Without the Normandy crew collective, Garrus knows he and Jane would have never managed to put together the massive celebration grounds for their twin's birthday party. How in the galaxy they managed to overcome the crucible of preparation in the short time of Damocles and Cassia being in school for today, Garrus will never know, but he has the rest of their massive extended family to thank. Without their help, this intended surprise party would be nothing more than a few tables, haphazardly thrown together decorations, a cake made by some stranger in the compound, and two very exhausted parents.
To fight battles against Reapers is nothing compared to this undertaking. We. Are. Insane. But it's worth it for them, to give them a birthday like in the vids and one to brag to those damn kids who continuously hurt them with their callous words and action, their feigned ignorance they, no doubt, learned from their parents.
If he could find out who exactly taught these children, he'd make them pay, but he can't unleash Archangel just off of assumption. Without proof of their teachings of prejudices and mistrust, he can do nothing but hope his children can learn to ignore and persevere. Well, that, and maybe give those parents that work directly under him the contracts from the bottom of the barrel, as the human saying goes. Just as he can't prove their actions, they cannot prove the intent of his own.
Stopping on his trek to grab plastic cups from the house, he stands up on the deck to gaze down the beach at their party grounds. Garrus can't help the warm purr that rolls through his chest as he smiles at what their Normandy families has managed. He doubts any vid could stack up to it now that he sees the whole setup from this distance.
Using leftover supplies from the construction of the Wraiths' agricultural sector's construction of a set of greenhouses, the group designed and built a pavilion. It wasn't as tall as the actual greenhouses, by any means, but it rose high enough above their heads to allow the cool air from the sea slide beneath its risen roof without creating a cyclone effect. The top was made of the tinted glass of the greenhouse walls to allow the sun's bright light to shine through while still protecting them from its rays hitting them directly. He knows Jane is more than thrilled with that particular fact as it means she doesn't have to use the strongest of her protective creams - the one that leaves her feeling 'slimy and sticky'.
Beneath the pavilion decorated with balloons and brightly colored streamers, they had set up the massive amount of food from every species of their family that knew how to actually cook anything. Those who didn't usually found something for Harrot to import, but it was easy to tell that the quality wouldn't be as good as a personal preparation. Preparation that, much to his frustration, too place majorly in his own kitchen. Too many people for his own house all crammed into one kitchen, bustling about and vying for the cooking appliances, ran him away pretty damn quick and left him thanking those that used another of their Virmire stationed family member's home. He still doesn't know how Jane managed to wrangle everyone inside into an organized machine of cooking.
That had left most of the men of the Normandy family to set up outside, which ended up being much less stressful with them all breaking into groups with their own chain of command, with himself being at the very top. It was his design for the grounds that they were following, after all, so his direction was needed to make sure it all came out as he planned and imagined. This setup would allow the best experience for the twins with little fuss or confusion of where everything was.
The organization he set up would be needed if the estimate of how many children that'd be involved was anywhere close to correct. The Normandy family had grown since last they were all together in one place.
Garrus watches as, one by one, the chefs of this party still trailed out of the house, down the deck's steps, and out towards the party grounds with more and more food. A part of him wonders just how they were going to eat everything and how much would go to waste in the end, but another part merely laughs and reminds him just who he's dealing with. Grunt, alone, could eat a good amount of that food, and that's not taking the huge amount of biotics in their group and how much they tended to eat - especially when active and spending their energy stores even without actually using their biotics. Now that he thinks about it, he considers the fact that they may not have enough.
Also down below, both in the shade of their cover and out in the sun-heated sand, a group of various members of their family set up what Garrus likes to consider as entertainment for the kids that'll be at this party because he's pretty damn sure they won't stand around and chat over drinks like the adults. That just won't stand.
Out on the beach, James, Bray, Kenneth, and Grunt lay out a large tarp that, supposedly, will turn into a playground of slides, a trampoline room, and a 'ball pit' when filled with air. Zaeed, however, merely leans on one of the air pumps, sipping a lemonade and being completely unhelpful - his job apparently to work the pump once the flattened material is laid out appropriately. Bray seems less than amused at the man's 'help', if his feigned slip and bump into Zaeed that caused his lemonade to spill all over his shirt is any indication. Despite the scowl he gave at getting his loose shirt covered in tropical flowers and waves wet, Zaeed soon laughs with the others and tosses what little remains in his glass on Bray in retribution.
Legacy, along with Rym and Kaidan, sets up a small mat that'll light up to the tone and beats of music they'll pipe through the nearby radio. The radio itself is Rym's making, while the floor tiles' design belongs to Legacy after he did some research on 'children's birthday themed party activities', as he called it. If Legacy knows what he's doing - What am I thinking? Of course he does - then the tiles will prove to have no problem with even the combined weight of all the krogan in their family. There is nothing the few kids who'll be using it can do to damage it, which alleviates quite a bit of Garrus' worries over their safety.
Out towards the water, Traynor collects shells for some game she has planned as Poe and Kasumi start to make sand sculptures that'll get the kids' attention and interest into following suit. What they're making is something Garrus can't quite determine from this distance, but it's better that they've left out the sand castle building toys - and numerous of them - out within reach. Whatever the women are making aside, the children will at least know how to play in the sand.
Setting out beach chairs in their own versions of swimming suits, Jack and Cortez have deemed themselves the 'life guards' of the beach. Garrus tried to tell them that parents will probably be there to help their own children swim and play in the water, but they - Jack in particular - insisted that they be there to watch over even the adults. The idea that full grown men and women will suddenly fall face first into the waves, after he considers it, is not really something he wants to lead to disaster on such a joyous day, so he lets them take their places on the edge of the water.
In true krogan fashion, Wrex and Grunt work on building a fire pit they'll later use to make their krogan dishes as Sephone watches on. Garrus knows her enough to know she's there for the chance to start the fire with the near explosive ignitor, but if Wrex and Grunt are okay with her presence, then Garrus won't bother ruining her fun by running her off to do something more productive.
Traynor seems to have enlisted the help of Sidonis, Ilden, Kolyat, and - shockingly - Arcanus to stock up their bar because of course they need to have a way of entertaining the adults. Party games certainly won't do it and, if they're drunk enough, Garrus may even get others to join in on the children games. That'd be something to see and a big reason as to why he will be wearing his visor to this party. Recording moments, even embarrassing for the others, is better left to be done with the participants are unaware. Makes it more authentic that way.
Looking towards the end of the beach opposite to Jack and Cortez's swimming arena, Garrus catches his dad and sister setting up a shooting ground while Ashley 'checks their armament' and Elihu and Chakwas most likely worrying about damages and preparing accordingly. Thankfully, they aren't actually planning to use the twin's air powered training weapons. Garrus made damn sure to remind his dad that not all the children who would be attending this party would already know gun safety, and he definitely didn't any accidents to spoil today's fun. Instead, his father merely scoffed at him with a chuckle and showed him the toy weapons he had brought with him intended to shoot foam 'bullets' that would suction to the targets a few paces away.
Anyone else not out on the beach preparing is either cooking the buffet inside, carrying whatever's already been made out to clear more counter space, or at another location at the moment to show up towards the big event in order to save room. Those are the smarter of the Normandy family, Garrus considers, as he takes a large platter of cookie-looking treats from Tali.
"I got it," he says before chuckling and motioning the kitchen through the open deck doors with his hand holding the bag of plastic cups. "Unless you want a break?"
