Garrus had the odd feeling that something funny was going on behind his back, and he had the even odder sense that Shepard was not only aware of whatever it was, but was actively contributing.

'Hey, Garrus? Tali's in with the Council this afternoon. I'd wait in the hall for her, but I've got red tape wrapped around my ankle on one hand, and meetings I can't reschedule on the other. Can you sub in for me? She ought to see a friendly face when she gets out from meeting those jackals.'

Jack-somethings, Garrus thought idly. What struck him, after he and Shepard hung up, was that Shepard was no longer restricted to quarters. Granted, half her crew was making sure she didn't go out alone, but there was something flimsy in her excuse. Usually, Shepard was 'I'd reschedule my own funeral for a crewman!'

But she hadn't. She'd asked him.

Not that he minded. Tali was a good friend, and goodness knew a meeting with the Council was probably one of the most nerve-wracking things she'd ever done. A friendly face could only be welcome after something like that. And it wasn't as if he wasn't pleased to be that friendly face…

…but he still felt like something was going on. It wouldn't do any good to ask Shepard what it was, either.

"Garrus?"

Garrus jumped, having been so wrapped in his own thoughts he hadn't noticed Tali come into the hallway. "Hey," he said reflexively, getting to his feet. "Thought you might need a friend after all that," he indicated the Council's meeting room. Not the big chambers where they had conferred Spectre status to Shepard, but one of the smaller rooms they used for day-to-day unimportant meetings. And, probably, the appointment of most new Spectres.

Tali chuckled. "Well, it is good to see a friendly face."

"Did it go okay in there?"

Tali shrugged. "I don't know, yet. I don't think so, but you know how they are."

Garrus nodded.

"Still. The turian refugees down in the docks will be getting some aid. I, uh, brought a goodwill gesture from Rannoch."

Garrus remembered the shipping container, and Shepard's explanation 'it's something to whet the Council's appetites.' This, combined with Tali's words now, explained what she'd done, how she'd tried to sell her people as valuable allies: they could help pick up the slack when it came to dextro-oriented production. The turians were the only major dextro species apart from the quarians. The squeeze for supplies hadn't started yet, but Garrus had observed how lonely it could be, being in the dietary minority.

"Do you want to get a drink?" he asked suddenly. He couldn't very well ask her to lunch, given the necessity of a suit and all kinds of filters.

"Sure, that'd be nice," Tali answered eagerly.

Garrus nodded and began to walk, Tali falling in beside him. "The refugees will appreciate the help."

"I kind of expected you'd be down there," Tali said hesitantly. "Is it…is it really bad?"

Garrus shivered inwardly. "I am…trying…to take a day off. I just wish they could," he answered. He went down to the docks every chance he got to lend an extra pair of hands. There were fewer refugees, now. He wasn't sure how the Citadel was handling the bodies. But today, he'd woken up, dressed and had breakfast…then realized he couldn't go down there again. He'd been aware of the smells of blood and suffering even though he was in his own quarters, far away from both, and he knew he hadn't smelled either when he woke up. But he knew he'd smelled them, there in his quarters, and no amount of washing, not even a shower, had helped. The hot water had just made the smells wet and warm and somehow worse…

"Garrus?" Tali's hand appeared on his arm, making him jump.

"Sorry…" For a moment, he wasn't sure what to say, but Tali saved him from having to say anything.

"No, it's fine. Shepard actually called me this morning and asked if, once I was done here, I could go down and fish you out of there. Get you away from it, you know, let you clear your head." She gave a short laugh. "Then you turn up here." She shrugged as if to say 'funny old galaxy, isn't it?'

Garrus suddenly smelled a rat. The problem was confronting said rat about what she was up to.

"So, what were you thinking?" Tali asked brightly.

Garrus opened his mouth, then closed it. "You ever get phantom odors?"

Tali gave a choke. "What?"

"A smell, but it's not really there."

Tali was silent for a moment. "I meant what were you thinking about drinks," she said slowly. "But if you need to talk, Garrus, I'm here. Really."

Garrus cast about, sighted an unoccupied bench and made a beeline for it. Tali settled down beside him, her head canted towards him so he wouldn't have to speak loudly. "I was ready to go this morning, and all I could smell was the Docks," he admitted quietly. "And it doesn't make sense."

"Explains why Shepard wanted someone to come fish you out of there, though," Tali said, hesitantly putting one of her hands on his, which were knotted together. "I think you've hit saturation with trying to help and being only so effective. Tell you what. The Normandy's still where I live, since, you know, environmental concerns. Why don't you and I go down to the grocery store? We can each buy ingredients for our favorite dish, and then we'll go halfsies for dinner. You know, something that doesn't come out of a package or a tube."

Garrus found himself chuckling. "Halfsies?"

Tali might have grimaced, it was impossible to be sure, but something about the way she moved her head suggested she had. "I've been hanging around too much with Palmer."

"No, it's fine," Garrus said hurriedly, realizing she'd taken his amusement as a criticism. "It's just…cute."