Nolofinwë - doesn't know quite what to make of that, except that this is probably a losing argument. 

I think if you select your thousand people by trying to minimize dissent, you'll miss out on perspectives you may need in the Outer Lands, he says instead.  

Yes, yes, Nelyafinwë said that too, you can agree with him on some people as long as they understand that I need to be able to operate in the Outer Lands with the expectation my instructions will be heeded. 

Nolofinwë sighs. Thank you. I imagine we can arrive at a satisfactory solution. 

(Confusing, that, since he was assuming Maitimo'd be maneuvering to keep him out of it. He might still do that but convincing Fëanáro to absolutely refuse Nolofinwë any say would've been the most convenient and most deniable intervention point.)

(Leareth is fairly sure that Nelyafinwë absolutely isn't trying to maneuver this person out of attending the journey. In fact, his earlier remark about being upset that his people would be divided is falling into place now. He still isn't sure what to do about it, though. Although it's not in itself necessarily sensitive enough to only be discussed behind shields; maybe he can pin down one or both of them soon and figure out what their problem is and how to address it before it leads to whatever downstream disaster Melkor is intending. Or isn't intending. He may be paranoid about Melkor, but he's aware people are generally capable of miscommunication all on their own.)

:I agree with Nolofinwë's point about other perspectives: he sends. :Other than that, I think I have little to add in terms of selecting personnel. If you wish for me to put wards or shields on the room where weapons will be staged, so that they cannot be accessed without your cooperation, that is something my magic can do: 

That sounds very useful, the King says. 

Nolofinwë is wondering what all this person's magic can do and whether everyone ought to be afraid of him. On the other hand if this person traps Fëanáro on the other side of the sea and then starts something it'll be much easier to deal with without Fëanáro. 

It's unfortunate that Leareth can't praise Nolofinwë for being the one and only person who's paranoid enough, without both going against his own interests here and revealing that he's reading his mind. It's not clear that he can or should do anything to prove his goodwill or earn Nolofinwë's trust, right now; time and his actions here will tell, sooner or later. (And maybe he is going to decide to just take over; even if Melkor is to blame and none of these people are at fault for their centuries-long rifts, it's such a mess and may or may not be fixable at this point. Though Nolofinwë, aside from his isolationism and not seeming to care about the people of the Outer Lands, seems like perfectly reasonable candidate for the throne.)

He nods to the King. :I think it is not urgent on the scale of hours, since it will take that long to pass the message and gather the weapons. Given that, I would like to take this chance to sleep: He can hold off the drowsiness with mage-energy but it's still going to make him slower, sloppier, and he can't afford stupid mistakes.

Of course. We appreciate the assistance you've offered.

:I am going to take down the barrier, then. Again, I think the correct level of paranoia here involves not discussing Melkor when unshielded, though of course you may make your own judgement there: 

He takes down the barrier, sucks more energy from the ceiling to partially replace what it cost him. Waits to see what the others do next. 

Glare at each other, mostly. Finwë starts drafting the announcement banning the making of swords. After a little while Fëanáro gets bored and leaves to go work on expedition planning.

Internal sigh. Time for some private communications. 

He starts with Nolofinwë, keeping his Mindspeech carefully shielded. :May I speak with you in confidence? It will be brief: 

Certainly, he says. How can I help you?

He thinks that probably Leareth is going to make things worse, either accidentally or deliberately.

:I am withholding judgement on the specifics of your succession situation, since it is not in any way my decision. However, I am not blind. I have noticed that, notwithstanding Fëanáro's strengths, patience and subtlety do not come easily to him. I recognize that this affects his leadership. However, I am sure that so do others, and that you and Nelyafinwë can put together a team of advisors to help him account for this: 

There: as diplomatic as he can manage, nothing said overtly that should actually be offensive to Fëanáro if it somehow gets back to him, but there's subtext as well. He waits for a response, both in words and in thoughts. 

And is this to be reported to Fëanáro, to be hinted at broadly in some later conversation with Fëanáro, is it an offer to stop Fëanáro -

My brother is a gifted and passionate man, he says. I anticipate in every aspect of the job of less interest to him than the departure from Tirion he'll leave almost all the work to Nelyafinwë who will do it very competently. 

Leareth does not actually laugh, but it's tempting. :Plausible. And he can focus on studying all of the languages of the continent and making a thousand new discoveries, which will provide their own value to your people: Fëanàro is certainly brilliant. It's just almost all aimed in a very particular direction. :He reminds me of - someone I once knew: 

Affection and exasperation and reluctant admiration and a flicker of millennia-old grief, which he knows will leak through a little in the overtones whether or not he wants them to; even now Leareth can't think or speak about Urtho without any emotion. He's not sure what Nolofinwë will take from that. He's not sure what he wants Nolofinwë to infer, or do with the information. It doesn't make sense to angle for a particular outcome when he doesn't know where to aim.

But it'll be interesting and informative, to see what Nolofinwë in fact does. 

Nolofinwë is suspicious. 

I hope that's how it works out, he says. 

The timing is so terrifically convenient and the idea that another world with different magic exists but just happened to send one person over in an accident who happened to have expertise with this situation is absurd. But he doesn't see a good way to push back on departing now that it can be done easily with magic, now that Finwë has made it clear that not even when Fëanáro presses a sword to his brother's throat will he do anything. The only luck at this point is that Fëanáro is too easily distractable to push the advantage he probably doesn't even fully realize he was granted this morning.

Sigh. Nolofinwë's suspicions are very reasonable and, while he can easily prove he came from another world, proving his motives is a lot harder. Leareth will let it be unless Nolofinwë actually interferes. 

Next, the King. Fortunately this should be brief. :I am going to go nap in the library. If anything ends up on fire - literally or metaphorically - and magic would be helpful, you are welcome to summon my aid: 

Thank you. Rest well; we're grateful for your assistance.

Leareth nods to him, somewhat reluctantly rises from the chair, and starts retracing his steps back the way they came. And stretches out his Thoughtsensing, looking for a particular mind. 

:Nelyafinwë: he sends. :May we speak at some point? I need your advice again: That...isn't false. 

Sure! How'd it go?

:Well enough, I hope. Meeting Nolofinwë was...interesting. I am headed to the library again to rest now – when you can be spared, that is somewhere we could speak unheard: 

Well this was never going to work for very long. At least he tried. 

I can do my work from anywhere. I'll meet you there.

Leareth acknowledges him and keeps walking. He really would prefer to sleep, he's not at his sharpest for this, but it does seem like a situation where more damage is caused the longer he waits. 

Nelyafinwë is in the library, writing letters. He does not look distressed at all but his thoughts are miserymiserymiserycan'tthinklikethisprobablybetterjusttofigureoutthescopeofthedamageandatleasthavemyheadback.

Leareth joins him, sits down. Warns him and then raises the shield-barrier again, searching again for nearby magical objects he can fuel it from. 

:I do in fact wish to ask your actual advice about Nolofinwë: he sends. :Currently I trust you more than just about anyone else in Valinor. However, there is another matter I ought probably address first. You and – Findekáno, no? You are very upset about it and he is very upset about you and currently thinks you are betraying him, and this - tension - seems to predate my arrival. I am concerned that Melkor may have been at work here as well, causing some sort of miscommunication, and I would rather understand the nature of the current situation before it has a chance to lead to some unforeseen disaster: 

He looks Nelyafinwë in the eye. :If the nature of your relationship is what I think, then I do not actually care about that aspect at all. Only the part where tension and dissent among your people is suspicious and concerning. I will happily keep your secret if other people would react badly to it: