-Jane-

When Liara approaches Jane as she's grabbing a cup of coffee, she didn't believe her idea would work, but thinking about it more as the Normandy goes through the last of its docking procedures she can't see any real reason why not to try it. She admits that spending the morning with her Drell shadow has gotten her to question her decision to directly turn in the girl to authorities.

Subject 12, despite her renewed insistence on following Jane around, seems genuinely curious of the ship and people around her. Jane knew that look in the girl's wide eyes, she wasn't collecting data to take back to some employer, she was a child in a new and wonderful world she's probably never experienced. Jane was having a hard time seeing the good in forcing someone just barely seeing the world over to a system of detainment she personally believed only led to more corruption.

Surprisingly, even the hardest of her crew recognized what little innocence still may have existed under the hard shell the Shadow Broker gave the girl after only meeting her last night during Jane's rounds. Even the normally distrusting Williams approached the Drell this morning as she was packing her things for leave and keyed in some poetry recommendations into her datapad to read.

Liara had said of an Asari on the Citadel who supposedly had a gift with helping people with whatever needs they may have, named The Consort. Sure, it sounded that like the woman was nothing more than a glorified whore, but after questioning her crew as they passed by with their breakfasts, anxious to be off the ship, she was starting to think it wasn't just that. The Consort seems to cater to needs of her clients, whether it be sex, talking, message, the like, and Liara was determined to believe that Subject 12 could benefit from her help.

Jane leans back in her seat, her hands rubbing at the stress headache forming in her temples. Was it really so wrong to look at this from her own perspective and see that even a normal child would meld themselves to fit the environment, the people, that they are around? A sort of monkey-see-monkey-do? Was she wrong in fearing that a girl like 12 would actually be more impressionable due to what little they could determine from her already shifting interactions on the ship?

"You seem stressed." A flanging voice pulls her out of her turmoil, her eyes snapping open as she shifts straight in her seat. She looks around the now empty mess, her only companion besides her husband the Drell girl sitting in one of the chairs of Kaidan's workstation as she reads.

"Sorry. Just thinking." She smiles weakly and he huffs as he takes a seat in front of her.

"You know that shore leave officially started nearly an hour ago and nearly everyone is already off the ship." He looks over his shoulder towards Twelve. "This about her?"

Her brows droop down. "That obvious?" He nods with a pointed look. "Don't give me that. I just…I don't think taking her to C-Sec is the best option."

He blinks once, but quickly recovers. "I don't understand. What, exactly, do you think is better?"

She leans a forearm on the table, dropping the opposite elbow to its surface and cupping her forehead. "I don't know. All I know is that C-Sec will just lock her up. No offense, but I doubt C-Sec is high on believing that some aren't necessarily responsible for their actions."

Her husband sighs, leaning back into his chair as her stress seems to engulf him. "You're right. Turians don't really think that way. We tend to expect someone to take responsibility." He flicks an angered mandible with a low growl. "You're right in thinking the worse, but I don't know what you expect to do with her. You can't just let her go back to the Shadow Broker."

"She wouldn't. She's as good as dead to him, them… whatever." She finally looks over to the person in question. "Garrus, do Turians have an equivalent to the thought that it takes a village to raise a child? That people outside of the family have just a big of influence on a child?"

"Sure. I'm pretty sure all cultures do, regardless of species. Why?"

"I'm starting to think that 12 isn't as apathetic as we believe." He lifts a brow at that. "There's a person deep down and the more we talk to her like she's a person and not a thing, the more that person starts to show." She sighs and drops her arms to lay across the table. "I showed her my favorite book last night, The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, and then, this morning, I asked her which, out of all the books she's read so far, is her favorite." She looks to him with a frown. "She told me Alice in Wonderland, but she had no clue why. I honestly think she's trying to be that person that's deep down, but she just doesn't know how so she's grasping at straws, saying things she thinks are the right answer because she doesn't know how."

She doesn't say more, instead moving her worried gaze across the level to the girl. She hears the deep exhale and shift of Garrus in his seat, his warm hands taking hers. "Jane, I know you want to help her, but we are a warship full of soldiers. We can't offer her a way into her own mind."

Biting her lip, she squeezes his hands. "That's what I thought until Liara came to me." She turns to him. "She says that there are Asari would can help to break down mental barriers. A kind of psychiatrist, if you will. Liara can't do it, but there's someone on the Citadel who could and who's been doing it for centuries."

"The Consort."

Puzzled, she pauses for a moment. "You've heard of her?"

He rolls his eyes. "I lived on the Citadel, Jane. I even had a run in with an outraged Volus who didn't like that his missed his appointment and had to go back on the waiting list." He shakes his head. "Look, point is that even if you think it'll help. What then? We can't hold the girl's hand. We have a mission."

"Don't you think I know that?" She scowls, jerking her hands from his. "Do you think I'm fucking stupid? I know my priorities and nothing will get in my way when it comes down to taking down Saren, but I can't look at myself in the mirror if I turn my back on this now."

Her hands are trembling in rage and frustration, but she doesn't pull away when he retakes her hands in his with a soothing rumble he's taking no effort in hiding. "Jane, think about what's right for her. What will you do when you have to drop? Who will watch her then? Can you really expect to have the others watch her?"

She clamps her eyes shut. She knows what he's doing, can see it in his eyes. He doesn't necessarily disagree with her, and he may even share some of her fears if she knows the pain in his eyes, but he has to be the voice of reason, the one to point out the flaws that exist in her logic. It's what they've always done with each other, take the figurative punches and be the 'bad guy' in order to show every possibility of their situation and though she respects it, she can't help but tighten her fists in his hold in utter frustration.

