NOTE: Any dialogue in [ ] is turian. Enjoy :)

"Here ya go, Vakarian. It's my own, personal recipe. Thought you turians couldn't eat human food, though."

Garrus gingerly took the bowl of Rupert's homemade chicken noodle soup in his hands. The smell was potent and it looked rather peculiar with the long bits of pale food with the chunks of meat in it. Humans certainly seemed to have a fondness for whatever these noodle things were. There always seemed to be someone eating them whenever he came to the mess. Sometimes they were accompanied by greens, by red paste, and others they were just served in broth. He glanced up from studying the contents of the bowl at Gardner's comment.

"Oh, it's not for me. Shepard asked me to take this to Kasumi," he clarified. "Apparently, it's good for curing colds?"

"Ah," Gardner replied with an acknowledging grunt. "Yeah. That's humanity for ya. We've jumped ages ahead in medicine and it still don't beat the good, old fashioned remedies.

"Does it actually work?"

"Depends on who ya ask. Some folks'll swear by it. Others will tell ya that it's all in yer head. If you believe it'll work, it'll work." Garrus nodded a little, understanding. There wasn't a whole lot of logic behind it but he knew a few turians who had their own home remedies, none nearly so pleasant as eating a home cooked dish to cure an illness. The soup didn't look like anything special and Garrus doubted that Gardner was a shaman during his off-time so it wasn't likely that it held any medicinal herbs.

But if Shepard said it would help, he believed it would help, no matter how purely sentimental the thought behind it seemed to be. He turned and walked carefully so as not to spill the dish as he padded along towards the thief's quarters. When he reached her door, he waited until EDI announced his presence and Kasumi authorized his entry before heading in.

He had never been in her room before, but all-in-all his initial feeling was one of charm. There was something about it that was comfortably casual and mellow. He also sort of envied the incredible view. Once his eyes had finished giving the room an appraising once-over, they fell to Kasumi herself. She was snuggled up on one of the couches near the window, wrapped up in a blanket with a stack of books on the seat adjacent to her. One was nestled in lap as she passed the time and tried to clear her foggy head by reading.

"Well. It's not often I have you as my guest, Garrus," she said cheerfully. Her normally smokey voice was marred by the congestion in her throat and chest. She also sounded a little more nasal than normal. "I'm sorry I'm not in a better state."

"That's okay," Garrus replied, walking gracefully over to her. "Shepard said you weren't feeling well. She told me this might help." He held out the bowl to her and she set the book down to receive it. Her hands cupped about the dish and she lifted it to smell the soup. A smile crawled over her plush, painted lips, and she let out a comforted sigh. Garrus noted her contented body language and supposed there might truly be something to this whole soup thing.

"Mmm. Thank you. It's not quite ramen, but it smells delicious. Gardner's cooking has really improved as of late."

"They serve that on the Citadel now," Garrus recalled. "Ramen. I think I smelled it once before when we passed by."

"Yes," she smiled and gracefully spooned up some of the noodles into her mouth. "Reminded me a bit of home. I haven't been there in a long while."

"Is it much different from the soup?"

"Hmm." Kasumi made the thoughtful noise around another spoonful. "The ingredients are different. The noodles and the foods served with them are usually more specific to a certain region of Earth. If you ask me, it tends to be a lot more robust." Garrus nodded, letting his eyes really study her for the first time while she spoke. This was the first time he had seen her without her field garb on. With the hood gone he could see the long black hair that spilled down her shoulders like a silken shadow, longer than Shepard's. Her eyes were visible, too, though they spoke clearly of how tired she felt due to her cold. He gave a passing glance over the books beside her and found himself doing a double take. Smack in the middle of the ancient looking books he spotted something strangely familiar.

"May I?" he asked, the picture of politeness as he gestured to the small library keeping her company.

"Sure," she replied, setting her spoon aside to finish off the broth by drinking it directly from the bowl.

