:Randi... I love you, I love you so much -: 

:He sent me back! Because I said you needed me - I'm never letting go of you again, Shavri, never ever ever -: 

:He asked if I wanted to stop being lifebonded to you! Can you imagine?: 

...The lifebond means she can't hide her feelings from him, though. And everything else that's between them - over a decade of joys and sorrows and struggles and trying so so so hard day after day - demands honesty, because otherwise what's the point of all this, what's the point of saying that he's HERS and that NO ONE CAN TAKE HIM AWAY FROM HER - 

Her smile fades. Not all the way, she can't contain the bubbling delight and joy that she has her Randi, hershershers, forever and ever - 

:- I mean, I don't - agree, right. With whatever god - decided to meddle, to make us lifebonded - to make us Their pawns... But it doesn't matter now. Water under the bridge. You're mine. Never letting go of you: 

Randi holds her, rocking her gently. :I know. I understand: 

...She's not sure he does, actually. Shavri feels like she's always been more willing to stare into the darkness than Randi was. Especially in the last couple of years, because Randi swore an oath - because Randi has a Companion, and after witnessing what Yfandes did to Vanyel, she knows what that means.

And she doesn't. She refused it, when Taver tried to Choose her, tried to bind her forever to the future of Valdemar - it might've been the most important thing in the entire world and she said no, (and what does that say about her and her priorities, that she cared more about holding onto herself and who she is than saving the kingdom....) 

But, actually, none of her stupid pointless angst matters right now. 

:Randi. Randi, hey. We - we have to go. Half the people in the world - in the entire UNIVERSE - just died. And Leareth is trying to fix it, but he - he's really really not all right, and he needs our help: 

:- what. Leareth? Needs our help?: 

Somehow she hadn't even considered the fact that Randi would be completely in the dark about the past month's worth of events, even though on reflection it's obvious. 

:He contacted Valdemar almost immediately: At least, she thinks so - she wasn't exactly tracking things very well, by then. :Said it wasn't him. That he'd lost half his people too. He offered us - a lot of help. More people would've died in the aftermath, if he hadn't: 

:...And then a military commander from another world came and told us what happened. Asked if we wanted to help fight, since we - have magic, and apparently Earth doesn't. I guess she went and talked to Leareth afterward, because he showed up with a space-capsule later. Anyway. They asked for volunteers. I offered. They let me go: 

:- Oh: 

After a long pause,

:I - guess we'd better go?: 

He seems to be naked right now, which is somewhat of an obstacle to going places. 

:Let's see if we can find clothes for you: 

It takes Shavri about thirty seconds to make her way back to the clearing with the bed where Randi woke up, and look around, and find the robe. 

:There. All right, let's look for a way out of here: 

Randi puts on the robe and, hand joined with hers, looks around for a path through the forest. 

Shavri and Randi on the one hand, and Vanyel on the other, emerge almost simultaneously into another clearing, where there are three people dressed in the same robes as they—a man, a woman, and a small child in the woman's arms. The adults would seem to be in their mid-twenties, were they human, which—it seems like they might not be? It's subtle to natural sight but obvious to Othersenses. They're both unusually tall—again, for humans, which they aren't—and though their hair is long and hides it somewhat, they have ears that taper to a leaf-like point. The man is dark-haired, the woman blonde.

They both seem absorbed in each other at first, but the woman notices them quickly, and looks at them curiously. She says something in a language none of them understand.

Then, realizing they didn't understand, she—Mindspeaks?—them. You're mortal, she says, as though that's unexpected.

The male Elf is familiar although Shavri does not remember his name at all, she wasn't paying that much attention. The (very pretty) female Elf isn't someone she remembers. Also she's pretty sure the first Elf isn't where he's supposed to be, since she isn't... 

:Yes. I guess we are -: 

She breaks off. 

:Vanyel? What–: 

:Who are you?: Vanyel simultaneously demands of the two Elves. He's noticed Randi and Shavri but that can wait. 

I am called Eleniel Silmarië, Vardandúri, of the Vanyar by birth and the Noldor by marriage. But I belong in this land and you do not, so now I would ask the same of you.

He can't hear her osanwë conversation with Vanyel, but he can guess at its contents. "Wait," he tells her in Quenya. "These are not the first mortals Mandos has sent back."

"Are you from Valdemar?" he guesses, in reasonably good Valdemaran. (He's been slowly picking it up from listening to Leareth.) He recognizes Shavri, vaguely, and he sees that Vanyel recognizes her. "I am Calanáro Imbírtan of the Noldor."

"- Um, yes, I am? Herald-Mage Vanyel. Do you - are you working with Leareth...?" 

"I am. There was a—fatal research accident—but Mandos sent me back immediately. Along with my wife, who has been dead since Thanos snapped his fingers and accordingly is not yet accustomed to mortals returning. It was, really, quite unusual before—she didn't mean to be rude.

"How do you know Leareth?"

Elë isn't easily confused. This isn't the first time her husband has showed up suddenly speaking a language she's never heard before, and it's fairly obvious that Mandos' sudden willingness to send back mortals probably has something to do with the massive wave of death that she was a part of—too massive, apparently, to not undo. She is, however, pretty sure it's the end of the world, between that and the fact that Fëanor has apparently been reembodied.

I have refrained from asking what in the Iron Hells is going on, since you at least seem to have a good idea and it doesn't seem like there's time for explanations, she tells Calo. But who are these people?

Apparently human magic-users from another planet. The—death-wave—was half of everyone, on all worlds. We're all working together to undo it. I haven't seen a sign of the Enemy, so I'm fairly sure it's not the Battle of Battles, even if Fëanor did manage to escape Mandos.

He tries not to mention Sauron—believe it or not that's not even the biggest problem at the moment—but he thinks of his escape anyway, and they don't maintain private thoughts from each other, so she knows about that too.

Sauron getting out sounds rather like it is the Battle of Battles! I am going to go back to just trusting you, though, at least until we've finished dealing with the—whatever they are.

She can get a little bit more context from reading his mind, but it's hard to put together, and most of it is things she wouldn't believe even if they were told to her in a straightforward way.

....Oh. Wow. What a question. 

Vanyel glances over at Randi and Shavri. He can't help himself. 

"It's, er, complicated. There were...gods involved. They wanted me to fight him. I had a prophetic dream. But - then it got weirder, and I - could talk to him..." 

How is he even supposed to explain the last seventeen years? 

"- I respect him. I - wasn't sure, right until when I died, whether I would - have to die fighting him. But I think - all of this - just gave me a lot more information." 

That's a much more complicated answer than Calanáro was expecting. It sounds extremely dramatic, and he doesn't care at all.

"Okay, whatever. We need to get back to work, and it's going to take long enough to get there even if we don't stand around talking; we can do that on the way."

"- I agree. Let's go."