Nouveau jeu - Femshep/Garrus - 12
anonymous
July 10 2013, 23:39:42 UTC
The first time she’d taken her armor off in front of him, he’d stared in open shock. The fact that he didn’t turn away surprised her. Most people didn’t look long, not since Azuke that is. Clad in only a sports bra and shorts, the scars stood out clearly against her pale freckled skin, twisting around her body like pale, grotesque fingers.
He tilted his head slightly, studying the thick, uneven markings. She watched his eyes trace them from collar bone to ankle, and then up again. When he finally met her gaze they held for only a moment before he turned away.
It was the only time he ceded eye contact first.
Another time, during a particularly up close and personal fight, she’d just put down a massive krogan, the last of the bodies had just hit the ground, and she turned to catch his gaze, a triumphant grin on her blood splattered face. He had drawn himself up to his full, impressive height, a growl emanating from him, faint but audible, and though she was no expert at turian expressions, he seemed to be staring at her with open lust.
Her pulse, already racing from adrenaline, had pounded in her veins. That look had affected her more than she cared to admit.
Then, on the shuttle right back to the Normandy, he sat sullenly in his seat regarding her coldly.
She knew his age, his service record. He’d been in the turian military as all young turian’s are required to do. From there he’d moved on to C-sec. But he seems older and far more seasoned than he should have been. And for a turian who did go from the military directly to C-sec, he was almost eerily comfortable around humans, even tossing around the occasional human expression.
Something about this turian, it just didn’t add up.
She felt his eyes on her again. She turned to confront him with a look of her own. He straightened but didn’t turn away. Not that she expected him to. She wasn’t familiar with his expression, and didn’t know enough about him to decipher it, but it made her uncomfortable.
Re: Nouveau jeu - Femshep/Garrus - 12
anonymous
July 11 2013, 01:29:26 UTC
This is awesome! I've read a few great stories where everyone but Shepard resets, it's definitely interesting to see Garrus being the one going through a new game. Now I wonder how he'll deal with the Archangel years. Going through his squad's deaths again...man I can't imagine the pain.
Nouveau jeu - Femshep/Garrus - 13
anonymous
July 11 2013, 16:12:05 UTC
“Vakarian, a word?”
He pulled himself out from under the Mako. He could see she was clearly irritated, which he found he enjoyed. He made a show of calmly wiping the grease off his hands with a rag before answering. “Of course, Shepard.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why are you always watching me?”
He leaned up against the Mako casually. “Everyone’s always watching you, you’re the commander.”
A muscle in her jaw clenched. “Don’t play dumb, it doesn’t become you. The way you watch me is different.”
He shrugged, knowing it would annoy her, and enjoying the fact he was getting under her skin. “Maybe I’m always watching you because you’re always watching me?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Is it some dominance thing? You don’t have a problem following a female human?”
He folded his arms, mirroring her. “I don’t have a problem with either your race or gender, Shepard. If you have a problem, leave me behind. Of course, you’d have a hard time finding as good a sniper, particularly one who can keep up with your pace. In fact, I thought I’d been doing a good job keeping your ass intact. Half the time I don’t think you even look before you act, let alone think.” He knew the moments the words left his mouth he shouldn't have said them, but something about her made him unable to resist.
“Watch your tone, Vakarian," her voice lowered dangerously. "This is still my ship and I’m the only one making the rules here. If you can’t treat me with respect I have no room for you.
He cleared his throat, knowing he had pushed her a bit too far. “You’re right. I apologize, that was uncalled for.”
She gave a frustrated exhale before continuing. “I didn’t come here to start an argument.”
Nouveau jeu - Femshep/Garrus - 14
anonymous
July 11 2013, 16:16:40 UTC
“You’ve worked with humans before.” It was a statement, not a question, but he could see she was expecting an answer.
He inclined his head, “I have.”
She regarded him for a moment, perhaps waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t she spoke again. “You’ve worked very closely with humans before though, it was something long term.”
He nodded again, wondering to himself how the hell he was going to explain things when he was unable to really explain things.
Her head tilted to the side as she continued to examine him. “Odd that your records don’t indicate that.”
