10/23/2013
He doesn't know if he is being overly paranoid, but Garrus can swear that all eyes are on him as he makes his way through the human dominated Alliance ship. People almost seem to stop in their very trails of conversation to watch as he and his two companions hurry through the mess of hallways.
He can hear the whispers of 'turian' on their lips, and he is surprised to find that, even after the Reaper War, fighting side-by-side, human's are still standoffish about his kind.
"I guess I should be thankful that all eyes are on me," he mutters to the small woman beside him.
She matches his greater stride with no complaint or trouble.
Shepard had barely offered a word to either Kaidan or himself the past two days, a fact that Garrus had tried to rectify without any success. He had gone to speak to her in the med bay, only to find that she had been moved to Kaidan's quarters. The change had annoyed him at first, but seeing the bulky Commander sleeping on the too-short couch in one of the observations decks had lifted his spirits considerably.
It had taken Garrus another day, mere hours before docking on Arcturus Station II, to work up the courage to talk to Shepard once more. His plan had been simple; he would bring her a meal and offer to brief her in on what they would probably be going over today. The meal had managed to go cold as he paced back and forth before the elevators. This plan had gone no better; ending in frustration aimed in Alenko's direction. The elevator had refused to move, requesting authentication from the Commander himself for Garrus to even talk to Shepard. He'd thrown the plastic tray of food onto the floor of the elevator before storming back to his temporary quarters, silently hoping that Alenko would slip on the mess he had made.
Garrus had calmed down since then, Alenko's sleep deprived appearance upon docking somewhat grounding the turian.
Jolted out of his thoughts, Garrus suddenly realizes that Shepard eyes are still on his face, observing him silently, as if for the first time. Her eyebrows are furrowed, deep in though, before she shakes her head, huffing indignantly. She blows a small tuft of her red human hair our of her eyes.
"I don't think I have anything to worry about. Nobody is going to recognize me in this," she motions down at her attire with a wry smirk.
She wears Shepard's old N7 hoodie and a small Alliance cap under the large black hood, hiding her identity from prying eyes.
He exhales in a silent laugh at her reply, happy to see that this Shepard has the same crooked tilt to her lips that his had when she had been self-deprecating.
They say nothing more as they continue to follow Alenko down the winding mess of halls. They stop before large double doors with glazed windows that hint at nothing inside.
A quick scan by the automatic doors allows entrance into the conference room without a fuss, and they make themselves comfortable around the large oval table, the opaque doors sliding closed behind them.
Shepard pulls back the hood as soon as their seated, removing the cap and placing it on the table before her. She doesn't let go of it, pulling at the stitching with her delicate human fingers.
Garrus shifts in his seat, the silence suddenly uncomfortable without the company of busy soldiers and workers. He hadn't realized how noisy it had all been until it was suddenly gone.
A quick glance at Shepard and Alenko to his left hints at none of their discomfort. Self-consciously, he forces himself to stop fidgeting. Seconds later, a grin pulls at his mouth when he can hear the quick telltale tapping of Shepard's foot, probably her right one, under the cover of the tabletop.
"Don't worry, Shepard," Garrus finds himself saying before he can stop himself. "I doubt Udina's going to be joining us today."
He notices that the quiet tapping instantaneously ceases its fast rhythm.
Garrus can almost feel Alenko's insulted glare pointed in his direction, causing him to chuckle. Though he wouldn't admit it, the man's glare is what goads him on further.
"Or at all, really," Garrus continues smugly. "I do believe we have Alenko to thank for that small favour."
He's impressed at Shepard's outwardly calm demeanor, despite another large bit of information that she had not been briefed on yet. Alenko's wish to keep as much from her as possible, until this meeting, had rubbed Garrus the wrong way from the start.
Eventually, she raises an arches eyebrow, turning her face away from the turian, and to her left, to face Alenko.
Despite Alenko's shortcomings, Garrus is impressed that he doesn't crack under Shepard's steady, questioning gaze. The human's brown eyes flicker quickly between the grinning turian and the questioning Shepard, before he manages a casual shrug.
Alenko's voice is even when he says; "That's what happens when you stage a coup on the Citadel alongside Cerberus."
An automated voice alerts them to the granted entry of Admiral Hackett, and the doors slide open. Without pause, both Alenko and Shepard simultaneously stand upright and turn, their right hands resting on their foreheads in a stiff Alliance salute.
I guess I should be a good turian, Garrus thinks wryly before following suit. He pushes up slowly from the table and, placing his hands behind his back, offers a courteous bow of his head at the human Admiral.
The Admiral doesn't look much different to the last time Garrus had seen him, but he knows enough about human physiology to know that the grey-haired man is due to start looking into retirement packages.
The Admiral offers a salute back to all of them, but his stern eyes don't leave Shepard's.
"At ease Commanders," he states, before nodding at Garrus, "Major General Vakarian."
It is the respectable, expected military way of greeting, but even Garrus can tell that the old human is holding back when his eyes dart quickly back to Shepard.
A moment of pause, and the Admiral's restraint falters, and the man reaches out a hand to Shepard. The smaller woman takes it after a moment of pause, grasping the man's wrist firmly in her own. She gives it a single firm shake, as is the human custom among well-liked comrades. Or so Shepard had explained to him many years ago.
"Commander Shepard," is all Admiral Hackett says by way of greeting.
Shepard's shoulders droop minutely in sudden relief. It doesn't take Garrus long to realize it is in response to the mention of her title, and he finds himself happy for this small victory, this one constant for this Shepard to hold onto.
Without another word, they reclaim their seats.
The Admiral walks the long way around the oval table, no doubt taking the moment to get his bearings, before sitting directly across from Alenko. He intertwines all of his fingers on the tabletop in front of himself, before giving Alenko a small nod of his head.