[The Forest at Night] an elcor and an asari were sitting under a tree...

As if she was ordered, the maiden server appeared with a huge fork to shovel some more of the grass salad from the bowel beside the table onto Xuumo's plate. She disappeared again with a slight bow.

Indeed, the galaxy would be a better place if there would be more elcor like species, Arina thought. She smiled at his praising comments, her implant HUD adding information. The maiden came back and served Arina's main dish.

She only nodded at Xuumo's estimation of Alonso's education and the effects as she started to eat. The war and its aftermath had produced an awful lot of broken biographies. She raised an eyebrow at his question.

"Yes, I am in contact with them. It is an outreach program by the Republics, a joint effort. Of course the details are confidential." She made a pause. Of course she was not going to tell him confidential things but it was a program that was not advertised outside the charities, it was a program not deemed well suited for the wider public at this point. But nothing secret either since the word was supposed to spread among the potential asari duct rats.

"There are a lot of vacant spots in the asari educational institutes now. The publically funded huntress monasteries are offering these spots to the disadvantaged younglings. They will receive proper education among their kind in conjunction with the discipline of a monastery school. Of course it is a military oriented program but long term. It's asari after all." She shrugged and smiled.
"It is no program for the masses, the conditions to get accepted are strict but we sre seeing excellent results with those we took in already. They have a very strong will and often turn out to become top of their classes. In the end they act as role models for others. There had been a handful of early dropouts too but none of them had returned to the Citadel, they found jobs in the Republics."

"Graciously: I apologise if I was too forward. Wryly: This is something I will need to work on if I'm to be successful within the diplomatic community. I am not used to delicacy".

He took another mouthful, enjoying the taste of the flowers.

"Explanatory: I have a vested interest in the subject, you understand. Between my own dealings with Leaving the Ducts and the Dekuuna embassy's connections, I know a fair amount more than most".

He was interested to hear that those youngsters who had succeeded in the program were showing strong leadership skills. Granted, asari development was so extended that even very young maidens had considerable experience compared with other species' children, even without any additional maturity. Still, it was interesting that they were showing such promise. A young human might do likewise, perhaps. If given the chance.

Arina laughed at his reaction to the secrecy. it was warm laughter though.
"No on the contrary. Rest assured I won't give away classified information and in your case, the topic is perfectly reasonable."
She knew very well, that the mentioning of confidentiality was helping, especially if the subject in reality wasn't and the person was trustworthy in the region of Xuumo, who was an employee at an embassy himself.

"So, what do you think, is this conversation helpful at all? If nothing else, it's another chance to dine at this wonderful place." She looked from her booth and upwards, towards the ring of booths on the upper level, like in the first level of branches. The table she had occupied with Temria was empty. The doctor... The pictures of their adventurous trip to Trategos and their return went through her mind. Temria... If she would not have been there, who knows... Her mind wandered along to Sulla. She missed him. She would have to bring him here and test the matron's dextro abilities.

She snapped back into reality, focusing the munching face of the elcor. Something hypnotic, she thought with a mild chuckle.
"Do you also do jobs for LTD?" she asked.

"Pleasant affirmation: It is helpful; very much so. The company is appreciated. I have much I need to work through and few people to discuss it with".

He was slightly annoyed at how pathetic that made him sound. He subtly shifted his body weight, trying to put some dignity into his frame.

"Nonchalant: I try to avoid becoming entangled in charitable works, to be honest. Stiffly: It is true that I owe Ms. Rondor and her associates a great deal - for finding and protecting Alonso, and for championing our rather... unorthodox partnership. Slyly: They have an unfortunate tendency to attract trouble, though. I want to distance myself from that if at all possible. I trust you understand".

He paused, and she waited patiently.

"With conviction: I take my debts seriously, that much is true. I've relied on Rondor's discretion several times. It's likely I will do so again in future".

Another pause. He listened to the animal sound effects and the low murmur of the other diners.

"Conversational: Do you come here often? I wasn't familiar with this restaurant until tonight". Keeping a low profile and lacking much in the way of credits, he had missed out on the more presentable establishments.

Arina understood very well how uncomfortable such revelations the elcor made. It was visible in his stance and his pheromones were spiking. For his people, stability and resolution was the desirable stance.

“Always an aural to listen,” She unwrapped the last of her dumplings, still steaming a little bit from its juicy green wrap. She put the wooden pick aside that had kept is together and cut the dumpling in smaller pieces, parting those further with her fork as she ate.

