"What do you generally like to do after being cooped up in a ship for five days, I assume it's nothing so oddly serendipitous as 'entertain curious locals' curiosity' -"

Oh no does she have to have preferences. "Oh, uh, I didn't mind it at all, really. It was impressive that it only took five days."

"In only five days I assume Fëanáro did not get around to bragging about that, what with three languages to inhale."

"You have to hear her poetry, Eru's going to give her the Moon."

"I'll look forward to it."

"You could see the city," he says to the alien, "on your own or with a guide, or you could rest. If you'd like to start discussing the situation with the Alteri that you mentioned to my father, we're ready to do that, too."

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa. How is she supposed to avoid disappointing people when they go around saying things like that?

"I - think I should probably talk about the Alteri, if you think that would be helpful?"

They glance at each other.

"Should because otherwise it will weigh on you, should because you think it is time-sensitive on a scale of hours or days, should because you think that is what will most interest us -"

" - should because everyone I know is enslaved by an alien race that can kill them at will and that's - not great?" she says, uncertainly. 

"It is not great. We definitely need to know more and address the problem. But it seems like it might take more than a week to decide how to solve it, so it won't make any sense to neglect short term needs if you have them."

"I'm good."

She sounds only maybe good, but she can't actually think of anything she needs right now. Other than maybe another closet to curl up in, and that seems like maybe the sort of thing that she probably shouldn't ask for.

"All right. Let's go indoors and discuss the Alteri. Lots of other people are interested and might listen in, if that's all right."

Annnd there's the politely even internal screaming that likes to form a backdrop for everything else. 

"Yeah! Of course."

She just has to make it through this and then she can hide in a closet for as long as she wants.

Their palace is extravagant and enormous and astoundingly beautiful. Maitimo takes in her reaction to this and picks a small sitting room with hardly any decorations at all; it's still ridiculous.

Is she agoraphobic or what? Mirelótë asks him.

I think it's - ornateness? Effort? Expense? I'm really not sure though.

Mirelótë sits and motions for 97816 to do so also. "We don't already know whatever you've told Fëanáro during your flight, but he can catch us up in parallel while you tell us whatever else we need to know."

She does not seem much more than marginally calmer in the smaller room, if she's calmer at all. She sits down carefully in her chair, like she wants to be able to stand up again at a moment's notice but doesn't want that to be super obvious. She clasps her hands in her lap and wills them to be still. They want information, she has information, she can do this, don't think about how important anything is, just think about the information.

"OK. Uh. I don't - know exactly what you're planning to do or what you need to know to do it, but, uh - when I arrived here I was worried that the Alteri would follow me and attempt to conquer or destroy the planet we were on. But - " her brain momentarily stalls out trying to figure out how she's supposed to refer to Fëanáro. She recoils from the thought of using his name in this context, but Yahivi doesn't have a word for a non-dael ruler of a planet. She sort of panics and goes a combination of words that breaks the grammar but is hopefully understandably gesturing at the concept 'male person with a planet'. " - but his majesty the king seemed to think you were meaningfully invulnerable to attacks from them. If you have any sort of instantaneous communication with the planet then I assume it's fine and that something is preventing the Alteri from following me, but - if you have the capacity to defend against them then I thought maybe someone here could do something about our situation."

(He translates her construction with a funny expression on his face.)

"This planet has the Valar, who, especially having been warned, can fend off attacks."

"That's good! So you should be fine then. I - uh, I don't know whether their abilities are primarily defensive or if there's anything else you can - do, maybe. The situation within the Confederacy is - not great."

"I said we'd fix it."

"At absolute minimum a lot of our planets can take people who'd rather live here."

"That'd be really helpful! Except the Liars aren't allowed to go and will be killed for trying. So."