First Drink:

Avalon

Valhalla: the hall of the fallen; or more commonly known to the natives as the first place the dead go to before entering Avalon. Its white marble walls lit only by the heavenly light from outside, that filtered uniformly through the five feet tall windows that were on either side of the hall. The newly deceased passed through the golden Valkyrie-winged doors, going into scanners that detailed their life, only to make sure that they were meant to be in Avalon. Rumors were only that if you did something truly terrible, you would be sent straight to Utgard for a certain period of time, depending on crimes and misdeeds that you committed. If you survived Utgard intact, you could pass through to Avalon, which ironically enough didn't have the concept of time. If you didn't survive Utgard, then you would go to Oblivion, where your soul would eventually die and fade from existence. But this was a rarity in it of itself, so it was quite a spectacle when it would happen. After that, much like when a soul would enter the world of the living to be reborn, the memory of their death would be wiped clean. This, coupled with the lack of the concept of time, would allow the spirit to live a new life in Avalon.

Along with a new life, soul would take a new physical form. In the world of the living, or the Protectorate as the Creators knew it, there were humans, turians, quarians, asari, salarians, krogans, and so many more. Avalon was only in need of one form, uniform yet differential to each other and only one species covered that requisite: Humans. But those that lived there could tell what was what and who was who. For example, asari had varied shades of blue or purple colored hair, drells had dual-colored hair (one color on the outside, another on the inside.), turians had colored lines under their eyes, quarians and the geth (believe it or not, they really did have souls!) had grey eyes, krogans were more tribal looking and had darker skin than the other spirits, salarians were very skinny and their eyes were completely black, and humans were just humans.

Many of those that were in Valhalla were already residents of Avalon, waiting for the ones they love pass on and come to them. It was a rare time when a couple would come through the shimmering gates of Valhalla, unless they committed suicide together or they grew old and died. But as life could prove time and time again, there's first for everything.

A young woman stared, entranced, at the soft, intricate gold gates that blocked her way to the marble building. Her long raven black hair was strewn wildly and going down to her waist when unbound by elastic or plastic. Tattered were her clothes: a knitted red bolero, lacy white button-up shirt, and a black denim skirt, paired with knee high brown buckle-up boots. Eyes, wet and blue, like the salty oceans that reminded her of her home; her skin white with a slight tint of peach, her nails painted blue reminding her of someone close to her heart; she looked around, surrounded by other people making their way to the gates of the building.

"Well, here goes nothing…" She says to herself.

The woman began to make her long trek, following a rather ponderous man in front of her, which allowed her a massive space between people. Wind, light yet sweet, blew through the crowds; the bangs covering the woman's face moved and tickled the very bottom of her nose. She huffed and tried to move the stubborn strands back to their previous position. As her hand made its way down from her forehead, she looked at her nails.

"Blue, he loved blue." She softly smiles and folded her hands together in front of her.

Blowing winds continued, but this time something was different about them. A voice among the winds rushing in and out of the growing crowds of people, there was a little bit of harshness with the voice, as almost no one could tell what it was saying. Her ear perked up at the voice in the wind, what everyone thought was harsh and unbearable, was to her comforting and familiar. At first, she couldn't understand what the voice was saying, but once she made out the word said, she covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hold back a loud cry.

"Shepard!" The voice cried out, frightened, with a hint of sadness in its tone.

"I'm so sorry…" The woman quietly said.

The wind wailed for the one named Shepard again. Many of those behind the young woman turned around towards the back of the crowd. Near the back, another person, an olive-skinned man with long, messy silver hair, was screaming out among the crowd. His eyes were also blue, but he uniquely had blue lines under both of his eyes. His black tanktop fluttered in the light winds, his ripped dark grey jeans, black boots, and blue leather jacket flew up and down as jumped, trying to get someone's attention.

"Someone has to tell that idiot to shut up." One of the men, elderly and crotchety, spouted off.

"Who? Who needs to shut up?" The woman asked as she turned around to face the man.

"It's that idiot in the back that's screaming like crazy." The old man pointed his thumb behind him.

She pulled out of the group and made her way towards the end of the line, her breathing heavy as she ran violently, dodging sparse people that were in her way. He poked out his head again, roaring out the cryptic word. She wanted to take a chance, so she did, screaming out the one thing she wanted to yell out since she got here.

