"I mean, if they don't bother the city all the better."

"More likely to just sort of try to keep it?"

"Well, the Valar won't let them do that but at least they will probably not retaliate by sinking any continents."

"We really need all the continents we have. People are thinking about moving into the equatorial regions."

"I am not remotely under the impression that the solution I anticipate them trying would be a good idea! Maitimo was arguing for just turning all Oakhar soldiers into trees, I suppose I can try convincing them that's much better."

"- into trees."

"Trees can't hurt anyone and rather distinctly get the message across."

"If the message is 'we can turn people into trees', I suppose so..."

"- I think the intended message is just 'invading us is a terrible idea'."

"You might have to turn someone into a tree as a demonstration it's kind of unbelievable."

"Once Yavanna's here she'd probably be delighted to. Is there anyone who'd want to be a tree."

"...well, not me. Is being a tree unlike being dead."

"I would have to ask Maitimo what he had in mind but I expect he was imagining being a tree being much like being dead - our kind of being dead, that is, which is an impermanent state of affairs."

"That doesn't sound very dead, the impermanent thing."

"We'd never heard of anyone who died permanently. It sounds horrible."

"None of the species do?"

"I have never asked Aulë or Yavanna what happens to Ents and Dwarves if they die, but it'd surprise me if the answer was 'they stop existing at all'. Orcs are like Elves. Maiar and Valar can't die in the first place, as far as anyone knows. The one who created all the monsters is just serving a three hundred Year prison sentence."

"How long are your years?"

"1728 of our days."

"Which are how long?"

"You've been here for about one forty-eighth of one."

Polymath fiddles with devices. "- your days are about twice as long as ours and your years two and a half times longer than ours."

"It takes us fifty of our years to reach adulthood."

"Uh, wow. Five of ours for us. Four according to some people."

"Probably explains why we don't have the population pressure even though we don't die and we prefer big families."