"Hope you don't mind me crashing this little party of yours."
.
"Just tell her already!"
"Tell him... That's the male, Ori."
Oriana's head turned to her sister, her eyes narrowing skeptically. "You sure?"
Miranda shrugged her shoulders. "I think so..."
Oriana crossed her arms in front of her chest and sighed, facing her sister. "How long will you keep pretending you're actually paying attention to the vid?" Miranda clicked her tongue in disapproval and waved a hand at her.
"Shush, her ex-boyfriend just showed up..." And noticing her sister's still raised eyebrow, Miranda added, "What? That's dramatic..."
Oriana snorted. "Yeah, right..." She shook her head as she saw that Miranda still preferred to stoically keep her eyes fixed on the monitor, her entire being oozing sarcasm without her even having to say a word... It seemed Oriana would have to change her strategy if she wanted to get her sister to talk again... Maybe start with something innocuous...
She let her eyes wander around the room and sighed, hoping that would get Miranda's attention. "Your house is huge..." she mused. "And pretty seclusive..." She shot a quick sideglance at her sister to make sure she had her attention – she had... Even though Miranda's eyes were still on the monitor, they'd stopped following the actor's movements. Oriana smiled and went on, "I bet it was pretty hard to find a property like that..."
Miranda rolled her eyes and turned to her sister who nodded encouragingly at her. She tucked one of her legs under and sighed. "All right, fine... Yes, it wasn't exactly easy to find..." Don't think I don't see what you're trying to do...
. . .
"Well then, Ms..." The realtor scrolled through her datapad before she raised her head again, the fake smile never leaving her face. "Smith..."
Shepard nodded, proud of the name she'd come up with a while ago, which caused Miranda standing next to her to sigh inwardly. That name again...
Knowing Shepard was too distracted by her pride right now, Miranda inconspicuously glanced over at her. The former commander had definitely changed... Her red hair was longer now than in her days as the 'savior of the galaxy', making it easier for her to walk among civilians without stirring any attention. Today, she'd pulled it up into a ponytail, a few loose strands falling into her face. Her eyes were still the same piercing blue, but without her scars (which Miranda had persisted she should get removed – at least the ones on her face), there was not much left of the old Shepard – at least not for people who didn't know her personally... like that realtor in front of them...
"Let me show you the apartment." The realtor gracefully turned on her heels and led them into the living room, already praising its large windows...
"Shall we?" Shepard offered Miranda her arm and she swung hers around it as they followed the woman. The leather jacket Shepard wore was cool to Miranda's touch. Shepard seemed to have developed a certain liking for that garment, since she wore it almost every time they left the apartment nowadays...
Although she'd more than once joked about trying to walk around in her old N7-shirts just to see if people would recognize her then, she'd settled for a plain black shirt this time, much to Miranda's relief. Completing her disguise were dark jeans, which, as Miranda had to admit, accentuated the former commander's still well-shaped backside perfectly... All in all, she still looked very presentable and Miranda had given a sigh of relief as Shepard had assured her that the colony outfit – the one Cerberus had equipped Shepard's wardrobe on the Normandy-SR2 with – she'd exited their bedroom with this morning had simply been a joke and the former commander had quickly returned in the clothes she was wearing now. Under Miranda's watchful eyes, the unfavorable garment had swiftly been disposed of, making her wonder once more why on Earth it had survived this long in the first place...
Miranda herself had, after years of getting accustomed to wearing it, parted with her beloved jumpsuit. It would still take some time for her to feel completely comfortable in a shirt and normal pants, but at least they were still skin tight to make the change easier for her...
"...luxurious bathroom for each bedroom," the realtor's voice jolted Miranda out of her musing. Her eyes narrowed as they settled on the woman's back in front of her. Did she just emphasize the word 'bedroom'?
The realtor turned around, a wide smile on her face as she nodded towards the bed standing prominently in the room they'd just entered and Miranda's lips thinned in concentration while she carefully observed the woman's body language.
