I'm Nobody

by free man writer

He didn't have anything when he was born. Just a name and number. But over time, what he had grew. He, with his friends began to understand that there was more to their existence then just their name and number. They will prove that they were meant to be real. To exist. To become something more than just a Nobody. Co-written and created with Jebest4781. Fem Shepard. Now on Ao3.

2. The Citadel

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I'm Nobody Chapter 2: The Citadel

When Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya first set out on her Pilgrimage, there were many fantasies and dreams that she had wanted to experience.

A call to adventure, being swept up in daring and heroic missions that would one day benefit her people.

To meet with new people and perhaps even become friends with them.

But Tali, like many other individuals, quickly learned that the Universe rarely ever plays favorites.

If at all, especially towards her people by the general populous.

From practically the very beginning, she had been dealing with nothing but one ordeal after another.

In a matter of days, she had lost the friends that had come with her on her pilgrimage.

Her initial goal, starting in Illium, drastically diverted upon investing Geth that had appeared outside the Perseus Veil, which soon turned into a mad dash to stay alive.

To stay one step ahead of whoever it was that wanted her dead.

It was maddening really.

Suffering so much loss in such a small amount of time really showed her how naive she really was when starting her Pilgrimage.

It was a miracle that she had gotten to the Citadel with Kennah alive at all.

But Kennah didn't last that long either.

In a matter of an hour or so as soon as they had gotten on to the Citadel they had tried and failed at getting into contact with the Citadel Council with them having information that was paramount.

Shortly after that doomed attempt, they were both shot at by an assassin that was sent by a Spectre to kill them.

She was grazed by one of the shots but her friend Kennah was mortally wounded.

They were running out of time and running out of options.

Kennah… he didn't last long with how frantic they were and how badly they needed to get away from their pursuer.

Tali was losing… everything.

She was barely holding on by this point.

And yet…

Someone had come to her aid in her time of need.

Out of nowhere, a human teen who couldn't have been that much younger than her, came up to her and helped her get to safety.

He had her arm around his shoulders as he barely even struggled in getting her to a medical clinic where she could get treatment to her injury.

The human wore an exceptionally strange set of clothing from what Tali has seen.

Calling the clothing to be black would be a simple and easy term to use. That's all it was really.

Black coat with shirt, pants, shoes, gloves and a hoodie. There were some silver chains hanging off the collar but other than that, nothing that distinguished from the clothing.

But his name on the other hand was certainly one she had never heard before.

Roxas.

He said he was around fifteen, so she really was only older than him by a few years.

His gravity defying hair was spiked with a sandy-blond color.

His eyes on the other hand…

Crystal Blue.

And as blank as they come.

As a Quarian, she was taught at a very young age on being able to perceive emotion and expression by studying one's movements be they subtle or direct.

Or their facial expressions and eyes.

A human term that made it on to the Flotilla was an apt one that many and all could use.

The eyes are the gateway to the soul.

And Roxas' soul was devoid of just about everything.

When she had gotten a good look at the human who had saved her life, never in Tali's life would she ever have thought that she would meet someone with as emotionless of an expression as Roxas had on him.

Remember when Tali believed herself to be naive?

That's what she had believed up to this point after everything that she had endured.

That was until she met Roxas.

To call him naive would be a bit of an understatement.

The human was… well, she couldn't say that he wasn't intelligent. He was curious, that was for sure.

But he was also absolutely clueless.

Now, that may come across as rude but that was the only way that Tali could describe Roxas' state of mind right now.

He asked so many questions that should have been common knowledge.

It was as if he was born yesterday!

There was practically nothing that Tali was able to think of thus far that Roxas hadn't asked her about.

From asking about the Citadel itself, to the multiple alien species that inhabit the galaxy, most topics were not off the table.

A few options came to mind on what she concluded towards Roxas.

One, he could've been extremely sheltered until as of late, making him only have a limited amount of knowledge of the galaxy at large. This might be a bit unlikely as most people in such categories don't ever leave their comfy residences unless necessary.

Two, he might be an amnesiac, not remembering everything he was taught due to an accident or something traumatic of some sort; resulting with various parts of his memory blocked off. This could be the case as she heard of this in passing when preparing to leave the Flotilla for the first time. Albeit it's rare with some individuals using it as an excuse to get away with certain issues with the genuine ones being dismissed in some capacity.

This option might not be the entire case with her crystal blue-eyed blonde companion.

It wasn't that he forgot anything.

From the way he is, it's like he genuinely knows nothing. Thus him asking her every single question and absorbing the answers like a sponge truly throws Tali for a loop as to just what to label the boy as.

'Perhaps I should just drop him off at one of the VI stations and let him speak his questions.' She briefly thought. 'Let it be more useful than it was towards me.'

But she had quickly discarded such a notion. Say what you will, but Roxas saved her life. A human who knew absolutely nothing about her, on what was obviously his first time here on the Citadel, helped her without a second thought.

She couldn't do that to him. Not after he promised to help her out with her situation.

Presently, both she and Roxas were making their way to Chora's Den in order to get in contact with Fist. After informing him of Balon Von sending them his way and setting up the request for them to stay there for the time being until meeting with the Shadow Broker representative, there wasn't anything else to do but wait.

That was until Roxas brought up the idea of exploring everything the Citadel had to offer them.

Tali thought it wasn't much of a good idea with her being out in the open. She didn't know whoever was pursuing her was still hunting her. All the Quarian wanted to do was keep her head down and hide until further notice.

Yet Roxas convinced her otherwise. Stating that he would keep an eye out for her and do his best in protecting her.

She didn't mind the gesture all that much but saw a problem with it. The Quarian has not seen a weapon on his person at all. And she highly doubts there's one hidden in that black coat of his.

It's not like he can pull a weapon out from thin air, right?

Regardless, right now, she was walking around the Citadel openly with Roxas by her side.

She was nervous no doubt but Roxas was completely oblivious to her state of mind right now, with his eyes darting about in every conceivable direction. It appeared that he was determined to absorb everything the Citadel had to offer.

More so with them walking through the Presidium at this very moment.

"This place looks really interesting." Roxas muttered, gazing up at the large building.

"It does, doesn't it." She said in momentary passing before gazing upon the lake nearby with a number of statues in and around it. "They built a lake, of all things, on this station. Makes me wonder what resources are used to maintain it."

He looked at her then back at the building.

This place was visually appealing so to speak.

But…

When you see a castle floating in the air with multiple towers and moving parts, this kinda seems a bit underwhelming.

As they passed by, Roxas took note of a statue that looked kinda like that big red armored alien that he had encountered earlier.

"The Krogan rebelled against the Council, yet they have a statue on the Citadel. And the Quarians still live out as outcasts." Tali commented with a bitter tone. "Give it another two hundred years and it might be a means of showing the Krogan even existed."

Soon enough, the pair came across a statue of what appeared to be an interestingly designed tuning fork with a gyroscope placed in its center.

"The Protheans obviously understood the aesthetics of the Mass Relays, something us Quarians appreciated in our wanderings."

'So that's what a Mass Relay looks like.' Thought No. XIII, remembering a bit of detail as a means of fast travel between different star systems.

It momentarily reminded him of the Corridors of Darkness, quickly taking him from one place to another -over vast distances- in an instant. Perhaps the same concept was used but worked out differently.

As they continued to wander around the Citadel, Tali couldn't help but make one offhand comment every now and then when passing by particular areas.

"A thousand Quarians could move here and walk around this very spot with room to spare."

"I can probably imagine so." Roxas responded back. "I mean, look at this place. It's huge."

They then passed by a building that appeared to be undergoing renovations.

"My people used to have an embassy here, but after the Geth, we were no longer welcome here."

'The Geth again.' Roxas thought to himself. 'What are they?'

He'd have to ask her at a later time.

Tali then sighed aloud, looking around their surrounding area both warily and longingly.

"There's so much I want to do." She said. "So much I want to see. I thought my Pilgrimage wouldn't be so… arduous so quickly."

Roxas gazed upon her with a conflicted face.

He heard the change in her tone and it wasn't the usual upbeat, chipper or informative manner that she had usually spoken. This one was more downtrodden if that's a word he could use to describe it.

"So what is this Pilgrimage then?" Roxas asked. "You mentioned it at the clinic."

"Oh right, you probably don't know much about my people."

That was one way of looking at it. "You can say that."

Tali nodded before answering his request. "My Pilgrimage is my rite of passage into adulthood. It's a tradition among my people. When we reach maturity, we leave the ships of our parents and our people behind. Often alone, we search the stars, only returning to the Flotilla once we have discovered something of value. In this way, we prove ourselves worthy of adulthood."

"You look for stuff?" Roxas tilted his head. "What kinds of things do you look for?"

"It could be resources like food or fuel. Or some type of useful technology. Or even knowledge that will make life easier on the Flotilla. Through our Pilgrimage, we prove that we will contribute to the community, rather than being a burden on our limited resources."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The ships for the Migrant Fleet are constantly being repaired, modified and refitted in order to make ourselves as independent as possible in our living conditions. Growing our own food, mine and processing our own fuel. But some things we just can't make on our own. A patch to maintain the hull integrity requires raw materials we just don't have, which is often hard to procure."

"So…" Roxas frowned, thinking really hard on what she was talking about. The way she described it was one that left more questions than answers as he was being honest with himself, he barely knew what she was talking about.

"These Pilgrimages are really important, huh?"

"It's one of the most sacred and important ways of life for a Quarian, Roxas. Our lives aren't easy. Resources are scarce and we are constantly on the move. Everything we do in some way contributes to the continuation of the Migrant Fleet. In total, there are seventeen million Quarians in the Flotilla, and each of us relies on the others for survival."

Roxas was rather surprised upon hearing that. "That's quite the amount to work with."

Tali shrugged. "The bonds we share amongst my people are strong. Unfortunately, we have had to surrender many of the freedoms and civil liberties other species take for granted."

"Like what?"

"Well, it's illegal for parents to have more than one child." This earned a bewildered look from him, causing her to explain the reason. "If our population grows too much, it would strain our resources to their breaking point. Of course the rule against single births is temporarily repealed when our population is in decline. Though, in extreme cases of population decline, incentives are even offered to encourage multiple births."

"That… must've been something." Roxas said, thinking on population growth.

He was born out of nothing. He just came into existence.

So how were they born?

And again, what were parents supposed to be?

"It was, but such measures haven't happened in nearly a century."

Roxas nodded and digested the info before rounding back to an earlier topic. "And what did you have in mind when you started your Pilgrimage?"

"I honestly didn't know. It's never really definite at first as things change over time. But for me, I wanted to start off on Illium and see where things take me."

"And why there of all places?" He asked, remembering that place from Tali's series of circumstances.

"Heard the stories that Illium was rather beautiful with the skylines. Of course I couldn't really enjoy the views with what happened." Roxas gave her a sympathized look as she continued. "But when I heard of the Geth beyond the Perseus Veil, I thought that maybe obtaining fresh Geth data would prove beneficial towards my people. A means of possibly starting to retake our home planet after so many years."

"How so?"

"...You really don't know much, do you Roxas?" Tali asked with a sympathetic tone.

"Sorry, Tali, just… new to a whole lot of things."

Tali was silent for a few moments before getting into things. "I don't know the full story, only the origins. Centuries ago, my people created the Geth, a synthetic race designed as soldiers and laborers. The perfect automated workforce. We networked their virtual intelligence, expecting it to increase their efficiency on the more varied and complex tasks. Instead it made them self-aware when they began getting closer and closer to true artificial intelligence."

Roxas was silent, slowly processing these bits of new information. Though he was confused on a number of details with these techno-jargons. Those were more up towards Vexens and Zexion's territory.

"The changes were so insignificant, so gradual, that we were able to control them. Or so we thought." She said, unaware of his present thoughts. "But one thing we underestimate was when we built more and more Geth, their effective intelligence became more sophisticated, more abstract."

They were descending a flight of stairs as they saw some signs pointing them towards their intended destination. It was getting darker as they kept moving along with red light briefly overshadowing them.

"One day, a Geth began to ask it's Quarian overseer questions about the nature of its existence. 'Am I alive? Why am I here? What is my purpose?' As you can imagine, this caused a near panic among my people."

A mass panic.

Because it asked questions of their own existence?

That… was something that hit rather close to home for Roxas.

Actually, it hit him dead on to the… well, he doesn't have a heart.

But if he had one…

"Why?" Roxas suddenly asked.

Tali glanced at him. "Why what?"

"Why did they panic because of those questions?"

The Quarian gazed at the teen who was looking up at her, expression inquisitive and contemplative. She was unsure of just how to explain the problem that her people had faced because Roxas, she had learned in the very short amount of time she had gotten to know him, was one who looked at practically everything with an open minded lens.

"The Geth were created to engage in mundane, repetitive or dangerous manual labor. It's fine for a machine, but it won't satisfy a sentient being for long." Tali quickly explained. "They were developing self-awareness, Roxas, independent thoughts even. If they were intelligent, then we would be essentially using them as slaves; being no better than the Batarians."

Roxas frowned, thinking about what she was saying.

This whole Geth situation kinda reminded him of Organization XIII and the lesser Nobodies under their control.

The Nobody's that fell under them held sentience of their own to a limited degree and were less instinctual then the Heartless. Most of them had vague recollections of their previous lives with the stronger ones having a better grasp of who or what they once were.

But it didn't matter.

All of them were subservient to the fourteen Nobody's that made up the Organization.

This was a rather… conflicting thought process that quite frankly, Roxas was humble enough to admit that he wasn't really ready to tackle such a serious matter.

For instance, shortly into his training, he was introduced to a number of Nobody types: the Dusks, Creepers and Samurai. While the first two were shared amongst all of the Organization members, the last one was exclusive to him.

Roxas wondered why that was so, but he was told that each member had access to a unique brand of Nobody that none of the others could probably control. Except for Lord Xemnas, of course.

The only time he used the lesser Nobodies assigned to him was for training purposes, nothing more.

He'd rather deal with this topic when he understands things more.

Maybe after another month of existence. Or three… maybe four just to be sure.

"What'd the Geth do?" Roxas asked.

Tali rubbed one of her wrists nervously.

"It was inevitable the newly-sentient Geth would rebel against their situation. We knew they would rise up against us. So… we acted first."

"By doing what?"

"A general order went out across all Quarian-controlled systems to permanently deactivate all Geth. The Geth responded to this order violently."

There was something that lit within the Nobody. He didn't know or not if it was a conscious thing to say, but it came out nonetheless.

"Why wouldn't they fight back?" Roxas asked rhetorically. "Your race was going to destroy them."

"We had no other choice!" Tali exclaimed heatedly. "The Geth were already on the verge of revolution. By acting quickly, we had a chance to end it before it began. We hoped they would still be little more than machines, incapable of organized resistance. But they had progressed much further than anyone anticipated."

The forlorn tone and defeated air Tali had around her was palpable.

"The war was long and bloody. Millions upon millions of my people died at their hands as we were forced to flee from our own homeworld." She said mournfully. "We feared they would pursue us, yet they never came beyond the Veil. Now we drift through space, exiles searching for a way to reclaim what was once ours as we fight to survive every day."

After some moments, Roxas could tell the Quarian was a little uncomfortable.

Hesitantly, Roxas reached up and placed a hand on her arm with her flinching slightly at the gesture. "Tali… I'm sorry for bringing that up. I didn't mean..."

Her bright eyes were wide underneath her helmet. She reached up with her other hand and patted his, giving him a thankful nod.

"No, it's alright, Roxas. I can't blame you for asking. It's a topic some of us often forget is rather sensitive to discuss thoroughly."

There were times where she herself wondered what could have been.

If her ancestors never acted in what they did, the Geth would've wiped them out. They were synthetic life forms, sentient ones at that. They have no use for organics. None at all.

But at the same time…

What if they hadn't?

What if there was a chance that peace could be achieved?

Honestly, she'd rather not dwell on such a heavy topic right now. She wasn't really prepared for such a thing.

Eventually, the red light gave way to a white light when entering a metallic cavern. On the other side, they saw a neon sign of an Asari figure lying down in a provocative pose. And right next to it bore a highlighted display with "Chora's Den" written on it.

Seems they finally arrived.

Through a few bits of walkways, the pair eventually passed through an automatic doorway. The moment they stepped through, their ears were overwhelmingly assaulted by the sound of music with the primary light color present was blue with some splashes of red and white along several stalls in the back.

In the center of the establishment was a large bar with several workers serving out drinks. And over by a number of booths were some patrons viewing some of the Asari workers, dancing within a small space as they wore nearly skin-tight clothing.

The Quarian instantly noticed the humans face scrunch up upon entry to the establishment.

Roxas didn't seem to like this place. He seemed a bit more used to the more peaceful settings. Too much was going on in here to get a good handle on his bearings. And it didn't take much guesswork for him to know Tali had similar thoughts, if not by much.

"Are you alright Roxas?" Tali asked.

The boy had the same face he had since stepping inside the Den. "I… don't know if we should have taken that request with that fist guy."

"You and me both, Roxas." She said. "Sooner we talk to him, the sooner we can head off elsewhere until tonight."

Heading towards the back of the establishment, they came across one of the Turian guards stationed there.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, we would like to talk to Fist, please."

The security guard looked at both the young "human" and Quarian. "Any reason why?"

"We were told to come here by Balon Von himself."

The Turian nodded before pointing to one of the booths. "Alright, you two head over there and I'll come fetch you when my boss is available. He'll see if the guy who sent ya checks out or not."

"If not?"

"Then you two better get outta here and not come back."

Tali only nodded, not at all perturbed by the rather distasteful look the Turian shot her as he went back to doing whatever it is he does.

That was something that Roxas had begun to pick up on as the day went on.

These looks that other civilians within the Citadel gave towards Tali.

One of mistrust, distaste, aggravation and wishing for her to be gone.

What was that about?

"Come on Roxas." Tali said, tugging his sleeve over to a nearby empty seat.

About to sit down in the booth and wait, they heard a Turian on the next one over moaning. It wasn't all that annoying for Tali, as the man was no doubt a depressed drunk.

She was about to mind her own business until Roxas came up to him. Tali realized what he was about to do and was about to move to intercept him when…

"Hey, you alright?"

It was too late.

The Turian snapped his attention towards the blue-eyed blonde as he gave him a critical look.

"What's it to ya, human?" The Turian said snippily. "Can't you see I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone?"

Roxas was put off by this rather rude answer but then again… Larxene was a case unto herself.

"I'm just wondering what's going on." Roxas said after a moment. "You sound… depressed."

That was probably the right word to use, right?

It appeared to be so as the Turian slumped back in his seat with a defeated expression.

"Am I really that obvious?"

"Probably. I'm still learning of noticing things."

That… was a strange answer, to be sure.

The Turian huffed a little. "Well you're right, I suppose." He then took a swig of his drink before staring down into its liquid contents. "I've seen a lot of horrible things in my days and there's only one woman in this damn galaxy that helps me forget it."

"A woman helps you forget?" Roxas tilted his head. "Forget what?"

"Everything." The Turian said aloud emphatically. "Everything I've seen, all the bullshit I've had to deal with and do… She made all that stress go away."

The Turian then growled in frustration.

"And yet… she rejected me. ME! Septimus Oraka, general of the Turian fleet!"

This Oraka guy was definitely depressed. That was for sure.

And all over some woman.

Roxas saw that it was bothering him with how he had conveyed himself towards him so he wanted to get this question right.

"Is this woman… really worth it?" Roxas asked tentatively.

"She's not just any woman, kid. She's… special. She never made me feel that way before." The Turian General said in an over dramatic tone.

She made him feel special?

Why? What was it that she did to make him… feel like that?

He had to know more.

"What happened between you two?" Roxas asked.

Septimus gave the greater Nobody a brief look before scoffing dismissively. "Look… I appreciate what you're trying to do, but don't waste your time."

Roxas however wasn't going to be perturbed. He wanted, no, needed to understand why this Turian was acting the way he was.

"Have you considered… talking to her about how you feel." Said the Nobody, feeling rather odd saying such a thing.

"Pardon?"

"You… didn't leave each other on the best of terms." Roxas surmised.

Oraka huffed with his arms now crossed. "You got that right. But what's your point?"

Roxas thought the question over for a moment. "Maybe you could do something simple like… going out for ice-cream with her and talk things out."

To say that Oraka was floored by such a suggestion would be an understatement. Who just goes and suggests something like that to a general?

And for that matter, just who was this kid?

"I mean, it wouldn't hurt to try." the teen added after a moment of silence.

"...Who even are you kid?"

"Roxas." The blue-eyed teen replied. "Just a Nobody."

The Turian stared at the boy. That's… one way of introducing oneself.

"Well Roxas, allow me to educate you briefly on my life. I spent all my life acting like a general and what did it get me?" Oraka leaned back in his seat and stared at the boy in front of him. "No, those days are over. I'll just be what I am: a tired, lonely, worn-out soldier."

The depressed tone came back in full force.

"That… doesn't sound like a great life." Roxas remarked. "Don't you want your existence to be remembered.

Alright, even the kids wording was weird. "No, I'd rather not be remembered at all. But I see your point."

Oraka sighed, leaning onto the table.

"So you think it's that easy? Just straighten up and act like a general?"

"I think you should try." Roxas said more confidently now. "If she means that much to you… you shouldn't give up on her."

The Turian general hummed and thought for a few moments. "Huh… Maybe you're right, kid. Sha'ira's worth the effort… even if she won't have me back."

"Was there something that caused you to get into this mess?"

The Turian gave a brief nod. "I… said some things to her and she said things back in equal measure. Before long, I spread some unsavory, untruthful things about her that probably made her hate me more."

Septimus then scrunched his face up thinking on the humans' own question.

"Actually, why'd you even come up to me?" Oraka asked. "The hell even compelled you to come up to me?"

"You seemed like someone that needed help." Roxas answered without batting an eye.

"..."

"..."

"...You're a strange kid, you know that right?"

Roxas merely shrugged.

In some way, he honestly didn't know why he came to the general in the first place. When he thought about it, he felt there was something urging him to confront him.

Why was that?

Oraka shook his head.

"Well, I'm not sure how to really confront her after all this." The General admitted. "Not after last time."

"But… don't you care for her?"

"Spirits kid, course I do." Septimus declared unabashedly. "She's the only one I want in this entire galaxy."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Roxas urged the man before him.

Oraka didn't answer right away, being silent for a few more moments. "Alright, I'll go to her and take her out for… ice-cream was it?" Roxas nodded in confirmation. "Right, I'll do that… after I take a shower or two." Just before the general left, he asked the Nobody one last thing. "Say, you're a pretty bright kid. Would you be interested in helping me out on something?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"There's this Elcor diplomat out in the Presidium who believes Sha'ira gave up some of his personal secrets."

"Elcor…" Roxas repeated. What were those again? Maybe Tali knows. "And what makes you think this Elcor believes… Sha'ira… was it?... Who gave these secrets up?"

