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Shortly after EDI left, just as Shepard was looking around her big empty apartment and trying to figure out what she did for fun, Garrus called and invited her for a drink at the bar in the casino. She leaped eagerly to accept.
Even though he had been the one to set up the meeting, Shepard got to the bar and found no Garrus there. She ordered a beer and leaned against the bar, looking around her at the other patrons—some drinking, some dancing, some staring morosely into their glasses. She was glad to have friends who kept her from being one of those people, and hoped the ones she saw there had friends who would pull them out of their funk as well.
Finally Garrus arrived, striding in looking dashing in fine clothes such as Shepard had never seen him wear before. And she wasn't the only one who had noticed—a female turian who had been dancing stopped to check him out. Although Garrus, of course, was completely oblivious.
When Garrus took the seat next to Shepard, the female turian seemed to think they were together, and she left the dance floor, looking defeated, at least to Shepard's eye.
"What do turians usually do with their time off?" Shepard asked as Garrus settled into his seat.
He frowned, thinking it over. "Mostly we make plans for what to do when we're back at work. I have some ideas for the Normandy's forward cannon."
"Save 'em. This is shore leave, Vakarian."
"Like you know what to do with time off, Shepard."
"I can learn!"
He looked skeptical, and with good reason, Shepard had to admit. Behind him, the female turian was leaning against the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice her. Shepard decided to do something about the situation.
"You know what you need, Garrus?"
"That Mark-4 silencer scope I saw at the gun shop?"
"I was thinking … a date." She went around him and tapped the female turian on the shoulder. "Excuse me. I saw you checking out my friend here, and I thought you two should meet."
As Garrus loomed over her, the female turian said hello.
And in true Garrus fashion, he immediately botched it, falling all over himself saying every wrong thing that could possibly come out of his mouth. Shepard winced with every new sentence. She was hardly experienced in these matters … but he was terrible. And he had managed to annoy the woman so much that she was about to leave.
Quickly, Shepard signaled the bartender for two beers. They arrived instantly—one of the perks of being Commander Shepard—and she slid one onto the bar in front of the female turian and handed one to Garrus. "Start over," she hissed at him.
To his credit, he took the opportunity to apologize for being an ass and actually start talking like a normal person. Shepard took that as her cue to sneak away, hoping she would hear all about it later.
She was heading down the stairs toward the casino exit when she heard a familiar voice shouting out "Ah, no! Are you kidding me? Merda!"
Shepard snuck up behind Vega, looking over his shoulder at his cards, and was hard pressed to hold on to her poker face. If he was playing hands like that, it was no surprise he was losing.
"You just gonna stand there and watch, Lola?" he tossed over his shoulder.
"For the moment."
He looked up at her. "You're kinda making me nervous, Commander. I was up a minute ago; you just came by at a bad time."
"Uh-huh. Try not to lose those clothes—they're Alliance property."
"Have a little faith, Lola!" he responded, stung by the insult. "Look, jefe, you're kinda killing my mojo here."
"Fine, fine, I'm leaving. Good luck," she said, in a tone that indicated she thought he'd need it.
"Hey. Lola."
"What's up?"
"You mind if I come by the apartment later? I've got something I want to talk to you about."
"Sure. Just not too late—a girl's gotta get her beauty sleep."
He nodded and returned to his game, and Shepard headed for the door, only to see another familiar face coming up the stairs at the head of a small crew of subordinates.
Shepard hitched a hip against the wall at the top of the stairs, waiting for Kasumi to look up and see her there. For the moment, the thief was busy giving orders to her people, but something in her must have sensed Shepard's presence, because she stopped short and met Shepard's gaze with a resigned expression.
"Whoops. I seem to have the wrong casino."
Shepard smiled. "Hey, Kasumi."
"Hey, Shep. Guys, take a walk." Kasumi's crew scattered, all blending into the crowd so easily Shepard would have had a hard time finding them again. Turning to Shepard, Kasumi shrugged. "Would you believe me if I said I could explain?"
"I believe I hired you because you're the best damn thief in the galaxy."
Kasumi smiled. "Sweet talker."
They strolled across the casino together. "Are you hard up for credits, or just staying in practice?" Shepard asked.
"People who can't get to the Citadel are having a rough time out there." As they walked past the gaming machines, Kasumi reached out casually and waved at them, leaving sparking machines and irate customers in her wake. "This place has more money than it knows what to do with. It could help those refugees survive. And it's not like the owner can spend it if the Reapers win."
"So you're robbing the rich to help the poor."
"Me and Robin Hood."
Shepard frowned; it was an unfamiliar name. Kasumi shook her head. "I'll send you the book." She looked around the casino. "I'm just doing what I do, Shep. Raiding Cerberus bases and infiltrating Reaper-held locations is fun … but I'm a thief. Stealing is who I am. Without it …"
"You're not you. And that would be a shame."
"Shep, I was sorry to hear about Thane. I liked him a lot."
"He liked you, too. He left some books you might like, if you want to come take a look at them. I'm … having a bit of a party, the old crew. I don't suppose you'd be interested in dropping by?" Until just now, Shepard hadn't been sold on the party idea, but it would be so nice to have everyone in one place, just hanging out and blowing off steam.
Kasumi nodded, her hood almost but not quite hiding her pleased smile. "I think I could make an appearance." They were back at the entrance again, and she looked up at Shepard. "You going to call security?"
"For what? Nothing to see here. Just … don't get caught, okay?"
"As if I would!" Kasumi grinned, melting away into the crowd.
Shepard headed down the stairs, smiling to herself. Her people were highly unusual—and she wouldn't have had it any other way.