"It's nice to get some rec leave once in a while, even if it is just on the Citadel," missed Garrus as he lounged back into one of the chairs at Flux.
Wrex looked around at the drunken crowd, either dancing or gambling. "Remind me why I'm here, again," he said, clearly unimpressed by what he saw.
"Come on, Wrex! Go buy yourself a drink. Look, I'll even pay!" Garrus said, sliding some credits across the table. "And when you come back, we'll go find some young thing to go dance with. There's quite a mix in here, so you can even afford to be picky." He raised his eyebrows at the Krogan, who glared back at him.
"Oh, Garrus, I'm sure that is against some sort of regulations." He looked up to see Liara and Tali joining their table, with four bubbling glasses on a tray. He looked enquiringly at the glasses before answering Liara with a tone of smugness. "Regulations, Liara? You'd know a thing or two about breaking those. How is out Commander, by the way?" Liara blushed deeply, but kept her gaze level. "That will be ten credits for that drink, Garrus. Five for the alcohol and five for the impertinence." Garrus snorted, but handed over the money, anyway.
"The lady at the bar said that no one has ever finished two of these… and stayed conscious," Tali put in, smoothly changing the subject. "She called it a 'Blaster'. I am most intrigued to try!" The quarian reached out and took the glasses closest to her. The other three stared and Tali looked back and said, defensively, "What?"
"Well…" started Garrus, and looked at Liara for help.
"How are you going to drink it?" asked Wrex bluntly, from across the table.
Tali shook her head and laughed before pulling out a hollow cylinder from her sleeve. "Shepard calls these 'straws'. She said humans sometimes use them to drink, even though they don't have to." Tali smiled as she put it in her glass.
"If you don't have a straw, how do you drink, then?" asked Garrus, with a puzzled frown. But Tali just laughed again and waved her hand at the other three to drink theirs, too. They all skilled them and the effect was immediate. Even Garrus, a seasoned drinker, even Wrex, a Krogan, couldn't make it to the bar for another one.
Half an hour later, Shepard walked into Flux, after being contacted by someone from C-Sec asking her to remove her crew from the premises. She strolled casually to the bat and ordered. As she waited she looked around and found them straightaway. Garrus was sitting on one side of a table entertaining two female Turians and a mauve Asari, all dressed like they'd just gotten off their shift from Chora's Den. Garrus was talking so loudly that Shepard could hear him clearly from the bar. "And then," he slurred, pointing his finger dramatically, "I flicked the rope and BAM!" he slammed his hand on the table, "the Thresher Maw was dead and the whole village from Altaaya was saved." The girls all twittered appreciatively. Shepard was distracted by a brief flash of blue from the other side of the table. Turning her head slightly, she saw Liara sitting in a chair with Tali slumped at her feet. It seemed that Liara was slowly losing control over her biotics, and whenever she slipped she would send bright blue flashes across the room, reminding Shepard of fireworks… Indoors. Liara's head was looking at Tali, but Shepard could see that she wasn't able to understand her, at all. Which was probably for the best. Just over the music she could hear Tali crying and trying to explain why she was so upset. "And then he –hic- said that –hic- he loved me, but –hic- he would have to –hic- wait until I returned from my –hic- Pilgrimage –hic- to do anything about it –hic. But I got a message –hic- from him –hic- saying that he's found –hic- someone other –hic- older –hic- girl –hic- and he doesn't –hic- love me anymore!" Liara tried to nod sympathetically. "Garrus, Liara, Tali… Wrex?" thought Shepard. "Where is he?" At this point the bartender approached her with a try. "Ma'am, your order." Shepard thanked her and paid, giving her a large tip and apologizing for her friends. She took her order and started walking over to the table. On her way, she heard a crashing and looked towards the dance-floor, and was utterly stunned. Wrex was standing in the middle of the floor, surrounded by amused, somewhat sober, patrons, doing what Shepard could only presume to be dancing, but looked more like a cross between the Chicken Dance back home and some advanced Yoga technique. As he almost careered into someone, the bartender made a small sound of despair behind her and looked like she was about to cry. Deciding enough was enough, Shepard strode over to the table Garrus, Liara and Tali were at. Making her voice carry over the music and in her most authoritarian tone she said "Crew of the Normandy." Garrus stopped bragging, Liara's head snapped up, Wrex froze in mid-move and the other aliens around the club looked over, wondering what was going on. The only sound was the considerably softer beat of the music and the occasional –hic- from underneath the table. When Shepard was sure that everyone was listening, she put her order down, very carefully. "Crew of the Normandy. This is a 'Blaster'." She picked up one on her glasses and drained it. "And so is this." She picked up her second glass and the drink was gone. "And this one," and finished off a third glass of bubbling alcohol. "Now, how many did you have?" She walked, steadily, towards the exit. Turning around at the door, she said: "Leave's over. Be back at the ship in five." And left, with all astounded eyes on her,