"The reason I do not know him well is that in nearly three thousand years he has, as far as I can think, not done anything. Not published any papers, not written any epics, not invented anything, not planned anything more eventful than a party. We have had a number of conversations during which neither of us ever actually said anything. I would really prefer my children look - farther afield than Arda, now that I know there is anything else, but certainly farther afield than their cousins. Forever is a long time to be stuck with someone, or stuck regretting that you married them."

"He isn't proposing that while I'm juggling artifacts of power I expand the soul graft thing's definition of marriage. They will be doing paperwork on a faraway planet and they can go do different paperwork if they decide to wash their hands of each other later."

He visibly relaxes. "Oh, all right. I don't think you'd have to expand it. It's shaped by expectations, if they decide that after defeating the Enemy that'll work, they'd be correct."

"If they're planning on expecting anything of the kind they have not shared this information with me but it would not be any of my business."

"...I'm not sure that's the sort of question to which 'mostly' rightly applies but I think he is making lucidly considered choices."

"You can convey to Fingon that if he secretly has character traits and was concealing them in his interactions with me lest I pay him too much attention I'd now be delighted to know what they are."

"...Do you have a less rude way of saying that, by any chance?"

"He is invited for dinner."

"I may actually spend your next eight-week stretch doing some collaborative work at the school of engineering here, see if I can get other people usefully up to speed on this. So it'd be your convenience, mostly. I expect he'll decline, he doesn't like me."

"I assign some likelihood that he'll show up out of morbid curiosity."

"That would be a character trait! I'd be so relieved."

"Are there forms of ship reparations Nelyafinwë has in mind but hasn't mentioned? Because I've done everything he's mentioned."

"He'd probably be ecstatic about an actual verbal apology."

"Well, either bring New Mithrim within shouting range or prod Nolofinwë's son into coming to dinner, I think it'd go badly if I headed over there."

"I will relay your dinner invitation next time I'm in their city."

He nods. "I should get back to work. Breaks are so exhausting and stressful."

"Yeah, me too. The first part, not the second so much for all that I spend them ferrying drama from place to place."

"When I was worried because he wasn't coming home - you were taking him to Fingon's?"

"Yes."

"I suppose him having someone with no characteristics at all is probably better than him not having anyone."

"That's the spirit. Sort of."

"You could help me get in the spirit by mentioning things my nephew did to leave you with a positive impression of him."