“Hmhm…Ms Rondor is an interesting character. And oh yes, do they ever attract trouble. I heard a few stories from the kids that got out. They called it ‘never boring’.” There was a certain something about the former actress – interestingly enough a fact she never talked about on CDN. All the actresses Arina knew wouldn’t stop talking about that.

“They do have impressive funding, you will hardly find a charity that runs so stable, Ms. Rondor really has a hand for getting the things she needs.”

When Xuumo asked about the Forest, Arina involuntarily looked around.
“This place was introduced to me a little while ago by a friend, Temria. You may know her as Doctor Love on CDN? You know how it is, it is not far from my apartment block but it remained undiscovered. I’ve been coming here a couple of times, yes. It reminds me of Thessia, it is a very special little gem of a place.”

Xuumo had never been to Thessia.

"Amusement: That my life should have taken a turn for the human is appropriate, I suppose". The galaxy, after all, had done the same. From an asari viewpoint, humanity's expansion must have seemed even more rapid than it did from his perspective.

"Curiosity: What do you think of them? Assuming we can ever generalize, that is".

'Never boring' might well apply to Rondor's entire species, after all. Since humans had arrived on the scene, it had been nothing but upheaval. Not entirely their fault, of course, but nor were they innocent.

"Matter-of-fact: With the Citadel here at Sol, a human agenda is going to be prominent in our future. I imagine that's quite unavoidable, whatever we might think of it. Reflective: I remember when they first opened an embassy. Ambassador Calyn was quite supportive of their integration over the years. Visionary of him.

Self-deprecating: Now my own life has come to revolve around humans. Or a human, at any rate".

Indeed, the entire galaxy had come to shape itself awkwardly around the expansionist newcomers. With humans ascendant and the krogan on the rebound it was a far more turbulent galaxy than he'd been used to; the long peace of Thessia was over. The elcor would need to find out where they stood in this new order. His people had been proudly self-sufficient in the past, beholden to none yet open to trade with all. If Dekuuna was to remain relevant in the modern age, the elcor would need to become more involved in interstellar politics, or so he believed. Arina had expressed her support for that, hadn't she? He had some ideas on that front, building on his people's favourable reputation.

And yet here I am, running my plans past an asari diplomat while I worry about adapting myself to humans and salarians. He sighed; a deep rumble. So much for the change they kept discussing.

Arina let out a heavy sigh. Oh was it ever true that some of humanity's representatives were under the impression that the galaxy was revolving around them when the Citadel... well, in a way, did.

"Humans are young spacefaring species. They are still very divergent on their own planet, much more than they are between their colonies for example. There's a theory about galactic civilization development saying that at one point the colonies will be the more modern societies, reflecting that on the mother planet. There are various scenarios, like civil war or independent and influential development of large colonies. Humankind is centuries away from this though. That is one of their weaknesses yet, the inability to think in larger time frames, spanning beyond an individual's life.

They are a fast paced society, especially since the discovery of the mass effect technology has propelled them into the modern era in such a short timeframe. As a species they have enormous potential and produce very likable individuals, I get a long with them very well, the only problematic aspect of their general agenda is the focus on military and making an impression with it.

Part of that derives from the fact that they are so inhomogeneous and still face regional conflicts among themselves. To become a true pan-galactic society they have to develop an inner an an out view, a way to look at other species not with the same measure they use for themselves. All the old C-Space civilizations have learned this over generations and integrated it into their philosophies, humanity still has to complete this step." She took a sip from her drink.

"But they will do that eventually." Maybe even in her lifetime she thought and a small grin was playing around her lips.

"Solemn: Yes, they have much to learn.

Neutral rumination: They can be stubborn, not particularly adaptable. That is surely perverse unwillingness to accept the ways of the galaxy, rather than anything inherent to the species. Bemused: They are otherwise swift to change". He took a moment to reflect on the irony. The one arena in which the humans displayed appropriate reserve was in their opposition to the Council's conservatism.

It was the way of the elcor to self-examine, and he thought back over the conversation. Caenis had so far been supportive but detached, allowing him to work his way through to a decision on his own, a decision she perhaps sensed he had already made but wasn't yet comfortable acknowledging. Really, though, there were two issues here. Was it wariness of the second that made him reluctant to resolve the first? Perhaps he was focusing on the easier of the two to avoid having to face the hard one.

