A/N: A million thanks to my beta Kionoulis, who sat with me an entire afternoon to volley ideas back and forth about this theory you're about to read. I hope we have produced a coherent result.

Enjoy!


Immortality and Cappuccino

It is the year of our lord 2024, when an Elf and a Human walk into a coffee shop— this isn't a joke.

This Elf has somehow slipped away from the realm of Aman and has landed on Earth, Greenwich in fact, of all places. Meeting a Human is the easiest thing to happen, now the Elf is here. After a few tickings of the symbolic clock, they meet a Human that suits their tastes and decide to follow them home.

The Human is one of those humans that are full of questions. This annoying tendency of them gets even worse, when they learn that the Elf is immortal. The Human is practically ready to start a cult.

But even for a cult, they need at least some information as a base, to begin warping it as the years progress. So, the Elf learns English and the Human learns Quenya, and then they go to their favourite coffee shop, where the Human has introduced the Elf to the delights of cappuccino.

"Why did your people have to leave Earth?" the Human asks, pen poised to take notes, after they check that the recording app on their phone is running as it is supposed to.

The Elf gives the device a pretentiously uninterested glance, even though they're known to burn with curiosity for the humans' achievements in taming the magic forces of the world to make their lives easier.

"The reason why my people couldn't stay on Earth," they reply after a delicious sip of warm and frothy cream, "… is time." They smile fondly upon seeing the Human's surprise and wipe the remains of cream from their upper lip.

"Elves are something in between Ainur and humans." They continue. "We have a body, but it doesn't require much to be kept in its prime. It barely clings on the surface of this world, because our tendency is towards the ethereal. This is why we fade. I have told you about fading."

"It's like our clinical depression." The Human says, drawing from their earlier conversation, and the Elf veto's the term in the same non-challance they did before.

"Not exactly. When an elf loses meaning, their Feӓr, their souls, overwhelm our bodies and turn us into incorporeal shadows, which eventually find their way to the Halls of Mandos. Our ability to escape in a… let us say, spiritual plane of existence is proof that we're not as connected to our flesh as Men are."

The Human furrows his nose. "I've told you, you should stop calling us "men". The species is humanity, homo sapiens, not just men."

"Your semantics are of no importance to me." The Elf sighs in a long-suffering way. "But I will try to respect your little quirks. Anyway, the only thing that keeps us balancing on the thin line between corporeal and incorporeal, is a moderate need for sustenance and sleep, a physical pattern, that even though it's not as demanding as yours, nevertheless it works like an anchor to the plain of physical existence.

"We need the concept of day in and day out, and its physical extensions. Your days pass too quickly for us, you're always in a hurry because your lives end soon. Time for the Ainur is practically non-existent, they're too slow. We left Earth 6000 years ago mainly because the human kind needed space to flourish. But since we were free of Earth's restrictions, we decided to establish our own general sense of time, a pattern of day and night that suited our needs, and protected us from fading away. In Aman we have an environment that conforms to the time our bodies follow, which in a way runs faster than yours. That's why I can't stay for long. My body is tuned in Aman time, Elven time, and your days pass very quickly here; but as long as I'm simply visiting, I'm in no danger."

"Let's look past the fact that you shaped the time of your own environment, for a second." The Human blinks out of their incredulous stupor. "What do you mean… your body runs faster than mine? How can a body run in a different time-?"

"You know the rings of a tree trunk?"

"If you cut a tree across its trunk, and you count the rings, you know the tree's age. One ring for one year of existence."

"More accurately, you know how many times Earth has completed a full revolution around the sun, since the tree was born. Well, if I had to guess, based on what I have observed so far, I would say that during the time it takes you to add one ring on your trunk, I have already added two."

The Human thought about it in bemusement for a second.

The Elf gave a small, elegant laugh. "I know humans consider time as something that doesn't bend or wait or hurry. It's relentless and unyielding and affects everything in the same way. But I'm afraid you're wrong in that. Maybe your future theorists will open your eyes. When you say that one hour has now passed, or that you are now 65 years old, it doesn't really mean anything to anyone but you."

"No, wait, I know that!" The Human interrupts hastily. "Einstein theorised about that. Time is relative…. I don't really know the specifics of the theory, but…"

"Don't get me wrong;" The Elf continues, magnanimously saving the Human from their ignorant stammering. "The universe is full of birth and life and growth and decay and death, ripples, rhythms and patterns. But time is a human concept. Elves used your concept of time when they resided on Earth, mainly in order to be able to communicate with you, because generally, we do not really bother with it, in everyday life at least; but as a race we are prone to question, doubt and theorise, and there is a number of studies, for those who care enough to read them. It's not a popular field, as our immortality causes us to generally scorn in the face of time."

"Yeah, yeah." The Human cuts them off in irritation; they've grown a bit weary listening to their race-worshiping spiels. "So, what have we, little humans, missed?"

"It's not like you've got it wrong exactly;" Smiles they, "it's more like you have rationalized nature's rhythms and patterns into a concept you can understand and base your life upon. The thing is, you humans have tailored time to your needs; you studied the natural phenomenons and declared that a day has 24 hours and a year has 365 days, according to the movements of the earth and sun. But it is arbitrary; the concept of "hour" or "day" has no meaning, aside the one you give it."

"That's why there are different calendars." Interrupts the Human thoughtfully. "Like the Gregorian Calendar, the Islamic calendar, the Chinese… each of them counts the weeks and months differently… slicing the year into different portions-"

"But every single one of them is based on your environment changes, and on your needs." The Elf reclaims the attention. "You need sunlight and are required to do certain things in order to survive, as much as you need rest. Therefore you spend 16 hours awake and busy, ensuring ways to support yourselves physically and mentally, built houses, crop fields, herd sheep, but also theorize, socialize, make descendants; all these you do while your bodies harvest the necessary nutrients sunlight provides. When night falls, you're tired enough to sleep for the remaining 8 hours, rest your bodies and minds and be sheltered from the darkness and the dangers it might hide; dangers that until a couple of centuries ago, you wouldn't be able to see, the sun being the only big source of light. So you learnt from nature, and then perhaps you taught your own nature, in order to set a routine that will run on its own and take care of your needs in the best way possible. The movements of the planets pre-existed you, so you were probably made in a way that would allow you to fit in your natural habitat like a piece in a puzzle."

"Alright." The Human nods thoughtfully. "let's say that's true. Then the same must be true for you also. You were born here. You lived here for millennia."

"Indeed." The Elf agrees quietly. "Unfortunately, that meant that our bodies had to comply with the same rules your bodies follow, when in fact from the first, we were meant to be immortal, more ethereal that you. It was written in the Ainulindalë, in the very birth of the cosmos, that the Earth was always meant to be the realm of Men—Humans, that is… We were born here and were meant to spend a small amount of time here as well, but we soon travelled to Aman… at least those of us that were worthy to finish the trip."

"But you returned. You told me you came back to fight that Morgoth person—"

"He's not a person." The Elf cuts off with surprising vehemence. "Morgoth was the mightiest of all the Valar. But… it is true. We had… unfinished business that made us return and kept us on Earth, even though our time here was already over. There were forces, like the Light of the Eldar and later the Rings of Power that shielded my people from fading. Even these forces gradually lost their effectiveness, however, and when Sauron was finally defeated for good, there was no reason to keep us in a place we didn't belong."

"But you're not telling why you didn't belong—"

"I am telling you, but you are not listening." Chided the Elf. "Our ethereal tendencies are the problem we would face in the long term if we remained on Earth. Everything would die, be born and die again, the Earth would keep turning and we would stay unchanged, distant spectators to the festivities of death and rebirth. Gradually we would have lost all meaning. Our physical presence fading away could have taken millennia to actually happen, but in the end it would have come. But it is not just that. Earth was designed for humans; the trajectory around the sun, the span of day and night, the routine they set is just not suited to our Life Rhythm."

"Life Rhythm?" Repeats the Human, gripping their pen more tightly.

"The internal time of our bodies. The rings of the tree, which is for humans the equivalent of aging. My Life Rhythm must be separated from the way I perceive time. For Elves, we might perceive time passing slowly, because we don't change but everything around us does; but also, for us time flees, because we do not pay attention to it. However, our perception of time has nothing to do with our bodies' time."

"So, you're talking about two kinds of time: one, what I perceive with my mind and senses and two, that which dictates the alterations on my body."

