Tide Pools
Shepard sat in his favorite chair on the balcony of his two story home, his eyes closed, as he felt the warmth of Tikkun wash over him. The sun had only recently reared up from the horizon, drenching the landscape in light and the sky in a faint pink. It was early yet, and he had been exceedingly careful to not wake Tali as he had left their room, but knowing her, she would be up and around soon anyway.
He usually would have stayed in bed with her, but his dreams had caught him up again. It happened sometimes, his nightmares, and when it did, he ended up doing exactly what he was doing right then, sitting and relaxing. He had always found the ocean to be a calming force, a never-ending source of comfort and beauty. So when his dreams of the horrors of war filled his mind, this is where he came; his refuge, his sanctuary on the balcony overlooking the sea. He had to smile as thoughts of sanctuary inevitably led to thoughts of Tali, but then, she rarely left his thoughts.
He thought of the moment he'd shown her the house, and the time he'd invited Aristotle down for a visit, when they had all sat at the dinner table talking to an AI like he was just another old friend. But it was the small things that clung to his mind, like the smell of her hair, or the sound of dishes clinking and pots banging together as they made dinner. These were all things he'd only dreamed of having one day, yet here he was; in a house of his own, with the woman he loved and a family of friends he trusted with more than just his life.
He opened his eyes once more, taking in the scene before him, the pink sparkling water below, and the crashing of the waves on the rocks, until he caught something moving from the corner of his eye. Zaeed and Aria's house was not far away, and had a similar set up to his own house. Shepard saw Zaeed step out of his home and walk to his own chair that also overlooked the ocean. As Zaeed sat down, Shepard waved casually, and got a short two-fingered salute in return.
I guess I'm not the only one with sleeping trouble. His musings stopped short however, when the sliding glass door behind him rolled open.
"Is everything okay John?" he noted Tali's voice wasn't being filtered through her mask and smiled as she placed herself in his lap, the familiar weight giving him a feeling of happiness few other things could duplicate.
"I'm fine gorgeous, just enjoying the sunrise." She leaned back into him, the back of her head resting on his chest and her legs stretched out to sit on another nearby chair. She gave a contented sigh as she got settled, and he began stroking her hair. He was growing more and more used to seeing her beautiful face without a mask as the months went by, and she had been pushing the limit on her exposure times to allow for faster rehabilitation. She occasionally got sick from these outings, but the incidents were becoming few and far between. He still worried about her, as it would be easy for something more serious to get in her system and harm her, but he trusted her to know her limit, and he wouldn't dream of taking these moments away from her.
"Was it another nightmare?" she ventured.
He looked down at her and marveled at her ability to read him like an open book. "Sure was. But I'm fine now, really."
She was quiet for a time after that, both of them just watching the sun creep ever upward.
His thoughts soon drifted again, reminiscing on all of the things he'd done in the past year or so since the house had been finished. He had been mostly busy building a small firing range near the side of the house, but since building materials were scarce on Rannoch, he had found other things to keep his attention as well. His exercise routine was focused mostly on upper body work, as his lovely wife liked to come watch him when he did that, but he had managed to fit some leg work in here and there as well. Most of the old Normandy crew had moved on about their lives throughout the galaxy;
Garrus had finally gotten another assignment, and he had said something about instability on Tuchanka, which worried him a little.
But as long as Wrex is in charge, everything should go just fine.
Kasumi stopped by the house all the time, often with gifts for him and Tali, which she often deigned not to tell them the origin of. Ashley hadn't been able to escape her duties as of yet, but kept sending messages promising that she would see their home as soon as she could. Whilst Liara was in contact every so often from her place on Thessia, where she was still organizing the last remnants of the reconstruction efforts with support from the network she commanded as the shadow broker. The rest of the Human crew were all doing various missions for the alliance, including Miranda, Jacob and Vega.
"John?"
He looked down and saw her scanning the horizon, eyes half lidded in comfort. "Yes?"
"I don't think I'll ever get used to having Aria as a neighbor."
Naturally he looked at his two neighbors across the distance between their two balconies, Zaeed sitting comfortably while Aria sat opposite him in much the same position he'd seen her use on Omega. He felt confusion show on his face, but sitting as she was, she couldn't see it.
"Why is that? I thought things were going rather well." She snorted in amusement and craned her neck to look up at him.
"John, she threw him out of a window."
He had to chuckle at the memory of seeing the damage from inside their rough new neighbors home, where the window had been blown out from a flailing Zaeed as he had been flung about the room.
"You know, having lived through a couple of their fights now, I think I can say with certainty that they aren't actually fighting."
Her arched eyebrow spoke volumes about her belief in the statement, so he decided to elaborate.
"Well for instance almost all of these… incidents, seem to stem from a single phrase; that phrase being, "What are you going to do about it?" or something similar."
Tali just sighed as he began to lift her up from his lap. She was still in her suit, as it remained her best bet should an illness arise from her forays without a mask, and the material always reminded him of a very supple leather feeling. When he lifted himself from his chair she had already moved to the door and was waiting for him. As he walked through the door he grabbed her by the waist.
"I'm gonna go take a shower alright? See you down stairs." He kissed her briefly before they parted ways, her down the stairs and him moving back towards their joined bedroom and the shower therein. After stripping down and turning on the water, a smile crossed his lips as he relaxed in the steam.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, hot water is the single greatest thing civilization ever thought up.
Tali stood in the kitchen area, idly looking through the fridge for anything that looked appealing, and ran into the centuries old dilemma of not finding anything she wanted from it. The cold air from the refrigerator still felt amazing on her bare face, but she closed it anyway. Moving to the cabinets instead, she smiled at the box of human cereal Shepard often kept, its name unpronounceable to her. She remembered Kasumi giggling to her about having seen some version of cereal with Shepard's likeness on the cover, and that since the company producing it had done so when he was dead, they hadn't needed his permission to do so. She grabbed a nutrient bar and munched on it instead, just eating anything so as to keep her stomach from mutiny. There were a few human meals she had learned to make from John, having helped him cook on many occasions. The thought of him cooking anything by himself made her shiver in revulsion.
I love him to death but Keelah, the man is so bad at cooking he could probably mess up bringing water to a boil.
She took a few of the human items out of the fridge that she knew she could cook with some certainty of success, like eggs and bacon, but left the more complicated things to him. As she finished with the preparations, she took long whiffs of the delightful smells emanating from the stove in front of her. Human food may have looked disgusting, but it sure did smell good. She moved to stand a few feet away at the dining table while the food cooked, letting the now more fully risen sun bask her in light and warmth through the large window in the dining room. She lost herself in her thoughts for a moment, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the sun on her unmasked face. She immediately thought of Shepard's project on the side of the house, where he was constructing a building to use as a firing range and tech lab for them. But he was about as good at construction as he was at cooking, which was to say, not. He'd had to make a couple calls to Aristotle for help, and to her astonishment the machine always happily assisted.
I probably shouldn't be surprised. She thought to herself. After all, the Geth too looked at him as their savior. But the more she saw of Aristotle, the more she realized he was certainly not just helping because he felt obligated to. The two of them talked like they were old friends, Shepard laughing at Al's attempts at humor and Aristotle asking constant questions about him and humanity alike. The machines' exuberance constantly amused both her and John, but Shepard seemed especially attached to him.
"Hey Beautiful." Shepard was leaning against the rail at the top of the stairs, his favorite puffy orange jacket and jeans on and a smile splitting his face. She looked up at him to respond when her nose twitched at something.
"Damn it, the food!" she rushed back to the kitchen to see the eggs burnt, and the bacon ultra crispy. Mumbling obscenities under her breath she quickly began disposing of the now ruined breakfast. As she began to drop the bacon into the trash Shepard rushed up and caught the plate before the prize slid off into the garbage.
"Whoa there! I happen to like my bacon crispy, my darling wife." He took a bite and smiled at the resounding crunch that echoed through the house.
"Oh yeah, that's the good stuff. Thanks Tali." He grinned at her around a mouthful of bacon and turned to go sit at the table with her in tow.
"Sorry John, I got a little distracted."
"I saw that. You looked pretty comfortable standing there." She looked down at her hands with a smile, dry washing them in an attempt to bleed off the embarrassment she felt.
"I was thinking about Aristotle."
"Mhmm."
"And about how much you two get along."
"Mhmm." Shepard's terse answers made her look up at him in confusion, until she saw him staring at her hips again. With a snort she lightly smacked him over his head to regain his attention.
"What? I was listening!"
She rolled her eyes at him, but had to resist the urge to preen under his gaze. "Oh really? Then what was I saying?"
He eyed her askance and rubbed at the back of his head in feigned injury. "You said you were thinking about me getting along with Aristotle."
It irked her that he actually had heard her and thus couldn't really be mad at him, but she wanted to hit him again anyways. "I was saying, that I have noticed how much you seem to like Aristotle. What do you two even talk about out there that's so funny?"
