"Yeah, that works. Or we could be a day's ride from Tirion and not tell anyone where so they can't come dragging us in."

"Do people try that much?"

"Not really. It's just kind of - there? If that makes any sense -"

"Like how there's almost no chance anyone's going to drag anyone I know off to Lorien, let alone because I let something slip, but I'm still terrified of the possibility."

"Yeah. Though I don't think I think about that in particular as much as you do."

"Yeah. I mean, I don't actively think about it that much, but yeah."

"So somewhere travel distance from Tirion'd be fine, just - not in the city."

"That works." Snuggle. "About the distance of your parents' house, or farther?"

"Definitely farther."

"Makes sense."

"Is she going to be apprenticing with my family a while longer? Because we can at least do same side of the city."

"Yeah, I think so. Your dad is brilliant."

"So is your sister, I'm sure."

"She is! I imagine she wouldn't fit in nearly so well otherwise."

"I'm pretty dumb and I get along fine with him."

...She's going to refrain from arguing with him about that for the moment. "You're you, and Marille's Marille, and a significant chunk of how she gets along with them involves her being smart--I'm not saying being brilliant is the only way to get along with your family but I think Marille wouldn't fit in as well if she weren't brilliant. Although I could be mistaken, it probably depends on the circumstances, it might be that she would get along with them totally differently if she were interacting with them for non-apprenticeship reasons."

"Yeah, could be, she gets along with Nelyo fine and he's not - it's not that he's not smart, but -"

"You and he are both very different kinds of exceptional from your dad."

"That's a way to put it."

"Yep."

"Anyway. Was that the big thing you wanted to plan out -"

"There's other details we should probably talk about at some point but they're not, like, urgent, I am perfectly happy to stagger any instances of Responsible Adult Conversation."

"Oh good because I wanted to climb the Minyon and drop this sack of silk flower petals embroidered with 'reexamine your life choices' on peoples' heads."

"You are a delight. Let's go do that."

They go do that. It is very satisfying.