Garrus bent down and set the books aside one by one as he made his way to the one that had caught his attention. Most of these tomes looked extremely well-worn and he was certain that tender care was the only thing that had stopped them from falling apart over the years. When he came upon the small book with the blue cover it was obvious that it was not nearly so old, but it had been exactly what he suspected. Hesitantly, he reached out and picked up, turning it over in his hands a few times before daring to crack it open.

Kasumi had taken a keen interest in his actions during the last few minutes, and she tilted her head curiously as he watched his expression turn to disbelief. At least, that's what she supposed it was. Turians were a little hard to interpret at times, much like their written language.

"I've never been able to read that one," she admitted. "I rather like the pictures, though."

"Where did you get this?" he asked quietly as his gaze seemed to fixate on the inner cover.

"Believe it or not, I actually bought it fair and square," she chuckled, wrapping her arms about her knees. "From a traveling merchant on the Citadel who specialized in used goods. Most of it was rubbish, but this looked interesting. I thought, maybe, I could use it to learn the language some day. Haven't exactly had time for it, though."

Garrus' mandibles shifted against his jaw a little.

"This used to be mine."

"I'd begun to suspect," the thief smiled. "A gift, I suppose, given the writing on the cover?"

"Yeah," he said with a low, rumbling tone. "My...uhm... My mother. She gave it to me right before I joined the military. Sort of a going away present." He flipped through a few pages absently. "I thought it was kind of silly at the time." Kasumi didn't ask why. Something in the way the turian's eyes regarded this book told her it was something of great personal value. He had not thought so at the time he received it, but it was apparent that those feelings had changed upon being reunited with it. It was amazing how a few years could change someone and put so many seemingly small things into perspective.

"What's it about?" she asked instead. Garrus glanced over at her and then back at the book.

"To be honest, I never read it...," he replied. "Never thought I'd find time."

"Well, you must have some time now," she spoke softly and he tilted his head to the side in a small shrug.

"I suppose so..." Truthfully, calibrating the thanix cannon didn't take that much of his time at all. He just liked to use it as an excuse when he didn't feel like talking. Other times he got kind of bored in the forward battery and he was running out of games to play on his omnitool to pass the time. "You know..."

"Hm?" Garrus fiddled with the book for a second and looked at the petite Japanese woman again. "On Palaven, our parents used to tell us stories when we were sick. We were never really allowed to do much, so it was something to look forward to when we were stuck indoors. I know it helped me feel better."

"I could see that. I love a good story," Kasumi said, her eyes taking on a mischievous glint.

"I could read this to you...if you want," Garrus offered. He sounded a tad shy saying it, something unusual for the turian. Kasumi found it positively adorable.

"I would love that. Then I can say I know every detail of these books cover to cover." Reaching over she pushed the books aside to make room for the turian to sit beside her. He turned and sat, finding the couch rather comfortable despite how angular it looked. There wasn't a whole lot of human furniture that could properly accommodate Garrus' alien anatomy, but this was probably the closest he'd gotten. Kasumi curled herself around and placed one arm on the back of the couch with her head on her hand, close enough to see but far enough to be polite.

"It had been three long and treacherous nights since Relak had been forced to spill his enemies' blood," Garrus began.

"Exciting already," Kasumi grinned. "I like it. Read on."

Garrus had made it through the first three chapters of the book before Kasumi finally gave in and nodded off beside him. Her eyes had been fluttering closed though the last twenty pages, though she insisted she was perfectly awake and told him to keep reading. He had been absorbed in the first couple pages of chapter four before he realized she wasn't listening anymore. Closing the book gingerly he shifted slow and cautious to rise from the couch without disturbing her.

On his way to the door, he paused and wondered if he should leave the book there rather than take it with him. There really wasn't a lot of places in the forward battery where he could store it safely and Kasumi seemed to take good enough care of the things in her room. He felt hesitant at first, not wanting to be parted from the book a second time, but eventually decided it was for the best. Taking his steps as soft as he could, he returned the book to its place with the others beside her.

