"Hey Garrus, come over here at look at this. I think you'll like it" said Six.
"What did you find? I hope it's not another one of those Omni-tool games you think are so great" Garrus replied, as he came over from one of the armor stands.
"No really, come over here and look at this." Once Garrus had come from around the corner, he saw Six standing in front of an armor stand, holding a very impressive set of Turian military-grade armor. "What do you think of this?"
Looking the armor over, even the pessimistic Garrus was impressed by what he saw. The heavy armor sparkled in the bright store lights, its silver and red color scheme catching his eye. "That's… impressive. You even picked out something made by Armax. That's very impressive Six. Most Humans don't know much about Turian armor."
"Well, don't get too impressed. I actually just asked the Asari over there which armor set was the most expensive for Turians. I figured it would be a good place to start looking. I grabbed the specs sheet for it, too. Here, take a look at it."
Garrus took the page from the Spartan, looking over the technical details to see just how special this armor could be. Reading through it, he saw that the shield strength was already a 50% increase over his worn-out C-Sec issue armor. And, the larger power supply meant the shield recharge rate was decreased by 25%. The armor itself was a titanium alloy normally reserved for heavy vehicles, making it nearly impervious to small arms fire, while also shedding several pounds from his C-Sec armor. To top it all off, this armor had no holes in it.
"Everything about it is outstanding Six. I couldn't find a better set of armor, unless you can make a set of your armor for a Turian, heh." Still admiring the piece, he glanced down at the side of it and saw the price tag. Curious, he flipped it around to see just how expensive this thing could actually be. It was enough to cause the Turian to drop the tag as if it was on fire. "Whoa, Six. I can't let you buy this for me. Not with a price like that."
"Are you Kasumi now? I need your permission to spend my money?" he quipped, crossing his arms and tilting his head at the Turian. "I'd be dead on that world Canalus if it wasn't for you. You might as well try the armor on; otherwise I'll have to guess your size and that's what you'll end up with."
Garrus simply shrugged in response, being smart and quick enough to figure out the lieutenant would go through with his plan. There was no point in arguing. "Alright, Six. I can just go tell someone working here what size I need. I can even wear it out of the store if that makes you realize I appreciate it. Thanks Six." The Turian patted the Spartan on the shoulder, offering a sincere smile.
"No problem Garrus. I was getting tired of seeing you in armor with holes in it. Here's the account number for the purchase… Now I'm going to go and check on Tali. She's been gawking at the Omni-tools the whole time we've been here. I better see what I can get for her."
As he turned to leave, Six was stopped by Garrus before he could even completely turn around. "Hey Six, just one thing; Quarians are very selfless people. They don't have much in their Flotilla, and it really shows with all of the ones I've met. And Tali is the worst. You're gonna have some trouble buying her anything. Hell, it took me five minutes of arguing once for her to let me buy her a drink on the Citadel."
"Heh, thanks Garrus. I've already gotten that impression from her. I'll just have to be creative, I guess. Come find us once you get set up in your new armor."
The Turian nodded to the Spartan, and then turned around to find one of the store employees. Six turned himself, spotting Tali at the Omni-tool displays, and immediately walked over to her. She was so deeply immersed in eyeing the different products that Six had to tap her on the shoulder before she even noticed him, startling her.
"Six! I didn't see you come up behind me! Where's Garrus?" She almost jumped into the air in surprise.
"He's over there getting a new set of armor. I finally convinced him to let me get him something better than the damaged goods he's wearing. I was tired of seeing him in the old junk with a rocket hole. He was determined to avoid me, but I finally got him. He seems pretty stubborn, though."
"Yes, Garrus can be very stubborn. I don't need to tell you all the stories about him; you already know yourself. Anyways, did you need something from me?"
"What, I can't just talk to you because I want to? I need a reason? I didn't realize you were so popular, Tali."
