I would say the version of 1882 I was in was just like you'd expect only much darker too. I wonder if that's just coincidence or a pattern?

But if they can bring us across time and dimensions--is your, um, mind reading so powerful that you think it's surprising they can block it? Looking at it like the sci fi genre, blocking telepathy isn't a new trope at all.

Though, then again, thinking about it that way, if they have a way to shield themselves I guess the worry would be they might have a way to block your own ability entirely or stop it...

[Maybe not so tactful, Mikado?]

Um! But since they haven't used it, maybe they wouldn't.