Savil cheerfully takes on meeting with Leareth and going through the list of potential innovations to set up throughout Valdemar. This meeting takes until about lunch. 

At which point Leareth agrees to the next scheduled time, and Mindspeaks Maitimo. :Did you have lunch plans?: 

Not yet!

:I have been recommended a restaurant just outside the Palace walls that is apparently very good. ...Not everything along the way will be as pretty though: 

I shall just look at your face the whole time.

:Aww: 

Then they can meet up and walk there, crossing a bridge over a foaming river and passing through an area of less well-manicured garden and not quite as pristine statuary. 

A lean, short-haired woman wearing Heralds' Whites passes them at one point. "Oh! You must be Maitimo. And Leareth, right?" 

Leareth goes still, then nods politely to her. "Yes." 

He understands that given how many problems humans have and the fact that they can function in ugly environments it's not a priority to make their environments pretty and is not going to make a fuss about the decor. 

"That's right. We'll be in Haven for the next few weeks, I think."

"How exciting! I'd be interested in speaking to whichever of you is most appropriate for artifact-related work; that's a lot of what I've done, historically, I'm not nearly as powerful as Vanyel but I'm better at artifacts." Quick smile. "Oh, and I heard you were interested in seeing if other Herald-Mages wanted to visit Arda for a while and potentially do some artifact-type work while there?" 

"We would! We are trying to found some new cities and have a long list of magic we'd love to have for them. And then Leareth and I were talking about what we can most usefully do in Velgarth, given the ability to use Arda artifacts as power sources -"

"Wonderful. Right, Savil mentioned she was meeting with you today, Leareth - hope it went well?" 

"Yes. It was valuable." As usual, Leareth has a habit of keeping a very controlled, neutral manner around people he doesn't know well. It's not at all the way he is with Maitimo in private, especially now. 

"Good! Probably makes sense for us to talk more, but I'm headed to a meeting now - enjoy!" She nods to both of them and then heads back across the river. 

Is it costly to be warm and friendly with everyone, or does it feel dishonest, or -

:What? Oh, you mean the way I was speaking with her. I...am not sure: Leareth has to take a while to think about it as they walk. :I think that was closer to my usual manner in the past, actually. I do not remember exactly how I interacted with you before - everything else - but I suspect you would not have referred to it as warm and friendly: 

No. But it wouldn't've gotten you anything you wanted, we obviously needed you whether or not we felt personally fond of you, and it - drew an instructive contrast with us, right. You were serious and we barely knew how to be. 

:I am not sure if it is the most adaptive way to speak to people now: Leareth admits. :It is more - the one I know and am familiar with: 

People like you back if you act like you like them! And most people have liking rigged up to 'trusting' and 'not plotting against' and all sorts of things. - I don't actually know if this is a sensible thing to even think about, I don't know how hard it'd be to change.

:I mean, clearly I can act differently, since I am not like that with you. Or with most people I know well in Arda, actually. I think I fell back on it here because it - feels safer, maybe? I am not sure: 

Hmm. I think if you were overtly warm and friendly some people'd find it disconcerting because of the history but you could pull off, like, warming up notably quickly. 

They reach their dinner location.

It's just outside the Palace walls, next to the same river but at a wider slower-moving section. The neighbourhood in general is not very pretty at all by Quendi standards, but the restaurant has been recently renovated and appears to take into account current fashions in Vinyamar. There's a nice patio outside, with a view of the river but the streets on either side screened off by trees with long drooping branches that trail into the water. The menu of available dishes is written up on a wooden sign; some of it seems vaguely inspired by Noldor cuisine. 

Leareth sits down. :Hmm. Maybe. I suppose it is easier if I - authentically feel warmth toward people? And in the past that has been hard to achieve: 

They can order lots of things and see what's tastiest. 

Yes, it's really difficult to be likable at people you don't like. 

:I imagine you do it just fine: Leareth smiles, then has to look away because Maitimo's face is too distracting and he can't touch him here. :Also, it is not exactly that I dislike people either? I - have avoided forming attachments. I suppose there are habits there: 

I mostly don't pretend to like people, actually! I find it annoying enough that it's much easier to just like people instead. 

And that makes sense.

I'm glad it's safe now. Seems important.