"Oh."

It has presumably been communicated to Rivik that they can have a planet without joining the Empire?

There's only the one planet portaled to so far, so they mostly explained that one.

Well maybe they will go explain everything to Rivik and if they still want to join the Empire then fine.

Rivik, it transpires, would rather have the planet without the empire.

Then Rivik should recommend some planets for portal targets!

It does!

So do lots of other places! They have fairly dim ideas of where other planets that might be livable are but "looking for potentially habitable exoplanets" is a popular astronomer activity so there's plenty of fairly dim ideas to sift through.

And if they're close enough the Valar can make up the difference. 

How's it coming on arranging people for Elves to meet?

An escort (yellow) has been arranged for some limited number of Elves to go on a state tour!

Oh good!

Maitimo wants to be one of the limited number of Elves.

They were sort of expecting adults.

He is 40 of their years old.

...but he is not an adult.

Finwë says he'll be fine, he's a very mature child.

They can't be liable if he runs off from the escort.

They will not be liable and he will not run off.

They like really really can't be liable if he runs off and gets hit by a train or kidnapped by a maniac or something.

Oh yes it would be really bad if there was trouble between the King and the Empire he understands that and will absolutely not run off.

(And Finwë will not overreact to accidents, he can after all get his grandson right back.)

.......okay. He can come see things.

Things! They can go on a train to a big Oahk city and tour the province capital building and a university and a stadium where they can watch a dance production and some schools and a farm and a candy factory that hands out samples. (They wanted variety, right?)

They did! They want to talk to people who work in all those places.

Most people in the capital building are busy but some have set aside time to talk to the tour group! They can talk to university students and professors. They can catch some dancers when they're signing autographs. They can talk to students and teachers at the schools (a yellow school and an orange school) and to farmers and to the candy factory tour guide.

Elves are so polite and respectful and fascinated. 

He wanted to talk to reds can he talk to some reds.

Well, they don't have any red neighborhoods on the tour, people don't go into them.

Yes Avalor said he'd be so gross afterwards and need to take a special shower before he could go back near people.

But the escort would rather not have to do that.