Shepard was already at the arcade when Jacob arrived with his bevy of charges. She was dressed like a civilian—except for the discreet bulge of a pistol—and looked astonishingly normal. Jacob combed his memory and wasn't sure he'd ever seen her in anything but some type of uniform or fatigues.
She looked like she was doing well, relative to herself. She gave of a vibe of vigilant readiness, but not to the point of making anyone else jumpy or uneasy. He'd seen film clips of big predators on Earth with a similar easy watchfulness.
"Shattered eezo…this was the only game the best burger joint on Mindoir had. My older brother was an addict," Shepard mused.
Shepard's past—especially concerning family—was normally a closed book. For her to mention it was just strange. It made him realize that he never really thought of Shepard as anything but what he knew her as: an Alliance soldier, or Spectre depending on the day, who fought Reapers and their minions, usually overcoming some kind of impossible odd along the way. In his mind, it was as though she came into existence fully-grown and fully trained, even with 'Mindoir' as a footnote. It was just…weird…thinking about what her past before tragedy was.
"I was his first kicky bag," she said ruefully, nodding her head at the memory.
"Well, let's see if you've improved," Jacob answered teasingly. "Oh, by the way, these kids look up to me," he hissed in a carrying whisper, "so I have to take you down."
Shepard arched her eyebrows, bright eyes glinting with humor. "You're going to take…me…down?" she asked as though the concept was foreign.
It was weird to see Shepard in what could only be defined as a playful mood. Maybe it was just being off the line. If anyone needed a little time to decompress it was Shepard.
He wondered if it would amuse her to hear about Hackett's meltdown when he heard the quarians had opened fire on the ship Shepard was on. Apparently, he'd sworn quite the blue streak, surprising his aides and attaches.
"Better bring your lunch, Taylor."
"Well, step up then, quit stalling." He gestured her to take her pick of stations.
She settled on the rightmost station. It was like watching her prep for a mission, making sure she knew which buttons did what and, probably, working out some weird timing thing while she did it. She certainly looked damn serious…
…except for that twitch around the corner of her mouth.
"This is gonna be good," Shepard declared.
"I dunno. Might be tough without your squad to carry you."
Shepard gave a false cough which contained the words 'bullet magnet.'
Bless her for putting a show on for the kids.
"No pressure," Jacob declared, taking up the second station and cracking his knuckles. "These people already idolize you. So when you choke, it won't matter."
"Hey, hey, hey—you're crowding me," Shepard shot back, elbowing him gently.
"Am I?" he asked innocently, watching Shepard work not to grin wolfishly at the game. "My bad. Everyone back away, now, Shepard needs extra room to make the magic happen."
The kids laughed and Shepard's control over her grin finally failed.
"Ready?" Shepard asked, hands poised.
"Ready," Jacob answered.
"Let's do this."
She came out strong and she made him work. By the time her 'bot exploded spectacularly, he wasn't sure if she'd truly let him win or if he'd done it himself. "Ugh. Still not my game," she sighed as the kids cheered for him. "Congrats, Jacob." She shook his hand, then stepped back so he could enjoy the congratulations from the teens he was shepherding.
"Ah, you probably let me win," Jacob sighed, once the kids dispersed.
"Come on, would I do something like that?" she asked, as if the idea really was ludicrous.
"Yeah. You absolutely would."
"Well, I didn't."
He still wasn't sure he believed her, but it wasn't worth arguing about. "Come on," he tagged her elbow. "Let's get some food—I'm buying."
Shepard grinned, but shrugged.
"How're you handling civilian life?" Jacob asked as they headed towards the food counter.
"Fine. Can we sit facing the door?"
"Sure."
Shepard changed course and slid into a booth that commanded a decent line of sight to the door, her back to the back wall.
For a moment Jacob worried, before remembering Shepard was an N7. They probably taught this sort of 'always see at least one entrance/exit' awareness before the N got their first cert.
"It's weird being a civilian," Shepard admitted with a shrug. "But I see a lot of my crew, so most days I feel like I'm working part time. And Burns sees me every few days. He's not a soldier."
That was Shepard: she made the Human Councilor sound like just a guy.
"How're Brynn and the babies? They doing alright?"
"Doing fine. Brynn's happy as a clam. The girls are strong, too." He knew Shepard would ask. She worried about her crew, even her former crew, like they were family. Speaking of Brynn…
But not now. Right now, he and Shepard were catching up.
"How's the old team?"
"…some are doing better than others," Shepard answered judiciously. "You ever get hold of Miranda?"
"Yeah!" Jacob brightened at the memory of Miranda's expression when he introduced Aileen and Rose. He'd never seen Miranda so close to tears, big blue eyes all watery, a hesitant and unguarded smile playing around her mouth. Three days later, a bear and a bunny arrived for the twins (and a bottle of nice champagne for the parents). "She's doing fine. Asked if I'd send pictures from time to time."
"She would," Shepard grinned. "I wouldn't mind, either."
Jacob grinned. "No problem. I suspect you'll get tired of them before long, once the girls are old enough to do more than eat, sleep, and poop."
Shepard chuckled, nodding her agreement. "Let's hope they save any danger-woman stuff for when they're older."
