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Akibel Mowar is on his way home from the blacksmith's when he spots it. People are shrieking and fleeing from it, which seems reasonable, as it's a fuckoff huge snake with a mirror for a face. A big mirror.
Kib can't so much flee. He can shriek - he can lurch in the direction of the nearest house and try the door - it's locked. He can amble briskly...
He can break into a run when the snake gains on him and fall flat on his face.
And he can get eaten up.
And it's too bright too bright too bright and he flings his arm over his eyes.
secondchance
"Also Maitimo is very good at apple disputes and needs to occupy himself somehow or he will probably get bored and have a coup."
"Valinor does not have any problems. It's good, of course, but a touch stifling. I take it that's not true where you're from."
secondchance
"Not at all. If I were going to try to pull off a coup it'd be because someone was running a city-state unforgiveably badly."
"I do not really think that is how Maitimo would react to extreme boredom. Unforgivably bad leadership wouldn't last long around him, though."
secondchance
"Do you suppose it would help anything if the Valar heard about perfectly functional political units in my world where people can in fact have several spouses if that's what they want to do?"
He raises an eyebrow. "I think they're worried about - inherent Wrongness, not dysfunction in any describable sense. And we are different species. I am glad those exist but wouldn't expect pointing out their presence would get you anywhere."
"It is one."
And he returns to asking questions about Kib's magic and about aging and about other differences between Elves and humans.
And he returns to asking questions about Kib's magic and about aging and about other differences between Elves and humans.
secondchance
Kib is happy to discuss these things in the common while simultranslating with this not-so-scary-anymore telepathy!
At one point he asks whether marriage, either the ordinary kind or the you-can-marry-several-people kind, is an Oath for humans.
secondchance
"People... say... vows? Usually? Unless they're doing it valley style or common consensus?"
"...we are having some kind of deep translation issue osanwë's not sufficient for. What happens when you make a vow?"
secondchance
"Then if you don't do the vowed thing people who know you were supposed to can call you on it and trust you less?"
secondchance
"It just seems really susceptible to oaths made without all salient information, or worded badly, or way too far in advance, stuff like that. Maybe you're all really really careful."
"Most people never use oaths to commit themselves to future courses of action, just for trustworthiness. If the stakes are high enough it is sometimes worth committing yourself to certain reactions to actions by others - that sort of thing has to be worded very carefully, or sworn before someone who can release you."
"If you swear before a Vala then that Vala can release you. If you swear before Eru then you're rather stuck; he does not make appearances."