"Men like dogs."

"Good for them. He likes you too."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"I have work, do you have everything you need, here? Got enough hugs when you visited your sister?"

"I do not currently require hugs. Go accomplish things, I'm going to head back out for a few more hours of dealing with orcs and then go to bed."

"How many is a few more hours?"

"One and a half to two and a half?"

"Alright. If you're not back by then I won't wake you in the morning."

"Noted."

She lets him know she's back in just under two hours.

Thank you, Odette. Rest well, he answers without coming out to see her.

Good night, she responds, and goes to bed.

In the morning he knocks on her door, leaves breakfast, announces that the Enemy is digging himself in to the pass a little ways ahead and they could ride out and deal with it but if she happens to think of a safer solution -

"Digging himself in? As in making fortifications? Ones less resistant to boulder-dropping than Angband itself?"

"Yes, yes, and one assumes."

"Well, it seems like the obvious first step is for me to try dropping boulders."

"Be my guest."

So she scarfs down her breakfast and heads out and tries dropping boulders.

This works.

"You aren't leaving much for the rest of us," Celegorm comments when she gets back, but cheerfully.

"Keep practicing magic, and one day you too may be a one-man army."

"Perhaps Mandos will come over to crush the continent and we'll be strong enough to say 'oops, sorry, took you too long'."

"...I would...avoid saying that," Odette says slowly, "since if anyone who hears it dies it might not take Mandos too long."

My father gave a speech calling for rebellion against the Valar in the main square of our major city. They sent an emissary to scold us for being silly children.

They had less reason to think he could do it.

They don't - yet - have reason to think you could do it, either.

Yeah. But I'm not sure they wouldn't before I could actually do it.