[Yes, excellent. If only all phones were waterproof by default.]
It was noteworthy, as far as Aurus was concerned, that Hank elected to speak about neither sex nor death but instead mutants. That perhaps gave a first indication about the relative openness these topics enjoyed.
Of course he had also set himself up to be able to pass at least a few things under the banner of cultural difference now: by saying that sylvari tended to be rather blunt about sex and death he ought to have excused himself for being blunt about the same topics. (The truth of the matter was that he personally was never obliviously blunt about either; only intentionally so. Some other sylvari that he knew would probably have scandalized either Charles or Hank or both of them already.)
"What else do you not ask about, aside from mutant abilities? You avoid speaking candidly to children about certain topics? That's a trait of human culture in my world, though it seems to me that there's little clear agreement on what age precisely the expectation changes.
"Having never been a child myself I find that the particulars have never felt very intuitive. And I am going to meet your students, so it's probably best if I know in advance."
Again, all true, strictly speaking, though also played for effect: the remark about having never been a child was deliberately placed to surprise, since that was something Hank didn't know about him yet. It also presented a detour away from the topic of Charles, a diversion so that he could circle back around an approach the subject more obliquely.
no subject
It was noteworthy, as far as Aurus was concerned, that Hank elected to speak about neither sex nor death but instead mutants. That perhaps gave a first indication about the relative openness these topics enjoyed.
Of course he had also set himself up to be able to pass at least a few things under the banner of cultural difference now: by saying that sylvari tended to be rather blunt about sex and death he ought to have excused himself for being blunt about the same topics. (The truth of the matter was that he personally was never obliviously blunt about either; only intentionally so. Some other sylvari that he knew would probably have scandalized either Charles or Hank or both of them already.)
"What else do you not ask about, aside from mutant abilities? You avoid speaking candidly to children about certain topics? That's a trait of human culture in my world, though it seems to me that there's little clear agreement on what age precisely the expectation changes.
"Having never been a child myself I find that the particulars have never felt very intuitive. And I am going to meet your students, so it's probably best if I know in advance."
Again, all true, strictly speaking, though also played for effect: the remark about having never been a child was deliberately placed to surprise, since that was something Hank didn't know about him yet. It also presented a detour away from the topic of Charles, a diversion so that he could circle back around an approach the subject more obliquely.