Telumë can focus on a conversation so much better now! "You wanted to speak to me?" 

"Yes. You - are a version of myself, and that means I care, that you are - all right, and - correctly shaped..." Leareth is realizing that he's very unsure how to have this conversation. 

"And you think I am - not the correct shape, because I made some decisions that were...very stupid..." 

And Telumë is suddenly crying. 

Okay what this is not part of the script he was expecting. :Belrun, help?: 

"- Uh, arguably this one isn't the correct shape either on account of being hit by a lifebond, maybe you can check each other for errors."

Telumë nods, takes a few deep breaths and composes himself, but doesn't say anything. 

"I suppose that I could go first," Leareth says uncertainly. "That being said, I suspect that the shape I am now is not necessarily worse for achieving my - our - goals, given the condition that I have a lifebond with Belrun." He glances at her. "And much higher hopes, now, that even if the Velgarth gods wished this as a plot to destroy me, I will be able to find a method of immortality for her without interference." 

Wince. "I had not thought of - how uncomfortable that would be." He shivers. "I am not sure if it is worse than loving someone who is...currently evil...but it might be." 

Leareth is confused. "You are not lifebonded to him, though. You could decide to stop loving him since it is so inconvenient, no? Also there is a case to be made that he is not even the same person at all as the one who you loved before he was evil." 

Blank stare. 

And now he's run out of ideas for what to say again. :Belrun?: 

"...do you actually have experience with volitionally stopping loving people, or are you just assuming you ought to be able to do it even though it is not a normal ability?"

"...I think that as Leareth, before - all of the things that happened - I could and did choose not to love people, in general, even as close friends. I suppose I have less evidence that I made a habit of beginning to love someone and then choosing to stop. He wanted to show me that - it was safe..." And then Telumë has to stop, because he's about to cry again. 

"That does not seem wrong. I would have to review the relevant records to be sure of what I did in the past, in this area. And then I was mind-controlled into loving Belrun, which neither of us were exactly pleased about to start with, however, it is actually not so bad. Lifebond compatibility requires that a person be, well, compatible in certain ways, and Belrun is quite excellent." He squeezes her. 

She plops her head on his shoulder. "Yes I am. But I assume Maitimo is too when he isn't being evil."

"Yes." 

"What is the story there? I assume - well, it sounds as though there was some mind control involved, but he was not mind-controlling you." 

Wince. "No. I think he was - very convincing. That is the thing he is good at. The way you - we - are shaped to fight the gods of Velgarth, he is shaped to understand and work with people. We made a good team, I think, during the first war." He looks very wistful. 

"Elrond seems to have been fond of the local instance."

Nod. "What happened to him? The local one, I mean." 

"He's been dead a long time. The notebook with all that in it is in our room, I can go get it if you want it from me instead of Elrond?"

He probably should want to hear it himself, directly, so he can catch everything, but - it sounds awful, and also Elrond dislikes him for understandable reasons. "I would appreciate that, although I do not think it is more urgent than this conversation." 

Leareth nods. "I am still trying to understand the sequence here. So you were in a relationship with him before the second war, in Velgarth, and then you died, and he was captured and oathed to hold Sauron's values," speaking of which: aaaaaaaaaa, just in case it's not clear enough: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, "and tried to kill you repeatedly, and then I am confused about the exact sequence of events, and - reasoning behind decisions." 

Telumë flinches. "He was rescued, or perhaps 'recaptured by our side' is more accurate. I was not even aware of this until I received word they were transporting him north so that I could question him; it was Stef and Jisa's plan, made separately from my operations, they correctly feared that Maitimo could predict my actions too well. They had devised extensive precautions, which I implemented. I questioned him. We learned that Sauron was trying to bring back Melkor from the Void." 

He stops.

"And?"