Tali chuckles that high, sweet sound that's become more frequent since the stresses of the war had ended years ago and she's become more used to her position as quarian Admiral. "Have you seen it in there?" She jerks a thumb back over her shoulder and her eyes narrow in a grin. "Keelah, it's worse that the Flotilla."
He laughs and tilts his head in 'join me' before taking the stairs down from the large sun deck. As he walks through the soft, fine sand down to the others, he hums in delight at the warmth against his bare feet. Mention of the Flotilla - even if it's far from the overcrowded living quarters of before the war and now just a means of travel or building materials when disassembled - makes him wonder just how the quarians could ever live without the ability to feel the sensation of the sun on their skin.
He once had the mind to never feel sympathy for a species he deemed 'deserved' the isolation because of their mistakes, but knowing Tali has changed him. He was shown the truth, saw with his own eyes how a misunderstanding had changed their lives for hundreds of years, and now knows just how blind he truly was. He can only thank Tali for understanding, taking his passive aggressive insults with stride, and forgiving his ignorance.
"Hel-lo-o! Virmire to Garrus!" Tali's voice snaps him out of his thoughts and, when he blinks away the daze, she laughs and nudges his side with an elbow. "Starting to zone out already? The party hasn't even started!"
He chuckles and shakes his head. "Just distracted. Hard to imagine how much the Normandy has grown." He waves a hand towards everyone spread out across the beach. "Nearly all of us have children of our own? Even you, Tali."
She scoffs and waves that off. "You make it sound like I actually gave birth to them." Still, she smiles up to him and, even without harmonics to express herself, Garrus can sense the pride and happiness in her voice. "The war left a lot of orphans, so what was I supposed to do? Just let everyone else help those kids?"
"You certainly could. You're still pretty young, Tali."
She snorts. "That's nothing. I'm no child, Garrus. Besides, being younger just makes me more fun."
Lifting a brow plate, he hums at that. "I sense something more in that statement," he says as they step under the shade of the pavilion and head towards the large table of food laid out and at the ready for an onslaught of hungry children.
"No," she says coyly, tilting her head to the side and tapping a finger on her helmet's audio output, "I don't think so."
"Uh huh." Garrus chuckles and sets down the platter of what he hopes is sweets, else whoever shares his confusion is bound to be disappointed. "Real convincing."
She chuckles, but doesn't bother to convince him of not hinting at his being older than she is. Instead, she turns her attention to the entirety of their setup. "This really is going to be great for them. I'm almost jealous."
Garrus rumbles an agreement as he cocks a hip and crosses his bare arms over his lightly clothed chest - taking full advantage of the relaxed mood of the celebration partnered with the clearest summer day. He looks over those of the family still preparing their stations up until the last minute and those now moving from their own to pick up the slack. "Do you think it's enough?"
Tali snorts and shoves him enough to make him shift his weight. "Quit worrying. They'll love it. Although…" He looks down to her at the tone in her voice and sees her look up at him, her eyes grinning. "Now you have to try and do better each time after."
He laughs. "Damn. I hadn't thought of that." Turning to the others, he cups his hands to his mouth, shouting, "Try not to make it too good! We have to one up this next year!"
That makes Tali scoff and swat his side, but the others seem to understand - or they just don't care to change all the work they've already put in, if Jack's obscene hand gesture is anything to go by. "Bosh'tet."
"I see you two are having your fun while everyone works."
Garrus turns to the sound of his wife's voice and purrs at the boxes in her hands wrapped in brightly colored designs and topped with elaborate bows. "Bringing out the presents already?" Knowing what that means, he frowns as panic of doing this right rises up his spine. "Is it really that late?"
"Yep," Jane says as she starts to pile the presents on a large, circular mat meant just for the stack of numerous gifts for the twins. "And we need to get these presents out before the kids show. EDI already sent a message ahead of time that they're raring to go."
Garrus moves to take the presents out of her hands, helping her stack them in preparation for the larger of the gifts to be put at the bottom of the sure to be large pile. The entire Normandy family really outdid themselves, and he knows that this will be the true beginning of the twin's birthday, not including the huge breakfast he helped Jane make for them. He's damn sure the kids at school have little love for their children thanks to their parents' taught prejudice or their wariness of that which is different in Damocles and Cassia and that they have done very little to give his children the feeling of celebration for today.
EDI could only do so much in her overall attempt to include everyone in every birthday of her students, but this party will blow any half-assed show from those damn kids out of the water, as humans say. Plus, he's pretty sure the appearance of kids who actually care for the twins suddenly arriving in the class out of the blue shifted the tables, the Normandy children bound to have outnumbered the others.
Jane had apparently enlisted Wrex and Grunt's help, as Garrus catches them heading back up the beach towards the house where they collected everyone's gifts for just the right moment just before the twins and rest of the Normandy children visiting the school. Those who had been helping Jane within the kitchen carry gifts or dishes of food out, as well, and Wrex and Grunt are soon followed by those on the beach not stuck in their prep. Garrus has hope that they just might be able to get everything set up in time.
He rushes back to the house and inside to where they have hidden the presents in the armory. The Normandy crew had arrived during the previous night and morning, giving Garrus and Jane the chance to hide their gifts in the locked armory as the twins slept while keeping the crew's arrival still a secret. He isn't sure if they have deduced that the presence of all the Normandy's kids at their school means the parents are around somewhere, but the twins will certainly be in for a surprise when they come home. If they aren't surprised by seeing their 'aunts and uncles' all together in one place after some time, then they'll definitely be shocked by the large party made just for them.
Carrying a large package with help from James, Garrus leads the way out and up the steps as he follows Wrex with his own large box and Grunt with two smaller - yet equally oversized - gifts on each shoulder. The parade of presents slows towards the steps leading down from the deck, but the multiple stair cases helps keep them from coming to complete stops that'll only leave those with the larger gifts tired and sore. Back at under the pavilion, Jane is using the help of the new arrivals to organize the jumble of presents in a way that will both give the best effect of 'a mountain of presents', but also stay within the edges of their mat. Garrus knows she's doing it because it's what he wants, that he'd much rather have organization even now than a thrown about pile, and he loves her all the more for going through the extra work it brings.
Crouching opposite of James, he sets the heavy box down and brushes off his hands. "Go ahead and see if they need anymore help," he tells the sleeveless shirt, swimming trunks bound Vega with a motion back towards the house. "I'm going to see if we can make this look better."James shrugs and starts the trek back up, leaving Garrus with his amused wife, her hand on her hip.
"Don't approve of my way?" she asks with a chuckle.
"It's not that. It's just…" He hums and rubs his fringe. "It's pretty?"
She laughs and shoves his chest before walking after James, shaking her head. He watches her go and smiles at the way she looks in her dotted swimming suit and skirt of loose, billowing fabric wrapped around her waist that blows in the salty wind. Even if she has to slather on that white protective cream from the sun, he absolutely loves when she wears these outfits so that she can take full advantage of the crystal blue waters. He did promise her a tropical beach life, after all, and he'd never tire of the sight of her appreciation and use of said vow.
Like some sort of divine intervention - he thinks that's the term - he manages to get the last present placed in its perfect place just as the others rush down the beach as if a Thresher were after them, Jane forcing James, Kaidan, and Steve help her carry a massive cake with her. Garrus has no idea how she managed to create a cake almost bigger than herself out of nothing but ingredients and determination, but she did, and the four of them are trying their very best not to throw all the hard work into the sand while trying to keep up with the others. Knowing this urgency must have a reason and coming up with only one such reason that could get even Javik running, Garrus closes the gap between him and the cake in order to help pick it up onto the centermost area of the food table before the kids can breach the perimeter.