Kasumi had tucked her head against her arm on the back of he couch and her hair fell in such a way her face was entirely hidden. Garrus still found human hair kind of strange. It didn't seem to serve any purpose other than to be aesthetically pleasing. Originally, he had not even known it could get so long. Most the human females he had seen had short hair like Shepard or wore it in tight knots on their heads. Miranda had been an exception, though her hair was not as straight as Kasumi's, nor did it have the same sheen. Admittedly, he'd found the way the light played off it a bit distracting while reading, spying it out of the corner of his eye. Going off humanity's affinity for shiny things alone, he supposed that might be why they found hair so appealing.

Without really thinking about it, Garrus pinned the edge of the blanket between his talons and pulled it up over Kasumi's shoulders before bending over her to retrieve the used dishes. He cringed a bit when the spoon rattled against the edge of the bowl, eyes darting to her to see if she'd noticed. She hadn't appeared to stir, so he clamped his claws around the spoon and pulled back before heading for the door.

"Don't be a stranger, Garrus," Kasumi spoke sleepily. He glanced over his shoulder at her, but she still had her eyes closed and head on her arm. "I still need to know how Relak escapes the prison." Garrus' jaw fell slack a moment and then he simply nodded before taking his leave.

Shepard showed up right on time the following day after they had returned from being planet side. Garrus found she liked to make rounds with her crew after every mission, get their feedback, make sure they were doing well, or just idly chit-chat. It wasn't something he'd been used to when he originally joined her, but he easily warmed up to the idea of a Commander who actually gave a shit what he thought and genuinely wanted his opinion on things. Today's conversation was one of the more casual kind, and she sat in her usual corner of the room which she plainly had designated as 'her' spot.

"I swear I could see his face when that shot pinged right off his shoulder plate," she laughed, wiping her eyes. That was another strange thing about humans – sometimes they looked like they were crying while they were laughing. Very confusing, mixed signals, Garrus thought. "He looked like he pissed himself."

"Yeah," he chuckled, remembering. "I can't believe he actually dropped his gun and started running. I mean, really."

"Eh, that's a merc for ya," Shepard shrugged. "People don't even seem to bother checking out who they hire anymore."

"Not much to know. If there's anything I learned on Omega it's that most mercs tend to be at least one of three things: killers, thieves, or painfully green."

"Speaking of thieves. How was Kasumi doing?" Shepard asked, leaning on her knees.

"Definitely sick, though I think the soup helped."

"Told you," she grinned. "Thanks for taking that in, by the way. I would have if I hadn't been up to my eyeballs in reports."

"No problem. It was actually kind of fun." Shepard paused.

"What was fun?"

"What? Oh. We talked for a bit. She had a book that used to belong to me. I read some of it to her." Shepard's expression gradually turned amused. "What?"

"You read her a bedtime story?"

Garrus stared at her blankly for am minute or two before replying, "She can't read turian."

"Well, awww, you big soft-hearted hard-ass, you." She'd risen to give a playful punch to his arm. Garrus set his jaw firm.

"You don't have to make a big deal about it," he said, giving a hefty sigh and a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. Shepard rested her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, I just think it's really sweet of you. What book?"

"A fiction novel about a rogue turian named Relak."

"Ah ha, that sounds like something she'd enjoy," Shepard chuckled. "Though I'm surprised you finished an entire novel in one evening."

"We didn't. She fell asleep," he replied, shifting from foot to foot restlessly.

"That's too bad. I'm sure she would have liked to know how it ended. It's probably best she gets her rest, though."

"Well, I planned on finishing it." Shepard brought her fingers to her mouth in an awkward attempt at muffling the smile returning there. Garrus, however, was not an idiot, and what he couldn't see on her mouth he could see clearly in her eyes.

"Come on, Shepard, you don't need to look at me like that. I can't leave her hanging. I don't do things half-assed." He studied her a moment and then leaned in. "And don't you go telling anyone about this. Especially the Yeoman."

"Right, of course," Shepard hummed, holding out her hands defensively and taking on less teasing air. "My lips are sealed."

