[LTD-Tayseri-Peanut Gallery] Clusterfrak

"Damn me it is hot here." said uselessly Michelle once more.

It was 10am on the Citadel, and in the Leaving The Duct office the temperature was hardly bearable. The cooling system had broke down the night before, after the rebuilding team had dug into the wrong wall. The builders were trying to fix their mistakes, with an occasional assistance from keepers. That they were constantly coming and going in the hallway and even in the LTD office did nothing to help Michelle's mood.
She was sweaty, her hair stuck to her forehead, and she had to wear formal clothing because she expected visits today. Until they arrived she was deep into paperwork for two kids' adoption process, including Alonso's. She groaned and rose up, and went to make some tea.

"Do you want some tea Mr Snow?", she asked without looking. "By the way, what are you working on right now?"

The Citadel. The majestic Orbital city. Home to over 13 million people of all species and creeds. One of the most cosmopolitan places to live in the galaxy.
So of course, Alexander hated it with every fibre of his being. He hated the fake and far too short sky of the Presidium.
He loathed the Crowded markets and streets of the wards.
But most of all, he hated this assignment. “It'd cut crime rates dramatically” Said the Chief.
Bullshit. The Mayors office must've realised that one of their largest importers is having smuggling problems and they wanted to protect their assets.
It also meant that, yes, they did check Alex's Extranet activity whilst he was at work.
And so, before long, one of Mombasa's most travelled anti-smuggling cops was at the Citadel for a “Unknown amount of time.”
This, was awful. There were aliens Everywhere.
Well, as he sat in the air conditioned office, waiting for anyone to say hello, he thought that at least this assignment would be quiet. No Somalian terrorists, no accidental punching of the mayor, and potentially, he wouldn't even have to lift a finger. Free room and board.
It was a start.
So, he leaned back, and waited.

Dante was relieved that was off from work today and had some free time. C-Sec had been trying coordinate a joint-effort assignment with some Earth cops, and he'd been part of the people exchanging messages. For the last few days, work had been a hectic mess, and it didn't help that he didn't get along at all with the cop he was trying to coordinate with, and it was making his life frustrating. The situation around C-Sec was already tense from the increase in gang violence, resources were tight, and having to keep sending messages to the most frustrating human he'd ever met was taking a toll on his patience.

He'd heard about the charity further down in the ward while on patrol, a place that was trying to help duct rats, but apparently they'd been having trouble with the gangs lately. He wasn't entirely surprised, seeing as how they were trying to take resources out of the gangs' hands… Though C-Sec was stretched pretty tight lately, he wanted to help, and assisting the charity seemed like the right thing to do.

He'd contacted the woman in charge, asking if she'd like to talk. After a quick chat, they'd decided on a meeting time, so he was going down to LTD later the day to finally get the chance to speak with her. She seemed like a pretty pleasant woman, so hopefully things would go smoothly.

"Just running a diagnostic on our new purchases Miss Rondor", the pale skinned man replied into his omnitool, commencing the last scan on the pressure sensor. The past few days had been rather uneventful for Snow, the LTE was content to just watch the goings on, Miss Rondor hadn't maced anyone, and the roof and basement had been cleared of refuse. And that made Snow nervous, knowing the gang life as he did, it wasn't a matter of if, but when the LTE would take a shot at him. "Just hope it's sooner rather than later", thinking as he finished up, grabbing his coat as he made his way back down to the street, his skin contrasting with the dark clothing and black hair, a cup of tea did sound good.

"Tea? Do we have any more of the Jaeto black blend Miss Rondor?"

Michelle smiled.
"You think I'll ever run out of the one product that make you less grumpy? Yet I don't understand how you manage to drink it without half the cup being sugar."

As she turned around she almost bumped into a keeper. The creature was fiddling thing in the floor, entirely silently.

"Creepy bastards", she thought as she brought her cup back to her desk. She had time to work out some more paperwork (and realize that she needed 3 more documents she swore didn't exist one hour ago). She lazily checked the time.