"Almost," Jane whispers as the four men lift the precious dessert out of her hands and slowly onto the table, "Careful…"
"Kinda… making it hard… Lola." James grumbles as she flits from corner to corner of the platter, hovering over them and the cake. When they finally manage to slip their fingers out from beneath it, he lets out a deep breath and Garrus finally gets the chance to take a good look at it.
He's pretty sure that this is the first time many of them get to see the actual masterpiece Jane - and probably some of the others, Garrus has to imagine - put together. After all, once the children show, they won't have much time to take in the sights, let alone have a chance to take its appearance in when they're all digging into it like hungry varren.
Made into rising tiers, each slightly smaller than the one below, the cake is the color of space that can only be seen from the freedom of a ship. They haven't been able to take the twins off planet since arriving on Virmire in the beginning due to their fears of what the galaxy would do to a pair of children that shouldn't naturally exist, so he knows this will be a sight Damocles and Cassia have only seen in pictures and vids. It probably doesn't hurt either that Jane's covered the entire cake in little figures of Blasto and friends in their exploits. Among them, he even sees the Normandy and members of their own family and starts to realize this is probably what she's been working on late at night in the kitchen ever since they spoke about planning this day.
Damn. She's been working on this cake for a while. At least two weeks.
"Everyone! The others are here!" Traynor calls out to them from the deck, looking back and motioning impatiently into the house.
With just as much hurry in their step as the others already gathering under the pavilion, Miranda, Aelia, Ellie, and Bakara carry their own dishes cooked at their own homes. Aelia still carries her and Lantar's infant son, Aeson, in a sling against her chest while Bakara holds a squirming krogan baby on her hip and a large dish in the other. Barely one, the two infants are yet old enough to join the others in Denaya's care center, but they don't seem to have distracted the women much if the cooked food they're laying out is any indication. Garrus is sure they'd probably be empty handed if two one year olds really did manage to distract the quadruple.
There isn't a moment to waste when Garrus looks up from setting down a plate of something gooey looking and at the sight of a sprinting Samantha Traynor coming down the beach. "They're here! They're here!" She pants as she leans down with her hands on her knees, catching her breath in the shade of the pavilion. "I just saw… EDI… walking up with the kids."
"Even the younger ones?" Miranda asks, probably sure she'd have to go gather Alexia from daycare herself.
Samantha nods and motions over her shoulder. "Yeah. EDI's got them."
"Alright, everyone!" Jane raises her hands to get their attentions. "You know the drill! EDI is going to have them cover their eyes and, when they open their eyes, we all yell 'Surprise!'" She adds flare by shaking her hands in the air before dropping her hands and glancing towards the house. "If you have any questions," she starts before looking back to the others, "Tough shit because they're here."
"Then shut the fuck up!" Jack whispers as the entire group turns to watch the house in anticipation.
Garrus' mandibles flutter in excitement for finally being able to throw the twins a real birthday party with all of their family present and an exuberant amount of ideas stolen from vids. Looking to Jane, he sees her practically vibrating, moments away from bouncing in place. He takes her hand and squeezes, feeling her do the same and bump her head against his arm before she audibling takes in a deep breath.
Before she can release it, Garrus catches sight of EDI leading a line of children of every species, eyes closed and holding hands, with Gelta's father and older brother close behind. The tension of excitement thickens and the feeling of the Normandy crew at his back feels like an actual weight as time seems to slow and the world fall silent. Garrus waits for EDI to look their way for confirmation once she has the children lined up at the banister of the deck so they can all see when given the cue. Once the AI's eyes turn completely to them, Garrus gives a nod with a feeling that he isn't the only one giving the go ahead.
Smiling, EDI calls out for everyone to hear, even if distantly this far out on the beach. "Open your eyes!"
Garrus is amused to see the recognition in each of the little ones' eyes as they snap open and take everything the second before every adult yells, some at the top of their lungs. "Surprise!"
The other children must have been told of the plans to actually throw some sort of celebration, as they quickly realize what's happening and turn to Damocles and Cassia. Garrus can't hear much above screams and laughs as the children crowd around his twins, most likely giving their own praises or congratulations. It lasts only a moment, but one that brings joyous grins to both of his children's faces, and then the entire stampede of children come rushing down the steps and out towards the festivities.
Children collide with parents for just a hug and shout of delight before quickly getting distracted and running off to explore the wonderful world of excitement before them. Even their ever affectionate daughter and son that tends to stick to Garrus or Jane's side like glue only stop for a quick, wide eyed gaze up at their parents in stunned happiness before running to join their friends.
Gelta's father and son approach with a pair of packages in each of their hands. Garrus had met Harak and his son, Jur'uk, before, but he never lets an opportunity to show the older man his utmost respect after raising Gelta pass him by. If not for his teachings to her against prejudices and, instead, to get to know someone as the person they are instead of what their species is, his daughter would never have the friend she has and Damocles wouldn't be showing the first signs of opening up. It's why, when the forest green man approaches, Garrus quickly helps by taking the present from his hands and offering one of his own in a shake of greeting.
"Harak. It's good to see you again." He rumbles and smiles as he releases Harak's hand and turns to his son, offering a hand to take his own gift from his hold. "And Jur'uk. How's school going?"
Jur'uk shrugs with a twitch of boredom in his attempted smile and Harak chuckles, patting his young teenage son with a hand and smile of his own. "He's still getting used to a more human way of teaching, I think. I have to hand it to EDI, though, they're learning some things I didn't even know at their ages."
Jane snorts as Garrus turns to stack up the presents, saying, "Yeah, that makes two of us." She smiles and nudges Garrus' side with a smirk. "Good to know it's just you who's the odd ball here with all your learnin's."
Harak laughs at her teasing tone before looking to his son. "How about you go see what's what? I'm pretty sure there's something you'll find entertaining around here." When his son looks around with hope, his father pats his shoulder gently. "Go on. No one's gonna blame you for being a kid." He winks two of his eyes when Jur'uk sends a child's glare of embarrassment at him. "Alright, alright. I promise not to tell any of your friends."
Jur'uk gives one more embarrassed huff before the urge to enjoy himself takes hold and he walks towards the beach with a feigned disinterest doing nothing to mask his obvious excitement. Garrus smiles with a rumble as Jane snorts and Harak chuckles, a sound of pride in his voice. Looking to him just as the man turns his eyes back to the more adult 'activities' under the pavilion, Garrus motions with his chin towards the bar area.
"Feel free to enjoy yourself. Pretty sure everyone else will be before the night's over."
"It wouldn't be a party without drinks, right?" Harak snorts and crosses his arms, taking the entire party in, from the children laughing and rushing in between different games, to the large buffet awaiting the moment said children realize they're starving. "You really outdid yourselves, here. I just figured all those big parties for kids were just the stuff of vids."
"Same here," Garrus agrees as he looks away from the view and to his mate. "We have Jane to thank for thinking up the idea."
She snorts. "Not after binging any vid that had to deal with kids' birthday parties." She returns the warm grin and reaches for his own hand. "And I didn't do all the boring organizing for the party grounds."
"Guilty." Purring, Garrus leans down to nuzzle her temple before standing straight and addressing their guest. "And don't think there's an age limit to any of the fun and games." He chuckles and motions Grunt taking full advantage of the 'shooting range', most likely using the goal of teaching the others without training how to fire the toy weapons when Garrus knows the truth. There's bound to be more members of the Normandy ready to do the same throughout the night.
