Been busy this past month: lots of family stuff (birthdays, gatherings, etc), two different jobs, the factory one I had before was awful and it wasn't doing my back any wonders, but the new one I have it much more relaxed and offers the same pay as well, which is a plus. Other than that, my laptop had to be sent in for repairs again and the tech guy who worked on it told me that it definitely has around six months of life left before the motherboard gives out entirely, after that, gotta buy a new one. Hopefully I'll get my stuff together before that happens, but we'll never know until that time comes. Moving on, this chapter is another one that I have looked forward to writing for a long while now: Tulma's loyalty mission.
What happens in it is for you all to read and not for me to spoil!
Review Time:
Blaze: Yeah, considering it's been years since those remains have been sitting there out in the open elements, withering away long before Shepard and co came by to investigate. I just chalk it up to plot building and character development.
Thehappy: Lots of reviews, all of which are greatly appreciated! Hope that enthusiasm is still present for this one!
That's all for the reviews and I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Welcome to the Family
Devin knew that they were well into their mission to stop the collectors from assaulting any more colonies; how far were they exactly, he didn't know, he just knew that they were getting close to taking the fight to the collectors.
A lot of his friends were coming to Shepard for him to help them with their problems, some of which has been bothering them for years and years on end, especially the centuries that Samara has spent hunting her serial killer of a daughter.
He himself is completely on board with the mission, ever since he had the imulsion parasite removed from his system he gave Shepard his word that he'd stick with them until the end of the mission.
But lately, he's noticed that Tulma has been quiet, distant even whenever there's a moment of down time for the two of them.
At first, he simply thought that she was content with being with him in silence, but the more that he studied turian behavior online, the more signs that there was something going on with her that she wasn't telling him.
Speaking with Garrus about the matter, he confirmed the man's suspicions about how she appears to be stuck in her thoughts, maybe reflecting on them as she's been doing her daily duties without realizing that she's showing that something's wrong with her.
Devin has a sinking feeling about what it could be, considering the subjects of some personal missions that a few crew members had to deal with.
Opening his omni-tool and sifting through his contacts, Devin's eyes narrow as he finds the person's contact information that he was looking for.
Thankfully he doesn't have to travel far, due to Shepard making a stop at the Citadel for a supply run and to speak with the Human Councilor about current affairs while also dropping Vasir off and letting her get back to her Spectre business.
Dialing the number, Devin waits until the recipient answers the call.
"Hey Sparatus, it's Devin Carmine… Yeah, I'm calling in that favor you promised me; it's about Tulma… Alright then, I'll see you shortly."
With the call ending, Devin makes his way to the elevator and up to the CIC, passing by Kelly and telling her that he has important business to attend to and to inform Shepard, whenever he gets back, that he'll be back within the next couple of hours and to no leave him stranded on the Citadel.
With that out of the way, Devin returns a wave back to Joker as he leaves the airlock.
He has a meeting to attend to and he better get the answers that he's looking for.
"Councilor, there's a human outside telling me that you're expecting him, saying his name is Devin and that… yes sir, sending him through now." The guard says, lowering his arm and motioning for Devin to step through and head on in to meet with the man, with Devin nodding in thanks.
Upon entering the room, he sees that Sparatus is pouring himself a glass of alcohol after shutting down his personal terminal, no doubt needing it after all he goes through on a daily basis with all the affairs that he and his people experiences.
"Ah Devin, pleasant surprise seeing that you're up and well; I heard about what happened and regardless of what others think, I was actually concerned with your well-being. Please, take a seat and tell me why you're calling in favor so soon; normally people would like to wait a bit before calling in any favor that a Councilor owes them."
Taking the seat across from the man, Devin crosses his arms over his chest, taking his helmet off and setting on his lap as he looked at the Councilor with narrowed eyes.
"How do you know that I was hurt recently?"
"Tulma explained everything to me while you were out cold. I was pretty much the only person around who could ensure that you could get the best recovery room that credits can buy, while Shepard was busy doing damage control and keeping your name from being released to the public due to information leaks; leaks that both Councilor Anderson and I stopped from spreading. With that being said, what do you need?" He asked him, taking a drink from his glass as Devin processed the newly given information.
"Thanks for the save… it's about Tulma: she's feeling distant and I have an idea why and wondered if you'd be of any assistance. She's been around a bunch of crewmembers who were dealing with familial problems, be it a sister, a father you thought dead, mourning your lost family, or even a cutthroat daughter and I'm guessing that she's been thinking about her mother recently and it'd mean everything to her if she were to meet her once again. So here's my request, Sparatus: give me the name of the planet she's on and which hospital she's staying at, because I want her to go and visit the woman to reconcile with her."
With his request out in the air, Sparatus simply nods his head in response, bringing up his omni-tool and sending the information straight to Devin's as he gives the man the turian equivalent of a smile.
"I knew that there was a reason why I liked you; Tulma deserved better in life and instead she got the best thing that she could've ever hoped for. You saved her life and are currently taking her to reconcile with her mother, which is a feat in of itself, considering that the last time she spoke with her was roughly four years ago. Thank you for everything that you've done, not only for her, but for all of us. Malerna will definitely be happy to see her daughter again. Oh and before you leave," he tells him, standing up and walking over to a wall cabinet before opening it and pulling out the unmistakable shape of an omni-tool and presented it to him, to which Devin takes it, "that omni-tool has all credentials of the Turian Councilor, which is me at this point in time, and should you come into trouble with any security system while you're visiting Malerna, or even any Hierarchy security system for that matter, this omni-tool will clear up any problems that you may run into, you'll just have to transfer all of your data over to it to get it linked to you and your information. Fitting for you to have, considering you're now Tulma's official bodyguard. However, we'll have to get your armor the proper tags as well, but that can wait until later on. Oh by the way, the upgrades you've gotten for it since then definitely looks better than before; definitely more intimidating than last time."
Devin was silent and stunned at the gift that he was given, but laughed it off as he stood up and shook the hand that was offered to him before equipping the new omni-tool and slipping his helmet back on his head.
"Take care Sparatus; try not to be an asshole to the next sorry fucker who has to deal with you."
"I'll try not to but no promises, Devin." Sparatus chuckled, sitting back down at his desk before turning his terminal back on, getting ready to get back to work.
With a laugh, Devin leaves the office and ignores the looks that the two door guards were giving him as he came out of the room laughing instead of fuming (which was probably a common sight for anyone who guards the Councilor's office), making his way back to the transit station and calling a shuttle to head back to the Normandy.
With Malerna's location known to him, Devin hopes that Shepard isn't too busy to take him and Tulma to where she is, but if he is then he's sure that Shepard wouldn't mind them taking a shuttle instead.
Though, considering Shepard's helpful demeanor and caring personality, he's sure it wouldn't come to that.
"So, you want me to tell Joker and EDI to make a heading towards Turian controlled space, to a planet named Trinitus, and a hospital for Tulma to meet her mother? Sure, I don't see an issue with that all; I know I wanted to speak with my mother after I came back from the dead, so I understand why she should do the same. It should take us like six hours minimum and a day at most to get there, so go ahead and relax until then. Oh wait, on second thought, Chakwas told me that she wanted to see you when you got back, probably for a checkup on your recovery. So after the checkup, go ahead and enjoy yourself." Shepard informed the man, watching as he stood at the galaxy map and began looking for the location of the planet that Devin had wanted him to take him and Tulma.
"Thanks Shepard, I really do appreciate this." Devin called out to the man, turning around and walking to the elevator as Shepard quipped back at him.
"Yeah, yeah just don't kiss me; save that for Tulma."
Laughing at the joke, Devin turned back to the elevator and made his way to the infirmary, wanting to see how well he's recovered in the past month since he's been conscious after the surgery.
"So what's the verdict, doc?"
Chakwas turned from her terminal and looked back at the man who was currently sitting on the bed and putting his shirt back on as he waited patiently for the results of his checkup to come through.
"Well Devin, it appears that your surgical scars have healed quite nicely and that the parasite that you had is not showing up on any spectrum known to mankind. I believe that it's safe to say that you have completely healed in the past few weeks since you've been up and about the ship. I'm completely confident in my decision and opinion that you should refrain from going into any combat operation for the next three to five days at most. Afterwards, I'll do one more checkup on you and then I'll give you a clean bill of health and inform Shepard that you're combat capable once again." She told the man, smiling as she sees him give a sigh of relief, watching the man stand up and grab his armor and place it on a small cart.
