We're probably going to take some people back with us for research exchange programs.

Sounds good.

<I'm really glad it's going well, Fëanáro. I appreciate you wanting to visit my people so promptly> The King of the Noldor has probably gotten to speak ten times as much with Savil as he has in the last few days, which feels kind of unfair, but...he can't go home. Not yet.

<When would you like the Gate to come back> he asks. 

Maybe four more days? So we can gather the people who want to come back with us. That might include your King? Lórien could probably fix him up and make him not die.

<Oh! That would be wonderful> Why hadn't he thought of it. Probably because he's had too many things on his mind to think of Randi much at all. Gods, though, he misses Shavri and Jisa. <Four days is good, and - do you want a Gate directly to Lórien, if the Valar allow it? We're at Tol Eréssea right now, I'm not sure how well our King would handle a journey from there> 

The Valar super won't allow it! Or maybe they can be brought around but it might take months, and it seems pretty urgent? 

<Fair enough. Then I guess I'll Gate you to Tol Eréssea. Anything else you wanted to add before I talk with my aunt> He wants to keep the remaining conversation brief, no point in exhausting himself. 

That's all.

<Good luck> Vanyel switches back to Savil. <So?> 

<It's been a really weird few days!> She seems excited about it, though. <Not that it wasn't a bizarre six months before that – honestly, and for the year before that too. Why are our lives like this?>

It's a rhetorical question, she doesn't wait for his answer. <Fëanáro's an exhausting whirlwind and I'm too old to keep up, but I like him. Shavri thinks he's great - I mean, he did offer to save her lifebonded's life, I'm sure that helped, but...this is the first time in years I've seen her really light up. She's trying to learn Quenya. Wants to go with Randi, right, feels that if they learned our language so fast to visit us, she ought to do the same> Pause. <Jisa wants to go too, obviously. What do you think?>

<Absolutely not. What part of 'this world was just at war' did she not get> The bigger issue is that's Gating them to his current location, and knowing Jisa it won't matter if she has literally five minutes, there's much too high a risk that she'll somehow find Leareth and Look at him with Mindhealing-Sight and he's not subjecting either of them to that.

<Maybe later on> he concedes. <Once things have settled a bit. It's a beautiful place, she would adore it here> Sigh. <I can't come home yet, aunt. Maybe not for a while. But... I miss you. I hope you could visit as well> 

He hesitates. <Any sign of - what we talked about the other day?> Mindspeech across a Gate may or may not be secure. The comms spell definitely isn't. If something did make it across to Velgarth, he doesn't want to give it any warning. 

<No. But we're keeping an eye out>

<Thank you> Vanyel drops the connection.

Turns back to Maitimo. :Four days, I'll Gate them here. They're taking King Randale on to Lôrien. No sign of any...magical trouble, over there, but they're going to be vigilant: 

Sounds good. Thank you.

Leareth does not do very much for the next few days. There's water at his bedside and after a day or so he'll start occasionally helping himself to it rather than waiting for somebody to bother him. He eats and gets out of bed only when prompted.

He has exactly one public thought, the day before the Gate is scheduled, a slightly frustrated mumble that he can't fall asleep. 

Well, he can sing?

Leareth doesn't do anything to acknowledge this, but he lets it happen, falls asleep.

The next day, Vanyel raises another inter-world Gate to Velgarth. Sticks his head through. :Savil, I hope they're ready:

Savil has been lurking in a meeting-room near the Heralds' chapel, halfheartedly getting work done while waiting for the expected Gate. She's there within seconds. Looks questioningly at Vanyel, then briefly steps across and hugs him hard. 

:They'll be here in a couple minutes: she tells Maitimo. :You must be Nelyafinwë? Herald-Mage Savil Ashkevron, a pleasure to meet you: 

This may or may not be the first time Maitimo has seen a really elderly human close-up, Savil didn't come all the way up to the Gate the last time. Savil's hair is completely white, her face more weathered-looking than wrinkled but with deep seams where the worry-lines around her mouth and forehead usually go. 

It's - terrible, honestly, but he smiles normally. That's right. A pleasure to meet you too. We are eternally grateful to your Vanyel and of course everyone who must be involved in enabling him to make a habit of this kind of thing.

Savil, who is pretty nervous about making a good impression on the otherworld people and also not the best at tact in generally, snorts despite herself. :I see you've gotten to know him. We - I know this wasn't really your intention, but I feel we owe you thanks for - your part in a situation that's led to us no longer gearing up for a war with Leareth. In addition to everything you're offering to help with now which we appreciate beyond measure: 

She switches to private Mindspeech. :And I have to say, some of my colleagues were a little startled and uneasy about your father's promises to cure death over here, but...from the bottom of my heart, thank you. It's really, hmm, refreshing, meeting a people who look at something most people in my world take for granted as a law of nature, and say 'no, unacceptable' to it: 

She nods to him and steps back across the Gate, just before Fëanáro arrives.

Randi is walking with him, moving slowly and with caution, Shavri at his side. He's not old but he does look visibly ill, frail and tired and with pain-lines etched around his mouth.

Another white horse who is a person comes through with him. :Thank you: she sends to Maitimo. She steps delicately to avoid damaging the floor. 

He bows to his father, greets the rest of the diplomatic party. Bows to the King of Valdemar. And then they can all go through and close the Gate so as not to exhaust Vanyel.

Randi bows to Maitimo as well. Smiles. "An honour to visit your world," he says in strongly accented but comprehensible Quenya.

Then he abandons decorum and hugs Vanyel. "Damn it, Van," he mutters in Valdemaran, "I am going to drag the whole story out of you at some point because no one's deigned to mention it so far but knowing you, you nearly got yourself killed pulling off this heroic stunt. Although, good work. Saving an entire world is a record even for you."

Vanyel looks down. "...I wish I'd done it a lot faster."