Shit. “It’s, ah, classified Shepard.”
“Classified you say? Well, I used my status to request an advanced background check, to look up your entire history. Nothing showed up about you working with humans, nothing at all.”
He folded his arms across his broad chest again, hoping he could get her off this subject. “Some things even Spectre status can’t uncover.”
Her eyes narrowed, “What are you hiding from me, Vakarian?”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. What the hell could he say to that? Why yes, Shepard, I worked with a different version of you in an alternate reality. There were Reapers and Cerberus and Collectors and a bunch of people you haven’t met yet. Either that or I’m crazy as a pyjack trapped in a basket of red sand. “Shepard, I’m sorry, I just can’t discuss the details.” He paced a few feet, “and even if I could? It’s not my story to tell.”
“Okay. If you can’t discuss it, I understand.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Can you talk about any nonspecific details then, or just a brief rundown? I’m curious how you manage to blend so seamlessly with an almost entirely human crew with no difficulty.”
He considered it.
“I had a previous mission. It was a mixed group of species, but mostly human. Very high stress, very dangerous. I grew close with several crewmembers, though there was one human in particular who - spirits - who affected me, changed me, in a way that no one else ever has.” He paused, a faraway look in his eyes. “We were a great team together. A great team. I looked up to her, she taught me a lot. She was a hell of a leader and she was a hell of a friend.”
“So you meant it when you said my being female wasn’t a problem for you.”
“I did. In case you’ve failed to notice Shepard, I rarely say things I don’t mean.”
“I have, in fact, noticed that.” She continued, almost grudgingly, “and it is something I do appreciate, even if it rubs me the wrong way on occasion.”
Of course she would appreciate his direct manner of speaking. Jane had, too. He looked down at her. Times like this he almost felt he could talk to her the same way. Almost.
“What was her name?” she asked, prodding for more.
“Jane.” He answered simply.
“Another Jane, like me.”
Well, Shepard, that statement is loaded question. He snorted; it came out sounding like a strangled laugh. “No, nothing like you, Red.” Yes, he thought, the name Red fit her just fine.
For one moment they simply stood there, regarding one another. Finally he turned away, clearing his throat once again. He always did that when he was uncomfortable. “Would you mind if we continued this another time? The Mako isn’t going to fix itself.”
“Of course.”
He listened to her retreating footsteps. What the hell are you doing, Garrus?
Re: Nouveau jeu - Femshep/Garrus - 14
anonymous
July 11 2013, 16:44:00 UTC
hehe... He's having trouble to hold his tongue and to keep himself from flirting with her!
And then he has trouble wrapping his mind over the fact that he's willing to flirt with her... but it's mostly because she's another 'version' of his own previous lover. Oh, man! This is a mess!!
Re: Nouveau jeu - Femshep/Garrus - 14
anonymous
July 14 2013, 11:27:28 UTC
Awesome story! I always love reset stories, but this twist is great. One of my favorite in game things is that Garrus can always fall for Shepard if she's paragon, renegade or anything in between. HIs is one of the more believable ones because he too can be more paragon, renegade or anything in between. I think that aspect comes through in this story and I LOVE it!
Nouveau jeu - Femshep/Garrus - 15
anonymous
July 15 2013, 16:26:21 UTC
The first time he really saw her lose her shit they were out in the Hades Gamma, a little planet called Chohe. He’d seen her lose her temper plenty of times, but this time she lost her composure. He wasn’t certain anyone else had noticed. Hell, he probably wouldn't have noticed had he not spent weeks studying her.
Hackett had sent them out here to investigate potential terrorists at a research base. Wrex was driving the Mako after he’d grumbled enough about her lousing driving. She had been sitting in the incredibly uncomfortable jump seat, which was probably the real reason Wrex wanted to drive. Garrus was at the guns.
At first he didn’t notice anything other than a sudden tension, an increase in her alertness. She peered out the windows on all sides before settling back down. Though, to call it settling was a misnomer, one hand gripped the arm of the seat so hard it actually creaked, the other clenched and unclenched seemingly of its own accord.