"Yes, although my body doesn't change. But even for humans, the body's internal time means much more than just wrinkles or white hair, or being one day closer to death. Your body has a concept of time when it comes to childhood, puberty and pregnancy, menstruation or healing. But above all, there is the recurring pattern of food and sleep, which exists no matter one's habits. You eat 3 times a day because you're used to, yes, but mainly because your body asks you for it. Therefore, we must firstly talk about the metabolism, because that's what sets the body's internal time, the Life Rhythm. It regulates the time and the way one has the need for sustenance and rest –when it is that one's energy storage needs replenishing, that is. And through the repetition of this pattern, you count the days and proceed through age.

"Your environment's patterns fixed your metabolism; and at the same time your metabolism fixed your concept of time. Day and night for rest, morning, noon and evening for food. Then repeat. If you found yourself in a cave deep down on earth, and you had no way of counting time, would your body have the same difficulty? No, because the pattern is set. You'll be able to guess when one 'day' has passed, when you feel the need to rest, even though you cannot see the sun moving in the sky."

"Alright, then." The Human hums. "Since you were designed to stay on Earth, at least for a while, then this must mean that you also work in the same way."

The Elf gives a hesitant nod. "Our Life Rhythm is also regulated by our metabolism."

"Ah."

"But you forget, my dear Human, that we are more resilient than you. Our bodies can endure far more hardship and strain than yours can. We can go for days with little food or sleep—"

"And that is because you're pulled more towards the Ainur, than to humans?"

"Yes, but not exactly; let me explain. Your average lifespan is barely 100 years. That affects your entire system and its machinations as much as it is affected by them; you are breakable, susceptible to decay."

"Cheers." The Human bitterly raises their coffee in a mock-toast, but the Elf barely pays them any mind.

"You need to balance the energy you receive with the energy you spend in a way that will not overload you, resulting in your premature death. With us it is not so simple. Our nature and separate systems might look very much like yours, but we live forever, unless we become fatally wounded. But we have a physical form as well, and therefore we also need to comply with the turns and tides of the universe. Do you remember the story about the two trees of Valinor? One provided us with sunlight and the other with moonlight, before the sun and moon took their place. See how from the first we had the same need for a period of activeness and a period of rest?"

"That's what you mean…" The Human slowly adds, browsing through their notes. "… when you say that you have a moderate need for sustenance and sleep, which works as an anchor to the plain of physical existence?"

"Yes." Smiles the Elf pleasantly, content with being quoted verbatim. "But if we do not tire as easily as you do, then how can I enjoy the sun, and then rest under the cover of darkness? If my body were to count time like yours is doing, then it might take me weeks to reach the same level of tiredness that you reach during a single day."

"Why should you?" The Human asks. "I mean it's cool that you don't need to eat or sleep much. What does it matter?"

"Nature has a concept of equality, Human." The Elf replies with a serious expression. "All creatures may be far from identical, but we are all equals in one way or another. Elves started as beings of the flesh, made to live among humans, but from the first we belonged with the Ainur. We have broken a basic rule of the universe: we have overruled death by aging. Nature can't have that. My body is part of nature; it needs to be in tune with the universe as much as yours is."

"Therefore, you need a pattern of food and sleep."

"Imagine how I'd feel like, if I was walking your Earth for millennia, while everything changed, while I didn't even have the need to close my eyes for a few hours. It's a debasing experience—"

"It can make you feel like a fish out of the water."

The Elf eyes them appreciatingly. "Right, yes, exactly my point. This was the price we paid for our physical existence. The Ainur are above nature, but we are still part of it. So nature needs to hold us back, because no one else can keep up with us."

"Right, yes, yes, a little food and sleep is nature's way to hold you back, I get it."

"You get it?" Asks the Elf, surveying the Human and their fervent note-keeping. A slight smirk is tugging the Elf's mouth. "Isn't there a more important question you should be asking?"

"Try like hundreds." Huffs the Human.

"Go ahead, then." Smiles the Elf. "I have all the time in the world."

"I don't, though." Reminds the Human. "And if what you're telling me is true, then you don't have that much time either. You're a fish out of the water, for as long as you remain here."

The Elf sighs again, a thrumming note of melancholy. "This is what it means to be an Elf. Always torn between now and forever. You haven't asked me how my immortality works, though."

The Human's brows lift in surprise. "You can tell me the secret of your immortality?"

"It is hardly a secret, Human. But it is a piece of unaparalleled wonder, despite its complications. It is the bigger riddle, the one that answers why I need the small amount of food and sleep I do, not in theory, but in practical terms. This is where the concept of time properly comes in."

"So… wait." The Human interrupts, their mind obviously too far-gone for them to pay attention to their interlocutor. "What you're going to tell me now, could humanity use it? Can we put it to use, make us immortal?"

"Be careful what you you wish for, Human." Is all the Elf has to say as they smirk, their eyes twinkling in some ancient way that could be humour, or it could be pain.

"Right." The Human swallows a bit thickly under the ancient creature's gaze, and takes a sip of coffee as a means to conceal their face for a moment. "Mhm, so. I'm all ears."

"Indeed."

"Oy! You're the one to talk, Pointy. Will you tell me this piece of wonder, or what?"

"You recall how I mentioned that my Life Rhythm goes faster than yours?"

"Her, yes, though I can't see-"

The Elf clickes their tongue. "Always in a hurry, you are. How could you not, when your lives end so soon."

"Exactly! You don't have death and decay looming over your heads, like we do. Shouldn't your internal time run slower, if anything?"

"You forget nature's rules about equality. My Life Rhythm is faster, because I can take it, because time doesn't matter for me as much as it matters for you. If my body were to run slower, wouldn't that widen the breach between us?"

"Well," The Human doesn't really have anything to retort, so just gives a small, somewhat petulant shrug. "If you say so."

The Elf smirks in contentment. "Bear in mind though, that doesn't mean that my heart beats at the double or triple speed yours does, or that my mind works faster; actually, with my heart it is the opposite that happens. But we will get to that in due time. What you should understand now is that even though it might seem I go slower than you, because I live forever, in fact I go faster; I have to, in order to catch up with the rest of the universe. We need to keep our balance between corporeal and incorporeal, and I'll say it again: our inclination is towards the latter. My body works more than yours does, in order for me to accommodate the notion of day and night. In the span of one day, you are tired enough to sleep for 8 hours; if I followed your rhythm, then I wouldn't have the urge to rest for months. So we were made in a way that would allow us to feel tired enough to rest for a couple of hours by the end of the day."

"Right." The Human is writing fervently. "Wait, give me a mo. So…. You had to comply with our 24h day, or actually with a full rotation of the Earth around its axis, because you started on Earth. It's only been 6000 years since you left. So much like our bodies' rhythm was regulated around what we need and what we were provided with, so was yours."

"Finally, you're getting it!" The Elf takes another sip of their cappuccino. "Mhm. Now to the fun part. Ironically, me being immortal is the reason behind the need of time to go faster for me, but my immortality wouldn't be physically possible if certain systems in my body didn't work at greater speed in the first place. It is the known dilemma of who came first: the chicken or the egg. Is my immortality the cause of my accelerated Life Rhythm, or the other way around? Those two seem to be in a never-ending causative loop. Allow me to start explaining then, by asking about immortality, the avoidance of death and decay. How can that be possible? Is it that time does not touch us?

"That's not true, because we get to be born and grow up; so the concept of time exists in our bodies, it just seemingly stops when we reach the 50th year of our life. Then, we are adults and remain unchanged forever, unless some fatal injury is inflicted upon us and we are killed."

"So, if you're not untouched by time, why aren't you susceptible to decay?"

"Excellent question. Indeed, what protects us from the corruption that time inflicts? The answer is two of our bodily systems, our metabolism and our immune system. For them, time runs at a greater speed than yours, and they work together in a way that ensures we are cured before we even get sick; they keep us in our prime, before our bodies yield to the natural urge of decay. These two systems working faster than the rest make us more resilient—Or… maybe because we are more resilient, we can accommodate time passing faster than us. See? The chicken or the egg."

"You don't know?" The Human asks, to make sure.

