Sigh. "Can you describe to me what you think of as a good outcome, a 'gosh, stepping through that portal was nice'..."

"I get to keep my baby and we don't get tortured or die or anything?"

" - okay. I'm expecting that at some point the Enemy will give you orders, and at that point we're going to have a problem, but until then I have no inclination to hand Mandos anyone, orc or orf. Don't make that inconvenient, understood?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Have you been concealing any thoughts since I asked you to share them?"

"I don't think so but I'm usually in the habit..."

"Anything you think I would want to know?"

"...I have a song that makes me look like a generic orc?"

"People might kill you. If it's too convincing."

"I wasn't gonna sing it."

"I don't know how much common sense to expect from Angband-wandering orfs! Or even how much common sense transfers from there to here!"

"Everybody in Angband knows that Elves'll kill orcs if you get the chance."

"They're all sworn to Melkor. The baby's not sworn to Melkor, I don't need the baby dead."

"Elves'll kill baby orcs too."

"We can't adopt them and have a bunch of eyes and ears for the Enemy running around, getting persuaded by voices in their head to make oaths..."

She pets her baby. The baby nibbles on her tiny fingers.

"What does Melkor say about the other Valar?"

"They torture us forever when we die."

"They don't actually do that, far as I know."

"Well, that's good then."

"They tamper with your head, make you nicer. Maybe make sure you're married to the baby's father, tha'ts the kind of thing they'd do."

"- no not him -"

"Oh?"

"I can't get married but if I could - not him."

"Well.

I'd say 'try not to die' but that seems a little cruel under the circumstances.

Elves can't have children unmarried."