This world has a Sun. She has no way of knowing that it is rising for the first time. This world's grasses and shrubs are not universally edible, but the ground is soft, here. There are other people waking.

Oh.

Maybe her world has an afterlife. This is good if it means she gets to see her parents again and terrible if it means she's never going to see her husband again. 

--Is Imliss anywhere nearby?

Yep. She even has the fingers back that had rotted off from frostbite.

Oh, good. Then there can be weeping and clinging.

The other humans are staring curiously at them.

"...Hello?" She says. ...Not in any of the three languages she had known before. She now speaks a fourth language. For some reason.

"Hello!" they agree. 

Okay. "What's your name?" she asks one.

Blink.

Okay then. They have officially exhausted Idaia's knowledge of what to do in this situation. She's just going to hug Imliss until someone attempts to interact with her.

Everybody instead starts wandering around exploring.

Reasonable. The two of them can eventually get up and do that too.

The temperature is pleasant, getting warmer as the Sun rises; the area is hilly. There is a creek. There are occasional patches of trees.

Not the worst afterlife ever, then. Although, uh. Maybe they should figure out clothes at some point.

No one else seems bothered. In the distance there is a lake. Some people seem tempted to walk to the lake.

Lakes contain water which is necessary for survival, so someone probably should at some point. It's not urgent, though.

It is not! The sun is now high in the sky.

It's sort of weird having a sun again.

...So this is not Valinor but are there any edible plants nearby? They should eat.

There are a lot of plants nearby. 

Great. They will identify edible ones and eat them and drink from a creek.

The other humans will mostly follow their lead on this.

Something weird is up with these other humans and it seems to be different from the weird thing that's up with them, if this isn't an afterlife, but there doesn't seem to be a practical way to deal with it. Aside from going on being a good influence, she supposes. 

None of the other humans seem to know each other, for one thing.

Okay, that's maybe sort of weird but she doesn't know anyone but Imliss either.

...Elves just started fully grown. And humans were supposed to start at some point. And all those fucking prophecies had a sun in them.

So if this is that---

Okay which way is west.

This turns out to be surprisingly difficult to determine, unless 'the sun sets in the west' is a safe assumption, in which case it's straightforward.

They'll start exploring in a more westerly direction for the moment. They can make a concerted effort to get back to the others when they have their bearings better.

If they wander westerly for a while they will reach a desert.

...

They're going to wander right back over to the other humans for now. And consider how to get through--or better yet around--the desert.

The other humans have found some soft patches of ground to sleep on, and are sitting around describing the things in front of them, rather idly.

Soft patches of ground are not exactly ideal but it's warm here so who the fuck cares.

And eating plants is all very well and good but are there huntable animals around, meat is good and also skins are good for things like clothing and carrying water across a desert if it comes down to it.

There are animals around. No one present has the faintest idea how one would catch one.

She doesn't really feel like trying to explain the complexity that is Her Life So Far so she's going to pretend to invent the bow and arrow instead of admitting she knows how to make them already.

...Or she would if she had anything to fletch arrows with or make a bowstring out of. Hmm, snares have the same problem as bowstrings...what kind of animals are present?

There are rabbits. There are geese. Just before sunrise there are deer who come to drink from the lake.

Yeah she's not fucking with geese up close and personal. The rabbits haven't learned to be scared of people yet, though, have they?

No, but they're scared of most things without needing to learn to be.

Ugh.

After a few fruitless hours spent attempting to capture lagomorphs with her bare hands she starts experimenting with grasses to see if she can turn any of them into anything remotely resembling string.

There's straw! People used to weave straw! Probably not into string, though.

Oh, straw! She knows how to weave straw! She made a hat out of straw once and then put incredibly garish wax fruits on it! She can make a basket out of straw and attempt to trap rabbits with it.

It works slightly better than trying with her bare hands! After a day of trying she gets a fluffy, bewildered rabbit.

Poor thing. But she spent a gloriously happy month living off of random plants and game and is rather inured to the charm of fluffy things as regards not killing them. She makes it quick and painless.

Everyone else is kind of staring.

She's going to act like this is perfectly normal because they proooobably don't know any better. Right? ...She is less neat than she could possibly be in getting the skin off and roasting it. Fire: A Thing. Neat, huh?

Weird. 

They stare, a bit.

Some of them come over and try to touch it.

