"It worked at persuading the populace. Did not impress the Valar." Rúmil is beaming at her.

"Maybe they're fated to be - that."

He frowns. "I did worry that - that somehow, things always end up happening in a manner close to how it's fated, that they can't have the information they'd need to actually change - but here we are. That's not in fate. I think we may have outrun it."

"I know I managed to give it a solid kick, I just don't know if I managed to knock it over and steal its toys. Valar fates might be harder to knock over. They might be stuck acting in ways that would make more sense if I weren't going around kicking things."

"I've been debating whether it's worthwhile to negotiate with them. Get messaging up, observe that Fëanáro would go home sometimes to see his parents if he could be assured he wouldn't be trapped there, get their promise not to do that..."

"- I'm not optimistic they'd give it. I'm not sure they know how compromise works. They're not supposed to have to compromise, not with incarnates."

"Finwë won't leave Valinor while his people desire to remain."

"Yeah. Although you said there'd been some attrition - how much?"

"People were scouting for a relatively safe place to build a new city. Lots of interest in the city once it was built, but that'll take Years."

"Naturally."

"I think my parents will have more children," Fëanáro says. "Normal children. Who are happy in Valinor. They'll be okay without me."

"Children are not a fungible resource."

"Parents kind of are. I have you and Rúmil now."

"...Parenting is a slightly fungible resource, but I would argue that parents are not."

Are you and Rúmil -?

Nope.

Rúmil does not notice this exchange at all. "I think your parents love you very much and miss you very terribly, and that it was okay for you to leave anyway."

Bella nods. "Their priority should be your thriving, and that involves not being in Valinor, it's pretty clear, but that doesn't mean they'll just shrug and figure as long as they can have more kids they're all set. It would be good if we could work something out with the Valar to allow visits."

"And messaging at a minimum."

"Interplanar earwires," Bella nods.

Fëanáro is picking at his fingers. "They could visit sometimes. The Valar'd let them come back for sure."

"The Valar might decide that if you want to see your parents you have to go there and stay, and not let them leave in order to make that the choice you get. It would be stupid, but it would be Valarishly stupid."

"I'm getting a really bad impression of these people."

"They're better than the gods on my plane but it makes their failures really conspicuous and disappointing."

"They did a great deal of good," Rúmil says. "They just weren't good enough, and their errors were very very bad."