Leareth manages not to have a panic attack this time. He flops in Belrun's arms for a while before he tries doing anything else, though. Even now that he's out of the blue place, he still feels maybe-slightly-unraveled. 

:I really hate doing that: he sends finally. Turning thoughts into words is also harder than usual, too. :I think I am going to lie here being very dissociated for the rest of the day, now: 

:That's fair enough. I can stay for a bit before I need to go be doing stuff:

:I would like that: 

She snuggles him and keeps his heart rate down till she's expected elsewhere.

It helps a lot with the first bit, and Leareth kisses her goodbye without complaint when she has to leave, then attempts a nap. He seems much more like his normal self by the time she gets back at the end of the day. 

"Hey. Somebody scared up flour and there's bread in addition to porridge now." She presents him with dinner. "I didn't see any butter though. How're you doing?"

Leareth smiles gratefully about the bread. "Much better. I should be fine for the meeting with the Council tomorrow, though I hope it will be uneventful." 

"I hope it will have one unsurprising event in it, personally."

He leans on her. "I wonder if we can get supplies Gated in and have a wider variety of food. It would make you popular. Unfortunately the food stores I could donate from the north are all nonperishables and boring... And we need to train more people in weather-magic if we are planning to do Gates all the time." 

"How complicated is that to do?"

"It is one of the more complicated techniques, unfortunately. It requires both good control and long-range mage-sight. Most mages master it after several years of training. If we did very focused training programs on it, after selecting people with natural skill for that kind of work, maybe six months?" 

"We're going to have to start so many training programs. I hope your mages respec well into teaching. We could Gate into Rethwellan and buy stuff - if I went there personally for a bit I could sell a Gift there, I bet it'd go for more in Petras than in Haven - but we're feeding a lot of people, so it'd be a bit of an operation."

"Oh, that is an excellent idea! Gifts would absolutely sell for more in Petras, or mage-gift would at least - there are a number of very wealthy people there who have not just lost their homes, and - I think in general people are more comfortable with mage-gift, and better understand its value. Hmm. We do likely want to run this by their government, so - maybe we can make a quick state visit and talk to the King? And then you can go back a week later once the rumour mill has had time to spread word, and leave someone to run an auction for spots on the Gift-acquiring list, hopefully within a week they will bid the price sky-high and you can visit again for a very profitable day's work. How does that sound?" Leareth frowns. "...Maybe after I finish the avatar. I would like to confirm with the Shadowgod that They can keep us safe from interference there." 

"Also after I am more formally qualified to make state visits."

"Yes, that too." Leareth's smile broadens. "You are going to make such a good Queen." He kisses her. 

This is a very very happy Belrun.

The next morning Leareth is feeling fully recovered from their visit to the Shadowgod, and cheerfully gets dressed. "Tantras told me we are holding this one indoors! The building is very far from completed though - do we want to go over early and I can lay an illusion to make it look less makeshift?" 

"If that won't interfere with ongoing construction, sure, why not."

"I can take it down afterward, and I certainly hope they are not going to be doing construction on top of us while we meet!" 

They head over. The new meeting hall now - exists, mostly, it has walls and a ceiling. Lovely big arched doorways that Companions can fit through easily, and ramps as well as stairs. One corner of floor has nice marble laid down; the rest is still rough stone underneath. The rafters are bare and the walls are unfinished brick, not yet panelled. The furniture is still folding chairs, which Tantras is directing a number of servants to quickly bring in and set out. 

"- Hmm," Leareth says, turning on the spot. "Any opinions on what I should do here?" 

:Amshalan, want to test out the Companion-friendly architecture?: "Make the floor all marble. Walls too, why not, and you know the pretty white ceiling in some Temples of Astera, all archy, do one of those, and put in some flowers?"

:Ooh, I'd love too!: Amshalan ambles over. 

"Of course, Your Majesty." Leareth teasingly bows to her before finding a spot to sit. "If you would like to come into rapport with me, I can give you a lesson in illusion-work at the same time?" 

"Oooh yes please." She sits next to him and leans in to see what he's doing.

Leareth is, unsurprisingly, very skilled with illusions, but it still takes him twenty minutes to do the entire hall. He first lays down a fine meshwork of magic everywhere, not yet visible to ordinary eyes; it takes only a whisper of power but a lot of concentration. Then, one area at a time, he summons an impressively clear mental image of what he's going to put, wordlessly runs it by Belrun for approval, and then sort of molds it onto the scaffolding of magic; the section of wall or floor in question glows and then acquires more detail and resolution until it's almost indistinguishable from real marble. It's still a little too smooth and flawless-looking, like something from a dream rather than reality. 

:I could add some convincing flaws and blemishes to make it look realer, but it would take all morning for a room this size: Leareth confesses. 

:I like it like this, actually, it's showoffy but in an understated nonthreatening way: