Nod. Okay.

I hope it sits easier when you've had a bit of time to think.

I hope so. I keep coming back to 'I want to meet them' except I really don't. And shouldn't, too, so it doesn't matter.

And it doesn't sound like they want to? So an easy call, overall.

Tyelkormo didn't say one way or the other; it sounds like I could pretty easily arrange it, if it was a good idea.

What makes you think it's a bad one?

Don't trust them not to tell the other elves about me, she says immediately.

Why do you want to do it?

If I meet them and they are okay, I'll probably be able to see it - I'll be able to tell how, and that'll let me believe it. Right now it's too strange of an idea; I keep trying to imagine how that meeting might go, and I can't do it.

Can you just look through someone's eyes and tell?

Maybe? It'd be harder, though. Part of how meeting them would let me see is letting me see how they react to me.

Then I agree, it's not worth it. 

That might be worth trying anyway, I don't think it'll make anything worse. But yeah.

Anyway, I'll let you get back to work.

Thanks for telling me what you're up to. I appreciate hearing it.

No problem. And off she goes to get lunch and bring Findekáno up to speed.

So elves are a problem in general but maybe we can talk them around, if they're mostly murderous for convenience.

Nod. I'm not very optimistic about that but I'm obviously not the most objective person on the subject, it might be possible. Worth trying, anyway, if you can do it safely enough.

Doesn't seem like they seriously considered attacking Tyelcormo unless he started something.

Yeah, they really didn't seem to know what to make of them - I think they were thinking they were some kind of monster, at first, humanoid ones aren't common but it'd be a fair guess for a completely unfamiliar species.

Are most species monstrous? What does 'monster' even mean, here...

...let me think about how to even explain it, now that I think of it you don't seem to get them here at all...

There are species that are monstrous, but only a few - dragons, rocs, giants, that kind of thing. Most monsters are unique - some of them are similar to animals or people, some really aren't, some of them breathe fire or are venomous or make you sick if you get too close, it's hard to tell how dangerous one is just by looking. All of them have territories and usually just stay there; they're hostile if you do run into one, but if you're familiar with the area and there's not one around, you're pretty safe. But they do move around sometimes, so if you run into something unfamiliar it's important to be careful.

After we solve our world's problem we will have to think about what we can do about things like that.

Yeah. I'd take them over the Enemy any day, but we'd still be better off without them.

Yeah. 

Hug.

Anyway, Maitimo wants to start working on a plan for what to do if the elves start making trouble again, or if we find others who are, so anything the people watching the cities have been able to figure out would be useful.