Like I said politics is really fucking stupid and people are horrible.

I mean, to be fair, kind of a lot of people died, I'm not surprised they're upset about it.

Right but handling all that kind of stuff is just - I can't.

She scoots around and hugs him. You don't have to. Most of what they want right now is just to be left alone anyway.

Nothing would delight us more.

Mmhmm. Hug. Sitting-with.

It was nice being able to help out, with the elves. I guess I can always find problems like that and then hand them off to the politicians.

Mmhmm. Plenty of us around, she grins. But what you've been doing here is important, too - it's hard to see how big of a deal support work is, sometimes, but that doesn't mean it's not.

I don't really do support work, but thanks.

Yeah you do? Your siblings do the stuff that it's easy to see is important, but without people keeping the place running - making sure they're warm and fed and safe - they can't do that, those things are important too.

I'm really not the one who keeps the place running. Everyone knows that's important, but it involves telling people what to do and I'm shit at that.

I mean you actually do the stuff. Telling people what needs to be done is kind of useless without that part.

I am also not great at being told what to do. I just - do stuff.

...yeah? It's still the right stuff. It doesn't, like, stop being useful because you noticed it's useful on your own or something.

I guess.

Hug.

I'm really not just saying that. I was actually talking to Maitimo about it, after you got done with the elves, if we should be trying to find you more stuff like that to do since you enjoyed it so much, and I barely got to suggest it, they immediately said that no, they need you here too badly.

Well, then I should be more of a nuisance, I'd like to do more stuff like that. But he relaxes considerably.

Well, if I find anything I'll tell you. Maitimo can cope a little. And then she hovers, waits a beat for him to notice, and goes darting off through the trees, inviting him to chase her.

Yeah, okay, he'll do that.

And a week or so later he visits the elf village again and Nidela is in the barn cleaning her squad's riding gear; she's in a much better mood.

"Hi! Just checking no one else is here and hurt, or anything."

She sets the saddle she was working on aside and stands with a smile to accompany him.

And they walk around the city.

The new animals are all settling in nicely; a few of them have requests, and she brings him to Mimale to discuss them, and then leads him back to the barn. "Quiet here, now," she's not expecting anyone to come in for at least an hour.

"Cool." So I can also talk to people the way I talk to animals; mind if I do that?