Kib considers going through the grace song a few times an excellent use of his time, although having it transcribed will be very handy for long term retention.

And they make their way back to the palace. People offer them food along the way.

Mmm, lunch.

The guide gently points out that in fact it is evening.

Kib's sleep cycle is all wacky from being imported from another time zone. Whatever.

Yes! And he needn't sleep if he's not tired, the prince Nelyafinwë does not seem to sleep very often.

He's not tired yet.

In that case they'll go back to the prince Nelyafinwë's study and ask about a transcription of the song?

Sounds good!

The prince Nelyafinwë is in fact awake, in a different elaborate robe and with hair differently elaborately braided - same circlet, though - and would love to do the song. Hello! Pleasant day? How does your writing system work?

So Kib writes out the alphabet and spells some words.

And he attempts to transcribe the grace song. It takes them most of the night, Quenya doesn't transcribe into the common very easily and you have to get sounds exactly right for singing. When it's done Maitimo's dissatisfied with the handwriting and writes out a cleaner copy.

"Your handwriting's fine," says Kib.

"This one will be prettier, you'll see."

"It doesn't have to be pretty for me to read it."

Maitimo blinks at him. "Well, no, I'm not recopying it for legibility..."

"Then what's the point?"

"If you could also get the song's benefits by making ghastly rattling noises like someone was choking you, would that be as nice as a song?"

"Nnnno, and it might be hard on my throat, but if it worked..."

"I don't find the handwriting nearly that unpleasant to look at," Kib says. "There are people with handwriting so bad it's unreadable to anyone except them but this is not that. It just seems like a waste of your time and you're a busy person."

"Not terribly so, really. I am a person who likes having my time occupied, and this is a delightful way to occupy it. Regrettably some of the things that keep me occupied require enough scheduling in advance I couldn't spend a week wandering the city with you, but it will not grind to a halt if I want to give you pretty things instead of ugly ones."

"All right, if it serves to delight you by all means."

And someone appears at the door and Maitimo stands and bows, though perfunctorily, and then fields about six fast-paced questions in Quenya before he can even get out an introduction. "Kib, this is my father, Curufinwë Fëanáro."

...Kib performs an awkward chair bow. Hello.