"Pretty tired, but pleased. I think we have lots of long conversations ahead." 

Nod nod.

"All right, let's try to get started." Randi glances around. "So, recent progress. Belrun got Chosen. We've learned more about what happened with Dara and Rolan. It turns out that a different and less bad thing happens with non-Groveborn Companions! Currently I'm inclined to think that, while this isn't proof that Leareth's goals are definitely good, we have strong evidence that Belrun is operating in good faith - and a corresponding weaker but still, I think, substantial level of evidence that Leareth is. Also it looks like whatever the Companions have going on here is pretty dubious, so I'm not inclined to treat Rolan's discomfort, for example, as moral evidence." 

Tantras still looks kind of uncomfortable, but he's not actually disagreeing. 

"So I think we ought to keep talking," Randi says. "About the actual content of our agreements and disagreements, since it feels established that we can have a conversation at all. Which means that, in my opinion, Belrun is no longer the best person to be here for this, and we should reach out and set up to get a proper diplomatic team out here and send her back to her lifebonded. Thoughts, questions, concerns?" 

"I'm worried Rolan will go out and Choose someone new whatever the other Companions are doing. He's not - flexibly designed, I think."

"Do we have a plan about that?" 

"I asked Sondra to speak with him," Randi says tiredly. "He said he had no immediately plans to Choose and she managed to talk him into committing to that for a week. After that... I don't know. Maybe we can convince him that one, we already have a King's Own, and two, it won't work very well for him to Choose someone if they can't work with the rest of us. But, I don't know, that sort of still depends on him being at all amenable to reason." 

"It's possible to resist being Chosen," says Belrun. "It's not, like, conspicuously possible, but it can be done. If Rolan were followed around by other Companions such that they could warn anyone he might be after this might be enough. But of course going around broadcasting that the Groveborn is not acting in concert with consensus reality would be its own set of issues."

"It wouldn't be ideal. We'll keep that in mind if he does head out against recommendations, though." Randi shakes his head. "I don't know what to do in the longer term. Having Rolan wandering around being useless seems, well, not great." 

"I'd like to try talking to him. I don't know that I'll get anywhere. He'd be really useful if he wanted to try talking to the Companion god as an intermediary, say."

"Makes sense. Are you thinking you'd want to talk to him soon, as in on this trip? I think he's still pretty shaken up, which might or might not be bad for having that conversation go productively." 

"I hadn't actually thought I'd take a second trip. Maybe I can try today or tomorrow, and if that doesn't seem to be getting anywhere, consider meeting again another time but set it up at our leisure while I'm not so far away from Leareth?"

“Sure, that works. Anything else we forgot to mention that you want to address before leaving?”

"I do want to look up Amshalan's past life before I go! We managed to remember her human name."

“...wait, what?”

"Companions are mostly reincarnated humans, especially Heralds, sometimes recycled more than once. I implied this the other day but I guess I didn't say it outright. Groveborns aren't, though, obviously."

"Wow. That's - quite something. I should ask Sondra if she remembers her human name..." Randi rubs his eyes. "Anyway. You're welcome to head to the Archives whenever you like, you are technically a Herald-trainee after all even if this is - really a very weird situation." 

"I could go with you," Vanyel offers quietly. "I wanted to try to look up Yfandes too." 

"Sounds good," Belrun says to Vanyel. "Does she know her old name or are you just going to look at lots till one looks familiar?"

"She has a guess, at least; she's pretty sure she was nicknamed 'Fanny'. So I can start by looking at all the names that start with F, they should be alphabetized, and if it's not that then I can try searching for names that have that sound in the middle. There've only been around twenty-five hundred Heralds total, ever, it wouldn't be impossible to go through all of them, but hopefully I won't have to." 

"Hopefully! I think that's the only other thing I wanted to do in Haven before going back."

"Well, I'm free this afternoon." 

"I'll have Sondra talk to Rolan about when would be a good time to chat with you," Randi says. "I'll push for it to be tonight, but if Rolan prefers tomorrow, would that still work for you?" 

"Yeah. Especially if figuring out when and where to send me home can be done in parallel since there's latency on the messages anyway."