"Why do you shave her hair?" he says as evenly as he can manage.

"It came out orange," says Peka. "Might change when she's older - mine did, it was so pale it was white for a couple years, so I had to do the shaved-then-dyed thing too."

Nod. "- I owe you an apology. If one of my own people had said their child's father shouldn't see him I would have assumed good reason - if anything, we should be extending you much, much more of the benefit of the doubt, there being both more doubt and less assurance you'll yell at us when we get it wrong - and I gave you less. I'm very sorry."

"Thank you."

"You can email me if you need anything."

"Not gonna whisk me into space?"

" - I was assuming you didn't want -"

"- my enlistment contract's a year, if they don't cut me when the war's over - they might not - I don't get home much -"

"I would be delighted to whisk you off into space."

"When do you want to leave?"

"...what's visiting going to be like -"

"It's a five-day trip - the ships are going back and forth all the time right now but it is not inconceivable we'll end up on bad terms with this place's government -"

"I should say goodbye then. Father'll be home in a couple hours."

"Okay. I can wait. Can I hold her -"

"- she's red, hair color doesn't count -"

"Were you imagining that we were going to partition part of Tirion off for you so you could continue being untouchable somewhere with prettier buildings -"

"And nobody lining up to kill my baby or drag me back to work and that would have been plenty!"

He holds out his arms for the baby.

She adjusts her hold so he can take her if he wants.

He collects her and beams at her and starts singing again, quietly.

Awwww she's pretty when she's not deservedly glaring at him.

She hums a little when he repeats a phrase.

It's a good thing she doesn't hate Elf singing, or Tirion would be a terrible place for her. He smiles back at her.