"10:28. Let's see if our new worker is punctual."

"Because it has a lot more bite than those fruity blueback smiler drinks you like so much, Miss Wh- er, Miss Rondor." Laying his coat on the table, Snow sipped his drink while glancing over at the keepers doing their thing, which had nothing to do with temperature control. A week after notifying that racist prick of a jellyfish landlord and it still hadn't been fixed. "You know what boss, I think I'm going to have a chat with our super about his doing fuck-all about apt maintenance." Taking one last swig of the Jaeto black, the ex-salvager headed out of LTD, making a beeline to the hanar's office.

"Mr Zy...whatever the hell you call yourself , we need to have a chat about the promised maintenance you haven't done", a dark smile creasing Snow's boyish face as the door opened, revealing a red pulsing hanar looming directly overhead, "If it isn't the convict the other human has decided to employ, how may this one aid you Julian", despite the courtesy that seemed to be the norm, the landlord did not appreciate a brash furhead interrupting his lesiure. "Since you asked oh so nicely first off, don't fuckin' call me Julian, secondly, why in the hell you haven't fixed the temperature regulator? A whole goddamn week, and you still haven't done shit." Finishing the brief diatribe, Snow decided to wait for the racist landlord to make excuses, his eyes narrowing at the hanar, whose pulses became an even darker red.

A more mutually pleasant hanar-human exchange was taking place at the office Snow had recently left.

Laykalar had drifted in, buzzing with low-key enthusiasm for the coming shift. He was (of course) very excited about it, but also surprisingly subdued in his demeanour, for those who could read the hanar. This was his first day in a new role, his first day actually engaged in structured work within a semi-professional capacity. Rather than wandering the Citadel seeking conversation, he now had a singular purpose aboard the cosmopolitan station, and he was most eager to prove himself useful.

Since having met the learned Ms. Rondor at the humans' New Year celebration, he had kept in periodic contact, and had been most intrigued when he'd received an offer to join the (as yet undersized) staff of the charity. Leaving the Ducts, which worked on securing a safer future for young drifters of all species, could use the assistance, and Ms. Rondor apparently reasoned that the efforts of one eager to seek communication and mutual understanding between species would be of use. The result was that Laykalar held that most fascinating of responsibilities, a job, and now qualified as an actual scholar by the standards of the elders aboard ship. This had caused the learned Jasthe, among others, to politely inquire after the accuracy of the news. (The exact words being, "this one must respectfully inquire after the degree of truth in the others' assertion. May the other repeat its statement?" Followed by a weak "By the word of Javik..."). He had the slight suspicion that the learned Jasthe was somewhat scandalized, and optimistically vowed that he would prove himself worthy of his elevated status. Unexpectedly, he was now also a minor celebrity of sorts among the other acolytes, particularly those who shared his previous lack of official standing. He now qualified for membership in the decision-making tier of Greater Encompassing's community, and that first night in the Inner Sanctum he had been near-delirious in his good cheer, fascinated by the elegant tides of discussion and too awestruck to really say anything useful. He had made a contribution to one debate, that regarding developments within the Compact, the institution of the Primacy most experienced with integration of disparate species. His observations had left Jasthe apparently pained.

Laykalar floated now into Leaving the Ducts, pulsing a sub-lingual expression of respect and attentiveness, as he approached the learned Rondor. This human had not only offered to integrate him into the professional life of the Citadel, but had taken responsibility for another of Laykalar's human contacts, the troubled but philosophically sophisticated man known as Snow. To be entrusted with the guidance of souls seeking a return to full illumination following the rough tides of tempest was a sign that this human was undoubtedly a scholar of great wisdom and insight. Laykalar was thrilled that he was fortunate enough to have attracted her interest.

"Greetings, Ms. Rondor. This one is pleased to once again float alongside the learned other in shared purpose, and humbly presents itself for service. It hopes it has arrived punctually!"

For all her growing exhaustion Michelle was genuinely pleased to see Laykar arrived. She really thought the young always-enthusiastic hanar was excellent and heartwarming company.
And she really could use some help.

