Another rough day at Cerberus passed, and although Kelly had been trying her best to tolerate Naomi, it seems the bullying never stopped. It started with small, insignificant quips about her appearance, then turned into snarky remarks about Kelly's work.

"Are you sure that guy wasn't just another Shepard-hero hopeful?" her coworker sneered between interviews as a scrawny, bespectacled boy scurried from the room. He had just been assigned a navigation job on one of the warships, intended to assist the pilot in avoiding obstacles when things got rough. "It sounds to me like you're not even asking them any legitimate questions."

"I'm asking them the questions provided to us on the sheet," Kelly responded incredulously, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"And I'm just saying, maybe it's not enough. They gave us this job because they thought we could really get into the heart and soul of these potentials, right? See what their true intentions are." Naomi tapped the edges of her papers on her desk, raising her eyebrows and pressing her lips together as she turned away from Kelly. The redhead realized she was clenching her fists so tight her nails were digging into her palm. As another interviewee stepped up, the psychologist took a deep breath. No way she was letting this petty jeering get to her.

Lieutenant Bishop, who had shown them to the Cerberus office on the first day, was making the rounds this particular day, checking up on how each new employee was doing. As another interviewee took the chair in front of Kelly, he stopped in front of Naomi, putting a leathery hand on her desk. Kelly asked the new recruit for his name as the Lieutenant began speaking to Naomi.

"So, darlin', how's the fresh meat lookin'?" he asked, his gruff voice obscured only by a smile. As Kelly collected information, she was finding it hard to focus.

"So far, so good, sir," the bushy-haired girl responded, twirling a lock around her finger. She looked over her gigantic, circular glasses, making doe eyes at the Lieutenant. "I hope I'm doing satisfactorily as well, sir."

The older man chortled quietly, before leaning in and whispering something to Naomi. She let out a squeaky giggle, waving him away. Kelly clutched her datapad tightly, taking a deep breath. "Please tell me the reason you wish to work with Cerberus?" the young woman asked, a little too tensely.

The interviews seemed to be slow, each new recruit taking a little too long to think about the answer, each repetitive mannerism annoying and distracting. Kelly couldn't seem to flood her deskmate's shrill voice out of her mind. It was like listening to nails on a chalkboard for hours on end, if those nails had a sickeningly sweet and sugary personality.

Once the clock told her it was time to close up the office for the day, the young psychologist nearly pirouetted out the door. The recycled air of the Presidium hit her lungs like the largest relief she'd ever encountered, and she pulled her long, billowy hair out of its tight bun. She teased her fingers through the auburn locks, feeling each follicle on her scalp breathe a sigh. The girl wanted to sing, or dance, or run, or do something. Nothing was better than not being right next to Naomi Eavral and listening to her grating monologues. They were supposed to be interviewing new recruits after all, not lecturing them.

As Kelly walked through the Presidium, she scouted out a place to eat. At this time, there weren't many people out. The presidium was just beginning its sunset cycle, to begin to account for the six hours of nighttime the futuristic plaza was allotted each day. A few stray residents were milling about, some grabbing takeout, some just standing at the railings and looking out over the lake. She didn't get much further than a café when she saw that salarian captain again, seated at a table and holding a menu. He was still wearing his C-Sec uniform, but appeared to be off-duty. After his treatment of the Cerberus psychologist the other day, Kelly initially reacted with a little bit of surprise and disdain. However, her hunger for learning more about the workings of the salarian mind was overwhelming. She had interacted with Harsin only twice now, but he was the only salarian she currently knew by name. All Kelly saw was humans all day, and she wanted to learn more about alien culture and behavior. She found herself making the decision, and within seconds was standing by his table.

"Captain Harsin, right?" she said eagerly, clasping her delicate hands in front of her and looking at the alien's dark, bulging eyes. He turned his head to look at her and his expression immediately took on that of disgust. "Do you mind if I sit with you? I just got off work and I wouldn't mind some company while I eat dinner."

The salarian looked around. "Is this some kind of joke? A prank your Cerberus elders put you up to? Because I'm not having it. You're not weaseling your way into any intel."

