"Can't wait."

"So far I've gotten--mm, no, never mind. I was going to say I think the people I've specifically checked with were disproportionately Sympathy but then I realized I was counting myself and if I was going to do that I'd have to count Illia too and that makes it more even. And the sample size wasn't great to begin with."

"Does it say something about personality? What are the Elves?"

"It's personality-based, yeah, both talent and resistance, and the two aren't always correlated. Celegorm is specializing in Conquest based on talent, Maedhros is going into Sympathy probably based on talent, and Fingon seems to be going into Effort based on Illia didn't ask which reason."

"Sympathy seems obviously the best.  I guess everyone feels that way about their specialty."

"Pretty much. Depends on why they're specializing; really. People who specialize for talent are more likely to feel that way than people who specialize for resistance--although there are certainly exceptions, I don't know how some people get things done without the lovely fiddly-bit-handling Sympathy can do."

"Bet people in your world specialize more for resistance, less to lose from not being strong enough."

"Well, yeah. There are exceptions, but...yeah, pretty much."

"We can hope for the same for our children."

"...For the record, magic can do birth control, and anyone who doesn't have kids right now also doesn't have a ticking biological clock anymore...or well they do but it can be reset fairly easily so."

"Think we should change to the Elven perspective on childbearing?"

"I think I want people to be aware that it's an option."

"What's the Queen's policy going to be?"

"To be completely honest? Probably something like, 'If you want to learn how to do birth-control magic I will go out of my way to teach you, if you want to learn fertility magic I will go somewhat less far out of my way to teach you unless the reason you want it is because the person you want to have kids with is the same gender as you because I want to make a point, if you have kids I will make sure you have the resources to raise them, now here learn some more magic.'"

"What... point would be made by - if the person you want to have kids with is the same gender -"

"Elves don't like homosexuality and she wants to make it clear that we don't have a problem with it. Unless it would present intractable diplomatic problems, I guess, in which case she'll grit her teeth and drop it."

"Don't think it'd cause intractable diplomatic problems. I am not sure they'll be paying much attention."

"I guess not."

"They mostly think of us as children."

"Well, Celegorm says he doesn't, but Fingon called my sister a child to her face, so it may vary."

"I suppose."

"Celegorm," she sighs, "has also warned me that if people decide the fact that I'm friends with him means that we're sleeping together one possible method of deflection is to say disparaging things about your erstwhile relationship with his cousin. I don't think it's particularly likely as a tactic at this point but of course if it did even if you took my word that he had acknowledged it in advance that it would be a shitty thing to do you'd have every right to be extremely offended."

"Saying specifically -"

"Uh, I don't remember if I'm getting the exact words right, but, 'My Telerin cousins might have quite the track record with mortal children but I prefer partners who are old enough to tie their shoes.'"

"That is exceptionally consistent with everything I have heard of the Feanorians. Are you saying they do it on purpose?"