Idaia can't think of a better way to demonstrate that this is a bad idea without admitting that she knows this already than doing it herself. Luckily she knows things about fire and can get it close enough to be demonstrative without seriously hurting herself.

Some of the humans are persuaded. Some try it themselves.

Around midnight glowing, shifting mist-figures rise out of the lake.

This is alarming!

Everyone is alarmed!

They don't do anything; there's a splash on the far side of the lake and they head towards it, getting less and less glowy until they are impossible to see.

Everyone is very alarmed.

Idaia would totally abandon her not-admitting-things policy to warn people about this if she knew what it was to warn people about! She does not. "Probably a Maia or something" doesn't really count, they're too varied.

They could check out the other side of the lake once it's daylight an less likely to be inhabited by spooky things. Probably less likely to be inhabited by spooky things.

There are humans on the other side of the lake, too. They were also spooked by the spooky things.

Huh! Did they happen to notice anything about them besides spookiness?

There was a splash? Their faces - they had faces, sort of - changed as they got closer? Then everyone ran away, sorry.

No, no, totally understandable, they waited until broad daylight to come over and investigate for a reason.

Faces, sort of? Can they elaborate on that?

Not really.

Well okay then.

...They didn't do anything harmful except be spooky. They might just be random Maiar who don't mean anyone harm. Orrrr they might not be. She really shouldn't bet that they are. She does not voice these thoughts aloud.

The other humans debate what to call them and settle on 'demons'.

Historically unsurprising!

And no one wants to sleep too near the lake.

Eminently reasonable. Maybe they should also take turns being awake so if something happens the awake person can wake everyone else.

That is a good idea. Imliss and Idaia seem very sure of themselves and people are inclined to do what they say.

Okay. This is probably going to end up increasing the awkwardness of some form of explanation or other down the line but for now they can roll with it.

No spirits over the lake, tonight.

There are wolves howling somewhere.

Wolves don't generally attack humans on purpose! ...This fact was learned in a world where humans had been around for long enough that it's entirely possible it only applies when the wolves have any experience with humans. Is there anywhere more defensible than 'literally random patches of ground' for humans to sleep.

There's a forest thataway.

Cool. Let's check out that forest.

There are rustling and shuffling sounds and gleaming eyes blink at them from the sudden darkness in the forest. Also there is a distant chorus of very pretty voices.

Elves!

Can she greet them by osanwe without it seeming weird--well, she already has a private/public thoughts distinction, that's strange already...

Hello?

Depart from this forest, stranger, someone says, but a bit hurriedly, and vaguely embarrassed, as if they have been caught somewhere they aren't supposed to be.

Am I interrupting something?

Humans are not welcome in the forest.

We were going to scare them off.

Please don't, there's weird mist creatures in the lake and they're all kind of on edge already. Couldn't you just ask?

Most of them do not structure their thoughts for the speech between minds, as you do.

You don't need to maintain private/public thought distinction to receive messages.

Well, here is your message. Stay out.

Okay, okay. ...We were investigating this place because we heard wolves nearby, do you have any advice for handling those besides "live in trees conveniently out of reach"?

The humans have brought the attention of the Enemy here.

What?

That is why you should leave, human.

Okay but like, the Enemy? I--I thought those were just wolves! Why do you think they weren't just wolves.

We know more of the world than newborn humans can fathom.

So are wolves not native to here, or was that the wrong timbre for natural wolf voices, or has the Enemy done things with wolves before to make this recognizeable...? I didn't pick up the private thoughts distinction out of the aether, I'm way more complicated than I look.

The Enemy arrived here and then the wolves' howling started, and it is unnatural.

Okay. Thank you. "So I have bad news and worse news," she tells the other Men.

The Men are confused.

She explains that there are people in this forest who are a different kind of people and can talk mind-to-mind and explained things to her and the bad news is that they don't want their kind of person in the forest and the worse news is that there is apparently a really, really nasty demon in the area.

The humans are scared. What does Imliss think they should do.

"They told me--there are others like them, but friendlier and more powerful, come to fight the evil demon. But they came from a long way off, and are still a ways off--and they're to the west. Across the desert."

"So," someone volunteers hesitantly, "we should shout so they come?"

"I don't think they could hear us from this far away."

"So what do we do?"

"There's ways of crossing deserts safely--they're harder with more people--maybe everyone except a few scouts should go south, or something, and a few people could try to cross the desert."

"How would going south help?"

"What if it's not nice south?"

"How do you know you're right?"

"The desert looks horrible."

"South isn't here and the really nasty demon is here. No one hast to cross the desert if they don't want to, obviously, but if anyone was willing to try it might help."

"How do we know the demon is here?"

"I guess we only have the forest people's word for it. They said the wolves were him, though. We could keep being careful and keep this explanation in mind in case we see more stuff attributable to a powerful demon."

Everyone likes that advice best because it doesn't involve leaving and going far away.

That's fair.

...If Elves say it's Morgoth, though, it's proooobably Morgoth.

Idaia starts spending more of her time killing rabbits and experimenting with what she can accomplish with their hides. Naked with no water or food is not how you survive in a desert if it comes down to it.

And the next day an Elf comes walking from west across the desert.

...That. Is probably not a thing an Elf should just be able to do. She thinks. It's not as bad as the Helcaraxe, though...

He sees the humans and approaches them. He points at things and encourages them to teach him their language.

...Idaia and Imliss will engage in language-teaching solely as prompted, with no sign they've ever done this before, but mimic him, suggesting he return the favor.

He misses the hint. What are their names?

Fuck.

They're dead if he's a servant of the Enemy and they tell the truth. They're also dead if they lie and someone calls them on it. Well. One of those options contains an uncertainty. "I'm Juni. She's Lan. You?"

"Sindel."

Okay, back to naming stuff at him.

And once he has enough vocabulary "you should build houses. it is not safe here in the open."

"How do we do that?"

"I can show you. You can move stone along the ground -" and he shows them how they can do that by rolling logs under it.

Okay that's actually really useful. Maybe he's not a servant of the Enemy.

If he is, he is one who wants to help them build buildings. He leaves, after teaching this, to talk to the other clusters of humans.

Stone buildings: more defensible and less containing-unfriendly-neighbors than the available forest. Yay.

Well, they will take a while to even partially resemble buildings. But it's a start.

It's better than they had before! ...And possibly horribly booby-trapped in some way if the guy is a servant of the Enemy, but it's hard to figure out how...

Well, there's the fact that some of the other human groups he's passed through have started singing hymns to Melkor.

What a good thing Idaia lied about their names and no one called them on it, look how not dead they are.

Okay.

What the fuck leverage does she have to get people not to trust this guy--almost none. Ugh, ugh, ugh.

At night the next night there are wolves. Very real, wolfy wolves. People run away. The wolves only chase them for a little.

Auuugh why did the forest Elves have to be right.

The night after that the wolves drag some people away with them.

Maybe they should leave.

Everyone is pretty in favor of that. South it is.

Sindel comes back around. If you sing hymns to Melkor, he explains, Melkor will protect you and the wolves won't hurt you.

And who is Melkor supposed to be?

Melkor is one of the gods. The only one paying attention to this land.

Sadly that isn't even a lie.

...So are most of the people satisfied with that or do they still want to go south?

There are wolves south too, he tells them. Try it for one night.

Most people want to do that.

Yeah she's not going to get people killed for her principles, if Morgoth isn't killing them while they're useful there's no way they can protect all of them if Morgoth wants them dead.

Not by themselves.

If they sing the hymns, the wolves stay away.

They can't live like this, long term. Not under Morgoth's thumb and cut off from everyone and--and mortal--

They're going to try going south.

The terrain looks about the same, for a while.

Idaia hid a cache of supplies a little more than a day's travel off; they're going to try to grab that and then take their chances with the desert.

Their first night sleeping away from the camp, the wolves come for them.

This is less surprising than it could be! How do wolves feel about large quantities of ice, frequently inside orifices.

They take this very badly! They can kill a lot of wolves. But there are a lot of wolves.

No survivors. They can't afford for their ice-generating abilities to be discovered.

Their reflexes aren't perfect. They manage to not die, but both have some truly nasty wounds when they're done. 

They grab the supplies, burn the immediate area to the ground as cover for how the wolves died, and flee as quickly as their injuries allow.

No one pursues them.

Their injuries are pretty bad. 

They find somewhere they're unlikely to be found by anyone not actively looking for them and half-collapse. Idaia has a stomach wound. Imliss is kind of panicking.

She hadn't thought she even could fall asleep that night, let alone doing it by accident while trying to keep watch. And yet.

When they wake up it is late afternoon.

...Okay that's weird.

And. Um. Idaia doesn't seem to have a life-threatening gut wound anymore? That's good?

Both of them are healing remarkably quickly.

There is no way in which this makes sense.

...Unless...

...The wolf victims were dragged off, not killed where they stood and a corpse left behind.

She tries something ridiculous.

She turns into a wolf.

Idaia startles badly before reconstructing her sister's train of thought. She hesitates and then also does the thing.

And also turns into a wolf.

Well then. This is--a lot, but they're not dead. They can deal with the implications later. 

They return to human form, fashion makeshift saddlebags for their supplies, and trek to the edge of the desert. 

They wait until nightfall.

They shift.

Normal wolves and horses both run faster and longer than humans can. As wolves the size of horses, they eat up the ground. They rest during the day while it's hot, one keeping watch and maintaining dreamshaped shade, and they find cacti and cut them open for the water.

Eventually they can see the mountains on the other side.

Hooray, the desert won't kill them the way the Ice did.

They stay human for the last part of the trek, just in case.

And here are mountains.

Oh, good. More passable mountains than the Helcaraxe had?

Substantially so. There's even a pass, south of here a bit.

Yaaaay. South a bit it is, then.

The pass is still difficult, but they have a lot of magical advantages at this point.

Being nonconsensually turned into werewolves was terrible but it does have its advantages.

Once they have crested the mountains the pass starts to look better-taken-care-of. In places it is paved, and everywhere it is wide and even.

...Okay they're going to turn back into humans so whoever did this doesn't react reasonably to surprise giant wolves.

They pass an elaborately carved door in the rock.

...Carved how, stylistically.

Definitely not Valinorean, the door is too low and the style completely different.

But does it look anything like Morgoth's style?

What do they know of Morgoth's style?

...Not that much, admittedly. Little bit? They saw some drawings of Utumno, once.

It does not look anything like Utumno.

...They are pretty much out of supplies and if there are hostiles on the other side they can probably just fill the area around the doorway with extreme ice and flee. She knocks on the door.

And the door opens to reveal someone about three feet tall and very very bearded, who blinks at them and then says something in a language they do no speak.

Should have anticipated that. She tries Quenya.

Not familiar, apparently.

Language that got installed in her head when she came back to life?

Also not familiar. 

So annoying.

Is he willing to try to teach her bits of the language he's speaking, enough that they can hopefully engage in basic communication?

Happily!

...it's familiar. Not Quenya, but maybe something with some distant roots.

She wishes Feanaro were here right now.

Language-learning! She is not Feanaro or even an Elf at all but she's good at it for a human. And it shares roots with something she's fluent in.

After a few hours the Dwarves invite the two of them into the city.

They are sort of nervous because it could still be a trap but these people are almost certainly not expecting Ice and Wolves and they would really rather not starve before they can find more edible plants or whatever so sure.

It is a stunningly pretty city, in a different style than Valinor but not reflecting lesser capacity for or interest in craftsmanship.

Imliss is deeply moved.

They are not sure what to make of that but they think they are flattered. "Tumunzahar," someone says.

She nods. "The name? Or the word for the kind?"

Tumunzahar is this one; there are six other great Dwarven cities under mountains.

Cool. More language acquisition?

After a while the Dwarves indicate that they would like to exchange things, do Imliss and Idaia have things to exchange?

...Do Dwarves have the printing press?

...fluency is not at the level that would communicate that yet.

Is fluency at a level that an communicated "conjure temporary objects" or "turn into fuckoff-huge wolves" yet?

They can conjure some objects! The Dwarves will be suitably impressed.

Can it be impressed on the Dwarves that the objects are always temporary? It probably can.

Yep, after the objects vanish a few times they have the idea. There's still a bit too much of a language barrier for the twins to follow when the Dwarves talk about exciting applications.

That's a pity! Exciting applications are probably exciting.

They are asked if they can show artwork or inventions with the temporary conjuring.

Some! Not a lot, the conjuring isn't totally arbitrary, but some! Like the printing press, she had multiple dreams about printing presses while she was working with the Noldor engineers on recreating them.

They are pretty astonished by and excited about printing presses.

This is because printing presses are excellent!

And people are happy to get them food and a place to stay! What do they eat?

They just crossed a desert. They will be thrilled to eat and drink any things that will not poison them.

They are served great quantities of non-poisonous food.

They will eat it in quantities that won't make them sick!

And here is a pretty rock enclave where they can sleep!

Awesome.

That night Idaia curls up, in complete material security and on an actual fucking mattress for the first time in a very long time indeed and lets herself dwell.

She misses her husband very badly. And--she doesn't know that it was only a short time between dying and waking up, who knows how long it was--

What if he died--

What if he didn't and he's conscious and--maybe if she just reaches out--

Idaia?

Oh god, oh god - how -

Oh, dearheart--are you okay--Imliss and I woke up with the first native Men.

Okay. Okay. Are you safe -

Probably? 

What's going on?

...The other Men are singing hymns to Melkor because if you do that the werewolves don't attack you.

Where are you -

We got away, we're with Dwarves right now, Imliss is pulling her 'introduce the printing press' trick.

Ran into some werewolves on the way out, though.

Got away to where, I'll come find you - somehow -

It's called "Tumunzahar," it's apparently one of seven Dwarven cities in this mountain range, we were heading west...

Never heard of it, can you send what it looks like -

She sends the mountain range as she's seen it and the desert to the east.

Okay. I'll ask Cáno - I want to find you, even knowing that it might not be forever I could not bear it if you died again -

I'm sorry.

Not your fault.

I love you. I miss you.

I thought I'd lost you forever -

I'm really glad that's not true. For both our sakes. How long has it been--

Five Years.

Oh, love. 

You shouldn't have had to wait that long but I'm totally alive.

The waiting wouldn't have been a problem if I'd had even the hope -

I really wish I was where you are so I could hug you, you deserve hugs.

I love you.

I love you. I'm so glad you're alive.

Yeah.

So, um. Remember when I said Imliss and I had to deal with werewolves on the way out?

Yeah.

So it turns out that's contagious. If they bite and scratch you some.

What does that mean - what does it even mean to be a werewolf -

So far? You can turn into a wolf about the size of Huan, and you heal faster, which is good because the aforementioned biting and scratching was--bad--and I dunno what else, we haven't had a lot of time to experiment...

I honestly don't know.

Could be some ploy of the Enemy -

The werewolves were definitely the work of the Enemy but I don't think he came in person and I don't think he knew we were us and I don't think he was expecting us to get turned, kill every last wolf sent after us and escape.

But why's he making anyone into werewolves -

I didn't stick around to ask!

I'm glad. Complicates stuff, though - people will think it's a trap -

I don't know what to do about that.

I'll think of something.

Okay. Love you.

...Kind of scared.

Yeah. Keep talking to me, I don't want - don't want to let you go -

I'm going to have to sleep at some point; are you going to be able to read my dreams when that happens or do I need to figure something else out?

I think I should be able to.

There's also some stuff you should know.

I figured probably. Given that it's been five Years.

Dad's dead. Telvo's dead. Nelyo's a prisoner in Angband and has been for four and a half Years.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

I need to figure out where I am in relation to you as fast as possible. 

No, that won't help, not if it means getting into danger if you think you're currently safe...

What I was actually thinking of was getting as much knowledge of your surroundings as possible and then consulting Dwarf cartographers until I got something useful.

Okay. But don't come unless it's safe. Really. I can live with only hearing you through this, I can't handle you dying again or - worse -

I need you, too, you know. I really really wish you were holding me right now.

But yes, I won't take any dumb risks.

And he sends the view from where they are at.

Names? ...I guess they'd have to be different, these people don't exactly speak Quenya.

The locals speak something else, I can give you it in their tongue. 

And he does. Nothing familiar.

She can remember them for the cartographers.

I love you so much.

I thought - forever -

Oh, beloved. I came back.

You did. Only good thing to happen in a long time.

She really really wants to hug him but she can't so she just sends the sensation as firmly as she can.

We'll find each other. It'll be okay.

Mhm. Love you. 

...So how's everyone who isn't dead or worse?

I don't know how to even answer that.

Yeah, fair enough. She sighs.

I love you. Stay safe.

I love you. I'll do my best.

I'll be paying attention - I'll know if -

Mhm. Love you, love you, love you. I'll find a way back to you and I'll make sure it's a safe one even if it takes another five Years.

Thank you.

I don't wanna die either.

There's worse.

Yeah, so if I don't even wanna die...

I love you. Be careful - be happy -

I will probably be happier when I've had more time to decompress from fleeing Morgoth across a desert.

Then take that time.

Holding you would make me happier faster!

Me too.

At least you're right here in my mind where you belong.

Why only now? Were you farther away?

Farther away, too stressed out to realize I could break the habit of thinking of you as unconscious and unreachable...

I'm so sorry I didn't wake up in time to know you were missing -

Not your fault.

Kinda is.

Kinda is my fault I died.

What? How?

Because I was enough of an idiot to think I could survive something Elves had to give up on as too lethal?

They should all have turned back, I don't know why they didn't -

Oh, like you would have.

I coulda made it across. If kids were following me I would take 'em back to somewhere safe first.

She sighs. I don't want to argue with you over this.

We haven't been able to fight the Enemy since they got here. Everyone's paralyzed and the war effort's been set back by years.

...'I don't want to argue over this' doesn't mean 'I think you're wrong; convince me,' it means please change the subject I really don't want to think about the Ice and freezing to death right now.

What are the other humans like?

She describes several of them. Rather sadly, as they're still in the Enemy's clutches.

Why the fuck would Eru pick now -

I don't know.

Poor Men.

I felt like such a terrible coward, running away and leaving them.

You absolutely did the right thing. What could you have done? And what if he got suspicious you were keeping thoughts private -

I know I did the right thing. It still didn't feel that way.

We haven't tried rescuing Maitimo. It'd be utterly stupid. But.

Yeah.

I love you. I miss you.

I love you. I miss you. I'm coming as quick as I safely can.

I know you are. I trust your judgment and I trust you out there.

Good. 

Also I love you a lot.

Love you so much. Be safe. Come home.

I will absolutely do both of those things.

I wish you hadn't had to deal with thinking I was dead forever.

Not your fault.

It's still sad even if it's not my fault.

I miss you. I'm glad you're okay. I need you here.

I'll be there as soon as I safely can.

...How badly do you think everyone's going to react to the werewolf thing?

I mean, the worry'll be that somehow the Enemy can track you or hijack you? But we want you back, we'll figure out a way to check that it's safe.

Okay, good.

Getting savaged by wolves the size of Huan was one of the top ten worst things that ever happened to me, plausibly top five, and adding insult to injury by having everyone have to tiptoe around me lest I suddenly get hijacked...

I know.

I love you.

I love you. I'm so thankful - to Eru, I guess - it's a weird feeling -

He seems to otherwise suck! 

I know!! Like, a lot! I would hate the guy, except - he gave me my wife back - 

Yeah, I dunno.

Maybe he had nothing to do with it and you just clawed your way out of the afterlife.

That's possible! I'd do that.

I know you would. I love you.

Love you.

It's so good to be back.

It's so so good to know you're alive.

Oh, sweetheart.

Did you tell the others?

Yeah. They're worried it's somehow a trap. Since, like, everything else has been.

She sighs. Valid.

We all love you and are really glad you're safe.

Do you have an actual way to check if I'm a trap?

I don't think so. Maybe we'll think of one. Maybe Huan can tell.

Huan being able to tell would be nice.

Maybe if he practices sparring with us or something he'll know more about werewolves and not die when prophecy time rolls around.

Maybe.

Fucking Valar.

Fucking everything.

Yeah. 

Not us, though, we're separated by too large a fraction of a continent.

Come home. I love you.

Yes, dear.

I love you so much. I can't wait to see you again.

Yeah.

What are you doing now?

Sentrying. Why?

Gives me a cap on how much I can distract you.

I am pretty thoroughly distracted. It's okay.

It's okay to be distracted on sentry duty?

Huan can cover for me.

Fair enough. 

Still a limit on how distracting I can be if you're in public.

Thousands of people I care about are dead and Maitimo's being tortured horribly, I doubt I'm that distractible.

Yeah. 

It is good just to hear your voice, though.

Not gonna stop talking until I have to sleep.

And I can hear you even when you do.

Married Osanwe: still the best.

Yeah.

I love you so much.

I'm so glad you're okay.

I dunno if I'm all the way to okay right now but I'm sure as hell better than dead.

Good. Stay that way, please.

Absolutely.

And he listens to her until she falls asleep.

She tells Imliss the things first. Imliss is pretty upset. 

But then, yes. He can listen to her dreams.

Good morning, she says when she wakes.