"Good to know," Harak responds with a smile on his lips, not looking to Garrus or his wife. Finally dropping his arms, he nods once. "I'll see you two around. This all looks a hell of a lot more entertaining than working with irrigation output all day."
Jane laughs and smirks. "So…no swimming today?"
He laughs and shrugs as he starts to walk towards the edge of the water. "Never said I hated looking at water that much."
When he's out of earshot from the two of them, Jane leans her head against Garrus' arm. "What do you say to joining me out on the beach? I'd love to sink my toes in the sand with a drink in my hand." She chuckles when he makes a humming sound of amusement at her starting idea of 'fun'. "What? I want to have some drinks in me before the real party starts."
"And when would that be? Because I see a lot of children having a pretty good time," he says, motioning to their twins dancing - more like Cassia and Gelta dragging Damocles around on the dance tiles - in particular. The sight makes a warm thrum twist and turn inside his chest.
"Sure. But, with their presents? It'll be even more insane out here." She smirks playfully and waves her hand over entire scene. "Say goodbye to all your intricate planning once that happens."
That thought makes him itch, but he can stand the turmoil and destruction for the twins and to know that they're enjoying themselves. He's survived Christmas and the following nightmare of cleaning that brought, so there isn't anything a party outside could do to make the clean up worse. Besides, organizing a party is only fun if the twins ultimately get entertainment out of it, and they aren't ones to keep anything in any matter of calm and control. Not if their bedrooms are any indication.
"I can handle it," he says with a squeeze to her hand, turning to pull her with him towards the bar. Knowing her, she'll start with lightly alcoholic - maybe even nonalcoholic - this early in the night, and get more and more drunk throughout the night. He'll follow, though not as closely, as is the benefit of living mere steps from their party grounds, and because it's not everyday they can let loose and know there will still be someone of their family to help watch the herd of children. "Let's find something cool to drink, and then we can sit out on the beach." He smirks down to her. "I might even rub some of that sun lotion on your back."
"Sunscreen, Garrus. Sunscreen." Chuckling, she leans on the makeshift bar and smiles at Traynor. "One pinã colada and one…" She looks to him, brow raised.
"Uh, whatever the dextro equivalent is to whatever that is?"
Jane barks a laugh and leans over the glasses as Samantha starts to mix, grabbing a small paper umbrella and plucking it into his cowl. "You may not be too pleased with such a sugary drink."
He shrugs. "I'll manage. By the end of the night, I'll probably be too drunk to care how I get there."
She hums with a smirk and cocks her hip against the table, looking out towards the party. "Oh, hello…" That catches his attention and he looks back to see the twins running up. "What's up, my little monsters?"
"Mommy? Can we open presents?" Cassia wrings her hands together behind her back, her eyes hopeful. "Pwrease?"
Garrus lifts a brow plate and sees Jane glance his way from his peripheral, a smile of amusement on her lips. Granted, he knew this time would come during the night - and definitely not when he wanted it to - but right now is a bit early. Still, what is he to say?
"Uh…" He rumbles and rubs his neck, wondering if he should get this party moving as fast as the twins want. It is their birthday, right? "Sure… Okay."
Both children squeal and Cassia locks her hands together in front of her nose as Damocles turns and screams, "Daddy said 'okay', uncle Wrex!"
"Wrex," Garrus deadpans as Jane laughs. "Of course."
Wrex's laugh is booming as he grabs a large present from the bottom of the pile, one he had handled personally since bringing it in this morning. The organized pile topples over and Garrus groans, closing his eyes as Jane shoves a cold glass into his free hand. He's going to need more alcohol before this night is over.
Tugging him along, she shouts out across the beach in her booming 'Commander Shepard' voice. "Everyone! Stow it and get your fucking asses to the presents! It's time to open the gifts!"
The twins look bound to burst as they impatiently await the arrival of everyone, from the faster children to the much more calm and collected - but not by much - adults. Finally, when the last of their guests arrive, Wrex sets his single gift down with the gentlest of touch. That, along with his studious attention to this gift all day makes the plates along Garrus' spine tingle. Something isn't quite right, and he has a strong feeling that he isn't going to like what's in that box.
"Alright, hold up," His wife says, holding up her hands and stopping an unhappy pair of children from opening the gift sitting tauntingly close. "Garrus? Ready to record?" He lifts his hand to his visor and taps the record command, giving a nod in go ahead. "Great." Looking back to the twins, she smiles. "Tell us who it's from, first."
Damocles makes a sound like he's dying, but Cassia calms, gaining an all new sense of excitement from the chance to show her reading skills, and takes the paper tag from Wrex. She takes a moment to read it, her mouth moving as she sounds out the names. Once she seems to have it down, she rumbles, smiles, and leans closer to her brother.
"It says, 'From Wrex, Backara, Mordin, and Davark'," She says, looking up to Wrex for approval and he chuckles.
"Almost. Bakara and Davrak. The rest is good, little squirt." He pats her head and then rubs Damocles' small fringe with the flat of his hand, getting the same grunt of mock annoyance he always gets from the young turian/human child. "Now open the damn thing!"
Both of Garrus' children grin, mandibles spread wide and teeth showing. Together, they rip into the brightly colored paper of blue and purple stripes, talons making quick work of the flimsy barrier. Beneath the now tattered papers, there is a strange crate with large holes built in and a swinging door on one side. The two look at it with curiosity, heads tilting each way as they put their ears to the surface and, by the stunned, wide eyed look in their eyes and Wrex's massive grin, Garrus' fears come to fruition.
When the twins grab and pull open the door to their gift, none other than a varren puppy rolls out. The twins squeal, other children gasp in surprise, Jane grins, and Garrus groans at the thought of what this varren is going to do to his house he spent so long building as he watches the pup jump at his kids, licking and rumbling happily at them. Wrex, on his part, laughs boisterously at Garrus' expression and the turian wonders just how bad it'd be for the party if he strangled one of his best friends.
"Looks like we have another chance to potty train!" Jane grabs Garrus' waist and tugs him close to her side. "Aren't you excited?!"
"Thrilled," he answers, his voice flat and unamused, which only makes Wrex all the more entertained.
"Come on, Vakarian! Not too many turians get to raise a varren from a pup!" He grins wide, his eyes glinting in the sun. "And this one won't automatically take you for a chew toy this way."
Jane snorts and laughs as Damocles clings to the varren puppy and Cassia runs her hands over its back, curiously testing the short spines that haven't grown the length they'd be as an adult. Garrus has to admit that the look of them in complete awe of the animal - their new pet, he has to remind himself - helps soothe the irritation of knowing his future will involve raising a varren puppy, from teaching it not to make messes in the house to not bulldozing the house to the ground. Just when he was starting to think the twins were out of that phase on their own, now he has a puppy.
"Thank you, uncle Wrex!" the twins yell, their harmonics high and undulating with their complete amazement. "Thank you, aunt Bakara!"
Bakara smiles from the group where she holds their son, Davrak, on her hip and their daughter, Mordin's, hand in hers. With a nod, she waits until Jane replaces Wrex at the now fallen mountain of presents before saying, "You're welcome, little ones."
"Alright," Jane says as she crouches down to examine the blue striped varren puppy. "Aren't you a pretty little guy?" She smiles at their children as she pets the pup. "How about we have someone hold your new puppy while you open your other presents?"
