...

Fine.

"If it's primarily you being, ah, seven hundred years old and one of the founders of your empire - "

"...sorry, I thought I had a suggestion there. Knowing when to tell someone something like that seems like it would depend a lot on personal context that I don't have."

Nod. "That is half of it, and - it is definitely something where speaking face to face would seem better, if only because he definitely has people who read his mail. I - think I would trust him with this information. I definitely do not trust the Office of Inquiry with it." 

A longish pause. 

"The other half is that I - prayed to Aroden, because it seemed like a cheap test to run," it really wasn't, "and I - learned things -"

he actually has no idea how much Alfirin has any context on that part but hopefully Iomedae can fill her in if necessary,

"- and that is an exceptionally difficult and complicated topic in the Empire. I should arguably not mention it at all but the fact that I trust Aroden is - a critical part of how I am currently making decisions - and if I do not bring it up then Bastran will notice." 

"I think I'd expect that - a defection in wartime is a very bad context in which to try to have a conversation like that, even if it might otherwise go well, which I can't guess. The defection in wartime is the sort of thing that inspires - a lack of confidence in one's previous character judgments, and I think I'd expect that would make it very hard to - integrate new information usefully?"

"That seems right. For the part about Aroden, I mean. He - will notice that I am holding something back - but that is not a problem in itself, it would hardly be the first time. 

- I do think it would - be useful and not obviously make things worse - to tell him that I am immortal. He - must have noticed that I am inexplicably skilled and well-educated in an implausible number of domains, it will if anything make him less confused." 

"And perhaps explains what'd otherwise seem like a very uncharacteristic risk. I think you can - truthfully convey, by the way, that things will probably go better for the Empire because you came here. We're more likely to be able to handle it - delicately - and for instance have now been informed that you like the Emperor and think he's a good person, so we're less likely to handle it by replacing him."

"...I have no particular advice on how to handle the conversation but - it sounds like a lot of things you might not want to commit to writing that your inquisition will read. I could probably get you into a mindscape together - ah - a lot like a dream that you're both dreaming - It would be noticeable, on his end, most likely alarm his security, but - probably looks less hostile than kidnapping him for the conversation."

There are a lot of emotions there to be had and - not the time - 

"- That makes sense and I think it is - worth trying - does the spell require us to both be naturally asleep and dreaming, that would be a constraint on timing -" 

"No but it's possible I can get it on him otherwise undetected in which case it will be much less alarming if that happens in his sleep than if he passes out in the middle of a meeting."

"- It would be better not to alarm his staff. I– does it work across worlds, or would it require all three of us to be in Velgarth?" 

"I believe it to be in the long long list of spells with no known range limit as of a month ago."

Nod. 

"...Is there a way to cheaply test the range limit while we are in Velgarth? Could you - try to cast it to speak with Iomedae, from Velgarth, while she is here -?" 

They know each other at least as well as he knows Bastran, so it's a reasonable test, and they clearly need to talk through something though he's not sure what

She is beginning to suspect that Altarrin's ability to read people puts him in pretty rare company. Most of which is in this room.

"We could. Cheap to test - I don't think I'll need those particular spell slots when we're there. There's a couple more spells in the same category - a link that has no range limit once established even if you need to be nearby to set it up in the first place - telepathic bond, a couple others that I wrote down somewhere - that I was planning to test on my first trip to Velgarth."

They don't generally keep a permanent Telepathic Bond up, just temporary ones on days when it's important, sometimes with a Ring of Continuation so it lasts all day. A permanent one would be - a bad idea. "I should be interruptible," she says. "I'm setting up a justice system."

There continues to be subtext, there, that Altarrin would almost certainly be able to make sense of if he still had Iomedae's headband. Which he doesn't.

(- he's not sure that 'setting up a justice system' should necessarily mean that Iomedae is more interruptible rather than less, that sounds important – if he could have paid more attention to setting up the justice system of the Eastern Empire, and done it right the first time -)

Nod. "I should think about what Velgarth spells make sense to test while we are there. It would be useful to have an interworld version of our communication-spell, but that generally requires a mage on both ends." 

"Is the girl you're kidnapping likely to defect immediately when her mind control is removed and she's presented with a headband?"

"I met her very briefly and am not sure, but - I think for most people in her position it would be the obvious response. The Empire has - failed to fully take advantage of her skills - and she would be aware of that." 

Pause. 

"...I think she might defect just because your world has afterlives." 

"They are a plus."

"Those representatives of the Empire I've had occasion to meet have been nearly universally Lawful Evil. Maybe not the mage-researchers."

"...less of a plus."

Aritha is perhaps the only person Altarrin has ever met who he thinks might actually, genuinely, prefer 'Hell' as it's been described to him, over - what the Velgarth gods have to offer. 

He doesn't say that. It wouldn't help. 

"Bastran would have asked her for an oath of loyalty," he hears himself say. "Separate from the compulsions. He - would have been very compelling, when he asked for it." 

Because he's good at this. Because Altarrin taught him. 

" - wow," says Iomedae, with - a lot of feeling, though very very carefully no anger.

Iomedae is definitely - reacting - and carefully trying to hide the reaction - and he doesn't understand why, which means that Altarrin is missing something. 

He genuinely isn't sure what he's missing! It's probably important. He - actually it might help if he was terrified, he's– it always makes it easier to focus -  but he trusts Aroden and trusts Iomedae and so instead he's just very confused. 

"- Clearly something I mentioned is a violation of your local norms but I am not sure what," he hears himself say.