Chapter 11


Braith held her hand out towards Casnar, indicating he "slow" down, "….Relax, Casnar, you said you'd let me handle this—"

"That was before he started demanding you go with him—"

"What's the deal, Braith," Kaidan coached his temper to stay cool, though even now his temper was ready to light hot, "….Who's this Drell and what's he doing around you—Is he some type of bodyguard?…." Kaidan pushed up from the table, "….Or is he some jealous admirer, like the last—"

"Kaidan—" He had pushed back his chair, his eyes dark and centered on Casnar, ready to get rid of the drell if he must….Casnar was no stranger to threat nor challengers, he himself emitting a percolating, warning rumble from his belly finally….The sound filled the bar, disquieting the onlooking locals….Casnar's tebris started to flare higher before Braith's eyes and others.

"Sit down, Human," the gravelly hiss drawled low and dangerously from Casnar's mouth, his eyes brightening for a fight, but Kaidan chose not to sit. His objective was sitting between him and this Drell who did not seem interested in Braith's welfare, or so he thought….Kaidan had a mission to finish, too.

He had not gone in there to Verne's planning on fighting anyone so as to get Braith out in one piece and back where she belonged, but he was not averse to using his powers to influence the circumstances, and the way things were going….If his old Gagarin Station instructor could attest, and he couldn't because Vyrnnus was dead, Kaidan had a foul temper when he felt he—or someone else he cared about—was in danger.

He moved around the table to stand next to Braith, ignoring Casnar's threatening warning, and the drell grew incensed.

Casnar's body tightened as his eyes narrowed, and Braith stood up between Kaidan and he, seeing the signals that Casnar was about to lunge, "….You both knock it off…." She saw Verne move for something under the bar, and shook her head at him when he came up from behind it, likely holding a gun in hand, "….Put it back, Verne, and get out of the way," she looked at Casnar and Kaidan behind her, "….There's no issue here, Casnar, Kaidan…."

"Oh….There's a development to that," a local by the window got everyone nearby to look outside with him, into the lot in front of the establishment, "….There's Systems' units all over the place," and true enough—There was dust billowing up to the glass as shuttles with the Alliance Earth and Citadel logos seen in cloudy appearance, were passing through their sight.

Braith's expression fell with calm disappointment, "….Kaidan," and he looked over at the windows, unable to see through the heads looking outside in bafflement.

"Sorry, Braith….We're taking precautions….You know I couldn't leave here without you, but I guess someone's been listening in," he looked at her as she glanced at his omnitool, "….and didn't want to risk some Drell getting in the way of my delivering you to Command where you can get some help…." Verne put his gun down on the counter and held up both hands as Kaidan had removed his own firearm from his holster and now held it aimed at Casnar, "….Come of your own volition, Braith, and tell your friend to sit down, have another drink on me—a cold one," Braith and Casnar saw a purple light growing from about Kaidan—a barrier prismed over him, generated by his own biotic ability to protect himself from any hostile interruptions.

"I'll goWait here, Cas…." She had turned to say this to him, and when her face froze, Casnar's eyes and head turned to her, seeing the "rigidity" of her expression before she clutched the sides of her head and started to scream in a blood-curdling shrillness….The convulsions started—She collapsed to the floor of the bar, Casnar reacting and catching her, the violent shakes making her hard to hold in his hands as he lowered her down with himself.

The suddenness of the episode—and her scream—startled everyone else in the bar with a fright, but besides Casnar, only Kaidan and Verne moved into action. Kaidan saw Verne pass a dry towel he would use for swabbing counters over the bartop, and he took it from his hand, "….Don't hold her—" Kaidan took the towel to set it under Braith's head, kneeling towards Braith and Casnar on the floor, "….Just let her lay flat—" Casnar thrust out a hand and knocked Kaidan backwards, regathering his hand to Braith to hold her tightly to his chest, and tuck her into his body….Kaidan got up fast, ready to murder, the gun muzzle banging against the floor as he did….

"Verne, Stolych's—" Casnar's snap reminded Verne what Braith had always ordered at his bar—and failed to do tonight because her distraction with the Alliance officer….He grabbed the bottle off the back of the bar after looking for it, handed it over into Casnar's grip and while Casnar held Braith's quivering body with his arms, mostly his elbows cradling her while he took the cap off the bottle-mouth, he watched Kaidan with fierce green eyes, daring the man to try something while he was helping Braith….Kaidan was still holding his gun and the towel, standing….

"We'll need a gurney," Kaidan spoke into a collar-mic, sewn cleverly into a seam at his neck, and he holstered his gun, what with witnessing Casnar's protectiveness over Braith, there on the floor.

"Do what you need to do," Casnar's tebris shivered as he thrummed in his chest deeply at her, "….I have the moonshine, so when you're ready, Braith."

Casnar moved his lips back from her ear, looking at the fine curve of the tissue as it continued to shake by her, but she was calming—or her mind was—and he held the bottle closer to her chattering teeth as Kaidan made to protest….Her hands moved to grasp the bottle with Casnar's hand, and once again they held it together while she jerked it to her lips and began to drink all of it down quick—to Kaidan's astonishment, "….Does this happen to her since you've known her?"

"Moonshine, she swears by it," Casnar continued to watch her, not looking at Kaidan, holding the bottle up with her hand touching his gold wrist, "….She claims it helps to prevent the seizures….I'm skeptical," he raised an eyeridge, lowered this, "….She also says it's been happening for a while now, and it's been getting worse….Since I've known her in this town, she's been drinking the moonshine….Woman's not natural."

"Hell of a medication for seizures," Kaidan shook his head, running his fingers back and forth through his black-white-peppered hair, "….I'm fairly certain alcohol only increases the problem, but I've never known her to have any history of epilepsy, or this….except when there's been a—" Kaidan was about to say a "beacon"—meaning the prothean beacons they had used to intercept the warning cast through millennia from the deceased race of the former empire that once ruled the stars, a message passed through touching these pillars of technology that informed the individual interacting with them of Reapers and The Harvest, "….Look, I can see you know her well enough to have an interest in her health and safety, she needs to see a doctor, especially now," Kaidan turned his hand to her in Casnar's arms, finishing the bottle, "….and she has other things to consider besides self-medicating with 'gasoline' basically."

"I go with her," Casnar felt the bottle fall solely into his hand's control, emptied.

Kaidan rolled his lips to disappear into his mouth and "masticated" these, his teeth massaging the inner lining, considering if it would be more beneficial or less so to have the drell with them….but Casnar may know things about Braith if he was really as close in watching and keeping track of her, as the locals and Verne had informed Kaidan….What Braith might not be able to share, Casnar could fill-in if questioned properly, and Drell memories were rugged and accurate, plus Casnar would not be willing to lie to them about her, if it meant it would deny Braith the aid she needed….His superiors might have a use for him, and the data could be informative as they tried to understand what Braith was, or had done to survive the Citadel's crash, and ultimate destruction, "….Fine," he exhaled, relenting, "….but if you pull that 'jealous boyfriend' bull again," he set his hands on his waist and leaned forward a little to make his point clear to Casnar, "….I'll knock you out with a biotic punch myself."