"You have lying gods who kill people and start wars? That's--shit. No wonder you're being careful." That's a completely different kind of danger from mals and he has no idea how to deal with it!

"We will be on the alert for anyone trying to trick us into killing people. Is there, like, a way to recognize a god if you're looking carefully?"

Tran scowls. :Maybe? Most of Them seem to work with nudges and coincidences, so if something happens that seems implausibly unlucky - or lucky - that's suspicious. Though most of what happened today was a lot less subtle: 

"Okay. We'll be on the lookout. We don't know what's implausible here so we might have false positives but we'll get used to it." Unless we find a way to stop being here and go home. "Is there a library where we can go read things and learn about this place without taking up someone's time?"

:There is a library, but we were under the impression that we don't share any languages?: 

". . . Sorry, I'm used to the library having every language. I'll learn yours. It would help if you could say the rest of your questions out loud at the same time as the telepathy."

"We can do that." (Repeated in Mindspeech.) "We can probably arrange you a language tutor? Since that wouldn't have to be a Herald." 

He glances at Joshel. "We...need to go discuss some things. And then we - may have other questions, but it won't need to be under Truth Spell. Though, while we have the Truth Spell up, I do want to ask all of you, individually, to promise that you won't initiate any violence here, and will try your best to run away rather than harming people even in self-defense." 

She nods, then takes fifteen seconds to think of a wording, never mind the awkwardness of the pause.

"I promise not to initiate violence, to defend myself nonviolently where possible, and to use only the minimum of violence necessary to ensure my survival and the survival of my allies."

The others all repeat her, word for word.

....Sure, he'll take it. 

Tran repeats that they need to discuss some things, and then the kids are left alone. 

At which point they can all stop pretending to themselves that they don't need to collapse into bed.

Except Kevin, who is still too wired to sleep and offers to take first watch. Nobody disputes that they need someone doing that, here surrounded by creepy gods and who knows what else.

The Heralds have a meeting. 

Jisa does not want to be having a meeting right now! She even less wants to run off in half a candlemark for the last-minute Council meeting that's been scheduled, where she is going to have to do her very best to ram through a peace treaty with Leareth. Or something. And convince the Council that instead they are apparently at war with several gods now???

And possibly also with Karse. Karse has supposedly, during all the confusion up north, just evacuated most of their troops via Gate to some unknown location. In theory, Karis should be the authority on whether or not her country is going to war with its allied neighbor, but Jisa isn't putting much trust in that theory right now. 

She wants to cry on Melody's shoulder for the next DAY, but she can't do that, can she. 

And, on top of everything else, apparently she now needs to run this meeting, too, because Tran and Joshel are just sitting there looking vaguely stunned. 

"So? What did we learn?" 

"That they're kids? Scared and traumatized and a long way from home?" 

Tran sighs. Drags a hand over his face. "Other than that, not much? They weren't willing to promise unconditionally not to harm anyone in Haven, because they're very worried about self-defense. Presumably because they just survived a horrible death school and they're quite reasonably paranoid. And they're not stupid - they could tell we were talking around something. So I went ahead and told them - in general terms only - about our situation, and that we can't trust the gods here. They're...not sure what to be wary of, obviously, they don't know what's normal here so they're not going to have much idea if something is an implausible coincidence. ...They want to try to learn our language, so they can read up from our library instead of bothering us. I said we could maybe arrange language tutoring." 

Jisa feels like worrying about language tutoring now is maybe, just possibly, getting ahead of themselves. 

"But you don't think they're a threat to Leareth?" 

Tran looks helplessly over at Joshel. "I...don't know. Not under any normal circumstances, I think? They - seem like good kids. Just, I - after everything, I don't– I mean, we know how far the gods will go, for this." 

Jisa knows as well. She just nods. There aren't any words. 

"So, given that, I'm not sure what to...do." 

"Well, did the kids seem to be in a hurry for an answer?" 

"I mean, they were stressed? But I think mostly they want to know if they can go home, or get a message back. And we don't have an answer for them on that anyway." 

Sigh. "Then - I think I want to wait? Give Leareth a chance to rest, ask him for advice again when he's a bit more lucid. I'd really like Treven's input, too, but - I'm not sure this is a distraction he needs right now." 

Tran sighs, heavily. "I don't love us...not being on the same page. Been enough of that lately. But from what we're hearing on the relay, it does sound like they've got it bad enough already." 

"Right, so the plan is to - do the Council meeting, get a peace treaty with L-Leareth," Joshel even manages to say that out loud with a straight face and only stumble on the man's name a little, "and - we're telling the kids to wait and we'll get back to them?" He rubs his eyes. "I can go let them know, I guess. I should bring them some food and water and more warm clothes anyway." 

And, another few minutes after that, he arrives outside the guest room, knocks very gently, and then tries to nudge the outer door open so he can bring in the little hand-cart that he's loaded up with food and jugs of water and a bag of spare clothes. Have the teenagers taken any measures to lock the door to the hallway, with magic or otherwise? 

Kevin put up a tripwire ward but all that does is insert the knowledge that Something Is Entering The Room directly into his brain and he's perfectly capable of seeing that. Everyone else is asleep.

"Hello."

Joshel smiles at him. It's an incredibly tired smile but it's otherwise genuine. :Just came to let you know that, er, we've actually got a lot to sort out this afternoon, and I don't think we can make a decision on - things related to your team - until after that. But I brought food and water and spare clothes for all of you, and - er, well, it looks like you maybe need some rest anyway: