I want to apologize. I've forgotten twice to thank my awesome beta JaliceAZ and now I would like to catch up. Thank you and thank you. Oh! And thank you again for making my work look good with the correct use of the English Language, even if you don't get to beta my A/N
Thank you to my reviewers JaliceAZ, NiceNoob, and Cayar.
So, here's the next chapter of our installment.
Jori didn't know what to do as he held onto a crying Deena. They were back at the bench beside their now forgotten lunch. After hearing the news of the attack on Earth, Deena had tried, unsuccessfully, to contact some of her family via omni-tool, but none of her messages had gotten through. It wasn't long before she had walked away in silent shock, leaving a perplexed Jori to follow. She sat down without a word, much to his surprise for she usually had plenty to say, and stared off at nothing in particular. Her uncharacteristic silence worried him. He had to say something to her, so he attempted to comfort her, only to have her break down in sobs.
Now he actually held her in his arms, to his astonishment, as she let out all the fear and uncertainty. The other day, during one of her one-sided conversations, she had told him about her family back on Earth. He understood from the way she talked about them, that she loved them dearly. And now? Now her home was under attack from an unverified source and more than likely her family was involved. He was no stranger to the agony of not knowing, to the dread that precedes the likelihood of the worst coming to pass. There was little he could do but be there for her as she fought through the emotional turmoil.
It was a while before Deena was able to calm down enough to be understood and answer the simple questions Jori asked, such as, "Would you like to go home?", "Is there anything I can do for you?", and "Are you sure you want to go back to the lab?" Her short answers of "No," "No", and "I'm sure," were also uncharacteristic in contrast to her usually long, explanatory replies.
Back at the labs, Deena kept to her side of the room, leaving a deafening silence broken only by the clinking and shuffling of the equipment they were using. The remainder of the day dragged on with Jori frequently stealing looks towards Deena, expecting her to break down again at any moment. He watched as the other humans in the labs, one by one, took the rest of the day off. Salan had come in to give his commiserations and offered Deena leave to go home if she needed. She politely refused before turning back to the sample she was examining.
When the clock marked the end of the work day, Jori retired his lab coat to its hook then waited for Deena to do the same as was their routine. He held the door open for her but she remained in place, pale and forlorn. Unsure of what else to do, he held his hand out to her, confident she wouldn't take it. He was surprised when she, yet again, contradicted his thoughts and gratefully accepted it.
With her warm hand now encased in his, they made their way to the elevator. Once inside the perpetually occupied car, she surprised him even further by leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder. A few of the occupants took notice and gave looks of disapproval. One or two even gave thinly veiled remarks that Deena either didn't hear or ignored. Jori couldn't ignore them though. He knew what associating with him would cost her; rejection, insults, judgment, accusations. Everything that came with being a second class citizen in this galaxy. Yet at this moment, he couldn't care. She needed the comfort and if he was honest, he relished the closeness she was providing.
Enduring the censure, Jori thought of a way to continue this newfound, albeit temporary, familiarity. Clearing his throat, he asked her quietly, "Doctor Farthing, are you hungry?"
Deena looked up at him in confusion. She was probably wondering why he called her by her title instead of going by their agreed upon first name basis. She blinked up at him, then responded lethargically.
"I am a bit. Would you accompany me?" she asked.
Stealing a glance at the turian standing next to them, Jori nodded before giving a short, "If you would like."
At the next stop, the two got off and headed for a cluster of local restaurants. Jori led them to a small restaurant that he knew he was welcomed at. The human hostess lead them to a table in the back where Deena and Jori received their respective menu datapads.
Deena broke the silence of their perusal by commenting, "I miss menus back home."
Jori looked up at her statement. He knew she needed something to take her mind off the invasion, but this seemed an odd topic to start on. Still if that was what she wanted to talk about, then he would oblige her.
"I take it the menus on Earth are different?"
She scrunched her nose before answering. "Well, yes and no." He cocked his head in question. "The modern restaurants all try to outdo each other with electronic menus on their tables, walls, or even different objects that disappear when you're done ordering. But a lot just have the basic menu datapad. Makes it easier for updating." She set aside her menu and propped her chin on an upraised hand. "I miss the restaurants where I grew up. The kind that wrote daily specials on chalk boards, handed you grease stained, laminated, paper menus, and boasted their newest additions on little cards at your table. We used to always go out Thursdays, and try to find a new place to eat at that didn't have electronic this or that involved with ordering your food."
Jori gave a small grin. She was back to her usual self, at least for the moment. Grabbing her menu up, she placed her order before sliding it into the space in the wall reserved for that very thing, and watched as Jori followed suit.
Silence hung between them and Jori wondered how much time would go by before she started talking again. True to form, she picked up a utensil and fiddled with it as she asked. "What about Kahje? What are the restaurants like there?"
Caught off guard by the sudden interest in his home world, Jori stumbled over his thoughts before he was able to form an answer. "There are no restaurants."
At that, Deena sat up straight and put down the utensil she was twirling. She only ever remained still when something completely captured her attention. Jori took note that this was one of those instances.
"There aren't?" she asked.
"Ah…no. Well, I heard there is one in the embassies for off worlders but, no, there are no restaurants."
Deena looked at him expectantly. When he didn't answer she asked, "And?"
