[Shin Akiba, Zakera Ward] Everything Must Go (Open)

Wait…what had the Sur’kesh-clan just said? And where was he going so quickly? He hadn’t even given Dasir his directions yet!

“Wait …! I’m … not an … expe… I thought you were going to … give me directions?!”

His cry was unfortunately in vain, the Pink Salarian had already moved far out of what counted for earshot within the noisy market, and had all but disappeared within the crowd.

Dasir sighed forlornly. It seemed as though he’d have to find the directions he desired someplace else. In the meantime however, there was a misinformed Hanar who he would likely have to be seting straight sometime very soon.

Laykalar was disappointed that the salarian felt the need to leave so quickly, before it had answered any questions. How disenchanting. He had thought an in-depth three-way discussion could be initiated here, between members of three different species. Maybe he'd indeed caused it offence, although the swiftness of the other's exit startled him in turn, reminding him that salarians could be a troubling people to talk with. It wasn't so much the speed of physical departure but the brisk conclusion to the conversation that alarmed him, a hurried dismissal without polite farewells. It had been ill-mannered by hanar standards, but then he knew it would be most ill-considered of him to judge other races by his own customs, as correct as he knew those customs to be. This was part of the thrill of immersion in the Many Voices; learning to place decorous manners in a context greater and more inclusive than hanar society could encompass alone.

It was not in Laykalar's nature to dwell for long on disappointment, and if he'd spent more time of late pondering his own nature rather than that of the beings around him, he might have wondered if this was partly a consequence of his heritage. As he'd reflected at length before arriving on the Citadel (and so before losing himself in distractions), hanar vision wasn't confined to a small subdivision of the world around them; instead it dealt with continuous input from many directions at once. On top of that, within an oceanic environment such as that of the Encompassing, physical movement was possible in any and all directions one desired. With only a small shift in perspective, a setback could become a progression, a vector of approach switched instantly to one of retreat, with minimal effort. No wonder a young hanar in the midst of excellent, illuminating adventures could recover from letdowns so rapidly. Laykalar had lost the opportunity to learn the significance of Shrell from the pink salarian, true, but at least he could instead engage in pleasant one-on-one conversation with the volus!

"This one offers apologies for its inability to assist the other in finding directions. However, should the other have time, this one would be greatly interested to learn more of the other's religious experience! It notes that the other previously mentioned the Book of Plenix; this one has only a basic knowledge of the concept of plenix, which it understands is considered a form of spiritual currency. This one draws intriguing parallels between the tradition of plenix and the human concept of karma, as well as the old Palavenian ideals of Degradable Service. If it may be so bold as to express itself so brightly, this one believes the other might contribute to its understanding of an issue it currently seeks greater illumination in. It understands that the twelve chapters within the Book of Plenix correspond to binaries assigned positive and negative values. This one would be most interested in understanding how these binaries guide the other in its application of the faith to matters of everyday social interaction!"