I woke up, rolling over to see what time it was. And then realized the blankets were draped over me.
I didn't remember doing that. My face warmed at the thought.
Sitting up, I caught sight of Garrus, absorbed in whatever was on the data pad in his hand.
I clutched the covers tightly to me. "Morning."
Startled, he jumped, his eyes going to me. "You're up. How do you feel?"
"Like I need a shower and an energy drink." I wrinkled my nose. "But other than that, I feel fine."
"I can go get you one while you shower. What kind?"
"I can't ask you to-" His look made me stop. "Monster. Any color can but black- I don't like the original flavor."
"I'll be back." He left quickly.
I groaned as I carefully got to my feet. I was going to be sore for a couple days, judging from how my muscles felt right now. After digging through my shopping bags, I gathered up everything I'd need, choosing the least pajama-y clothes.
By the time I was done and dressed, he'd returned.
"Apparently, your tastes are rare."
I stopped short on my way to my things, tilting my head. My tastes were...?
"Oh!" I smacked my forehead, before smiling apologetically. "Sorry. Usually, I go to someone I know to get them. My mind is so muddled this morning. I'm so sorry."
"It's alright." He put the bag he was holding down on my bed.
Curious, because I heard aluminum clinking, I peeked inside. Six beautiful cans, all different flavors, stared back at me.
"Look at these babies." I cooed, cradling the pink one against my heart, before popping it open.
"So-"
A knock on the door cut him off.
"It's me." Liara called out.
He was closest to the door, so he let her in.
She had one of my gym bags with her. "I brought you another one of your suits and..." A bite of her lip. "I found these." Reaching into the bag, she held up one of my pill cases.
I let out a breath of relief, though I was curious how she'd found it. "Thanks. Now, I don't have to hurry back and be late taking them."
"What are they? What are they for? I've never seen you take medicine before, is it recent?" She didn't ask if it was linked to yesterday.
"No. I've been taking this stuff for years. Just really good at sneaking it." I paused to take the am dose. "I don't want anyone to know what they're for, because people can use it against me. But," I held up a hand when she opened her mouth. "You both saw me wolf-out, so... I don't see the harm- I'm Bipolar One. It basically means my brain doesn't produce enough, or too much at times, of the right chemicals to balance my mood. Depression, mania. Things like that can be a result. Being medicated helps. Doesn't one hundred percent solve the problem, but I'm a far cry from how I used to be."
"Oh, okay." A slow nod. "I understand mental health is still treated..." She trailed off.
"As less than by humans, yeah. And I don't know how the Council would feel, having a Spectre that's one missed pill away from a breakdown." My serious tone hopefully conveyed that I wasn't joking.
I went to the bathroom to change.
"Speaking of wolfing-out..." Garrus began upon my return.
"Okay, so..." I leaned against the dresser, while they both sat on the beds, attentive. "I'm a werewolf, which I'm sure you guessed at already. It's not very common, but there's a guild called the Companions. The Inner Circle are almost all werewolves." My eyes kept going between the two of them, making sure I hadn't lost them. "It takes a ritual to become one. Well, with the Companions. Anyway, I managed to convince one of them to do it for me when I was twelve. Part of my argument was that I'd already been accepted into the assassin's guild, and I was in the late stages of my training with the Thieves Guild. I'm a lot like my mom and aunt, so I can be pretty persuasive, when I want to be."
"Does your mother know? Or your aunt?"
I made a face at her questions. "Let me tell you, that was the worst fight my mom and I ever got into, when Vilkas told her. His brother was the one that helped me. She told me she'd be curing me as soon as she had everything ready, but Farkas, aka Helper, told her about my first transformation. Which is important. You can tell a lot about a person by how they handle it. Anyway, unlike most people, who go out and kill something, and others, who hide away somewhere without people, I went to the Companions' Hall and curled up in front of the fireplace. Just took a nap. My father had been so impressed by how I'd reacted, he'd talked to my mom and got her to agree to give me some time with it. If I couldn't handle it, I'd go quietly to be cured. I took to my wolf form easier than anyone they'd ever seen. I still get anxiety shifting with non-werewolves present. Don't want to accidentally hurt someone, you know?"
"Is that why you hid in the corner, like a scolded dog?" Garrus asked curiously.
"Yeaaah."
"What kind of ritual?" Of course, she'd be interested in it.
I looked at the ceiling for a moment, before returning my gaze to them. "How squeamish are you?"
"I can handle a lot." Liara said, straightening.
"I've got a strong stomach."
"The ritual is more to demonstrate the importance of the situation. All you really need to do is... drink a werewolf's blood."
Initially, they both froze. Then-
"According to human folklore, wouldn't that make you a vampire? To drink human blood?"
"Any race's blood, yeah. But werewolves are like vampires, in how they can turn someone. Vampires can live off any blood, even werewolves. It doesn't infect them with lycanthropy. The blood could be from them, a Human, Elf, Orsimer, Khajiit, Argonian. Probably Dwemer, too, but they're thought to be extinct."
