"WHAT KIND ARE THEY?"

"A different kind."

...okay. "I HAVE HEARD OF THE MISTY MOUNTAINS AND I DID NOT THINK THERE WERE TOWNS LIKE THIS NEAR THEM."

"This is how Mannish towns are. We don't have time to make them otherwise."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE THE TIME?"

"Elf lands are full of mystery and magic and wonder. Eru loved his Firstborn best."

"ERU'S INTEREST IS NOT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE. I CAN TELL YOU AREN'T ORCS OR DWARVES."

"- we're Men. Have you not heard of Men."

"I HAVE NOT HEARD OF MEN AND THOUGHT I WAS PRETTY WELL INFORMED!"

"Have you been lost in song for three Ages of the world? I hear that happens to Elves."

"NO, I SING LESS THAN MOST PEOPLE I KNOW."

Shrug. "Men are like such." Gesture at the town.

"I THINK I AM MORE LOST THAN I PREVIOUSLY SURMISED."

"You could go to a city. - cities are where more Men live. Or you could go to the other Elves but I wouldn't know if they're quarreling with your kind of Elves these days."

"MY KIND OF ELVES ARE NOT QUARRELING WITH ANYBODY AT ALL BUT IT IS POSSIBLE I WOULD BE MISTAKEN FOR SOME THAT ARE."

"You look like the quarrelsome kind of Elf," she says dubiously. 

"IF YOU'RE GOING TO CHARACTERIZE SOME ELVES AS QUARRELSOME THAT IS NOT UNFAIR BUT WE ARE NOT ACTUALLY IN ANY SIGNIFICANT ARGUMENTS AND HAVEN'T BEEN IN A LONG TIME."

" - it has definitely been a long time but I didn't think that mattered to Elves very much."

"IT DOES. JUST DIFFERENTLY. I DO MEAN THOUSANDS OF YEARS AS COUNTED IN ENDORE THOUGH."

"Yes, yes, that sounds right. Don't ask me how many thousands but thousands."

"ANYWAY WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE THE TIME?"

"Elf cities take Elf time to build."

"YES BUT IN THE MEANTIME WE WOULD LIVE IN THE WOODS AND I THINK THE WOODS MIGHT BE MORE COMFORTABLE THAN THIS LOOKS."

"...more comfortable for Elves, maybe. We would die when it got cold, or get attacked by orcs and wolves."

"I AM ASTONISHINGLY LOST.

WHAT YEAR IS IT?"