Reluctantly, Damocles nods and lets Jane guide the varren to Wrex for the krogan family to hold. She then grabs a random box from the fallen pile and tilts the box to look at the tag. Chuckling at what she reads, she hands it to the twins. "Damocles. How about you try this one?"
Their son hums, but nods and pulls the box into his lap as his sister moves to sit next to him. Scooting to his side, Cassia watches and quietly converses with him as they sound out the names first.
"Zay-eed?" He looks up to Jane.
"Z-eye-eed," she corrects, crouching down and pointing at the label. "Sound this one out with me. Care."
Both children follow her lead. "Care."
"In."
"In. Uncle Zaeed and aunt Karin!" Recognition makes them grin as Jane nods and they reach for the red paper and pull at it. Ripping it open, they find two smaller boxes within. They frown in confusion, but then take one each.
Damocles manages to get his box open faster than his sister and chirps as he tilts his head at the book in his hand. He looks to Jane and holds it up, eye pleading. "Mommy?"
She hums and takes it, giving the clearly more mature book a look. Suddenly, she starts to laugh. "Zaeed, you ass." Chuckling, she hands it over to Garrus to take a look.
One look and Garrus knows full well what the old man did in order to get that sort of reaction. Lying in his hand is an 'Illustrated Manual to Explosive Armament Construction'. Sighing, he gives Zaeed a scolding look, but the damn man seems all too thrilled with himself to wither under Garrus' glare. He supposes that at least he doesn't have to worry about the kids' bomb making skills until they grow more accustomed to reading. Illustrated or not, he doubts they'd be able to create any sort of explosive with this book. That, and he'd be daft - as Zaeed himself would say - to ever consider leaving the kind of supplies needed within the twin's reach.
Garrus knows he doesn't need to worry about Chakwas aiding in turning his children into destructive terrors, and is proven correct when Cassia finally manages to get her box open and removes what looks like a hybrid of book and datapad. Before needing to be asked, Karin steps forward and kneels between the twins, pointing out the gift.
"This book will read along with you," she says with a smile as she opens the cover and shows them the bright pictures and text within. "And mom and dad can get you new books whenever you're done with the three here."
When the older woman stands and returns Jane's thankful nod, she turns enough for Garrus to get her attention. He mouths a 'thank you' that makes her shoulder shift in a light chuckle before she rejoins Zaeed in the group. Looking back to the twins in order to keep recording their gifts with his visor, he catches Jane handing down a pair of equally sized, more square and slightly smaller, boxes before them.
Without being told, Cassia and Damocles stop before instantly ripping them open and look at the tag. "Samantha?" "Samatha?" They both say, Cassia missing a letter in their aunt's name. She looks to her brother and back to her box before chirping and correcting herself. "Samantha!"
With a chuckle, Jane gives a wave of her hand in the all clear and they tear into this next present. The gift inside makes Garrus think there is some sort of conspiracy going on to slowly make him crazy, constantly envisioning the state of his home after the use of all these presents. There's just no way the Normandy family could have all come up with this kind of coincidence, he inwardly swears as the children show him a boxed toy entitled 'Mr./Mrs. Slime' - Comes with extra slime making instructions!
Jane bites her lip, still managing to grin, as she looks to him to see his reaction, but he won't give the crew the satisfaction of seeing him slowly losing it to the idea of his house being destroyed by their rebelliously chosen 'presents'. Let them have their fun over his notable tendency for organization and cleanliness because he's -slowly- growing to accept the fact that children are the epitome of 'mess'. If he can live with the already destructive nature of Damocles and Cassia - even his grown wife, shockingly - then he can adapt to these presents.
At least, that's what he'll continue to tell himself as he watches the twins share the task of reading out Jack's name from a single box.
"Oh, you're gonna love this one," Jack says with a grin, nudging James with an elbow. "Bet you're gift is shit compared to mine."
He snorts. "You keep thinkin' that, chiquita." Jack shoves her elbow into his side at that one, but he merely laughs and rubs the spot. Instead of give her the satisfaction, he looks to Sol at his opposite side and gives a jerk of his thumb over his shoulder towards the biotic, making Garrus' sister flicker her mandibles in a light laugh.
Interesting… and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that.
His twin's loud whir of vocals draw his attention back to the box of a game called 'hover ball'. Jane, thankfully, keeps them from opening the box and most likely losing all the pieces, but Garrus can get a sort of idea what the game entails. At least, until his ideas are confirmed when Jack says, "Someone puts in a program and you two little shits have to race to catch it."
"I assume this is an outdoor toy?" Jane seems to be reading his mind when she asks, but her coy smile his way just proves that she's getting just as much entertainment from this as the rest of them.
Jack snorts as Jane grabs another gift. "If you want to be boring."
Next to come are the presents from Gelta and her family and, Garrus hopes, something that doesn't involve explosions or barely tamable animals. Instead, as he finds once the twins rip open the boxes, Gelta seems to have brought a new Blasto doll for each of them, both over a third the size of Damocles and Cassia themselves. One Blasto is dressed in a fancy tuxedo, a pistol in each of his front tentacles, and the other a hanar-styled Spectre armor, also with a pistol in each tentacle.
"I know we kinda ruined the surprise by asking what they wanted," Harak says with a shrug and smile. "But Gelta wanted to make sure to get the right one for them."
Cassia grins and hugs her formal suited Blasto to her chest. "It's like when he went dancing, daddy!"
Garrus chuckles, not surprised by the choices. Damocles has always loved the more action based scenes of Blasto while Cassia enjoys the love interests and romances. Not that she isn't against a good shoot-out, as the addition of dual pistols proves. So long as Blasto is dressed up, it seems.
"Well." Jane sets down a large, but seemingly lighter than expected, box before the twins. "I'll take a lack of surprise over them not being happy. There are tons of those Blasto stuffed dolls." Patting the box, she grins down to the twins. "This is from who?"
Cassia stands and looks down at the tag. "Uncle Grunt!" She looks to Grunt and grins, bouncing on her feet as Damocles reaches for the wrapping.
Together, they rip away the paper to reveal a huge chest of all kinds of animal-shaped toys. Garrus doesn't recognize them, but they definitely don't look like any animals he's seen in existence. That is, until he remembers some of the picture books Grunt would often help the twins to read.
"Dinosaurs!" Both children scream as they nearly grab the top of the chest to dig into their newest hoard of toys, but their mother grabbing more gifts reminds them of where they are. Of what more they still have to open.
Joker and EDI seem to perk up when the next set of presents are set down, and it's all Garrus needs to know what names the children read even before they call out the couple's names. Nearly as impatient to see the twins tearing open the gifts, Joker merely grins and waves the kids' happy looks. As they rip open the package, even Jane makes an impressed face as she looks to the pair. "Not bad. Now, if only they don't fly those things into anything in the house."
"Don't tell me… Something else destructive?" Garrus chuckles, no longer caring if it makes the twins this happy.
"Look, daddy." Damocles runs over, holding a box with an image of a Normandy on the front. Reading it, Garrus sees it's remote controlled.
"Now, you have to come to me before you fly those things." Joker crosses his arms, jutting his chin. "Can't have you going without learning from the best pilot in the galaxy."
"Oh, pfft," Aelia says with a wave of her hand, the other cupping Aeson in his sling against her chest. "You're so full of it, Joker." She grins and points to the stack of presents. "Ours are the two big ones in the light purple."
