"I will, thank you."

He turns and leaves. The orcs are watching her with something like awe.

"Do any of you have any questions for me or want Asgardian names before I go find Macalaurë?" she asks the orcs. "Oh, and Vár, you did a beautiful job, I feel very fortunate to have come upon you first."

Loki names the ones who want names. In a couple of cases she has to ask if they want a boy's name or a girl's, although with more examples she's getting better at distinguishing.

Macalaurë finds her before this process is done. "You managed to actually speak with the people of Doriath?"

"It was definitely not trivial, but yes. How about Hœnir?" she asks a shy orc.

He shakes his head. "Should I add mind control to the list of powers you apparently possess?"

"Absolutely not!" exclaims Loki. "Don't be disgusting."

"I intended no insult. I take it that's a taboo in your world? How did you get in? My sources among the Moriquendi here say they've been shot for trying."

"It's not a particular taboo in Asgard. It is for me." She shakes her head, catches Hœnir the orc nodding out of the corner of her eye and thinks that's the last one who wanted to be named, and continues, "They tried to shoot at me. A lot. They didn't know where I was."

"I am very glad they missed."

"They wouldn't have," she says, her voice a few feet behind Macalaurë. From her own mouth she elaborates: "But when it was clear they were going to keep doing it in this case they were willing to tell me which way to fly to approach via the border instead, and then I spoke with the queen by proxy until she found me interesting enough to relax their policy on free-willed creatures entering the forest. The princess is extremely friendly."

"That's useful," he says, amused. "I am glad in that case of your competence rather than their carelessness. And rather more glad - I'd rather they be able to defend themselves. Do you suppose the princess has any political power? By the accounts of my contacts here, people have been killed within sight of Doriath's borders, to the pronounced indifference of its leadership. For a while there were people sheltering just outside the territory, because the Iathrim would at least shoot any orcs that came within range of them, but eventually they ran out of food and had to leave. Civilians, mostly families."

"...My impression is that she does not, at least to any significant degree on subjects where her parents are known to have opinions, but is trying to grow into it, on the sort of local schedule that always winds up seeming to me like 'as good as never'. But I am mostly guessing."

He nods. "I have half-cousins who are related to Elwë and might be either very useful or disastrously dangerous to send to him."

"Artanis and her brothers? Lúthien - the princess - thought that her father would want to see them and that they would constitute an exception to his forbiddance that any of the newcomers to the continent approach."

He frowns, deeply, and runs his fingers through the furrows in his forehead. "Artanis and Angaráto hate us and are aggressive personalities in general. Her other brothers might be better. Don't make my preferences known, they'll probably do the opposite."

"I will not volunteer them," agrees Loki. "I heard you were instrumental in orc-capture; I thank you for that."

"It was no trouble. This war would end a lot faster with Elwë at our side, but from what I've heard there is no realistic avenue to bring that about through shared interests. How about with bribes? Does he want anything my father can plausibly invent in the next century?"

"Nothing that came up in conversation. I'll ask Lúthien."

"And the orcs? Are the Iathrim cooperating on that?"

"They graciously told me that I was allowed to continue."

"It seemed more like the latter, but I did not inquire in detail lest they form the suspicion that I might ever be inclined to act without their leave."