No one really knows how the parties get to yes

Are they less than thrilled because they already have more neighbors than they like, or because they see it as them getting kicked off their land?

The latter.

Of course.

International relations is probably not the area where kings are most likely to listen to non-politicians from unrelated worlds. So when there's a chance to talk to Nolofinwe, Amber leans on the magic angle. She describes how the practitioner side of Toronto is ruled by an incarnation of Conquest, an Other running on the concept of "your stuff is my stuff now." This is a state nobody's very happy with. Canada isn't a very conquest-heavy place; Conquest is in large part powered by the fact that the continent was originally acquired from the natives under less than fair bargaining positions. They might be risking analogous effects here, a few centuries down the line.

And of course the fact that nobody's trying to stop them means very little when the Noldor are more powerful and apparently backed up by other, even better armed Noldor. If there's no equaly good unoccupied space, is there at least some form of rent or sale that the current owners would want?

Protection from the Enemy? They obviously intend to hold these lands against the Enemy. They're happy to hand out precious gemstones, if the locals like those.

Some of the locals like precious gemstones.

As currencies go, that one makes sense. (The thoroughness of Valinor's lack of scarcity not having come up, it doesn't sound like precious gemstones are no harder to find across the ocean than glass beads.) Ideally everyone involved in the trade would think they came off better than before. If no feasible quantity of shiny rocks achieves that, maybe some magical services conditional on secrecy? Permanently burning torches are pretty easy in small numbers.

Sure, they can buy off some locals with permanently burning torches. Does anyone want to inquire what the Feanorians are doing about this? Would that be wise?

The Feanorians were in an amount of hurry to get here that sacrificed ethics in much worse ways than just occupying people's land. They might not be the best example.

Besides, they had to start by warring for every inch. Protection would have meant more then.

Oh, no one's planning to copy them, just curious if they're offering compensation and what form it's taking.

And if they don't have any copiable ideas, this host gets to look more reasonable by comparison to a low bar.

Well, this is probably as good a time as any to let people know Maitimo requested Amber as messenger; it can have happened while the factions were in sight and osanwe range of each other.

People are amused. Eyebrows are raised. She is warned in earnest about Maitimo's intentions and dishonesty and told that he is probably trying to flatter her.

She can honestly say that in addition to the stated reason, he probably thinks she'll leak more unintended information than other candidates might. (And that this is plausibly true, so watch where you're pointing those state secrets, anyone who happens to know any.)

No one shares any state secrets.

If anyone had, the parenthetical would have become obviously false.

Walking out of line of sight takes longer now that everyone isn't inside all the time for warmth, but flying over the mountain range toward the Feanorians is as easy as it ever was. With some time killed to approximate how long it would take an Elf on foot to trace the way they came from.

The Feanorian camp has expanded; there are more greenhouses, now, and the walls stretch farther, and there are new fortresses built into the foothills.

In less than two weeks. Wow.

Once within range of Maitimo, Can I ask a couple questions?

For sure! Are they settling in okay? Want to come see if the greenhouses attracted anything?

Might as well give that one more time, it didn't look very encouraging after the first few days.

First question was, should I be asking things in person instead? Apparently osanwe at range is impolite for reasons that should apply to you as much as anyone, and I only just found out about that.

It makes my life more complicated in exchange for giving you a lot more flexibility and risking secrecy less, it's probably worth it. If you'd rather I can introduce you to someone who you can interrupt from range and who can then come fetch me out of meetings when you want to talk.

That probably depends on how much more complicated. Bringing someone else in might be an issue if it's ever about something magic and urgent at a time when there's a conspicuous absence of urgent politics going on.

I have suitably discreet people. You can assume you're always interrupting a few conversations but that I'll ignore you if you're interrupting urgent ones.

OK, good. I'll plan to take you up on the offer of an introduction next time I'm there in person.

The main question was about the fact that the land we're settling is already occupied. Was yours, and if so did you end up paying anyone to let you use it?

Yes, it was. Some of the local communities are now allied with us and others have joined our host and pledged themselves to our King, and we're arranging for stronger ties with the allied ones and the others.

Much of the land we took back from orcs.

I figured there wouldn't be anyone to negotiate with for that part.

Are the allies and the people who joined an exhaustive list, or is there anyone less happy about it? The Mithrim are wishing we weren't here. We're bribing them with jewels and things but it still cuts a little too close to saying there's space next to the lake and why don't you just move back there.

Allies, people who joined us, people who are too nervous to talk to us, and people who have demands we'll be able to deliver on but not yet. No one's yet wished we weren't here, we saved their lives and we have shiny magic items for them. That'll change once Alqualonde gets out but we're hoping to delay that as much as we can.