Shrugging in 'why not', Jane grabs one of said boxes and drags them over. She gives each child their appropriate boxes and leans back to let them open. Now that they don't need to figure out who gifted them, the papers fly off the boxes and, within, Cassia finds herself an actual child's oven. Perfect for all the times Cassia begs her mother, aunts, and uncles if she can help with meals, and for those where they can't allow her to when said prep involves tools too adult for the young girl. Damocles, however, finds a practice workbench, complete with a set of toy guns he can take apart and 'repair'.
Garrus has to admit that Lantar and Aelia have definitely paid attention to the small hints of interest the twins have given in emulating their parents and relatives. With Cassia so adamant about helping in the kitchen, Damocles practically begs to join Garrus or Jane whenever they take to an armory he isn't yet old enough to enter.
Next come two small boxes that each fit in Jane's hands. Setting them down, she points to the names for the twins to try. With help, they manage to understand how both Bray and Sephone spell their names, but the epiphany doesn't last long before they're ripping into the small packages to find a small module.
"What is it?" Gabby asks from the edge of the group, trying to scoot closer to get a look as she holds onto her toddler, Merida's, hand.
"Tactical cloaks," Garrus answers, humming before looking over to Sephone and Bray. "Really?"
Bray grins and shrugs while Sephone crosses her arms and leans her hip against him, the woman slightly taller. "Why not? It'll make hide and seek more fun."
"Uh huh," Jane says, snorting before offering two slim presents to each of the twins.
"Poe and… Kol-i-at." Damocles tries, but a look up to Jane and he pouts his lip.
"Kol-ee-aut." She smiles and caresses his ungrown fringe. "Go ahead, big guy." He smiles and lifts on to his haunches enough to nudge her hand before she touches Cassia in the same way. "Show us what you got."
Ripping open the present from the drell couple, Cassia holds up a datapad as Damocles examines his own. Flickering her mandibles, she looks to Poe. "It's a datapad."
Poe grins and nods as Kolyat clears his throat against his fist. "It's a personal datapad. You can lock it to your voice, your fingerprint, whatever, and write whatever you want into it. Like a journal that no one else can read."
Garrus watches as his daughter holds the datapad close and Damocles smiles up in thanks at the two for the present. With hopes, his children can learn to jot down all their worries and emotions, learn to move past the many disappointing things life has in store as stark contrast to that in vids. Jane must have the same thoughts as she waits this time to get the motion to continue before setting down the next gift before the twins.
The twins read 'Uncle Steve' from the top of their next gift, and the man smiles from where he stands at Kenneth's side, waving a hello to the twins when they look for him. "I hope you guys like it," he says, hopeful.
"If it doesn't bring down the house, I think Garrus might just kiss you," Jane says with a chuckle as the twins rip into their present. Cortez laughs and shrugs with a smirk, hands turned up at his sides, which makes Jane return the laugh and Garrus merely chuckle, fighting not to shake his head and ruin the vid on his visor.
"It's a play set!" Cassia yells from their newly opened present, an antique-styled chest apparently full of all sorts of clothes and outfits for playing pretend. "Do they fit?" She grins and holds a dress up to her body, eyes wide as she looks to her uncle.
"Of course." He smiles and glances towards Garrus and Jane when their daughter squeals and spins with the costume in her hands. "I got a bit bigger than their size so they can grow into it a bit."
"Good idea," Garrus says with a nod, knowing that, at this tage in their lives, the twins are still soft plated and growing rapidly, not yet in the stage of their fledgling years where their plates will harden to the point of a more painful molting. At least, at that stage of their growth, it'll only happen infrequently.
"Alright. Who's next?" Jane looks to the set of boxes laid out before the twins. "What's it say?" Damocles quirks a brow plate and flicks his mandibles once before looking to his sister for help. She, too, looks completely thrown and motions their mother close, pointing to the name and whispering something. Chuckling, Jane nods and lays a hand on their daughter's shoulder. "I'll teach you." Pointing to the label, she says, "That says 'Kay-dan'." She motions the Major standing beside his new wife, the woman he had rescued from the batarian slavers so long ago, and her - now his adopted - daughter, Celeste. "And that says 'Ros-a-lin'," Jane continues, pointing to the taller woman, "Remember?"
Nodding, Cassia smiles as Damocles, looks between the writing and the group. "And Celeste?" he asks, pointing first at their friend and then her name, finally putting the written name to a face.
The little blonde haired child smiles and waves at the twins, bouncing on her feet in excitement to have her family's gift unwrapped. Without pause, Damocles grins and turns to the packaging, waiting for his sister to grap hold of a corner before they rip at it together. When the paper comes undone, the single present turns out to be multiple boxes, each with a picture of something different, yet divided into smaller pieces.
"What the fuck is it?" Damocles says with an obvious tone of bafflement, never the one to mince words. Everyone laughs as Garrus looks to his wife in 'look what you've done', but he can't really blame her for who she is nor his son for learning from what he lives with daily. He at least can tell himself that Damocles only does it in certain situations when he's really excited or upset, right?
Calming her laugher, Jane squats down and sets the next batch of presents aside as she points to the box top. "They're puzzles. You put together these pieces to make a big picture. See? This one will make a Blasto. This one, a Citadel. And here's even a Normandy."
"Cool!" Cassia grabs the Normandy box and runs her fingertips over the smooth surface of the image printed on the cover. "I wanna build this one, mommy."
"We'll all build it together," Jane says with a kiss to the little girl's forehead. "Now, let's keep going before our guests die of hunger." She chuckles as she glances around at a crowd of the others and Garrus looks towards them, seeing quite a bit have already begun to steal food away from the buffet to have a meal with their entertainment. "Well, I should have figured."
"Next present!" Grunt yells, holding what looks like a weird piece of food in his hand that looks like the back leg of an animal, minus the distinguishing foot. "Next present!"
Some of the others, grinning at the opportunity to cause a ruckus, start to chant and Garrus raises his hands to still them. "Calm down. Not even into the drinks yet and we're already worse than the kids?" He smirks and raises a brow plate. "That's the Normandy way, sure, but let's keep it down so they can enjoy themselves too."
"Pansies," Jack says with a snort and playfully shoves Jur'uk at her side. "You know what fun is, don't you?"
"Primitives have no idea of 'fun'," Javik pipes in and Garrus shakes his head before turning to the twins.
"Go ahead, princess. Who's the next from?"
"Auntie Sol!" She grins and points to the tag now in her hand.
"Let's see!" Said aunt shouts from her place in the crowd, using James' shoulder to boost herself up to be seen over the others. "I wanna see!"
The twins grin happily and rip at the bright blues of the wrapping paper, chirping and purring at the idea of getting something from their playful aunt, if only because they know just how their father's sister can be when it comes to spoiling them. Beneath the massive amount of paper, Garrus shifts closer to catch sight of big lettering printed across the box stating 'Noveria Blizzard Shaved Ice'. He doesn't think his twins know of the importance, but he looks to his sister with a smile at the memories of him and his family often going to the town center to get shaved ice cups on hot days as a child.
"I thought they might like to know the experience even if they can't get to Palaven anytime soon," Sol explains with a warm smile and jerks a thumb towards the house. "I have syrups inside, but I didn't they'd want to open something so boring."
Garrus chuckles and nods in thanks. "No, they would not."
"Tell me that means we get to make some raspas." James grins and waggles his brows. "We can even make some fun ones for us adults."
Of course, Garrus thinks as he looks back to the twins with their next gift.
They are already halfway through unwrapping in when he clears his throat to grab their attention. "And who is this from?"
"Kunkle and Auntie Ellie," Damocles says with a small envelope in his hand, offering it over.
