Meanwhile we have to get that far. Any ideas on how to match up parent to child if it's not obvious one way or another? My magic can theoretically check but I don't know enough bloodworking to do it.

I'll announce that it's a problem, suggest to people who think it could have happened that they go check with their former partners?

Sounds like a plan. At least, I certainly can't think of any better ideas off the top of my head. ...One way or another, this is not going to stay quiet forever. D'you think there are going to be political repercussions? Should I be asking Maedhros that question?

No, he wouldn't be particularly sympathetic to anyone in this mess, he thinks 'don't do stupid things' comes much easier to people than it in fact does.  I expect that people will declare that the benign neglect policy is unconscionable and we're guilty of the whole situation, which is true enough, and then Elves will be more careful.

He thinks "don't do stupid things" is easy? Was he never an adolescent?

Before I was born. But even then I don't think he did anything notably stupid. 

I guess some people just don't.

He'd handle it appropriately but without much sympathy, and it seems like maybe sympathy'd help here all around.

Yes. But there's a limit to how much Sympathy will help. Problems that can't be solved with magic are the worst.

The old-fashioned kind of effort, then, tracking down unknowing parents?

I'm pretty sure that side of it is your problem. I get to talk to the knowing parents.

What do you need from us?

I don't know. I don't know that I need anything. These people are--well, I'm already making sure no one starves, and in terms of raising their kids everyone seems to be doing fine. Single parents are not the worst. The reason I'd like for your men to know they have kids where applicable is for their sakes. (Unstated but present as an undercurrent is that the idea of not being a part of one's child's life, not because you didn't want to but because you didn't even know or otherwise couldn't, is vaguely horrifying.)

Yeah, his thoughts have that undercurrent too. I'm working on it.

What a mess.

Stupid people.

Yyyep. Anyway no one's free to talk privately until evening, so I basically have to park here until then, so I guess I should probably copy complicated stuff in the meanwhile so I'm not wasting time.

Have fun.

I'll try. No promises.

Do I need to insist on fun-having occasionally too?

I enjoy many things which I frequently do, including talking to you on most topics, flying and writing in my journal. I just don't expect this afternoon to be very fun.

Yeah, for me neither. Later.

Later. And she takes out the list of complicated magical objects, picks one, reaches back to the fortress with Sympathy-senses to find an example to copy, and spends the next several hours working on that.

They make the announcement that Elves can accidentally have children with mortals. It causes suitable horror.

And eventually it is late evening and small children are in bed and Odette can talk to their mothers. Laundress first.