She always breathed a sigh of relief whenever she came across a structure that withstood the force of the Reaper invasion. Then again the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology was a rather secluded location, but Shepard liked to think that the Reapers had a secret soft spot for history…maybe. She smirked as she turned her attention away from the view outside and leaned back in her seat.
The war ended two years ago. Memorials were erected in many major cities across the globe amidst all of the repair and reconstruction efforts. It was a difficult time for humanity, especially with many of Earth's inhabitants choosing to migrate to the colonies in search of new beginnings. However with all the nations and their global leaders focused on the same goal, it was easy to imagine complete restoration occurring probably within seven to ten years…optimistically speaking, which Shepard was perfectly fine with. After all being positive about global circumstances while she was on vacation was infinitely less stressful than, say, trying to remain positive while everyone around her viewed her as humanity's last hope.
Yep.
Speaking of vacation…
Shepard let her eyes wander over to where her shuttle companion dozed on the ground, his belly against the cold, metal floor and his head tucked up beneath his shell. Grunt was nothing but energy and excitement the week prior when she told him she'd take him to see a dinosaur museum. She barely managed to prevent any permanent damage being done to her apartment by letting him run a marathon of the Jurassic Park movies (which he very eagerly pointed out all of the flaws and inaccuracies of but still maintained that it had entertainment value regardless), old National Geographic documentary vids, Walking with Dinosaurs, and really anything she was able to get her hands on through the extranet…oh, and in surround sound. Needless to say, it was a very, very long week.
A ping sounded over the intercom, followed by an automated voice which provided their docking time - ETA four minutes, thirty-one seconds - as well as a brief rundown on shuttle landing protocol.
From the floor came the appropriate, if not slightly snored, murmur of a response, "…they figured out how to open doors…"
Shepard snorted and gently nudged the sleeping krogan with her foot, "Grunt…hey, time to wake up. We're nearly there."
The sleeping krogan jerked a little but relaxed again as he slipped back into an easy nap, muttering something about a "mosasaur" and the "Rite of Passage".
Shepard huffed a sigh. It was going to be a long afternoon.
At least Grunt was still able to stand and walk with her, even if he probably was half-asleep as they made their way through the sliding doors. Shepard took a moment to browse through the pamphlet shelf while Grunt sat himself down on a nearby bench, his head dropping forward every so often despite his attempts to remain alert. Krogan were a resilient species, but outside of a battlefield where blood rage fueled every waking moment, an entire week without sleep will fell even the strongest warrior.
Shepard felt bad. She really did. However she also knew that the museum was only open to the public a few times a year now due to a reallocation of government funding toward the relief effort. What money they did receive went to facility and lab maintenance as well as continued excavation projects for future exhibitions.
After taking a moment to study the floor map, Shepard walked back over to Grunt and nudged him awake, "Come on, big guy. Up you get."
Grunt grunted and shook himself before determinedly following her into the exhibition room, but when he reached the threshold to Dinosaur Hall, he stood frozen, gazing at everything with wide eyes.
It was…amazing, beyond amazing. Everything was…from the towering dinosaur skeletons to the recreated concepts to the…and not just Dinosaur Hall, but also…
"Shepard! Shepard! Come see this! It says here that the Albertosaurus was the…
"Shepard! Check out the tusks on these mammoths!
"Shepaaaaard! Let's go see the Elasmosaurs!
"ShepardShepardShepard! Come quick! The remains of this Ichthyosaur is…"
In the end, Shepard was bent over with her hands on her knees as she gasped for air. "Grunt…" she wheezed, "please remember…that I'm still recovering…and am not fully 100%…?" …and therefore am not able to keep up with your enthusiasm. Good God, what have I been feeding this kid?
But Grunt wasn't listening. His map (that he stole from her, which made tracking him down within the hall a needlessly draining adventure all on its own) fluttered onto the ground as he stared slack-jawed at the sight before him. "'Black Beauty'…" he whispered, a hint of reverence in his tone. "It…it…"
"Sure is something, huh?"
Grunt opened his mouth and closed it several times, and at his sudden loss of speech, Shepard grinned and punched his arm lightly. "Come on, let's go grab a bite to eat. We can look around some more afterward."
From where they stood on the balcony, Grunt pointed out in the distance and said, "Over there…that seems like a good place for a thresher maw to jump out at you. Heh heh…"
Shepard followed his chuckle with a weak laugh, "Yeah, well, I'm sure you can solo one now. Let your old krantt sit this one out."
Grunt let out a full-bellied laugh, startling some of the nearby patrons…well, startling them more than they initially were just from seeing a krogan up close. Grunt didn't seem bothered by the curious stares he received; so Shepard paid it little mind as well. After they finished their meal, Grunt dashed back into the gallery while Shepard yelled "Krogan charging!" after him, earning her another laugh from her friend and some glares from the people around her…as well as from the people Grunt barreled past. She found that she didn't care though. She was glad to see Grunt this happy.
The gift shop was nearby, and Shepard decided to browse around for a bit. She thought that perhaps Grunt would appreciate some of the books on display or maybe one of the games. She turned toward another display and took a moment to consider something before she shrugged, Why the hell not?
It was nearing closing time when Grunt rushed back into the cafeteria. Shepard was reading a book on palaeontology, which she stored back into the gift shop bag resting near her feet as Grunt planted both hands on the table and leaned forward anxiously. "Shepard! We need to go visit the excavation site!"
She blinked. Twice. "Grunt, the museum's closing soon, and the outdoor tours ended an hour ago—"
"I don't care that they're closing! I want to go now!"
It didn't take long for Shepard to realize that her krogan was being extremely petulant, and it took even less time for her expression to turn from worry over his outburst to firm and authoritative, "We are not going to the site."
Grunt bared his teeth at her and angled his head back threateningly, but Shepard only narrowed her eyes in response, "You will respect the rules here, Grunt. They are closing soon."
"I…need—"
"To return to the shuttle," she ordered. "Now, soldier."
Grunt eventually turned away with an angry snort, pacing restlessly while Shepard gathered her things and led him to the exit. After a few minutes, she sneaked a glance at him and caught him glancing back toward the exhibit with as close to a yearning expression as a krogan can manage. She sighed and nudged him lightly with her elbow, holding the gift bag out for him.
"Here, I got you this." Grunt sniffed suspiciously at it before opening it up to look inside. A large, hand reached in and grabbed the soft, squishy thing that looked very much like… "It's a tyrannosaurus plush toy. I thought you might like it as a souvenir from your trip here."
Grunt tilted his head as he regarded this…toy, "What do you do with it?"
"Well…you can put it on display somewhere, like a trophy, or you can use it, maybe, as a…pillow…?" It wasn't something she thought about when she bought it. Perhaps a game was a better choice after all.
"Okay," Grunt said simply.
Shepard sighed, "We'll visit the excavation site next time when we're able to come by a little earlier in the day, alright?"
Grunt beamed and clutched the plus T-rex to himself impulsively, "Thanks, Shepard!"
They soon boarded the shuttle and strapped themselves in for take-off. The excitement from the day seemed to wear off immediately once the krogan sat down. His eyelids drifted closed, and his head fell forward as the shuttle ascended into the sky. Shepard turned to look outside as shuttle rose to join the other vehicles in air traffic. When she glanced back at Grunt, she smiled at the sight of him all curled up in his seat, his head tucked in towards his shell, and the T-rex plushie held tightly against his chest.