Yes she did... she concluded in surprise after only two seconds of watching the flirtatious woman. She followed the line of sight of the woman's gleaming eyes and found Shepard with a similar smile plastered on her face. Miranda's eyes widened in disbelief. Is she flirting with her? In front of ME?
"So? What do you think?" Shepard turned around in her skycar seat, looking at Miranda. Her former XO had been very silent during the entire tour through that last apartment...
Miranda's jaw tightened, but she kept her eyes straight ahead as she simply answered, "No."
Shepard's eyebrow rose. "No?"
"No."
"Would you care to elaborate on your monosyllabic answer?"
"No."
Shepard sighed and started the skycar. "Fine. In that case I'll call the realtor, see if she's got something else for us..."
"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Miranda's sarcastic laugh made Shepard set the skycar back down again and she turned in her seat once more.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Miranda's narrowed eyes were on her now. "You know exactly what I mean!" But as Shepard simply shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head, she added, "I'm sure she would just love to show you many more bedrooms and bathrooms... and kitchen countertops... and couches... and walls... and sideboards... and-"
Still oblivious, Shepard interrupted her. "What else do you expect from a realtor?"
"I expect her to not touch my girlfriend when she shows her the bathroom and I expect her to not press herself against you when she shows us the kitchen cupboards!" Miranda's eyes gleamed with fury now as she pointed an accusing finger at Shepard. "And I expect you to not grin like a bloody lunatic the entire time and encourage her to do so!"
She activated her omni-tool and angrily started hacking commands into it.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm calling Liara. She can help us find a house just as well as that bloody woman. And at least she's over you..."
"Heh, you sure about that? Okay, that was a- Wait, what are you doing? Ugh... Miri, please get back in the car. It was a joke, okay? A joke! Come on, people are already looking in our direction..."
. . .
Oriana shook her head. "Wow, you sound like the perfect couple... I'm surprised you haven't ripped each other's heads off yet... It's a miracle you're still together!"
Sighing, Miranda ran a hand through her hair and nodded. "Yes, she can be pretty infuriating sometimes..."
"Heh, and she seems to be the only person who's willing to keep up with your moods..."
Miranda's head whipped around. "Pardon?"
"You heard me..."
"Absurd." Miranda huffed, shaking her head. "I'm not moody..."
A playful smile spread across Oriana's face. "Yes you are," she stated, knowing she'd get away with it...
"Oh, like you've never had an argument with Danner..."
Her sister crossed her arms and smiled triumphanty. "No, we haven't, in fact."
"Must be a very dull relationship then, I take it..."
"Well, we can't all date the great Commander Shepard, now can we?" Oriana chuckled. "Although I bet she wouldn't mind... Ow!" She shot her sister an accusing glare as she rubbed her now aching shoulder from Miranda's slap.
That's it! No more sugarcoating for you... On to more interesting questions...
A mischievous grin tugged at Oriana's lips as she set her eyes on her target once more. "There must be something very compelling about her since you two are still together..." She raised her eyebrows expectantly, but Miranda noticed the gleam in her sister's eyes and sensed the trap.
Nodding eagerly, Miranda's eyes started gleaming in feigned excitement. "Why yes, indeed..." She leaned forward, a smile spreading across her face when she noticed Oriana's anticipation. "There was this one time when we were on a mission, completely run out of ammo and we had to fight our way back to the shuttle combining our biotics to tear through the enemy hordes. She saved my life more than once that day and ended up charging into a group of about ten husks, ripping them to shreds with her bare hands, giving me time to make it back to the shuttle without a scratch," she told, a dreamy smile on her lips at the memory.
Oriana's eyebrow rose. "Okay, there's definitely something seriously wrong with you two..." She shook her head. She'd have to find another way to make her sister admit her feelings for Shepard... "I'm surprised you didn't rush right after her at the mention of killing..."
A smile spread across Miranda's face as she propped her chin in the palm of her hand. "And miss the chance to catch up with my sister?" She winked at her. "Never."
Next up: we'll finally learn more about Emily's origin...
