33 Apocalypse Ave, Sunday Morning
"Care to explain why you missed your appointment last week, Commander?"
Sheila had done her best to achieve the angry-librarian look - or maybe that's just what she looked like naturally when she was annoyed but masking it with professionalism. Kaidan didn't know her well enough to tell.
"It's..." he trailed off. Thought about his answer. Tried again. "How much have you been told about this island?"
"I've been briefed," Sheila said. "But I was informed certain details were above my paygrade. Why?"
"It's to do with the 'certain details'," Kaidan said, after another brief pause. "Sufficient to say, sometimes circumstances here don't make it all that easy to come to the phone."
The expression on her face was decidedly skeptical, but her body language said she was happy to let it go. "All right," she said, "But that does mean it'll be harder to pick up where we left off. I hope you'll try to avoid circumstances in the future, Kaidan."
"I'll try, but I can't promise you anything," he said easily. "So, last time..."
"...you were being a pain in the ass," she finished, but she sounded amused now.
He rubbed the back of his head and said ruefully, "Maybe. But this-- this everything... I don't know. I've been thinking about what you said, and I... I really don't want to die, Sheila. I haven't got some death wish knocking around in my brain, I... I just want to serve. Do some good. Make up for--"
He shut his mouth. Make up for what?
"Make up for your perceived failure of duty in saving the lives of Chief Williams, Commander Shepard, and presumably, the rest of the Normandy crew that was lost in the attack," Sheila said smoothly. "I know, Kaidan. But that wasn't the question."
He blew out a breath. "Can I get back to you on that?"
"Oh," she said, making a note, "You will."
They were done an hour later. Kaidan went back down the stairs, feeling better after therapy than he had in quite a while - though he had no illusions about whether that would hold, at this point. But talking, to her, at least, was becoming easier.
Didn't lighten much of the burden and the gap he kept feeling, but it was something. Enough to warrant putting some effort into his sandwich this morning, anyway.
[[ open to anyone who's around, la. ]]
Sheila had done her best to achieve the angry-librarian look - or maybe that's just what she looked like naturally when she was annoyed but masking it with professionalism. Kaidan didn't know her well enough to tell.
"It's..." he trailed off. Thought about his answer. Tried again. "How much have you been told about this island?"
"I've been briefed," Sheila said. "But I was informed certain details were above my paygrade. Why?"
"It's to do with the 'certain details'," Kaidan said, after another brief pause. "Sufficient to say, sometimes circumstances here don't make it all that easy to come to the phone."
The expression on her face was decidedly skeptical, but her body language said she was happy to let it go. "All right," she said, "But that does mean it'll be harder to pick up where we left off. I hope you'll try to avoid circumstances in the future, Kaidan."
"I'll try, but I can't promise you anything," he said easily. "So, last time..."
"...you were being a pain in the ass," she finished, but she sounded amused now.
He rubbed the back of his head and said ruefully, "Maybe. But this-- this everything... I don't know. I've been thinking about what you said, and I... I really don't want to die, Sheila. I haven't got some death wish knocking around in my brain, I... I just want to serve. Do some good. Make up for--"
He shut his mouth. Make up for what?
"Make up for your perceived failure of duty in saving the lives of Chief Williams, Commander Shepard, and presumably, the rest of the Normandy crew that was lost in the attack," Sheila said smoothly. "I know, Kaidan. But that wasn't the question."
He blew out a breath. "Can I get back to you on that?"
"Oh," she said, making a note, "You will."
They were done an hour later. Kaidan went back down the stairs, feeling better after therapy than he had in quite a while - though he had no illusions about whether that would hold, at this point. But talking, to her, at least, was becoming easier.
Didn't lighten much of the burden and the gap he kept feeling, but it was something. Enough to warrant putting some effort into his sandwich this morning, anyway.
[[ open to anyone who's around, la. ]]