@ keelahsebye

[thearchangel]

[Nothing's ever simple, is it?]

[Surely, everyone thinks, shore leave is a good time. You're supposed to be relaxing, supposed to be recovering from the horrors of a war you're not sure you can even win. Maybe you have some drinks, unwind in other ways, see your sweetheart or have a hookup. Heck, most people probably just took the time to sleep in without an alarm blasting in their ear at 0500.]

[You were, most times not supposed to be shot at.]

[But, then again, this is Shepard and her crew. The phrase Not Supposed To stopped applying the second she brought a handful of aliens to help crew an Alliance vessel, and proceeded to save everyone in the galaxy from the start of the Reaper invasion. Then blew up the Collectors, then cured the genophage, and just went right on rewriting history wherever she went.]

[It was probably stupid to think she, and the people around her, would have a nice, normal shore leave.]

[To say nothing of her alien boyfriend, and alien girlfriend.]

[That's right - somehow, against the rest of the astronomical odds, and all the other miracles Shepard managed to pull off, she'd also managed to snag the affections of both one washed up turian vigilante turned Reaper Advisor, and one quarian mechanist turned Admiral of her own people. It had really taken a lot of conversations, a lot of negotiating, trust, and more than a few trips to the medbay to sort things out. But by the end of it, Shepard had two partners, and Garrus and Tali kept things between them as they were.]

[Which usually entailed a smart turian mouth held off by a quarian enhanced shotgun.]

[A shotgun Garrus was extremely glad to have at his side, and slightly ahead of him, while they blazed a trail through the Wards to try and reach their Shepard before she ended up going bungee jumping off the krogan monument, or something else equally absurd.]

Joker said she fell through a fish tank - he lost sight of her, but I've still got vitals.

[Thank everything for that nifty little visor and its constant readout of the Commander's life signs...]

Still can't raise her on comms?

Comments

[keelahsebye]

No, there's nothing. [Not that Tali hasn't been savagely pinging the comms every three seconds, to the point where she's almost certain her fingers are sprained. But that's what in-suit stabilizers are for, right? For when you have an anxiety spiral because your girlfriend/commander/fearless leader has done something dumb and heroic during the specially designated no-dumb-and-heroic-acts time?

You know, the suit is almost definitely equipped with space-anti-anxiety meds too, otherwise Tali would definitely be charging through the streets with her shotgun and shrieking aloud for Shepard.

Dumb Shepard. Dumb, brave, fearless, hapless Commander with her ability to attract danger and adventure no matter where she goes.

Tali lets out a perturbed grumbling noise that her suit morphs into something that's mostly static, and cocks her shotgun a couple times, just for something to do. Normally when she's this anxious and stressed out she doesn't want to look at or talk to anyone, so it's strange that the one person she usually bickers with the most is also the only person who can keep her from totally panicking. It's hard to feel hopeless when you have Garrus "I was a vigilante on Omega and also got my face blown up" Vakarian on your side.]

Where did she find a fish tank on the Citadel?

[thearchangel]

Okay. Keep trying.

[If anyone can get through comm static, it's Tali'zorah "I Tried To Take On The Shadow Broker" vas Normandy. He doesn't like that they can't raise Shepard, but if Tali's around, nothing will remain un-hacked for long. He's actually fairly sure she's even better than EDI when it comes down to it. Not that he's about to go boasting that to the ship's AI - that's one person you don't want to piss off.]

[He changes direction abruptly, trusting Tali to follow. This alleyway should shave off a few precious minutes in their frantic chase. The benefit of both of them having worked together so long outside of Shepard's relationship - they've been on the same team since Saren. Old habits die hard. And in this case, he's happy about that.]

You know that sushi place? Line out the door, around the block? Fish tank floors? [Just what is it with Commander Shepard and fish, anyway?] That's where.

[keelahsebye]

Mmmmm-hm. [That's Tali's response, sort of grunted in Garrus's general direction as she boots up Chatika. The little purplish combat drone buzzes around for a moment, then obligingly starts running lines of code with soft booping noises. This seems to be what Tali's going for, because she turns her attention to following the Turian on a mission.

The description of the sushi place gets a snort.] I never understand some people's obsession with eating raw fish. Do they want parasites? I think that's how you get parasites. But leave it to Shepard to make a dramatic exit.

...what are her vital's like? [She leans over, almost headbutting Garrus as she tries to...peek at his visor. It's not successful, and Chatika makes an indignant "beep" at the sudden movement.]

[thearchangel]

Some people call it fine dining. [He drawls that quip out, a dramatic little cant of his head.] A real, live fish. Freshly caught and sliced up. Delicacy. [Some of the smarmy teasing fades, and he turns toward her - almost headbutting Tali right back with how close she is.]

Do they even have anything you can eat, there?

[Thankfully, Tali is the sort of person to rib him about tracking the Commander's vital signs in a situation where they aren't stressed over her safety. That will probably come later. He hums, low in his chest, glancing at the readouts before turning his attention back to their path.]

Stressed. But no more than any other firefight.

[That is. Probably a good thing, given all their lives lately.]

