.

— Dancinglight Nkeba Rruend

Kezlaf claimed his Wringers could tell when people were lying. He was wrong. What they mistook for falsehood was more likely anxiety or nervousness. It is possible for a Water Seeker to sense deceit, but not in the way he desired.

Manifestation

Duplicity is a subtle aura interaction, a surface reflection of a lie told to oneself. The exact nature of the lie is hidden within the inner aura, which is forbidden to tamper with. A Water Seeker can't tell exactly what is concealed, only that something is.

It's like muscles and skin. You can't see someone's muscles, but you know where they are and what they're doing because of how the skin is shaped over them. When someone's lying, it's as if her muscles are moving differently from her skin.

That sounds disgusting.

It's not that bad with auras, it's just...something's a little off. It's not easy to notice, usually, because of how much else is happening in an aura. But once you know what it feels like, there's no mistaking it.

— Proto-Seeker Vanich (and me)

Discovery

It's possible that the old Water Seekers knew when people were being dishonest. They were known to emphatically reject visitors whose motives they found suspect.

The New Eddy's Seekers learned the technique from the szageki, the first non-humans ever to be recognized as Water Seekers. Even though they had never had any aura study, and no experience with human auras at all, it quickly became clear they could not be lied to.

Applied Restriction

Because duplicity detection is a surface-level aura interaction, it doesn't fall under the category of banned Wringer activities.