:What do you want, here, his favorite color? How would you explain how people you know do or don't seem like they'd start a war twenty years later?:

:I know it's a weird question! I...think I just want to know what your impression of him is, as a person? We, er, we found some of Urtho's personal journals, he wrote a bit about Ma'ar, but - well, he might be biased, and he was also way older, right. If you're the same age you probably know a different side of him: 

:I'm fond of him. He's, like, kind of weird, but less weird to me than to most people and it's mostly pretty explainable by how he had a lousy childhood? He's - I'm a Mindhealer, I've looked at his gears, but it's hard to describe -:

Unexpectedly, Jisa's face lights up. :Ooh, you're a Mindhealer too? So am I! Neat! Wow, you must've had pretty different training too, in Urtho's time, I'm so curious now -: 

:I have no idea what your training is like so I don't know how I'd compare! I guess if you're a Mindhealer you can - I have a structure sort of like one Ma'ar has if that helps, I don't know what it'd look like to you but I can try to highlight it -:

:That might help! Um, if you're comfortable showing me, obviously you don't have to. Your metaphor is gears, huh - mine is gardens, gears seems like it'd be really interesting for some things though: 

:I like it a lot! Okay, so I have this big central gear, no idea how it'd show up in a garden -: She tries to light it up.

:Whoa! That's so interesting - here, want me to show you...?: Jisa parts her shields a little further, offering Azabel a wider Mindspeech connection to borrow her Sight, but waiting for her to pick it up. 

:Sure!: Yoink.

To Jisa's Mindhealing Sight, Azabel's mind is a very tidy and well-organized garden; the plants are lush and vibrant, and varied, but perfectly contained to their places, and there's a clear sense of unity and careful design. 

There's something in the centre a bit like a spring-fed fountain, and from it spreads a...set of stone aqueducts? The irrigation channels stretch out from the metaphorical spring like the spokes of a wheel, symmetrical and clean, conveying the metaphorical water to exactly where it's needed. 

:Oh, cool! Yeah, that thing, he has one too:

:Huh: Jisa looks thoughtful, her eyes going distant. :That's interesting. Makes sense, I guess: 

She's silent for a long moment, then shakes herself a little. :Um, a couple more questions. If Ma'ar, er, did start a war, would you side with him?: 

:...does he hypothetically have a good reason?:

:Y...es? Hypothetically, he has a reason that he thinks is a good one, anyway: 

:I imagine we would talk about it and come to some sort of agreement, he's not unreasonable, but my biases to start out are pretty anti-war. Uh, why... do you ask? Is this, like, what, is your war a reignition of some lingering tensions created by the ostensible Urtho/Ma'ar thing thousands of years ago...?:

:Um. It's complicated: Jisa rubs her forehead. :I'll– damn it, really I probably should ask the other Heralds before I go explaining everything, but I can't Gate back until I've rested and this is important. I - just have a couple more questions. Have you, um, have you ever heard of someone called 'Leareth'?: 

:I think it means night sky but I haven't heard it used as a name:

:Mmm: Jisa nods. :I - hmm. I don't think this is actually a good explanation for anything, but the timing of you turning up here is, er, surprising - do you think there's any chance Ma'ar could have been responsible for the artifact being there and taking you here?: 

:No, I think Urtho just kind of leaves artifacts lying around and this one happened to do time travel. I don't believe Ma'ar's even been to his office recently:

Nod. 

Jisa presses her lips together in silence for a long time, then turns to Gervase. :I want to speak privately with Azabel - can we borrow the storage hut or something?: 

:Yes, of course: Gervase's snout twitches curiously, but he doesn't ask. 

Jisa nods briskly, and starts heading toward another of the buildings, beckoning for Azabel to follow her. 

Aza follows along, weighing in her head how likely it is Urtho left lying around a time travel artifact that would send people forward and then not bring them back.

Jisa bolts the door behind them, and drags out two crates to use as stools, offering one to Azabel. She sits, closes her eyes, and briefly raises one hand, casting a privacy-barrier around them; the shield-technique is quite different from the style taught at Urtho's Tower, but its purpose is recognizable to mage-sight. 

:So: she says, hands pressed to her knees. :I - sorry - this is going to be really awkward, if you were friends with Ma'ar. But, um, did he ever tell you about - plans to become immortal?: 

:Is he still around somewhere? I mean he didn't get particularly specific about it but it seems like a good idea if you can pull it off, how's it work -: