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"Come on, Vega, ante up."

"Hold your caballos, Lola, I'm thinking."

A collective groan went up around the table, followed by the splats of cards being thrown down. Garrus got up and went to the bar for a drink. "Someone call me when the kid here gets his brains in gear."

"You can talk, old-timer. How long does it take you to 'calibrate' your hands?"

General laughter at Garrus's expense followed the comment, and Vega frowned at his hand again. "Call."

"Seriously, all that, and you called? I can't believe I got out of my chair for this." Joker tossed his chips into the center of the table. "Raise."

"You know that means he's going to have to think again," Traynor observed as she folded her hand.

"Someday he's going to learn to stop doing that." Shepard waited until the betting was finished, then threw down her hand, face up. "It's just a waste of time with me in the game."

Many sighs and many rolled eyes later, she raked in her winnings from the hand, grinning.

"Lola, you ever going to teach me how you do that?"

She gave him a slow smile. "Among the many things you need to learn, Lieutenant."

"You know, Shepard, you take a lot of the fun out of this game." Tali gathered the cards and started putting them away.

Shepard winked at her across the table. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"No, you aren't."

"No, I'm not."

"You know, we should really start betting on things we have half a chance of winning," Garrus suggested. "Like the exact details of the guns' calibrations."

"You'd still lose to EDI, Garrus, and you know it." Joker cackled, resettling his ball cap.

"Sharpshooting contest?"

"Oh, I think we all know who wins that contest, Vakarian. Why even bother to try? You know I could outshoot you with my eyes closed." Shepard smirked at him. She looked around the table speculatively. "Ah. I have it."

Traynor raised an eyebrow. "Are we going to like it?"

"Of course. It's my idea."

Everyone traded glances, then shrugged. Generally Shepard's ideas were pretty good ones.

"Well? Spit it out, Lola."

If the previous smile she'd given him had been slow, this one was practically molasses … and just as sweet. "We see who can get James the best date."

"Whoa, what now? We've talked about this!"

"I know, you don't fraternize. But just think how much fun the rest of us will have."

Traynor leaned forward on her elbows, looking at Vega speculatively. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. I can think of a few candidates …"

"Wait, I don't even get a say in this?"

"What fun would that be?" Tali asked him. "If we had to ask your permission, we would hardly earn our winnings, would we?"

Garrus eyed him through his scope. "Could we dress him up?"

"Hey, now, Scars, let's not be dissing the threads. It's not like you dress like a fashion plate yourself."

"I've never had any complaints."

Tali looked him up and down. "Yes, you have."

If possible, Garrus blushed.

Vega chortled, at least, until Shepard gave him that same slow up and down look. "Good call, Garrus. We'll have to match his wardrobe to whoever we set him up with. So." She sat up abruptly, taking her amber-eyed gaze off Vega, mostly to his relief. "Stakes?"

"Well, how do we define the winner?" Garrus asked.

"Whoever he goes on a second date with."

"What if there are more than one?"

The corner of Shepard's mouth quirked up. "In that unlikely event, we'll decide at the time. Remember, he's a tough nut to crack. He 'doesn't fraternize'. There might not even be a winner."

"Oh, there'll be a winner," Garrus vowed, in a voice that boded ill for Vega if there wasn't.

"Hm. We'd better not tell Vega who chose which date," Traynor observed. "Or he'd tank Garrus's just to spite him."

"Good point," Shepard agreed.

"All right, then. Winner gets treated to a dinner at the restaurant of their choice on the Citadel." It seemed very much as though Tali was smiling under her visor. "The more expensive, the better. That great fish place, for example."

"Do they even serve dextro food?"

"Not the point, Shepard." Tali turned the pointed cone of her visor toward Vega. "Just to be clear, there had better be a winner."

That seemed to get universal approval.

"Hey, don't I get a say in all this?" Vega protested again, but it was evident he was flexing his muscles under his tight t-shirt.

Joker stared at him from under the bill of his cap. "What, you have something better to do than go on dates with hot women?"

Vega squirmed a little. "Well … if you're gonna put it that way."

"I'm gonna put it that way."

"Fine. Okay. I'll do it. Just … go easy on me, huh?"

Traynor laughed. "Define easy for us, James."

He glared at her across the table. "Not that way. I'm a gentleman."

No one argued with that; he really was.

"We'll make them reasonable dates. No one will be asking you to go on a date with Javik. Or Grunt." Shepard glared around the table to make sure her point was made.

Everyone laughed at that and began to disperse. Shepard stayed behind, mixing herself a fresh drink. Vega picked up the poker chips and packed them away with the cards.

"Vega," Shepard said abruptly.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay with this? Because if you aren't—"

He grinned. "Nah, Lola, I'm fine."

"I'll say you are."

Vega blushed and started to leave.

"You know, Vega, I almost feel sorry for those girls," Shepard said.

He paused in the doorway. "Why?"

"Because you're all talk and no action."

"Who says?"

"I say."

They looked at each other across the room, and then Vega shook his head and laughed. "Wait till you see me in action, Shepard. Just wait till you see me."

She smiled that slow smile again. "Looking forward to it."