"...Is there an excuse that sounds less planning-to-move-south for why I would want messages passed."

"...it's fine to love her very dearly if it's not the kind that would involve kisses."

"Okay."

"I'm sorry. I hope that's at least helpful."

"It's - not principally about kissing or anything anyway -" Shrug.

"Is she okay - I mean, aside from being dead -"

"...I kind of had to pretend she was or we'd get into stupid feedback loops all the time."

"Oh."

"...yeah. Um, if you really want to know I can probably - she's not here to feedback-loop about it -"

"I have all the time in the world. I want you to do what you need, now, until you have her back, and in a couple thousand years once all the dust has settled and you two are happy then I can indulge my curiosity."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Of course. You look exhausted. Do you want to rest a while?"

"Probably a good idea."

"All right. Get some sleep. I'll be in my workshop."

Nod. "Thank you." She finishes her tea and goes up to Rirosseth's old room. Curls up in Rirosseth's old bed.

It's a tidy room, pretty, with flowering trees right outside the window. 

Annie closes her eyes and "watches" the trees sway in the wind and eventually falls asleep.

When she wakes up the house is still quiet and the trees are still swaying.

She should probably eat. Contents of kitchen?

There's bread! There's cuts of meat. There's vegetables and fruits and spreads. Everything is just - out on the countertop.

She vaguely remembers hearing about Valinor not having decay. Since it's also supposed to have every species she is not sure where the mold lives but perhaps "every species" is an exaggeration. She goes and has some food. She goes into the library and browses and picks something and kills time.

Valinor makes it very very easy to kill time.

That's pretty nice under the circumstances.

She eats when she gets hungry. She reads. She notebooks. Bits of it are expressly addressed to Rirosseth for when she's back.

And after a few weeks he says "it is a good time to go talk to Aulë."

"Okay. Where is she?"