:Also Belrun is really great! I know I'm biased but also she just actually is: 

Rolan seems frustrated and also just confused. 

:...Fine. Clearly reasoning with you right now is not accomplishing anything. We will speak tomorrow. In the meantime, I would like you to please not tell any of the herd about your - recent personal changes: 

...reasoning with Amshalan isn't accomplishing anything? Surrrrrre.

Rolan gives a stiff horse-nod to Amshalan and marches off. 

:...I'm not sure I handled that perfectly: Amshalan admits to Belrun. 

:You know, I have written down here on my list of advantages of having a Companion that maybe if I think of really clever things to say that wouldn't actually help I can just tell you instead of saying them to whoever's being annoying, and you could take advantage of this benefit too, but on the other hand he was being so annoying:

:Wasn't he? I wanted to scream!: The frustration is draining off now that Rolan isn't in her face anymore, though. :Ooh, what else is on your list of advantages?: 

Snort. :You still want to scream? Can you even scream? The obvious transportation use, credibility within Valdemar, I suspect getting sleep hundreds of miles away from Leareth is easier now that that doesn't mean I am hundreds of miles away from one hundred percent of my magically attached persons even if I don't literally flop on you, backchannel on Heraldic gossip and logistics, I get to be smug about overcoming my childhood fear, and a second pair of eyes on things when stuff is complicated:

:I'm delighted I can be so useful! Also I have a really good memory, if you ever want to talk to me when you can't take notes. I can't really scream, unfortunately - not satisfyingly like I could when I was human. Most satisfying equivalent is to go find something I can stomp on very hard. Pumpkins are good for that but it's not quite the time of year: 

:That's adorable, are you aware? And a waste of pumpkins, but adorable:

:Any ideas for something that'd be equally satisfying to stomp but less wasteful?:

:I'm not sure what makes things satisfying to stomp! Snowballs? Those are I suppose also seasonal:

:Puddles? I'd get filthy but that almost adds to the satisfaction: 

:Am I supposed to wash you off or are there staffpeople for that?:

:We have stablehands to help us out with lacking-hands-related problems like that, but a lot of Heralds do it themselves, it's up to you really: 

:I might have to poach one to move up to Leareth's place depending on how everything shakes out:

:Mmm, should be feasible. I might've worried being that far from the rest of the herd would be hard for me, but at this point it seems like it'd be a relief to be out of Rolan's yelling range: 

:If they make me Queen I will instead attempt to move him here. - long shot idea that came up during the dream:

:...Huh! That - sure is an idea. What made you even think of it?: 

:Uh, it's come up in meetings that if Valdemar does not want to be conquered but can't come up with anything that replaces the function of Leareth controlling it they could be peacefully annexed, and it would do slightly less damage to the existing institutions of Valdemar if that were accomplished in practice by putting someone originally from Valdemar with a Companion on the throne. Also Randale is dying and his kid is neither legitimate nor Chosen. But I'm not related that I know of at all, certainly not closely:

:Hmm. It's a bizarre idea, but... Hmm: 

:I don't expect it, it just occurred to me:

Lunch arrives shortly. 

Belrun eats her lunch and awaits a summons to the King.

Shavri arrives as she's finishing. "Are you ready?"