"Oh good."

"Feel free to say no if this wouldn't help at all, but if it would help to just have - company, I guess, I could come read a book nearby while you're working and smile at you sometimes?" 

"I think that would help a lot. I know a little more of the language myself, actually, enough to probably chat a little even while Page is using my visual overlay for other stuff."

"I can definitely do that, then! I'm sorry I didn't think to suggest it earlier." 

"Page tried to have me tell Leareth I needed a hug the other day and I was like, actually, no, I think saying that would be weird, and I should really have gone and told you."

Vanyel giggles. "I mean, he'd probably have done it! He really wants to help you. But - I agree, Leareth and hugs seem weird together." 

"Also I think hugs are better if both of the people involved like hugs."

"That's definitely true! I - don't like hugs with everyone, I guess, but I like hugs with you." 

"High praise!"

"You're very good! Not only are you working as hard as you can to save the world, you also know all sorts of amazing music, and interesting facts about things." His lips twitch. "Yfandes said I should say that." 

"I suppose I can still sing with Page turned off. And still know some facts. I usually have it turned off, a lot of people like having theirs on all the time to help with everything they do but I like a less mediated experience when I'm not doing things this complicated and weighty."

"That makes a lot of sense. I think I'd probably use a spirit guide all the time at first, just because I could, I'm - used to wanting less difficulty rather than more. But I imagine the novelty would wear off sooner or later." 

"I was born post-Sing. I think a higher proportion of us like leaving them off. It's conducive to taking the world at face value instead of nervously checking everything. But I super understand wanting to check everything. Cory leaves hers on and talks to her all the time."

Vanyel's expression goes distant and thoughtful. 

"- Gods, I'm just imagining Leareth adjusting to a world with Sing in it. Might take him several centuries to be willing to ever take the world at face value and stop being so goddamned paranoid about everything. His level of caution is so justified right now - it's what saved my life and got you out of Haven, right. That he hadn't been taking any of what I told him at face value, he'd been spying and making his own theories and - he told me part of what he hoped to accomplish with the shield-talisman gift was being able to locate and Gate to you on a moment's notice." 

"Nobody mentioned that would make him able to do that!"

"I had no idea it was possible! We know of exactly one way of doing Gates, and it's 'to a location you've been to before and can hold a detailed image of in your mind'. I didn't know any other kind was possible - well, aside from permanent Gates, which Urtho had, but we know Leareth hasn't stuck any of those in Haven. Leareth tells me he can Gate somewhere just from a map, too, or blindly with a bearing and distance though that's not very accurate, or he can anchor it precisely on a unique artifact, like a search-spell. Also he did it without a doorway which I didn't know was possible either. We - obviously weren't ourselves being paranoid enough about what he might be capable of..." 

"I guess if he can do a ton of things you've never heard of, trying to be paranoid about all the things he might be able to do would involve wildly inventing a thousand things that seem really implausible, and you can't get very far trying to guard against all of them."

"No. And - I'm concerned that being actually paranoid enough to stop him hurting us if he'd wanted to, would've given us no way forward, in terms of trying to figure out if he was willing to help." 

"Yeah, like, there's fiction in my world about things that are dangerous just to know, what if you'd decided he might have one of those."

"Huh! That's an interesting concept. ...He sort of does, from one angle, um, when he told me about his plan it caused a giant fight with Yfandes and she stormed off for five days, I had a really bad time of it." 

"Oh no! I'm glad you and her are okay now - what was the fight about -"

"...Best as we can tell, the entire concept of fighting the gods directly? Companions were - made by a god or gods. No one even knows which gods were involved, King Valdemar prayed to all of them. But, it was like she had a barrier in her mind and couldn't see past it. And she had to - break through it, before she could come back–" 

He freezes. 

"- what -"

"It didn't even occur to me that, um, after what happened, it's possible most of the Companions in Haven are having this problem. Maybe it's all right, Savil didn't say anything..." 

"It sounds like they might start having it pretty suddenly though?"