Commander Emily Shepard sat alone in the mess hall, a half glass of Batarian Vodka sitting in front of her. She stared at it blankly, hesitating for only a moment before bringing the glass to her lips and downing it in one gulp. Closing her eyes she shook her head; no matter how long she'd been drinking she'd never get used to the taste. With a sigh she grabbed the bottle by the neck and poured herself another glass, leaning forward on her elbows and resting her chin on her intertwined fingers.
"Um… Commander?" Shepard jumped slightly, startled by the sudden break from silence, and lifted her head to see the wide-eyed asari archaeologist standing a few feet away, looking concerned. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you…" The Commander shook her head with a light smile and motioned for her to take a seat.
"You're fine, I was just thinking." She grabbed the glass and held it out to her as she sat across the table, shaking her head. Shepard's smile turned into a smirk as she held it to her lips. "It's only a little vodka, Doctor." She said playfully, taking a sip. They sat in an awkward silence, the glass resting against the Commanders lips as she stared at nothing in particular and Liara staring down at her lap. The asari cleared her throat and shifted nervously in her seat, catching Shepard's attention, though the glass never left its spot.
"Commander, is… is everything alright?" Shepard raised an eyebrow. Liara swallowed nervously and looked back down at her lap. "It's just… you… I have noticed that you sit here every night. Not-not that I've been spying on you! It's just. Notice… able." Shepard just stared at her, her expression unchanging as Liara shifted uncomfortably in her seat, staring at her lap once more with the same intensity as she would a Prothean artifact. Shepard took another drink from the glass before putting it down and leaning back in her seat with a shrug.
"I'm fine. This is just something I do." She said simply. "Helps keep the demons at bay." She smirked again, downing the rest of the glass before filling it up once more. She watched the asari for a moment, noting that her expression and demeanor hadn't changed. "Are you alright?" The archaeologist looked up in mild confusion before clearing her throat to speak.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm- I'm just concerned." The Commander raised her eyebrow again as she took another drink from her glass. "I know you do this every night. I'm sure the rest of the crew does too. But in the months I've spent on the Normandy I've never seen you drink any hard liquor. And with what happened earlier on Virmire-" She stopped herself from finishing, looking back down and shifting again. "I am sorry Commander; you probably feel that I'm out of line…" By this time Shepard was staring at the contents of her glass, biting the inside of her cheek.
"Don't worry, you're not." She swirled the liquid in her glass before downing the rest and setting it down. "You're right. I don't usually…" She paused with a cringe, looking up at the ceiling as she searched for the right words. "…indulge in the hard stuff. Usually. I guess you can say this is just a different kind of drinking." She traced the rim of the glass with her index finger absentmindedly as she spoke, watching herself. There was a silence once more, more solemn than awkward, before she continued. "We lost a good woman today." She began reaching for the bottle's neck until she noticed the edges of her vision get fuzzy; her hand changed direction and she instead began rubbing her eyes, trying to correct her sight. The asari sitting across from her watched with concern etched in her features.
"It wasn't your fault Commander." At this Shepard let out a noise, half snort and half laugh. Liara frowned, insisting. "It wasn't. Gunnery Chief Williams…" She sighed. "Ashley was prepared for her sacrifice. She wanted you to assist Captain Kirrahe and the Lieutenant." Shepard let out a ragged sigh, rubbing her eyes again before running her hand down the rest of her face.
This time she poured herself another glass and readied herself to drink. She hadn't noticed the other woman move to the seat next to her until she placed a hand on her arm and squeezed gently. "Shepard." The Commander looked down, staring for a few seconds before looking up at Liara's face. They stared at each other for a while longer before Shepard let out the breath she found herself holding and sat back in her seat, nudging the glass in her hand towards the center of the table before placing her free hand over the asari's.
The silence shared between them was peaceful.