John took one last loud crunchy bite of his bacon and wiped his hands together to rid himself of the crumbs. "Honestly? The guys so bad at jokes its just too funny to pass up. Him and Joker would get along famously." He stood up and grabbed his plate while he motioned her to follow him towards the kitchen.
"So Tali, I was thinking. Does the town nearby have any… oh I don't know, nightclubs? Or bars maybe?"
She let out a short laugh and responded immediately. "Why? You miss Garrus so much you have to go drinking with me instead?"
"Ha! You caught me. Guilty as charged detective Shepard."
Tali still felt her cheeks grow hot as she thought about having Shepard's name as her own, even after two years, it felt amazing. "Well, if you must know, I believe the city has one, but that's a few hours away John."
His face twisted into a grin as he scraped off the remaining pieces of bacon into the trash and looked at her. "And? If you've somehow forgotten, Rannoch has far more hours than the Normandy was allowed. We have more than enough time to take the trip, have fun, and be home long before its dark."
She looked at him for a moment, but she couldn't deduce his intentions from his face alone. "And if we did go? What did you have in mind for us? Getting drunk?"
He laughed but quickly shook his head. "Not exactly, though I think we can agree a little alcohol might be involved. No I was thinking we could just mingle for a while, maybe do a little dancing-"
"Dancing?" Her incredulous tone and expression seemed to catch him by surprise. "Shepard, you always avoided dancing like it gave you the plague! Are you being serious?"
He looked down at his feet and shuffled a little, but eventually looked back up at her with that mischievous smile he often wore when doing something stupid. "I may or may not have tried practicing a few moves in the still budding firing range."
She stared at him, amusement clear on her face before she broke into laughter and doubled over, a hand on her knee to steady herself.
"What's so funny? I thought you wanted me to learn?"
When she finally regained a little of her composure, only having to stifle the occasional giggle she straightened up to face him. "Of course I do, but the thought of you dancing around out there…" she had to stop as laughter threatened to overwhelm her again.
"So let me get this straight, I practice like you tell me, and my reward is to be laughed at?"
She finally mastered herself and walked up to him with her most reassuring smile. "I'm sorry John, it was just a funny mental image. I'd love to go dancing with you." She jumped a little as he clapped his hands together loudly.
"Then it's settled! We'll go after lunch?" His question was more of a statement, but she let it slide and nodded her assent. He grinned at her once more before turning to leave, then went out the door nearest the firing range. She felt the smile on her face slowly spreading, as she started back upstairs to their bedroom.
And if you do well enough, i might let you see my surpirse a little sooner than i had planned.
Her face quickly turned red as she blushed furiously at the thought of his reaction, but continued upward to do some work on Chitkika while she waited.
"Damn it Zaeed, pay attention! I need that spackle!" Shepard leaned back to yell at his neighbor who lounged in a chair below him.
"Keep your panties on Shepard I'm comin'." Zaeed rousted himself from his chair and grabbed the tool in question and tossed it up to him.
"You know, you really should leave that to someone who knows what they're doing."
"And you should really stop flapping your lips and come help me." Shepard was on the roof of the firing range, putting the final touched on one of the walls with the Spackle, ensuring it looked good and smooth. Sweat was dripping off his chin as he sat in the sun and worked, but he was offered a respite by a heavenly voice coming from the house.
"Shepard? Its way past lunch, are you almost done out there?" He dropped the tools he had been using in a sigh of relief, and heaved himself off the roof to land heavily about eight feet down. He dusted himself off and wiped his face with his undershirt, picking up the orange jacket he'd left behind so as not to get it dirty before heading towards the house with Zaeed in tow. He saw Tali leaning against the doorframe, and his heart sank a little when he saw she had her mask on, but he kept his smile on for her.
"All right beautiful, I'm done for today," Shepard turned at the amused snort from Zaeed behind him.
"Done? You didn't do anything in the first place." All of them turned to look towards the door as a voice called from the inside.
"Is he giving you crap again Shepard? Tell him to shut up before I decide to drink all his booze for him."
"You better not put a hand on my Earth brews woman!" Zaeed stormed past him and Tali, disappearing into the house a moment before Shepard shrugged and followed suit. Aria was sitting on a couch looking quite pleased with herself as Zaeed speed walked to the fridge to make sure his stash he liked to bring from his own house was safe. The two had come over a while ago, as they sometimes did, and had laughed a great deal at his expense when they'd been told about his plans for the evening. But Aria had decided it would be fun to join them, while Zaeed had declared he'd seen enough clubs in his lifetime and was quite fine at home.
"I'm ready to head out when you are Shepard, and the club we're going to is called "Kolas" which if I'm not mistaken means, "grind." It's actually quite good." He looked at her in confusion while she took a sip of whatever drink she had before her, and instead turned his questioning look to Tali.
