Kolyat stretched, cringing as his feet hit the side of the gun rack his cot lay near. He missed being home, with his nice comfy bed that he wasn't too tall for.
He sat up, glancing around Life Support. He noticed his father's sleeping form; Thane sprawled across the cot as if he had just thrown himself into bed, the assassin hadn't even bothered to get undressed. Kolyat had seen how exhausted his father looked, feeling slightly guilty that his attempt at following in the old man's footsteps had been the cause. He wasn't on the best of terms with the elder Krios, but he certainly didn't wish him ill…or more accurately, more ill than he already was.
Kolyat yawned, stretching his arms over his head. He was thirsty…
Kolyat had been too out of it to really focus during his tour of the Normandy, the entire time he had followed his father he had simply been counting the seconds until he could lay down and simply be left alone with his thoughts. Even though he didn't really know his way around the ship, he stood, setting out for the Mess Hall.
Luckily for him it was practically outside the door to Life Support. Kolyat headed towards the dim light above the stove, the only illumination in the wide open room. He narrowly avoided banging his hip against one of the large dining tables, bare feet freezing against the metal flooring as he moved towards the kitchen area.
A flicker of movement stopped him. Kolyat silently cursed himself for getting spooked. You are twenty years old…only toddlers are scared of the dark!
A slim figure sat posed upon the counter next to the stove, legs crossed as it sipped from a mug. Kolyat was able to see pretty well in the dark, and knew the figure to be that of the Commander.
It looked like she hadn't noticed him yet, so he contented himself with leaning against one of the tables and watching her. He hadn't really had a chance to examine the woman, what with her severely injuring him every time he drew near, though if he was honest that was mostly his fault.
Fae Shepard was short, even for a human. Her tiny form resembling most teenage, female drell. Kolyat raised an eye ridge at the woman's weird hair. It was pale blonde, almost white, the style short and spiky, though upon closer inspection he noticed it was slightly longer along the center of her head, the style reminding him of a 'Mohawk' he'd seen on a human male at the Citadel. Only her hair looked way better.
Her skin was almost as pale as her hair, though he noticed a weird discoloration around her hands and lower arms…
She was dressed in a baggy paint splattered, short sleeved shirt, the large collar exposing one pale shoulder. Her legs were in strange multi-colored leggings that left nothing to the imagination. Kolyat admired her perfect legs for a second, noting that although she was extremely short, the woman kept her body maintained to perfection. He guessed she had to though, considering her line of work. He honestly couldn't believe a woman of her appearance was capable of performing the things she had.
"You know considering your species' ability to perfectly recall your memories, I'd figure you wouldn't have to stare for very long…"
He jumped at her voice, noting her head hadn't tilted in his direction even once…
"I'm getting good at sensing when someone is near. You can thank your father for that, the sneaky bastard." A small smile graced her face as she brought the mug to her full, pink lips.
"I didn't mean to stare." He stated by way of an apology.
Fae gave a small snort, "Of course you did…everyone stares at me."
Kolyat's eye ridges shot sky high; he hadn't thought her to be the type of woman with a huge ego…
"Don't look at me like that, I'm not a narcissist. It's just that, no one believes I am who I am. They hear of Commander Shepard saving the galaxy, taking down Saren Arterius, a turian who was a fuckin giant among his species let me tell you, But I'm only 24 and I look like a high school teenager, not a Spectre and certainly not the savior of the galaxy. So don't feel bad, I'm used to being doubted."
Kolyat bowed his head, stunned at the tiny feeling of shame he felt for thinking those exact thoughts.
Fae seemed to notice his unease, "Well don't just stand there gawkin at me, come over. You want some hot chocolate?"
Kolyat glanced at the pot on the stove, sniffing slightly as he neared.
"What is that?"
Fae's eyes widened, Kolyat catching himself admiring the brilliant blue irises, "Ah jeez…you gotta try this!" She picked up another mug from the dish rack next to her, filling it with a thick, mud colored liquid.
Kolyat was about to refuse when the smell hit him. It smelled…really really good. He took the mug she offered, sipping the drink slowly.
His eyes slid closed as the warm liquid soothed his throat, the sweet taste causing a smile to break through his stoic expression.
"Damn…that tastes great!" His next sip was closer to a gulp.
Fae laughed, Kolyat liking the sound, "Yea, I can't get enough of the stuff. I used to get gourmet hot chocolate whenever I went on shore leave, but this plain stuff is still pretty nice. I drink it when I can't sleep."
"Why can't you sleep?" And why the hell am I concerned?
"Ach…a number of reasons; I'm worried about my friend Garrus, you'll probably meet him tomorrow, I'm constantly worried about your dad's condition. I died and was brought back to life, that feels pretty weird, ya know? My current mission is I have to travel through a defective relay and destroy God knows what on the other side, pretty damn hard to relax with that task looming over your shoulder, oh…and a race of sentient super machines is massing in dark space to destroy all organic life in the galaxy," She examined the fingers on her right hand, "and I think I broke a nail when I punched you…goddamn does it hurt."
Kolyat's eyes widened, his shocked expression pulling another laugh out of the tiny human.
"Which relay is defective?"
"The one near Omega…"
"You mean you guys are going through the Omega-4 Relay?"
"What did you think your dad was here to do? Play Scrabble?" Kolyat had no idea what 'Scrabble' was, but the image was apparently very amusing to Fae.
"Seriously though, why do you think Thane has come back into your life? He regrets deeply that he abandoned you and your mother, he wanted to make amends before we set off for what is most likely going to be a suicide mission."
