Garrus felt like he was sitting on hot coals. Mother and Father were seated in front of them in the living room. Solana was beside him, her head low. Aunt Demetra and Uncle Cassius were there too.

At first, when she hadn't answered, he thought of a bigger problem and almost panicked. Then the automatic message played. "This line has been terminated by its owner."

Now, he was in the living room. This time, he thought, there would be a bigger pensum than those they give at school.

"Solana told us that your obsession over this little human girl had made you neglect your duties. Is that true?" Father asked.

"I was late to a few classes. Solana is well cared for every morning and every evening I'm helping her with her homework. I also still have excellent grades, Father." Garrus said, in a voice he hoped stayed even.

"Solana also told us that you gave the human homework. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"How has the human came into possession of your cousins' omni-tool?"

"She told me that she had found it in the Shanxi resistance bunkers. One that had at one point been repurposed by our troops. She stumbled on the omni-tool and called the first number in the list."

Father sighed and glanced at his sister. Aunt Demetra looked a bit haunted and Uncle Cassius a bit tired.

"Why did you continue the calls knowing well that it had a cost?" Father asked again, staring back at Garrus.

"I…"

Weakness.

"I didn't think. I was curious because she had a sickness and she looked so young. I didn't want to bother her with Laverne's death. I… I totally forgot about what this must have cost. I swear to you I will repay every single credit she spent!" he added.

Mother opened her mouth. Father looked at her.

"Did you really say that she was your little human sister?" she asked.

Garrus hesitated. He was betrayed anyway by his voice that was chanting truth. I love her.

"I did." He finally said, making it final. "I grew attached to her. She's clever and she wants to enter the human military at eighteen, like her parents did."

Silence fell back onto the living room. It was almost impossible to bear, though.

"I… She told me she was bored at school but didn't dare to say anything, lest her Mother sent her to a specific boarding school. She was alone because she used to live on a space station and was scorned by her schoolmates. I was her only friend, her confident and I gave her Solana's homework to do so she would feel better. So yes, she is my human little sister. I love her as much as I love Sol."

Sol's voice grew fierce and frustrated and she finally yelled and ran out to her room. When she was far enough that her harmonics weren't heard anymore, Aunt Demetra said:

"You will indeed repay every expense made by your other sister." She said. "To the last credit."

Garrus let his voice humbly notice the adults that he had understood. Cassius then laughed bitterly.

"I knew little Sol was jealous the moment she added that you had neglected your duties." He said.

Indeed she was. Why else would she get their relatives, blatantly lying to them to get the line closed. Garrus hoped she'd be punished harshly for this lie.

"A good turian is never late to class, however." Father said.

"I did all of my pensums and I never lied to anyone." Garrus said, on the defensive.

"Of course you did your pensums." Mother exclaimed, sounding shocked that anyone wouldn't assume the consequences of their acts. "It's bad enough that you forgot the cost of simple things or omitted that you had a penfriend we knew nothing about. You'd have been punished harder than that if you had defied authority in that manner." She added.

"Does that mean that there won't be further punishment?" Garrus said.

"No." Father said. "However, should the little girl call again, I beg you to be careful. It's only been four years… I don't think it is a trap or a clever scheme to undermine the Hierarchy's power, obviously…"

"They'd target the Primarch's children…" Garrus said.

"But it could have been a human with a revenge streak using a child to get to any turian." Mother whispered, her mandibles quivering at the thought. "Please, next time tell us that you are talking with strangers. As cute and pink as they are."

"I promise, Mother, Father. And I'm sorry Aunt Demetra, Uncle Cassius…"

"There is no need to be sorry." Uncle Cassius said. "You three are children. Sometimes children don't think. But you need to turian up for later, Garrus. You won't be a child forever. Neither your sister or that human girl. You have responsibilities, boy. It's even doubled now that you've fallen for a cute pyjak-face…"

Garrus looked at his uncle with a hurt look and then realised that he was joking. He wished Laverne was here. She'd have laughed. However, he would have never met Jane had she lived… Or would he? She could have just lost the 'tool, right. Damn, this was getting complicated, he thought.

Mother hugged him, this day and things almost went back to what they were before Jane had sneaked into Garrus' life. He would help his sister every morning and every evening. He would be punctual…

However, a certain life had left his eyes as he resumed his daily routine of the most unremarkable nine years old turian.