Kelly slid into the seat across from him, putting a hand on her chest in shock. "Of course not!" she protested, "I just don't want the two of us to get off on the wrong foot. I figure we've already been acquainted, so I'd like to share my dinner with you and get to know you a little better. Mind if I see that?" She gently took the menu from his hands and began scanning it for something she could eat. This whole different-sugars system was hard to get used to, but she figured anything written in English would be edible.

The Captain tapped his long fingers together, studying her intently for only a few moments before speaking. "I want to apologize about the other day. I was rude. The cookies were…" he cleared his throat, "tolerable."

Kelly almost stifled a laugh. It was as if this member of an incredibly mentally and emotionally intelligent species was trying to keep up some sort of tough guy act. "I'm glad you were able to choke them down," she snarked back, a half smile playing on her lips. She wondered if he had felt an ounce of guilt with every bite, and what he would have done had she not run into him just now.

"It was a kind gesture," Harsin merely responded. "You had no purpose for doing so, just as you have no purpose for doing this now. You expect me to believe you are just exploiting me for the purpose of companionship? I've had plenty of experience with Cerberus and there is nothing amicable about the members of that organization."

"Allow me to prove you wrong," Kelly responded as an asari waitress approached. "I'll have a hot tea and a, hmm, pesto chicken sandwich," the psychologist ordered before handing the menu back to the salarian seated across from her. Harsin ordered as well, and the waitress departed briefly to retrieve their food. Kelly rested a chin on her hand and looked at Harsin with a charming grin.

"So, how long have you lived on the Citadel?"

The salarian shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure what you're trying to-"

"How long?" she interrupted, raising her eyebrows expectantly. He paused, looking at her as if scanning her for signs of maliciousness, before sighing compliantly.

"Four years."

"Why'd you move here?"

"To finish my training as a C-Sec officer. Look, I don't see why this is necessary," he retorted, exasperation creeping into his tone.

"I'm just making small talk," Kelly responded, pursing her lips. "If we're going to eat supper together, I don't know why we can't just have a friendly conversation. Get to know each other a little more."

Long, salarian digits clutched the metallic edge of the table as Harsin considered getting up and leaving. What does he have to hide, thought Kelly, that he is so uncomfortable with a little small talk? She thought back to her first day on the Citadel, when Lieutenant Bishop had been familiar, if not knowledgeable, of the C-Sec Captain. What if he used to work side-by-side with Cerberus, and have some kind of unpleasant run-in? Or was he just a familiar face around these parts?

They sat in silence for a few moments before the waitress passed by, with Kelly's cup of tea and some kind of thick, gooey liquid for Harsin. Kelly stirred her steaming liquid, watching the salarian carefully for his actions. The green-skinned officer hesitated, then took a slow gulp of his own drink. He made a face, shook his head, then sighed once more.

"You're very persistent, miss…"

"Chambers. You can call me Kelly, though," she responded, a brilliant smile spreading across her face. She couldn't help but be a little proud of herself, somehow getting the most standoffish salarian in the vicinity to sit and chat with her. She wasn't sure how often they fraternized with humans, but it really couldn't be often, unless circumstances permit. Coworkers, roommates by chance. In such a crowded, fast-paced world on this space station, she didn't imagine anyone ever had the time to sit down and get to know anybody they didn't already know. Everything that happened passed by like a fleeting glance.

"Kelly. What brought you to the Citadel?"

Kelly's eyes widened as the salarian asked her the question. He was now taking interest in her?

"Don't look at me like that," Harsin said, eyes narrowing, "I'm only trying to make this… small talk. Friendly. Like you said." He gestured with his hands quite a bit when he talked, distracting him from his cup. The corners of Kelly's lips turned up a bit before she took a sip of her tea, taking her time to respond. Salarians spoke so fast, and she knew they had a remarkable metabolism. She wondered if she seemed sluggish to him, slow and methodical.

"Well, Cerberus," she began. A pause. "They're the ones who paid to get me here, at least. I'm a psychologist, and they offered me a job." She stirred her tea idly again. "I really wanted to come to the Citadel and learn about alien species, and the culture of each one. Earth is really saturated by humans – that's where I'm from – and, well, human psychology is easy. I want to travel, see different worlds, different foods and entertainment and architecture." She closed her eyes for just a moment, imagining the strange and wonderful things she had the opportunity to see in her life, now that she was among the stars.