"We talked a little, and decided she would be the one to pick the club. She seemed like the best one to choose, considering." He looked back to Aria who gazed back at him coolly.
"So you've already been to this club? How far away is it?"
"Don't worry about it Shepard, it's a surprise. But yes, I have been there, as I go to the city often." He shrugged at her and started on his way to the stairs calling over his shoulder as he did.
"All right then, I'm just going to go get ready. I'll be back down in a minute and then we'll scram." As he reached their bedroom, he took a glance at the clock and winced, noting he'd already been awake for 14 hours and the sun was only just now reaching its zenith. Shaking his head he went to his drawers and got his best outfit out for the occasion, laying it out for easy access when he'd finished showering.
Looks like I'll be taking a nap on the way there. I hope whoever ends up flying can fly straight.
About 5 hours later, Shepard found himself being forcefully jolted back to the land of the conscious by Tali as he lay in the back of the air car.
"Shepard! We're here, come on!" He rubbed what felt like small pebbles from the corner of his eyes and squinted up at the sun.
"Uhhhh, please tell me we don't have to walk far?" he lifted himself into a sitting position as the air car flew above the city, and missed whatever anyone had to say in response to his question as he looked around them. The buildings shined in the sun as they flew past, many of them still strongly resembling ships that were scrapped for reconstruction, while still others looked brand new and of finer materials. He hadn't lasted long on the ride over before having went to sleep, but apparently they had just followed the coast as the city sat alongside the gleaming ocean. The city reminded him strongly of Earth for a moment, bringing flashes of giant machines and vaporized civilians that left him shivering but fully awake.
"John? You ok?" That opaque purple visor he had come to love suddenly filled his vision, dispelling the uneasiness of moments before and allowing himself a smile.
"Of course I am, I'm about to go dancing with the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He could feel the worry leave her as the muscles relaxed in her arm that held his hand. He could tell she wanted to say something but whatever it was turned into a yelp as the air car suddenly dove straight down.
"Uh, Aria? You know the grounds coming up pretty quick now right?" The Asari just laughed as they continued hurtling down, but finally pulled out of the dive to glide into the bar's garage at street level. After finding a parking spot and removing himself from the death trap, he gave Aria his most admonishing look, to which she just rolled her eyes and proceeded into the club before them.
The Kolas was a fairly large building for an entertainment facility, and just like one would expect, it was very well lit up. Neon signs and flashing lights all attracting droves of quarians that chatted and yelled to each other over the heavy bass coming from within. Shepard jogged to the other side of the car to open the door for Tali, but clicked his tongue in disappointment when he saw her already mostly out.
"Ready to go, my love?" He bowed slightly and extended his arm for her as they moved towards the club entrance. Weaving through the crowd got them a few looks, some of recognition and a few outright shock that a human was present, but everyone moved out of their way while he looked for Aria. He finally spotted her near the top of the broad stairs leading to the large main doors talking with what appeared to be the bouncer, as he was bigger than most of the other males he had seen. The quarian had a blue and grey suit on, but to Shepards surprise, had pieces missing that left him exposed to the air The larger but still not nearly as built as himself bouncer looked over Aria's shoulders and lifted his chin in their direction, indicating they come closer. As he and Tali drew closer they could just barely hear the conversation over the techno music of the club.
"I told you I was having friends with me today Mel, are you gonna pay up or not?" The large quarian shook his head in what Shepard took for disbelief before reaching into a pocket and producing a handful of credits, which Aria deftly snatched and stuffed into her pants pocket.
"Tali Shepard, in the flesh! Keelah, I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it." The man leaped down the stairs two at a time to meet them with his hand outstretched.
"And of course, it's a pleasure to see you as well Shepard! It's a fine honor to have you at my establishment." Shepard blinked as the man pumped his hand enthusiastically, but the surprise passed into curiosity quickly.
"You're the owner then? Do you have any bouncers?" the man tilted his helmet slightly in confusion, looking between both him and Tali to explain.
"Bouncer? Sorry, that word doesn't really translate well apparently."
"Ah. Well, its someone who gets rid of the undesirables from a club or bar." The alien was nodding his head as he finished, clearly understanding.
"Yeah, if someone gets too drunk or starts a fight I usually handle it, but I do have some people around to help me out if things gets out of hand. But please, go on inside! Have fun, and just come find me if you need anything. My name is Mel by the way."
Shepard opened his mouth but Tali beat him to it.
"Thank you Mel, It's a pleasure to meet you. But I'm sure my bond-mate and I will be just fine."
