This is only a test.

[mm_lettie]

So she was vas Normandy now. It was something to be proud of, she was sure of it, but something in the pit of her stomach was still not at ease with this. It had been a slow drift away from the flotilla, she'd thought, but now perhaps it was much faster than she'd assumed. She was sure that it seemed strange, her being on the Crew deck -- but

Comments

[turiansnarker]

“Need me to show you where they hide all the food pellets for us lowly dextro amino citizens

[gofor_theoptics]

"As appealing as highly purified food pellets sound," she said with a frown that was hidden beneath her mask but obvious enough in her voice, "I will just stick to my nutritional paste." She was used to it by now, and more importantly ... it reminded her of the flotilla.

Garrus sneaking up on her was certainly not welcome in the least. He could be so -- ridiculous.

"One," she started, "I do not believe that you suffered through Fleet and Flotilla for one second ... and two, I wasn't aware that you were incapable of venturing down into the Engineering deck to see me, either. It isn't as if Jack hates you." She saved that special privilege for Miranda.

Things with Garrus had always been strange. She wasn't used to such a -- joking manner. Most Quarians on the flotilla were far too worried about the ship breaking down or protocol not being followed to worry too much about developing a sense of humor. It made it hard for her to gauge where she sat with him, and between that and how she'd been ... feeling lately, she hadn't wanted to

[turiansnarker]

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Tali. Guess I got caught up in a few… things.”

Shepard had been pretty discreet about the situation with Sidonis, the same way he’d been discreet about the situation with Tali, but in both cases that didn’t stop detail from leaking back to the crew. So far, no one had dared ask him for the details on exactly where he’d put the bullet in his former squadmate… well, actually, Jack had asked but that but it was Jack. Garrus tilted his head, wondering if the two years had put any lines into the little quarian’s face, or if she looked thinner in her enviro-suit than he remembered.

Their little crew had gone to pieces so quickly. He didn’t remember. The notion made him feel guilty and might have explained some of why he hadn’t approached her until now - he wasn’t sure if the rapport that they’d shared back then still stood now. Who knew what burdens she bore now? Garrus had collected a few spare since they’d last seen eachother.

“All joking aside, it is good to see a familiar face.” A pause. Then the grin. “So

[gofor_theoptics]

"I see your jokes haven't gotten any better." If she'd been a ruder sort of person, she might have commented on how she barely recognized him with all those pieces of metal implanted into the side of his face. That would've been a lie, though, and she'd never been very good at conveying sarcasm anyway.

Her frown only deepened as he spoke. It was very hard to continue being aloof and unconcerned about others when they acted apologetic.

"And ... don't worry about it, Garrus. I wouldn't expect you to simply pick up where you'd left off with me. Two years doesn't just go away." She didn't trust Cerberus, though, and Garrus was a familiar face. She looked toward him, hesitant.

"Are you really comfortable with -- all this?" Cerberus, Shepard being ... resurrected. Something about it just felt off. She wanted Garrus' opinions on these things

[turiansnarker]

Garrus’ hand stopped in the middle of a data purge and hung there for a moment. The computer hummed in the silence. Beyond the battery doors human voices were laughing. He quietly closed out the functions to a background task bar, dimming the control console so only the running lights from the forward batteries were providing visibility. He carefully put a hand on Tali’s shoulder and leaned down to look at her. He followed the dim shine of her eyes behind the plate glass of her mask

[gofor_theoptics]

His hand on her shoulder... she dropped her head to the side to rest what would have been her cheek (if she'd had any bare skin exposed) against his hand, taking a deep breath in. It had seemed silly to bother Shepard with this too much, honestly, even if he'd seen how upset she'd been - she was embarrassed. He'd lost so much himself, and it never seemed to effect him in the way that her father's death had affected her.

"It would have been worse if Shepard hadn't been there." Her father's secrets would have been exposed for everyone to see, her family would've been a disgrace. She swallowed thickly.

What was it that Garrus could do for her, really? She had no right to ask for his company when she had barely spoken to him since she'd arrived back on the ship, but -- "I don't know anything that anyone can do. I don't even know what -- I should be doing now. I'm just trying to stay focused on the mission." It was easier than having to think about confronting the way she was feeling right now.

[turiansnarker]

“That’s Shepard for you, always there when you need him most, never there when you would have preferred it. The stubborn bastard.” His tone was tenuously comic, but even as he said it, Garrus turned his palm up to touch the side of her head where the ornate fabric of her headdress framed her mask. He’d never thought about it, but the fabric of suit itself was some kind of industrial sterilization material… the color, texture, and cloth were added. An aesthetic choice over a functional necessity and for some reason the notion of Tali selecting the color, one of the few times a quarian might be allowed a moment of preference with utility… it reminded him why he and everyone were so fond of Tali’Zorah

[gofor_theoptics]

It sounded like something Shepard might've said if she'd gone to see him about this. She'd thought about it, but again - it seemed silly to bother him when she knew he had so many other things going on. Garrus was a member of her new family who could take time out of his schedule for her. Having him tell her that they needed her here meant a lot. She knew he wasn't the sort to give his respect easily