Vivid
He turned the tiny scallop over in his fingers. She was watching him. The tide rolled over his bare feet, advancing up the shore, stopping just short of the hem of her long-cut civilian clothes.
Curious, he thought, but not unexpected.
Tight persona. Bit of a perfectionist. Weather altogether pleasant, enjoyable. Still chooses to wear restrictive clothing. He smiled. Yes, curious.. not unexpected.
"You looking me over for something?" she asked jocularly, folding her hands over her chest. The wind tossed about her short hair. Unruly. Unrestrained.
"Collecting seashells... personable experience, Shepard," he responded in kind. "Good social activity. Could compare patterns. Determine chronistic origin. Compelling work."
"It sounds like you're telling me to lighten up, but I still hear you talking about it like it's work," she chuckled. The breeze was pleasant on her face. Had to be. Humans and salarians, similar sensitivity present in nerve network under the skin.
She took a step forward, into the wet sand. Hem of her clothes still untouched. She bent down, picked up a scallop,
"anything you can tell me about this one?",
pressing it into his outstretched hand. She watched him as he scrutinized it hawkishly, examining it deftly from every possible angle.
"Small. Durable. Likely served as home for small invertebrate. Then again." He smiled. "No expert."
"I expected a bit more from you than that, Mordin."
"Also noticed pattern of interlocking stripes on the surface. Very, ...pleasing. Can only be galaxy's leading authority on so many things, Shepard."
The tide broke around his feet again. Shepard stood beside him now. Water encroached upon the hem of her civilian pants.
"Salarians have vivid dream cycles," he said. He looked out over the ocean. It seemed endless; logical impossibility. "Never actually visited Earth. Only read about it."
"I've hardly been there myself," she replied.
Mordin smiled again. "Remember that, about you."
The textbooks were particularly enlightening. He remembered them well. Included pictures. Small mollusks, bivalves, crustaceans. Entertaining to look at. Tiny creatures. Tiny underwater dwellings. Picture of human couple holding hands on the beach.
"Human dreams aren't usually this spectacular," she breathed.
He held out his hand, remembering the picture. She took it automatically, without question. Perhaps a small break from reality.
"Interesting," he remarked, as they watched the horizon.
"What's interesting?"
"Didn't expect to understand motive, behind gesture."