Well I can sure as hell do that. What an awful mess. Both of you. I'm honored to know the truth about what happened and would have been honored to meet your parents. 

They were pretty great.

I'm sure they were fantastic. I'm so sorry.

And this all is why we don't really have anything to go back to. We were sort of in transit when we got got but there wasn't anywhere specific we were going.

You can stay here. Paradise, and everything. If you want to get a house in Tirion you can do that, if you want to just live off the land out here you can do that. Or there's Valimar and Alqualonde, I don't know what kind of place you'd want to live in. 

I think we'd get tired of grass if we tried to live on it, even if it is tasty for the moment. And I think we should learn the language. What's it like, here, besides "paradise"?

Uh, depends a lot on where. Tirion's a big city, very focused on learning and inventing and crafting, people there are really really good at whatever they do and very generous with it but the expectations are pretty high. I can't stand it. Also way too much politics, there. There are a bunch of outlying mining towns that are - Tirion in spirit, far lower stakes. Valimar's astoundingly pretty and in the hills of Taniquetil but a bit incomprehensible to outsiders, usually, lots of invisible social conventions. Alqualonde's by the ocean, scenic, uncomplicated. They all have different Kings. There's a democratic collectivist crowd down south. They're very likeable. There are people who live in trees and have no goverance.  Anyone'll take you in and be happy to teach you the ropes. 

Where do you live, because from the way my sister's hugging I expect that to matter to her.

Tirion. I know I said I can't stand the place. I travel a lot. 

Why do you live there if you hate it?

My family is pretty important to me too and they're all there and most of them happy about it. 

Fair enough. Well, if it means you travel more and found us, I certainly won't complain.

I travelled all the time even when Tirion was less stuffed with drama, I like exploring. 

We're grateful, regardless, Idaia sends, her crying jag having subsided.

Seriously, don't be, this is the most interesting thing to happen in a while.

Yeah, because having a stranger get saltwater on your shirt is super fun.

If that happened to me and it is actually not super hard to imagine I really hope someone'd understand and not whine about their shirt. 

I may or may not be gratuitously depressing right now.

Okay. Well, I can get a new shirt if you actually manage to ruin it. 

Hug. I'm normally much better company, I promise.

I find most people terrible company and I like you two great. 

Thanks. What're we doing right?

Um! So far you haven't speculated about any random peoples' personal lives or made vague knowing implications while giving each other highly significant glances. Popular form of communication; I hate it. You had a bad thing happen and were very articulate about how so I didn't have to try to wade through to figure out what I could say that'd actually help. You are randomly lost on another world and have decided to stay because why not. That's excellent. 

Sounds like a pretty low bar, although I do take full credit for the getting lost and deciding to stay bit.

I don't dislike people because I have high standards, I dislike people because they mostly suck.