"Do you dance?"
"Not since my university days," Liara says, watching the gyrating commotion on the other side of Flux. She clears her throat. "And yourself?"
The light reflected on Tali's mask winks back at her. "A bit, but it's different from what we're looking at here."
"I imagine so."
There's another overly fruity drink in her hand. She keeps forgetting to order something else, but an elcor waves down the pretty, red-haired bartender before she can. Behind them are Shepard and an older human male hunched over at a table, their conspiratorial whispers lost in the noise. Garrus, Kaidan, and the usual group are somewhere else on the Citadel. Tali leans forward, her white eyes flashing. "What do you think they're talking about?"
Liara sips from her glass and winces. "A way to un-ground the Normandy, I'm sure."
"It's been hours since we've docked though," she says, her hood shifting restlessly on her helmet, "Sar—he could be in Ilos already."
"She can appeal to the Council again," Liara replies firmly and attempts to catch the bartender's attention once more.
"None of whom believe her."
The woman stays on the opposite end of the bar, completely oblivious. "Another path will reveal itself."
"What makes you so sure that—"
Her hand accidentally comes down hard on the counter as the next words come out earnestly, without thought. "Now is not the time for doubt. We've come too far to lose faith in Shepard." And then quietly, like a second breath, "She'll do what needs to be done."
It's the most passionately Liara has spoken in front of someone. Even she is surprised by the sudden verve in her voice. When Tali slowly tilts her head, the asari wishes—not for the first time—that she could see past that opaque, purple plating. "I—I didn't realize it was the same for you too."
"What is?" It slips out harsher than Liara has intended.
"Let me explain." She stills her with a hand. "I was in one of the alleys here, bargaining for protection because of the evidence hidden in my suit when I met her. The whole deal was stupid, I was stupid, but I didn't know what else to do. And I had already sustained a previous injury. Worse would've happened if-well…" Tali looks down, and she's forcefully reminded of her youth. "But she showed up so nothing happened."
Her story takes several seconds to become clear, and abruptly Liara drains half of her drink. "I was trapped in the ruins and surrounded by geth for almost two days," she says, swallowing, "I was either going to die of starvation, dehydration, or gunfire—whichever came first. But-"
"You didn't," Tali finishes.
A warm feeling starts at her neck, steadily creeping to the tip of her crest. Liara can't tell if it originated from the alcohol or somewhere else. "It appears we both got lucky."
Tali nods, successfully calling over the bartender to the other's surprise. "We got Shepard."