"I have not the faintiest idea!" The Elf smiles enthusiastically. "Back on the matter at hand, you know that I don't get tired or drunk easily. I can be if I stretch my limits enough, and if a certain kind and amount of alcohol is in my disposal. But if you were to drink what I do to get tipsy, then you would die of alcohol poisoning by the time you finished your third or fourth glass, whereas I would need a couple of bottles to feel a difference.

"So: My body is unyielding to death or corruption by time, because for my metabolism and immune system time passes faster than it does for yours. Be careful; I'm not saying they work more quickly and intently, though it seems like that. They follow a normal rhythm. It's not like they are being overworked, our only difference is time passing faster for mine, than yours. When it comes to those two, my Life Rhythm is quicker, than yours."

"Well…"

"What do I mean?" The Elf sits straighter in their chair. "Let's take the two times, the human and the elvish. Let's assume a simple beating to count the time: click, click, click" they click their fingers in a moderate speed. "That's your life rhythm, counting seconds as you know them. As it happens, it coincides with your heartbeat in a calm state. Now if we could measure mine, (life rhythm, mind you, not heartbeat) it would go more like this: clickclickclickclickclickclick." They pick up the speed. "I don't mean that in the span of the three seconds, my two systems put double effort yours did. I mean that when your Life Rhythm counted three seconds, mine counted six seconds; remember I'm talking about time, not effort. If I could stretch my second to match yours, then both our systems would work at the same rate, but then I would probably be mortal as well."

The Elf gestures for the Human's notepad to be passed over. They flip to an empty page, where they draw the following:

Humans: click…./ click…../ click…

For Elves: click...click/ clickc..lick/ click..click

"This is how it is from the human perspective." They explain. "One of your seconds match a bit more than two for us, although if I were to stretch my second to match your human one, the result, effort-wise, would be:

click…/ click…/ click….

"as well. Just because I click my fingers twice in the span of your second, that doesn't mean my metabolism exerts itself more than yours. This is a normal, average function for us. For example, when you're sick, your immune system works far more arduously in order to bring you back to health. I hardly ever get sick, but if I become wounded –not fatally- then my immune system will respond by working more intently, exactly like yours is doing. What I mean is, don't think of my life rhythm as a product of overworking systems. I'll say it again, I'm talking about time, not effort."

"I think I'm getting the difference…" The Human picks up the notepad to study the scetch. "It's like there are two students doing a first year's homework, both of them working at an average speed, with an average concentration; not hurrying, not dawdling. But one of them is a second year and the other is a seventh year. The latter will probably need far less effort than the former, due to the fact that he probably has more experience and knowledge. That's what you mean by effort?"

The Elf hums in thoughtful nonchalance; the Human has learnt that this is the most enthusiastic admittance their analogies will ever receive.

"Alright then;" They smile tightly. "Now time. Let's take you, me and homework. You work on elven time and I on human, but we both put the same amount of effort. You are saying that you'll achieve more in less time than I will, without straining yourself."

"Yes, although I cannot approve of your example. My metabolism and immune achieve more in less time, than yours does, but that's as far as it goes; nothing else on my body or spirit follows that rule. Not my mind, not my heart or lungs, not my hands or feet. Be careful; I cannot stretch this enough: I'm not talking about how elves perceive time."

"Yes, yes, I get that."

"Right now, I'm talking about how time passes for our bodies."

"The Life Rhythm. Alright, yes. Time passes more quickly for those particular two systems of yours, I get it. But. Wouldn't that mean that you drain energy very quickly? Even though your two systems don't actually overexert themselves, if time passes more quickly for them, wouldn't that still mean that they need greater sources of energy?"

"It's a very good question," the Elf nods, "and I would have answered positively, if it weren't for something more. If my metabolism and immune system drain energy to keep my physical state always to the best of its capacity, making me more healthy and resilient, allowing me to tire less easily, then how can the energy I spend balance against the energy I receive? Or more simply, why do I not consume too much food, a basic way of providing one with energy? That's what you're asking, correct? That happens because for some of my other systems time runs slower than it does for yours, in this way working as a counterpoise to the first. If our hearts, breathing, mental and physical functions followed the same fast speed, that would overload us and we would die. Let's put the brain and the conscious physical and mental functions aside for a moment; we will get to them later. For now, let's speak about my heart and lungs. Those two go slower, and gift my metabolism and immune system the residual energy left unused."

