Mmhm. So we can't avoid it entirely, probably. Is there anything else that'd make it easier?

Avoid what entirely, interacting with hallucinations of my cousin? I don't need to avoid it; I need to apologize to him and so forth. I do that every time, even though I know it's not real.

Avoid interacting with them in ways you don't specifically choose to, then. If the Enemy likes doing something and it matters enough to mention, I don't want to do that thing, but I'm not going to stop you from doing stuff.

I mean, the Enemy usually sets it up so the only way to achieve things that would be really important if this were real, like the reunification of the Noldor and coordination on the war effort, is to make not-really-Findekáno pleased with me -

She makes an exceptionally expressive face.

So I'm expecting that someone circumstances will conspire such that I can't avoid him forever, and I do need to apologize.

Would it make things better or worse for me to make sure not to leave you two unattended.

Well, if this is real, we do in fact need to reunite the Noldor and coordinate for the war, don't we.

Yes, but since it is real and they don't want that, having me in the room shouldn't be a problem, right?

No.

Good.

And in the meantime I need to figure out how to murder a god.

Trust me, lots of people are thinking very hard about it. My brothers probably have more magic experiments for you.

Yes. Tomorrow first thing.

Thank you.

Not a problem.

She sets about making dinner - something that requires lots of chopping and mashing - and by the time there's a plate for her and a bowl for him she's a little calmer.

I didn't mean to distress you. Sorry.

Not your fault. I'd rather know, there's things I can do about it.

Sure. It's really fine - if it were the real Findekáno it'd be fine, I wronged him terribly -

They mentioned they wanted to hug you, she stabs a chunk of potato with a claw, except that they knew it'd make things worse, and I said it was going to be a while before anyone could, and they said they'd been expecting it to be a hundred years before they wanted to and that they were okay with waiting longer than that if you need them to. And I'm going to murder that god.

I am glad to be a persuasive object lesson in why it's necessary.

She growls.

And he rolls over and curls up as much as he can without pain and falls asleep again.

...that was a mistake and she will not do it again.

She attempts to sleep. It takes a while, but eventually she manages it. In the morning she makes scrambled eggs for herself and Findekano and lets him know that the Feanoreans have her for the morning, actually, and she'll hunt in the afternoon and stop by in the evening whether that's successful or not. And then she goes to the city.

Where they have a thorough and exhaustive list of things they're wondering if it's possible to do with magic. Portals on blades, portals to lift water and take advantage of the resultant motion, portals to drop rocks on Angband, portals to get things up to absurd speeds....

Portals on blades are absurdly effective. Portals on sticks would be just as much so, actually, the portal does all the cutting. Water and rocks can be moved like that with portals or by a regular teleport spell, trivially. Letting something fall forever through a portal would be easy, but getting it somewhere else afterward would be hard - she can make something fall forever by enspelling it directly, too - it doesn't have to fall far... shouldn't have to fall visibly at all - if she just suspends it in midair it still counts as falling, the test turns out, and then she can cast additional spells on it to put it where it needs to go. She can use a similar technique to pin things - or people - in place, if they're touching the ground, if that ever becomes useful.