They have enough vocabulary to make a reasonable effort at it, and for Kyralaine to start nodding along and then attempt to explain Ceirene politics in return. The concepts aren't completely clear, but there's definitely a democratic flavour involved.

Well, the United States is one of those, and has three branches of government--can they communicate "judiciary" and "bicameral legislature"?

...they might have to expand on those concepts to get them across.

Expanding can happen.

And in return Kyralaine attempts to explain the semi-independent structure of Ceirene regional governments, and the council formed by the regional rulers, and the relationship between various legal and administrative authorities within this structure... at least their vocabulary is definitely increasing under this pressure.

Yes, yes it is. Political parties, do Ceirene have those?

She happens to know of a few regions whose governmental structure supports such a thing, including the one where she used to live, but she's not familiar with the way all of the regions of Ceir work politically because there are a lot.

That makes sense! Edie couldn't tell you nearly so much about European politics.

This is such an interesting and productive and vocabulary-expanding discussion!

Would the guests like anything to eat?

The guests have the capacity to generate food but are at least some of them curious about local cuisine.

...really?

"Yeah, check it out," says Cass, producing an ice cream cone. Slurp!

"Can you generate any other things?"

"Lots! Emily and Cass are the best at it."

He pulls a small blunt steel pin, engraved with simple designs, out of a pocket.

"Can you generate - this? It's a—" he says a two-word phrase, writes down the words on the latest vocabulary sheet, makes a little flame appear at the end of the pin, points to the flame, says one of the words, points to the pin, says the other. Fire pin.

"If it's magic I dunno if I can do that, but," she says, and hands him an identical steel pin.

He makes a flame appear at the end of that one, too.

He looks at his mother.

He looks at the guests.

"...Do you want to save the world?"

"Absolutely,"

the twins say in unison. "What does it need saving from?" Edie adds.

"...People from another world," he says wryly.

He finds someone's drawing of the planet, traces inward vectors with the tip of a claw - "They came this way. They destroyed a lot of Ceir. Now they come this way," new vectors in toward the edge of the planet rather than its outer surface, "to try to destroy Aluvanna."

"Well, we promise not to try to destroy you. Do you know why?"

"No. No one knows why. We tried to ask. They don't talk to us."

"That's bizarre."

"Yes! It is!"

"So you want us to make weapons?"