The Bells come downstairs.

Kib looks really annoyed, but alert.

"Hi!"

"He's convinced that outright ceasing to think is not helping but he still thinks he's in Angband because he didn't even get a rescue sequence, and being surly is more comfortable than being scared. He's not going to be very good company for a while - we're introverts, he'll be okay alone."

"Okay. If he prefers not having company, that is, if it's just that he thinks we're all Melkor I'd sooner tolerate that - his Maitimo wouldn't leave him alone -"

"I bet he gets real - cuddly and cooperative, when he's been given a rescue hallucination - but 'hallucination of something unrelated cuts out with no memory restoration in the middle of the bar' isn't one of those. But no, not having company is not better-for-him."

"Then we'll visit. We don't need cuddly."

Was he involved with -

Yeah. The story's honestly super cute but we forced it out of him so I'm not repeating it.

Kib plops down by the fireplace and stares at it.

"You should read something. If we're Melkor coming up with plausible books for you probably takes more of our time and energy than coming up with a convincing fireplace. Human or Elf literature? Ambela's Elves all write relentless tragedies, if you find normal Elf content a bit too goody-goody."

"I'm waiting to pick a new strategy after you give my memories back or come up with an excuse not to do that after all. Maybe you're really good at propaganda and just save it for special occasions."

"Mirelóte, can Lórien -"

"I'm not sure about mine but it should be within a flat one's skillset."

Nod.

He starts singing softly.

Is silent weeping an improvement?

No, not really. "Should we not -"

"Oh, depends, what are you going for here?"

"An interaction that doesn't involve anxiously clinging to you in the infirmary while the apologetic healer tells me that you're breaking some stupid bar rule by not of all things wearing clothes?"

"Thanks for that, I guess, if it makes sense to thank you for there being a framing story in which I don't spend a few months bedridden recovering."

"You'd want to thank Tse Lux, they give up their own immune system for healing powers or something - not, like, as a voluntary choice, they're selected for it at four - does my local alt spend a few months bedridden recovering? Does he in fact recover, I peeked at his notes but they're - less than revealing, I'd act fine either way -"

"What in the name of the fucking Pineapple Islands is the point of asking me this before you put my memories back."

"Oh, I'm not counting on the Valar to be competent, that's the people whose Valar didn't try to control their populace with mass mindcontrol."

"Oh! You have backstory!"