I ran this through my mind again, blinked.
"You're saying you look the same now as you did when I was nine?" I said.
"We age differently than you," he reminded me. "...I know I look fairly human. That's partly why they gave me the job, I can pass. But I'm not, Allie. I'm a seer."
"And I'm a seer, too," I repeated. "A non-Sark seer who is officially extinct."
His eyes narrowed, looking from one of mine to the other.
"Yes," he said warily. "Approximately, yes...that is right."
"And you're going to erase my memory?"
"Yes," he said.
"All of it?"
"No." He gave me a strange look, clicking softly. "No, Alyson. Why would I do that? That's not even possible..." He continued to look at me with that puzzled expression. "...No, only your memory of the last 24 hours. I'll probably have to erase most of tonight, since you said the leader of the Mythers approached you in the bar..."
"Ponytail guy."
Simon nodded, conceding this with a gesture.
"...Ponytail guy. It also means," he added. "That I'll need to erase your boyfriend's memory of me. And your brother's...and your friend, Cass' memories as well. I'll need their memories to synch up with yours in the park...and if something happens that forces me to get close to you in the flesh again, it will complicate things considerably if they recognize me..."
"You're going to erase Jon and Cass, too?" I said, bewildered. "How?"
He waved off my concern. "It won't be difficult. Yours will be much harder. You're a seer...even if untrained...and you have significantly more memories to suppress."
"What did you mean, if you have to get close to me in the flesh again?" I said then, catching up with the rest of what he'd said. "As opposed to what? When do you see me not in the flesh? Aren't you supposed to be my bodyguard?"
"Most of the time, I can do that perfectly well from the Barrier," Simon said. Clasping his hands between his knees, he looked up at me, his eyes reflecting firelight. "It means I can watch you from a distance," he explained. "...Using my seer abilities. I can do that from almost anywhere, Allie. I usually try to keep my distance in the physical. Mainly to avoid drawing attention to you...but also to avoid interfering with your life. But if there's a direct threat, something I can't handle from the Barrier, then I have to go in person..."
"Like tonight."
"Like tonight." He gave me another shrug. "Generally, anything involving seers or someone being protected by seers would force me to come in person..."