"Garrus!" She yelled, annoying the people next to her.

The man pokes his head out again, yells, and meanders his way out of the crowd. She screams out the name once more. He smiles and begins to run.

"Shepard!?" He called out.

She holds her arms out as he grabs her and pulls her into a tight embrace. The woman hug returned the strength of the taller man's.

"Shepard, it's really you." He whispered softly.

"Yeah, it's me, but I'm so happy to see you right now." Shepard said with relief in her voice.

They only slightly pushed each other away while he swung her to and fro, his smile lighting up a thousand golden suns. Shepard's long black hair swayed peacefully around her and Garrus' ensnared arms. She pressed her lips against his slightly scarred right cheek, to which he closed his eyes and enjoyed fully.

"Standard reunion protocol, Garrus."

"How about we mend that protocol, just this once?"

Taking his hand, Garrus grabbed the back of Shepard's head and kissed her openly, passionately; their breath escaping them with each touch of their lips. They pulled away once again, but their fingers remained interlocked as she pulled him into the crowd, in which some of them were heard cooing at the couple's intimate embrace. Shepard laid her head on her partner's shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his skin on his hand. Garrus leaned his head lightly over her's as he stared down at their intertwined hands, something catching his eyes.

"Blue nails?" He asked quizzically.

"Yeah, you like them?" Shepard lifted her head and looked into his bright blue eyes, which no longer had the black shade behind it.

"Hell yeah, I like them!" He smiled and laughed.

They weren't sure how long it took them to get through the crowds towards Valhalla, but it seemed that Shepard and Garrus enjoyed each other's company along the way. The couple was the next through after a rather shady looking man in front of them went through the Life Scanners. He passed through, but something was wrong at the end of the scanners. A loud, piercing siren played through the large marble building, red lights flashed all around the scanners. Two men, clad in black military-style suits, arrived almost immediately and grabbed ahold of the now angry man. He squirmed and fought back violently, shouting obscenities at his holders.

"Calm down, dammit!" One of the men ordered.

"Hold him!" The other man yelled.

The guard on the left pulled out a long black stick, which immediately became electrified as he struck the struggling man across the face. He collapsed like he was dead again.

"How many years is this one going to spend in Utgard?" The guard holding the man questioned the clerk.

"Twenty Protectorate years, the shit he did was pretty bad." The clerk finally said after a brief silence.

Shepard clutched Garrus' blue jacket tightly. We just met up again, she thought; I don't want to lose him. She crunched her eyes closed, tears sparingly falling out as she did. He looked down and gently grabbed a side of her face, lifting it up to his view.

"Hey, you've done a lot of good in your life, don't be afraid." He smiled and placed a small kiss on her lips.

After the debacle in the Scanners, Shepard was next up. She looked back at her partner, who simply winked at her for reassurance. Then she turned around and began her long saunter up the Scanners. The clerk who judged the man before her, he simply smiled at what he saw on the glowing screen before him. His frizzy red hair bounced as he shook his head up and down. As she passed through the last Scanner, there were no sirens, no red lights signifying her quick departure to the mysterious Utgard.

"Congratulations, Miss Shepard, Welcome to Avalon!" The man finally said happily.

"Really! I-I really!" She was stunned at this as she quickly remembered the event before.

She laughed excitedly and looked back at Garrus, as he gave her two thumbs up at her success. Shepard, however, quickly reserved herself as she realized that he would be up next. The red haired man cried out for him to go through. She twiddled her thumbs nervously as he made his way through the Scanners. However, like her, as he made his way to the last Scanner, he received none of the fanfare that was reserved for the worst of the worst. She smiled again as the clerk gave him a warm welcome to Avalon, and then wrapped her arms around him, burying her head into his chest.

"Ah, a couple and a unique one at that! We rarely get them coming in together now. Well, then, go to the left here get the whatever memories you have of your deaths wiped clean and then your free to go."

The death memory wipe doesn't take more than a few seconds as it was nothing more than the movement of a light wand that only removed the memory they least wanted to keep. Shepard and Garrus met up after their scans, and intertwined their fingers again. A piece of paper was handed to Garrus by a young woman who was another clerk at Valhalla. They walked through the crowds of hugging families and friends and into the bright lights of Avalon.