Artemis finds him where he seems to always be, half buried under her favorite shuttle's body. She'd never be able to tell her bosses that, whenever she has the choice, there is a single all-terrain transport she will take without question. Something about it just suits her, whether it be the soothing hum only its engine seems to emit as it climbs the snow banks or how it handles in her hands, even on the days it feels particularly ornery.
It's because of her tendency to choose the shuttle she's taken to calling Charlie - for whatever crazy reason even she doesn't entirely know - that many of the other pilots have taken some sort of silent oath to pass it by when taking travellers up and down the mountain paths. Admittedly, she appreciates the gesture, but she can't help feel a bit guilty that they've taken the nuisance upon themselves. It's not like every shuttle is for easy grabs during the storm season when every trip up out of the bay results in a vehicle needing urgent maintenance as soon as it touches back down in Port Hanshan.
There's also another reason why she appreciates Charlie and the chances she gets to drive him hard and that's the owner of the two legs peeking from under its underbelly. Charlie's strange way of handling means that most of the mechanics either refuse to work on it, or take longer to repair its minor dents and loose screws than if they were working on another vehicle in the garage.
No, the only one able to repair Charlie in the time before he's needed is the lead mechanic himself, Lilihierax Zerius. The way the man works is like magic and he often gets any shuttle he gets his hands on both done before it's even needed - which is quite the challenge for the garage staff during the busiest of days when there are more passengers coming from the labs than the transport team can seem to handle - and working in a way that just may be better than factory condition. If she had the power to make that kind of decision for herself, she'd request Li to work on her Charlie every single time.
It also doesn't hurt to be able to watch the handsome turian work, even if she's technically off the clock and off-duty today. Hopefully, by the time she gets to him, she'll have a good reason to be down her besides her true goal. It's a bit too soon for her to have the nerve. She still feels like she needs to gauge the situation before she gives voice to her desire to spend some time out of work with the man whose jokes leave her flushed and breathless from laughing and whose refreshing - for Noveria - attitude warms her better than the Port's circulating heat.
"Hey," she says as she leans her back against the side of Charlie's front panel and crosses her arms. "Sleeping on the job again, Li?"
His infectious chuckle rasps from under the massive vehicle and she can't help giving him a smile when he grabs the foot bar to pull himself out. "Hey, Artemis. What can I do for you?" he asks in that unique accent she's never heard from a turian before. Not that she knows too many to begin with thanks to her limited space travel. "Aren't you supposed to be off today?"
Artemis' blinks and looks aside to quickly think of something, her mind failing her. She moves to think on the spot and deny it before letting words spill out of her because how hard can it be to lie? I've done it millions of times.
Instead, she blurts out, "Would you like to come to my place?" Dammit, she thinks at her traitorous brain. There is no way in hell she can bring him back to her place. More laundry lives out of her wardrobe and closet than within, datapads are strewn on every available surface, her bed looks like a group of krogan had a wrestling match in it, and she desperately needs to buy groceries instead of continuously ordering take out, delivery, or any other precooked food.
She winces inwardly and nearly misses his raised brow plate. "Uh… I mean, if you want," she corrects. "We can always go to the bar. Not the fancy one, but the one further down the Port?"
His chuckle is warm and pulls a relieved smile from her lips, assuring her that she hasn't completely screwed this up. "That'd sound like quite the night. You sure?" Rumbling at her nod, he looks around the garage before back to her, flaring his mandibles. "Yeah. Alright. Let me just finish up replacing the axle's last support."
"I have no idea what that means, but sure" His smile doesn't leave until he disappears beneath the shuttle once more. It's then that she releases a light breath of relief, silently scolding herself for being so foolish. How she damns her few and far between relationships and, even more, the fact that this may be the first time she's made a move on, well, anyone.
Something within her feels that this is just worth it, though. If there's anything she wants more, it's for her nerves to calm so she can actually enjoy tonight. What she's doing is so much more than the chats in the garage while they wait for people needing transport of when they share the occasional lunch break. Hell, she's even started noticing how one or the other will bring in coffee for the two of them and that scuttlebutt in the garage and shuttle team has started to concern the two of them in situations she wishes were true.
One step at a time, Artemis.
Her traipsing through her frantic thoughts must take more time than she expected because, in a snap, Lilihierax is up and wiping his hands off with a red cloth stained lightly with grease and lubricant. He smiles with a happy thrum before looking back at Charlie and patting its hull. "She's all ready for your next trip."
