I am! I'll be with you in a second, I owe Shavri an apology - Shavri?

"...Oh. Hi, Bella. I'm, uh, I'm really sorry I interrupted whatever you were doing, I wasn't thinking." 

I'm sorry I yelled at you, I was scared but yelling didn't help anything. Is there a good way to make it known to mindspeakers when I'm not available?

"Hmm." Shavri looks intently at her. "I mean, the normal Mindspeech protocol is that the sender taps the receiver's shields and the receiver lets them in, and if you don't pick up the link that means it's a bad time, but your shields feel really different and I, um, wasn't thinking about the fact that no one would've actually taught you the protocol, so I thought you'd just accepted. I can show you what I mean by tap if that's all right?" 

Sure, go ahead.

Shavri taps. :Like this: 

I can keep an eye out for that, thanks.

"And then just shield at it if you don't want to talk." Shavri bounces a little. "I'm still excited to watch you do painblocking at the House of Healing next time you come over." 

I'll probably have time later this week.

Shavri smiles brightly at her and then goes back to her table. 

Bella turns back to Gemma.

"Bella, this is Melody," Gemma says. "She's the Mindhealer who came back from circuit to meet you and figure out how we're going to work with you at Healers'." 

"Well, it was going to be Safra actually," Melody admits, "but I wasn't much further out and there's no way I was missing an opportunity to meet someone from another plane with a different kind of Gift. This is incredible. I'm so excited to talk to you." 

Well, here I am. What did you want to talk about?

"I already got a bit from Lancir this morning about how some of the details of your Gift are different, but I'd like to hear for myself, and when you're up for it, doesn't have to be tonight, I actually want to ask you to demonstrate some things on me if that's all right so I can watch with my Sight and try to come up with some theories of how it's different from our Gifts here and if you have anything like our Sight and are willing to let me piggback and watch that would be really educational – oh, sorry, I should let you get some food and sit down before I talk your ear off." Melody speaks very quickly, hands darting in small quick gestures like birds. 

Tonight's no good, I have limited stamina per day and need what I have left to, uh, talk. Some other day when I've been less busy. Food food food.

"Oh, you're using the same ability to understand our language, right. That's so interesting, it isn't something we can do – I think Companions can though? I can't believe Aber's already found you a workload where you're tired out by the end of the day, but I guess it's always like that if you're the sort of person who tries to be helpful." 

I try. It's less that I'm tired and more that my subtle arts are tired? Like if you write for hours you won't want to do anything with that hand but you could go dancing.

"Hmm. If I overuse my Gift I get a headache, if I really push it then I'm ready to fall into bed afterward – I think our Gifts work from the same, I don't know, fuel as the rest of our bodies. Sounds like yours is different? Oh, are your subtle arts tired enough that talking to me now is bad? I can stop." 

I think I have enough for incidental conversation but not a full blown interrogation unless you want to do all the work.

"I don't know that I can? Or, I mean, maybe I can but I'd have to get you to coach me, which I assume would take work on your part. I'm a pretty strong Thoughtsenser and I could sense meanings from your thoughts rather than you projecting to me, but I'd have to be pretty invasive and I'd pick up a lot more than just that. I think Companions must do it differently. I can Mindspeak to you instead of talking but I don't know that it'd make it much easier. So I guess we could put it off until tomorrow or see if there's a Companion who feels like translating." 

Either works for me.

“You need a Companion to help with something?” Shavri calls over from two tables down. “I can Mindspeak my friend Van and ask if they’re free!”

Sure, if Yfandes wants.

“...Sorry, I guess they’re busy or something.”