Mel bowed slightly as he waved them past him and towards the club entrance to which Aria had already disappeared into. As they entered he noticed more and more that many quarians weren't wearing complete suits, but instead had only the mask for real protection while the rest was decorative. The women had on their realks and decorative cloth that was usually worn over the suit, but underneath was normal looking clothing as opposed to the usual skintight suits. The men too had pieces missing much like Mel had, but they didn't have the colorful decorations like the women, just exposed areas like the arms and legs. The biggest surprise, however, were the geth walking around and intermingling with the groups. Some sat near the bar, finding it more comforting to be in the secluded areas, whist some geth were even trying their hand at dancing. Those last grew large crowds as people wanted to watch or even join in.
"Two years ago, if you had asked me whether or not this was possible, I'd have been tempted to shoot you." Tali had to yell so as to be heard over the deep bass of the techno, but he had to smile regardless.
"Yeah, but luckily you had a dedicated boyfriend."
They both started in confusion as the entire club went quiet for a moment, the music stopping so suddenly as to be disorienting, until a familiar blue shape stood up from the D.J. booth.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a couple celebrities here tonight! Let's hear it for Tali and John Shepard!" The club practically exploded with the resounding cheer that went up, swiftly followed by more music. Tali put a hand to her visor and squeezed his hand harder as Aria announced them like that, but he just squeezed back and began to lead her further into the club. He led her towards the bar area, which was abuzz with chatter even above the blaring music, all the while keeping his head on the swivel looking for a particular geth…
"What can I get for you?" Shepard snapped his head back around toward the voice and saw the bartender's faceplate staring straight at him.
"Got any Gin? Or maybe Chardonnay?"
"No, sorry. Best we got is Vodka for Levos, and not much of that either."
"Alright, nothing for me then. Tali?" He looked at her still holding onto his arm, and nodded for her to pick something out for herself.
"I'm not really sure. Wine I guess?" the bartender nodded and grabbed some sterile containers off the shelf behind him, splaying them out for her to pick. As she looked over the brands he leaned in close for her to hear him.
"I'll be right back Tali." she only nodded and kept staring at the bottles as he left the counter and intensified his search for Aristotle.
Damn it Aristotle, geth aren't supposed to be late!
Tali spun in her stool at the bar as she waited for the bartender to mix her wine with some juice from the native Kalisha plant, a short spindly little cacti who's juice was bitter but mixed well with sweet drinks. She had to laugh a little at her own train of thought however, as her first reaction to John not being back within five minutes was to assume he was in some kind of trouble. And, if history were any indication, she would be right. But this was Rannoch post reaper war; surely no trouble of that sort would be around here… right?
She shook her head to free it from these dark thoughts as the bartender handed her the sterile capsule of greenish yellow liquid. Nodding her thanks instead of shouting, she then stuck the tube into the slot under her mask and cautiously tested the new liquor. It was as she had hoped. Sweet but tempered with the bitterness of the Kalisha fruit to make a potent but satisfying burn as it slid down her throat.
As she continued sipping her drink she swiveled her stool to look out onto the main floor of the club to look for Shepard, who should be easily recognizable over the rest of her race but was suspiciously absent among the throng. She continued looking around, expecting to see him trying to dance, or perhaps talking to a geth like it was completely normal. But the longer she searched the more worried her thoughts became. He'd been gone at least twenty minutes now, and unless he was taking a inordinate amount of time on the toilet, he would be up to some kind of trouble.
That's my Shepard, either pampering me, or trying to get himself killed.
She sighed once more and removed the now mostly empty drink from her mask, before the lights in the club dimmed considerably, causing the dancers and the music alike to slow and stop. A couple of highlights sprung to life and illuminated the rear of the dance floor, causing anyone there to scurry out of the light. Once more the familiar voice of Aria boomed from every corner of the club like the voice of some divine entity speaking to its people.
Apparently Mel doesn't mind her taking over the place whenever she feels like it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have another treat for you tonight! In honor of the peace with the geth, and in memory of a particular unit named "Legion", I would like to introduce the spectre himself… John Shepard!" she bowed lightly from her DJ's booth towards a slightly elevated area near the back that resembled a stage, upon which stood two figures. Tali spewed the last bit of her drink that she had been savoring, getting it all over the inside of her visor, as Shepard stepped forward with Aristotle in tow behind him and a microphone in his hand.
"How's everybody doin' tonight?" a roar bellowed forth from the crowd in response, to which Shepard just smiled until it died down.
