Nah, just coordinated very carefully so the three of us were never in view of each other at the same time. It was tricky. Kind of an enjoyable challenge, out of context.

If there were less at stake. Headshake.

...Yeah.

It was--kind of stressful--in between the recitation and Maitimo suggesting this whole scheme.

I can imagine. He wouldn't - even if it weren't him, I don't think - but that'd hardly feel like security.

Yeah. This is easier, that way.

Now I will have to ask him how many poor people he's guessed about and never mentioned, and who might be living in terror that some day he'll bring it up.

...Ooh, hadn't thought of that. We were definitely going to assume he was being nice and pretending it wasn't so before too much longer.

Most people probably would but - if there were some way to communicate that faster -

Yeah.

I wonder if things'll change with time. 

I think it's likelier than I did before I knew about Maitimo.

I actually think he might push harder for change if he wasn't hiding anything.

Well, I previously had no reason to expect that the amount of pushing was greater than none.

Fair enough. I'll point that out to him, I think he might not have realized how it'd look to people wondering if he cares.

I think wondering is the wrong word. Caring is--mostly not a thing anyone does.

Sure, but it's Maitimo, I expect him to be on top of lots of things no one else has given any thought.

True.

And maybe lots of people care privately, who'd know?

I feel like if that were the case there would be less pressure to go to Lorien whenever someone gets caught but maybe.

I also don't have a good guess as to what rate of people have problems in the first place.

Yeah.

Used to imagine that perhaps it was all of them. Sigh.

If it was literally everyone one might hope we would have had more doubts when the Valar laid down their opinions on the topic.

I don't think it is, but I'm not sure that necessarily would have changed anything. If people thought they were alone -

True. Well. We live in the society we live in, I suppose.