Mass Effect 30 Day Challenge: Day Two
Prompt Two: Favourite Male Companion(s)
SPOILERS: Mass Effect 1 and 2
Ryncol
"Is this normal shore leave behavior for the Commander?" Zaeed leaned back on his barstool and set another empty bottle of Batarian ale down on the counter. The Turian bartender slid another across to him and the old mercenary thanked him with a nod and a grunt.
"These days it is," Garrus said, taking a sip of his dextro-beer and looking across the crowded bar at where Commander Kara Shepard was dancing with a pair of enthusiastic Asari. She was already four glasses of liquor, three shots and two beers into the evening and her dancing had become especially bad. "That Collector Ship wasn't exactly a cakewalk. And we all have our own ways of blowing off steam."
"I've never seen a human down that many shots and stay standing." Zaeed commented, downing half his beer in one gulp.
"That's Shepard for you," Garrus said, allowing himself a smile as he watched the Commander wobble dangerously to one side as she moved around the dance floor. "She's not your typical human."
"Already figured that one out, Vakarian," Zaeed commented, pausing with his beer halfway to his lips to glare at a Batarian across the bar, who cast all four of his eyes down so they were anywhere but in the mercenary's line of sight. "Didn't think it'd be a normal human crazy enough to take on the Collectors."
"Crazy is our specialty," Garrus said. Shepard was now at the bar again with the Asari and a pair of Krogan, enthusiastically encouraging them to do more shots. "You don't take on the Reapers and expect to stay sane."
"Fair enough," Zaeed shrugged. "Lucky for me I left sanity behind decades ago."
"I'll drink to that, Massani," Garrus said with a grin, and the two of them clinked bottles before drinking and sitting in silence, watching the Commander again. She was back on the dance floor, moving awkwardly in her armor between the other bodies, a drunken smile on her face.
"Reminds me of the old days," Garrus said, finishing his beer and ordering another. "The Dark Star wasn't our usual watering hole back then of course. Spent too much time in other parts of the wards helping the needy citizens of the citadel."
"Hah," Zaeed snorted. "Most of the citizens around these parts are needy for a good punch in the gut."
"Two years ago it was about the same," Garrus agreed. "We had some good times at Chora's Den though, when we weren't shooting up the place."
Zaeed grinned. "Been there a few times," he said. "I liked it. Your bartender was as likely to shoot you as he was to give you a beer. Kept you on your toes."
Garrus laughed. "I hated it, but that was back in my C-Sec days." He sipped his beer and watched Shepard as she leaned against a wall talking with one of the Citadel groundskeepers. He could swear she was asking him about fish. "A lot's changed since then."
Zaeed nodded solemnly and the pair of them ordered another round. A few minutes of comfortable silence passed before Garrus spoke again. "There was one night the three of us were at the Den – that's me and the Commander and Wrex of course." He clarified.
"The Krogan merc, right?" Zaeed asked. "Think I worked with him a couple times back in the day."
Garrus nodded. "Tough customer, but after three months under Shepard's command he was ready to follow her to hell and back." His eyes softened as he watched Shepard return to the dance floor. "We all were."
Zaeed raised an eyebrow and studied the Turian through his milky right eye, but didn't press the issue, allowing Vakarian to finish his story.
"Anyway," Garrus said. "There's one night I'll never forget, it was while we were on shore leave after we'd sorted everything out with those damn colonists on Feros. The three of us went down to Chora's Den to talk some waitress into going back to work at Flux and to stop informing for C-Sec before she got herself killed."
"Smart advice," Zaeed noted. He was looking in the direction of the dance floor. "I think she's down Vakarian."
Garrus leaned to the left on his stool to get a better view. He laughed. "Nope, she's still going." He said as the Commander leapt up to her feet with a drunken wave of her hand and the repeated yelling of the words 'I'm okay, I'm okay' to her companions. "Anyway, after we talked to this girl, Rita, she gave us a few rounds of drinks, and that was when Wrex suggested we try something a little harder than our usual preferred beverages."
