Perhaps instead of having one god that embodies all the evil impulses, yours got spread out. I didn't like our way much, but at least our way, the other ones could fight him and kill him.

Our gods sometimes fight too. It's usually not good for bystanders.

The war of the Valar and Morgoth sunk a continent. They said that's why they didn't do it sooner, the cost to everything nearby was so high, but eventually -

Nod.

What do your gods fight over?

I'm not sure; the churches put out stories but they typically don't agree.

I see.

Everybody who was on the continent gets to come back as soon as they can be comfortable in a new body, right?

Yes. If they spent long in the Enemy's company, that may be a long time. You can imagine how scared you were of the gods and then how scared you'd be if one had personally tortured you for years. And he can do worse than that. Almost no one is back yet, but Mandos, the lord of the dead, is very devoted to the project of helping them recover. Perhaps you could aid him, too, if you can help Miriel.

Maybe. I don't have a book specifically about trauma victims but I could try.

Would that have been in your course of study?

Probably. It was in the coursebook. I didn't have to pick exactly what I was taking more than a week before the start of the semester in which it'd be taught and I wouldn't have taken literally every therapy course.

This method of systemized teaching of skills sounds interesting. How was it adopted?

I don't know the history of it, but it's an efficiency thing, I guess, one teacher can cover a lot of students.

I guess, although people still might not like waiting?

But there'd be enough knowledgeable people around to teach them individually.

I guess you would just sort of keep accumulating them, yeah. But like, if a lot of people wanted to learn my language, for some reason, it'd be better to teach a bunch of them instead of Fëanáro first and then someone else and then someone else, because if there were a bunch they could practice with each other and not just me.

You wouldn't say that if you'd tried teaching Fëanáro. Fastest student I've ever encountered. He learns the way a drowning person breathes water.

Languages are often a little different and immersion's the fastest way, but he does seems really quick.

He told me once that if he's a good enough son his mother won't be sad she had him and she'll come back from Lórien.

I explained to him it's not like that, but he didn't believe me.

Maybe he needs therapy. Another book I don't have.

He needs his mother back and his father not half-paralyzed with grief.