"Welcome Laykar! I'm very happy to see you! Mr Snow will join us soon, I'm sure he'll be delighted too. Actually your assistance will be immensely appreciated, I have a ton of paperwork to do and two kids should come by later. So in the meantime could you please work on organizing a charity dinner to support Leaving the Duct? We need to raise funds and make a name for ourselves now.
So your job would be to pick a date, in three weeks or more, select a few places were we could have it, and ask some important people if they're willing to come and when they're available. I made you a list of tayseri VIPs.
If you need help I'm sure I'll be available. Is that agreeable to you?
Also do you want some tea? I have no idea what hanar eat or drink not that I think about it..."

"The repairs are ongoing human, despite you and the the other's discomfort this one has other priorities, none of which involve adjusting the temperature regulator to your apartment Mr. Snow, this one must note that the temperature is within the safety parameters outlined in the fourth paragraph of sub section Epsilion...", the hanar droned on as Snow fumed, hearing the sounds of some asari skinflick in the background. Typical, the landlord pleasuring himself as he and Miss Whiskers roasted, "Save it, while you're watching blueback, whatever the fuck that is, Miss Rondor and I are dealing with the fuck up that YOUR maintenance crew is responsible for. In short, you have until the end of the day to come up with a better answer." Snow retorting angrily, his face a cold mask as the hanar floated backwards a bit before querying,

"And what will you do to this one human, attempting violence would be most inadvisable", the hanar letting a trace of condescenion creep into his melodious tone. Snow smiling evilly in return, "I could use your water tank as my personal shitter, or report you to the Lower Tayseri housing council, whatever's worse...think it over, you porn watching freak", muttering the last under his breath, the runner walked away from the fuming hanar and back to the sweltering offices. Miss Rondor mentioned that a volunteer was coming by, might as well see who's crazy enough to join Leaving the Ducts.

The learned Rondor was offering Laykalar tea. Tea, he knew, was a beverage created by placing leaves in hot water, and it was not suitable for hanar consumption. Therefore, he was inclined to refuse the offer, though he was intrigued by the frequency with which the drink was bestowed in this type of social interaction. Indeed, no doubt the customary nature of the offer was what had led Rondor to make it, despite apparently not knowing what hanar consumed. Or was that in fact the case? It occurred to him that perhaps there was a symbolic significance to the rite which he was missing; maybe he should accept the tea for purposes other than drinking, to ensure the ritual was observed? Usually he would have asked, but he didn't want the learned Rondor to think him ignorant. He therefore decided to accept.

"This one would gladly accept the tea, and thanks the learned other for bestowing it. This one would certainly be willing to get to work on arranging a charity dinner in accordance with the other's wishes!"

How exciting! And how unnerving, also. Already he was being entrusted with a serious errand, being made essential to the inner workings of the charity. The learned Rondor must think him fully compatible with her philosophical methodology, and was displaying a great deal of trust in him. The thought filled him with pride. He mustn't let her down; it was essential he prove himself worthy of such trust.

It occurred to him that not only would his task be of use to Leaving the Ducts, but he would be interacting with some deeply prominent members of the Tayseri community. His previous excursions had mostly been in Zakera, and he was glad to be expanding his knowledge of the Citadel. A list of VIPS? Would even the greatest of scholars aboard ship have such access? Maybe they would have further errands for him too, if this went well! He briefly entertained a happy picture, of being asked to convey messages by his learned betters, serving the whole community of scholars as a link in their communications while they remained on the Citadel. He shimmered happily.

Rondor offered him the list on a cheap data slate. The text had been written in a human language but translated to hanar, which was just as well given that he couldn't read human script.

"This one again thanks the other, for the opportunity to immerse in an environment so productive to its pursuit of greater illumination. The other's activities here are in keeping with the highest virtues of the Enkindlers".