"What? No! I… I just didn't think you, you know… wanted to chat. I'm sorry. What can I help you with? Wait, that was the same answer… and now I'm babbling…"
"Relax Tali. Don't be so nervous. Now you sound like me."
"What do you mean? I've never seen you nervous."
'Whoa, that was a close one' he thought to himself. "Oh, nothing Tali. But I could use some help picking out an Omni-tool. I got a basic one from the Normandy, but I was really hoping for something special. You seem like you know something about them. What should I get?"
She motioned Six to follow her, leading him to the other side of the display tables. "Here, this one is really nice. It's a Polaris X model, made by a Human company, Kassa Fabrication. It offers some great performance, but it isn't ridiculously expensive. I've got one of the older models, a VII. It's worked well since I got it two years ago."
"That looks nice Tali, but which one is the best? If you could pick any model here, which one would you want?"
"Well, that's easy. It's right over here." She led him just down the counter, to a section that was displayed separately from all the others. "These are all the models that the Serrice Council makes. It's an Asari consortium from Thessia. They make the best Omni-tools and Biotic amps in the entire galaxy. "The Savant lines are the best ones you can get anywhere."
"Hmmm, well it sounds like that's what I should get. Sir?" He waved to a Salarian working behind the counters. He rushed over as soon as he saw Six was standing in front of the Serrice Council products.
"Yes Human, what can I help you with? Would you like to look at the Serrice products? I'd be happy to show them to you!" he answered, excited to sell one of the Omni-tools.
"Actually, I'm ready to buy one. This Savant X; my friend here told me that's the best anyone can get."
"Absolutely! You won't find a better Omni-tool anywhere else. Here… let me take it out of the case so you can see how it works." The cheerful Salarian opened several locks and security pads under the display before reaching in and taking out the small box containing the Omni-tool. "Here it is. Would you like me to help you with it?"
"Actually, my friend here can show me everything. Here's my account information, if you could ring me up?" He gave the Salarian his credit chit, and took the Omni-tool in response.
"Of course! I'll be right back with your receipt and warranty information!"
"Hey, Tali; I don't really understand these things yet. Could you put this on your arm for a little bit and show me everything with it?"
While she was surprised by Six's request, Tali would never let a chance to play with such expensive tech slip past her. "Of course, I'd love to. I've always dreamed of using one of these. You're really lucky to have one. I hope you don't mind spending so many credits on it."
"Nah, I just got them from Eclipse anyways. Besides, I need to spend them on something. Might as well use it to help the mission. What can you tell me about this?"
She played with it for a bit before she answered the Spartan. She wanted to be as thorough as she could be. "It's even nicer than I thought! The interface is so easy to use, and it's faster than any other Omni-tool I've ever seen. I can show you more if you let me sync it with your old Omni-tool."
"Don't worry about that, we can do that later. Just use your own for now. We can change it later, right?"
'Ummm, yes. But I don't want to seem like I'm taking it from you or anything."
"Of course not, Tali. Now come on; sync it with yours so you can tell me more about it."
Tali went through some of the commands, locating her own Omni-tool's wireless network and synced the information to the new one. She felt uncomfortable doing so, but only because she didn't want to seem like she was using Six's brand new Omni-tool for herself. She was having so much fun playing with such advanced tech. "There it is, I've got all my files on it. Let me show you how to access your armor's interface with…"
"Here you go, Lieutenant, ummm, B312. I've got all the data pads for you to fill out too" interrupted the Salarian. He returned the credit chit, and placed several data pads on the counter. "Just fill out the blanks with your initials, and sign the bottom on each one. And if you were planning on giving this to someone, just write their name in the beneficiary box."
"Thanks for the help. I think this was the right choice. I'll do this quick." He stormed through the data pads in a hurry, eager to finish the purchase. Tali was still so occupied playing with the Savant she didn't even notice what he was really doing. "Alright, that should be everything. Thanks again."
The Salarian looked over the information, and was surprised by what he saw on the last data pad. He took another blank one from behind the counter and scanned the information onto it, then held it out for Tali to take. "Here you go, ma'am. I hope you enjoy this; you've got a really generous friend here!"