He heard it the next time, felt it, too. Just the faintest rumbling could be heard, and a slight vibration which didn’t come from the Mako itself. She pulled her shotgun from her back and fiddled with it nervously. He glanced at her stats in his visor; her heart rate was definitely up.
“Wrex,” she said, not taking her eyes off the windows “turn east, head for those mountains ASAP.” Without turning around she spoke to him. “Garrus, make sure you’re ready at the guns.”
“Something wrong, Shepard?”
She managed to hide, just barely, the tremor in her voice, “I’m not sure.”
She glanced back at Garrus for a moment; he could just make out her eyes through her visor, but well enough to tell that something was definitely wrong. Another rumbling, louder this time, closer, followed by more vibrations. Nervously she strapped her shotgun at the base of her spine again and instead reached for the grenade launcher, arming it. The rumbling continued, closer, louder, the Mako began shifting.
One word popped into Garrus’ head. Azuke.
“Make sure that cannon is ready, Vakarian.” The tension was now coming off her in waves.
“Ready Shepard.”
The ground suddenly erupted not twenty yards from the Mako, rocking it violently. “Thresher Maw!” barked Wrex!
“No Shit! Wrex, we’re going to have to circle that thing, no way can we outrun it. Garrus, hit it hard with everything you can!”
He managed to fire off a hit from the cannon and worked the guns while it recharged; she continued to bark orders at Wrex, directing him around it while trying to keep them just within range of the guns. His next shot with the cannon was a direct hit, though it didn’t seem to have done much damage.
“That didn’t even slow it down!” he called down at her.
“Keep shooting!” she called back. “Wrex, hard left, it’s trying to cut us off! I said HARD left!”
Another hit from the cannon, this time it drove the maw underground. “Fuck!” She shouted, “Circle right, Wrex, all we can do now is hope to fool it.” Garrus glanced down at her for just a second. No longer in her seat her eyes were scanning the windows, the tightness in her practically vibrating in the confines of the Mako.
The ground heaved suddenly, seeming to tilt on its axis, they were airborne. Time itself seemed to stretch beyond the seconds that actually passed before they finally hit the ground, upside down. Shepard had flown into the opposite side of the Mako, landing with an audible impact. It was pure luck they continued to roll until they were right side up again, but that luck didn’t hold.
He tried to fire the cannon again but nothing happened, the damage it took had been too severe. “Shepard, the canon is down! No response!”
“Fuck!” she yelled, righting herself. “Guns still online?”
“Guns still online,” he responded, firing it as much as he could while trying to keep them from overheating.
“Wrex, slow down, but don’t stop! I’m getting out.”
Nouveau jeu - Femshep/Garrus - 16
anonymous
July 15 2013, 16:27:31 UTC
She ignored him. “You and Garrus keep it busy. Don’t stop moving for anything. Got it?”
“Got it Shepard,” Wrex answered as she slid out of the still moving vehicle. The door closed behind her. Wrex laughed from the front, “That female has got a quad!”
Garrus didn’t share the krogan’s urge to laugh. All he felt was his stomach drop when he saw her out there, outlined against the form of the thresher maw. She looked so goddamned small.
“Wrex, you have to get closer, keep that thing from focusing on her!”
“I know what I’m doing, turian.” He grumbled. And thank the spirits, he meant it.
Garrus wasn’t certain he took a single breath during the next five minutes. She sprinted around the beast, trying to stay opposite the Mako, a difficult task on foot, and loosened grenade after incendiary grenade at it every chance she had. Every time he saw the thing even start to turn towards her his heart thudded in his chest. He tried to focus on hitting it with the guns, he really did, but when she lost her footing and fell, vanishing from sight he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off where she had been. The second he saw her on her feet and running again he was back at the guns furiously, nearly overheating them a half dozen times.
Finally, after at least a dozen good hits it finally went down, slamming into the ground with a resounding crash, its innards seeping out onto the hard surface of the planet. He watched as Shepard’s form finally stilled. She doubled over, hands on her knees. She remained in that position until Wrex pulled up beside her.
Garrus slid down from his seat, opened the door and stepped out. When he reached her he took the grenade launcher from her shaking hands. “You alright, Shepard?”
