Sigh.

Savo said to me 'I'd rather die' and it was the most - it was the most - I hadn't thought about it that way, since dying is obviously the same thing, but for him it's not and once you have that choice it's so blindingly obvious - yes, the normal and ordinary way to feel is to think you'd rather cease to exist than sever such a part of -

Did you scare him -

- not really, I don't think. It was too strange, he couldn't - like how I'm not bothered by the hair thing - it's too remote, it's just hard to take seriously. He was horrified but I don't think he was afraid. Avalor was but that might have been generalized losing-faith-in-my-judgment -

Or that whoever might inherit it from you if something happened -

Or that. Would your father -

Bribe them to stop placing kids with those people? Yeah, probably, it's - the obvious thing to do unless -

Unless it's an appalling thing to do. They keep good statistics. The kids turn out all right. I think - I think this might change Valinor the way I couldn't have, once things are a bit better here, there existing a planet where it's - antisocial to - harbor feelings like that about gay people - there are people who'd never stop just because they were wrong who'll stop overnight if it's antisocial -

Yeah. And the statistics will help. Different species, but there aren't many things Elves do worse than them so if they do homosexual child fostering fine -

I think Elves cope worse than them. It took me a while to come up with positive traits of theirs but I do think that's one.

Maybe they just have more practice.

I miss you. I love you. I wish you were here -

They're in the same room, working on adjoining monitors. He doesn't turn to look at him. Yeah.

Rashes continue to appear, scattered. It's being called "red rash".

An intrepid yellow detective collects evidence: complaints of weird air pressure. Forensic bewilderment about the explosion at the red prison (she had to pick over it in an environment suit, but the red prisoners themselves were relocated since there was a hole in their facility). The Elf who shook that one blue's hand not remembering giving the biopsy. She gathers it all up and presents it to her superiors. Someone thinks to kick it over to the Elves.

Well, the location of any Elf at any given time has an easily verified answer. He sends records on Elf movements the day of the Elf-rash transmission to the Tapai police department, and forwards the report to the Valar who are trying to decide whether Melkor did anything wrong. (Melkor is very apologetic but insisting all he did was ask people about the advisability of sending the Elves home, with various mechanisms, all implausible, for how it might be done, none of which he took any steps towards; he begs not to be reimprisoned over behavior that from anyone else would be legal and perhaps encouraged). 

It makes sense to me to conclude it was Melkor, he adds in the note to the Tapai police department, attempting to undermine cooperation between our people by suggesting we're responsible for the contagion outbreak, and attempting to undermine the relocation of the reds for some related reason. But it's still going on, and I can verify he's back a galaxy away, and he didn't do it by introducing an actual contagion -

He should ask Avalor if she minds the Tapai being informed of Melkor's known conduct in her country. He stops by.

On the way to her office Savo's husband who he may recognize from the picture is pacing back and forth with a fussy blue baby Katin's age.

He does recognize him! "Morning!"

Yawn. "Morning. Don't mind me, I'm just waiting for my husband."

"I met him, he's a lovely person. How is he lately?"

"Cleaning out his office. Managed to find something more obscure to do. Sometimes I think he should've been an orange, only then where would I be." Joggles the baby up and down, yawns again.

"Does Zazi have a baby sibling?"

"Technically a cousin? I guess? Doesn't stop her going 'baby brother baby brother' -"

"Awwwwww. He's a beautiful boy."

"Thank you!"

"How old is he?"