"I don't think it will be very long. I need to invite somebody to come here and then we will come back."

"All right. How long should I wait between Gates then?" If he went with him he could use the Silmarils for the return, be less exhausted, they don't have the stupid Gate terminus yet because some people decided to shoot arrows at them, but - no he cannot leave right now, actually. 

"I think you should stay, yeah. Half an hour would be long enough for me but if you need longer that's fine."

"I should be able to do that. If I'm too tired I'll do it as soon as I can." Gate to Vinyamar. 

He leaves. 

He goes to the palace.

Dara stops dead in the middle of the hall. "Prince Nelyafinwë! I thought you weren't coming back here?" 

"Herald Dara! - just a quick errand. Vanyel has absolutely spoiled me, otherwise I'd be much more reluctant to go bouncing about between continents. How's everything going?"

"Pretty good! We had a visit with the Dwarves. I like them a lot, they know how to haggle, they're great."

She frowns. Switches to private Mindspeech. :...I did want to talk to you about something, er, if you're not in too much of a rush:

Absolutely. What?

Dara's expression is that of someone who does not at all want to have the conversation she's about to have and is resolutely doing it anyway. :I, um, you. You and Leareth. Are you...: gods this is the most uncomfortable conversation she's ever tried to have with anyone, :are you, I mean, are you together? I have to assume you aren't because that would be messed up but, um, someone mentioned something to me, and then - when you went back to Tol Eréssea with him...: 

No, he says, and wow there are a lot of negative emotions packed into that word, if she's paying close enough attention to pick them apart there'll be horror and revulsion and - grief? - and sadness -

- I'm sorry. I - I know this is a topic on which there's - cultural distance to bridge - but no. I can swear to it, if you'd like. 

Dara has been briefed on Quendi oaths and that they are a Big Deal. :No, no, I believe you, it's fine. I just - well, cultural distance, I didn't know whether it'd be... Um, to clarify, the part that would've bothered me is where he has his Gifts blocked and recently got tortured, not the – I'm friends with Vanyel, right, I...: Gods she feels terrible about every part of this conversation now. :I'm sorry: 

- no, no, I appreciate being aware that - among Quendi we don't think very much about how things can look, because we can see whether people are married, and if they aren't, nothing happened. And we don't have - otherwise-directed sexuality. I would much rather someone ask than wonder - is there something that I would traditionally be doing, in Velgarth, so that they didn't -

:...Honestly it would usually not come up? I think this is a very complicated situation because you're - friends with him - and also in a political position where you are kind of the person holding him prisoner. Normally those would be different people. But, um, I don't actually think anyone other than...: she sighs, :than Stef, is going around thinking this. He's - like that. I told him to shut up: 

Thank you. - really. It was good of you to check. And also good of you to tell him to shut up. I'd talk more, but I told Van to do a return Gate pretty shortly, so -

:No, no, of course: She ducks her head and then moves aside to let him walk past without saying anything more. 

Findekáno I hate everything and I need you to relocate to Tol Eressëa to talk me through some things. 

- I'm in the middle of a lot, here. 

I know. I'm really sorry. 

That's a new one. What happened -

Leareth and I were talking about his awful past and now I'm too sad to talk to him and I think he thinks I'm angry and I don't know whether I am, or should be, or should be reconsidering having decided I don't care that he's kind of evil.

- what did he say -

He used to use mind control to force women to become pregnant with his children so that he could kill and replace them for his immortality method. 

Well. He should definitely stop that.

He has stopped that. i'm just trying to think through whether - can you please come back with me, I'm very sad and we can bother Van for yet another Gate in a couple of days and -