"God damn it," she hisses. "I don't fucking know. Liara all but begged me to let her stay on the ship, even going as far as saying that she'd never go on a ground mission just to help her, but I still don't know what to do. I'm running a fucking ship, not some damn day care."

A low hum pulls her eyes open and she looks up to her mate, a pensive look in his silvery-blue eyes. "It sounds like T'Soni has deep feelings about this decision. Perhaps you should invite her to go with you to see The Consort if you can convince her to see 12." He smiles softly, stroking his fingers over her hands soothingly. "Talk to her then, let her know your worries and then you can see if she's really aware of what she's asking of you, of what she's offering."

"I don't even know if Twelve wants this." Jane waves her clasped hand lightly in the girl's direction. "I don't think I'd want to know my mind if she went through anything like what I did."

"And yet, it is what is needed in order to heal." He lifts one of her hands to his lips, nipping softly in his very unique kiss. "I know thinking of your past hurts, but you were never able to get over Akuze until you acknowledged it." He looks over his shoulder towards the Drell. "She's smart, she'll understand if you tell her what will happen. I'm also sure that The Consort will know how to make sure it is a smooth transition, not an overwhelming force."

Jane sighs deeply, letting Garrus' hands to go to stand. "Thanks. I'll contact Liara and let her know the plans." She stops mid-step and looks to him. "Will you still be joining me to talk to The Consort?"

He chuckles. "Of course. Though, I may have to take my leave if everything goes as planned." He smirks. "It would be quite awkward to have to explain to Liara why we're spending shore leave together."

She snorts and crosses her arms over her chest. "Not really. Everyone thinks you have such a huge stick up your ass that they all think you spend your shore leaves working anyways. It'd actually be more believable."

One brow plate lifts. "'Stick up my ass'? What's with humans and your fascination with asses? First the Mako and now this?" She shakes his head, choosing not to go down that line of thinking and moves over to Subject 12.

"Hey," she says when the young Drell looks up from her datapad. "We're on shore leave, so we're going to be leaving the ship." Without the word, the girl pops up from her seat, tucking her datapad into an inner pocket of her hooded jacket.

Jane blinks at the sudden movement. "O-kay." She turns to Garrus and motions with her head towards the stairs to leave. "Let's head out to find ourselves an Asari magician."

He shakes his head at that, but doesn't correct her as they round the elevator just as the doors open to let out Tali. The Quarian falters in her step for a moment, obviously not expecting any other crew members still on the ship this late into shore leave. "Oh, hey Shepard. Garrus." Her eyes crinkle behind her mask when she notices their newest addition. "Hi 12… Keelah, I wish we didn't have to call you that. It just feels so-"

"This one does not have any other form of designation," the white Drell interrupts, obviously not privy as to why none of them feel quite right calling her by a number.

Tali looks to Jane, a question in her glowing eyes, and Garrus chuckles. "Looks like we'll have to come up with something."

Now on the CIC, Jane steps closer to 12 and explains. "We don't think that you should go by a number. It's not who you are and, yes, we know you may not know any other name, but soon you'll agree. You'll like leaving the past associated with that number in the past and creating a life for yourself."

Red eyes blink slowly. "This one does not understand."

Garrus and Tali hold the airlock doors open for her and 12 to enter. "I know, but one day it'll make more sense. I promise." Remarkably, the girl actually nods, though in understanding or because she just wants to appease Jane is unsure, but Jane wants to hope that some bit of this conversation may have made it through.

Deciding to drop the subject and give the girl a chance to hopefully think their words over, Jane turns to Tali with a smirk. "So, Tali…"

The Quarian turns to her, her eyes shifted into what Jane assumes is an expecting brow lift. "So, Shepard…"

Her smirk widening, she leans closer and hears her husband's soft chuckle. "Rumors are that you got yourself a boyfriend."

A little squeak echoes out of the woman's helmet and her tri-fingered hands rise in imitation of covering her blushing cheeks. "Shepard! How? Who? Where?"

"What and when?" she jokes, biting back her laughter at her friend's embarrassed gawking. "I never reveal my sources, though it only took a little bit of thought to actually get to the point." Tali's eyes turn to her, glancing quickly to their additional airlock members, before returning with a pleading look in her eyes. "Oh, calm down. 12 is reading her datapad again and Garrus won't tell anyone. Cop's honor."

"I don't think that's a real thing, Shepard," Tali protests weakly, already seeming to see that she has no hope of getting out of this.

"Well then, Turian's honor. Point is," she leans in and mock whispers, "I know who you're seeing whenever we dock and all I have to say is-"

The opening of the airlock doors cut her off and the Quarian is out like a shot from the barrel of a gun. Garrus flicks an amused mandible, a rumbling chuckle thrumming from his chest. "I do believe you may have traumatized the poor girl."

She snorts as she leads the two to the lift, now already on its way down due to Tali rushing to get away from Jane's torment. "Please, that's no worse than you scaring her with that weird food of yours that looked like bugs when we first stocked on the good food."

"Oh, that." He looks up in thought. "I liked those. Shame you never ordered anymore."

"I didn't because half my crew thought they were spiders and the other half had fun trying to scare the former shit-less." She quickly catches herself and turns to 12. "Probably best if you learn to not talk like I do."

The lift opens to let them in and Garrus snorts. "Who are you kidding? Staying on the Normandy, she's definitely not getting out of it without catching the worst of everyone."