Leareth goes back to his other work. He starts training Andalites who can morph Gifts on how to Gate. He waits for word on the nothlits he can fix. 

...Also they have yet to think of a better plan than the one where he goes in with Mhalir. Which means that at some point he really needs to go back to Velgarth, acquire Alloran, and find the least terrible way of telling him about the plan.

He asks Melody if she knows when would be a good time. 

"I can ask him when I next go out there," Melody tells him distractedly. She's only visiting Haven every three days, now, it didn't seem like Alloran needed the daily check-ins anymore and Gates are annoying.

She asks Matirin if they have updates by now on his family's status, whether his children are both still alive, and whether they were ever able to get message recordings or whatnot from the Andalite homeworld, she still thinks he would benefit from seeing those before he goes back. 

They are alive, and he has the recordings that his wife chose to send, which isn't all of them; she seems a bit suspicious and overwhelmed about the whole situation, though she does want him back as soon as he has recovered.

Nod. "...Did they know, the whole time? That he was a Yeerk, er, slave? I - can scarcely imagine that." 

<They did, yes. Visser Three was very prominent, and of course when he enslaved Alloran became very notorious. Many of his activities were widely known.>

Melody doesn't even have words for that, so she just nods. 

<How do you think Alloran is doing?>

She switches to Mindspeech. :He's made a lot of progress. He's much more functional, he's running around the field now. I told the foals they should dare him to run the obstacle course so I guess I'll find out if that happened. He's - still very fragile, I think. I worry he wouldn't feel welcome among Andalites, since...: Vague handwave while she tries to find words and eventually goes with the blunt ones. :Since Andalites have instinctive negative reactions to anyone who seems different: 

<Yes, I don't think he should go home until he has recovered, it will be painful for him and for his family. I am encouraged that he is recovering, though.>

Melody doesn't voice any of her half-formed frustrated thoughts, just thanks him and takes the recordings to bring the next day when she Gates to Haven.

Waiting for her Gate in the morning, she tries to remember how many weeks it's even been. It feels like it should have been a year, given how many events have been crammed in. 

When she's across, the recordings in a bag slung over her shoulder, she looks for Alloran. 

Alloran is playing with the foals! They are kicking apples at him and he is slicing them into eight even pieces with his tail-blade.

The foals are so incredibly delighted! This is their new favourite game in the entire world!!! The ones waiting for their turn to kick apples are bouncing around with glee, making various undignified horse noises and giggling uncontrollably in Mindspeech. 

Melody wanders over and then spends a bit just watching, grinning to herself, until he notices her. 

He regretfully tells the foals they will have to play more later and walks over to her.

:That's incredible. I'm so pleased: She smiles brightly at him, then slings the bag down from her arm. :Finally got some updates. Your wife and children are fine. They're looking forward to seeing you as soon as you've recovered. And your wife sent some message recordings, I've got them here: 

<Oh.> He sounds profoundly relieved. <Thank you.>

:You're welcome: Melody is pretty relieved too. :I think we should figure out what else you still need to be recovered enough to go home, because you seem to be doing pretty well on the moving part. And I'm not sure if this would make it easier or harder for you, but if it were me I think it'd help - we could set a timeline, six months or whatever seems reasonable, I don't really know: 

<I would expect you to have a better estimate than me, having fixed broken people before.>

Melody grimaces slightly before smoothing it away. :I mean, that's part of where my guess is from, looking at how much better you are now than, what was it, six weeks ago, and extrapolating. But - also humans are different. If you were human, and - this broken, I would want you back with your family weeks ago. Because it matters a lot to humans, emotionally, to be there to help their loved ones heal. And I would tell you not to worry if it took ten years before you really felt okay, and that you may never feel back to normal on the inside, but that's fine, you can still have a good life and good things: 

Sigh. :...I want to say a lot of that anyway. But - it seems like it's important, both to you and to your family, that you at least be able to seem fully recovered and normal on the outside before you go home. Which calls for a different strategy, and I really don't want it to take years. So I think we should get a full list of what parts of yourself you need to put back together before you can be around them without being scared that they're going to notice and be uncomfortable. You might still feel broken, sometimes, just...: Shrug. :Does that make sense?: 

<Yes it does. It is common for warriors returned from war to be troubled. It is not inherently a weakness if they do not let it bother other people. I think I need to move more fluidly - but only a bit more fluidly - and not freeze up or forget my body when startled or distressed.>

Nod. :Moving, I think you're making excellent progress on just by doing it, and you can't possibly need more than another month or two to get a bit more fluid. Did you ever run the obstacle course? I think the foals had wanted to dare you, but maybe they got excited about the apple trick instead: 

<I did! It was not too difficult. But I think I would still seem off to anyone with the skill to notice.>

Melody nods, thinking - and then slowly smiles. :I just had an idea. Er, you absolutely don't have to do this just because I think it would be glorious to watch, but - I just imagined you tail-sparring with Leareth and I would buy tickets to that. - Sorry, for context, I don't know if you heard, he got morph because he was dying after getting orbital-striked by Yeerk rebels, and now he's decided that Andalite bodies are objectively better than his actual body and he goes around in morph all the time. You could probably beat him once you're back on form, he usually loses against the others. I will admit I thought of it mostly because I would be so entertained to see it, though: 

<I would be happy to try sparring with Leareth if it will bother him that I am still wrong less than it will bother my own people.>

Melody's lips twitch. :It'll bother him much less: Leareth came to her asking if she could please do a redirect that would make it easier to ignore the 'obnoxious Andalite social instincts' before he has to go un-nothlit a bunch of people who will probably move wrong afterward; it took her a while to figure out something she could leave on that would still have any effect when he was in morph, but she thinks it'll help.