She was heaving, trying to catch her breath and it took her some time before she could finally respond. “Just trying to avoid vomiting into my helmet, Vakarian.” He placed a hand at her elbow and guided her inside the Mako, directing her to the jump seat.
Wrex continued to act as though the entire episode had been choreographed for his enjoyment. “Heh heh heh, I’m beginning to like you, human.”
She grunted in response, took a few deep breaths and finally ordered, “Get us to that base, Wrex. I want to deal those terrorists and get the hell out of here. The faster, the better.”
“Got it, Shepard.”
Garrus couldn’t read her expression through her helmet, now splattered with gore and dust, but her hands continued to shake.
He returned to his seat and did his best to keep his eyes on the surroundings.
Later, the trip back to the Normandy was unusually quiet. When they arrived, she stripped off her armor silently. He glanced at her a few times. She was paler than normal, her eyes haunted. She stowed her dented armor in her locker and left.
He tilted his head slightly, studying the thick, uneven markings. She watched his eyes trace them from collar bone to ankle, and then up again. When he finally met her gaze they held for only a moment before he turned away.
It was the only time he ceded eye contact first.
Another time, during a particularly up close and personal fight, she’d just put down a massive krogan, the last of the bodies had just hit the ground, and she turned to catch his gaze, a triumphant grin on her blood splattered face. He had drawn himself up to his full, impressive height, a growl emanating from him, faint but audible, and though she was no expert at turian expressions, he seemed to be staring at her with open lust.
Her pulse, already racing from adrenaline, had pounded in her veins. That look had affected her more than she cared to admit.
Then, on the shuttle right back to the Normandy, he sat sullenly in his seat regarding her coldly.
She knew his age, his service record. He’d been in the turian military as all young turian’s are required to do. From there he’d moved on to C-sec. But he seems older and far more seasoned than he should have been. And for a turian who did go from the military directly to C-sec, he was almost eerily comfortable around humans, even tossing around the occasional human expression.
Something about this turian, it just didn’t add up.
She felt his eyes on her again. She turned to confront him with a look of her own. He straightened but didn’t turn away. Not that she expected him to. She wasn’t familiar with his expression, and didn’t know enough about him to decipher it, but it made her uncomfortable.
And THAT pissed her off.
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He pulled himself out from under the Mako. He could see she was clearly irritated, which he found he enjoyed. He made a show of calmly wiping the grease off his hands with a rag before answering. “Of course, Shepard.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why are you always watching me?”
He leaned up against the Mako casually. “Everyone’s always watching you, you’re the commander.”
A muscle in her jaw clenched. “Don’t play dumb, it doesn’t become you. The way you watch me is different.”
He shrugged, knowing it would annoy her, and enjoying the fact he was getting under her skin. “Maybe I’m always watching you because you’re always watching me?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Is it some dominance thing? You don’t have a problem following a female human?”
He folded his arms, mirroring her. “I don’t have a problem with either your race or gender, Shepard. If you have a problem, leave me behind. Of course, you’d have a hard time finding as good a sniper, particularly one who can keep up with your pace. In fact, I thought I’d been doing a good job keeping your ass intact. Half the time I don’t think you even look before you act, let alone think.” He knew the moments the words left his mouth he shouldn't have said them, but something about her made him unable to resist.
“Watch your tone, Vakarian," her voice lowered dangerously. "This is still my ship and I’m the only one making the rules here. If you can’t treat me with respect I have no room for you.
He cleared his throat, knowing he had pushed her a bit too far. “You’re right. I apologize, that was uncalled for.”
She gave a frustrated exhale before continuing. “I didn’t come here to start an argument.”
“What was it you wanted to discuss?”
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He inclined his head, “I have.”
She regarded him for a moment, perhaps waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t she spoke again. “You’ve worked very closely with humans before though, it was something long term.”
He nodded again, wondering to himself how the hell he was going to explain things when he was unable to really explain things.
Her head tilted to the side as she continued to examine him. “Odd that your records don’t indicate that.”
Shit. “It’s, ah, classified Shepard.”
“Classified you say? Well, I used my status to request an advanced background check, to look up your entire history. Nothing showed up about you working with humans, nothing at all.”