Tali took the pad, surprised, holding it in her hands dumfounded for a few moments. "Wait, what are you giving this to me for?" The Salarian had already rushed over to help another customer before he answered her. "Six, why did he give me this?"
"I don't know, maybe you should read it and find out for yourself" he answered with a playful shrug.
Puzzled, Tali looked down and started skimming through the lines until she found her name at the bottom. Reading around it, she was nothing short of shocked to see the whole sentence here name was in.
'If the purchase of this Serrice Council Savant Model X Omni-tool is intended as a gift purchase, please disclose the beneficiary's name here for warranty concerns – Tali'Zorah vas Neema.'
She could only stare in disbelief. "No, you… couldn't have…"
"Why not? I already got something for Garrus. I have to get you something too, Tali. Don't bother arguing; it already has all your files on it and you're the legal owner."
"You, planned the whole thing? Six, I know how much this costs; you can't spend that on me. It's more than most Quarians will make in their whole lives!"
"Well, you don't seem like most Quarians, Tali" he said. "Besides, it's a gift from one friend to another. It doesn't matter whether you're a Quarian or not. Come on, I could see how excited you were just looking at the damn thing. Now you can use it."
Tali looked down, admiring the holographic display that now encased her arm. Even the shade of orange was slightly more appealing than he older Omni-tool. She could barely take herself from staring at it more in order to thank Six. She was unable to say anything; she just reached out and hugged him.
He was more receptive to her this time; after buying her an Omni-tool, he wasn't taken completely off-guard. "I'm glad you like it."
"Like it? Six, this is the most expensive gift anyone has ever given me! I love it! The nicest thing my father got for me was a new veil after my Pilgrimage. And that was for getting information on the Geth; what have I done to deserve anything from you?"
He let her go from their hug, holding her out with his hands on her shoulder. "It doesn't matter how expensive it was, Tali. I wanted to get something for you, and I know this really matters to you. You can use it for a long time, and do a lot of good with it. Now stop thanking me. I know you appreciate it."
He let her go, allowing her to start playing with her hands vigorously. She looked towards the ground when she spoke next. "Thanks… I mean, it's very nice, Six. It means a lot." She stopped playing with her hands a few moments later, sharply raising her head to look around. "Should we go look for Garrus? He's probably ready to go by now."
"Yea, let's go see if he's got his new armor on yet. He should be in the back by the fitting rooms. Come on." The grey Spartan led the way, Tali close behind him, almost tripping on several displays because she couldn't take her eyes away from the new Omni-tool.
Around the next corner, they were happy to find their Turian friend. Even wearing the new, unique armor, Six was thankful Garrus was wearing his visor. The Lieutenant was getting better, but he still worried that if Garrus was next to some other Turians, he might have trouble picking him out.
"Six, Tali! Check out this armor. I have to say, I look pretty damn good in it. The girls at Flux are going to love it." Garrus may have been letting his ego speak, but he was right regardless. The new silver and red armor was pristine, making him stand out from all the C-Sec officers on the Citadel he used to look like. The blue lighting was a very nice touch, as well. "They already sent my old armor and the new helmet back to the Normandy. I'm all ready to go."
"That looks really great, Garrus. I'm almost jealous of you. Almost." Tali giggled a little, happy to see that her friend was wearing something that didn't belong in the trash. "Six got me a new Omni-tool, check it out!" She walked over to Garrus, lighting her arm up and showing him all the new features she would get to play with.
The two of them spent several minutes talking tech with each other, giving an unusually quiet friend the chance to speak with the Spartan. "So, Lieutenant; that was a pretty nice gift you got for Tali." Leliana turned his external speaker off, giving them a chance to chat for a moment.
"It wasn't that special. She can really use something like that. Besides, I got Garrus a whole set of armor. It's not like I'm playing favorites, Leliana."