"So in a way, you don't only take energy from an exterior source, like food or sunlight, or air, but your energy is also complemented by every other system except the immune and the metabolism?"

The Elf grimaces. "In a way perhaps, but don't ever think our bodies can manufacture the energy we need by themselves. We get it form exterior sources like you do. The only difference lies in the management. For us, energy is simply dealt with differently. For you, every system is equally important, for us this might be true as well in a way, but energy is mainly focused on the two systems that make us immortal: the immune and the metabolism.

"Let me put it in a more straight-forward way." The Elf steals the notepad again. "We'll focus on those five systems: lungs, heart, brain-conscious functions, immune system, metabolism. Let's say that from 100% of energy, the human body gives 20% to each of those; I don't know if it's true, but let's just say that in a symbolic way. My body doesn't work like that; the three groups (the first being the heart and lungs, the second the brain and the third the immune and metabolism), don't share energy as evenly as yours are doing. (they don't get 33,333% each, that is). I can only put it approximately. The second, the brain, gets 20%;"

"Like ours."

"Yes, but the remaining 80% is portioned like this: the first group gets 10%, because time for it passes more slowly, therefore the energy drain is reduced, and the third receives the remaining 70%, and is able to spend it because time runs faster for it. Don't look at me like that, I really don't know how we manage that."

"Did you miss that day in school?"

"Very funny."

"So in a way, time for you passes both more slowly and more quickly than for us?"

"Brain put aside, yes." The Elf allows. "For our first group of systems time runs more slowly than you and for our third, faster."

"So, the first group, let's name it the Heart Group, and the third… the Immortality Group. I know that I, poor human, have an average pulse of 60 beats per minute, when relaxed."

"I'm relaxed, count mine." The Elf says, stretching their elegant wrist.

The Human glances at their watch, counting until eventually proclaiming their results in quiet bemusement. "Twenty five."

"Let's say around 30 to make this easier."

"Half of ours."

"Small creatures have faster pulses and bigger slower ones." The Elf remarks. "That was the case when my people were on Earth, and I don't see what is would change now."

"Wait, wait." The Human is giving in to their favourite pastime of googling. "It's true that bigger animals have slower heartbeats, but that's because their blood takes longer to circulate their body. An elephant is bigger than a sparrow, that's why the bird's heartbeat is so much quicker."

"Exactly." The Elf corroborates, not seeing the point the Human tries to make.

"But you're not bigger than me, physically wise. Just a bit taller, but not all that bigger in any substantial way."

"My brain is."

"This is no time for bantering, I beg of you."

"I'm not joking." The Elf replies seriously. "My brain is much spacier than yours; how could I retain millenniums' worth of memories, if my brain couldn't accommodate them? Physically we might be similar to you, but memory-wise we are bigger than you."

"But memories aren't made of matter, they have nothing to do with the blood's circulation—"

"Don't they?" Interrupts the Elf, gently enough to take the Human by surprise. "What is this lovely human expression; ah, yes. Think outside the box, dear Human. All these definitions are arbitrary. You have placed meaning upon words. Now try to break the outlines you have created and let the concepts guide you, instead of allowing them to limit you. My existence is lengthier than yours; you might not see it when you look at me, because I don't look a day older than this young waitress that brought us our coffees. But I have been alive ever before the sun and moon took their places in the sky. Can you imagine how exhausting it would be, for my heart to beat in the same speed yours does, for all these many years?"

"The more I talk to you, the more I doubt if immortality is a thing to crave after all." The Human replies quietly. "Let us return to this double-edged sense of time, because if we continue down this path, I'll need something stronger than cappuccino."

The Elf doesn't smirk, neither do they mock. They only nod. "There are technical terms that describe how different times exist and are retained within our bodies; There are studies and equations to satiate the hungriest appetite, that prove the autonomy that our faster systems have and how they are balanced by the slower ones, but to be perfectly honest, my dear Human, I don't really understand them myself. At least not enough to relay them right now. The point is, this was probably the best way to ensure that our bodies wouldn't succumb to time; by tricking it in a way, and having us work in two different speeds."

"It sounds simple in theory and difficult in practice." The Human murmurs thoughtfully. "But isn't that always the rule with nature? Everything in it is intricate and complicated but the basic principle is very simple. So, human and corruption by time go hand in hand; if we assume that time is a straight line- Wait."