Zaeed laughed. "God," he said. "When a Krogan makes a suggestion like that, you know there's going to be a story worth telling."
Garrus nodded. "No joke."
He was interrupted as Shepard came dashing over to them, a drunken smile on her face, and grabbed them both by the shoulders. "Are you having fun?" she yelled over the pounding bass. She smelled like a distillery.
"We're just dandy Commander," Zaeed said, patting her on the hand. "Just dandy."
"You guys are great!" she yelled, her words slurring into each other. "Really, thanks for coming with me. This is awesome."
Garrus and Zaeed chuckled somewhat awkwardly – Kara Shepard was a lot of things, but openly cheerful was not typically one of them. They both wondered just how much she'd had to drink when they hadn't been watching, and just how much their previous mission had affected her.
"I love you guys," she drawled, slumping forward and wrapping her arms around their shoulders. "You're just the best."
As the old mercenary and the Turian attempted to steady her, Kara Shepard leaned to her right and planted a kiss on Garrus's left mandible. "Just the best." She said with a smile.
Garrus felt his face color slightly and looked everywhere but at Zaeed, who was trying not to laugh.
"More shots!" Shepard yelled, running towards the small crowd of Asari friends she had made, who greeted her with cheers. "Let's put this Cerberus money to good use!"
Garrus continued to stare into his beer, saying nothing.
Zaeed smirked. "Did she just-"
"Shut up Massani."
"But she just-"
"I borrowed Tali's shotgun. Don't make me use it."
"Suit yourself Vakarian," Zaeed shrugged, biting back a laugh. "Anyway, you were telling me a story."
"Yes," Garrus ignored the hotness of his face and took another long sip of his beer before continuing. "So Wrex flags the bartender over, human fellow, barely old enough to shave, and the damn Krogan decides to order us a round of-"
"RYNCOL!"
Garrus stopped talking and the two of them looked across the bar to where Shepard was standing with the two Krogan, the Turian bartender pouring out three glasses of neon green liquor.
"Spirits," Garrus muttered, getting off his stool and ignoring the slight drunken haze he was in. "Better finish that beer off Massani, the evening's about to come to an end."
"Ryncol?" Zaeed shook his head as he stood up and the two of them began to walk towards their Commander. "Is she insane?"
"Like we're in any position to judge." Garrus said, moving around until he was behind the muscular short-haired blonde woman in the N7 uniform, readying himself for the inevitable.
"Lift me up, lift me up!" Shepard slurred to the two Krogan, who helped her stand on a barstool as she brandished her glass of Ryncol. "To Urdnot Wrex!" she yelled. "A King among Krogan!" The rest of the bar cheered as she downed the burning liquid in one go, splashing some of it in her eye. She tossed the glass behind her, and the bartender caught it deftly, turning shortly thereafter to find his mop and bucket.
"This isn't going to end well," Zaeed said, watching as the Commander stood swaying atop the barstool as the two Krogan next to her did their own shots of Ryncol and enthusiastically pounded their chests with their fists.
"On the plus side," Garrus said, as he moved slightly forward so he stood just beneath Shepard. "I don't have to finish my story. You get to see it."
Zaeed laughed, and the two of them watched as the Commander raised both her arms in drunken revelry.
"I'm Commander Shepard!" she yelled. "And this is my favourite bar on the-"
Garrus caught her as she fell from the stool, instantly unconscious. She slumped over him and Garrus swung her around so that he held her by the armpits. "Little help?" he asked, and Zaeed obliged, taking her legs.
"I take it this is how the story ended?" the old mercenary asked as they carried the Commander towards the restrooms.
Garrus laughed, slightly out of breath. Shepard was heavy in all her armor. "Somewhere on Tuchanka," he said. "There's an old Krogan mercenary chuckling to himself and he doesn't quite know why."
Answer: Garrus Vakarian,Urdnot Wrex, Zaeed Massani