"That's fantastic, doc; I'm going to borrow this cart here and take it down to my bunk in the hangar bay then to drop off my armor then I'll bring it back up and return it to you. I won't need it for a bit, so there's no reason for me to be inside of it all day while I'm going to be relaxing for a bit longer with Tulma."
Chakwas simply smiled at the man as she turned back to her terminal, hearing the door open and close behind him as he exited the room.
"Devin and Tulma, please report to the hangar bay to speak with the Commander in fifteen minutes." EDI told the two, gaining a confused look from Tulma but Devin stood up, walking towards the elevator with Tulma in tow as she was confused as to why Shepard wanted to speak with them in the hangar bay.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing at all, don't worry. I spoke with Shepard some time ago and told him to take us to the coordinates that I gave him, just give me some time to get my armor on as he talks to us."
With the doors opening, the two sees Shepard speaking with Scruffy, the janitor/shuttle pilot who loves eating junk food and reading adult fun time magazines, about where he needed to go for his two occupants.
"Be sure to land at these coordinates and- oh there you two are. Go ahead and get the shuttle ready Scruffy, I'll debrief these two."
Receiving a grunt from the man, Shepard turns around and faces the two before clasping his hands together.
"Well Devin, I hope that the both of you had plenty of time to relax because your shuttle is ready." He informs them, receiving a nod from the man as Tulma looks between the two of them.
"Yep, we were just relaxing in bed when EDI gave us the call; give me a couple of minutes and we'll be ready to head on out."
"Wait, where are we going?"
"I'll tell you on the shuttle, okay? Thank you for doing this Shepard, I appreciate it."
"It's not a problem at all man, you two enjoy yourselves, and the avenger you wanted to borrow can be found inside the shuttle as well."
With the man leaving and Devin finally getting the last couple pieces of his armor ready, the two of them enters the shuttle, with Devin looking out of the window as Tulma groans in frustration.
"Where are we going Devin?"
"I did promise I'd tell you when we got on the shuttle… Trinitus. Tulma, we're meeting your mother on Trinitus."
At the revelation of where they were headed and what they were going to do, Tulma seemed to lock up as she fell back into her seat, with Devin reaching out and softly holding her shoulder with his right hand.
"I know I went behind your back and did this, but I called in a favor that your uncle owed me and asked for your mom's location. Tulma, you need to speak with her, Garrus and I have noticed that you've been distant recently and decided that you need to speak with her and make up for lost time. She doesn't blame you for what happened at all, I know this because your uncle told me about it. She really does want to see you again, as it has been years since you've last done so. She may have lost the ability to walk and her husband years later, but she most definitely doesn't want to lose you as well, and with this mission being as dangerous as it is, then there's always that chance that we won't ever get another opportunity to speak with her ever again."
"I can't Devin, I can't bear to bring myself to see her in that state again. I… every time I do, all I'm reminded is that I'm the one who did that to her! I… don't deserve her forgiveness, and I especially don't deserve to see her again." She explained, droning out at the end as she looked out the window and seen the rapidly approaching planet below them.
All Devin did in return was hold her tighter, telling her that he believes that she'll be better after this, and that no matter what happened, he'll be there for her every step of the way.
"Besides, don't I need her approval before I'm accepted into the Sparatus family clan?" He jokingly asked, getting a huff of amusement from her as she looked up at him with worry in her eyes.
"I don't think I can do this alone."
"You're not going to do it alone, I promise."
All that Tulma could do was swallow her pride and smile at the man she loved, for she knew that he was telling her the truth and not what she wanted to hear.
With the shuttle landing, the two of them steps out and looks around the landing zone, seeing numerous ambulances and medical personnel milling about, some of whom noticed their arrival as soon as they landed.
Devin decided that if he was going to be considered her bodyguard, then he best get to acting like one sooner than later, making sure that the avenger rifle that he borrowed from Shepard was collapsed on his back and his boltok was secured in its holster on his hip, waiting patiently as both medical staff and security came to meet the two of them.
"Excuse me, but who are you two and why did your shuttle land in the restricted zone?" Came the question of the security guard that met them first, with Tulma getting ready to answer but was beaten by Devin as he activates his omni-tool.
"Sorry for the sudden arrival; I'm here acting as bodyguard for Tulma Sparatus, niece of the Turian Councilor. Here are our credentials to verify our identities." He tells the man, sending the information to the guard's omni-tool, in which the turian quickly files through it, looking for anything that may have suggested that they were lying.
Upon finding that the credentials were not lying and were in fact the real deal, the guard closes his omni-tool, apologizing to the two as he waves off the other guards.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, just wasn't expecting someone of her caliber to just show up unannounced is all." He tells them, scratching the back of his neck as Devin shrugs in response, telling him that he was only doing what he was supposed to do in the first place and that there were no hard feelings.
"So what are you two doing here then?"
"We're here to visit Malerna Sparatus, her mother. We need to know which floor she is on and which room she's in, so that she can see her. That won't be a problem, will it?"
"None whatsoever, sir; let me call it in and see if I can tell you where she's at."
The guard activates his omni-tool once more and begins speaking with someone on the other end, asking the questions that Devin and Tulma wanted to know before shutting it off and turning to the two of them.
"Malerna Sparatus is on the third floor of the East Wing, Room 314. However, she isn't in there right now and is instead at the small park on the south side of the facility. She spends her afternoons there to enjoy her day, from what I was just told. I'll call a shuttle for you two to take you there; just wait a few minutes until then. You two have a good day."
With that being said, the guard leaves them alone for the time being, walking back to where he came from as Tulma and Devin looked at each other before taking a seat nearby, waiting for the next few minutes until a shuttle arrived to take them to Tulma's mother.
"Sure is pretty up here." Devin said aloud, looking out the window to the small park below them where alien trees were in full bloom, their leaves shining yellow and red and a few ponds nearby reflecting light as Tulma looked out the window with him, nodding her head in agreement to the man's comment.
"That it is and… it looks like we're landing now, so this might be where she's at." She said, more to herself than she did to Devin.
With the shuttle coming to a stop, Devin opened his door and stepped out, crossing the vehicle and opening Tulma's door for her as he thanked the shuttle pilot who merely nodded in return, telling the two of them that he'll take them back to their shuttle once they're done visiting.
"Well, no time like the present eh? Let's go find your mother Tulma, because I'd like to meet the woman myself after all."
"Yeah, if I were her, I'd definitely want to sit and lounge back in a shaded area with a nice view…" She trailed off, looking around the small park to see if there were any locations that matched the description, only to stop as she sees exactly what she was talking about roughly a hundred meters away, right next to one of the ponds.
Silently, the two of them walked together side by side, with Devin looking around at the beautiful scenery that he found himself in and Tulma simply staring ahead at their target. Upon closer inspection by Devin, he sees that she isn't staring at the location, she's staring at the person sitting down next to a table at the location, seemingly content with watching time pass by them.
When they arrived at the base of the hill that they found themselves at, with the two of them seeing a woman sitting down in an electric wheelchair, simply enjoying her time, no doubt within either of their minds that this woman was Tulma's mother.
Devin began walking forward until Tulma grabbed his hand and stopped him, causing him to look back at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Not getting cold feet now, are we?" He asked, watching as she opened her mouth to say something but only to stop as nothing came out.
Sighing at this, Devin put his hands on her shoulders and made her look up at him, telling her that no matter what happens or what she does here and now, he'll be right beside her the entire time, and if she truly wants to leave and return to the Normandy, then he would still be right beside her.
Closing her eyes, Tulma nodded her head at him, with Devin letting go of her as she stepped forward, heading to the woman who was no doubt her mother.
Stepping forwards alongside her, Devin cleared his throat as he began talking.
"Miss Sparatus? You have a visitor."
Upon the woman hearing her name, she turns around with an eyeridge raised, only to stop dead in her tracks as she sees a heavily armored and tall human alongside a turian who was unmistakably her daughter.
Tears began to form in her eyes as she turns the wheelchair around, facing Tulma who was wearing the same expression on her face.
"Tulma…" Is that she had to say for the dam to burst for the both of them, with Tulma running to her mother and enveloping her in an embrace as the two of them silently cried in each other's arms.
Devin couldn't help but smile at the sight, simply being happy to stay on the sidelines as the two of them stopped their reunion.
