:There are lots of my daddy. Ma'ar is also a my daddy and Tadesse is also a my daddy.:

What.

:...I see: Leareth manages finally, long seconds later.

(He really, really doesn't.) 

Of course he does, he's very smart and knows all this already. :I want to go home.:

:I know: Leareth tells her. This is not even technically a lie.

He takes a deep breath. :Carissa. Did...you know. What she said, about Aroden...? She mentioned Ma'ar. That - that was my first name. The one my mother gave me, in my first life:

:Aroden's the god who died a hundred years ago. He's  - definitely dead - his clerics stopped getting spells and everything. The paladins of Iomedae thought so too and Iomedae was His closest ally.:

:Yes. I thought I was recalling the name correctly...:

Leareth tries to look into the toddler's eyes. :Do you know if people in Cheliax thought that Aroden was dead, at one point?:

:Aroden is a god, so he lives in Axls where dead people go, but He is watching over us and keeping us safe.:

:Of course. ...Is there any chance that you know what year it is, currently, in Cheliax:

Pexa continues to have no idea what year it is. She sits herself on Leareth's lap and flops against his chest.

If he tries to put her down she’s probably going to start crying again. Instead he - pats her, tentatively.

:...Are your mommy and daddy friends with kings or queens of other countries?: he finally thinks to ask, though this will only be informative at all if Carissa also recognizes the names.

:My daddy is friends with the pharaoh of Sirion.: Pexa is not sure why her daddy is asking her questions about himself but maybe it is a game.

:Mmmhmm. Can you tell me his name?: Poor kid. Leareth feels strongly like he’s  LYING to her, which seems unfair, but the truth is...probably too weird for her to actually follow, as well as upsetting. And it’s not as though Leareth himself knows what’s happening or why, to explain to her.

Shrug.

And now he's out of ideas again. Leareth closes his eyes and leans his head back against the wall, listening to the sound of footsteps and hastily-evacuated crates of supplies being dragged into temporary new locations.

He gathers his thoughts. This...doesn't help that much.

:...Vanyel was there?: he sends finally to Carissa. :Would he have heard them questioning you and your answers?:

:Yes.:

He sighs. :No sign of any pursuit yet - I was not really expecting it, most likely they are still scrambling to remove set-commands from everyone Nayoki trapped. I think we should go through exactly what questions they asked you and what answers you gave, though. Second stage Truth spell, I am guessing, and they must have noticed the compulsion fighting it and known to undo it...:

:They - snapped it, I think? My head was ringing. I... will try to remember the questions but it was hectic, do you have some way to not rely on my memory...:

:I do not have a way to - directly replay it or anything, no, but Nayoki can read your mind and probably do better at getting everything, I can call her over:

She is very curious what the thing Nayoki did is but she doesn't at all need to know. She nods.

Nayoki arrives a minute later, sits down, and walks Carissa through what was really only a two-minute period, though it certainly felt longer. A few times it's noticeable that she's doing something in Carissa's head, making memories suddenly and vividly jump to mind, not always the right memories but she corrects herself.

Leareth lets the toddler snuggle on his lap, eyes staring into the distance.

"Savil and Lissa and an old man and Vanyel and the kid were there. The kid jumped on me. I was telling her I'm not her mother, and they - pulled me in and locked the door. I told them, there must be some confusion, I'm not her mother. The old man asked, do you know Leareth. I said no, and tried to activate the Teleport; Savil intervened instantly, in some fashion that exploded it, knocked her backwards, Lissa jumped to protect me, I activated the item to call you. The old man said, do you know Leareth, and this time there was mind control, so I said, Leareth who sometimes recruits mercenaries in Ruvan? I wouldn't say I know him as a person but we've met. The man said, are you married to him, I said no. The man said, are you his prisoner, I said, uh, not exactly, I'm here - I was his prisoner, though - he asked when you were invading Valdemar. I said I didn't know whether you were going to do that. He asked, um, I think he next asked whether I was sent to kill Vanyel. I said no, and if I had been I'd had a chance the night before, but I was definitely not here to do that, and I didn't think you even wanted Vanyel to die. He asked why you wouldn't want Vanyel to die. I said that you have some kind of personal preference not to kill people, or torture them, even when they're defying you. He, uh, asked whether it was true that that's a preference almost everybody has. I said I think lots of people prefer to outsource it? He asked where you were, I said I didn't know. He asked what your objective was in invading Valdemar, I bit my tongue and stuffed my hand in my mouth. He told me to repeat myself clearly but I didn't actually have to and I didn't. He jumped at me and pulled my hands clear and asked again. I told him you needed to kill a lot of people to build a god. He asked - why you'd do that, or something like that, and I said that they didn't have any afterlife and died forever when they died. They all kind of - weren't sure what to ask, at that point, and then you showed up."

Nayoki notes some of this down. Neither she nor Leareth seem angry with Carissa, at all; Nayoki just looks stressed and Leareth seems preoccupied.

:So I think the only significant strategic information they gained was about the god. Which is - not ideal, obviously, but it is also - less time-sensitive than it could be: Sigh. :...I suppose I am curious now to hear what you learned before this befell you. What do you think of Heralds?: A pause. :Of Vanyel: