"So they could have just had their hands tied by having no system to deal with this whatsoever, and I guess they could have pulled out more creativity if you weren't the sort of person who could pretty much singlehandedly win them a war, but actually there is not some clear protocol of justice you have evaded for corrupt reasons, it's just a mess?"

"The entire thing is definitely a giant mess. I - think they sort of ended up deciding I did it partly because I...wasn't emotionally stable at the time and therefore it's less my fault? And, I mean, it's not false that I was kind of a mess, just, actually, deciding to do blood-magic had nothing to do with that. So I'm kind of unreasonably mad about that part." 

"Seems like being not only exonerated but also seen and understood is a pretty high standard to have for your governing authorities but I suppose all the Heralds are friends and that'd muddy it."

Sigh. "I said I know I'm being unreasonable about that part. I'm mostly angry that they interrogated me under Truth Spell about that. It felt very unfair. Which I know is also unreasonable. It's just been kind of a terrible week." 

"Yeah, it sounds bad. I assume you have people who are not total strangers inexplicably sharing your dreams to hug you but maybe they're all Heralds and it's awkward? Do you want a hug?"

"Huh?" Vanyel blinks at her for a moment and then turns to look at Leareth. 

Leareth raises his eyebrows a little. "She does not bite." 

"Then, um, sure, I will take a hug from the flying dream stranger." 

"How would you know if I bite," she says to Leareth, but she hugs Vanyel and doesn't bite him at all.

It's a very good hug! Vanyel is still extremely confused but now he can be confused and getting hugged at the same time, which is an improvement. 

"I at least feel it would be bafflingly out of character for you to bite Vanyel unprovoked right now," Leareth says, sounding amused. "You do things for reasons and I cannot thing of a sensible reason for that action." 

"Yes, yes," she says fondly.

When he's done being hugged, Vanyel looks back and forth between the two of them. He is so very, very bemused about it, but... "Are you two, er, together?"

Leareth's expression immediately goes very blank. It's not that he definitely doesn't want to tell Vanyel or doesn't trust him with it, it's just - he completely failed to think about it in advance or prepare any kind of script, because he was busy...being distracted...

Well if he's not going to give her any cues here she's going to go "uh" kind of stupidly!

Vanyel looks back and forth between the two of them some more. 

"...You are," he says, almost smugly. "I can't believe it. Leareth, you have a sweetheart?"

"Um," Leareth says again, with no expression in his face or voice at all. "...Yes, actually, I do." Apparently. "Why is that so surprising?" 

"You've got to be kidding me. It's shocking. I didn't know you were capable of, um, having attachments to people, and–" oh gods now he is imagining Leareth in bed with Belrun and wow he should not have pictured that because now his face is on its way to crimson. 

"This is a really difficult conversation to participate in without more knowledge of applicable infosec policy," remarks Belrun after considering and discarding other statements such as "well, it is out of character and took an act of god to change it" and "it's recent" and "it's not like you had lots of them over the last two thousand years, right".

"I think," Leareth says, wearily, "that - excuse me, Vanyel - that we should not have any further conversation on that particular topic at this time. If you would prefer not to speak any more about your recent experience, I suppose we could exchange songs again."

Vanyel gives him a narrow-eyed look. "Sure, I guess it's none of my business anyway aside from the part where she's in the dream." 

Ooh does Leareth sing she wants to hear him sing. She sits on her snowheap and shuts up.

Leareth does sing! He's not exactly Bard material but his voice is perfectly serviceable and he can hold a tune reasonably well. The song he sings is in another language, he introduces it as a lullaby from the Eastern Empire. 

Vanyel is a very good singer. And looks delighted the entire time during his own song, which is in Valdemaran and seems to be a romantic ballad about star-crossed lovers on opposite sides of Valdemar's war with Karse. 

"I really don't listen to enough music," she remarks between songs. "Industry is infested with Bards."