His pheromone cues spoke of grim determination, tempered by gratitude and the slightest sense of self-disgust.

"With confidence: I will go to Nasurn. Muted admiration: That is one thing the humans have gotten right. They stand firm. Committed to their goals, regardless of the obstacles. With conviction: I should remain committed to mine.

Tightly: To my responsibilities, also".

Yes, it was the Alonso issue that was truly causing him problems. It was why his mind kept turning to the humans, not the salarians. Surely he could afford to explore the possibilities that their unusual arrangement provided him? It had, after all, worked out well enough so far. I must not behave like the humans, demanding immediate results. But I must not neglect the need to forge ahead, either. This dilemma was leaving him less than steady, by turns impatient and hesitant. One way or another, he needed to make a choice.

He again examined their surroundings, this clever recreation of a planet's surface. Getting away from the station would be nice, regardless of the destination. It wouldn't be his own sun, but to feel the warmth of one on his back, to look around and see an actual horizon once more, would be a relief. He would -

Focus.

With some discomfort, he forced himself to decide. He'd put one foot down - it was time now to commit the other. Yes. He would talk with Alonso tonight, assuming the boy wasn't asleep. If not, then in the morning - right after the Massing.

He fixed his eyes on his companion.

"Cautious inquiry: Do you have dependents of your own, Ms. Caenis? You've spoken in the manner of one who knows what she's talking about".

Elcor exchanged information on their personal status frequently, often subconsciously. The more you knew, the less likely it was that you'd make a mistake that could provoke interpersonal aggression. In Dekuuna's gravity, any physical confrontation was dangerous to both combatants. His people had evolved a sophisticated series of cues to communicate their intentions, desires, moods and general health, preventing the escalation of a conflict. Disputes and disagreements were resolved through careful consideration and inherent sensitivity. And there were few subjects more sensitive than interspecies families... unless, of course, you were an asari.

"Congratulations then, Xuumo." she left out the Mr. for once. "I think it is a wise dicission also one that offers various paths in the future. It is no blind alley for either of you." Her HUD was displaying curves about his various more subtle undertones and she raised an eyebrow. He showed a lot of the typical 'over the hill eventually' reactions. You had the long climb behind you but those last few meters were the hardest. Once over the ridge (she had to grin at the 'ridge' part) and looking down the other side into the green and sunny valley it all seemed so easy and tension was falling off him.

"As much as I hate to see you leave the Citadel just now." she smiled and took a sip from her drink.

"A dependant? No, not in the sense you mean. I am tied to where the Republics need my service but no, nobody who is depending on me. But granted, and as you may guess, there had been some people during my lifetime that had been more or less important to me. I have never been bonded in the classic sense though." Almost, though, but she's rather not talk about that. Trying to steer her mind towards lighter subjects, she had to think about Sulla. With a grin she added: "In fact there's a certain turian. I don't know if he'd ever be 'dependant' but turians are a certain kind. Once committed to something, they stick to it so... he's far away on duty right now though. Maybe nothing will come of it but such are the ways." She could try and find out his unit and whereabouts, she had Sulla's name after all. But deep down she had considered that cheating and would wait for things to unfold, just like asari did.
"I don't want to bore with my sad love life though," she laughed and raised his cup towards Xuumo.

Asari and elcor; two very different races who nonetheless had a lot in common. An equally measured perspective focused on long-term investments, and a strong sense of community. That last point turned over in his mind now as he considered her comments.

"Gracious acceptance: Thank you, Ms. Caenis. I cannot say there are many people I will miss, but perhaps the fault lies with me".

He took another deep swig of his juice. We elcor are not meant to be alone. It ate away at them, weakened them. He had been overly cautious, perhaps, and that had been to his detriment.

On that note - he decided - he should meet with the rest of the Council before long. They were due a more in-depth explanation of his plans. It was paramount that he clue them in, whether they truly deserved it or not. He should take Alonso along with him, too. Well, the others always brought backup, didn't they? He amused himself with the image of Alonso squaring off with Semoslinthyl's bodyguard and Kuat Nom's attendant stooges. He probably has more brains than either.

A slightly paternal chuckle.

Putting the tankard down, he considered Arina's description of her family life. "Solemn: I too have never taken a mate. I had no plans to become a-" - he considered the word she'd used - "a parent".

Arina chuckled at his little attempt at irony. "I can follow, I am not there yet myself. But as they say, one day you wake up and nature has gone all matron on you. Is anyone ever ready for parenthood? While I do admit, I can't fully step into your shoes with imagining having a non asari kid." Nature had been in her species favor there, hasn't she?

