"Wow, you hauled a long way to get the kid to the garden and you're not even staying long enough to make sure it worked?"

"The everyone finding our existence deeply offensive wears on you, it happens."

"Yeah, I hear you. Bothered your husband more than you?"

"Yep. And he didn't have the private thoughts thing down so he was mentally spitting insults at everyone and figured it was better to just leave."

"And lemme guess, you're as bewildered as I am by babies so he took the kid back instead of leaving 'em with you."

"They're just - until they can talk I haven't the faintest idea what you do with them..."

"Bit of an inscrutable appeal. Well, I hope you at least liked the gardens, I hear they're stunning."

"Very pretty. The whole place is pretty, just -" he shrugs. "They're aliens, I guess I don't know what I was expecting."

"Well, I'm sure we can sort out the records discrepancy; when'd your husband go home, what's his name?"

"A week ago, Herzal, and I think the baby's Arenet? Something like that. They call him Ari."

"Mkay..." Rummage rummage, is there a Herzal in here?

There is! He left a week ago.

And the babies are cargo. All right... did Herzal and this guy arrive together?

Yep.

"Okay, you should expect a medical golem fleet in like a week, I'll have them find Ari and check on him specifically."

"That's thoughtful. It's not that urgent, I'm sure babies get coughs everywhere."

"Sure, but I consider myself responsible for Valinor-humanity relations and you came all this way for the kid's cough only to be driven off by Elf homophobia, it'd make me feel better if I knew that the garden had worked or at least he was getting top quality care if it didn't."

"We'll make sure you can meet him, then."

"Well, the golems will, I can't justify the travel time."

"Of course. Have a nice day."

"You too!"

He leaves.

Anything of interest? Maitimo says an hour later.

Cover story holds up to conversation but he did flinch when I proposed contextually reasonable things that would check on it. I'm gonna slip a courier in with the medical golems and ask for the record of the creche he named but they can just name any random kid Arenet. Sneaking suspicion that whoever's orchestrating this is deliberately recruiting gay couples to cause Elves to be stupid around them.

Well, then we're playing our role perfectly. I could ask my father to tell off people who make homophobic comments, I attract attention if I do it but he's firstly married and secondly known to be rude to people he thinks are stupid.

Well, I doubt that will help with people being stupid around baby-smugglers directly but it might be desirable for other reasons.