Flying is good. Flying clears his head, flying is better than just stepping outside at that inexpressible benefit of "fresh air". People do not tend to bother him when he is flying.
"Oh, no, we've also got more advanced technology on top of that - I'm not sure how to cash it out in terms of years, since it depends what you focus on and with what development resources and also whether you're an Elf, Elves are kinda slow at things - these ones are better than average - but anyway much better tech, you're many prerequisites behind from what I can tell."
"First of all you need electricity, which is basically tame lightning," Cam says. "That does all kinds of good stuff. The other intermediate steps between electricity and drones like the crane mostly don't touch on those priorities, though."
"We do not yet have such a thing, you may choose to feel slighted that we came unprepared or delighted to have design input as you prefer." Next to the part of his computer display that is producing translations as the Marlatians speak, he produces a notetaking window and starts an outline.
"...their families looked like they matched," Cam mutters, and he shoos his notes and produces -
"It, uh, doesn't, supposedly, random," Cam says, glancing between Maitimo and Mitros and Iobel.
"...We'll talk later," Iobel tells him, parsing this with somewhat more alacrity given better background information.
"Supposed to be random, but instead it picked one where the first people you'd meet would be yourselves. That's interesting.
Anyway," he says, "I was confused for what I assume is the reason you're now confused. Iobel is my greatest asset and closest friend and the inspiration of many of my ambitions and a fantastic spellbinder in her own right who is probably going to invent immortality if my father does not beat her to it. And you two are - civilly acquainted." AND YOU GOT A BOY, YOU GOT IOBEL AS A BOY, YOU GOT IOBEL AS A BOY AND YOU POLITELY TOLERATE EACH OTHER HOW THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN. He has communicative telepathy but he doesn't want to charge it and he doesn't need it, Maitimo obviously got the message.
"...I'm assuming you met under different and pleasanter circumstances," Cam suggests. And possibly yours is less fucked up? he does not say to Iobel.
"Why later, because I feel like this is going to be really distracting as background fact during a conversation about electricity - or maybe you should all talk about electricity and Cam and I should go discuss our life stories, if this distraction is unique to us or me or something -"
"I think we are all distracted but should maybe do this in different rooms," Mitros says, "it will save time to not phrase things to save feelings. I really want to get the short version before we do that, though -"
"If there is ever a war," says Maitimo, "and hundreds of thousands of people are dying every day and there's endless piles of work and it feels indefensible to spend the effort on communication required to not have an annoying-but-strategically-insignificant level of background hostility with your ex, do the communication work anyway. You failed to factor in the probability that the strategic situation will change fast enough to obviate all your logistics and very much not obviate the benefits of functional communication."
"...it's not even very much communication work!" Mitros says. "You two are startlingly good at that even under extreme pressure! It would have taken you an hour and a half!"
"Yes, and we thought it would be an indefensible use of time to try. And now you're warned against the mistake and will not make it."
"...thanks," he says. "Now long version, separately?"
Iobel gets up and inclines her head to Cam, who follows her. "You walk very briskly," he observes.
"You're keeping up."
"I've got wings and a tail and they help and I would still not usually walk this briskly."
"I've got a spell, I'll charge it for you while we talk."
"Lovely."
Mitros is a King, he can dismiss everyone else. Findekáno and Finankar leave.
"Please at least tell me you got the chance to fuck him before you did whatever you did."
"There was a war on. That I don't even regret."
"Well then I am going to sit here and regret it on your behalf, good lord, Iobel as a boy..."
"...is there a spell for it, or did you just -"
"Have to get married to be King," he says, "but she also belongs in power so it worked out all around."