"We've been reading about - everything."

"Our alts are of the opinion that we are too naive to summon safely."

"- yeah, I can see that."

"They'll figure it out probably eventually. I bet it doesn't even take them four thousand years."

"I'm sure. Is there summoning-related work to be done or is it just for later when we have more worlds in need -"

"Mostly the latter, Elves don't need it for fatality insurance."

"It sounds better than Mandos, I don't suppose we can somehow get a choice?"

"I suppose you could apply to the competent Valar but not naively, no."

Shiver. "I'll pass. - I'm sure they're lovely people and everything."

"Understandable."

He returns to his reading.

He sits quietly reading until Macalaurë goes outside to sing, until Rúmil and Ambela retire, until Timothy and Cam distract each other from their orc-planet planning and head off upstairs, until the bar is empty except for the Bar who hopefully won't think anything of it. He asks her for a room.

He opens the door. 

Come here right now, he says, it's urgent.

So of course he comes.

Upstairs. I'll explain later. The door falls closed. We have a way to win the war.

He kisses him, and then heads over to the stairs.

A human girl steps out from the hall that leads to the bathrooms.

He doesn't look even mildly distressed. "Oh, hi - Maitimo -"

"Yeah, I know, you're all named that. I'm Karen, I'm Miranda's friend. And you're an Elf of Fredrick, hi!"

"Hi! An Elf of -"

"We just got here. Fredrick is the human one?"

"Yeah, I don't know him super well 'cause he's in Gryffindor - uh, did anyone explain you Houses, our school is divided up into Houses - and a different year, but he's around."

"No one explained Houses. Does he have a computer? If he has a computer then once computers make any sense at all to me I'll figure out how to say hello."

"I think he probably does, but not one of the brain ones, we're still waiting to see if Michael dies last I heard."

"Haven't met him yet either, is he someone I know -"

"Michael's Timothy's next youngest brother, I can't remember what the Elf ones are named, Mack something?"

"Ah okay. I will send him a computer message too. Are there alternate universe versions of you?"