"And outlying planetoids," he sings, but by this point they are both very otherwise distracted.

Elsewhere, Cam snuffs a mouse.

He squeezes his hand and sighs. "Valar still will be a while.

We could pay for a goldmage to jump, have them tell us the results of a test on the nearest one... or get like ten tests of various things we can't actually check, simultaneously, have them jumped back..."

"We are trying not to contribute to goldmage demand."

"I am aware. The door could open for a Melkor or a Sauron somewhere, you know."

"I think it wouldn't - there's some inscrutable screening for people who won't make too much trouble - but maybe." Shrug. "Could tell them about the antimagic world the one portaled to, bag another Eru."

"I'm not totally sure that works if the Eru doesn't think it's a grand story itself."

"You're probably right."

"Talking irresponsible deities into dramatic suicides would be fun but I'm suspicious it might sometimes go very badly. Also flat Ardas might just crumble."

"Yeah."

"Want to go visit Endorë while we're waiting on enough Valar, meet the orcs?"

"Sure."

So they go through into Sanity's Tirion. It is his first exposure to Elf architecture. "...wow."

"I know, right, that's what inspired the moon prison, I got used to Elf architecture."

"No wonder they were so fanatical about the design of the dots, they must find all human habitations to be intolerable eyesores. Gosh. I wonder if people are nicer if their environments are."

"Well, they're less likely to litter somewhere clean but I don't know if that generalizes."

"Are orcs allowed in Elf cities or are they too ugly."

"I'm not sure! Maybe the orcs wear bags on their heads to be polite."

"Anything you want to see here before we go?"

"I don't have a guidebook..."

"Me neither. I suppose we can do it later. Are lightleapers this pretty?"

"They are! Can't take off from the ground, I'll make us one up in orbit."

Bright told them where they could take off in a shuttle without trouble; they do that.

And in space they can have a lightleaper and be off!

Lightleapers are spacious and pretty. Of course. He's working on curriculum revisions for Elves who want to go be helpful in the multiverse; when Cam is not too distractingly shirtless he does that.