"As our esteemed DJ has told you, in honor of a geth unit named Legion, I will be doing a special dance that I learned from him. if you would like to join in, I would appreciate it."
Tali watched as he set the microphone aside and ushered Aristotle up beside him and pointed to Aria, who responded by turning some moderately fast paced techno up.
For a moment they didn't do anything, looking down at the floor, until a certain note hit. Both John and Al's heads snapped in up in sync, and they began to move in unison, not in a flowing or rhythmic style, but in one she suddenly recognized as a dance the Normandy crew held in very high regard. The robot.
She laughed as she watched the two of them, knowing now what had kept them occupied those long hours outside when they were supposed to be working on the firing range. The rest of the crowd was silent at first, looking at each other skeptically as this human and geth moon walked across the stage, then slid back into their original spots. Pretty soon though, the rest of the geth gathered throughout the club moved towards the center of the dance floor in a phalanx, and preceded to do exactly as the two on stage were doing. Pretty soon the rest of the club were doing their own versions of the dance, some poorly, others with suspicious excellence, and still others likely too drunk to care.
Tali shook her head in amazement as the entire club continued to dance while Shepard slipped off stage and left Aristotle by his lonesome with a pat on the back, having once again accomplished the impossible; getting quarians to honor the geth through a dance. She watched him approach with that trademark grin on his face and plop himself down on the stool beside her with a sigh.
"So, how'd I do?"
"Of all the things you could have practiced, you picked the robot?"
"That bad huh? I'll have to schedule more practice sessions with Al." Tali snorted in amusement as he swiveled around to face the bartender and rapped his knuckles on the counter to get the other mans attention.
"Water here please!" he turned to look at her, cocking his head and scrunching up his face in a thoughtful frown.
"You got something on your visor Tali." she rolled her eyes at him at got up from her stool.
"Yes, I do. Your little stunt on the stage made me spew my drink. I'll be back in a minute or two, and then we can do some real dancing." She left for the bathrooms near the back to clean her visor, and smiled as she thought about how she would dance with him.
Shepard watched the crowd on the dance floor start to switch from the robot to their own dances as the song he requested from Aria ended. He felt like it had a wild success, however, and made a mental note to thank Aristotle again next time he saw him. They had been practicing how to do that for what had to be a couple of months now.
Or rather, I had been practicing for a few months. Al only needed to see the footage of legion dancing in the mess hall once and he might as well have been a master.
He tipped back his drink and downed half the glass before slapping it back down on the counter, earning himself a disapproving glance from the bartender. He mouthed sorry to the man and turned back around to face the crowd. He immediately noticed Mel, who stood a head taller than almost everyone in the club except for Shepard. The man was talking to the lead geth in the phalanx of synthetic dancers, likely trying to make sure they weren't going to start any trouble. But before long a group of club-goers approached them, and joined in on the exchange. Everyone seemed fairly calm as the conversation continued, and there were-
Shepard blinked a few times to dispel what had to be a hallucination. One of the quarian women had hugged the geth; the machine looked as perplexed as Shepard felt as it looked down at the slim figure wrapped around its torso. But slowly the geth closed its arms around the girl, making the whole group visibly relax. The girl easily extricated herself from the geths embrace, and bowed her head slightly before excitedly grabbing one of the males hands and dragging him off to someplace else. Shepard was still wide eyed when Tali finally returned, her mask now clear of whatever it was she had been drinking.
"Hey, you ready to embarrass yourself again?" her quip dissipated his stupor and he turned a grin toward his lovely quarian girl.
"You know it, I never miss a chance to show everyone how much better you are than me." Tali just giggled and grabbed his hand, pulling him from his stool and leading him to his most cunning adversary… a dance floor.
The music in the club was now a fast paced techno with a very deep bass, and he cringed as he imagined in his minds eye how badly he was about to fail. But once Tali had led him sufficiently far enough into the thick crowd of dancers, she naturally decided to take the lead. He watched her eyes with a shiver as she began to move, her hips as always drawing his attention to her waist as she flowed around him. he did his best to keep up with her, leaning in when she leaned out, putting hands around her when she moved up close enough, but making sure to keep the touch light so she could move unfettered. He was more than a little surprised when she pushed up against him with her back, wiggling her hips against him in what had to be the most audacious thing she'd ever done with him in public. He responded by leaning into her, running hands down both sides of her suit while her arms wrapped around his neck.
"You weren't kidding, you really have been practicing." Her voice was incredibly seductive right at that moment, and he had to fight the urge to simply throw her over his shoulder and take her home right then and there.
