"Dwarves like to live underground in dizzying cave systems and orcs like to live in dense angular skyscrapers all packed tight. Dwarves go for less organics - gems and marble and metal where we'd put fishtanks and ivy and wood, not that we don't like gems and marble and metal in our own way. They like really legible layouts, even if you've never been to a particular Dwarf city before and don't have a guide you can often find things by pictogram or just going where it seems the path wants you to be. Orcs like steel and they have a lot of monochrome greys and a lot of bright bold colors for children - they usually avoid more jewel tones and pastel sorts of things, too Elfy. They also don't sing for the same reason - some instrumental music, some non-melodic chanting, little overlap. They don't like sunlight, their cities are pretty shaded and don't have many plants though they do live aboveground, but they have thirty-story playgrounds for their little ones."

"Wow, that's a lot of playground!"

"They have so many children and they're very sociable!"

"It sounds absurdly cute."

"Well, they're very ugly, but the babies are ugly-cute."

"Aww!"

"Tusky and grey and pudgy little orcs."

Immensely endeared giggle.

"If you want any of this drawn I'm passable at sketching, not really an artist but it might give you an idea."

"I'd like that!"

She has paper to hand. She draws a little orc baby with a lopsided underbite and one tuft of hair and beady eyes.

"Awwwww!"

Giggle.

"I don't actually like to be around children but they're very cute from a distance."

"What don't you like about them?"

"...sometimes they're annoying. I try to avoid being around people who annoy me."

"That's probably wise."

"I like to think so. And then every so often someone just refuses to go away—you'd think, with my reputation, I wouldn't have to tell someone to go away more than once—and..." he shrugs.

"Do you happen to know what tends to motivate that or - not look into it?"

"—tends to motivate what?"

"People not leaving you alone. Do they want something from you, do they not understand when you tell them to leave, have they taken you for someone else, are they trying to commit suicide by Emperor...

"It's not that common. The problem with the latest one was perfectly clear, though - he thought that since I wasn't using my power the way he would, I must be an idiot, and just as soon as he figured out how to manipulate me properly he could be the one using my power."

"Did he clarify what he'd do if he had it?"

"Not openly. He kept trying to coax me into changing this or that law, and I think sometimes it was just because he wanted to have a say in what the laws were, more than he wanted whatever particular thing he was arguing for - the only one I'm absolutely sure was personal was the one about polygamy, because he acted like he just couldn't fathom the idea of anyone not wanting to marry thirty slave girls if marrying thirty slave girls was an option."

"Was he for or against?"