"Oh really? Garrus needed that new armor. Wearing some old junk like what he had can endanger a mission. Especially one in vacuum. I know it was a gift for him, but it made sense, too. But that Omni-tool? Tali had one that worked more than adequately. Garrus got a mission item. Tali got a gift."
"Hmph, I suppose you have a point to this? Don't worry Leliana, I'm still focused on the mission. I won't let a friendship get in the way of what we have to do." He knew what she really meant; he wasn't stupid. But he was far from being certain of what was going through his own head. He wasn't about to get in an argument in the middle of a department store with a person who would appear to be himself.
And before his pesky AI had a chance to get back at him, Kasumi had a timely entrance with the group. "There you three are! I've been wandering around the whole department looking for you. I spent the whole time looking through the guns; I figured that's where I would find you. Guess I still have some learning to do."
"Hey Kasumi. Did you get everything sorted out with all my new stuff?" asked Six.
"Yup, it was no trouble. I had to bribe the movers to take it right now, but it wasn't much. Blue-collar workers are happy with a few creds and a pretty girl's wink. It doesn't matter what race they are; men are all suckers!"
"Hah, I'm glad to see you have so much pride in yourself, Kasumi" answered Garrus, very sarcastically.
"What can I say? I don't mind using everything I have to my advantage. You're just jealous women aren't dumb enough to fall for that charm you think you have, Vakarian." She playfully winked at him, and then turned to speak with Tali. "I can see Garrus got some new armor, Tali. What did you get today?"
"Six got me a new Omni-tool. It's… amazing. It's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me." As Kasumi was yet another techy, Tali walked over and started showing Kasumi her new toy.
"Don't make it such a big deal Tali. I just thought you'd be happy with something like that."
"Well, if that's how you feel about giving out top of the line Omni-tools, there's a jewelry store just down on the next floor…" Kasumi teased, smiling a big, toothy grin at the Spartan.
"Very funny, Kasumi. If I didn't think you would just steal what you want later, I'd be happy to take you."
"Please, Six. You couldn't afford the things I want. Trust me."
He turned to Garrus, both shrugging their shoulders at each other. Kasumi obviously had unique taste. He wouldn't complain if she didn't want to spend more of his money. Between the armor, Omni-tool, and all the new furniture, he would have to wait a few weeks before his account would recover.
"Looks like we can head back to the Normandy. Everyone ready?" asked Six.
"Yea, I'm getting pretty hungry anyways. We should grab some dinner back in the mess hall, and then we'll have to play some cards in your room Six. Gotta try the new furniture out" said Garrus.
"Sounds fun to me. We'll make a stop at a liquor store on the way and we'll be set."
.
"Lieutenant, are you sure you're ready to have the others in your cabin? They'll think it's weird if you keep your armor on the whole time." Leliana was once again on the center table, only now she was surrounded by plush sofa chairs and a corner sofa. Two more sofa chairs looked out the window, and the bed was tucked into the forward corner of the room. A larger refrigerator was at the other end, complete with a new bar and several bar stools. His armor stand was next to the bed. It looked just like Kasumi's room.
"I think it may have been a bad idea to let Kasumi decorate my room… I feel like we should be in a New York penthouse. Oh, and I don't care about the armor. I'm sure that they won't think twice about seeing me without it. I'm nothing special to look at. And I want to seem like a normal person. Not a seven-foot hulk of metal."
"Oh hush, Lieutenant. I've always thought you were a very handsome hulk of metal" she said with a wink. "At least you don't have a big medical bandage on the side of your face all the time. Maybe we don't notice much, but I bet some of those Turians we saw today took a second look at Garrus."
"Heh, maybe so. But I have the feeling Garrus would 'think it's sexy' or something. He seems like that type of person. Besides, Leliana; I'm not trying to impress anyone here. Not with my looks, at least."
"Of course, Lieutenant" she replied, forming an expression of frustration on her face. Sooner or later, she would get him to open up. She always won. "If you aren't going to be wearing your armor, where does that leave me?"
