Probably not, you just have a really nice smile, Kib sighs. He sits. You don't actually feature in the visions at all. I got an oath that the commentary was true but only that, he said he was leaving out enough context that it might not go through otherwise; the visions themselves have the 'represent the truth' stamp of authenticity; and they are principally about Maitimo.

...okay.

And they suck. Do you want me to summarize or just - bounce what I saw -

I - suppose I'd rather see it -

Commentary verified as true but incomplete is the time frame - more than a thousand of my years from now - that those Dwarves were friends of Maitimo's - and that he can't see your death but is confident you're dead by then. Commentary received after this oath was delivered includes that there's preceding Noldorin political context involving your uncle inventing swords.

That's what I'm hoping. You've known Maitimo longer than I have and are probably capable of more delicacy than 'so I hear you're gonna stab a bunch of people, how about you don't do that'.

I really cannot wrap my head around why he would. Or why people'd follow him.

Me either. I was half-expecting Melkor to have some clever way around the oath but I matched phonemes to my written letters as he said them, so unless he can fake the use-mention distinction or something...

No. I - don't think it's possible he's lying. Selective information, yes, absolutely, but there does not exist any piece of information that'd make this defensible or necessary or - or in character.

So - what happens to radically alter his character in the next thousand years.

Good question. If you'd asked me yesterday I'd have said that nothing could. There are - no Elf has ever killed another Elf in all of our history, this just makes no sense....

Something happened to him in advance of the - mess - but I don't know what that would be either.

He also spent a few centuries getting very very good at killing people. I was distracted by the content, obviously, but - that was very practiced. Also he is not left-handed and was wielding a sword with his left hand.

I wouldn't be able to distinguish a century of practice from a decade, but it was decidedly not his first time picking up a sword, Kib agrees.

We should tell him. Maybe he'll have some insights.

Nod.

I asked him to come over here.

- do you think running it by you first was a good call?

Yes, definitely, thank you. If I'd had any context I could have helped piece it together with - and it's more people who know if someday we need to stop him -

Nod.

Maitimo arrives a minute later.

Hi. It turns out that I am a destiny-evading mechanism and the future is terrible.