Tali and Garrus go shopping (& have a good ol’ elevator chat)
Garrus was not sure how he ended up being Tali's personal packing mech. The turian became aware of his 'tool' status after the fourth shopping bag was added to his arms. He didn't know how many more parts Tali was planning on buying, and the two still needed to get some dextro-based groceries.
"Alright, we just need to stop by the Docking Bay, and then we can get groceries," Tali said. She only carried a single light rucksack where she had stowed a couple smaller mechanical parts with the prosthetic specs datapad.
"Docking Bay?" Garrus asked. He trailed after his quarian companion as they strode towards the rapid transport. Tali hailed a skycar. The two waited as it was brought to them by the VI self-driving valet.
"Supply lines are still in complete chaos. The only seller that I could find on the Citadel with the thermal paste I want is a batarian refugee named Dorvek. The Docks have been officially adapted as a sanctuary; apparently the Council approved converting abandoned shipping containers into furnished shelters for the time being," Tali explained.
"Let's hope this Dorvek keeps things smooth and easy," Garrus said. The skycar pulled up and idled quietly. Tali took the passenger seat, leaving Garrus to shed the shopping bags into the back before sliding into the driver's seat.
"Why do you think I brought the infamous Archangel along?"
"I assumed for my dashing good looks," Garrus teased. Tali laughed with an obscured blush beneath her faceplate. The turian added, "And to be your personal secretary, apparently." He gestured to the shopping bags tucked behind them.
"Are you really complaining about helping a girl carry some bags?"
"I'm just wondering if you're using me, Tali," Garrus smirked. He easily shifted the controls of the skycar and drove them to the Presidium connection to travel down to the Citadel Docking Bay.
"I am using you for your body, yes," Tali teased. Her mirthful expression faded somewhat as she fiddled with her omni-tool. "And...well, when some people see a quarian with lots of shopping bags..." She sighed and shut off her device.
"I'm sorry, Tali, I didn't mean--"
The quarian raised a hand to quiet Garrus's apology. "It's alright, Garrus. It just saves time to have a respectable turian carry my things, rather than be accosted for shoplifting again."
"Again?" Garrus asked. His mandibles twitched tightly against his jaw. He felt an anger burn and build in his gizzard and flare against his carapace. A twinge of shame mixed as well--a shame for his ignorance in his youth, and for his part in perpetuating C-Sec profiling years ago. He was not an optimist, but he had thought that the quarian Fleet helping to save the galaxy would undo the stigma of the suited Rannoch natives. Garrus briefly wondered if Shepard's general disposition was softening his old emotional callouses--or if it was, in fact, Tali's unyielding care that had rubbed off on him.
"I don't really want to talk about it," Tali admitted. Her voice crackled slightly through her helmet's compression. Her hands fiddled with one another in discomfort.
Before Garrus could change the subject, they had arrived on the Presidium. The quiet between them had taken on an awkward air as he scrambled to grab every bag with a little too much enthusiasm. It wasn't until they got into the elevator to descend to the docks that the silence was broken.
"We should watch Fleet and Flotilla tonight," Garrus said.
Tali nearly gave herself whiplash with the quick force of snapping her attention to the turian. "Where is this coming from all of a sudden?!"
Garrus shrugged. "You, Shepard, and I haven't gotten much of a chance to relax since the vidcall with Miranda. Samara's training has been a little more frustrating for Shepard than she anticipated. It seems like a thing roommates should do."
"Sure," Tali said with some poorly hidden incredulity, "but you constantly go off on how much I love that vid..." The quarian's eyes widened and she suddenly pointed an accusatory finger at her friend. "I knew you loved that film! I knew it!"
