No one really knows how the parties get to yes

Noted. I doubt I'd be the first target very often if they do attack the settlement, and I don't have much reason not to wear it when away from there. She slips it on.

Anything promising?

Not really. It's getting some spirits all right, but nothing big and nothing relevant. Right now these greenhouses are a better place for farming warmth and light than food.

Yeah. Oh well.

Orcs are edible, if our cousins need to know.

They know.

I'm hoping growing food will have worked before it comes to that. Are you still relying on orcs, or is one quarter of the plants here enough?

We're still relying on orcs, we have a growing population on top of the supply problem.

Oh, from the immigration. What were they eating before you arrived?

There had been some mention of food aid to the Feanorians, but that was never officially ruled on. Better not volunteer it now.

They mostly weren't. Things were pretty dire. There are also some fungi here that local stomachs apparently handle better than ours, we got sick trying them.

A separate food supply sounds like another hard-to-avoid way of encouraging second-class citizenship, if they're still using those.

Trust me, it's crossed my mind. I'm working on some military and logistic appointments there are locals suited to, that should help, and Father's suggested we marry them, which - maybe, if it were done carefully -

If you mean allowing or encouraging intermarriage, and trusting there'll be more than zero people who want to, that's historically a pretty successful way of merging groups. Eventually. There've been cases when it was banned for the opposite reason.

Might not work as well on immortal time scales.

Yes, that's what I mean - encouraging it in particular by practicing it, if we can find girls we like. I'll tell him your universe provides weak evidence in favor.

A lot of the reason it works for humans is because the children are from both demographics. If no one here is planning on having children at all for the foreseeable future, weak is right.

I'll share that too.

Hopefully some solution better than political marriages presents itself. It sounds like bartering people even if they can at least stand each other.

It was common by Cuivienen. Romantic love was a Valinor invention. But - yeah. 'if we happen to find a girl we like' is rather load-bearing in my case and I still do not like the idea.

Letting it be known that the royal family is considering it might do some of the work whether or not it ends up happening.

And we can act all appropriately delighted and give extravagant presents to anyone who manages to make it work out without pressuring anyone particularly.

They have walked through nearly all the greenhouses.

They could maybe get a few token elementals, but nothing that would noticeably help. It's almost more a question of whether they want to be able to say they made progress than of actually making progress.

It's all right. We weren't expecting to get anywhere on food in the space of a few weeks. Someday we'll have the Silmarils back, I expect your spirits will be drawn to those like moths. Need anything else while you're here?

I don't. You said it might be easier on you if I ask someone else if you're botherable?

It would, do you want an introduction?

Sure, why not.

So he waves over a stunningly pretty young woman. Indil, Amber wanted someone she can speak to at range who can then come and get me if needed. Amber, now you have one. If the two of you happen to make fast friends the Nolofinwean camp itself should be in osanwe range, but even if you don't you'll be able to reach me swiftly enough this way.