"E-Elves?" Her eyes were wide.
Not surprising, considering I was telling her about things that were only in fairytales here.
"What's a Dwemer?" His mandibles moved, confusion clear on his face. "Or a- You know what? Where are all of those?"
"Humans are-" A pillow flew at me, Liara frowning as she lowered her hand. "Okay, okay. Dwemer are Dwarves. Orsimer are Orcs- big, green, burly folk with tusk teeth. Khajiit are feline folk. Ranges from actual cats to humanoid with animal features. Argonian are lizard folk. Imagine lizards, but bipedal, and they can speak."
"Like salarians?"
"No, no. They're more salamander. Uh..." I tapped my chin, snapping my fingers a moment later. "I've got a sketchbook in my room. I'll show you guys when we get back."
"You draw?" It was such a small thing, but she sounded almost hurt. She was learning a lot about a friend she'd known for years, so it was understandable.
"Yeah. Where I'm from, we're... medieval, so to speak. No technology to speak of, nothing like here. I started sketching to keep precious things with me always. It's why I take pictures here."
"What planet are you from?" Curious about what human planet could be so backwards still, I'm sure.
"Nirn."
"I've never heard of it." She mused. "Is it undiscovered? How would humanity reach it, then, though?"
"Definitely undiscovered." I left it at that.
Or, I tried to.
"Where is it? We could elevate your people."
I snorted. "And give the Nords more races to hate on? I don't think so. They're already up their own asses about Skyrim belonging solely to them, ignoring the fact the Forsworn were there first." I got blank faces. "Nords are a pale, fair haired, blue eyed race of human. The Forsworn used to be Bretons, another human race, so they mostly have tanned skin, dark hair, dark eyes."
"Are there many races of human?"
"Nord, Breton. Redguard, who have dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes. Imperial, who have pale-ish skin, dark hair, dark eyes. Then there's the other races, that I've already told you. The Elves are like the humans, varied. Altmer, which are High Elves, have golden skin, golden hues of hair, with amber, green, or yellow eyes. Bosmer, which are tan, darker haired, darker eyed Elves- the Wood Elves. And then, there's the Dunmer. They have greyish skin tones, blue to green, really pretty, and red eyes that glow. And they're all beautiful, even the," I air quoted. "'ugly ones'."
"This is all so... hard to take in."
"It's why I don't really talk about it. You understand."
She didn't respond, lost in thought, and Garrus took the time to speak.
"I was doing research on werewolves, when you woke up." That explained that. I'd wondered what had had him so engrossed. "They kill humans?"
"Anything they want, but yeah."
"And..." He paused, unsure if he should continue. I motioned for him to go on. "Do you eat human flesh?"
I wrinkled my nose. "I've never killed for food, no. And that also goes for animals. I've only killed them when they needed to be put down or something like that. Most werewolves do, because it speeds recovery time, like if you're wounded. I'm nimble enough that I've never gotten seriously injured in a fight as a wolf before, so I've never seen the need to go that far. Personally. Besides, Namira is the Prince of cannibalism, and I don't follow them. But, I don't judge the ones that do, unless they're killing just to kill. For fun." A smile tugged at my lips. "My views are why people don't understand Hircine's interest in me. He's a god, associated with the Hunt. Oh, our gods are very much present in everyday life. Anyway, he came to me as a white stag, which is his MO, when I was... left to stay in the wilderness for two weeks. I'd been refusing to kill any of the animals I'd come across, even the ones that came right up to me and nuzzled my hands- Our family has a history of animal handling and whispering, so it's fairly normal for a wild animal to approach me." I rushed that last bit out, trying to explain before losing my train of thought. "Well, I didn't know which plants were edible and which weren't. Hadn't been taught that beforehand. So, anyway, this white stag came out of the trees to the little patch of grass I was sitting on, starving, and I recognized him immediately. He led me plant to plant, eating a leaf here and there, to show me which ones I could eat. And at the end, when the others came for me, they found me sitting with the stag, stroking his side. Ever since then, Hircine was very present in my life. It's what led me to wanting to be a werewolf in the first place, since he's also the patron of the wolves." I paused for air. "Sorry, that was a lot."
"Do you get to talk to your family often?" Liara asked, her lips pulled so far down in a frown, it was almost comical.
"Up until the other day, no. Since I was made Spectre, I've talked to them twice. Which is a lot. Over the last ten years, I've talked to them... I think... thirty times? Around that? Yeah, about that many."
"That's... only three times a year. Do you miss them?"
"Every day." I sighed, turning my face to the side. "Every day."
"I- Shepard, you said," I glanced back at the turian, wondering why he was hesitant. "that your world doesn't have technology. How do you talk to them?"
"Ah. Well. Do you believe in magic?"
Déjà vu.
They both blinked at me.
I made it snow.