He folded his arms across his broad chest again, hoping he could get her off this subject. “Some things even Spectre status can’t uncover.”
Her eyes narrowed, “What are you hiding from me, Vakarian?”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. What the hell could he say to that? Why yes, Shepard, I worked with a different version of you in an alternate reality. There were Reapers and Cerberus and Collectors and a bunch of people you haven’t met yet. Either that or I’m crazy as a pyjack trapped in a basket of red sand. “Shepard, I’m sorry, I just can’t discuss the details.” He paced a few feet, “and even if I could? It’s not my story to tell.”
“Okay. If you can’t discuss it, I understand.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Can you talk about any nonspecific details then, or just a brief rundown? I’m curious how you manage to blend so seamlessly with an almost entirely human crew with no difficulty.”
He considered it.
“I had a previous mission. It was a mixed group of species, but mostly human. Very high stress, very dangerous. I grew close with several crewmembers, though there was one human in particular who - spirits - who affected me, changed me, in a way that no one else ever has.” He paused, a faraway look in his eyes. “We were a great team together. A great team. I looked up to her, she taught me a lot. She was a hell of a leader and she was a hell of a friend.”
“So you meant it when you said my being female wasn’t a problem for you.”
“I did. In case you’ve failed to notice Shepard, I rarely say things I don’t mean.”
“I have, in fact, noticed that.” She continued, almost grudgingly, “and it is something I do appreciate, even if it rubs me the wrong way on occasion.”
Of course she would appreciate his direct manner of speaking. Jane had, too. He looked down at her. Times like this he almost felt he could talk to her the same way. Almost.
“What was her name?” she asked, prodding for more.
“Jane.” He answered simply.
“Another Jane, like me.”
Well, Shepard, that statement is loaded question. He snorted; it came out sounding like a strangled laugh. “No, nothing like you, Red.” Yes, he thought, the name Red fit her just fine.
For one moment they simply stood there, regarding one another. Finally he turned away, clearing his throat once again. He always did that when he was uncomfortable. “Would you mind if we continued this another time? The Mako isn’t going to fix itself.”
“Of course.”
He listened to her retreating footsteps. What the hell are you doing, Garrus?
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And then he has trouble wrapping his mind over the fact that he's willing to flirt with her... but it's mostly because she's another 'version' of his own previous lover.
Oh, man! This is a mess!!
I'm loving it!
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.. and then I just now went and posted a new story I wrote this morning based on an older prompt. Simply Saren/Shepard Smut
http://masseffectkink.livejournal.com/7006.html?thread=33183326&#t33183326
http://archiveofourown.org/works/881938
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Keep going A!A
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I apologize for sucking you into my vortex of angst!
More is coming! I have quite a bit written but have decided to go ahead and restructure, so it might be a little bit of a wait.
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Hackett had sent them out here to investigate potential terrorists at a research base. Wrex was driving the Mako after he’d grumbled enough about her lousing driving. She had been sitting in the incredibly uncomfortable jump seat, which was probably the real reason Wrex wanted to drive. Garrus was at the guns.
At first he didn’t notice anything other than a sudden tension, an increase in her alertness. She peered out the windows on all sides before settling back down. Though, to call it settling was a misnomer, one hand gripped the arm of the seat so hard it actually creaked, the other clenched and unclenched seemingly of its own accord.
He heard it the next time, felt it, too. Just the faintest rumbling could be heard, and a slight vibration which didn’t come from the Mako itself. She pulled her shotgun from her back and fiddled with it nervously. He glanced at her stats in his visor; her heart rate was definitely up.
“Wrex,” she said, not taking her eyes off the windows “turn east, head for those mountains ASAP.” Without turning around she spoke to him. “Garrus, make sure you’re ready at the guns.”
“Something wrong, Shepard?”
She managed to hide, just barely, the tremor in her voice, “I’m not sure.”
She glanced back at Garrus for a moment; he could just make out her eyes through her visor, but well enough to tell that something was definitely wrong. Another rumbling, louder this time, closer, followed by more vibrations. Nervously she strapped her shotgun at the base of her spine again and instead reached for the grenade launcher, arming it. The rumbling continued, closer, louder, the Mako began shifting.