"Shake on it." Shepard rolled her eyes and then reached out to bump fists with him, slap the back of their hands together and then grip his hand firmly. This was really more her thing than his, and he'd found it amusing the first time they'd done it. There was a great deal of camaraderie in the human gesture and he knew it was something Shepard wouldn't back out on. When it came to things like these she could swear backwards and forwards and promise to behave, but it was the shake that made it solid. He knew she hated it when he remembered because she really did like to tease people.

"You'll have to lend me this book when you're done. It's so hard to find good literature these days."

"Sure," he chuckled and then scrunched up his nose at the sly look she was giving him.

"Do I get a bedtime story, too?" she cooed and then promptly ran for the door when he advanced on her, cackling the whole way. Garrus shifted and adjusted his armor, shaking his head at her nonsense. What could he say, though? It was that nonsense that made her the best damn Commander and real honest friend he'd ever had.

Kasumi liked to think that she wasn't someone people could easily decipher. As a thief, there was a certain amount of mystique she liked to maintain. At the moment, however? She just felt plain terrible, and it showed on every inch of her face. She had woken with a throbbing headache, and whenever she made an attempt at moving too much she found the world spinning. Dr. Chakwas had been kind enough to send some helpful meds her way, though she couldn't say she had much of an appetite after taking them.

She hadn't been surprised when the turian arrived at her quarters almost precisely at the same time he had the night before. She only wished she was in better shape to be proper company. When he entered, she was leaning on the bar willing her head to stop whirling. She heard the clicking of his talons across the floor approaching her.

"Are you alright?" his tone came quiet and rumbling.

"In the most general sense? Yes," she said, offering a small chuckle. "I was just getting a glass of water and I got a little lightheaded."

"I can come back another time if you aren't feeling well enough," he offered.

"No, it's okay," Kasumi insisted. "I'm not about to let a cold stop me from finding out what happens next. If I sit still I should be fine."

"Well, at least let me help you get to the couch," he said. Kasumi reminded herself not to nod a response as it would only make the vertigo worse.

"Sure." She waited for the turian to give her a hand or a shoulder to lean on to cover the short distance. Instead, she found herself being oh-so-carefully lifted into his arms and carried to to the sofa where he just as carefully placed her down.

"Good?" was all he said, attentive blue eyes bright even in the dim light.

"Yes," she smiled and watched him as he took his place beside her. "[Thank you]." Garrus looked up from his task of finding their spot in the book. He crooked an eyebrow plate when he realized what he had heard wasn't coming from his translator. Kasumi could tell the exact moment it hit him and smiled wider.

"Where did you learn that?"

"I picked it up yesterday. I was watching the words on the pages while you translated."

"Interesting. It was good, though. I could barely hear your accent."

"I'm usually pretty good with new languages," she said. "What should I have done differently?" Garrus set the book in his lap and appeared to consider it for a moment, as if trying to find the right terms.

"The syllable in the middle should come more from your throat." He tilted his jaw up and motioned to his own with his talon and proceeded to make a noise between a grunt and a growl. "Like that." Kasumi gave it a try, though her tone didn't resonate as much as a turian's might. It also didn't help that during her third try she began to cough. Covering her mouth with a baggy sleeve, she rode out the small fit and gratefully took the glass of water Garrus quickly retrieved for her.

"Maybe you should try it when you aren't ill," he said with a hint of of a laugh in his voice. Kasumi nodded her agreement. "It was very close, though." He settled back into his seat and opened the book once more. Kasumi finished her drink and wrapped her blanket about her shoulders, scooting in so she could see. "I think you fell asleep just as he was about to break out of the prison..."

"Not quite. I heard a bit after that...when he ran into Keyla."

"It was Reyla," Garrus chuckled, thumbing forward a few pages.

"Oh, fine," she said, flipping them back and wondering if her omnitool had glitched when she dozed off last night. "I could probably use a refresher, but this time I'm going to turn off my translator."

"You sure?"

