And there genuinely might be species differences that are relevant to sexual ethics.

Yeah, Lúthien claims that multiple partnerships would be relevant to more people than same-sex options, might easily be true.

He raises an eyebrow. Historically, yes, I think so.

Which doesn't affect what I'd consider the ideal end state but might affect prioritization.

I expect there are fewer people desperately unhappy because they have to settle for one lover than people desperately unhappy because they can't seek partners at all. But among the Asgardians there'd also be more of the latter?

I don't have exact statistics for either population on hand but that seems likely. And people who like both to a more evenhanded extent than I and would find it irritating to have to quash half their potentiality.

We, ah, will probably still sleep around less than Asgardians even once there's no stigma. At a guess.

I'm an outlier, actually. Not the most extreme one I know, but still.

For a while I was in the delightful position of not wanting anything serious, no longer feeling guilty about not pursuing girls, and not needing to worry about getting married - and royalty, finding people was easy - and I have had a total of six partners? That's more than anyone I know of.

Yeah, Quendi average will probably be lower - although I assume you couldn't pursue anybody openly, which may affect what counts as "easy".

How much does this kind of thing vary species-to-species?

Plenty. Some species manage to be more obligate monogamous and/or heterosexual than you guys have pulled off under divine command; or only one sex has multiple partners; or having children requires at least six people and casual sex is only fun if you can get together at least ten...

He laughs. Lots of people do marry and happily stay with their partner forever, probably even the vast majority. You know Maedhros and I best of anyone here, and have a skewed sample otherwise too.

Sure, I know that.

If he's on bad terms with his family I don't think he can pull off any more visits.

Yep.

I'm no longer sufficiently annoyed with him about everything he did to have even slightly mixed feelings about that.

Sigh.

He raises an eyebrow.

You've got reasons not to go openly, there's reasons he can't get generic permission for unspecified Noldo guests such that I could disguise you as someone else, I've got reasons not to just bring you in invisibly... It's frustrating.

I could lean on Finrod, but it'd be a needless risk. And since the costs of messing up at this point mostly do not fall on me-

Nod.

You can tell Fëanor I'll come to dinner.

Should I plan to be there?

Might make certain kinds of disaster less likely. If you aren't going to be there you should check in afterwards to make sure he hasn't had me arrested or beheaded or something.