Rendon and Feliya will be alerted by the plane passing over the mountains, and will eat a little, pray, and get themselves ready for the diplomats. They will stand in the area between one edge of the landing zone and the table and chair that has been set up near the cave.

"Should we change our hair color to blue."

"...why?"

"Blue is the governance and diplomacy caste. Damianos says that they tell caste based on hair color."

"If it correctly signals our role, then I don't see why not. Though...we're from very far away, not even from the same planet, so I don't think they're expecting us to signal in ways that would fit neatly into their ontology."

"True. But it would be a friendly gesture, I think. Do you think they would interpret it that way?"

"If you want to change your hair color to blue because you think it's pretty, then go do that. I think...it would give away that we have minor shapeshifting. Or have access to quick acting blue hair dye on short notice. I suppose that isn't like, the biggest of things to give away. I think they would at least not treat it as a hostile or aggressive action."

"If I change my hair color will you match me."

"...yes, for a future favor. I should note that it's not like they can see our hair anyway, we're wearing cloaks with our hoods up."

"Deal! And no, they can still see actually, Damianos says it comes through even through their eyebrows and eyelashes. The person we were talking to had green eyebrows."

"Huh. So, is it innate, do you think? Castes, I mean. Are they hereditary? Can you swap castes?"

"I don't know. Anyway, I can see them flying above now, so blue hair and eyebrows here we go."

Feliya will activate Damianos's power and think about how it would be really beautiful for her to have lustrous, sky blue hair, the color of morning sky. She will also touch Rendon's face – that being the only skin on him that is exposed – so that he can have the power too.

Rendon will pick a saturated #0000FF blue.

Damianos will oblige!

Alright. What do the diplomats look like? What do they do?

The diplomats have blue hair (cornflower, navy, and bright peacock) and are followed by green adjuncts (spruce, pistachio, pear, emerald, olive, and hunter). The escort jets land farther away and greys emerge from them to stand guard. The photographer trots over to the plane the diplomats came in while they stride toward the provided table, smiling.

She is so envious that they get to have all these hair colors while people back on...they really need a name for their world...mostly have black. She's very happy that Damianos can change her hair color for her.

Rendon is a little put off by the smiling but he knows that's a thing other cultures do. He is not used to "smiling to signal friendliness".

Damianos tells Feliya that He will take point in negotiations, but she can speak up if she notices something. Rendon and Korrado will ready themselves in the case diplomacy turns to not diplomacy.

"I am Damianos, the landscape-superbeing of the bountiful plains, with my ambassador Feliya."

A different, deeper masculine sourceless voice.

"I am Korrado, the landscape-superbeing of the volcano forge, with my ambassador Rendon."

The acolytes bow deeply when their names are called.

"We greet you, ambassadors of the country of Voa."

All nine of these people definitely have names and they're all going to introduce themselves with those names because it's not even slightly hard for people to produce their own names that they've had their whole lives on demand even if there are nine of them. The one who is going to do most of the talking says her name is Berandi. "We are delighted to meet you," she says. "This is the first time any Amentan has had the privilege of meeting an alien of any kind. Welcome to Voa."

"It is the same for Us. I regret that the circumstances of our meeting were accidental rather than planned.

Normally, we would send our ambassadors to speak with countries in the case We wished to claim territory that they have already occupied. The circumstances of Our arrival were such that our ambassadors would not live for very long if We did not intervene to change the landscape. There was no one nearby, and no one to help them, and so We had assumed that the land was unclaimed by any mundane governments or landscape-superbeings.

Given that the country of Voa was not able to consider and accept this, it would be reasonable to ask Us to leave. This is possible – We are capable of reverting the land to its original state. Do you wish for Us to do so?"

"We are for the time being willing to host you and your ambassadors in this area," Berandi assures them. "We are glad that they weren't harmed by the cold. Would they like to try the food we brought now?"