Raising a brow plate in question as he glances towards the couple, he opens the small envelope and removes a small paper with numerous readouts and vitals listed across it. "What's this?"
"It was supposed to have been given personally to you and Jane," Arcanus says, stepping beside Garrus and offering to take the paper. "It must have been misplaced." He flicks his mandibles and looks to Ellie, getting an innocent shrug.
"Okay… so we weren't supposed to get it here. What is it?"
"It is part of the twin's gift from myself." He hands the paper back to Garrus. "I had them tested."
Garrus' mouth opens for a fraction, his mind firing on all cylinders over just how and, more importantly, why Arcanus would 'test' his children, and for what, but more of him is just plain confused and thrown by the concept. All he can manage is a plain, "What?"
"They have begun to show certain tendencies." He raises a hand to quiet Garrus from speaking and to let him continue. "I collected a sample of their saliva from their toothbrushes when they had visited and had Solus test it on a suspicion."
"We need to talk about just what you think is 'normal', Arcanus. Testing my children's saliva is not one of them." Garrus sighs and rubs his forehead. "But now I have to know what you really tested for. Is it anything bad?" He trills, panic setting in. "Please tell me they're okay-"
"Calm down, Garrus." Arcanus holds up a hand and shakes his head. "No. They are fine. They are not ill, they are biotic."
"What?" Garrus' voice is a bit higher than normal, drawing Jane and their twin's attention. He rumbles and frowns in apology. "Sorry. Keep going."
"We will discuss this later. Just know that I will do all I can to teach them what I know alongside whoever else they may train under." Arcanus gives a last nod before taking his place back with the others and leaving Garrus to gape silently as the rush of information floods his mind.
"Garrus?" He looks to his wife and she raises her brows, jerking her chin towards Arcanus. "You good?"
"Uh, yeah. We'll talk later about it. Don't worry, it's nothing bad."
"Real believable," she responds with a chuckle and looks to Cassia. "Tell daddy what Auntie Ellie got you."
"It's a hacking terminal, daddy!" She moves to the box set aside for the next batch of presents and points to the image of a terminal similar to the one recruits use to practice their hacking. It'll run through possible algorithms to devise a locking sequences unlike any of the ones before of after, constantly adapting so that the user will have to learn how to predict and adapt to the concept of hacking, instead of just assuming every terminal will be the same as the one before.
"That's…" He looks over to Ellie and chuckles. "A bit advanced."
She shrugs. "Not really. I modified it. Sure, it's not as accurate as what they'll find out there, but it's a good first step."
"Alright, little monsters. This one is from granpa." Jane sets a collection of boxes down before the kids and waves a hand out to open them.
Unable to decide which to open first, it takes a moment before each of them starts to tear at the packages. When what's inside the first boxes reveals itself, the twins look like they aren't quite sure what to make of the intricate, hand constructed turian-designed train set pieces gifted to them. Garrus, however, does.
As a child, he often remembered how his father would put together models in his spare time. Much like the ones Garrus and Jane would work on while travelling with the Normandy, his father would spend the long rides between the Citadel and Palaven creating anything from skycars to space vessels from the tiny pieces. Once home, though, they would all go into a box to be stored away and never dealt with again, much to his mother's disappointment.
His father never saw the reason in keeping the models around for what they were actually intended, as decoration or a trophy of hard work. Instead, they were no different from a story on a datapad, read while unable to work and put away when their purpose was fulfilled. When Garrus was even old enough to ask about them, about the reasoning, he was merely told of the folly in cluttering the house with something that held no sentimental value beyond time consumption, but something in the way his father looks to says that, perhaps, the destruction of all they once took for granted in that old home has left its mark.
"Now, Elihu," Jane says with a note of exasperation, drawing Garrus away from the silent agreement with his father and towards the sight of his children happily laughing over a box of something called 'Operation'. "This is a bit old school."
"Perfect way to develop fine motor skills. Can also learn turian and human anatomy. Comes in dual games. Custom."
"Elihu?" Jane raises a brow and looks up from reading the box before she sets it aside to grab more gifts. "Turians and humans don't have actual horses and ice cream in their bodies."
He shrugs. "Must be entertaining. Else would not play."
Garrus chuckles and, when she looks up to him with a jutted lip, he shrugs. "He's got you there."
"Keep it up and I'll throw my wrench in my ankle at you." He doesn't understand, but it sounds like something she most likely caught from the box. He laughs and smiles down to her as the twins look at their next present.
As if waiting for him to look, Cassia rumbles and holds out the tag from her next present. "It's from auntie Liara, daddy."
She can't possibly give them something to destroy the house. Right?
Within the large crate that the twins open is a set of what looks like archaeological tools, just shaped for kids' hands. He should have known, but, thinking back to the story Liara once told of herself as a child digging holes in the nearest park's lush green grass, he can't help the warm smile at the thought actually put into it, considering. The twins do, after all, always have questions of their aunt's tales of finding 'bones of scary monsters' in her digs and, as of yet, she hasn't had the heart to correct them.
Javik, however, has had no such qualms. Yet, when considering the worst he could tell the twins, he actually has come around to the idea of telling them grand tales. Tales that, apparently, now come with drawn depictions of what Javik once saw as a child or heard in his own elders' tales. Garrus would have never known Javik would give such a gift, let alone be the one to have sketched the intricate images.
And he thought he was nothing but a warrior of a lost time.
"My turn, youngin's." Rym motions the next box Jane lays forth, not really giving them the chance to figure out her name on their own as she takes a huge bite of something cubed and molted. "Ofen mine neff."
Jane snorts as the two giggle at the krogan woman trying to talk with her mouth full, but they follow her command without hesitation. Within in another box of toys, but these are much more intricate looking in their various shapes and colors, the way they seem made to lock together much like the pieces of Kaidan's gifted puzzles. Garrus has seen these types of toys before, read how they can be used to build anything from small structures to massive constructions, and he can't quite stop himself from imagining just what would come from his own children's imaginations.
Next to be handed over and called out are Tali's presents. Within her gifts are her immense love for space faring vessels as she bounces excitedly on her feet when they unwrap boxes of child-safe model ships. She can't seem to control herself as she runs over and kneels beside them, setting down her glass of something obviously alcoholic if her slurred speech is a safe indication.
"Thish ish my ship, the Ishamer...Ishamor… Ishamorria'Veil." She smiles and pats the box. "I can show yoush… all the shipshes…" She throws her arms out over the collection of boxes just as Ilden steps forward and catches her before she tumbles over.
Snorting, Jane helps him get Tali to her feet and pats the young quarian's back. "Still can't hold your liquor, I see." She shakes her head when Tali calls her a bosh'tet and looks down to the twins, the wrapped packages slimming down. "Want to pick the next one?"
"This one!" Damocles rushes to a vertically standing box and leans down to read the names. "Auntie Gab-by and uncle Ken." He looks up to get Jane's nod of affirmation at the pronunciation.
"Sounds good." She looks to Cassia. "Did you want to pick another meant for the both of you?"
Cassia flicks her mandibles and walks over to the dwindling pile, looking over it as she clicks her tongue. "This one," she says as she kneels down and grabs a slender package, turning it in her hands before reading the tag. "Aunt Kas-um-eye?"
"Kas-um-ee," Jane corrects with a hand on her daughter's back and nods. "Go ahead."
Before the words are even out of her mouth, the sounds of ripping paper echo across the beach as Damocles tears open his chosen present, unveiling a blackened easel. He trills in surprise and lays his hand on the black surface of the supposed canvas. "It's broken."