Heading back to the offices of Leaving the Ducts, Julian Snow was still raging on the inside about the hanar slumlord giving him the runaround. Miss Rondor told him outright that the job wasn't going to be easy, and the job had yet to disappoint. Between the Lower Tayseri Elite, indifference from the housing authorities, and a station with double it's normal population, there was always something happening. Snow sighed in resignation as he neared the doors to the charity, the one saving grace of the situation was that he had just over three months on his bit, after that...goodbye earth, SATAE, and all of the self-righteous pricks that resided within. Opening the doors he heard Miss Rondor talking to the newest member of their endeavor, a hanar by the sound.

"Hey boss, I just spoke to the landlord, he knows about the temperature problem, he just doesn't care. I see we've got a new volunteer, about time...wait", the ex-salvager paused, the hanar's speech pattern and enthusiasm were familiar, the new years party, "Laykalar? How did Miss Rondor get you roped into all of this?" A hint of surprise creeping into Snow's voice as he joined Laykalar and Miss Whiskers in the meeting room.

Laykalar flushed with joy at becoming reacquainted with Julian Snow. He had been looking forward to this. The first human he had successfully interacted in depth with, the troubled but intelligent man had a clarity of expression and a philosophical angle on the galaxy that was most intriguing; what's more, he had been willing to share it. His speech was direct and truthful, and while it lacked the elegance of typical hanar discourse Laykalar in fact found it refreshing, featuring as it did a lack of the subterfuge so distressingly common to the wider galaxy. There was no deception in Snow, only a blanket of personal privacy, such was due any soul which hid itself appropriately behind a publicly acceptable face. Snow was direct but subtle, and that which he had chosen to share with Laykalar suggested a man who understood more than most the need to strike out for new banks in the aftermath of upheaval. And after the man had responded so readily to his admittedly awkward introductions at the New Years party, he was pleased he'd be working alongside Snow in future.

"This one is pleased indeed to exchange renewed greetings with the other, Snow. It is now working for Leaving the Ducts itself, on the suggestion of the learned Ms. Rondor, and looks forward to many productive future exchanges with you"!

Was the use of the pronoun premature? If it were most other acquaintances, the question would concern him deeply, reflecting as it did a difficult transition in hanar culture, especially when undertaken in public. Much embarrassment could result if the other wasn't ready for such informality of address. As it was, he knew Snow wouldn't mind, even if he had defied the boundaries of propriety. Perhaps, he reflected, it was merely his subordinate status in the ship's community, but he was beginning to find a certain thrill in communicating with such freedom and lack of restraint. Besides, was not his enthusiastic approach more successful at encouraging alien response?

"This one is glad you have returned; it is about to partake in the ritual of receiving tea".

He hadn't actually answered Snow's question - how had Rondor convinced him to join them? - but didn't seem to notice.

Michelle chuckled at Snow's question.
"I used a disloyal and ancient mind control technique Mr Snow : I asked him. We need some help around here, and I'm sure Laykar will be an excellent addition.

About the landlord it's troubling. Without his cooperation the keepers and builders will take longer to repair this I fear. Of course he doesn't care, I'm sure he's all comfy in his mass effect field! We'll have to lean some more on him later I'm afraid.

Ok, so Laykar I don't want to leave you alone on this for your first day so..."

The office door rang at that precise moment. Michelle checked her omni-tool.

"Ho, that's Tanri and Kamila, two local kids we're helping. I wasn't sure they'd come by. Start looking at the list please Laykar, I'll check in with them, I'm sure it'll take only a moment."

Michelle opened the door and greeted two adolescent turians and asari.

"Hey guys", she said, "what's new with..."
She then looked at Kamila's belly, noticing it was a bit round.
"Ho come on, again? Kamila, remember when we went to see that Matriarch about how to prevent that sort of thing from happening? How it was as informative as awkward? I found it very informative!"

The two kids looked at each other. "Yeah, again." answered the young asari, "But it's not a mistake this time, we wanted it! We're keeping him! We're having a baby!"

Both kids were beaming now. Michelle forced a smile.

"That... Wow... That's unexpected."

At loss she turned to Snow.

