Really? Because people will react badly? 

Because they don't want to deal with how people will react. Because that kind of thing is really private for most people. Because they want to pretend it didn't happen or just not deal with it in their day to day life and people knowing stops them from doing that. Lots of reasons. I had no way of knowing whether you would have one or not; safer to assume you did.

Okay. I probably should, my brothers being upset will interfere with killing the Enemy.

I mean, if you don't you don't, people vary a lot when it comes to that even when it's the only thing going on. I was being careful about it because if you wanted me not to know, or not to act like I knew, then once you knew I did we'd have a problem; I don't mind that you're okay with it. The question of how they'll react is a harder one, but something as ambiguous as me giving them the message I suggested is a good way to handle that; if they don't want to think about it at all they can assume I just meant regular torture, and if they do work it out it's still not obvious that I had your permission to even hint, if I do it right. They can come to whatever conclusion they're comfortable with, or at least whatever makes the most sense with what they know about you. And I can keep an eye on them and if they have trouble with it anyway I can talk to them more, or send them to you if that seems like a good idea.

They're my family. They won't want to be handled through you, not when I don't trust you and they can't.

Shrug. Okay.

But the lies are a good idea. I appreciate them. You're right, not caring about the outcome shouldn't mean not thinking strategically. I need my relationships with my brothers, I need to be managing them.

Managing them too closely might tip them off that something's not right too, keep in mind.

Not if I do it right. I can get cues from them about what I used to be like.

Nod. Okay. Be careful, though.

Yeah, I realize that. I need to be more careful. 

I'll be here if you want to talk about it.

I don't, but I don't not either and I suppose maybe it'll be strategically relevant and before then I'll want to have raised it with someone who can recalibrate me if I don't have any memories back.

Nod. Yup. That too.

This is the fifth faked rescue. If you're in enough pain for long enough the distinction to keep your thoughts private can slip and he can do this thing that makes your head feel like it's splitting open, to dig at thoughts he can already see. I think they got a lot out of me, things they'll use against my family. They tortured a lot of people in front of me. Sometimes they had me choose who they'd hurt, sometimes they'd ask me to torture someone and if I refused it'd be much worse. Sometimes I had a chance to kill prisoners and I took it. They tampered with my memory so I remember doing a lot of things I don't think I would do under any duress but maybe I'm just wrong about myself. I don't remember anyone's names. Except mine, because he used it all the time with me.

I can't think what else is likely to come up.

The explicit torture and making you think you did things you probably didn't, I expect they'd rather not know about. The private thoughts thing I don't know enough about to say. It being the fifth fake rescue is probably safe, but the details might not be. The things about the names depend on your culture, probably - mine doesn't use them in the first place so it's hard for me to guess.

I am assuming they don't know much about Angband to start with; if there are specific things that they know usually or sometimes happen that could change their reactions to those, in either direction.

They know the thing where lots of people come back and snap and kill people. I doubt they know the rest.

Nod. Yeah, so about like that, then. The thing where they got information out of you is mostly upsetting in a very different way from the rest, too - it's dangerous but it's not all that horrifying, and I expect they'll react best to that if you tell them that as soon as you can.

So as soon as we interact with them at all.

Yeah. It doesn't have to be the absolute first thing you say, though - first conversation, if it's not too awkward to work in, first day if at all possible. Making it too much of a priority makes it sound like an emergency, not just a dangerous thing, and unless that happened very recently it almost certainly isn't that.

I know that. I know most rules about talking to people, I think I'd be about as good at convincing someone to do what I want as I used to be, the things I'm missing are - wanting things for them, I used to do a lot of wanting things for people. 

All right, sorry about that. I don't have a very good feel for what you do and don't have trouble with, yet; I wouldn't actually have thought of that particular thing as a rule.

You don't need to be sorry; I am trying to give feedback on what kind of sorting it might make most sense to explain - I will probably not think about my words hurting people, and when I notice they'll do that I won't want to change for that reason, that's the kind of mistake I'll make.

Nod. Okay.

Can you tell me anything about how names work for Eldar?

I think they're really important. I know people will be upset if I don't know theirs.