"And what?" he asked slowly in return.
"Have you ever had a conversation before, Jori?" Before he could answer that she continued, "Don't just answer questions. Elaborate your answers with explanations or stories. Or ask a question in return. The point of a conversation is to keep talking and not let silence make the date awkward."
What? They were on a date? He must have missed something on their way to dinner. He would have to review the memory later to see what it was he missed. Was this how human dates were supposed to happen? Eat a meal and talk about subjects that interested either party? Jori had always assumed humans liked to go to the clubs or casinos when they went on dates. Maybe she expected to go to one after they were done eating.
At the sound of Deena clearing her throat, Jori retreated from his musings.
"I apologize. I…on Kahje…." He didn't know where to, elaborate, as Deena put it.
Smiling at him, she helped him out by asking, "Where do unattached drell who live alone eat? What happens around meal time? Not everyone learns to cook their own meals."
Inwardly sighing in relief he told her, "Drell live in a, I believe you would call it a small-town society. Everyone knows everyone else. When someone lives alone, or is ill, or is unable to provide a meal for whatever reason, they are invited to join others in their home." He paused a moment then added. "Many times, groups of individuals will take turns and rotate the responsibility of the meal every day so one might only have to worry about a couple meals a week. Because everyone knows one another, no one is left without an invitation. As a result, no one goes hungry. Restaurants would disrupt this tradition in drell society."
"Really?" she asked in amazement. "Is that why few drell leave Kahje?"
He thought about that and realized it was probably true. Drell depended too much on intradependent social customs to comfortably live anywhere else. It did explain quite a bit.
Not wanting to receive another lecture about conversation, Jori said, "I believe so. It never really occurred to me before, that that would be why few drell venture beyond Kahje."
"Do the hanar participate?"
"No. They are asked to join but they always politely refuse. I believe it's because of how they eat."
Deena's eyes widened. "How do they eat? I've never seen one actually eat."
Jori grimaced, "It isn't pleasant. I don't know if I can describe it."
She laughed but before she could inquire further, their food arrived, effectively stopping the trail of conversation. A few bites into his meal, Jori realized Deena was lost in her thoughts and pushing her food around on her plate. He could tell she was thinking about her family again and the situation on Earth. She was working her bottom lip between her teeth, unaware of what was happening around her. He decided he didn't like it when she was like this and strove for a topic of conversation she would enjoy. He found she was at her happiest when she was talking about things she loved. Searching his memory to come up with something, he landed on one from their second day of working together and relived it momentarily.
"If I may ask, what is a cat? I believe you own one named Pookey, correct?"
At his questions, she came out of her despair with a fond smile and began to describe the creature in question. As the meal went on, Jori ended up asking her more questions about her cat than he thought he would. But anything was worth seeing her smile like that, even if it wasn't for him.
Skipping dessert, they left the restaurant in a lighter mood than when they entered. Neither seemed to want to leave the other, so they ended up walking around the Citadel with no destination in mind. As usual, Deena dominated the conversation but Jori was keeping up his end quite well. He discovered he enjoyed talking about nothing in particular and silently wished others would accept him as easily as Deena did.
He also discovered that he enjoyed holding Deena's hand while they walked through another garden. They had a little difficulty at first with the placement of their fingers, but with an adjustment on her part, they figured it out. It was a peculiar sensation to be in constant contact with another like this. Despite that, Jori firmly held on to her hand as if he might lose her. And he didn't want to lose her. For once since beginning his life on the Citadel, he felt wanted. Fulfilled. He relished her company too much and was beginning to think in terms of longevity with her. He was even toying with the idea of skipping the next two steps of the bonding courtship so he could claim her as his female.
How did she come to mean so much to him so quickly? He knew it was dangerous territory to think like that and he knew he couldn't keep her forever. So he settled for the here and now with her. And their conversations.
They had been slowly walking along one of the many large fountains that can be found everywhere on the Citadel. Somehow they got on the topic of what happens after humans marry and drell bond. He was astonished at the variety of customs humans hold in that area and wondered which one Deena followed.
"So, drell males leave their parents' household when they come of age and when they…bond?" she looked at him for confirmation. At his nod she continued, "The males move into their new mate's family home…What happens if the female dies?"
"The male stays with her family. He has become an important asset to the family by then. If he chooses to bond with another female, he will move and become a part of the new family while keeping in touch and fulfilling obligations with his birth family and first bonded family."
"What if there are children?" Deena continued. "Usually on Earth, children stay with the surviving parent. Sometimes they stay with grandparents or other family members. Do children follow their father to his new family?" She looked up at Jori at her last question and found that he was no longer paying attention to her.
Jori was instead distracted by another large congregation of individuals. Every vid and terminal broadcasting the Galactic News was surrounded. The scene was just like at lunch when the news of the attack on Earth was released. Only this time, the majority of the crowd was made up of batarians.
"What's going on?" Deena softly asked. Worry and fear were very much evident in her voice.
He looked down at her and silently led them to the nearest vid screen.
"…ago all communication was lost with the batarian home world Khar'shan. A handful of distress beacons have since been received over the past hour, but none conclusive enough to identify the reason for all of Khar'shan's comm buoys to go down. Many are speculating that the same force that invaded Earth earlier today is responsible."