[keelahsebye]

Blech. [Tali sounds wildly unimpressed, rocking sideways to give Garrus a little nudge with her shoulder.] That sounds disgusting, and I come from a planet where we used to eat large bugs as a delicacy. [Then she snorts.] I don't know. If I ever tried, I'd probably throw up. Which is not pretty in a suit.

[The little drone comes back, this time with a victorious beeping noise, and Tali lets out a sigh of relief.] Okay, comms aren't back up yet, but I have a better tracking on her. And...on the people following her. [Judging by her tone, Tali is determined that said people will be dead ones soon.] They're some sort of...merc group. I don't recognize them, though.

[thearchangel]

[Two can play at this competitive shoulder knocking game. Which they now are. Because he said so - like a mature adult.] Some fish do look a bit like insects. You'd be right at home - unless they're more like spiders, probably.

[Look, being Kind Of An Ass helps distract from the thought of someone you love being in peril when you can't watch her back. Plus, it's Tali. If you can't pull this kind of comment with her, who can you?]

[But then it's right back to business as she gets that info out. His facial plates twitch, pulling back off his jaw.] Great, because merc groups wanting someone dead always ends well.

Can you tell how far out they are?

[keelahsebye]

[You can't tell, because of...the helmet and everything, but Tali is 100% giving Garrus her best death glare.] It'd be a real pity if you suddenly got smacked in the face with my shotgun. Completely by accident, of course. A tragedy. Totally unavoidable.

[Then she shrugs, pulling up a schematic of the shopping district they're in.] Just another day on the Normandy. I don't think there are any merc groups who DON'T want us dead right now. [Some more frantic typing, then:] There! See, at the car dealership. Not too far, if we run.

[She scurries forward, then tosses him a glance over one shoulder.] Can you and your old knees keep up, Vakarian?

[thearchangel]

Just make sure it gets my good side. I could use a set of matching scars.

[Miraculously, he resists the urge to add: For Shepard. Either because their entire arrangement has mellowed some of his terrible streak, or because he's too worried over said commander's welbeing right now.]

Okay. I know that place - there's a back alley over this way. Let's go.

[There's a few more blips on his visor - spiked heart rate. More adrenaline. His jaw works, then he nods in a certain direction, abruptly all business, no more banter. The low undertone of his voice heavy and vibrating with unspoken concern.]

[At least until Tali yanks his pessimistic ass back down to earth with that quip.]

If not, we can always get Chakwas to install more cybernetics!

[keelahsebye]

[Tali's glowy eyes squint at Garrus for a moment, suspiciously, because he always always follows up a mention of his scars with something weird about how hot Shepard finds them. Which is true! And in her heart of hearts, Tali is consistently delighted that their strange, breakable, badass human partner has things she loves about each of them (for Tali, it's her hips, apparently. And thighs. Something about "thick thighs save lives" and "smush my head with them"), but that doesn't mean she needs to hear about it, gross.

She's still not especially familiar with the Citadel's many twists and turns -- not the way Mr. "I-was-in-C-Sec-and-it-sucked-but-I-know-all-the-best-restaurants-and-where-to-buy-cheap-shoes" is -- so she gladly follows Garrus's lead. And rolls her eyes once again at this last comment.] I'm sure she'd loooove that. She exists only to make you more and more, what's it called..."badass".

[HEAVY air quotes.]

[thearchangel]

[Not just Shepard! Krogan, too, apparently, if Mordin trying to pair him off with Bakara was any indication. And, to be honest, if Tali were turian, she would have a decent hip to waist ratio. He got it - he could see what Shepard saw in that. Just not himself. But right now, even he doesn't have the heart to follow up with his usual scar joke.]

[But hey, if she ever wants to find the best two-toed shoes on the Citadel...]

Did you just - [yeah he heard those air quotes.] do that hand thing? With the fingers? Air bunnies?

[keelahsebye]

[Tali would argue that Bakara's taste is waaaay too good for Garrus, but that would involve thinking about a) Mordin, b) Tuchanka and c) Mordin on Tuchanka and she needs to focus on rescuing her big dumb hero girlfriend at the moment. Can't do that when your helmet is misting up with tears.

She scoffs, letting her drone do a quick recon around a corner, then charging forward once it beeps an "all clear" signal.] They're called air boats, Vakarian. [They most assuredly are not.]

[thearchangel]

[They're on the same page for once, there. Thinking about Mordin is for later. For a time with too much filtered dextro alcohol and an emergency induction port. Where even their crazy, heroic girlfriend has a moment to breathe... as rare as that's become, lately.]

[Which this whole shore leave was supposed to be, until some new merc group started causing trouble. Part of him, a part he hasn't really acknowledged since Shepard herself stood in his scope in front of a traitor, wants to lose all control on these people. Just turn into the loose turian cannon everyone at home had thought he'd be.]

[It's stupid and irrational and Tali is yanking him out of his own head by his heels yet again.]

Why "boats"? They don't look anything like ships! [He's hot on her heels, though, checking his visor yet again.] Fine, maybe geth ships.