The party slows to a halt as she approaches.

Currently in the lead is a definitely-not-Elf of about Mirelótë's height, armoured and wearing a more reasonably-sized sword. She smiles, says a variant on Tev's friendly greeting, and introduces herself as, "Elissa Cousland."

"Mirelótë Ambela," Ambela repeats.

She says something else, intoned as a question, and then - repeats herself in a different local language, maybe? It's equally incomprehensible.

Headshake. She tries Quenya again and the other languages she has any bits of.

Elissa shakes her head and looks around at her companions, who all also shake their heads. No shared languages are in evidence, apparently.

One of the stone people nudges the suit of armour's shoulder; the suit of armour turns and asks something that almost has to be 'what? Why me?', but then shrugs and turns forward again and lifts his steel faceplate to reveal a smiling face, glowing faintly blue-white from his eyes and the veins under his skin. (How does he see like that...?)

Stepping forward to stand beside Elissa, he points up the mountain the way Ambela came and asks a question.

She points up the mountain too. "They shot at me," she says indignantly.

He says something in a sympathetic tone, thinks for a moment, then kneels down and draws a crude map on the ground, scratched in the frozen earth with a steel-gauntleted fingertip. It depicts approximately the road leading up into the mountains, with a dot at approximately the location of the inhospitable village. He points at the dot and asks another question.

"That is where they shot at me."

Thoughtful nod.

"Stalas Aeducan," he says, pointing at himself, as he straightens up. This cues a general round of missing introductions.

"Ambrose," says the second definitely-not-Elf.

"Clare," says the third, the one with the bow on her back.

"Kador," says one of the two stone people, the one who nudged Stalas earlier; "Hesta," says the other.

Stalas points at the dot on his little map and names it clearly, "Haven." Then he gestures around at his group, sweeps his hand along the road in their direction of travel, points at his map again and traces the road from their current position all the way to the village where they shoot at people, and says something which is presumably along the lines of, 'We're going to Haven.'

"I don't recommend that! They shoot at people!"

He shrugs, smiles wryly, and glances around at his companions.

Tev has some comment or other!

Elissa nods thoughtfully and responds in a tone of mild concern.

Stalas makes a suggestion, and then glances at Ambela and repeats himself with added gestures to make his meaning clear: he and Tev are going to stay here with her, and the other five are going to continue on to Haven.

"That doesn't seem like a safety improvement and I don't think Mandos even knows about you people let alone has you backed up."

Stalas shrugs and says something incomprehensible. The party splits along the described lines; Hesta looks back and waves as the five travelers depart.

Now! Does Ambela want to play Name That Object?

Sure. Seems more sensible for her to learn what they speak here than the other way around, since she's outnumbered and loaded up on memory blessings. Plus her newsreader can take notes; she pulls it out of her pocket.

Stalas blinks in mild fascination at the newsreader, but moves on fairly quickly to language lessons. Nouns: tree (trees), rock (rocks), dirt (dirt), map (maps); verbs: speak, see, hear, draw, write, walk, run; assorted species, with reference to absent persons by name: Stalas is a dwarf, Tev is an elf, the other three biological beings in the party are humans (as are the inhabitants of Haven), and Hesta and Kador are golems.

Once he has enough vocabulary to ask the question, the first thing he wants to know is: "Where did you come from?"

"Valinor."

"...Tev, do you have a map—"