#comm link.

" hey, i, uhh… " not as smooth as garrus had hoped to be when she answered her door, " i didn't bring any wine, but… maybe this'll be just as good. "

the turian offers it to her, a reasonably heavy package. within nestles a perfect replica of the m-98 widow, waiting to be assembled--- a mirror of the gift she had given him months prior.

" it won't pack as much of a punch as the original… but i'm sure you'll still make it work. "

not a face she was expecting to see upon opening her door, but one that KEI-9 seems to enjoy seeing as the dog chirps almost excitedly from next to shepard's legs. of course, the large package immediately gets her attention and she can't stop the slow spreading grin as she leans against the door. seeing being a little less 'all-around-turian-bad-boy' and awkward was.....endearing.

but such thoughts would be saved for a different time. she takes the gift, eyes widening when she opens it up. it wasn't quite the original, but that hardly mattered. it'd feel good to have something she was familiar with back in her hands, even weakened.

" Those people that say give a girl a sword as a gift weren't wrong." sure, this was a gun and not a sword but the sentiment still counted. "This is much better than wine. Thank you, Garrus." she tucks the box within the crook of her arm, reaching out with her free one to give the turian a quick hug. and as she pulls away, a thought pops into her mind.

actions speak louder than words // not accepting

grab, sender grabs receiver's wrist to stop them from leaving.

sometimes, shepard wonders if she could have done it any differently. any better.

anderson had said he was proud of her. in his last moments, he spent what few words he could say praising her and yet she didn't think she deserved it, her record carrying the ghosts of far too many to count. and when these thoughts drifted to the forefront of her mind, an ache courses through her body, wounds long since healed hurting once more, as if they knew and wanted her body to be the reminder.

and what good was she to anyone like that?

vaguely can the commander hear garrus calling her name, but he sounds far away, as if at the end of a long tunnel. her gaze remains fixed out the window, but what she sees is not the tranquil night sky, but the darkness of space lit aflame with the symphony of war raging endlessly. fingers twitch, hand instinctively raising to cradle almost protectively against her abdomen. something warm seeps through her fingers– and she knows. her body feels too heavy to keep up and slowly, every sound around her seems to grow quiet. and as her eyes close, there's a moment of peace. a light at the end of that tunnel–

' Sh..... – e....pa ....– Shepard ! '

but the light was not hers to grasp. emerald eyes snap open, alert with an intensity that burned hotter than the sun as a sharp inhale breaks that tense quiet. her body moves immediately, turning on her heels, acting without any thought. she needed to leave. she needed to go back out there, to keep fighting, to fix whatever the hell was going wrong now and make sure that nothing would fuck up this hard earned victory. but before the commander can even get close to the door, something closes around her wrist and her body stalls, freezing in place as her head snaps around towards the source, ready to put up a fight but–

" ....Garrus?"

no. that's not right. he shouldn't be here. he was back on the normandy, wasn't he? she ordered him to evacuate with the others. cofusion colors her expression but as her focus eases up, she realizes that this..........wasn't the top of the citadel.

shepard glances down and everything is normal. no shattered and torn fragments of armor barely clinging to her skin. no cuts and gashes decorating her flesh, blood running so fast she hardly knew which wound it was coming from. her lungs weren't begging for rest and the quiet wasn't punctured by the blasts of cannons. she doesn't realize she's even holding her breath until she has to breathe, air exhaling harshly and finds that it doesn't hurt. with her free hand, she quickly tugs up her shirt just enough to press her palm flat against her stomach, expecting to find torn skin and blood. instead, she only feels the bumps and ridges of healed scars, the only marks left by harbinger's blast.

her hand drops, shirt following suit as she realizes she's not back home but in the city, that, for all intents and purposes, she was okay. (and yet, her blood continues to run cold.) and all the while, garrus remains ever vigilant, his grip on her wrist tightening, as if afraid to let go.

damn it. why couldn't this have happened when i was alone?

" Sorry. " her throat feels dry as that one word cracks in a whisper. shame doesn't find her, nor embarrassment, but regret does. worry– not for herself, but for the turian. she doesn't need to look at him to know what expression he's wearing right now. and so, like always, half-hearted humor is all she can give. " Guess I was thinking too much. Won't happen again– promise."

THE STANLEY PARABLE SENTENCE STARTERS . -- accepting

" Hey. Not my fault the housing here isn't as hi-tech as on the Normandy." briefly, she misses her built-in aquarium. the blue glow made it easier to sleep some nights. " But you commenting on my lack of decoration isn't why I asked you over. Now sit down before I end up kicking you out."

it's still taking some getting used to-- falling asleep without the hum of the Normandy like a familiar lullaby just beneath her pillow, a reminder of where she was at all times. but it wasn't impossible. just...strange. and not important right now, her focus being on the contents of a drawer to the desk tucked in the corner. a soft 'aha!' fills the room before she turns back towards her companion.

" Found it at this stall over in the Burnt Umber the other day. The second I recognized them, that elderly woman wouldn't let me leave without it." her dog tags, scratched and stained, chipped at the edges but mostly in-tact. they dangle from the chain wrapped loosely around her hand, reflecting the light. " Liara gave these back to me sometime after she took over as the Shadow Broker. I couldn't believe that she found them or that she kept them."

height comparison.

                          “          ————————         ”          

    “           … … .         ”           

                                                 indeed,        his person is turned just so.              although perhaps not strictly necessary,              the silent cant of his head in the direction the child is looking provides the initial acknowledgement she is no doubt seeking.              while a human,             with a lesser ability to hear with clarity at various distances,              may not be able to pick up the distinct sound of movement,              he can.              it is faint enough to suggest there is no current danger,              but spock is certainly cognizant enough to recognize the status of his assessment could very well change without pre-caution.          his next course of action is decided upon with swiftness,                &                logic,                given the facts which are available to him at this time.              PRIMARILY THIS     :                he is somewhere unfamiliar without assistance,             which he cannot contact presently.            as he would prefer.

next to normal ask meme; send one.

          ” well you’ve been up for about thirty six hours,             & you’re runnin’ on nothin’ but gummy bears.            spinning is bound t’ happen.