"Actually, all I practiced was that bit with Aristotle, I haven't practiced anything like this." His voice sounded a little breathless to him, but he knew it had nothing to do with being tired.
Tali stumbled a little bit as she turned around to look at him. "Really? Then may I just say that this is one the biggest turn arounds I have ever seen in my life?"
"Ouch, you make it sound like you had no faith in me."
Tali didn't respond at first, instead just looking at him with a penetrating gaze which he decided to wait out. Finally she sighed and stepped in closer so they wouldn't have to shout over the music.
"Actually Shepard, I have a little surprise I want to show you back at the house. B-but we've only been here a short while, and its not really that important, maybe I shouldn't have brought it up but I-"
"Tali, if you have something to show me I would love to see it, and this club was fun and all, but right now? I'd like to spend the rest of the day alone with my wife."
Tali slowly wrapped her arms around him, the two of them ignoring the crowd and music around them like so much dust.
"Whatever you want John. Lets go."
They said goodbye to Aria, who decided to take a cab later as she wasn't quite done with her afternoon, and left shortly after their dance. The uneventful trip home seemed like a half hour rather than the record breaking two and a half hours it took. Making him thank whatever gods might be out there as he exited the car to stretch and watch Tali do the same.
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing that."
"What was that John?"
"Oh nothing. Now what was this surprise you wanted to show me?"
"Oh no, you have to actually see it, I cant just tell you." He followed her inside the house as his mind once more went through all the possibilities for this, "surprise" but again ultimately gave up. Tali swirled around to face him at the foot of the stairs, her bright irises shining through the haze of her mask like street lamps in the night.
"If we were to go to the beach, where on it would you like to go?"
The question caught him completely off guard, along with dashing his hopes for the bedroom as he answered. "If I had to choose, I'd say the nearby rock arch formation with all the tide pools underneath it. Why?"
She nodded her head for a seconds before she replied. "Why don't you head down there and I'll meet you in about fifteen minutes?"
He had long since given up on trying to decipher her motives when she wasn't being forthcoming, so he simply shrugged. "Whatever you say gorgeous. Need me to bring anything?"
She had reached the top of the stairs when she yelled her reply over her shoulder. "I'll take care of that, see you soon."
Shepard shook his head in amused confusion and headed for the door, tossing his orange jacket onto the couch as he passed so he didn't have to worry about it getting dirty at the beach.
As he stepped out the door nearest the ocean, he glanced over at his neighbor's house, only to see Zaeed in his customary chair on the porch, likely sound asleep in the dull Rannoch sun. He continued down towards the desalination plant the geth had graciously installed for them, as it had a gentle slope all the way to the beach, rather than the sheer drop presented by the rest of the area. The reddish orange clay sunk a little beneath his feet, as being this close to the ocean made the ground moist.
When he reached the bottom he made an immediate left, past the plant and along the cliff wall, following it around a bend that when passed allowed him to see a small horseshoe shaped divot in the cliffs. At the opposite end of the horseshoe was the arching rock formation he had told Tali about, as he approached it he marveled at the feats of nature; the formation began all the way up from the top of the cliffs to a few yards into the serf, protecting the area underneath from the constant crashing of the waves beyond. The tide pools looked like so many potholes in a road filled with water and small sea creatures of which he wasn't entirely familiar with.
Shepard settled down on a nearby rock and took his boots off, allowing him to relax his feet in the warm water while he waited for Tali to arrive. Closing his eyes and feeling the humid air lightly blowing through the area and across him. The smell of the sea didn't really register for him much anymore, as he lived so close to it everyday, but when he was this close it was impossible not to smell the salt, and he smiled at the sensations he always got from being near the ocean. He felt his eyelids slowly begin to sink as he relaxed more and more, remembering how long he'd been awake. But he sat up a little straighter shook his head to clear the haze of fatigue.
Come on Tali, I don't know how long I can keep this up.
Tali had a little difficulty putting it on at first, as she had never worn anything like it in her entire life. She could remember all the times she had longed for the opportunity to do so, but hadn't actually thought the day would come. The swimsuit she modeled for herself in the mirror was a dark green two-piece in the traditional human style, and was incredibly revealing for her. Sure she'd been naked around John quite a few times now, but in public? In the open air? Everything she'd been taught since birth screamed at her that she was being foolish and shouldn't risk it, but she reassured her racing mind by grabbing the empty suit draped on a chair next to her.
I'll bring it with me, just in case.
Her heart kept beating abnormally fast as she thought about going outside like this, and no matter how many times she told herself it would be just her and John, her body paid her no mind. She nodded to herself one last time in the mirror and grabbed her suit and mask, hurrying out of their shared room and down the stairs at the end of the hall. She still felt incredibly exposed and embarrassed running around mostly naked, and for the life of her couldn't understand how human women did it so often.
