[ Ben feels... a little uneasy, when Qubit grabs a tablet and starts taking notes. But he sets that discomfort aside, for now. He hadn't missed the way Qubit said not mine, which implies there are portals that are his. He has powers, and from the sound of it, being in this place is making them not work, or else go haywire. Ben can see how that would be a frightening experience, how Qubit want to feel in control of the situation by doing research.

So, selflessly, Ben sets aside his discomfort with feeling examined and does his best to answer Qubit's questions. He can handle this, everything is just fine. ]

It does. It's somewhere around my stomach. There's a buffer zone, where the... matter, I guess, doesn't interact. They come out through my clothes but they don't get torn up and... I don't, either. Even if it, um - pretty much feels like it, every time.

[ Ben gives a little shrug, as if he hadn't just admitted the very pertinent fact that using his powers feels like being torn open, that it's excruciatingly painful, every single time he does it. ]

I- don't really know how it works, or why yours haven't been. Maybe it's because the portal is always there, just - open or closed. It doesn't need to form, it's - constant. I was born with it there. Asking how I activate it is like... asking somebody how they tense or relax a muscle. I just open it. As far as I know, it's only one way.

[ If he were being totally honest, he would mention that he thinks maybe sometimes he's seen the other side of the portal, in his dreams, but... Qubit has this look of intensity on his face now and Ben just... omits that. ]

It doesn't need any energy. I mean, it sort of wears me out, using my powers, but it's not like I have to... plug myself in, or whatever.