It takes Thellim a second to catch on to what Melody is implying.

Does this planet have anything to drink that is not a mind-affecting drug?  Because if not, that seems like it could explain some of their problems.

:About a cup-full and a half.  What was in it?:

:Well, it's not very alcoholic, but it does tend to ferment while it's stored - thus the bubbles - and this batch tastes like it's from an old barrel, so could be equivalent to almost a whole cup of wine. Anyone from around here is used to it but I reckon you might not be: She tugs at her collar. :The well-water's not safe to drink unless it's boiled or sterilized with magic, but those options are available:

:I'm... definitely going to need a supply of boiled or sterilized water, yes, even if it's moderately more expensive.  And I should hesitate to make important decisions in the meanwhile.  How long until this wears off?:

:Depends on the person, but - a candlemark, maybe? And I think it's one of the things a Healer can check for, whether it's still in your blood: 

A candlemark.  Okay.  She can avoid making any important decisions for a candlemark, unless this drug specifically makes it harder to hesitate before important decisions.

:I'm also guessing that - well, more deciding that - we should avoid merging to monitor Vanyel during his Gate while this drug is still active in me.  Oh, background on that thought.  I am feeling suspicious about the timing, of my arriving here next to Vanyel.  It still makes sense for Vanyel to avoid Gates and take the long way to Haven.  But we should also potentially monitor his reaction to this Gate, and see whether we can notice anything very quickly that looks like it might give Vanyel greater mobility.  It would be a case where we either don't tell him yet, or tell him not to try it without us except in extreme emergencies that are even more emergent than usual.  We maybe shouldn't even do it at all?  It's just - I have a nervous feeling about wondering why I landed here now instead of later or earlier.  Those were my thoughts this morning before the 'cider'.  Right now it seems 10% more like a wonderful good idea than previously.:

Melody listens, nods along. 

:Hmm, so you're suspicious about the timing because - you suspect something or someone brought you here, or something Foresight-related?: A little shiver. :Guess I hate being forced to think about that sort of thing. Gods and Foresight always gave me the heebie-jeebies. But...sure, seems it'd make sense to watch Vanyel while the Gate's going up. Do you know anything about the logistics of that - when, where, who...?: 

:Not I.:

:Guess I'll ask Lissa, and hopefully it's in more than a candlemark: Sigh. :Though I should talk to– oh, there he is!: 

Vanyel slips into the dining hall, wearing clean (though not-perfectly-fitting) Whites. His hair is also clean and combed, and the difference it makes is kind of shocking. 

Something deep inside her relaxes somewhat, though not all the way.

:Hi, Vanyel!  I drank a cup and a half of mind-affecting 'cider' without realizing it, so my judgment is less trustworthy for the next 'candlemark' or so.  As a result, I'm not going to tell you how much better you look, in case that's just the 'cider' talking, get an opinion from somebody who isn't on drugs.:

She is obliged to tell Vanyel at some point about how badly she screwed up yesterday, but this is maybe not the right time.  Before the Gate, obviously, but not right this second.

Vanyel smiles at her, a bit tiredly but otherwise genuine, and lifts a hand in a half-wave. :Gods, did Lissa not tell you? ...Guess she wouldn’t think to, she can drink most soldiers under the table so it’s hardly count for her: 

He heads over to join their table, apparently forgetting about the step of ‘breakfast’ that involves collecting food. 

:You know, I don't actually get the part where my version of this altered state would be advantageous to a strategic commander, but maybe people's reactions are different.:

:Oh - she doesn't actually drink when she's making strategic decisions or preparing for a battle. I...guess maybe she does it so she can take a break from all that? I bet fewer of her subordinates bother her in the evenings if she's clearly had a few and isn't in the mood for work: A shrug. :Also she says it helps her sleep. Which given how many nightmares I have about what I've done out here, I can believe: 

(tightbeam to Melody)  :I want to ask several questions that it wouldn't have been safe to ask last night, but Vanyel seems a lot better now.  Still - can you be the one to ask him if it's safe for fumbling amateurs like me to ask him questions?  Like, say, 'So what did we actually do to you.':

:Of course:

And Melody turns back to Vanyel, smiling. :So. Check-in time. You've had some time to rest and get your mind settled - how are you? What differences have you been noticing from before?: 

Vanyel instantly tenses up and stops smiling, instead looking very self-conscious and on-the-spot. 

- After a moment his eyes go slightly out of focus, the way a lot of Mindspeakers look when suddenly interrupted by a new Mindtouch, and then he seems to catch himself, twitching a shoulder and then relaxing. Slightly. 

:It's definitely better: he says finally. :It - still hurts, some, but it's...not as salient that it does, I guess? It's something I can be distracted from and forget about? Like how I could forget about a stubbed toe if I were focused on a fight: 

For a moment he looks like he's considering saying something else, but he doesn't, just stares into the distance. 

(He's remembering his middle-of-the-night pacing and thoughts. How for the first time, a decade later, he could finally grieve for Tylendel, for the person he was, not the golden-haloed outline of a lifebonded partner. But it feels too raw in his head, still, and thus very private; he doesn't especially want to try to explain it now.) 

Vanyel shrugs a little. :I did realize that my life is kind of full of other problems, and I've got plenty to ruminate about that isn't Tylendel: 

Melody's eyes narrow when she notices Vanyel holding back, but she doesn't press. 

:Right. Thank you: Glance at Thellim. :How, er, emotionally steady are you feeling? Thellim would like to ask you a few things, but she's worried that she doesn't have my experience with patients and might poke you in sore spots. But that can wait, if you don't think you're feeling up for poking just yet: 

Vanyel starts to answer, then stops himself, and pauses for a long time to mull it over. 

:...I think it's all right. 'Fandes agrees; she says she'll, er, intervene if it seems like I'm wrong: 

:A lot of my questioning was going to be about - what exactly our intervention felt like from inside, if that makes sense, and if it shook anything else loose.  But I want to be clear that I'll understand if this information is not available or if it seems like something that can't be explained... or actually, could you try to transmit the sensations directly in Mindspeech?  I don't know if that's a thing.:

:- I guess if concert Sight is possible that must be too:

But Vanyel stiffens again, curling into himself, vaguely reminiscent of a pill-bug starting to roll itself up into a protective ball.

:Nevermind!  Immediately back off this thread of thought and think about something else.  Like -: not schedule because Gates what is on her list of Vanyel Issues that wouldn't reference the void :- what did you have for breakfast today and was it the amount of food that an outside person looking in on your life would have told you to eat?:

:...Breakfast?: Vanyel looks blank for a moment, then smiles wryly. :I guess that’s probably what I came to the mess tent for, isn’t it. I, er, might be a bit  preoccupied:

Vanyel sighs and gets up and collects himself tea and a plate of food. He doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to what food, exactly, but the quantity is reasonable.

He rejoins them at the table. :Er, right, you were asking what it, um, feels like?: He’s clearly self-conscious, but not nearly as tense as before.

:You do not in fact need to answer that, Vanyel, not now.  There is probably not much that I could do with the knowledge, for all the pretenses here of Science.  I can see that you are able to not be dragged into cycles, to try to stop and think about something else; that is all that we were trying to do.: