There is another pointed, thoughtful silence at that last; from Altan’s expression, he has caught that there is something genuinely painful behind Gadriel’s curt words. “Forced, precisely, by who? Aella over there?”

“Well, regardless of who precisely is responsible - if we’re to put on a good show - I could use the help, I must admit. Perhaps someday,” the food here was good, he could sleep til he was fully rested, although he was still uneasy with the idea that his physical body was really here, “I’ll be able to scramble over that all myself, but I’m not going to make another go of it on my own right now.”