[He notices that, and something clenches in his chest just a little. Memories of his time as a novice, trying to pay attention in class as the Katabasians spoke. Or, later, being the one to speak.

It's fine. Everything's fine.]

Men or women, sometimes, just not whichever one people had expected of them. Or both, neither, something in between...

[And here he gives a shrug, dropping back to seeming a bit more casual.]

I'm a plain ol' man.