"What do you mean? You can stay right there on the table. What would be the problem?"
"Don't you remember what Shepard said about Tali? About all Quarians?"
He looked puzzled for only a few moments, clearly forgetting why he had been turning his armor's audio off every time the two of them talked. "Ahh, damn. How could I forget? Tali hates you." He noticed a look of shock on his AI friend, quickly correcting himself. "Well, not you personally, Leliana. But the whole AI thing… I'm not quite sure what to tell her yet. Maybe I can ease the topic in tonight while she's here. I'll start talking about EDI or something."
"Well, just don't rush it. I spoke with EDI about it earlier, and Tali really, really hates those Geth we fought on Haestrom. And any other AIs don't start much better than that. She still refuses to let EDI help her in engineering. Just ignore me if you don't have a good reason."
"Hmmm, doesn't sound like I have luck on my side. I'll figure something out, though. We're both friends. She'll just have to trust me on the topic."
"Do you really think she'll trust you? Even after all you've done, she has some good reasons why not to trust AIs. I mean, they only drove her people into an exile of living aboard starships!"
Six, surprised at Leliana's emotion on the topic, walked over and sat down on his new sofa, sitting right across from his AI. "What are you so worked up about? Do you really think it's that big of a deal? And why do you seem to be on her side for this?"
"I'm on her side because I don't think AIs should murder billions and drive their creators from their own planets! She may not be completely rational in her hatred for all AIs in this galaxy, but I don't blame her one bit. The Geth aren't made like me; they don't have human emotions like I do. I wouldn't be able to exterminate a sentient race and live with myself." Leliana sat down, crossed her legs and placed a hand to her forehead. "My point is… I don't want her to hate you because she found out about me. Especially before she knows how different I am from the Geth. So, just ignore it for now. Place me in your armor and I'll just watch from the cameras."
"I guess I have nothing to say back. If that's how you want this… then I won't argue with you. But sooner or later, she'll find out. You won't be able to hide forever."
"I know. We'll think of something. But for now, I want you to be able to keep your friendship with someone for a change. It's just been us for a long time now. You, Garrus, Tali… The three of you make a good team."
The Spartan smiled at her, placing his hand on the table as a friendly gesture. It was the most he could do. "That means a lot Leliana. Thanks. But don't think it means I'll forget about you. It's hard to when you can start talking to me every time I have my armor on, anyways, heh."
She smiled a little, and stood up to look at him directly. "I'm glad we always have each other, lieutenant. If I have to be stuck in a strange galaxy that hates AIs, I'm happy you're the one person with me."
"Same here, Leliana. Whatever happens with these Reapers, Collectors, whatever else…. We're in it together."
.
"Tali, hurry up! We were supposed to meet Six in his cabin five minutes ago. Let's not keep our new friend waiting" said Garrus, only a small hint of sarcasm in his voice. Much less than his usual self.
"Just give me a second; I need to bypass a few protocols on the engines here and…"
"Tali, the engines aren't going to shut down if you leave them for a few hours. Don't insult Ken and Gabby so much." Garrus looked over to the two Cerberus engineers, both clearly amused by his remark.
"What? I never said anything about them! I just need to…"
"Need to follow me for a game of cards and some drinks with Six. We're going now, Tali" he said, as he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off into the elevator, hitting the switch before she could get away. "Don't tell me the Normandy can't take care of itself. We need a break, and so does Six. So just pretend you know how to have fun, and be nice."
"Oh, you don't think I can have fun, Garrus?" she said, crossing her arms and tilting her head. "I'll take that as a compliment, coming from the Turian who thinks killing mercs on Omega is fun." She laughed a little, happy that she had a friend like Garrus. "You know, it's really nice being back on the Normandy. I missed it all. The ship, Shepard, Doctor Chakwas…"
"And yours truly, of course" Garrus interrupted with a big grin.
