"Productive?"

"Mhm! I have tentatively decided to conclude that everyone in your family is great."

"Does that count the cousins? Because I expect you and Finrod to butt heads."

"Well, counting Fingon, anyway. Which one is Finrod?"

"Blond. Pretty. Rules Nargothrond. You haven't met him."

"I think Fingon is the only one of your cousins I have met. Why d'you think I'm going to butt heads with him?"

"Uh, one, Irissë always did and in terms of personality you remind me a bit of her. Two, he has this condescending attitude towards Men and will probably lecture me about you, which will make him the world's biggest hypocrite. Three, remember all those refugees you evacuated because they were on the front lines of the war? Did you wonder who put them on the front lines of the war?"

"Ah-ha. Yes, that sounds like the kind of person I'm liable to butt heads with."

"He's a very likable guy. In the sense that everyone likes him, not in the sense he has any traits I like."

"...Is this pretty vassal guy?"

"Yes."

"How much of a disaster would it be if I punched him in the face?"

"A really big disaster."

"I won't do that, then. But--eugh."

"We need his kingdom to win the war."

"I will refrain from expressing my opinion of his behavior in a manner likely to reach his ears at the very least until Morgoth is dead."

"Thank you."

"How much leeway do I have if he starts getting patronizing? Is acting more aloof and intimidating okay, or do I need to paste a smile firmly on my face if I ever have to be in a room with him for more than ten minutes and then go punch a wall in such a way that afterwards it is the wall that's in need of repair and not my hands."

"Maybe you should ask his people? The ones you rescued, I mean. They'd know better than I."

"I have sort of been assuming they're terrified of me now. I was not terribly careful of their feelings when I was rescuing them."

"So you were just, what, going to avoid them until they died?"

"No! Of course not! But they don't seem like the best choice of people for asking for advice on whether or not it would be appropriate to be intimidating."

"My guess is that if treat Finrod like a fellow player of the elegant game of politics, he'll like you fine. Intimidating can work, there, but it has to be restrained."

"I don't know how to play politics. I got through my audience with your uncle by panicking and inventing osanwe range-boosting to beg your brother for help!"

"I can go with you, though then he's really going to give me a hard time."