"Thank you."

They arrange a method; there will be a portal from outside Istarno's house to Mandos, where she can de-oath orcs.

That will work nicely.

"What became of the orcs I first de-oathed?"

"We have not yet decided what to do with orcs that have been healed; for those orcs there was much still to heal. They are working now with Mandos. ...Mandos has found a way to enable contact between dead orcs who are magically bonded."

...so you killed them? "I'm sure putting them in touch came as a great relief."

"It did. Did you have further questions?"

"If the partial reembodiment turns out not to work what's the next thing to be tried?"

"Reembodying them fully, I suppose."

Nod. "Is there any particular schedule on which I will be expected?"

"No."

"Would it be possible for me to pass a message to Rirosseth?"

"Certainly. What do you want to say?"

"That I'm all right, and I found her father and he's taken me in, and Aulë was kind enough to patch the allergy and the warmth, and I'll be working on the orcs."

"I will convey that."

"Thank you." And I love her and I miss her but she knows that and I don't know what will make it obvious that there was kissing -

The air pressure returns to normal and someone else approaches for an audience.

Annie goes and rejoins Istarno.

"How'd it go?"

"You didn't hear? It - it went well. I think they killed all the orcs I de-oathed - but the one who was stuck on another one can talk to them now - and they're going to put a portal near your house so I can come and go - and Mandos let me pass Rirosseth a message -"

"That sounds about as good as one can expect, really."

"Yeah."

"I hope it's fulfilling work."

"Honestly it's the sort of thing I'd want to be doing anyway and it's not complicated enough to be really hard to do while I'm sort of. Reduced in scope."

"Can't do ambitious stuff while she's gone?"

"I probably could but it's harder to... think the right way..."