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"So Mahtan's unusual; but why would that be offensive?"

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"Because it's like if you give someone a gift and they say it's ugly and give it back."

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"...I never did figure out what the polite thing is to do if you outright think a gift is ugly. Though that's probably beside the point. Did anyone try to 'give you back' before?"

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"Do you know anything besides that you're surprised, about your father not insisting that Mahtan take you?"

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"Mahtan's very respected. My father wouldn't be insulted if a Vala said they wouldn't teach me, or something."

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"It would normally be rude to demand that someone teach your child even if they didn't want to, and people who are high-status enough can expect more politeness even from people who are also high-status. A while ago Rúmil suggested that I could stop thinking of your father as a king and I said that if I did that I'd probably be offended the next time he phrased something as an order."

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"You could tell him orders aren't the custom where you're from and he should phrase things differently, I bet he would."

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"But they are the custom for kings, and he is a king."

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"He's good at being a King. Everyone loves him and trusts him."

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"He convinced people to move to Valinor, that's a pretty major accomplishment."

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"They were so scared of the Valar. They thought when he went off to see it and make up his mind that he was going to be dead forever."

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"The Valar can be really scary if you don't know much about them. He was very brave."

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"Brave doesn't make you a king, though. The King part was convincing everyone afterwards. I think I'd have been bad at that."

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"It's a different skill," she agrees.

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"I want to have it. I just don't know how."

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"I think the skill that might be highest leverage for you on a lot of things you have trouble with is perspective-taking."

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"The thing where you try to explain what people are thinking even if they're wrong and thinking a wrong thing?"

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"...Yes. That one."

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"I could practice that. It might be boring enough it counts for mana restoration."

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"...I mean, it might count, but that's because it just involves sitting around and thinking and maybe talking to me, not because it's boring."

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"It is, though. People aren't as interesting as things."

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"Now there's a sweeping statement."

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He wriggles. "It's true, though."

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"All people and all things?"

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