"I guess if you can do that it's not a problem."

"It would be so a problem if I had to be government! Some colors it's easier to do the thing that interests you than others. Some people think we should stop the colors, but most people like the colors - like having a country or a religion, people like having something that is theirs and they are good at and respected for and that comes with a community."

"Guess that makes sense. We don't have that. Uh, we have nobility, which is like - your ancestors were in charge and they want you to be in charge after they die - but it's not a color and if you didn't want to be nobility you could probably go do something else easily. My country doesn't technically have this any more since the war."

"What do you have instead?"

"The country is ruled by a guy whose title is Appointee and people vote on lots of lesser positions like who runs the guard and who handles taxes and stuff and all those people decide on an Appointee, who can be one of them."

"That makes sense. Here countries also used to have nobility and now mostly vote. Some small places still have nobility, and more places have it but have the real decisions made elsewhere."

"There was an Emperor who ruled - a lot of - not the whole world but all the parts of it we knew about before we talked to elementals more. But then when more people had magic there were a lot of rebellions and he died and his empire split up into a lot of countries like mine."

Nod. "When the population pressure started to get bad there was an empire here who conquered everybody he wanted or who wasn't being strict enough about laws about children. When he died Anitam got free and built our own country."

"Your country is so big. It's hard to imagine somebody conquering it."

"The wars at the time of the Oahk Empire were very terrible, tens of millions of people dying. And when the Empire won they had soldiers take all the blues in a line and go down the line killing one in three, that was nearly a million people dead that way."

She shivers.

"Done now. We have peace."

"Good."

He nods fervently. 

"Are other countries excited about us being here too?"

"They are! They have been calling our government to say how did the aliens get here can they meet you can they take you home if there are worlds they should get a world first because their children are hungry, that kind of thing. The government has been saying wait and give the aliens time to learn things."

"If people's children are hungry why don't they have fewer children, since you can do that?"

"A good government figures out how many children there will be food for and allows not quite that many children, so if there is a disaster or famine there is still enough food for all the children. But some governments guess not quite well enough, or people break the rule and have not-allowed children."

"I don't have to eat," says Penumbra. "If you need the food."

"That is very kind of you but Anitam does not have hungry children and has rules about how to help other countries in need because we don't want - countries to be irresponsible on purpose knowing the responsible ones will fix it. That sounds very unkind but - it is worse next year if we are thoughtless this year."

"...yeah, makes sense."

"The government is not sure how to - let you meet everyone you want but not let you be manipulated by a country that will lie or think you haven't thought of the responsible-next-year problem. That's why they are saying wait until you have learned more. You can say no, I want to meet everyone now, if you think they are deciding wrong."

"It's probably a good idea to wait. I'm not sure how long. It's tempting to say until I can read Anitami all right but that could take a long time."

"All the other countries have some people who can speak Anitami so at least you would not have to learn other things too. I think it is reasonable to take your time."

"Thanks."