Pang of intense sadness that is somewhat but not entirely related to this line of conversation. "Sauron would do something different, if he were doing this to my father, I think. Will do something different, if we win." He pets him. "I didn't ask for design rights to anybody but you."

"...Well then. I suppose I ought to be touched." 

Leareth is currently weighing the pros and cons of literally having sex with Maitimo in the dream. Cons: has he really not learned his lesson on this yet? Pros: it's literally just a dream. It's not like they're going to end up married any worse. It - might be the only time they get to touch each other until the war is over. Also, it's arguably better than talking, which risks leaking information.

...All right, there are more items in favour than against. The only other downside is that it's arguably a bit weird doing it on the front porch belonging to Yavië's parents, he can't remember their names. Then again it's still not real. 

He evidently should have come up with a policy on whether to sleep with Maitimo if they ever ended up in a shared dream, but he didn't, so–

–so he kisses him, and waits to see what he'll do next. 

- surprised, delighted, wantwantwantwant - he kisses him back. Could go back to the palace, if you want - it's for weird dream reasons a very short walk -

How convenient. He disentangles enough to stand, holding out his hand. 

He takes it. Steps back onto the road up to the palace. 

I missed you so much. I tried to cheat on you but my guards wouldn't let me. I - every time I'm reminded of you -

I know. You keep doing very competently evil things and I am - this is not hooked up to any actual decision-making, you understand, but it is inevitably very attractive. He chuckles. Do you think that if you did cheat on me you would end up married to them too? That seems rather - irreversible... 

More senses, more blessings, more cards to play - I had so little in my hand - I was glad they stopped me but I had to try. It was the first thing that Quendi could actually understand as evil, it changed how they all looked at me. It feels like being in a room full of children, sometimes. They reach the gates of the city.

Mmm. I could see that, yes. The city of Tirion by the light of the Trees is both strange and painfully familiar, distractingly so. Maybe they can stop talking, now...

They could do that. 

He wants him so intensely and he loves him so intensely and he misses him so intensely but a little less, when they touch.

Telumë wakes up and for just a moment, he's still happy - and then the distance between them, physical and so much more, catches up, and he starts crying. 

He gets himself under control a few minutes later. Contacts Jisa. <Have you left yet for the trial?>

<No, why?>

<I have discovered Maitimo's third marriage blessing> He briefly describes the dream, not going into excessive detail. <I know it was stupid, but in my defence it was a lot less stupid than the first time, he is not actually my prisoner and we are not going to wind up any more married and it was literally a dream. Also everybody already knows that my judgement about him is questionable. I thought I could mitigate this by staying far away but I did not expect shared dreams> It seems very unfair, actually. <I am very sure he wanted it. If he brings it up and tries to spin it into something else, though, that is entirely on me and I apologize> 

<Oh> Sigh. <Hopefully he won't have the chance to do much with it. We're leaving for Valinor in a few minutes> 

<Good luck>

Then Jisa will Gate herself, Fëanáro, and Nerdanel back to Taniquetil to meet Vanyel, after scrying to make sure it looks safe. Rolan is hanging back out of Maitimo's osanwë range; he'll be the one carrying Jisa back across the continent if a Gate isn't permitted, they're not about to risk Treven's Companion again unless absolutely necessary, and Van already has Yfandes with him. 

(Jisa is painfully aware that if they'd been a little bit less careful, the exploding dam might well have killed all of them, and Treven wouldn't have survived that.)

And they head out to find the Valar.

And there is a trial on Taniquetil. The Valar charge Prince Nelyafinwë Maitimo, son of Curufinwë Fëanáro, son of Finwë,  with the murder of twelve people via blowing up a dam, and they spend an exhausting three days poring over the evidence. They have everyone repeat their testimony from Aulë's initial investigation. They have managed to track down four people involved in moving the explosives from a mine far west of here to the site of the dam. One, unaware that Maitimo was evil, was asked to send an order for some supplies for Fëanáro, unsurprised to have been talking to Fëanáro's son instead of the King himself; the next sent the supplies on; the third repackaged them for safe shipment through a Velgarth gate, which required changing the labels and the configuration of the explosives; the fourth brought them, mislabelled, to the dam. Yet another person was asked to come do sketches from there at night, by lantern light, and then called away on another errand. 

None of them should have been in range but none of them were more than double it; it is apparent that he can reach farther than ought to be possible, but if he can reach much farther he didn't show it here.

The Valar want Jisa's testimony that she didn't do it, that other mages weren't present. 

Jisa gets up and testifies that she was following up on a rumour of a mage having been sighted, but that she has no evidence the mage ever actually existed rather than being some sort of osanwë illusion, and certainly did not sense them anywhere nearby. She didn't do it. She describes the magic she used after it happened in an attempt to save as many lives as possible. There's no way this made it worse since she didn't cast the shield-wall until a few seconds after the dam was already down. 

The Valar announce that they have confirmed that Nelyafinwë Maitimo acted without witting accomplices in the destruction of the dam. They will confer on an appropriate punishment. 

And, while everyone is gathered here, the Valar want to investigate something else. Four different people from all across southern Valinor have now come to the Valar with Foresight dreams of Fëanáro, slaughtering cities with his Silmarils. It seems possible that this is somehow related to the evils which Valinor has just witnessed. They would like Fëanáro to come clarify that the Silmarils could not be used to do such a thing.

Maitimo has been observing these proceedings with a very still face but a world away Telumë gets a jolt of SHEER TRIUMPH.

...That's not good at all. There should have been enough evidence, he thinks, the Valar should have convicted Maitimo without a hitch - something went wrong - is this somehow related to the dream sex, it seems VERY IMPLAUSIBLE but–

<Jisa> 

<What> 

<Whatever just happened, it was Maitimo's plan and he is very pleased with himself about it> 

<But - what - I don't...> 

<What happened> 

<It's those stupid Foresight dreams - the Valar are having Fëanáro come up, they want him to say the events Foreseen couldn't happen, but...they could happen...>