"I was actually going to leave you out of it. I never really liked all the teasing you and Shepard put me through, heh."
"Well if I was naïve enough to believe that, then I could complain about when you and Shepard switched my Turian beer with that Human stuff. What was it? Budweiser? I was sick for days because of you two!"
"Heh, we felt so bad about that. We didn't think you'd actually be dumb enough to drink them all, though."
"Maybe so, but that goes to show you can't trust my better judgment to always come through. At least when I'm drinking."
"Speaking of Shepard; where is he? I haven't seen him since we got back from shopping…"
"I talked to him a bit while you were down in engineering. He said he was going to go see Liara while we're here on Illium. He wanted to catch up a little. I can't say I blame him, but…"
"She's different now."
"Yea, I mean… well let's not talk about that now. I think the elevator has been open for a few minutes." Garrus nodded his head to the side, prompting Tali to notice they had been standing in an open elevator the whole time. "Let's go get the drinks and food in the mess fridge, and we can finally have some fun. I hope the Quarian beer I got is something you like."
"Of course, Garrus. I usually don't get to drink anything but water in the Fleet; you could buy the worst brand and it would taste like a delicacy to me. Please, don't worry about me. Get yourself something nice for once."
"How sweet of you, Tali. As a matter of fact, I did get something nice. Since the lieutenant saved me a lot of money today, I bought a bottle of Palaven whiskey. It's the good stuff for Garrus tonight!"
"Keelah, how long until you're on the floor…."
"Hey! Insult me all you want Tali, but don't think a few drinks are enough to do me in. Remember when you, Shepard and I were on the Citadel last? At Flux? I drank more than you and Shepard together, but I still was the one who had to call the cab!"
Tali felt a little sick, remembering that less-than pleasant time. "That was the first time I had drank more than a few sips of something. My father was so ashamed when I told him about it."
"Yea, I remember the mission the next day, the one where you, Shepard, Ashley, and I went down to Elatania. That one with the Prothean ruin hidden in the mountains. The two of you were so sick after all those bumps; I had to drive while Shepard was hiding in the back, and you were just rolled up in a ball."
"I think we should just get the food and drinks, and head on over to Six's cabin. We can talk about this later."
"Right, let's go."'
The two friends quickly made their way around the corner to the mess hall, grabbing their things from one of the community refrigerators. They had a quick chat with Gardner, and thanked him for keeping their dextro food in its own containers.
After another quick hello to Jacob, who was eating his dinner quietly by himself, Tali and Garrus walked down the hall to starboard observation.
After being so comfortable talking with Garrus, just as if the past two years hadn't even happened, when Tali got to the door into observation she suddenly had a feeling of nervousness fall on her. It wasn't something that happened much. Sure, when some angry Krogan of a Geth platoon were shooting at her, she'd break a sweat. But this was different. She felt… something in her gut. Like she was floating.
Before Tali had a chance to really think about it, Garrus opened the door to find Six sitting on his new sofa, playing with his Omni-tool. And that feeling she had was quickly replaced with surprise. The lieutenant was casually dressed; his armor was on a stand in the corner.
"Hey guys, glad you both could come. When I first woke up on the Normandy, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with myself when we weren't on a mission. I'm glad I met some friends in this whole mess."
'Friends? That's the second time he's called me that. What did I do to make him consider me a friend?' Tali thought to herself. It was welcome, none the less.
Six stood up and walked around the sofa to greet the two, stretching his hand out for them to take. Garrus hit him in the arm instead, so the Spartan returned the favor. Tali just giggled a bit, but was mostly focused on watching Six. It was the first time she had seen him without his armor on; it almost felt like he had been another Quarian.