"I'm so sorry mom, I wanted to visit, but I just… I just couldn't bring myself-"
"I forgive you Tulma, there's no need to get so worked up about it; I've always forgiven you, and I'll continue to tell you this no matter how much you don't want to believe it. I'm just happy and thankful that you're here now." She tells her, smiling up at her as she looks behind her at the human who was standing to the side at parade rest.
"Why don't you introduce me to your friend here?"
Laughing a bit as she wiped the tears out of her eyes, Tulma waved Devin over, to which the man obliged wholeheartedly and stopped as Tulma gestured to him.
"Mom, this human is a close friend of mine; his name's Devin Carmine and he saved my life more than once in the several months that I've known him."
Nodding her head at the information, she motions for Devin to take a seat right beside her, smiling as the man did exactly as told, before looking back at Tulma.
"So, how'd you two meet and how did you become my daughter's bodyguard, Devin? And how did you save her life? I'm curious to hear any tale that you'll humor me with." She asks the man, crossing her arms in her lap as she waited patiently for Devin to start.
"Well ma'am," Devin started rubbing the back of his helmet as he was suddenly put into the spotlight, "we met about a year ago back on Omega, the pirate station. I was new there and knew that I was being followed by someone, so I intentionally led them to a back alleyway where I could confront them. That someone just so happened to be your daughter. We've practically been friends since then, when she took me back to her and several other of her friends were staying at. About two months later, we and the rest of our friends were under attack by the merc groups that were stationed there and during that time, she had been stabbed in the gut. I stole a shuttle and loaded them onto it, but when it failed on me, I carried her and the other survivor of the attack to a clinic that was a long way away. I didn't stop once during that time. As you can see here," he motions towards Tulma, "she's right as rain now."
Smiling thankfully at the man, Malerna cocks her head to the side and looks at Tulma with a small smirk on her face.
"What's wrong mom?" Tulma asked as she notices the look on her mother's face.
"Oh nothing, what else aren't you telling me?" She asked her, the look on her face never changing as Tulma nods in understanding after a moment of thought.
"Huh? Oh you mean the whole staying on Omega thing; well, we were a part of a vigilante-"
"How long have you two been couples, Tulma?"
Tulma immediately begins sputtering as she was interrupted from her response, Devin laughing aloud at the straightforward question as Malerna softly laughed to herself as she watches the display before her.
"About a month now ma'am; I love her with all my heart and would do anything for her, if it meant that she benefits from it. I was the one who had to figure out where you were just so she could come and see you." Devin explained to the woman, with Malerna smiling at the thoughtfulness that he put into the meeting.
"He's determined, which is always a plus in my book… please take your helmet off, Devin; I want to see the face of the man that my daughter loves."
Without any complaint or protest, Devin reaches up and breaks the seal of his helmet, twisting it off as he sets it down on the table beside him, showing the woman his scarred face.
Reaching up with a talon, Malerna traces the most noticeable and largest scar on his cheek that ran down to under his chin, gently following the jagged path that was left behind as she looked into his eyes.
She sees that no matter the horrors and evil they've no doubt experienced, all the wickedness that the galaxy had to offer, they were still full of kindness and life but still held a modicum of pain and sorrow within them.
Cupping the side of his face, Malerna looks softly at him, an almost sad expression adorning her face as she opens her mouth.
"The eyes are the window into your soul, that's what I've heard humans say from time to time, and it still rings true for all species. I see that you've experienced a lot of pain and suffering Devin, but no matter what you always had hope. You have very kind eyes Devin, please don't lose that kindness." She tells him, watching his eyes go wide in surprise before closing momentarily.
"I've seen so much evil in my life: men treating each other like waste, as if they were lesser beings, while literal monsters hunted us as if we were animals bred to be slaughtered. It hurt me seeing that, but I always had family to think about, to help remind me that I need to go on for their sake as well as mine."
"Devin," Malerna said to him, drawing his head close to hers as she rested her head crest against his forehead with her eyes closed before pulling away from him, "you've been good to my daughter, I can see that there's been no ill will towards her and that there were no lies that you spoke of. If you wish, I would be happy to allow you to join the Sparatus family clan and be officially seen by the clan as a whole that you two are together forever. Do you accept?" She asked him, her deep blue eyes staring directly into Devin's eyes, waiting for a response from the man and a sign of what he has to say to her.
