:Thank you: 

That's not too far away from what he had been thinking, most of it isn't even false, Leareth is mostly just aware that this kind of deliberate deception - not just omitting sensitive information, but crafting a narrative that isn't the one he actually believes - is not a skill he's invested in particularly, and it's...effortful for him to run natively. And right now he is not thinking especially well.

He clears his throat. "I - come from another country far away - I went to Iftel because I heard of the war and - wanted to help. I was delighted to learn of her world - before this, I, I had - wished to bring back all of the people who died, also. I - had a plan -" 

He coughs. Talking isn't something he's done almost any of today, despite the fact that Moondance very conscientiously kept telling him every twenty minutes that he was allowed to - obnoxiously, Leareth was trying to SLEEP - but apparently it's hard.

"Can I - water...?" There's definitely a jug somewhere nearby but last time he tried to get it for himself - which was a stupid idea and he only did it because he wanted to avoid interacting with the Tayledras - he made a mess again. 

This is so upsetting! He sounds exactly like how Uncle Van does, when he's been very sick or badly hurt and still trying to do his work and it's just so painfully obvious how hard he has to try and how tired he is... 

She gets him water. 

"Can you work through walls?" she asks Jisa. "You could leave now but go over somewhere and take his mind control off, and then once he's a little better we could leave. And you should get me a list of your uncle's friends, so I can raise them."

"I can't talk to you through the wall but I can do Mindhealing. That's how I knew you needed help. I went and hid in the other room and I looked." And on reflection she could have been even cleverer and done it from outside the window, except that before she hadn't known what to look for... "I can make a list right now if you have something to write on?" 

Leareth sips the water, feigning needing slightly more help with it than he actually does; it seems like it's helpful, for the story they're crafting here, for him to look as badly mistreated as he can manage. (Even though almost none of that is the Heralds' fault.) 

"You should go soon," he says, "but - I was saying - Vkandis and the Star-Eyed Goddess do not approve of - what I wish to do. That is why we were kidnapped, and why we now - belong to the Star-Eyed. I think - I am sure it could be resolved if we could talk about it, but - I - I do not feel safe here and I am not - sure - if they will let me recover enough that I can even have that conversation." 

None of this is actually false and the fact that he's utterly terrified isn't feigned at all. 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. 

He's SO SCARED - it looks different in him, with his weird paving-stone'd mind, but he is. Jisa would hug him too, except for some reason he also seems kind of scary - and like he maybe wouldn't like it - and so she doesn't. 

"I want to help you!" she says. "Should I just go - I can maybe make a list and sneak it in somehow with someone else...?" 

"Maybe tell me a few names now? They'll probably know who else among their colleagues died."

"Mardic and Donni. They were both Heralds. ...You'd also need to get their Companions but I don't remember their names sorry." She frowns. "Ummm, how - long should I wait? For him to be better? Or - if there's any way for you to get a message to me, I don't know -?" 

"Mardic and Donni," she says very seriously. "And their Companions. I can - sing a song, when he's better, if you can get close enough to listen."

"I can come stand by the window but I can't do it very often? I have lessons during the day. I could - come at sunset tomorrow and the day after and if you sing then I'll know you're ready?" 

Jisa is thinking that she's not quite sure all of this adds up and she kind of wants to try harder to read their minds, but also she feels incredibly horrible about wanting to do this when they're both so scared and upset and Melody already put all sorts of blocks on them without even having their permission. So she doesn't. 

"That might work. Or - Leareth, do you think you could Gate now, if you had to -"

Leareth considers this. 

"...If I had to, yes." He can do quite a lot of things if he has to. "I - am not sure I could make it all the way north and stay conscious. But I - could probably make it at all." 

" - in that case I think it'd be better to do it now," she says to Jisa. "Before they hurt him worse, or separate us."

Jisa gives him a worried look. “If the Gate is going to hurt you then I should go with you. So someone’s there to help take care of you.”

Leareth is currently making a fresh effort to sit up. He grunts. “No - you had best not - she can take care of me, I am sure.”

:Carissa, do you in fact know how to provide basic medical attention to a person unconscious from backlash? I would Gate us to one of my - storage facilities, it is closer - there ought be an alarm and my people would come to find us but it would take some time:

How does one provide medical attention to a person unconscious from backlash?

"If we take you with us, the Heralds will be much more afraid, I think," she says. "And people behave badly when they're afraid. I can keep him safe."

His people won't know that she and Leareth had a deal. Even if Leareth intends to keep the deal it'll be a while before he's coherent enough to communicate it. She'll be a prisoner again. 

She doesn't care. 

- on reflection Leareth is not delighted about risking this much when he is, afterward, going to be alone with someone who doesn't even really know what backlash is and also seems to be under the impression that being dropped in the Void shouldn't have harmed him particularly. 

:You will want to turn me on my side to make sure I can breathe, and keep me warm - perhaps take a blanket from here - and as comfortable as possible. If I vomit please do not let me choke on it - I am trying to remember when I last ate, I think it was some time ago... As soon as I start to wake up, I would benefit from eating or drinking something sweet - many of the symptoms of backlash are related to having burned all of one's body's fuel on magic. I am not sure what supplies the storage cache will have, but you are welcome to look around: 

Jisa fidgets. On the one hand they're right - on the other hand, she's going to be in SO much trouble with Mama and Papa - and Melody too - if she stays, they'll know what she did... 

Also it sounds like an ADVENTURE and she really wants that. It seems a bit unfair to go have an ADVENTURE without Stef, after all that, but she can't think of how to tell him. 

"All right," she tells the mage who's sick. Wow he really doesn't look like someone who can do a Gate right now. "This is going to feel very odd - and it'll take a while to get it properly fixed, I think? Ellie might come back?" 

"Maybe you can tell Ellie that Leareth needs food and sweet water."

"All right!" She frowns at Leareth. "Are you sure you can do a Gate?" 

He tries to smile reassuringly at her. "Yes. I am very skilled with Gates." 

:- Carissa, there - may be a problem if I am too tired to take it down at the other end. I am going to raise a Gate on that door and place the other end on a different door, to save energy - you may need to carry me through and then take down the Gate - do you have the spell for dispelling magic, I think that ought work on it -?: 

Yes. And I have infernal healing, so I can try to patch you up. And keep you warm, and keep your airway clear, and find you food.

Leareth nods. :For - information-security reasons, the locations of my facilities are highly compartmentalized - I think the alarm will be noticed immediately, and they will be on high alert, but I anticipate it taking a candlemark or two before they can locate us. - I would write a note to my people informing them that we were working together and you did not mind-control me into the Gate, but - I worry they will just think you might have mind-controlled me into writing the letter so it would not help–: 

He breaks off and makes a very quiet "ack" sound. Jisa is poking at the set-commands on him and she is NOT especially skilled at it. It feels like the entire room is melting. 

They're going to take me prisoner. It's fine. 'm not stupid. I won't resist and they won't kill me before you wake up. And then she has to hope he'll keep his word, but - he does still have things to gain from her cooperation. 

"Sorry, sorry, sorry -" Jisa is muttering under her breath, "I haven't done this before - it's a really strong block - I don't think I can put everything all the way right if I'm in a hurry, maybe I should come with you so I can finish it when we're not in a hurry -"