"Hear that Julian? Tanri and Kamila want a baby..."

"Yeah, great...", a look of disbelief came upon Snow's face at the news, those two duct rats could barely take care of themselves, adding a kid into the mix was nothing but trouble. Snow wasn't about to tell his boss or the 'parents' that, something a bit more mundane was in order, "good luck coming up with a name", replying in his noncommital fashion as he went back into the main room where Laykalar was eagerly sorting through the VIP list. The day had barely begun and it already was getting hectic.

"Miss Rondor has you getting this party business sorted. Good on ya Laykalar", giving the hanar a respectful nod as Snow found his still half-fulll tea glass, taking another swallow as he found another datapad, this one with the scematics and layout of LTD, newly revised thanks to the new surveillance equipment. "So how has Lower Tayseri treated you so far, it can be a bit wild compared to other parts of the citadel.

No help there, thought Michelle as Snow was disengaging himself from the debate. She sighted.

"Listen you two, do you really realize what a responsibility a baby is? How hard it will be to do your studies while taking care of it?"

"Ho don't worry Michelle", answered the young asari, "we've already decided to start working! I mean studies are great, but we want to make money now, start a family!"

She was all smile. It's not the first time Michelle saw that, rats at first were willing to try studies, but after a life liven day to day, the idea of something that would pay off in years was too foreign for them, compared to a job which would give them a salary in a month.

"Are you sure you guys? Tanri you wanted to be a doctor remember?"

The young turian shrugged.

"Yeah, but I can do that later you know? When we have a place, some savings..."

"Ok", Michelle answered. She never liked to see kids drop studies, but they could indeed resume them later. "So as I told you most work is planetside, here are your options..."

While the wondrous subject of babies was being brokered - how pleasing, the asari was spawning - Laykalar busied himself with arrangements for the charity event he'd been entrusted with. More than anything else to which he'd applied himself since arrival on the station, this was a true responsibility. He must ensure he successfully adhered to the learned Rondor's wishes. Especially as she, more than any other resident of the station, had attempted to help him integrate into local community. She had even engaged in the rite of the offering of tea (he had placed the tea beside him with reverence, and occasionally moved it with a tendril, hoping he'd positioned it correctly). The gathering he was planning would be a provocative argument for the status and importance of the work taking place at Leaving the Ducts - the Enkindlement of young beings so tragically left adrift. The gathering, he knew, must involve consumption of foodstuffs (order in from Hungry Tides?), lyrical music of the fascinatingly symbol-laden genre that had been expressed at the New Year party (perhaps the human known as Mombasa Giants Fan could provide another of his rhyming musical arguments for the prowess of the Illuminated Shepard!), and opportunities to place new and intriguing coverings upon the body, for ritualistic significance. He thought now of the other he had encountered outside the music shop a few weeks prior; the hanar who wore a covering atop its bell in the manner of an asaroid. That had been interesting. Perhaps he should see to wearing something himself for the event! Nothing so obvious as a head-covering, though. Perhaps something more discreetly decorative?

He reminded himself to focus.

The Citadel had been the site of such events before; most intriguingly, one held shortly before the Reaper invasion had apparently been hosted and largely attended by fellow denizens of Cerberus Daily News. How right he'd been to involve himself with that vibrant tide of disparate personalities, who both directly and indirectly had already taught him so much! Alarmingly, though, while details were somewhat unclear, the event in question had apparently been marred by attempted assassinations and other ill-mannered acts of criminality. How distressing. Perhaps he should order a security detail for the upcoming event, to avoid such disastrous unpleasantries? Or would that be detrimental to the comfort of those attending, and thus itself rather ill-mannered? Considering the matter further, he decided he could arrange a discreet security presence. Someone on CDN would be capable of providing that, for suitable payment. He thrummed happily. It was all moving into place.

For now, he should get to work on the list of Very Important People, a term which sounded most formidable indeed. He put in a call to the office of Max Vallario, assemblyman, who Rondor hoped could be persuaded to endorse the event and make an appearance...