"Only five over forever?"

"Usually Elves stop having kids in time to start doting over their grandkids, and then great-grandkids."

"I guess that makes sense," she allows. "What if none of them want to have kids though?"

"Then maybe the frustrated would-be grandparents have some more children of their own. My family's unusual in almost all being unmarried; most Elves marry."

"I think most people marry in general," she asserts.

"I don't know too many kinds of people, and it seems like there's less incentive for humans, but I'll take your word for it."

"It's considered pretty default. What are the elven incentives?"

Can't sleep together otherwise. I feel like I mentioned that at some point, dear. 

I must have been distracted from the usual inability to engage in one particular act by what you can do with your tongue.

Most people get married too young to get good. 

Also, humans don't automatically get married from doing that, but if they're not at least a hedgewitch they can get pregnant, and a lot of cultures have hella stigma on bearing children out of wedlock.

I guess I should feel lucky Estolad didn't. Though then maybe the women would have tracked down the fathers, who'd have happily married them...

Stigma on extramarital childbearing also never gets rid of all of it, but yeah.

Figured that from how well our society does at cutting down homosexuality. 

The difference is that getting pregnant without wanting to is a bad thing.

It's one of the most horrifying things I've ever heard of. When I first learned it could happen to Men I felt sick. But the point is that stigma doesn't stop people. 

Yeah.

I mean, I continue to be glad I exist. But I have been explaining magic birth control wherever relevant.

Good. 

"What are the elven incentives?"

"They have a weird soul thing."

"Huh."

"It's supposed to be very nice! You can share your thoughts and feelings more easily and over greater distances, you know if they're in danger - super handy for me if Odette knows I'm in danger, once she can teleport..."

"Does it work even though she's not an elf?"

"We're not sure. Because she's an Elf it didn't happen automatically, but I bet if I say wedding vows and do the Elf wedding things I will end up married; it'd be surprising if I didn't."

"Didn't happen automatically?"