Smiling softly at the question, Devin could only nod his head as Malerna pulled a set of blue face paint from the bag that was on her side and began painting the Palaven markings on his face, while Tulma did the same to his helmet without his knowledge, as Devin closed his eyes and waited for her to finish what she's doing.
Upon feeling that she had finished painting his face, Devin opened his eyes and seen the smiles that were greeting him, pulling up the camera on his omni-tool to take a look at what had been done to his face only to stop and smile at the sight of a near-perfect painting of the Palaven markings that adorned his face, before stopping and looking at what had happened to his helmet.
"Really Tulma?" Is all that he had said to her, receiving a chorus of laughter from both women causing Devin to roll his eyes as he laughs with them.
"Welcome to the family, Devin Carmine; or should I say Sparatus?"
"Ma'am, my mom would kill me if I left our family name behind, so why not let it be Devin Carmine-Sparatus?"
"Sounds just fine to me. Now, why don't we enjoy the rest of our time together and watch the day pass by us, as the fish in the water and the animals in the trees live their lives'?"
"I have absolutely no qualms with doing that whatsoever, ma'am; do you, Tulma?"
"I'd love to spend time with you both. Besides, I think I saw a few Palaven Blue in the pond there splashing around." She tells them, sitting down beside Devin as she rested her head on his arm as he and Malerna watched the day pass by them.
Hours have passed since Devin was officially accepted into Tulma's family, with the three of them enjoying their time together as the alien sun began to set, with the three of them talking about various subjects of turian culture, Tulma's childhood, Malerna's time being at the hospital, and even a bit about Devin's childhood which he was all too happy to talk about.
He also showed both her and Tulma the video that Glaz recorded when she was high on painkillers: with her cooing and chirping like a hormonal teen while rubbing the man's head with both of her hands, commenting about how the short hair feels fuzzy to the touch and that it'd be the perfect thing for her to wear, all the while Devin was rolling his eyes in amusement and Glaz laughing at his friend's expense.
Tulma could only groan in embarrassment at the video's conclusion, glaring at the man she loved with daggers in her eyes.
"I thought that was a dream..."
"Well... you thought wrong."
"I'm gonna kill him."
"He likely knows by now and has planned accordingly."
"Well Tulma, I thought it was sweet and besides, it does feel nice to the touch." Malerna retorted, giving Devin's head another rub while laughing at the groan that Tulma responded with.
"I didn't want to ask this when we first met, Devin, for fear of what may have happened but what is the real reason behind this visit?" Malerna asked, watching as Tulma sat by the water as Devin sighed.
"Ma'am, I'm with a team of specialists who are planning on taking down the collectors, a hostile insectoid race who is responsible for the disappearances of several human colonies. This is considered a suicide mission by everyone involved, so there's a chance that this will be the last time we ever see each other." Devin explained, looking over at the woman as she shook her head in response.
"I believe that the spirits are with you all, watching over you and all of your friends, guiding you all to safety and success. I believe that we'll definitely see each other again. I know so. One more thing before you leave?"
"Of course ma'am, anything for you."
"Just don't tear her in half when you two do decide to do the deed." She told him, laughing at the look on the man's face as he groaned in response, shaking his head in amusement as he stood up and hugged the woman, who returned the favor.
"Tulma, it's time for us to go." Devin called out to the woman, gaining her attention as she stood up and made her way back to where Devin and her mother were, hugging the woman as they began saying their goodbyes.
"Be safe you two, and come back to visit me anytime you want. I'll be here waiting for you two whenever you do come back, I promise." She told them, receiving agreements from both guests as they bid her farewell.
"I love you mom; we'll definitely come back soon and spend the rest of the week with you, I promise." Tulma told her, seeing her mother laugh softly as she looked at the two of them.
"I'll hold you to it, sweety, and I love you and you as well Devin; you're family now and I'll be sure to see you as my future son-in-law."
Devin only nodded at the comment, smiling happily at the woman as he put his helmet back on, giving her one last hug before headed back to the shuttle.
Upon arriving back at the shuttle did the two of them look at each other, holding hands and giving them a slight squeeze as the shuttle took off back to where Scruffy's shuttle was, before heading back to the Normandy.
