"Hey. I got the part, if you want to come over and install it."

There was dead silence. Despite the poor quality of the holographic display on his vidcomm, Kolyat could see every last drop of blood drain out of Peep's face.

"Shepard?" Kolyat carefully forced his throat to swell, just enough to pass for concern. It was taking every ounce of willpower he had not to crack and start trilling. Maybe this would get her to stop fucking with him all the time.

She licked her lips slowly. "You...got a flux capacitor?"

"Yep," he preened. "It was the last one they had. Got a great deal on it!"

Peep gave him a smile that even he could tell was strained. "Really? That's...great. Great. Good job, twerp."

"You wanna know how much?"

"Sure, why not?" Peep tried to hide her grimace.

"Take a guess," he prodded.

She shook her head, laughing weakly. "No, no. I really suck at guessing."

"You'll never believe it." Kolyat leaned closer to the camera with round, eager eyes.

"Just try me."

Oh, yeah. She'd believe him, all right. "Forty-seven five," Kolyat boasted.

Peep's expression was completely blank.

Kolyat's throat expanded again. "Shepard?"

"Forty-seven five?" she repeated eventually.

"Yeah."

Her brow furrowed. "As in, forty-seven thousand, five hundred?"

"Yeah."

"Credits?" Kolyat could see slightly more of the whites of her eyes than usual.

"It's a steal, isn't it?" he gushed, with a smug rumble that was as much for show as it was sincere.

"Kolyat..." Peep's face was white as a sheet. "Where'd you get it?"

Kolyat tilted his head and fiddled with his frill, feigning contemplation. "Oh, what's the name of that stupid place? You know that one shop a couple blocks down the street? You know, with the volus?"

"Oh, okay." Peep straightened, lips tightening into a stiff line. It was her problem-fixing face.

Kolyat pinched himself hard to keep from celebrating. Amonkira's jizz-crusted seam scales, she actually bought it! "Yeah, they knew right what I was looking for. Didn't take any time at all. They even agreed to finance it for me. The down payment on it sucked my savings dry, though, so that kind of sucked. But, hey! Once you get this thing put in there, my car'll be up and running in no time. Thanks, Shepard."

Peep swallowed thickly. "A-any time, twerp."

"So, when do you wanna come over?"

"Just...just gimme a minute. I'll come right now."

Kolyat heard the loud screech of Peep's chair against the floor. The comm display flickered slightly as she left her terminal, and then all he saw was an image of her and his father's living room. Apparently, she'd forgotten to terminate their link. Kolyat leaned back in his seat, smirking.

"THANE! THANE! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Kolyat winced and turned the volume down. Holy shit, she wasn't even in the same ward as he was, and she was still loud enough to make him deaf. Her voice grew fainter the farther away she got from the comm. There was some muffled, frantic babbling, punctuated by a loud "WHAT?"—definitely his father—and a couple of thumps, followed by the sound of a door slamming.

Kolyat guffawed and turned away from the comm, clutching his sides. "Hahahahaaa, fuck you, Shepard!" He stood up and started hopping around excitedly. Finally, she got to feel like a dumbass for once.

"Kolyat."

Kolyat froze. It was his father. He sat down in front of the comm again. "Um, hi, dad."

"Alhena has just informed me that you have been swindled as a result of a joke she played on you yesterday." Thane tilted his head expectantly.

"Uh, yeah..." Kolyat eyed him warily. Uh-oh. He was going somewhere with this, and nowhere good. He just knew it.

Thane's throat darkened. "I suspect, however, based upon the gleeful tone of the 'Fuck you, Shepard' I just heard, and your rather absurd dancing, that that might not be the case after all."

Oh, shit. "Er..." Kolyat cringed.

Thane narrowed his eyes. "I'll wait to lecture you on appropriate language and treating Alhena with respect. Right now, however, she is on her way to the store you told her about. You will go there and wait for her, and you will explain to her—and apologize—that you have lied. Do I make myself clear?"

Apologize? She started it! "But—!"

"Kolyat! Do not argue with me," Thane snapped.

Kolyat hunched his shoulders. "Yes, sir."

"I tire of these ceaseless games between the two of you. Rest assured, we will all be having a discussion about this later." Thane trilled once angrily, and then severed the connection.

Kolyat slouched and scuffed his foot against the carpet. "Aw, fuck."