Little flare of guilt, at that, but: I'm not. But it's okay that you don't believe it.

You're not helping us out much with the not swearing to it, but I'm here, aren't I? Go ahead and bring him.

Sigh.

We need you to back off - I don't think you need to be completely out of sight, but far enough that they have time to teleport back if they feel you're too close.

I thought his issue was that he doesn't want the Enemy to be able to infer much from our interaction?

She winces, just slightly. That's an issue, it's not the only one. They don't want to be touched.

Okay, not gonna touch him.

...I'll ask if that's enough for them to feel comfortable having you here.

Tyelcormo - image - bought me to the spot they want us to use. They want to stay there. I told them you don't want to be touched and they said they won't; I said I'd ask if that was enough. What should I do?

I'll be fine. Let's go.

All right.

She casts a spell to let him teleport himself there, and follows a moment after.

It looks like Maitimo, but of course that doesn't mean much.

He looks awful. He has trouble breathing for a second.

"Hi," he says. "I'm assuming you want this interaction to be as artificial as possible so that, if I were a hallucination of your brother, the Enemy wouldn't learn much from us talking. Uh, before this happened you were really good at people and would be able to tell me apart from a hallucination in a few seconds, but."

"And if I did he'd erase that memory and do it again without whatever tipped me off," Maitimo says. 

"...fair enough. So, uh, want to say and swear to everything you already said about the magic, and then I'll leave."

And he does.

The kobold: still doesn't understand the language. She stands quietly, keeping a subtle eye on Tyelcormo.

"Instead of going back to the place you're from, how d'you feel about some place here? We can promise not to bother you -"

"If this is a lie," Maitimo says, "it's all a hallucination and I've never left Angband. If it's not a lie, I think I'm safer in the other world, and should stay there at least until I can walk."

"If you say so."

That bit, she can gather from the body language. Sorry, Tyelcormo.

"What'd'you need from us?"

"Use the magic to win the war. Avoid having interactions with me in which I'm useful to the Enemy, assuming I'm still in his custody."

"Okay."

I think that's all, Maitimo says.

Okay. You already have that one spell to take you back. Do I need to stay for anything?

I don't think so. They'll let us know through the other portal when they decide what they want to do about your magic.

Okay.

She waits for him to go back first.

He goes back.

So does she.

I'm going to sleep, if you don't need me for anything. Wake me if they decide.

Sleep well.

...unlikely.

She curls up under her blanket, a bit closer to the fire than she usually sleeps.

Which part of that was distressing? So I can plan around it in future.

...reminds me of right before I was exiled, people scared of me and not trusting me and waiting to find out what they were going to do about it. Reasonable now, reasonable then, doesn't help.

They're not going to hurt you.

I'm kind of assuming that if they decide I'm dangerous you're not going to stick around, same difference.