"Thank you," Artemis says and lays her hand on the hull suspiciously close to his and swears she can feel his heat across the minute distance.
Without noticing any discrepancy in their conversation, Li remove his hand and motions the large garage exit. "You wanna wait for me to wash up? Just gotta change out of these." He waves a hand down to his grimy coveralls and she nods, chuckling.
"Won't do to go out in that," she agrees and walks beside him up until the men's worker locker room, choosing to wait at the doors leading into the Hanshan metro hub.
When he comes out, he's wearing a flattering shade of red with light olive flowing along the underside of the curve of his cowl and down the center of his chest, then down the side of each pant leg. It isn't one of those tight suits she's seen the businessmen wearing, but a relaxed, loose fitting set that he looks so at home in. Hell, even the coveralls look good on him, make him truly look like a man used to working for a living and she respects and loves that.
Wait… She shakes that away with a surprised look and clears her throat as he approaches.
"You okay?" he asks as he steps closer to here, tilting his head to look at her face better. "You need some water?"
"Oh, no. I'm okay," she clears her throat softly in effort to look convincing. "Must have got something in my throat. I'm good, now."
Smiling, he rumbles and she feels the heat of his hand on her back for a fraction of a moment as they turn towards the metro entrance. Surely she didn't feel that, so she ignores the rush of happiness it brings and tries to start up a conversation they can continue at the bar. Something that, she hopes, will ease him into the thought of spending some more time with her when it's just the two of them together and without the watching eyes of scuttlebutt's minions.
"So, how's the garage been?" That was bad, Artemis.
"It's been good. A bit slow with it being the middle of the week, though." He huffs a laugh and looks to her. "You know how it is. No one wants to be around until everyone wants to go somewhere right now," he says, mimicking a stern, commanding voice they often get from the transport company bosses, even if they're more a nuisance than actual superior to him.
She chuckles at his imitation, slightly off with his accent, but it's enough to lighten her mood. "That just makes it worse because it seems to never end." Shaking her head as they step up into the metro car, she sits down and smiles when, instead of taking the seat across from her, sits beside her. To hide her blush, she looks at the closing doors. "Oh! You were watching that new crime show, what was it called?"
His mandible flares in a half smile as he hums in curiosity. "You mean Corrupt Boston?" He smiles wider at her nod and starts into one of his overjoyed, descriptive retellings. "The latest episode has to be the best, yet, Artemis. You want me to tell you? Yeah? Alright, so it started with finding this woman on the docks…"
By the time they make it to the lower section of Port Hanshan where most of the actual workers - not the businessmen and women who like to play pretend and, as Li puts it, drink their fancy water - of the Port live. There is a really popular bar here, one that caters to visitors looking for a drink, someone to share it with, and maybe catch whatever current game is playing across the galaxy. Compared to most places - which are few - that Artemis has been, it's mostly quiet and cozy during these still hours during most Port shifts.
They find a small table in the corner and, shockingly, Lilihierax holds the chair out for her, helping her push under the table. The gesture stuns her to silence and she doesn't know how to actually react. Does he understand the gesture? Did he do it because she's just a friend, a woman, or because of something else? Is it just the result of him watching too many movies and television shows mostly made by humans or with a human-oriented direction?
She doesn't notice when he stands on the opposite end and says something. Looking up in confusion, she sees his mouth plates - god, I wish I could run my fingers over the cracks in his plates… maybe my lips too - moving, so she forces herself to shut up her thoughts and listen.
"What would you like to drink?" he asks with a knowing flicker of his mandibles and rumble that's almost sounds like a vocal version of a chuckle.
"Oh, uh. Rum and soda, please." She shifts to retrieve her chit from her pocket, but Li waves it off.
"I got it."
"You sure?" He nods with a smile and heads to the bar, thankfully unable to see her flabbergasted blush. Does he really know what this outing was supposed to be? When he returns with her drink and a light red one of his own, she tests a theory and lets her finger brush his gloved one. They touch for just a moment too long, but he doesn't withdraw until it seems time stands still.
When he finally lets go and sits, Artemis is sure she bright red and burning up from her flush. Up in her apartment, she had it all figured out. She'd waltz into the garage, pretend like it was any normal day, chat a while before asking him over, share some movies and dinner, and then follow his lead. Here, right now, everything was turning on its head. He seemed to actually know what she had wanted to accomplish and is sweeping her off her feet before she can even figure out what he's doing.
