He would love to avoid her until the Oath drowns out all else but by then he'll be much much less safe to be around. He finds some plant-based things. He goes back upstairs. He knocks on the door.

She's awake by then. She looks dubiously at her knee and more dubiously at the ceiling clearance. "Um, you can come in?"

He does. "How are you? There's an important constraint I didn't mention yesterday. Delaying action on an Oath numbs all the things you care about that aren't the Oath, after a while you can't want anything else or remember exactly why you did. We are not going to delay action on the Oath that far, but the next action it demands of us is terrible so we have been delaying. That means it may be wise for me to find a solution with you that's safe for all parties, in the next few weeks, and then commit myself to it before I lose sight of it. Otherwise I would be inclined to leave you alone for much longer. I still can."

"I'm rested, my injuries are going to take a long time to heal without sorcery but they're not so bad I can't think around them, this is still probably a lot better than having arrived where I was going when I went through the tear. I do need to eat, just avoiding me isn't a great idea," she points out. "I can get by without much but not comfortably. ...what are you thinking in terms of a, a solution with me...?"

"I have food. I want to make sure you don't end up in Enemy hands and don't go flitting around making slaves of everyone who gives you their name, those are the only really important features of a solution but they need to be airtight." He puts his head in his hands. "If you could help us that would also be good but I think we are beyond helping."

"You said you knew the Enemy's name," she says. "I don't know how to best keep me out of his hands if I don't know if that would even work or not. I don't want to keep slaves. I had a vassal once because a mortal was stuck in Fairyland and she was starving and Thorn caught us both before I could gate her home. That's the only one. You can phrase it as a question if you want to be surer of my honesty."

"Have you lied to me about anything since you got here?"

"I don't remember everything I said to you since I got here but I don't think so and I am sure I haven't lied to you today."

"Okay. Food? I have to personally hand it to you?"

He is also very very much in favor of that. He is staring fixedly at the wall and does not actually notice when she's done eating.

Eventually the food's gone. She can put it all away after as long as she's been without, no problem.

"Okay. Strategic information relevant to you not ending up in the hands of the Enemy. This world was created by the Valar. They are very powerful and have very powerful magic and one of them enjoys torturing people and has expanded from doing so recreationally to doing so millions-at-a-time while he does some kind of obscure long-term magic that will probably make this continent a power base for his eventual war with the others. They can read minds, like us, only moreso, and if you were in the Enemy's hands he would figure out how to use you and it would be a disaster. You being in my hands is also a disaster for all innocent people, but less of one, I don't torture them."

"Moreso?"

"There are ways to protect against us. I'll teach you them, they take months of practice but they're possible. Some of the Valar can, if they have you, read out your entire life and what you were thinking at each minute of it."

She swallows. "How do I protect against your kind, at least?"

"You develop the habit of a mental distinction between public thoughts and private thoughts - you usually need to use some kind of visual or spacial analogy for it - and develop the habit of folding your thoughts into the private side. With practice you'll be able to do it automatically."

"Takes most people months. If you're motivated it can go faster."

She is motivated. (In her tree. She doesn't have to come out, nobody can make her -)

"Since you asked me to stop listening to you, I can't actually comment on whether it's working."

"- if that's the only way to tell if it's working I'd rather know."

A minute's silence. "I can tell that you're thinking, but not specifically what you're thinking. Depending on the metaphor you're using, sometimes there's an obvious way to fold your presence itself into the secret -"

Tree is sealed up. She and her wings can breathe together indefinitely, no windows no doors until she wants them nobody can see -