Shylene walks into the apartment without preamble, tossing her coat onto the sofa and falling gratefully onto the couch.

"Ah, that's better"

Traynor, who is wrapped in the same blanket Shylene had found her in, had been watching a soap opera in peace. She slowly turns her head to level a scathingly sarcastic look at the Asari.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Shylene shrugs, bringing her feet to rest on the coffee table. "Got bored at the gallery so thought I may as well come here. I knew you wouldn't have anything going on"

"Excuse me? That is extremely presumptuous!"

Shylene looks questioningly at the TV, and then back Traynor. Her demeanor screams a smug disbelief. "Really now?"

Traynor huffs. "I don't have to justify myself to you"

"Absolutely you don't. So, what are we watching?"

Traynor bites down the angry retort. "Outlaws of the Code"

Shylene guffaws. "Seriously? That show is soo predictable"

"I don't care. I like it and I' going to watch it"

Shylene rolls her eyes. "Alright then. I guess it's not so bad. I'm gonna grab a snack, you want something?"

Traynor's air of hostility drops immediately. "Ohh! Yes! Toast me one of those blueberry bliss-cakes in the top cabinet"

"Aw, you have those? Can I get one?"

"Fine. But none of the blueberry ones. Those are for me"

"Stingy"

A few minutes later the two of them are situated on the couch, with a plate of bliss-cakes, and a cup of milk for each of them. Having apparently completely forgotten her previous animosity for Shylene, Traynor is leaning her head on the Asari's shoulder, occasionally reaching for the plate on Shylene's lap for another bliss-cake.

"Okay," says Shylene, gesturing insistently at the TV, "that is completely impossible. I don't care how good you are, you cannot just biotically lift a mech that size without at least popping a blood vessel"

"No it makes sense because Marcella was exposed to red eezo when she was in the womb. It superpowers her biotics"

"Red eezo? Really? That is so contrived"

"It's fiction. Stop taking it so literally. Besides, no-one really watches it for the actual plot"

"What do they watch it for then? Suspended disbelief"

"Har, har. No. The main story is pretty good…" Shylene coughs disbelievingly and Traynor swats her on the boob ('Ow! Why!?"), "like I was saying, the main story is pretty good, but everyone really watches it for the romantic sub-plot"

As if to make her point, the episode segues to a flashback scene of protagonist's mercenary days where she is making sweet graphic love to the Turian Primarch's wife.

Shylene immediately leans forward. "Holy shit this show is awesome"

Traynor rolls her eyes, "Not what I was talking about. That's just one of the many inconsequential sex scenes"

Shylene doesn't answer her, eyes fixed on the screen. Her reveries is only broken when , two minutes later, the Primarch walks in on his cheating wife and the protagonist has to jump out the window, wreathed in biotics to slow her fall. Shylene lets go of her breath and leans back into the back of the couch. She's quiet for a while.

Finally: "Why haven't you asked me where Jack is?"

Traynor shifts against Shylene's arm to get more comfortable. "Where is she?"

"She went home with some Miranda woman"

Traynor nods. "I thought it was something like that"

"You weren't worried?"

"I try not to be. If I get worried I get jealous, and when I get jealous I get possessive"

"What do you have to be jealous of?"

"You, for one"

"Me?"

"Yeah. I get jealous when she makes other friends. But it's not good for either of us to think that way, so I try not to worry about it. But you've been hanging around a lot, so…" Traynor searches for words and doesn't find them, "Urgh, nevermind, it's stupid"

"Aww, it's not like I'm not trying to take away your besty"

"I know that! Which is why I'm not worried. Jack has problems, but she's not an immature teenager. She won't stop becoming my best friend because someone else comes along. No matter how cool, beautiful, or interesting you may be, she's still my best friend"

Shylene blushes, not that Traynor can see it. "You think I'm all of those things?"

"Don't let it get to your head," says Traynor, clearly embarrassed.

Whatever confidence that allowed Shylene to swagger into the apartment like she owned the place left her at this precise moment, as she realized that the woman snuggled against her was attractive, intelligent, funny, and seemed to have a high impression of her despite her swaggering into the apartment like she owned the place.

And Shylene becomes nervous around people she's attracted to; after all it took her several weeks to work up the courage to ask out Jack.

"What's wrong? You just stiffened a little"

"Er…nothing I- um- watching the show I guess"

"See? I knew you would get around to liking it"

"Yeah. I guess it's pretty cool after all"

"This position isn't very comfortable…" Tryanor lifts her head, and before Shylene can become disappointed about that the human lifts Shylene's arm, rests her head against Shylene's chest, and deposits her arm so that it's around Traynor's shoulders. "That's better," she sighs.

Shylene swallows. "Yeah it is"