Vanyel arrives in the dining hall a couple minutes into the story, and slides up next to Shavri, waiting until she winds down. "Bella, you look really happy today! Did you...?" 

"Yeah, I did!"

"I'm so glad!" And relieved. "And? How's Fëanáro doing?"

He's so, so angry with the Valar. But he's glad I'm okay.

"I'm not surprised he's angry. I, um, hope he hasn't done anything to get himself in trouble with them too." Vanyel switches to private Mindspeech. :Did you tell him about Leareth?: 

I told Rúmil. Fëanáro mostly wanted to tell me the Valar are stupid and horrible and then learn all the Valdemaran I know.

:He must not've had time for that in just one conversation: Bella has a decent vocabulary by now. :What did Rúmil think?: 

Rúmil is a little spooked but doesn't think it would make sense for him to tip his hand, if it's a sketchy one, this early, so agrees I can provisionally trust him at least until I am contemplating handing him more power.

:I think that makes sense? It's in his interest to be friendly to you because you've got a resource he wants, and he can't get it by fighting you. And then I guess we need to think of ways to find out if he's actually friendly or just acting that way: 

"Yeah, pretty much."

:Did Rúmil have any suggestions for that part?: he sends hopefully. 

Nothing very specific? About the same spread of options I was already looking at.

Vanyel nods along. :That's good: He isn't sure exactly what those options are, but he's also not sure he wants to dwell on it any more right now. 

"Yeah. So how are you doing?" And they can have a more normal conversation for the rest of the meal and then she can go off to spend the morning taking a break from wizardry research, which she elects to do hanging out with Sayshen for literacy help while she's trying to read books.

Sayshen is delighted at her new ability to read books. And to complain, privately, about certain annoying features of her life in Haven, like the fact that all of the other Companions seem completely incapable of realizing that their usual gossip is something she has very little to add to, so it just ends up feeling hurtful and excluding. 

Just before lunch, Lancir comes out into the field, apparently looking for Sayshen. And stops, blinking.  "...Bella?" 

"Hi! Should I leave you two be -?"

"In a minute, if you like, but - how and why exactly are you and Sayshen, er, friends?" He is looking increasingly suspicious. 

I wanted to know more about Companions and asked to be directed to one who wasn't busy. Now sometimes she helps me read, since I can't do that fluently yet. I know it's not locally normal for random humans to be friends with Companions so much but I grew up with a lot of species diversity, and besides, it's sensorily obvious to me they're people, y'know?

Lancir...does not look obviously convinced, but he lets it slide. "Fair enough. I'm glad you're getting help with reading, I can see that being useful. Now, if you might leave us to speak...?" 

"Sure! Bye." She pats Sayshen on the neck and picks up her book and heads out.

Lancir sits down next to Sayshen and strokes her mane, a bit awkwardly. He frowns after Bella. 

A while after Bella is out of sight, Taver wanders onto the field and joins them. 

Bella spends the rest of the morning telling Fëanáro new Valdemaran words and discussing the theory of interplanar transit, and gets lunch, and spends the afternoon picking up work at Healer's, and goes to dinner, and reminds her Elf friends of her current sleep schedule so they can get anything they want to tell her out of the way in the next few hours, and shows up to put Vanyel to sleep.

Vanyel isn't in the mood to talk about Leareth. He wants a break from thinking about Leareth. He'll ask how Fëanáro is doing and what he thinks of Valdemar, if any of it's interesting; that's a good distraction.