It is the Human's turn to use the notepad, where in an empty page, they draw one vertical line.

"That is the human time. We follow that path without escaping. You don't; in a way Elves exist simultaneously on two paths, one slower than ours," they draw another line on the left, parallel to the central, "and one faster." They draw a third parallel line on the right of the central one. "Both left and right are parallel to us, but not coinciding. It's not exactly that time doesn't touch you; it's more like you're touched by it in two ways, like a positive and a negative pole. And when two extremes come together and co-exist in a single presence, they cancel each other out. Time touches you in two opposite ways, so it's like it doesn't touch you at all. Like -33=0."

The Elf blinks. "What is… a positive pole?"

"It's an electricity thing, never mind, the point is that your faster and slower time cancels each other out!"

"Ah, yes, and that's exactly how our conscience and general existence seems to be following your time. Our brains and everything that is directly controlled by them, are what unite the two paths. I liked your example with the lines."

The Elf takes the notepad, but instead of remaining on the page with the lines, they flip to the one behind it, where they draw three dots, on next to the other. "These are your lines, when you don't look at them from above, are they not?"

"Right, yes, when I cut them and alining my eyes with their starting point."

The Elf hums. "The middle dot is your human time, the right and left are my Elven times. My conscience is a point directly above your line; the triangle that is formed, is my existence."

The Elf tosses the notepad back and sips some more coffee; they don't seem to mind at all, how cold it has become. The Human studies the new schematic: three dots arranged one next to the other, while above the middle one hangs a fourth one.

The Elf's finger comes to draw an invisible triangle, connecting all four of them. "That's why I can think, talk and walk at the same speed you do. I'm not as grounded as you are, but since the time differential is nullified, it's like I exist outside of time, but as a presence I function inside your temporal outline."

"And that makes sense, because in a way the human mind exists outside of time as well." The Human enthuses. "Not the brain, the physical infrastructure, I mean, the mind, the soul, the conscience. That doesn't count time like our bodies do. That's why you see people who are 70 years old acting like 15 year olds, or children having the wisdom of the elderly. It's like our mind exists somewhere above the lines as well."

"Ah, yes." Murmurs the elf, turning to look outside of the coffee-house glass pane at last. They brace their chin on their elegant hand, twinkling eyes observing the passing figures of the busy street outside.

The sun has already set and evening's darkness is descending. Soon the street-lights will illuminate the street in their yellow hue, soon the first revellers of the night will roam around the streets.

"You know, I had a rather rebellious idea when I was younger."

"How many millennia younger?" Quips the Human.

"Just before we left." They reply, twinkling eyes joining theirs for a mere moment. "Why not stay on Earth, I had thought, and try our chances. Humanity will certainly keep us entertained. Perhaps they are the meaning we have been looking for."

"I am flattered on the humanity's behalf." Nods the Human, and it's too quiet to be a joke. "Though, I'm not sure if it would work out well in the end."

"Why not, my friend?" Frowns the Elf, watching as their companion asks for the bill.

The Human turns to them and gives a tight smile. "Human beings can be as bigoted, as they are beautiful."

"You weren't often as unwise as to antagonise us when we were your neighbours." The Elf points out.

The Human sighs, a bit wearily. "Trust me. At the end of the day, humanity wants to be the superior kind. I think your Ainulindalë took that into consideration when it was decided you should leave us alone. We will stop at nothing, until we're in charge the world."

The Elf hums, surveying their companion thoughtfully, and then drains the cold remains of their cappuccino.

"In that case, we might as well get on with creating this cult. It would be highly entertaining to be worshiped as a god, before I am eventually burned at the stake."

The Human laughs, as the two beings leave the coffee-shop behind. They will return the following day, as is their usual practice. Neither of them knows how long they have still in each other's company, but they don't dwell on that for long.

Time is a matter of perspective, after all.


A/N: Any kind of feedback is mostly appreciated, critisism especially. I'm not sure if there's anything in Tolkien's writing to specifically explain how the elvish immortality works. If there is and I'm out of canon bounds, I'm sorry Tolkien. This was fun to write, but I'd love to hear any and all counter-arguments!

Thank you for reading!