"We're rationing gas, and it's a long walk. You could also just fly into the city, though you'll scare people less if you answer when they call out to you..."

"I don't speak your language, I'm doing machine translation."

"I meant when we call out to you with osanwe. Can you not hear it?"

"No, I do not have that particular model of cyborg implant."

"Are you not a Maia, then?"

"Nope. I'm a demon."

"Can you carry people? Someone could fly with you and explain that you can't hear all the guards begging you to stop and explain yourself."

"I cannot carry people in the air by wing, although I could go get my shuttle. Or just motorocycle in with somebody along."

"I have a car, the problem is gas rationing. Though if you can help with food maybe it's important enough to be worth it. Want to get in the car?"

"...I can do gas too," Cam says. "Where do you keep your gas tank in here?"

She gestures at the gas tank. "You can just make things."

"Yes I can! I'm very handy." Cam makes sure he knows where the gas tank is so he doesn't accidentally put gas anywhere else and he fills her up.

"The President is definitely going to want to speak to you." She gets behind the wheel of the car. "It's about twenty minutes drive from here."

"All right, seems like a reasonable tradeoff for knowing where I'm going and not scaring anybody." Cam folds up his wings real small and tucks his tail in and gets in the car.

"What's the translator? You are from Valinor?"

"The translator is a computer program. I was on Valinor before I came here but I'm not from there, I am from another dimension."

"Ah, okay. Usually shiny gadgets says 'Valinor' but it makes sense they're not the only ones. You said you're here despite the Valar. Does that mean help isn't coming?"

"They might do something eventually, I guess. But I'm here and some other people who also want to help are here."

"Oh, trust me, we weren't counting on them. Or - we were counting on them in the sense that we're fucked without help, we weren't counting on them in the sense of expecting them to show. Who else is here?"

"Some Elves from Valinor decided they felt very urgently that you needed help even if it wasn't Valar. I made them a bunker and then came over here."

"Good for them. Olwe's people?"

"I have not met anybody by that name. Fëanáro's in charge?"

"Doesn't ring a bell. Twenty-five lightyears, you know, and they're the side with the tech. Olwe's people live in Alqualonde, they're the ones with the lightspeed ships. You didn't take twenty-five years to get here so I am guessing he's helping at least on the supply end. Close friend of the President's."

"Oh, no, I just made them duplicate lightspeed ships."

"Have you considered just making the entire Enemy-held part of the continent - not be there? Or be on fire?"