She quickly opened the front door and got to the air car, throwing her suit inside and plopping down in the seat. She was most excited about seeing John's reaction though, despite knowing he thought her attractive, it never hurt to be reminded by the one you love. Plus she could hardly wait to see his face. She giggled at the thought of it, but threw the car into the air and steered it towards the arch Shepard had mentioned.
At first she thought she wouldn't have enough room to park the thing, but as she descended from the incredibly short flight she saw a place near the base of the cliff that looked safe enough. She set it down gently and switched off the engine, letting the sound wind down and the sound of waves hitting the shore replace it. She hadn't wanted to bring the air car, but she also didn't want to carry her suit along with her. That, and she knew John hated going uphill. As she got out of the car she looked around for him and frowned when he wasn't there waiting for her. as she got closer to the arch she grew a little concerned when she still didn't see him.
"John?"
Something thrashed around behind some rocks at her voice, and soon revelaed itself to be Shepard sitting up, looking around in tired confusion.
"Wha-? Oh! Tali! Damn I'm sorry I…" He had stood up and started toward her when he stopped in his tracks and stared, the tiredness in his eyes disappearing instantly as he latched his eyes on her. She smiled at him and kept her pace casual while he stared at her, unmoving. She finally got to just outside of arms reach from him and stopped.
"Remember what I promised you? Not so long ago?"
He seemed to regain a bit of himself and swallowed before he took a step towards her. "That you would take me up on swimming without your suit?"
Tali spread her arms to either side to indicate herself. "I keep my promises John."
He finally closed the distance to her, his smile lighting up his face as he placed his hands on her shoulders. He looked at her face while his hands rested on her shoulders, his eyes never once looking down as they scanned her face. He pulled her in closer and hugged her, his mouth very close to her ear as he whispered to her.
"You are the single most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Thank you."
She pushed off of him lightly, looking up at him, "Thank me? John, I know you hate it when I say it, but you could have had anyone you wanted. The fact that you love me above all others is more than enough reason for me to be thankful to you."
He started to shake his head but she reached out and hugged him once more, fiercely this time. "Just shut up you bosh'tet."
She could feel his chest move as he chuckled at her. "Yes ma'am. Would you like to come sit with me? I found this incredibly comfortable rock that-"
"I'd love to John. I've been dying to dip my feet in the water for a while now."
"Well then you've come to the right place! Come sit and enjoy the aquarium of Rannoch!" he guided her down to a rock that allowed them to sit and put their feet in the water at the same time, and for a long while discussed all the various creatures and plants that inhabited the small pool they looked at. One apparently reminded Shepard of some kind of Earth creature called a… sea enemy? Or sea-en-enemy? She couldn't quite tell, but played along as he messed with the creature by poking it and making it sink into itself.
After a time they simply leaned on each other, both their eyes closed as they listened to the ocean. The sun was nearing the horizon, casting a fantastic red and orange light on the cliffs and ocean, reminding her of how she had seen John this morning, watching the sunrise that looked much like the sky did now.
"I'm sure someone out there would think it odd that the great commander Shepard enjoyed something other than killing reapers and saving every quarian in sight." She kept her eyes close as she spoke, but his response of, "hmm." Made her open her eyes and look at him. He was clearly tired, and she smiled as she got up and took his arm around her shoulders to help him stand.
"Whererrr we goin?" he rubbed at his eyes and kept his own footing, but she still had to guide him to the air car as his legs wobbled occasionally.
"Home John." She eased him into the passenger seat and circled around to the driver's side. She heard him mumble something under his breath as she reached for the ignition, but he was clearly sound asleep already. He even stayed quiet as the engines fired up and she lifted them both into the air, only moving to get more comfortable in his seat. As she cleared the cliff top and steered for the house, she looked over at him, his hea hanging to one side made her smile, but the way the sun touched him, lit him up like some kind of angel that she'd been lucky enough to snatch for herself before anyone else could see her prize.
The image made her laugh as she landed the air car and removed herself and Shepard from the car, once again relying on her to make it to the bedroom. The stairs were tricky, what with his bulk, but she finally managed to plop him into the bed and shortly afterwards do the same. She hadn't even bothered with grabbing her suit from the car, instead just activating the filtration system and flopping down on the bed beside him. The last thing she saw before her eyes refused to stay open and sleep crept in was Shepard looking at her with a loving smile on his face, and his warm and gentle fingers gliding across her cheek.