He wasn't what Tali had expected. While she still had to look up at him, Six wasn't as intimidating without him armor on. He appeared like a regular Human now, just a tall one. He was very pale, more than most of the Humans she had met during her time travelling the galaxy. Shepard once told her that certain Humans "tanned" when they spent more time in sunlight. She figured with all the time Six spent in his armor, that's why he wasn't very "tan." His hair was blonde, a trait that was a rarity to occur naturally in Humans now. Ashley had told her once that most of the blonde Humans on the Citadel, especially the young women, dyed their hair to look that way. "Tramps, all of them!" Ashley would yell. Supposedly, it was the cool look. It seemed the lieutenant had a unique feature.
The look in his eyes stood out the most. She expected them to be full of laughter and happiness, just like how he acted. But something was wrong. He looked… sad, troubled; like he was trying to forgive himself. She had learned to read subtle facial cues from aliens, as they didn't provide as much body language to communicate as her own people. Tali saw right through Six, and she was certain he wasn't actually trying to send a message to anyone. Maybe if they got to know each other more, she would ask him about it.
"Come in and sit down. Kasumi picked out some great stuff. We should be able to relax for hours and be comfortable. You Turians don't need special chairs or anything, right?" he asked with a smirk.
"Well you might need to find one that is worthy of holding me… but these will do just fine. For now, at least. Primarch Garrus deserves only the best in the future, so remember that!" Garrus walked over to the fridge in the corner and tossed some of his drinks inside, taking the rest with him as he sat down on one of the sofas. "Damn, Kasumi really did pick out the best stuff. As long as you're in a generous mood Six, I could make a shopping list of my own for her."
"Hah, don't push your luck Vakarian. I'm only letting you in here because Tali and I can't play a game of cards alone. By the way Tali, come and sit down. I've got plenty of chairs. I'll get your drinks for you; just make yourself comfortable."
"What? Oh, uh right. Thanks" she barely stuttered, as the lieutenant walked over to her and took her things and walked them over to the bar. She snapped herself out of her daze and walked around the table to a chair, sitting down with her drink. "So, what kind of game are we going to play?" She was eager to focus on something else.
"Actually, I was going to ask both of you that" Six said. "I don't know any card games that Turians and Quarians play, so I was hoping you both could teach me something simple. We don't need to play for keeps or anything tonight."
"Don't think you'll get out so easy, Six. Shepard taught us a few Human card games back on the original Normandy. The Alliance had a larger crew than Cerberus, so we had more free time then. He taught us how to play Texas Hold'Em, and he said 'everyone who's anyone can play this,' or something like that. So don't try and pretend you don't know how to play."
"Hey, remember Garrus; I'm not from here. For all you know, we could play card games with decks of 100 where I'm from."
"Too bad you already made it clear most of your universe was the same. So grab a few beers, get comfortable, and be ready to lose some money. Because this Turian plays for keeps. And Tali isn't as innocent as she seems now when her creds are on the line."
"And neither of you bosh'tets can tell when I'm bluffing" Tali said smugly., grabbing her drink and poking a straw in it.
"Hmmm, I think we're going to have a lot of fun tonight, you two." Six walked back to the sofa, popped the cap off of a beer and started shuffling the cards. "Just for the record; I haven't lost a game of Poker since I was a Chief Petty Officer."
.
Author's Note:
So, that's my first attempt at writing Tali's interest in Six. Feedback on this chapter would be very appreciated, as the romance for this story is going to be my biggest challenge.
I was thinking of including the whole Poker game in this chapter, but I didn't want the chapter to be too long. I'm working on the next chapter now; hopefully I'll get it up in a couple weeks.
Thanks to everyone that continually messages me and writes reviews with feedback; it helps remind me that I need to focus on this story more. Suggestions are always welcomed, regardless of how small they may be.
Because I'll be getting in Tali and Six's romance now, I'd like more suggestions on his name. It may not be perfect, but I don't think she should keep calling him "Six" from now on. It just seems corny.
Thanks again, everyone!
Revisions:
As one reviewer so accurately pointed out, Noble Six should not have been a sergeant at any point in his military career. Since he is a member of the Navy, the equivalent rank would be a type of Petty Officer, so I changed the rank he states at the end of the chapter to Chief Petty Officer.