"Hey Garrus, where you at man?" Devin called out, looking on both sides of the newly installed Thanix Cannon for the calibration addicted turian.
"Down here below the gun. What's up?" He heard a slightly muffled voice coming from beneath the cannon, seeing a pair of feet out from underneath the gun.
"The calibrations can wait, you damn junky now get your ass out from beneath there and talk to me; I wanna make fun of you."
"Yeah, yeah whatever you say you lumbering giant." Garrus quips back, sliding out from beneath the gun and stands up to meet the man.
Only to stop as he sees the Palaven facial markings on Devin's face.
"What in the spirits…"
"I've officially been accepted into the Sparatus family clan, so suck it. Oh and one more thing: I watched turian porn for the first time since being here."
"And…"
"I had no idea that you all have retractable genitalia. Disgusting…" Devin trailed off, shaking his head at the utterly confused turian.
"Yeah, it helps when your species evolved on a rock that gets more than the average solar radiation daily than most other habitable worlds, it wouldn't do any good to us to have our bits out in the open. Unlike you humans leaving your bits out in the open, having retractable genitalia actually helps protect it from outside harm."
Devin stopped for a moment, seemingly thinking about the information before shaking his head.
"Nah, that shit is messed up. Anyways, just came by to make fun of your retractable dick having ass and to tell you that I've officially been accepted into the Sparatus clan. So… wanna go get some drinks?"
Looking back at the new cannon, his tools, and back to Devin, Garrus shrugged as he followed Devin to the mess hall, telling the man that calibrations can wait while celebrations are in order.
"Just one more thing before we go: are you planning on repainting the markings every few days or no?" Garrus asked, watching as Devin shook his head at the question.
"Nah, I'd go fuckin crazy over trying to get it right. I'll just have it tattooed on both of my shoulders and maybe get one on my back to show off to other turians. Besides, I never like painting to begin with, unless it was someone's blood on the wall behind them."
"Fair enough, besides, how was the visit?"
"Well... Malerna definitely reminds me of my mom, that's for sure. In the good way, that is."
"So how has your day been, girl?" Tulma heard the familiar voice of Kasumi beside her, turning to look at the sneaky thief who was currently lying on her bed as she stared silently at her.
"My mom… my mom accepted Devin into the Sparatus clan, Kasumi… he's officially one of us now." She told her, watching as the woman's go wide at the revelation, a smile instantly forming on her face as she stood up and began bouncing in excitement.
"Oh my god! That has to be the best thing I've heard coming from you since I've been here! That's amazing and I'm so happy you and the big guy! So, how does the whole process go from start to finish?"
"Well, my mother touched and held her head crest to his forehead and pulled away, which shows that she's already accepted him into our family. Before that, she had to gauge his character by hearing and seeing how he holds himself and what he thinks about himself and me. If she isn't satisfied, she would've told us that she doesn't think it in her best interest for us to be together, but if we were to still be couples, then it wouldn't be recognized throughout our clan as being legitimate. But… she seen no reason to deny us and gave us her blessing and word that Devin is now my partner." Tulma explained, her voice soft as she recounts the details to Kasumi who was giving her, her complete and undivided attention.
"That's so fascinating; I would've never thought that would be the case for an outsider, hell an alien even, to be considered family."
"Well, when your species has been dealing with non turians for almost two thousand years, your people kinda adopts new rules and customs. Besides, it's not common knowledge to those who aren't couples with a turian."
Kasumi shrugged at the response, telling her that if she had her mind set to it, she'd have found out eventually.
"I'm so happy for you, Tulma; I know that Devin is the perfect man for you and that he'd never hurt you in any way, shape, or form. Now, let's celebrate this momentous day with a few drinks; what do you say?"
"I'd love to." Tulma responded, getting up from her chair and following the woman outside the room, a smile on her face as the day's event passes through her mind.
That wraps up this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it and will look forward to the next installment soon.
I was really excited to get this chapter typed out and posted at the end of August, but old laptop here is going bad, so I'm sorry that you all had to wait for that, but better late than never, am I right?
Next two chapters are going to be happening simultaneously, kinda like the Horizon missions, except that they'll be taking place on Tuchanka... Spoilers!
Anyways, all jokes aside, I hope you all have a great week and are staying safe. I'll see you all next time!