"Cerberus is an interesting choice for a travel enthusiast," Harsin remarked snidely, pulling his white ceramic mug away from his lips. "As far I know, anyway. They don't allow a lot of… freedom, per se."

"Well, I think they just have a lot of entry-level recruits, here," she responded. "My goal is to live out the contract I've signed, earn enough money to live on my own, and then just live here for a while. Maybe join a psychiatric practice, or volunteer." She wasn't a psychiatrist, as she had intended on using her degree for just research. However, the homeless people in the wards would surely want some kind of help from someone with a strong knowledge of psychology. It wouldn't hurt to get them somewhere to stay, someone to listen to their complaints and woes.

"So do you want to learn about alien culture, or help people?" Harsin's eyes were narrowed again.

"Both, I suppose," the redhead responded cheerfully, and the asari waitress came by again. She placed the respective foods in front of the patrons, and asked if they needed anything else before walking away. "What about you, Captain? Tell me a bit about yourself."

The salarian pressed his lips together, toying with the fork in his hand as it hovered over the hot dish placed in front of him. "I wanted to be some sort of security or police officer since I was young. Wanted to prevent disasters from happening. Protect people. It was simple, really. Get my education, go through some training, and go somewhere I was needed."

"Why the Citadel?" Kelly asked through a bite of her Italian-flavored sandwich, before swallowing it. "Why not just stay on, uh, Sur'Kesh?"

"I'm not from Sur'Kesh," Harsin sneered. "From the third moon of Halaguese. It's a planet near Sur'Kesh with many mining profits. Most of us born there end up being miners. I didn't want to be one."

"So why the Citadel?"

Harsin paused for a few seconds. "It's just where I wound up. They needed officers here, there was a ship at home ready to come here. So I got on. Haven't gone anywhere else since."

Kelly cocked her head. It was almost as if the salarian was lying, with his hurried speaking, his strange pause before talking. Then again, she wasn't familiar with the social cues of the species. She asked, "Would you like to go somewhere else?"

Harsin shrugged. "Like it here. Good quality of life, good job, decent food." He gestured at the dish in front of him. It looked somewhat tropical, with a fried fruit of some kind, and filleted meat of a dull purple color. Kelly giggled a bit, but the C-Sec officer looked pointedly at her. That last remark hadn't been a joke? Oops.

The conversation over their meal continued haltingly and awkwardly, but after a bit they fell into a friendly rhythm. Kelly had always been gifted at making friends with humans, and she was a bit prideful to note that she didn't seem to have problems making friends with aliens, either. Although the psychologist found herself enjoying the conversation, Harsin still seemed uptight and ready to bolt at any moment if he needed to. He occasionally looked around, as if there might be someone waiting to shoot him if he made the wrong move, but as the conversation went on he seemed to relax.

Once they had received the check for their meal and paid for their respective portions, Harsin dabbed his lip with a napkin and stood.

"It was nice speaking to you, Miss Chambers," he said, giving her a stiff smile.

"I hope I was able to make your meal a little less lonely," Kelly responded cheerfully, also standing and offering him a hand. He shook it, just a bit begrudgingly. As he turned to leave, she said, "Wait, Captain." His face turned to hers expectantly.

"I'm going to be honest. You're the first person I've had a real conversation with in two weeks. My coworkers are almost unbearable and I've just been terribly lonely. I'd… really love to do this again some time. Can we please trade contact information?"

A few painful seconds passed, as Harsin surveyed her for some sign of slip-up, some bit of insincerity. It seemed as if he couldn't find any, for he took out his omnitool and held it out. The redhead smiled in relief, and passed her own omnitool over his, exchanging information. She watched her holographic interface as it registered his full name – every single name – and an image of him.

"Don't pester me too often, alright?" he said, his voice taking a gentler tone than it had for the whole meal they shared.

"Thank you, Captain," Kelly gushed, her excitement obviously difficult to contain. He turned and walked away from her as she put her omnitool to sleep and returned it to her pocket. He called back to her over his shoulder.

"Call me Harsin."