Tapo'hatam considered the artificial intelligence with a curious look in his eye. He had heard of the amount of personality these... artificial people could develop but she spoke as though she was a true individual. In a way it was like talking to a younger, but more intelligent sangheili. All the curiousity and energy of a child but a mind approaching appreciation of philosophy and metaphor. Strange that humans could or would create something that clearly outclasses themselves in mentality. Then again perhaps that is why there are so few of them. From what he understood these constructs were difficult to obscenely difficult to create and most collapsed into uselessness within their first decade.

Still, what a life those few years must be.

He had been staring at Maya the entire time but blinked and seemed to do the sangheili equivalent of shaking his head when he realized he had been staring. The comment about flirting and philosophizing was meant with a laugh from the warrior.

[color=a36209]"The two are not so different in my culture. It is valued to find a partner who's mind finds the same beauty as your own, whether that is in poetry, painting, or battle,"[/color] Tapo'hatam explained, [color=a36209]"the con-... Maya speaks well of how harmony and peace are best forged. If this is flirting then I am flattered."[/color] He did not seem to understand that leaving the sentence on that note communicated anything other than she was complimenting him. From his perspective he had given her a compliment as well by trying not to refer to her as a construct, but by her name.

[quote]"Will the following please report to Conference Room Seven. Cassandra Reed, Tapo'Hatam, Chur'R-Jev, Lucy Holden, Kajina Yates, Solares Morgenstern and Edward Lance as soon as possible."[/quote]

Tapo'hatam closed his mandibles and narrowed his eyes, a sangheili gesture akin to a frown as he looked up at the ceiling. He was scheduled for two more training sessions today, but they were over an hour from now and none of the other names were on his roster for the day's scenarios. Still, with the discipline of someone who's life was defined by their service he quietly put down his eating utensils and mournfully looked at the meal he had only gotten a quarter of the way through eating. Regret was for the dead though, and he stood up and gathered his tray.

[color=a36209]"A delightful conversation, perhaps there will be another during my time here at the station,"[/color] Tapo'hatam said directly towards Maya, then turned a look on Solares, [color=a36209]"Spartan. I apologize if there was any disrespect in not addressing you directly. It looked as though you were enjoying your sandwich, and then I was distracted by your companion."[/color] Tapo'hatam bowed his head slightly, a gesture of respect for another warrior though it seemed the earlier 'teasing' had not gone entirely unnoticed.

[color=a36209]"Researcher Byrd. I shall attempt to see that my next training session includes simulated holy- excuse me, plasma grenades, so that the data you are curious about might be interpreted by the station's systems,"[/color] Tapo'hatam said, catching himself when translating the name for the weapon so many sangheili and unggoy favored.

With each remaining person given a personal farewell he turned to discard the remainder of his lunch and add the tray to the pile slowly growing near the disposal devices. He walked towards the lifts but pressed a button to summon a different lift than Cassandra's. He offered no explanation for this, but in his mind he was simply larger than humans or spartans and those he found himself in lifts with were often uncomfortable to say the least. 

His greater stride did come in handy though, as he was the first to reach the Conference room, waving his ID card over the scanner and waiting for the doors to open before moving inside and quietly taking up a standing post in the corner of the room. Unfortunately Anvil Station was a human design and the seats for someone of his size were very limited he had found.