"You... Are you doing this?" She held out her hands, catching flakes. Watched them melt on her skin.
"Wow." Was all I got from him.
"Yeah. Magic is a common thing among my people. Elves have a higher concentration of those born with it, but it's pretty common. There's a school for it and everything. My family and I, well, we use telepathy to communicate, when we have to."
"Telepathy. Huh."
Okay, I was starting to get a little worried. All I was getting from him were one word sentences.
"So, when you use Biotics... Are you a Biotic?"
"No." A quick shake of my head. "It's just easier that way, to fake it. That way, I can still use my magic when I need to, in a pinch. Like the other day, with the husks in that underground area. And on Virmire, with Kaidan. I talked to him, uh, the other day? Yesterday? About the magic, and showed him some of my sketches. He doesn't know about me being a werewolf, so please don't discuss that, if you find yourself having a conversation with him about it all. I didn't tell him about telepathy, either, but he didn't ask about it, so I didn't think it was necessary."
"Your magic is very strong, to have withstood the nuke." Awe spread across her face.
"I had help. I prayed just beforehand, to my patron deities and Princes."
Garrus leaned forward, elbows on knees, looking very serious. "I have a question." The way he said it was so ominous. "Are you human?"
Liara blinked, looking from him to me, her eyes widening.
"My grandmother was created by a goddess. She's a fragment of her." It felt like all the oxygen in the room had been sucked out, and I noticed they were holding their breath. "My mother was born through magic, because she can't have children naturally, because she's an avatar, not a... She's her own race, is how I think about it. The ritual is very similar to how asari create children, actually. She took her husband's genes and made my mother. My mother did the same with her husband and created me. From the tests my grandmother ran on herself and my mother, it was determined that the genes don't alter the DNA. We're not human, though you wouldn't be able to tell without looking at the genes."
"Would you also require magic to procreate?"
"...Yeah."
"What is that ritual like?"
I wagged a finger. "That's a secret. No one outside the family knows. You'd have to marry one of us."
"Can you only procreate with humans?"
"I don't think so, since there's nothing biological about it. Plus, my aunt is a Snow Elf."
"That wasn't in the list you gave." A tilt of her head.
"Oh, sorry. I forget, because they were thought to be extinct thousands of years ago. It's, ah, a long story. Something that is very hard to believe, even if you're from Nirn." I waved it off. "That's a conversation for another day."
Liara was looking on her omni-tool, eyes quickly scanning whatever she was reading. I waited.
"For Bipolar One, they require blood tests at regular intervals." Yeah, if you get your meds through a doctor. "If you're not human, what do you show up as?"
"Oh, we can manipulate our blood to be any race." Adding, "Or species." wincing as I said it. Unsure how they'd take that.
"You... Can you mimic asari?" My nod encouraged her to ask further. "Salarian? Turian? Krogan? Batarian?"
"Even Vorcha." I confirmed. "As long as I've had physical contact in some way with someone or something that has their DNA on it, I can mimic it. I donate blood all the time, through the black market channels, of course. So that no one questions where I get it from."
A ping came through on her omni-tool, and she stood up. "I have to go somewhere, but we'll talk more later?"
I nodded. "Go on. There'll be plenty of time to talk later."
The door shut behind her, leaving just the two of us.
And he still wasn't saying anything.
"Garrus?" I asked softly, unsure if I should speak at all.
He blinked, eyes focusing on me. Letting out a loud breath, he gave himself a small shake. "Yeah. Sorry. Was just thinking. I can't believe..." I held my breath, biting my lip. "you've had to hide so much, to protect yourself."
I bowed my head, watery eyes on the floor. "Yeah. It sucks." I said lamely.
"I can't imagine. I'm..." He let out a thoughtful hum. "Glad isn't the right word. Yesterday wasn't planned, judging from how it happened, but I'm glad, for lack of a better word, that it helped us understand you better, Shepard."
"Thanks." I sniffled, silently willing myself not to cry.
It was stupid. I'd always been so fearful of how people would react. A little was probably due to Nihlus and her always telling me to keep these things to myself, because people wouldn't understand. And when people didn't understand something, they hated it. Which could lead to being hurt, physically and emotionally. Even mentally. This was the best case scenario, and I was grateful.
"By the way, Liara told Joker that you needed another day. I think she mentioned woman troubles on her way out this morning."
"Oh, she came back while I was asleep?"
"Yeah. Wanted to check on you. Then, we both realized Joker was probably the one pinging your omni-tool all night, so she went to talk to him. And get your things."
"Oh. I'll have to thank her."
He fished out my omni-tool from under one of the pillows on his bed. I raised an eyebrow before putting it on.
"I was worried it would wake you up, so I put it there. To smother the sound. Plus, it was starting to annoy me." He shrugged.
I laughed. "Makes sense."
"You have anywhere else you need to be, or are we going to look at a sketch book?"
A big smile, thinking of home again. "Yeah. We'll go look. I'll show Liara later."
