A darkness rests outside the demesne of Arda, thick with shadow and discarded notes. It was into this outer darkness that the one named Melkor sallied forth to seek the Flame Imperishable, for she wished to in all things subvert the will of Eru, and in this dark wish she perceived that the master of the Flame would ever be the master of Arda. Yet her search availed her not, for the Flame Imperishable is within Eru, and no being crafted of that exalted source - for Melkor was as all things are the work of Eru's mind - may hold it nor turn against their maker. Yet the outer darkness drew forth strange thoughts from her, such that she grew in arrogance and wished to challenge her brethren for the dominion of Arda.

What Melkor might have seen in the outer darkness is not recorded, for the Valar venture to it not as it is forbidden to them, and those who bask in the light of Eru may not comprehend the twisted thoughts that wove their way into the Music. It is known that she learned strange Music there, and that she sought to master many creatures that lurked outside of that which the Music first illuminated (though even their intervention was found to be ultimately of Eru's will, as all things are, leading to an ever greater Music).

Melkor wove great evils into her part of creation, and it is not until the Second Music, when Arda Unmarred shall come, that her work will fully come to naught...

Great wars raged throughout Eä as Melkor came forth into the world and made her intentions clear, to forge all of Arda into a kingdom in her own image. The Valar opposed her, chief among them Manwë Súlimo, her brother in the thought of Eru, who wished for Arda to be made good for all who had participated in it to share, and to be made in accordance with the vision revealed by Eru, so it might be a nursery for the coming children of Eru.

The wars against Melkor had many swells and ebbs, and Melkor often burst into intense violence before retreating again for a time to prepare for her next offense. An uneasy stalemate prevailed for a time after the Spring of Arda, which ended with Melkor setting much of Arda flame and Yavanna laying much of Arda to sleep. The Valar retreated to the Blessed Isle, there to keep the last bliss of Arda preserved. However, Oromë the Huntsman ventured forth into the dark lands of Middle Earth to harry Melkor, and there by Cuiviénen he discovered the Quendi. The Quendi of old had been much beset by Melkor and her dark servants, and her shadow had fallen over their minds, for they feared Oromë. The Valar went to war against Melkor, to cast down her strongholds and deliver the newborn Quendi from her dark influence. Much of what occurred there is lost to history, but it is known that Melkor was tried within the Ring of Doom and imprisoned within the Halls of Mandos, there to languish for three Ages of the world.

The Valar summoned the Quendi to Valinor, to be in the light of the Two Trees, but despite Melkor's defeat, her shadow laid over many who refused, becoming the Avari, the Unwilling, who ever since have held a great distrust of the Eldar. This was not the only realm where all of Melkor's corruption could not be purged, for many of her lieutenants and many of the dark things she worked beneath the earth escaped the Valar's judgement, slipping into the darkest places of the world to plan for her return.

The Eldar who came to Valinor grew great in time under the Valar's guidance and the healing light of the Trees. And so, when Melkor plead her case before the Valar for the second time, claiming repentance and so being set free, Melkor lingered within Valinor, there to go among the Eldar, where her shadow again took root...

The world's altered, in her absence. Three Ages - not much, by the count of the great Powers, but it seems the wheels of change have sped up since last she roamed free.

The smile on her lips itches as she goes among the Eldar, the Firstborn who have grown in fits and starts from scared infants into small children utterly convinced of the moral simplicity of their universe and the trustworthiness of their guardians. The elves regard her with curiosity, hesitance, uncertainty - but the Valar have declared her repentant, after all, and who are they to question?

The Vanyar hold this opinion most strongly, frequently offering to help her get settled in. The Teleri are a more considerate bunch of children, thoughtful as they mull over the Valar's words, but still they trust that their guardians can do no wrong. The Noldor look at her with nearly overwhelming suspicion, an unruly toddler poised between wariness of strangers and trust of parents who claim to know this odd new person.

Naturally, it is the Noldor Melkor gravitates immediately toward. She finds Finwe as unbearably dull as she did when he was an infant by the shores of Cuiviénen - she knew every single one of the Firstborn who lived in those early days, and she learns what she can, teasing out hints, asking sometimes, what became of each. Who came to Aman. Who stayed behind. Who settled where - who married, who had children, who made polite enemies.

It seems of those Eldar who came all the way to Aman, only one died - Miriel Therinde. Melkor remembers her as well, of course, a fierce child, defiant, burning -

She seeks out Miriel's son within a year of her release.

He's at one of his workshops - there's a cluster of buildings where he does most of his work, different rooms and sometimes entire buildings dedicated to different tasks, depending on storage, convenience, and the sensitivity of experiments and projects. This one's meant for chemistry experiments, by the signage.

He opens the door, quietly, a few minutes after Melkor knocks, standing in the doorway and examining her, eyes narrow.

"Hello," she says, smiling, voice friendly. "I apologize if this is a bad time to be visiting."

He observes her for an entire five seconds before slamming the door in her face.

She has to struggle not to laugh.

"I'll leave you to your work," she calls, almost softly, and turns aside.

The door stays shut, firm, and no sounds come from within.

Ah, well. Perhaps another time.

And even if this door shuts to her... So many more are wide open. It'd be a shame not to walk through a few.

She has her pick of social nets, little strands between people - some affectionate, some wary, some professional, some distasteful... Her pick of elves. Wary, friendly, hopeful, curious. Very few avoiding her entirely. Very few unforgiving - even those she hurt seem to feel guilty about that, like they should reconsider being so upset still. Her pick of Ainur - her compatriots among the Valar, the smaller Maiar she hasn't yet entrapped... The ones in Aman are more loyal, less feral than the ones who defected to her side or who chose to stay behind tending to the world. Still, there's cracks she can pry through.

And a wide world out there, though she's being watched for now. Manwe trusts her now, more or less; that doesn't mean she's convinced everyone.

She'll spend some time, still, prying at the local cracks, before testing her leash. Elves to charm - those in Fëanáro's subtle camp, those in his siblings'... The Noldor listen to her most readily, seem easiest to impress, and she focuses further on them, though she hardly neglects the others.

She teases through a few Maiar as well, testing them. Cozies up to her fellow Valar - they don't like her, but perhaps she can ease them a bit more into the idea of disregarding her.

(The elves are so much fun, though... And there are so many pretty girls, trapped and awkward on the edges of their society. So many girls, devoted to their craft, constantly putting off taking a husband, flattered by divine attention to their lovely works...)

Her machinations take time, and there's plenty of suspicions lingering, slowing her down - sometimes causing her to lose ground even.