She doesn't know this about Elves yet. She can start experimenting with exceeding human-tolerable speed in small increments maybe.

The people she did full blasts on in Nan Elmoth do not seem to have recovered. Experiment slowly.

Yup.

She experiments very slowly.

Refining uranium is really hard. It takes a while. 

The King gets his consort adorably well-chosen magical presents.  His consort makes a point of not rewarding him for this. But it's sort of sweet.

Irisse visits Himring a while later. Findekáno's been writing her. She talks to him suspiciously for a few minutes and doesn't seem entirely appeased.

Well, if she wants to know what Elspeth knows that can be trivially arranged.

"I'd appreciate that, yeah."

Here is what Elspeth knows, as fast as she knows Elves can handle things.

"Okay.

Thank you a lot for making a fuss about it. No one else did."

"You're welcome."

"I kind of wish he'd, like, moved to Tumunzahar or something, but I guess running the country isn't the sort of thing he'd pass up whatever he's paying for it.

Fucking King."

Well, if Aredhel becomes aware of any new Kingly misdeeds she can tell Elspeth about them and the King will by his own bizarre oath have some reason to regret them?

"Thank you. That in fact helps a lot."

She's welcome to the extent Elspeth has anything to do with that part. Why wasn't anyone else making a fuss, anyway...?

"Uh. There was the Darkening and then there was a civil war and Fëanáro was killed and it was looking like we were all just going to keep slaughtering each other and call the King whoever was still moving at the end, and then we woke up one morning to the notice nearly every major player in the mess was dead and they were marching Findekáno through the camp in chains. Dragged him to the King. Findekáno swore not to help anyone provoke more bloodshed.

And it was like - that's it, fighting over, the King gave orders for getting here and besieging the Enemy and he's very, very good at his job and just made it clear that we were all expected to indulge as his one vice his choice of consort. And any time anyone asked Findekáno he'd say it was fine. But I knew him. He wouldn't - wouldn't willingly - spread his legs for the man who murdered his parents, certainly not that same day, before they'd even been buried...

People'd joke about what a tight leash the King kept him on."

It's not a very good joke.

"No, it isn't."

Elspeth doesn't have any stories unpacked about somebody sleeping with their family's murderer that same day but that's only because it takes three days to turn and the vampires weren't interested in the werewolves and other incidentals like that -

"I guess now that he's not bound to lie I could ask Findekáno what happened. But it's not like I really need to know."

Yeah. Elspeth hasn't picked up many details. It wouldn't really be appropriate.

Once we don't need the King...

Elspeth is not sure how much progress he's making on endearing Findekáno back to him with his stunt and its fallout.

If Findekáno likes him I'm just inclined to conclude Findekáno's wrong. Plenty of people like him and are wrong.

It does seem to be a theme.

Thanks anyway. Are we close on the weaponry?