"How else am I going to learn anything?" She tapped her omnitool and raised her brows expectantly. Garrus shook his head a little and proceeded to reread the end of chapter four. Kasumi concentrated on the book, following his pronunciation closely. The raw turian language was a baffling mixture of gruff throaty noises coupled with melodious tones when spoken. It was a shame more people didn't speak it, Kasumi thought, because while their multi-tonal voices were enchanting in Earth languages, they were all the more intriguing when spoken native. Sometimes it was difficult not to just sit and listen to the inflections in Garrus' narration.

"Wait, right here," she stopped him and pointed as she heard him distinctly say ''Keyla' as the female turian entered the scene. "Say that again."

"[Reyla]."

"You just said Keyla," she said.

Garrus began to rumble with a deeply rooted laugh. His mandibles spread a little from his jaw and he shook his head, repeating. "[Reyla...Rrreyla.]" He tapped his throat again with a talon as he drew out the sound. "[Reyla.]" Kasumi watched him, perplexed, but equally amazed. The way he was forming the consonant in his throat, the way it echoed, made it sound like he was saying both letters at the same time. It almost came out as a low clicking noise. He seemed to find her immense interest entertaining. "[Kasumi]."

"Was that my name?" He nodded. "It sounded like Razuni." Garrus gestured in a circular motion to the front part of his mouth, and then tapped it before pointing at her. Kasumi tapped her own lips and then realized what he was conveying and grinned.

"No lips. Right." He lifted the book and waggled it as a silent question and she nodded. "[Reyla]. Continue."

It was soon revealed that Relak and Reyla had known each other from numerous previous encounters. They never stayed in each other's presence for long, but it was obvious, or at least Kasumi thought so, that they were harboring affection for one another. It was a great deal like her relationship with Keiji when they first met. She gently pushed the memory aside to enjoy the the story on its own. She also didn't want to spoil it for Garrus who seemed pleasantly content in his role, voice soothing and utterly captivating.

They made much more progress that night with the turian occasionally asking her to read a bit of dialogue or a couple of sentences. Kasumi enjoyed the challenge wholeheartedly and discovered that Garrus was actually a very patient and encouraging teacher. They probably looked a little silly making all those guttural noises at each other every time she requested that he correct her, but he didn't seem to mind so neither did she.

With little beyond their omnitools to help them determine the time of the night, they quickly lost track of time. Garrus gave in to his weariness mere moments before the thief did. They both had strained to keep their eyes open with commendable effort, but it was a lost cause. Garrus' head soon lolled forward onto his chest with the book still laying loosely in his grasp. Kasumi's arm was still propped at the back of the couch, the hand resting on the turian's shoulder easily serving as a pillow for her cheek.

He didn't know how long he'd been there, or how long they'd been like this, but when Garrus woke to the beeping of his omnitool he was a bit startled that he wasn't in his own room. At some point during their impromptu nap, he'd lolled over to his side on the couch while Kasumi had stretched out in the opposite direction in front of him. She had her face crammed into one of the pillows, though he apparently decided that her hip worked just fine for him. Slowly, he reached up to grip the back of the couch to push himself up, willing his omnitool to stop making so much noise. Once he had scooted down the couch away from Kasumi, he answered.

"Yes, Shepard?"

"Geez, there you are! What took you so long?"

"I was asleep," he said, rubbing at his sleep-glazed eyes.

"Since when do you sleep? And since when do you sleep in Kasumi's room?" she rattled.

"We fell asleep reading."

"Uh huh."

"Enough. What's up?"

"You told me you wanted to go to come with me to the Citadel markets the next time we were there. Well, we're there."

"Right," he said, getting to his feet. "I'll be right out." He made it a point to close the communication before Shepard decided to start taunting him again. She'd honestly been spending way too much time with Joker these days and he was certain she was starting to pickup the pilots bad habits. On his way out he glimpsed Kasumi one more time. She had taken full advantage of the open space and promptly sprawled over it, one of her feet on the back of the couch and one arm hanging off the edge.

He gave a breath of a chuckle before he took his leave.