"And all in the space of a week and a half -" he scowls at the palace doors. I want to kiss you. But doors that wouldn't be suspicious were they closed are sort of the minimum security requirement. Can I show you around the walls tomorrow night? It's really pretty up there and you owe yourself more breaks.

Sure. And this isn't that fast, I sleep less here than I usually would at home and I've been compensating for time feeling weird here.

I commend your thoroughly average and unexciting pace, then, I couldn't do this in six weeks and there's no reason I shouldn't be able to do this part if I understand you rightly.

I think I may be cutting corners on aesthetics that Elves wouldn't? But nobody has to actually look at the scribe except when they're giving it books or taking them away, so I figure it's all right as long as it has really good handwriting.

He laughs. See, that was calling us snobs with bad priorities with the appropriate number of layers of indirection. You'll learn Tirion flirting after all.

Kib laughs too. How does one normally pick up the skill? Or find anyone to practice on?

Observation, or desperate ingenuity. I was sufficiently bad at flirting with men when I was younger that I in fact had a reputation for flirting with men. Everyone's kindly assumed I grew out of it. My boyfriend is much better at subtlety and no one has ever had a word to say about him but that has its own costs, namely that no one will ever guess you are open to being propositioned.

Your boyfriend. He isn't going to mind if you kiss me?

A thousand years is a very long time to not kiss any other people. We are not exclusive. If I am over the moon about you for several months he may eventually get pouty at me, though if he did he'd be being very hypocritical.

All right. So if he's so subtle how did you hook up?

I am not being very patient with you. I am in fact being shockingly direct. But him I had to be patient with, yes.

Well, I'm not a patient person, being patient with me would probably just get you obliviousness.

For some reason I expected that would be the result! Good night, Kib! I will see you tomorrow!

Maitimo is in his study. When he sees Kib he flinches and looks around as thought trying to find an exit.

"- is this a bad time?"

Bad place. "Not at all. Care to go for a walk?"

"Okay."

The palace has gardens. They are expansive gardens. He picks flowers off the bushes and eats them as he goes.

"Findekáno said you might want to apologize?"

"I apologize. I was unforgivably rude to you. When did you talk with Findekáno?"