Kolyat wasn't sure what to say to that, it was a lot to take in. He opted for simply asking another question, "You…died?"
Fae's face darkened significantly, a haunted look in her eyes that sent a chill down Kolyat's spine, "Yea, I did…"
"Shepard…" Both turned towards the new voice.
"Sup Krios? Get that scaly green ass back in bed, you are three steps away from passing out from what I hear."
Thane chuckled softly as he approached the kitchen, still in his leathers, "I assure you I am in top shape Commander."
"Yea, I guess I wouldn't really be able to tell the difference considering I was just born yesterday and all." Kolyat watched her baby blues sharpen as she stared down his father.
Thane, yet again, laughed. Taking a glass from one of the small cabinets and filling it with water. He gave a cheeky smile to Fae as he lifted the glass towards her in a mock toast, "Just got up to get some water."
"Sure…" Fae grinned into her mug, draining it of the rest of its contents before rinsing it in the sink.
She hopped off the counter, moving to where she was standing in front of Thane. Crossing her arms she glared up at him as he sipped from his glass.
"Did you need something?" Thane asked, the smile on his face clearly showing he knew what she was upset about.
Kolyat was finding it hard not to laugh. Fae barely came up to his father's chin, yet was staring him down. It was like watching a pyjak take on a varren.
Fae simply raised an eyebrow, gesturing towards the glass, "Finish your drink and get back to bed Krios, don't make me pull rank; you're like twice my age…it'll be embarrassing."
Thane raised an eye ridge back at her, smirking as he took one of the tiniest sips imaginable, "What's the magic word Commander?"
"Damn it Thane…"
"Incorrect, now what do we say, Fae?" Saying his tone was condescending would've been the understatement of the galaxy.
The human growled, hands balling into fists at her side, "Will you please go back to bed?" She asked through gritted teeth. Thane was probably the only crew member next to Garrus allowed to tease her.
Thane threw his head back, draining the glass in almost one gulp before placing it in the sink. He then smiled, "That's my girl."
Fae moved to punch him, but he easily blocked it, laughing all the way back to Life Support.
"Jack ass…" She growled under her breath as she jumped back on top of the counter.
Kolyat couldn't help the small bark of laughter that escaped, Fae's eyes widening at the sudden show of emotion.
"Alright laugh it up, I can send you back to bed too…"
"No you can't, I'm not part of your crew."
"Two words, blue boy: Citadel Security"
"Shit…"
"See? I win." Fae smirked at him, Kolyat glared right back.
The moment turned awkward; Kolyat looking away first.
"So…ah, sorry for punching you…and kicking you…" Fae murmured, she had meant to apologize sooner, but Kolyat had avoided her after the encounter in the CIC.
"Nah, I deserved it. I'm sorry for being so rude."
Fae extended her hand, a smile on her face, "Friends?"
Kolyat stared at her strange five fingered hand, how alien it looked compared to his own. He felt a small smile stretch his lips as he took it, shaking it lightly, "Sure…" It was then he noticed what the weird coloration of her skin was. She had tattoos, "What are those?" He pulled her arm out, his fingers tracing the silver colored patterns before his mind registered that the gesture was a bit personal…
Fae's smile widened, "I got a few tattoos when I joined the Alliance."
Kolyat examined her hand, realizing he had no idea what the grey design across her knuckle was, "What is this?" he asked, tracing over each knuckle individually.
"That is a tattoo of a brass knuckle. I have another one on my other hand; I got them with a couple friends of mine during the Saren investigation." Don't you dare think of Ashley and Alenko and ruin the good mood… Fae thought to herself.
Kolyat saw the 'brass knuckles' had 'N-7' printed on them. Fae explaining, "I got N-7 on mine…the others got the Alliance insignia printed on theirs."
Kolyat's fingers slid up her forearm, Fae hoping he hadn't noticed he'd given her goosebumps.
"And this one?"
"Ah, that is a Triquetra. It is an ancient Celtic Knot symbol." Kolyat's finger traced the loops and twists of the knots in the triangular shape, Fae stunned at how much she was enjoying the contact.
"What does it mean?"
"That's the great thing about Celtic Knots, they can hold any meaning you want. Traditionally though the Triquetra is seen as a three legged symbol representing the three states of the feminine life cycle, similar to the Asari. The three stages are 'Maiden' or 'the Young Virgin', 'Mother' which represents pregnancy and, obviously, motherhood, and finally 'Crone' which represents old age and immense wisdom." She smiled down at her favorite symbol, "The Triquetra also means the trinity of the soul: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual."
Kolyat nodded, "That makes sense actually…"
Fae laughed, "Your dad said the exact same thing!"
And so the moment was broken. Wait…what moment? What the hell are you thinking? Kolyat shook his head slightly, clearing his thoughts.
Fae's eyes dimmed slightly, her mouth forming a perfect 'O' shape as she yawned, "Damn…I need to get some sleep. Your Dad and I need to help Garrus tomorrow."
"What are you guys doing?"
"I got no clue at the moment, but I'll figure something out." Fae slid from the counter, poking him in the ribs as she passed, "It was nice chatting with you Kolyat, feel free to help yourself to the Hot Chocolate whenever you can't sleep." She stopped, "Just don't let anyone know, I've pretty much banned everyone else from even looking at the stuff."
He smiled into the dark, "Thanks Shepard."
"You should get some sleep too and yea you can take that as me ordering you to go to bed." Those were her last words before she slipped into the elevator.
Kolyat continued to stand there for a few moments longer, a plan slowly beginning to form in his mind…
If he played his cards right, he might be able to stay on the Normandy for more than a few days. He just had to figure out how to convince the Commander.