Donnelly laughs loud. "It's not broken, it glows in the dark!"
Damocles looks at the man as if he's speaking nonsense, but Garrus understands and approaches. Looking at the easel, he finds a set of markers secured to the back in a small case. "Here, son." He takes them and holds them for Damocles to see. "You draw with these on the black surface and, when you turn off the lights, it glows bright."
"Can I see?"
"When we open all the rest, I promise." When he pouts, Garrus adds, "Don't you want cake?"
Damocles gasps, eyes widening in a very telling gesture, and Garrus wonders how he never saw the signs Arcanus was talking about before. Of course, it could always be because he didn't have any experience with children before, but, then again, neither had Arcanus. Or, perhaps it's just because Arcanus always overthinks everything a child does as if trying to use adult logic, which doesn't turn out more times than not.
"Look, mommy." Cassia lifts onto her toes to show Jane a disk. "It says 'Blasto' on it."
Garrus watches his mate lift a brow before taking it in hand, reading the surface. "Kasumi? What is this? Is this a Blasto movie?"
"Not just a movie," the woman's disembodied voice says. "It's the newest Blasto movie. Just out of production and not scheduled to be released for another year."
"Do I want to know how you got that?" Garrus asks the air, and hears a giggle in response.
"A girl never tells."
Garrus shakes his head and, now that he's close, helps Jane haul another box before the twins. Again, they each give one twin a present for them both to save time, knowing more likely than not that the group is starting to get hungry and the other children bored. He could care less, but he doesn't want his own children to keep from food because their excitement and energy has them occupied for now.
"This one says Aunt Miri," Damocles says with a purr, smiling at the raven haired woman with her daughter on her hip. He waits to hear whose present his sister has before opening his package, showing more patience than he often presents on the majority of days, and especially not around anyone but family.
"This one is Aunt Ash," Cassia answers with a nod and wiggle of her hips on the mat, hands at the ready. With a look to her brother, they both dig into the wrapping papers.
When Cassia's hands stop flying in the way of the gift, Garrus manages to catch sight of actual, leather bound books, each one worn with time. The large images are faded, but he can guess they were once bright colors and, when Cassia opens the first, the insides show near perfectly intact pages of large print and vibrant pictures.
"I remember reading those as a kid," Ash explains as she helps Jane kick aside some of the discarded wrapping papers. "Those aren't the exact ones I had, but I found them at a shop on Earth and thought about you guys." She chuckles and looks up to Garrus, then Jane, giving a shrug. "And I'm not looking to have kids anytime soon right now."
"Good. They're a hand," Jane is stopped with a loud clang from Damocles' side of the presents, a child's musical instrument that looks similar to Jane's guitar, but without the thickness of body, "ful."
Ashley snorts as a majority of the Normandy family - those without kids, it seems like - laugh or chuckle in amusement. Oh, how Garrus remembers those days of thinking he were free of the tumultuous life of a parent, of figuratively flying into battle blind. While not a battle he expected, he wouldn't think twice about it now.
"We have two more for the both of you and then the others are separate." Jane points to a package Garrus recognizes as one of their own, and one that had to have multiple people to carry. "How about they open that together?"
Garrus nods and waves them over. "This is from you mom and I." He purrs, laying a hand on Cassia's shoulder as she passes, then Damocles' as Garrus steps out of the way. "Go ahead."
They can't move fast enough as they rip into the largest of their gifts. While it'll still need to be constructed, they immediately recognize the playground set as what it is from the picture on the box and squeal loud with both vocals. Clapping her hands together, Cassia jumps in place before grabbing onto Garrus' leg and hugging tightly. Damocles, too, runs to Jane and hugs her just before they rush back to gaze at the playset they have been wishing for since first seeing it on the extranet vids coming in from Earth.
"Gotta outdo us, aye, Scars?" James shouts over before making a click with his tongue and coming over. "Come on, niños. Let's open uncle James' gift and show mom and dad how gift givin's done."
Following their boisterous uncle's guidings, the twins giggle and laugh as he unwraps his own gift with them, three sets of hands tangling with each other and only slowing the process down. Finally, they manage to get past the obstacle of too much help and pull the last of the paper hiding away Vega's gift of - Spirits, I know I don't really believe, but save me - a karaoke machine. It even amplifies voices, too, as the large print on the box says.
"Looks like we got another party game," Janes says, suddenly at Garrus' side, smirking and nudging his waist. "And I'm making it a rule that adults can only sing after a few drinks."
"Wonderful. Just when I thought my hearing was too good, James decided to fix that."
Jane snorts and chuckles, grabbing his cowl to make him lean down so she can kiss his mandible. "Don't be such a smart ass. You'll be too drunk to care, soon."
"Young Vakarians." Surprisingly, Legacy steps forward and kneels down, holding a small orb in each hand. "Geth do not yet understand this celebration around the passage of time relative to one's birth date, but we present this gift." Holding out his hands before each of the twins, the orbs lift from his palms and lights flicker along the axis. As they begin to spin, panels slide and open, and a hologram projects itself, a drone taking shape. "This defense drone is programmable. It will provide assistance in any combative situations."
"Oh-kay…" Jane pats Legacy on the shoulder. "We'll be sure not to be taking the twins on any missions in the near future, but I'm sure you can show them how to maintain their drones until then."
Legacy nods an affirmative before standing, leaving a drone each to Damocles and Cassia. With no one left but Garrus and Jane's presents, Garrus looks to the others before clearing his throat and moving to join his wife as she crouches before their children. She waits for him before handing over the two small boxes, each holding a very valuable piece of tech that, by all rights, wouldn't really be a suitable gift for children of four, but the twins are different. Judging my the majority of the presents given today, though, even the rest of their family think that Damocles and Cassia are older in mind than their bodies.
"What is it, mommy?" Damocles takes his and turns in in his hands.
"It's a very special present," Garrus explains as he holds out his hands to help Cassia once she tears off the paper.
As she slips the box into his hands, Garrus gently pulls off the lid, revealing the thin bracelet of the beginners Omnitool. Having never a physical Tool before, whether as the permanent implant or the more civilian bracelets, the twins don't immediately understand until he takes out the tiny tech and taps the access panel with the tip of his talon.
Immediately, it throws out an interface setup and Cassia gasps in understanding. She looks to him with wide, crystal blue eyes and he smiles, rumbling warmly as he offers out his hand. "Let me put it on you."
She can't seem to speak and, instead, flings her hand into his, chirping and trilling in joy and anticipation. He chuckles at her brother's echoing vocals as Jane does the same for him, both parents slipping the bracelets over their children's hand and tightening the clasp until it fits snuggly around their wrist with its sensor atop their hand. He leans back to let Cassis test the fit and grins when she runs her talons through the interface, clicking some commands that will need to be linked to the extranet - and censored, of course. Laughing, her vocals purring, she throws herself at him and hugs him tightly.
"Thank you, daddy. Thank you."
"Thank your mother, too." He speaks softly, nuzzling her cheek with his mandible. "And be sure to thank all your aunts and uncles too for your presents." Leaning back, he presses his forehead to hers. "Happy birthday, my princess."
Her mandibles spread as she nods rapidly and sidesteps her brother to fling herself into Jane's arms. Damocles, then, steps into Garrus' arms and nuzzles his own mandible to Garrus'. "Thank you, daddy."
"You're welcome, my son." Thrumming with his chest, Garrus cups his son's face, thumb caressing the deep scar running down his cheek. "Happy birthday, Damocles."