[He finishes tightening a bolt on dear, sweet Wiz, who is currently deactivated. Then he pulls himself to his feet and rubs the grease off of his hands. He may not have the best sense of kitchens, but at least he knows that machine oil and food don't mix. Obligingly, he follows along.]

I'm going to assume that we're working with a society that places less emphasis on direct lineage than on a kind of community?

[Dirk honestly is still kinda thinking of Ellana as an alien. In his defence: trolls, cherubim, carapacians. One dominant sentient species per planet is the general pattern.]