:...I'm a little nervous about trying to solicit Their attention, but - if you're sure you're up for it, it does seem important and it might be clearer for Them if we ask directly rather than having to send everything through Rolan: 

:And if it works it'd be so much more convenient! Can you bring Leareth or is that a special Rolan power?:

:I might be able to bring Leareth too just because he's lifebonded to you? I don't think I could normally just pull an arbitrary person in, that's a Rolan power: 

:Amshalan might be able to pull you in, come on over: she tells Leareth. :And just in case you don't manage to join us I should memorize what-all we want said:

:I am headed over:

 He arrives shortly later, and noticeably nervous about the talking-to-a-god part of this plan. 

"You okay? You can sit out if you'd rather."

"I can do it. It seems important and I have more of the technical context on what we would be offering Them." He reaches to squeeze her hand, though. 

:You two ready?: 

"I am."

"Ready." 

- and Amshalan pulls them into the disembodied floating blue, strung with cords of past-present-future, decisions made and to be made, dreams, woven together in silver threads...

:Hmm. What next. I am not exactly sure how to get Their attention - think about it very hard, maybe: 

:Hey You:

Nothing happens for a moment. 

- falling into light - blazing silver - inside out and backwards - nowhere to stand, only light -

And then they're somewhere else. Or maybe the same place, seen from a different angle. No up or down, no surface to stand on. Something rises out of the pattern - a pillar of light, too bright to look at. 

YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO ME? 

It's not exactly a voice, or really in words at all, more the direct meaning, woven into the pattern of threads itself, and the pressure of the communication batters at them. 

Aaaaaaaaugh. :Yes. Uh. Does the Shadow-Lover avatar only work if we're dead -:

APPROXIMATELY, YES. 

Aaaaaaaaaaah. Leareth, also a disembodied pattern now unweaving a little bit around the edges under the force of a god's direct gaze, clings onto Belrun. 

:Are you all right - this is kind of overwhelming - I can probably pull us out if you need me to...?: 

:Just a sec: she tells Amshalan, and to the toobrighttoobrighttoobright: :Uh. Would You like a better one we could make for You:

Pause, while the light seems to turn her from side to side, shining through her insides. 

WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS THING?

Leareth would really like to not be here anymore! 

He tries to answer the god anyway. :When our goals align with yours, we would like if we could coordinate better on it. Being able to communicate more reliably would help: 

Now the Shadowgod's full attention is on Leareth. 

I SEE. I WILL LOOK AT IT. 

Aaaaaaaah it feels like he's being turned inside out and his insides riffled through, as the Shadowgod seems to peruse his conception of the avatar-creating plan. The light is TOO BRIGHT and he can't feel his body but somehow still feels like he's falling, and in summary, aaaaaaaaaaah. 

Belrun is honestly more distressed by proxy than directly, here, and tries to reassure Leareth through the bond since she can't at the moment find her arms to reassure him through hugs.

The Shadowgod finishes poking at Leareth. The rod of light seems to back up a little, now gazing on all of them. 

Again, the communication isn't exactly in words; it's hard to describe what it is in instead. 

OTHER POWERS WILL DISAPPROVE AND TRY TO INTERFERE. BUT IT WILL SERVE MY ENDS IF YOU DO THIS, SO YOU MAY IF YOU WISH.

Okay cool that's enough of that now. She nudges Amshalan.