"Riiiight Illia said you don't have ballista. Not that I'm sure they'd help. Or, you know, that they're not kind of obsolete--I guess her mind just went a hint medieval when she heard the words 'siege weaponry,' what was she thinking, not bringing up cannons..."

"Other developments about your world obviate siege warfare?"

"Nnnot exactly it's just that those specific words are for some reason generally used to describe some relatively obsolete stuff. I'm not sure it would be worth trying to re-develop handguns, no wait of course it would you do have human allies what was I thinking. Um. I hope Illia remembers how gunpowder works, 'cause I don't, but then your brother did just invent a completely new substance. Anyway. Basic principle is that if you create a really sturdy tube, stick an explosive in it, and then stick an iron or lead ball in it, and then set off the explosive, you will have a lead or iron ball traveling at very, very high velocity towards things you want damaged."

"Okay. More range or damage than a longbow?"

"Cannons? Yes on the damage, I don't know a longbow's range to compare. The kind of gun you can carry? Depends on the gun. Some of the really good, modern ones, yes, I think so. But the reason early guns supplanted longbows in my world was that they were easier to train people on. They were worse, but a thousand guys with crappy guns usually beats a hundred guys with longbows."

"So maybe worth it for the kingdoms that have Men fighting in their wars."

"Yes, the only reason I'm considering it possibly salient for you is that I don't want to bet for sure that your brother couldn't reinvent sniper rifles and explosive ammunition based on the dregs of trivium I can call to mind about gunsmithing."

"Mention it to Celebrimbor."

"I'll do that!"

"Want to build the spiders their new home first?"

"That's probably not terribly urgent. The glass held up fine until the volcanoes erupted, and to be honest I think I want to have more of my building material to start with before I head out."

"All right. What's next, then? I could probably do armor designs with you, at least the steps of finding something you think is pretty and functional -"

"I wouldn't know functional from a terrible book cover," she admits.

"You liked Maedhros', we could use that as a template and go from there. You have two hands and narrower shoulders."

"I do. Um, I did like your Maedhros' armor, but I'm concerned that your uncle and cousins would find it...worrying...if I decided to run around in something obviously based of your brother's."

"We will avoid putting a star of Fëanor on yours, and can do it in your favorite color, what's that?"

"Blue. Same shade my eyes used to be, actually, which was convenient."

"That's their color and won't offend them a bit. Send me the shade, and I'll tell you the precise word for it?"

She sends him the shade of blue.

And he starts sketching. "Do people not wear armor in your world? Even ceremonially?"

"I think soldiers wear armor. If anyone wears it ceremonially I don't know about it."

"You have soldiers? In peacetime?"

"Most countries have standing armies, just in case. Genosha doesn't, on the grounds that trying to invade a flying city held aloft by the Great Mage who rules it and his mage citizens would have to be the stupidest move ever."

"I bet I could come up with stupider, but - yeah. 

Would your city crash if anything ever happened to him and he wasn't able to pay attention?"

"Nah, he doesn't actually do most of the maintainance, every mage and hedgewitch chips in."