"Uh, so… Work…" she grasps, trying to reclaim control. It was going so well listening to him in the metro and talking during work, but now she's absolutely lost. What is she to say? 'Hey, I know we're different species and all that, but I really, really, like you. Hell, I adore you. Do you want to maybe make something out of us?' "Yeah… How's work?"
"Artemis?" he says with a warm purr, reaching across to cover her hand that, until him pulling her attention to it, has been fidgeting with and spinning her glass. "You already asked that," he says with a chuckle. "How about we talk about something else? Why don't you tell me about growing up on Earth?"
The ease of his conversation soothes her nerves, but more than anything is the touch of his hand that still lays against her own. She can swear he knows what he's doing and, in a way, it actually makes it easier to open up to him. Biting her lip, she turns her hand in his and, immediately, he moves to lay their hands together, fingers cupping the other's.
Their conversation leads from their homes, to their youth, their young adulthood and direction of their careers, to what exactly brought the, and, finally, to the most personal aspects of their interests and goals for life. Each word relaxes her more than the few sips of the now neglected drink and the constant reminder that their hands are linked boosts her courage as she begins to shift the conversationof his life in the moment, and certainly not pertaining to work.
towards her goal.
"Do you have a shift tomorrow?" She says, trying to seem merely curious so as not to get her hopes up.
"Nah," he responds, chuckling lightly. "Been planning to catch up on some vids. Don't want anyone spoiling it for me, you know?"
She's always known him as a movie and television buff. It's enduring and something they always seemed to occupy themselves talking about during work. His almost perfect memory of vids and trivia never ceased to amaze her and gave her a deeper look into many movies that were nothing more than entertainment to her.
It's because of his enthusiasm that she often finds herself sitting down in front of the newest shows in effort to have full knowledge of it when they meet the next morning. That, and the fact that nearly every show or movie he's recommended to her is actually really damn good.
Running her free fingers around the rim of her glass, she takes the leap. "I need to catch up, too. Would you like to watch them together? Maybe have a binge?"
He laughs, the sound easing the tension in her shoulders and relaxing her like putty in his hands. Lilihierax smiles and purrs deeply, saying, "I'd really like that." His vocals take on a chirping sound as his gaze drifts into space and his free hand gesticulates. "We can go to my place, order delivery, and catch you up on all the classics. Then we get into the recent movies I haven't seen - maybe some of the really good ones I have. Man, we won't get any sleep."
She smiles at the way his voice takes on a soothing quality like it always does when he's wrapped up in something he loves. Oh, how she wishes he'd talk about her like that. Even more, she'd give all of Noveria to hear that raspy voice whispering into her ear, his heavy accent curling her toes.
It isn't until she hears a low, rumbling chuckle that feels like cool water trickling over the smooth rocks of a river, pulls her from her thoughts and pulls her attention to his - is that… - knowing smile. Her cheeks flush as she gapes a bit at loss of excuse for her distraction. Surely he wouldn't believe she was a bit tipsy because she's still holding her first drink, and half full to boot. All she can say is a simple, "I'm sorry. I was lost for a moment there…"
She clears her throat in effort to make him believe that was all she could say. It wasn't until then that she realized his may take her the wrong way, that she was bored and quickly has to fix that. What can she say? She frantically searches her mind before admitting defeat and adding, "Hearing you so happy is so soothing I… lose myself."
He is quiet as he considers that, head just slightly tilted and an audible hum rolling in his throat. She bites her lip and is just about to backtrack again and grasp at straws for a better explanation before he says, "Say. How about we start our movie binge tonight?"
Damn him, he grins when her mouth falls open and throat dries out instantly. He wants to start tonight? At his place? With her? And he's loving every second of yanking the rug from under her feet every time she seems to catching her footing in her awkwardness. Without saying a word, she nods and returns his own expression with a hopeful smile, hoping her silent plea in her head doesn't show in her eyes.
"I'd… really like that." Her voice is soft, tender, and she worries he can hear the something else in there. Maybe he does, because he gives her hand a squeeze before releasing and standing up.
"Come on. We can walk, if you're okay with that."
"You kidding? I'm so tired of shuttles. It always feels like work," she says with a chuckle and timidly reclaims his hand. He gives it a look with a slight raise to his brow plate, but doesn't withdraw. In fact, she can almost swear he shifts to press their palms closer as they walk down the halls and towards the crew apartments.