It - not really, I'm still draining from the relationship between us -

Not really? If it was just the two of us still, yeah, that'd definitely be something to worry about, but it's not, anymore, my ability to cope with stuff isn't really a limited resource when I have people to be around.

It's not that I'm damaging you, it's that I'm damaging our relationship.

Again, you really aren't. I'm not going to stop wanting you to be okay or wanting to help with that, not from this kind of thing. If you were trying to upset me, that'd be different - and even then it'd take a lot to make me give up - but I know you weren't. It's not personal, it's just a thing that happened, I'm not going to hold it against you, that wouldn't even make sense.

That is not what I'm worried about.

...can you explain it, then? Because it really does seem that simple to me.

You find me aversive and unpleasant to be around, even if you do not consider me blameworthy for this. And not specific to this, but in general, over the last while, and eventually this results in us having a relationship that's based entirely off fulfilling what we respectively regard as duties, which you'll do tirelessly even while not liking me, and I am pretty sure I would once have considered that very bad.

Oh. Uh, hm. I'm not sure where you got that idea, I really don't feel that way? Not mostly. It's... I'm not trying to like you, right now? That doesn't matter for this and you have other things that are more important to be worrying about and there'll be time for it later, it hasn't been something I've been thinking about one way or the other at all. I don't dislike you; you're right that I'd be trying to do right by you as a tribemate even if I did but I don't; I'm avoiding you right now because I don't want to hurt you, not because I don't want to be there.

You're not going to hurt me until the torture starts. I might occasionally splinter a bit in anticipation but I'm working on it.

Sigh. We're using very different definitions of that word.

Yeah. I learned a sense of perspective on what it really means.

I'm going to keep being nice to you, you know. Growling about it isn't going to change that.

That's again not my concern. 

She sighs. I'm going to keep using my definition of 'harm'? I think it's a good idea to do that even if you don't agree? I'm not going to argue with you about where you are but I am going to keep acting like you're out of Angband and going to stay that way because it is in fact true? Probably that last one. If it's hurting you for me to do that and there's something else I could be doing that wouldn't, I'm open to suggestions.

No, that's fine. I think if I were really out of Angband I'd want - pretty much this, plus some people to fill in all the blanks for me.

Mmhmm. If I find a better way to get you information than what we have so far I'll do it - got you a map of your host's camp today, by the way.

...interesting. How?

Started working on the pinning paths, it made sense to plan it out in advance. She sends the map, with an imagined overlay of where the paths will be.

How long do you expect that'll take -

Depends on how I do it. I'm not comfortable trying to memorize more than a medium-sized room at a time, but if I'm hopping back and forth it'll only take, mm, half an hour or so each? More for big ones of course.

I'm looking forward to going home.

Yeah. They're looking forward to having you. This won't stop you even if I do it the slow way; you can go before it's all done.

Thanks.

No problem.

We need to figure out how you want that other spell set up, too. The one to stop people from touching you.

Yeah. What do you need from me there?