You decide to assign yourself the task of gathering up some snails. It's not too hard, but requires a bit of a good eye and is nice and outdoors. Norken snails are very common, being similarly amphibious as you are, usually found along the shores and shoals. They are known for their paralytic venom that ceases muscle movements; used to stun and prevent their preferred prey like small crustaceans and fish from running away. It isn't harmful to Swall except for very young newborn hatchlings as its effects are mild; but it can be used medicinally to help with muscles soreness, cramps, seizures, and especially jaw pain. Lots of older Swall whose life mates have died clench their jaws in their sleep, causing chronic pain.

As you head outside, you look over the other people going about your day, the hand-crafted brick dryhouses, the electric and message-wires hanging and feel like you're living in the future. All of this is possible because of your government; InterCon. But as your Dad tells you, it's really because of your people, the Swall.

You live in a high trust, highly individualistic society. Everyone looks out for their own family members and themselves first; yet despite this, crime and corruption are almost nonexistent. Simply put, your race is enlightened by principles of self interest. Your government is crafted to maximize individual freedoms while limiting the amount of harm that those freedoms can cause; creating a system where people obey the laws and principles simply because it benefits them, their families, and their community more then trying to exploit the system for themselves. It's not something you fully understand the philosophical undertones of yet; but the propaganda and education you're received throughout your life has taught you this. You've fully embraced it. You feel free and blessed to live in this time in history; after the planetary unification. Oh and also, knowing aliens are real? That's kind of cool.

The Swall have arranged themselves most strongly around their core unit of society; the nuclear family. Swall mate for life, your biology inextricably dedicated for the purpose of raising a few high quality, high survival-rate children who mature slowly and age gracefully. It's so important that, despite the similarities between the sexes, even Scouts are split up by sex once you grow up. Girls will go to girl schools, girl jobs, live in girl dorms... everything to keep them seperated from boys until their marriages can be arranged.

You wonder if you'll get to marry Constance one day. She's in your scout troop. You like her. Though you aren't exactly sure what marriage fully entails. Your health classes are very sparse on details. Hmm...