<Thank you.> He shuffles his feet, a bit unhappily. <I am not going to refuse an alliance on the grounds that he is unsure, obviously, but - I don't feel like I understand him well enough to predict things and that makes it feel like much more of a leap. ...and I'm worried he really does not understand that being subject to a Yeerk is bad.>

:...I think he gets that being enslaved is bad. He acknowledges that five billion people locked out of their own bodies and minds forever, while their enemies use them to conquer the galaxy and destroy everything they care about, would be a tragedy of tremendous proportions. He - does wonder, thinking of possible truce conditions, whether if they weren't afraid of annihilation, the Yeerks would be willing to work collaboratively - to sit in the back of a person's head and get to share in their experiences, while letting them steer at least half the time, and helping them achieve their own goals more effectively rather than - using their own bodies and minds against them... He's mused on whether he could - convince a Yeerk of his own goals, get them aligned with him, and then be a doubly effective team, he would find that actively appealing. He thinks it's very unlikely, though, probably Yeerks are aliens who fundamentally don't understand human values and would thus be very hard to cooperate with: 

<Huh.> That is at least slightly more comprehensible. There is nothing in the universe that would possibly make Matirin ever want to share his head with a Yeerk but - the humans just heard of the concept, rather than having spent their whole life watching everything they value die to it. <I do not wish to annihilate the Yeerks. There was a little discussion of giving them morph, if they could ever be trusted with it.>

:- Oh. That's good to know. Leareth is thinking that the Yeerks themselves might well think their chances here are either win the war or be destroyed as a species: Shrug. :He knows you have more context than him, and so he leans toward thinking your judgement is accurate, but - he is also keeping in mind that Andalites are aliens too, and may have value differences from humans that haven't been obvious at a superficial glance: 

<It seems likely that that is so. I do not think the Yeerks believe it is our intent to annihilate them; we have held their home star system for the last decade and we have not interfered at all in operations on the surface of their home planet, though we have prevented them from building starships to join the war, or leaving. They may well believe that we hope to take back every conquered planet and confine them there; we probably do intend that, if better options don't present themselves.>

And they're in Haven.

:I'll be a candlemark, probably: Melody heads to the House of Healing. 

Randi would be interested in getting an update in the meantime, if Matirin has one? 

He does! He also has a tablet with recordings of the conversations with Leareth under Truth Spell, if Randi wants to watch them.

Randi would like that! He's also very impressed with the tablet itself.

He makes unhappy faces about the Lineas part in particular. "...Gods. Of course he had contingency-plans to assassinate Van." 

<He seems like a person who had lots of very aggressive and ambitious plans. Melody thought he was sincere about setting them aside now, though.>

Sigh. "I - guess his planning skill is to our advantage, if he wants to help you rather than invade Valdemar. I do want to get that from him in writing, for all the good it'll do if he decides to betray it. But...he is looking to be more like someone who at least keeps his word." 

Melody gets back a candlemark later, looking even more tired than before. 

Can they have an update on Vanyel. 

Melody glances at Matirin, and then sort of shrugs to herself. "Physically he's doing all right. Mentally, he - is absolutely not going to be okay until - unless - Yfandes comes back. I don't think he's a danger to himself right now but I told Healers' not to leave him alone ever. I have a better guess of what they fought over, but...probably shouldn't discuss it too much with anyone who has a Companion of their own, sorry." 

Randi makes such faces at this. 

Matirin is going to stand quietly to the side and not listen to the parts of this conversation that are about Vanyel's wellbeing. 

Melody's eyes dart to him a couple of times, trying to gauge what his reaction is here and mostly failing because of alien body language being inscrutable to her. (And because she's too ethical to just read his mind about it, even though it seems quite likely to be relevant.) 

"Should I visit him?" 

"Not now, he's asleep. And - are you going to be angry with him for breaking Companion ethics standards?" 

"What? Gods, no, of course not. It's - it seems horribly unfair, whatever happened to him here, it can't possibly be his fault." 

"...Then I think he's appreciate hearing that from you. He was thinking that all the other Heralds would be furious with him." 

After fielding a couple more questions, Melody turns back to Matirin. :Can give you a more complete debrief on my conversation with Leareth. Er, in private, while I decide what is and isn't safe to tell the Heralds: 

<That sounds good, thank you.>

Melody requests a private, shielded meeting-room that can also fit an Andalite; the best option is Savil's old Work Room, so they head there. 

:Um, I have a mostly-unrelated question first: Melody hesitates, tugging at her sleeve and gnawing her lip. :...Your people have some sort of - reaction - to Vanyel's current situation. I'm wondering if there's relevant cultural context there that I'm missing: 

<That seems very likely.>

That is the least helpful answer. Sigh. :Is this going to affect your ability to work with Vanyel once this is sorted out: If that happens, but Melody is trying to be optimistic on that front.