"Ah. Ugh."

"It's also unusual for Elves to have commerce per se, isn't it?"

"Flat ones don't! We do. We had a population of fifty-six million, no matter how docile fifty-six million people are you can't run that without commerce. We were post-material-scarcity but used currency to fund space exploration and major development projects and aid to Endorë and you had to pay for things like the opening nights at shows or a large apartment in central Tirion."

"I'm not sure whether I would have been more comfortable if I'd landed in an Arda with currency or not. It would have been easier to navigate but I would have had to do it with the money I didn't have."

"I'm sure we'd have found something for you. Our world has no native magic; we were so excited to learn some dimensions do."

"I'm not saying it'd have taken me very long, but it didn't take me very long in Telperion either. Is it just a total mystery how your Ainur work, or are they an exception?"

"So we used to think they were just that much more advanced than us - they're millions of years older, in millions of years we'd have been effectively gods even without magic - but the fact they seem similar to the flat Valar and the flat Valar are definitely not advanced is suggestive that they're really magic."

"Yeah. Unfortunately, detect-magicking them won't tell you anything, that doesn't even turn up results on flat ones."

"I wonder if ours refill mana."

"Let us know if you find out!"

"I might go seek out my Olórin when I get home, let him know that his alt finds it a very entertaining job."

"Olórin's great. I've been working a lot faster."

"Have we asked any of the ones with wars why they stayed home?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I wouldn't be sure how to phrase it, personally."

"Fair enough."

"There just doesn't seem to be a polite way to go up to a Maia and say 'hey, your alt is a neat person, and yet you failed to show up to a war, along with virtually all of your non-evil conspecifics, explain yourself'..."

"I think I'd try 'Melian was able to protect a pretty big kingdom; was that only because she'd been there already? Did you think about going?"

"That's much more diplomatic."

"I try." He smiles at Telperion's Rúmil. "I'm so glad you ended up with the resources to do right by Fëanáro."

"So are we."

"What happens without interruption, there...? I know Miriel dies, that's almost all I have."

"Miriel dies. Fëanáro and Finwë are both disconsolate in different ways - you know how when Fëanáro's upset he tells people they don't love him and they'll deserve it if he dies of grief too and -"

Nod.

"So it was a really rough few Years, on both of them. Finwë stopped asking Fëanáro to do things or stay close or be safe,  just asked us to keep an eye on him instead, Fëanáro avoided everyone as much as possible, and Miriel kept refusing to return to life, and eventually Finwë - had a sort of breakdown, took a vacation up to Valmar to stay with Ingwë and get some reassurance and perspective, and Ingwë's sister met him there..."

"I was frustrated with her for that, and with Ingwë. Ingwë had been suggesting to Finwë that he come take part of a Year off in Valmar, he didn't say 'my sister will be waiting in the suite we set up for you' - Indis had apparently been in love with him for Years, and waited, but she could have waited longer - or they could have exercised some discretion -"