Shepard rushed onto the tower building and desperately pressed the elevator to get her to the twenty second floor. Trust her to be late, but then again, if it meant that she'd have to spend less time at this bloody lecture than she wasn't complaining.
Shepard, Miranda, Thane and Jacob had all been in serious trouble with the Illusive Man for messing about with a bag of the former Shadow Broker's toys which they had found...and they weren't the kind of toys which come as racing cars. TIM had been fuming and asserted that they had compromised the integrity of Cerberus and so now they were being sent on a sexual harassment course.
Shepard practically leapt out of the elevator went in stopped and rushed down the hall, checking the numbers on the doors as she went but finally, at the end of the corridor she found her destination.
"I thought I was late." Shepard said, as the group was already present but without a lecturer.
"You are." Miranda said coolly.
Shepard rolled her eyes at this less than enthusiastic greeting and shut the door behind her. Miranda was sitting near the front of the room, looking haughty and bored. Thane was at the far end of the room, staring out of the window and Jacob was sat at a desk in the far corner. Liara was sat just a few seats along from Miranda and Shepard was most taken aback to see her.
"What are you doing here?" Shepard asked her, laughing.
"It sounded like an interesting lecture." Liara replied.
"You're joking?" Miranda scoffed.
"It seemed a little unfair that you all were being punished and I was not." Liara expanded simply.
"Kind of you to volunteer." Jacob said warmly while Miranda merely smiled sarcastically.
Liara and Miranda had not gotten along as they made their way to the Shadow Broker's base. Liara and Shepard had once had a relationship back when they were chasing Saren but Shepard had been gone for two years and had only recently seen Liara again. She had no idea where she stood with her old flame or what she wanted.
"What are we even supposed to be doing?" Shepard asked, taking off her jacket and making her way up the stairs to grab a table near the back.
"Role playing, I believe." Thane finally spoke.
"Role playing?" Shepard repeated teasingly.
"Don't get your hopes up." Miranda quelled her.
"Anyone know when this guy is even supposed to show?" Shepard asked but Jacob merely shrugged.
"How many more annoying questions are you going to ask?" Miranda asked, finally bothering to turn her head to look at Shepard behind.
"As many as I like." Shepard smirked; Miranda was always infuriated at her for something.
"Asking pointless questions over and over just makes the waiting feel longer." Miranda replied and it was Shepard's turn to roll her eyes.
"I can't believe The Illusive Man took it so seriously." Jacob said, leaning back in his chair.
"He probably wouldn't have if somebody hadn't anonymously sent him an image of the bag of toys in question." Miranda snapped, throwing Shepard a glowing look.
"What?" Shepard asked, indignant. "I didn't do it."
"Yeah, right." Miranda replied.
"I didn't!" Shepard replied hotly.
"It was your idea to look in the bag in the first place. I didn't even want to." Miranda responded sharply.
"You're a grown up, Miranda. You make your own choices so stick by them." Shepard responded drily.
"I'm well aware of that, thank you." Miranda responded icily.
"We're here now and as entertaining as your bickering is, perhaps we could discuss something else?" Liara requested.
"Yeah...like Jacob sending the picture of the dildo..." Shepard added slyly but Jacob shook his head.
"I swear it wasn't me, Shepard." Jacob laughed.
"You're far too mature for such childishness," Miranda smiled at him and for some strange reason Shepard was always irked at the warmth between those two.
"No one is quite as dedicated to upstanding professionalism as you though." Jacob joked.
"How long are we going to wait?" Shepard cut across, aggravated.
"As long as we have to. The only alternative is being forced to return here at a later date." Thane responded.
"Finally you have an opinion." Shepard muttered as Shepard stood up and threw her jacket back on. "The Illusive Man isn't going to ground us against the collector's if the guy doesn't show up."
"Thane's right, Shepard." Liara replied softly. "You will only have to return."
Shepard shared a grimace with Miranda at the fact they were stuck here and Shepard sank back into her chair, defeated and threw her jacket onto the next table. This was going to be an incredibly long afternoon with people who all had very complex relationships with one another.