Mmhm.

Do you need anything?

Lots of things. I don't know if you can give me any of them.

Maybe you can tell me what to expect.

- last week's been uncharacteristic, he's usually way less self-destructive. I am hoping he'll calm down and grieve and get over it and then be back to normal - normal is fairly pragmatic, if you truthfully tell him he's going to make it harder for you to be artistically inspired he might just leave you alone. 

These aren't fantastic conditions for that even if he does continue to leave me alone.

I should probably have waited until the war was over and we had room to maneuver. I'm sorry.

I don't blame you.

He shouldn't command world-eating magic. I'm glad I know that, I'm glad I found out before I just maged whoever he suggested.

I just hope it doesn't lose us the war.

I hope so too. But I absolutely can't give him the backups he wants.

I'm hardly going to try to talk you into it but your world is evacuating here.

They're not sending mages. And they'll probably know to worry if they don't hear from me or Ranary.

Are there conditions the backups could swear to?

Deoathing makes that suspect as a method.

You could maybe swear to not arranging that but it's certainly more complicated.

He's - trustworthy is the wrong word but I'd expect him to honor an agreement he made with you. 

Spirit, not letter, is the important thing, so oaths wouldn't be great for that anyway.

He had been consistent about that with me but had less incentive to break his word.

Yeah. Also I can't necessarily assume things you tell me are true.

I realize. 

Should I leave you be? It's just that as far as I know everyone is working for him and you at least have some more reasonable set of feelings about that and everyone else kind of...

He's had a long time to work on them and they need very badly to believe in him. I don't mind talking if you don't mind that he'll probably have me tell him about it. I - very much wish I could have kept you out of this.

It wouldn't be better for him to have Elf mages and no check on their use.

Sigh. Yeah. If he keeps avoiding you what's the plan?

Thuringwethil gave me a lot to work with, I'll come up with something eventually when I'm less preoccupied.

I don't know what happens after that.

After you have a way to kill the Enemy, you mean?

After I do it. Presumably if it doesn't work it's not my problem any more.