Chapter 4: Frightening Surprises
Lately it seemed days at the office had been getting longer and longer for Garrus. Not that he'd complain about it; shorter days meant he had either done his duty right, or he was nowhere near to closing a case, and longer days usually meant he at least had something to go by. This time, however, it was different.
He still didn't agree with most of what his father thought about the Spectres, but spirits be damned if the giant walls the Council put up to protect them weren't getting to him. He spent countless hours trying to climb the bureaucratic mountain that kept him from doing his job; his case against the Spectre had him growing more frustrated each fruitless day.
While he hadn't been eating all that well, what he needed most right now was a drink. On his way to the closest bar from his C-Sec office, Garrus dropped by Doctor Michel's clinic, surprised to find it open still. He didn't question her about the man from the week before mainly because she didn't seem distressed; his curiosity was caught instead by the smartass nurse… or rather, lack thereof. According to the doctor, whose slight change of expression when he asked about the nurse muddled Garrus, the woman in question had left early to go on a date. Given how long he had known the doctor not to have anyone else working at the clinic, it was only natural that Garrus wanted to know more on the subject. And he might have asked, had a female human with three smaller ones walked inside to get aid from the doctor arrived just minutes later. Might as well, he really wanted that drink.
He could hear the booming music when he entered the sector to Chora's Den, and he could very much smell the acrid sent of stale liquor once he stepped inside. He sat at the bar to gather his thoughts and await the bartender; it may have been more comfortable to sit at a table but he was in no mood to shoo away the damned asari who seemed not to take the hint even after years of coming to this bar. Maybe their hormones, brainwaves or whatever it was they used to seduce others senseless worked on most, but Garrus was just fine without them thank you very much.
Not that it mattered, of course. Shortly after he ordered his drink an asari dancer was on him faster than he could down his shot. "Not today," he said nicely, only briefly taking an accidental glimpse of the blue asari ass rubbing against his C-Sec armor. "Just here to drink." He then pulled her off and adjusted in his seat.
"Aww, you never like to have fun," the asari complained before she left.
He scanned around, not searching for anything in particular but to placate a nearly innate habit of his. There wasn't a big crowd tonight, but Garrus was sure to find something interesting to watch. Last time he was here, his attention was retained by the sight of some rookie human and salarian mercs trying to outdrink a krogan. That had been quite the show. Tonight, Garrus hoped to find something just as interesting, if not more.
To his far left in one of the darkest spots in the bar, his eyes found a drunk Harkin smacking the ass of an asari waitress that didn't seem to mind. Just a little ways over was a group of turians and a salarian probably drinking themselves to a happy blackout. A hint to the right revealed a table of Alliance soldiers still in their fatigues watching an asari move atop their table. The bartender placed another of the same drink before him. Closer to his right was a human woman talking to an asari dancer. You didn't see that often here. He glanced downward on the human's body and saw there were no holes where a Chora's Den female employee's uniform would have. Though, given the roundness and size of it, Garrus was certain she would make a fine dancer.
Realizing his thought, he began to choke on his drink. The proximity of him and the human woman was enough that she turned at the sound, and though he was quickly recovering, his cough only worsened when her face was revealed.
Thankfully, Doctor Michel's nurse turned back around toward the asari just as fast and Garrus had had a fist covering his mouth while he coughed. He thanked the spirits that a little quirk he'd picked up working with humans might have been enough for the nurse not to have recognized him. He told himself to get it together. To breathe. Breathe. Good. He would really rather not get taken down by a cruddy drink in at a sleezy bar.
He turned to look at the nurse to find her by herself again. She was twirling some yellowish liquid in her glass. People usually had one of two reasons for drinking: to have fun or to forget.
Garrus could make no claim at being an expert in human mating traditions, but he was aware enough to know that many humans, like turians, had stages of courtship, unlike most asari who took things too fast, and salarians just as fast but more distant. As for hanar, elcor and the other species, he had no idea and most certainly didn't want to know. Though, the turians were still more forthcoming in terms of courtship than humans, he was familiar that dating was the beginning test of a committed relationship for humans. And it seemed to Garrus that the nurse and her date hadn't passed it.
Before he could imagine what sort of thing had driven her to Chora's Den, she caught his stare and Garrus felt a sudden urge take cover behind the bar. Instead, he coolly returned her curt nod and toast from afar- another human thing he was used to.
He signaled the bartender for another drink. He definitely needed some alcohol in him now. He was Garrus Vakarian, the best damn sniper in C-Sec. So why did he feel so foolish? He was Garrus Vakarian, not someone that was easily unnerved. So why did he feel so embarrassed.? A sigh growled softly out of him. His workload must have been getting to him. He wasn't a man that would succumb to some awkward moment. He was Garrus Vakarian.
He stalked toward the nurse very much determined, even though he was unable to think of something to say once he got there to make an uncomfortable circumstance better. She was, after all, working for an esteemed acquaintance of his. Garrus set his glass down at the same time he took a seat next to the nurse. "Shepard, right?" his mandibles snapped to his face after he realized he addressed her as he does his fellow C-Sec officers, by their surname. Garrus Vakarian: best shot in the galaxy? Probably. Imbecile? Too likely.
" Yes." She looked over her shoulder to acknowledge him with a tight-lipped smile before turning back. "Though, I'm sorry to say I didn't catch your name," she said.
He cleared his throat and extended his hand to her, yet another human custom many council races had adopted. "Garrus Vakarian," he said.
"Arin Shepard." After they exchanged handshakes, she returned to her drink. "Funny, isn't?" she asked then took a sip from her drink, long enough for him to wonder what she'd meant. Her name didn't sound all that funny. "For such a shady bar, it's pretty full of supposed reputable people. Turian military. Alliance. A few of the famous Commandos. C-Sec."
Garrus laughed in a short huff and his mandibles flared just a bit. "I don't suppose that was jab at me, was it?" She spun on her seat to partially face him and give him a wicked grin, the first he'd seen from her- not that he'd known her long. The dark circles under her eyes were barely visible under the club's forgiving lighting. "If that's your answer, then you might want to practice your jokes," he said and took a swig of his drink as a toast to himself.
"Why would I wanna do that?" Her voice as innocent as could be in such a place. "Your own advice seems to be doing very little for you," she countered.
This time, his laugh was more audible, but he couldn't let that get away. "I'm a natural; don't need much practice."
The nurse laughed in that way only asari and human females laughed… What had Ridgefield called it? Giggling. Right. She giggled right before giving him a scowl. He took another swig, wondering why the nurse's reactions changed so quickly. He couldn't make her out.
"So what brings a reputable nurse like yourself to this place? A gentlemen's club of all things." No sooner had the words left his mouth that he felt like the moron he'd been acting all night. Firstly, that was the kind of cheesy pickup line that humans both, were appalled at and fell for, and he was definitely not trying to pick her up. Secondly, it wasn't like he had never known any females that cared only for other females. And now that he'd said this was a gentleman's club it dawned on him that she might be—
"Had a lousy date so I came here," she said without reserve and with her eyes firmly set on her near-empty drink. Garrus didn't miss the change of shade in the human's cheeks, even in this crappy lighting. His curiosity about the change in skin color got the best of him and he was about to inquire about what caused such an occurrence that seemed to be so common amongst the females of the species, but she opened her mouth to speak. "And I have a friend who works here. I'm waiting for her shift to end before we hop over to another place."
So. She was that kind of female. Other than the general crowd being a little too loud for his personal taste, he didn't have a problem with people who were dedicated to going to clubs and parties, and in fact, didn't mind going to them at all. But by the time Garrus was old enough to go to big parties and clubs, he felt tooold for that. And that was a long time ago.
The nurse opened her mouth to speak again, but he felt obligated to comment on her original answer. "I'm sure there are potential mates for you to snap in no time," he said. And he meant it, too. Sure, there were many humans that looked very similar to one another. But there were also many that didn't. This human looked distinct. Her body was shaped like the stereotypical quarian's, but he wasn't going to think about that because he was a turian. But, uh, for starters, even if she was every bit the smartass she seemed to be, she appeared to have qualities his human coworkers deemed an attractive female to require. Her skin was something in between pale and brown- far too soft and unprotected if you asked Garrus, and her fringe looked like loose chocolate coils. Hmm… He could go for some Palaven chocolate right about now. Or any food, really, because he hadn't eaten since morning and he was getting damn hungry. Hell, even human food would do. Well, he was hungry, but not that desperate.
"And you, Vakarian?" she asked and he willed his derailed train of thought to leave him be. "What brings a dignified turian to this part of the Wards?"
"Just wanted a drink," he said, honestly.
He saw a smirk building on her lips and he tried to something to add before she could make up something to in his answer to tease him for, but an asari came to her other side and clasped her shoulder to get her attention. That must have been the friend the nurse mentioned. "Hey, ready to leave? Oh, hello," she turned her sight to Garrus like a sniper on a target, "I see you got yourself a nice replacement for Ethan… And an upgrade, too."
Garrus' mandibles twitched subconsciously and his mind switched to overtime to correct the asari's mistake without slighting the nurse. He liked turian females; he was a good turian.
"You're leaving early?" the barkeep broke his thoughts when she joined in the conversation.
"I already met my cut for the night," the nurse's friend stated.
"Yeah well, Fist just comm'ed me, asked if you were still here."
"And…"
"Told him the truth, you know he'd just come out and see for himself anyway."
The human barkeep left before the asari could complain and Garrus sipped on his drink so he wouldn't seem to be snooping. "Ugh, I'm sorry, Arin."
"It's alright, Deela," the nurse said, "you know Fist is already pissed at you as it is."
"Yeah, but I thought I could get away with it. I'll meet you at your place for lunch before you head to the clinic tomorrow, ok?" He stole a glance at the asari at the mention of food.
"Of course."
"Besides, looks like you have a nice escort home," she winked at Garrus.
"Oh he's not—" the nurse began but her friend was faster.
"Bye Arin, have a good time, you two!" and with that, the asari was gone to a pole without a guest yet.
"Sorry about that," the nurse looked at him sheepishly, a rare look in a human.
Garrus didn't know what to say so he waved it off with his gloved hand as he downed the last contents of his drink, all the while looking at her from the side.
She gave him a curious look and then that wicked grin of hers was back again. "Asari."
He waited for her to continue speaking. The human's gaze shifted ever so slightly down from his eyes and only for a second and held her smile steady. It quickly became obvious to Garrus that there was nothing more she was going to say. "You may have had more drinks than you can take because that last thing you said made no sense."
"Oh but it does. You're not here because you got thirsty, you're here for the asari," she put her hands up defensively before he could speak, "oh don't worry, I don't judge. Besides, why do you think the rest of the people are here for?"
"No, I," how could Garrus explain it without seeming eager to get out of here. He was hungry but he would really prefer not to make a bad impression worse; there were enough people that held disdain for him as it was. "I heard mention of Fist and wanted to see if that asari friend of yours was one of the girls that had recently complained at the station about him." Although there was a former employee of Chora's Den that put a formal complaint about Fist to C-Sec, the case had been closed for weeks. So while what he'd said wasn't entirely a lie, he felt lousy for, well, lying to her. At least he wouldn't come off as someone who was whiny. The humans had a monopoly on that one.
"Ah, say no more." The human stood up abruptly; too abruptly he thought by the way her body wavered for a moment. Garrus instinctively reached to catch her but she steadied herself by gripping the counter before his hand reached her. He was surprised to learn she had very fast reflexes for someone in such a state. "I should go, I better get some food in me or else I'll have a hangover tomorrow." She eyed around for the barkeep, who caught her signal and nodded to the her as she filled some other people's orders.
"Either what they say about humans is true or that must have been some strong stuff you had," said Garrus as he stood. She was a lot taller than he remembered.
"What do they say about humans, Officer Vakarian?" she asked with warning smile and a quizzical brow. He noticed the way his name rolled off her tongue and tried to decrypt the way she said it. It hadn't sounded like she was mocking him.
"That you can't hold liquor very well," he quipped. He turned on his omni-tool and readied it to pay.
She shook her head and gave him a dry laugh as she searched for the barkeep again, clearly not amused. "I'm sure I could outdrink a turian any day of the week." He was confused as to why the day of the week would matter… though with how weird humans were, it wouldn't surprise him to find out that the alcohol tolerance changed on certain days.
"I wouldn't bet on it."
"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to challenge you. I might end up like that poor man you brought to the clinic the first time we met." The barkeep returned and the nurse's omni-tool chimed on.
Much to his surprise, Garrus was caught off guard by the nurse's retort. By the way she spoke with him tonight it seemed like she didn't have a low opinion of him. At least not until the last few seconds. Even when a lot of his actions landed him in trouble, he cared very little what people thought of him, especially if it had been the right call. But it felt like someone had knocked the wind out of him. Maybe it was because he was being scored by a human or because she was just a nurse… But no. There had been humans that had snubbed him before, and he had nothing but the outmost respect for nurses and just about anyone that worked hard.
"Good night, Vakarian," the human said, snapping him away from his thoughts. Before he could respond she left for the exit. He stared after her, still feeling the aftershocks of something so stupid and petty that it shouldn't bother him in the least.
No. He was always getting shut down by C-Sec and the Council before he could show them his reasoning. She had no authority over him and at the very least he would explain himself while he had the chance. "I'm ready to pay," he said hurriedly to the barkeep as she cleaned up a spot near him.
"No need," she dismissed him without a second look.
"What?" he was growing impatient.
"That girl paid for your drinks." He growled quietly, thankfully too soft to be heard. "But if you want I could charge you, too." He tightened his jaw and held his mandibles tightly against him as he gave the barkeep a glare. He wondered briefly if maybe Doctor Michel was the only human female that wasn't a total smartass.
Dropping a credit chit for the barkeep's tip, Garrus wheeled for the door like he was out on a chase for a suspect. Oh, he was not going to let her get away. That was the third time. The third damn time she had done this—and they had only met three times. On top of that, she wasn't even an authority over him.
Garrus caught a glimpse of her as she left the corridors just outside Chora's Den. He listened to the fresh echoes her shoes had made and hastened his pace to catch up to her. When he finally did, she was quick to locate the skycab request stand in a sea of people who were enjoying their time off work as he should be right now.
"Arin," he called to her but her name was drowned out by all other sounds.
He pushed through the crowd and finally got just close enough to grab her arm before she could reach the request button. "Shepard." When she spun around to face him, her features showed something familiar, something he had felt all night. Surprise.
Garrus could tell himself it was hunger, but he could feel it in the pit of his stomach and all through him that he was just about to do something very stupid.
