Leareth nods. "Carefully done compulsions are invisible from the outside, rather than causing sudden discontinuities in behaviour that can be noticed by observers. If the effect is subtle enough, they can also be unremarkable from the inside. This would not work for the kind Vanyel used on me, no matter how great his skill, because being unable to move is a very uncharacteristic and confusing way for a person to want to act. However, as an example, I tested a compulsion here by telling someone they did not want the rest of their snack. They were very deep in thought at the time and did not notice that this urge came from the outside." 

"Whereas I bet they would've notice if I'd tried the same trick, even if the thing itself wasn't that weird," Vanyel says. "Just because it'd be heavy-handed." 

"Are there a lot of ...defensible uses of that -"

"Probably not in peacetime by Quendi ethical standards," Leareth says quietly. "It can be useful for spying on an enemy in war, if you can capture soldiers and then stage an 'escape', especially since well-done compulsions are difficult even for a mage to notice unless they are looking very hard for it. That and the - unpleasant fact about my history - are the only cases where I have really used the involuntary and invisible kind. Nearly all compulsions used within my organization are voluntary." 

Nod. 

"We don't know what's out there, and it's better to have more resources. And I don't want to accomplish ...convincing you not to do things...by making sure you don't know how. I hope there's no need of that one. But you should probably practice it."

"He can't do it on me," Stef says instantly, before Vanyel can even look in his direction. 

Vanyel holds up his hands. "No one was proposing that, Stef." 

"He can practice with me," he says tiredly. "Tomorrow."

"If you are sure. It could probably wait if you preferred I practice once I can go back to Velgarth." 

"I think I have considerably less complicated feelings about you practicing with me compared to with your employees, on the whole." And that feels like it should have some clarification so he shares some thoughts  -

- he doesn't want Leareth to be thinking of this topic as a minefield forever and ever, that sounds unhealthy. He wants Angband to have taken nothing from Leareth, even things he on some level isn't sure he's glad Leareth has. But that feels like the kind of conclusion that's too easily reached, if you aren't at all personally inconvenienced by it, so he feels more sure of it noticing that he is fine with it if Leareth is practicing here, with him. Actually on some level he feels intensely curious about how to notice whether your thoughts are your own, it sounds fascinating. And - and a lot of his memories of his early interactions with Leareth are colored by the knowledge that Leareth could do whatever he wanted, and - and it seems good to have that back, again. It's not a good friendship when you want the other person to be weaker.

Leareth nods. He's feeling some relief and quiet gratitude, which he shares back. "...Tomorrow. I need to get some sleep." 

"Yes. Van, Stef, you should leave or he will instead stay up staring fondly at you."

Stef snickers, but gets up, tugging Vanyel by the hand. "'Night." 

"Night." And to Leareth - "want a song?"

"If you wish to sing one, then yes, I would." Leareth waits until Vanyel and Stef are out the door before quickly changing and crawling into bed. He doesn't need to be sung to sleep anymore, these days, but - it's nice. 

He'll sing. He won't stay, though - that's a lot of day to give up, now that Leareth has fewer nightmares. "Let me know when you're ready, tomorrow."

"I will." Leareth gives him a warm look and then curls up to sleep. (He doesn't think he had a tendency to sleep all curled-up before? It's one relic of Angband that's stuck around.) 

He goes out. Makes sure Treven is getting a good tour and has been introduced to all the right people, circles back over to the linguistics guild to quietly lobby for his preferred names for humans, writes Findekáno a long letter, checks in on the other Angband survivors to make sure they're handling Melody's planned departure all right.

Melody, who's still up talking to Jisa, relays that she's willing to stick around one more day and meet with anyone if they want to be introduced to Jisa while she's still in town. 

Some people would like that! He can get a list together for her.

Perfect! She'll turn in for the night, then, and get started tomorrow. 

Leareth wakes up in the morning, and lights his room with a mage-light before getting up to open the curtains, just because he can. He bathes and dresses and wanders out to get some breakfast. :Maitimo?: 

Mmmhmm?

:Ready for practicing in a few minutes, though it could also be later: 

This is a good time. Are we borrowing Van's Work Room again?