"Hello, Meril, pleased to meet you, I'm Loki. I like lobster just fine."

She walks briskly down a crowded street, takes two lobsters off a cart with a smile at the seller (or not seller, perhaps, as she leaves nothing in exchange) and winds her way down the narrow road with them. "How's Lúthien?"

"Lúthien is lovely," ahem "and doing well; she's recently learned she has cousins among the new arrivals and is excited to meet them."

"Oh, Olwë's people were among the new arrivals!" She claps her hands delightedly; the lobsters rather swing around in the air. "I asked the young fellow who broke the siege of Brithombar and from the way he reacted you think he'd been involved with Olwë's wife or something."

"I'm afraid I haven't been here long enough to quite have context...?"

"I don't quite remember his name, either, it was in the strange newcomer tongue. Telkorm -o? Something like that. Blond, dog?"

"Tyelcormo. I think they've adopted more locally pronounceable names but I don't know them, it's hard enough remembering all the names they had to begin with."

"Four of them," nods Loki.

"And Telcorm, is he all right? Whatever he got into he's a good cavalry commander and rode out to help us while his own people were still fighting."

"Blond with dog, and presumably also dog, are both doing fine as of yesterday."

"Excellent!" She turns into a small but elegant stone house, starts a fire, starts boiling some water. "Is your message for Círdan's ears alone?"

"Not particularly. Various small updates from the host of newcomers you met; a sort of opening statement from the newer group; a couple of questions."

"More newcomers! The continent's going to get top-heavy. Not that I begrudge them a place to stay, we're all in this together. I'm happy to be helpful till the man of the city gets home, if I can be."

"Well, the more newcomers are going to move elsewhere; they're still in transit. Thank you very much for your hospitality."

"Down here? We're pressed for food, Blond-dog says they've got Amanyar crops and will share as soon as they can."

"I can skip the lobster if it's a hardship."

"No, no, I insist, and lobsters are the one thing we have plenty of. It's just that kids can't grow on lobster alone."

"Very well. I'm amazed anyone managed to find anything to eat before the sun; in worlds I'm familiar with that would be impossible."

"Ossë does it, and Ulmo, and Uinen. Lords and Lady of the Sea. Keeps the underwater plants and things alive. Everything on land is Yavanna's and she's a bit more negligent. Bad enough living at the mercy of the gods on their own continent, but out here - " she drops the lobsters into the pot.

"Well, if the sun works like the suns I'm familiar with it should perk up the plants without further attention from Powers, but that may be a big if."

"Too soon to say, but that'd be marvelous. Anyway, Blond-dog was quite convinced his people'd fix everything. Not gonna call him arrogant till I see whether they do, yeah?"

"They're very talented but they're trying to do a lot of things."

"I'll say. Where you're from there's been light for longer? Do you know how long after the light that the plants start sprouting?"

"...Usually there aren't any plants at all until the light has been there a good long while."