"So, what will living on Nasurn be? I mean, there are other elcor, right, is that kind of joining a new herd?" She knew it wasn't that easy. You couldn't just swap herd - or tribe for that matter - like a numnah.

Arina waived their server over.
"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Can you bring me one more cup of wine and two servings of that Kumoo cake please?"

"Of course Ma'am!" and away she hurried.

"You have to try the cake! It is vegetarian, don't worry! Layers of sweet leaves with jelly and crumbled Kumoo fruit. They make it on the dry side, which is rare, usually it gets just drowned in syrup which totally destroys the texture and aroma of the leaves but is so much sweeter. People are so easily deceived these days..."

"Drily: I have the advantage, if you could call it that, of being currently "unattached". It will not be difficult to adapt to a new community when I currently have no herd of my own".

He wondered, actually, how many Ghorsuulan elcor were left. They had never been the most populous of nations, and he had little idea of how they'd fared relative to anyone else. Dekuuna had a population of over 2.3 billion prior to the invasion. That figure had been somewhat reduced.

He listened to her description of the dessert, and gave his approval. Dry was perfectly acceptable. The elcor had evolved to feed on plants that fought back; tough fibres, rough bark, spiny outer coats. Hence the slicing sheaths that formed the elcor mouth, capable of shredding almost any plant matter to pieces, a system that fed the mighty stomach with a constant stream of crushed vegetation. Like all large herbivores, the elcor were eating machines.

"Casually informative: The colony is not entirely salarian, of course; there will be a mix of other species present. Alonso and I will both be outsiders, but that may work to settle him. Contemplative: It is... fair, perhaps, for us to be in the same position. Matter-of-fact: There's also the fact that I do not intend to - how do you put it? - put down roots on Nasurn. I will perform the job and further my career, but I have long-term goals that will take me elsewhere in time. Slyly: I keep my own counsel on those".

The dessert came, hers in a narrow casserole, Xuumo's on a wider plate for his convenience.

"That's perfectly fair, Xuumo." Arina smiled while taking a small bite withe a spoon. Delicious.
"As I said earlier, if you wanted my opinion, a mixed species school with humans, asari and salarians is the best thing your son will be able to get. He'll most likely be in classes with other diplomats' kids. He'll grow up a citizen of the galaxy. Back when I was in school and university on Thessia there even were the occasional quarians." She chuckled and mused about the steam of time. When she would eventually be a Matriarch, or even as old as lady T'Veda - a thought that even seemed surreal for her right now - what must this episode of quarian exile be like? Most likely the aftermath of the war will be overcome in less than two centuries, all the damage repaired, all shorter lived species would have passed the generations who even knew about it from first or even second hand. Only the asari remained to remember. Some of humanity had yet to realize what that meant. The krogan would be occupied with their own history, they never were good at preserving things. Oh well.
"If anything, my age is showing!"

The elcor were a happy people, they had strong roots. If an asari was a leave in the cosmic winds.... No, better picture, a flying seed! Yes that was better. If an asari was a flying seed in the cosmic winds, the elcor were the trunk and the roots.

"So, how's the dessert? I greatly enjoyed this evening, Xuumo." Of course she could see his more immediate nonverbal reaction in the graphs of her HUD. She smiled and maneuvered a piece of leaf into her mouth.

"With satisfaction: It is as pleasant as the rest of the meal, Ms. Caenis. I too have enjoyed the evening.

Slyly: If you ever have business on Nasurn, let me know. You may just preserve my sanity after months of hyper-accelerated salarian chatter". He couldn't quite keep the hint of disdain out of his voice, but the humour should have taken the edge off the remark.

He noted that she had gone the full mile and referred to Alonso as his son. The idea was an uncomfortable one, and he flatly refused to take it seriously. As a junior partner, though... well, the boy might still have potential. He reaffirmed his decision: tonight he would talk with the young human, and then they could see to getting things done. They were in this together now.

Xuumo finished the last remnants of the dessert in silence, but it was a peaceful silence. Sometimes you just needed to talk things through, amble your way to a conclusion. The asari had been good company, and quite perceptive.

"Cautious: I hope you will consider me a point of contact in future. I do not know what business your people might have where I'm heading, but our nations have long been friends. Amusement: Perhaps I will not do so badly in your profession after all".