One word popped into Garrus’ head. Azuke.
“Make sure that cannon is ready, Vakarian.” The tension was now coming off her in waves.
“Ready Shepard.”
The ground suddenly erupted not twenty yards from the Mako, rocking it violently. “Thresher Maw!” barked Wrex!
“No Shit! Wrex, we’re going to have to circle that thing, no way can we outrun it. Garrus, hit it hard with everything you can!”
He managed to fire off a hit from the cannon and worked the guns while it recharged; she continued to bark orders at Wrex, directing him around it while trying to keep them just within range of the guns. His next shot with the cannon was a direct hit, though it didn’t seem to have done much damage.
“That didn’t even slow it down!” he called down at her.
“Keep shooting!” she called back. “Wrex, hard left, it’s trying to cut us off! I said HARD left!”
Another hit from the cannon, this time it drove the maw underground. “Fuck!” She shouted, “Circle right, Wrex, all we can do now is hope to fool it.” Garrus glanced down at her for just a second. No longer in her seat her eyes were scanning the windows, the tightness in her practically vibrating in the confines of the Mako.
The ground heaved suddenly, seeming to tilt on its axis, they were airborne. Time itself seemed to stretch beyond the seconds that actually passed before they finally hit the ground, upside down. Shepard had flown into the opposite side of the Mako, landing with an audible impact. It was pure luck they continued to roll until they were right side up again, but that luck didn’t hold.
He tried to fire the cannon again but nothing happened, the damage it took had been too severe. “Shepard, the canon is down! No response!”
“Fuck!” she yelled, righting herself. “Guns still online?”
“Guns still online,” he responded, firing it as much as he could while trying to keep them from overheating.
“Wrex, slow down, but don’t stop! I’m getting out.”
Garrus swiveled towards her and shouted. “What?!”
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“Got it Shepard,” Wrex answered as she slid out of the still moving vehicle. The door closed behind her. Wrex laughed from the front, “That female has got a quad!”
Garrus didn’t share the krogan’s urge to laugh. All he felt was his stomach drop when he saw her out there, outlined against the form of the thresher maw. She looked so goddamned small.
“Wrex, you have to get closer, keep that thing from focusing on her!”
“I know what I’m doing, turian.” He grumbled. And thank the spirits, he meant it.
Garrus wasn’t certain he took a single breath during the next five minutes. She sprinted around the beast, trying to stay opposite the Mako, a difficult task on foot, and loosened grenade after incendiary grenade at it every chance she had. Every time he saw the thing even start to turn towards her his heart thudded in his chest. He tried to focus on hitting it with the guns, he really did, but when she lost her footing and fell, vanishing from sight he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off where she had been. The second he saw her on her feet and running again he was back at the guns furiously, nearly overheating them a half dozen times.
Finally, after at least a dozen good hits it finally went down, slamming into the ground with a resounding crash, its innards seeping out onto the hard surface of the planet. He watched as Shepard’s form finally stilled. She doubled over, hands on her knees. She remained in that position until Wrex pulled up beside her.
Garrus slid down from his seat, opened the door and stepped out. When he reached her he took the grenade launcher from her shaking hands. “You alright, Shepard?”
She was heaving, trying to catch her breath and it took her some time before she could finally respond. “Just trying to avoid vomiting into my helmet, Vakarian.” He placed a hand at her elbow and guided her inside the Mako, directing her to the jump seat.
Wrex continued to act as though the entire episode had been choreographed for his enjoyment. “Heh heh heh, I’m beginning to like you, human.”
She grunted in response, took a few deep breaths and finally ordered, “Get us to that base, Wrex. I want to deal those terrorists and get the hell out of here. The faster, the better.”
“Got it, Shepard.”
Garrus couldn’t read her expression through her helmet, now splattered with gore and dust, but her hands continued to shake.
He returned to his seat and did his best to keep his eyes on the surroundings.
Later, the trip back to the Normandy was unusually quiet. When they arrived, she stripped off her armor silently. He glanced at her a few times. She was paler than normal, her eyes haunted. She stowed her dented armor in her locker and left.
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