"Because I told him." Confessed the general.

"That seems rude." Roxas bluntly said, making the Turian grunt in aggravation at his own actions.

"It pretty much was. Look, I just need you to convince him of the truth."

"And how can I do that?"

Oraka pulled out what Roxas realized was a datapad. "This has the proof you need, Roxas. It shows where I got my info. It will exonerate Sha'ira and convince Xeltan, the Elcor diplomat of the truth."

Once being handed off the datapad, Roxas pocketed it into his Organization coat as the general left the stall.

The Turian General all the while finished his drink before rising up out of his seat and stood in front of the shorter human with an appreciative look in his eyes.

"You're a good kid, Roxas. Hope there can be more people out there like you." Oraka said as he exited out of Chora's Den.

Roxas watched him as he exited when he felt a hand on his shoulder turn him to face his Quarian companion that had been observing in the background for the entire interaction.

"Keelah Roxas, why would you go and do that?" Tali asked exasperatedly.

"He needed help." Roxas said plainly.

Tali froze comically at the answer, not expecting him to be so forthco… no, wait, that's just how he behaves all the time.

Honestly, there's not much he appears to hide.

But seriously, why did he have to go and do that? Did he not have any tact?

The same Turian security guard they met earlier soon came back. "Good to see you two still here. Some people chicken out and leave if they were lying."

"Can't imagine why." Tali muttered out as the pair were escorted through the back.

Going through a small hallway, there was a storage area on their right and what appeared to be a small warehouse further back. Soon enough, they came across an office where the Turian knocked on the door.

"Fist, it's me. Got the two with me."

In an instant, the door opened up. The security guard ushered the two to enter the office where they saw a human sitting behind a desk.

"Hello." Roxas greeted the man. "Are you Fist?"

"So you're the two Balon Von sent my way, huh?" He said, not really taking his eyes off his datapad.

"Yeah." Roxas nodded.

Fist looked up from the datapad, taking note of the boy and his companion.

"A kid and a Quarian? Huh, so my boy wasn't jokin' on that." Fist said with a snort.

"Why would he?" Roxas asked innocently.

The human gazed at the Nobody for a few moments, unsure of what to make of the question. Was he being serious or sarcastic? Cause it looked as though it was more on the former. He shook his head, deciding to drop the topic.

"Alright, so my boy told me you two wanted to talk to me on somethin'. Well what is it?"

Tali was the one to answer. "We need somewhere to stay and lay low."

For a brief moment, Tali thought of only saying "I" instead of "we". But Roxas was already with her so far, so she felt that she should include him in this.

"For how long and what for?"

"Just a day or two." Roxas said to him.

"That seems relatively short." Fist noted. "And still, what for?"

"We need to talk to a representative of the Shadow Broker as I have vital information he might be interested in."

Fist blinked upon hearing what came out of Tali's mouth.

"The Shadow Broker?" Fist snorted. "That's some serious shit right there." Thinking for a few moments, the man nodded. "Alright then, you got me."

"So you'll help us?" Roxas asked.

"Just come back here later today as I'll set somethin' up for you two lovebirds."

In an instant, Tali stuttered. "We're not-"

"Now you two get on outta here."

The door behind them opened up, causing the Turian security guard to escort the pair out of his office and out of the establishment.

When the door closed back up, Fist decided to make a call. After a few moments, someone answered.

"Yes, Fist, what is it?" Spoke a man in a gravelly voice.

"Hey, Saren, you told me to look out for a Quarian girl, right?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"I think I just found her."

Stepping out of Chora's Den, the two felt a little bit accomplished when getting that part of their task completed.

When they were about to begin their travel back towards the Presidium, Roxas remembered something.

"Hey Tali?"

"Yes?"

"What are lovebirds?"

Rather than getting a straight answer, the Quarian began stammering and stuttering rapidly with her suit becoming incredibly hot in a matter of seconds.

Her companion could only blink as he could swear that he saw steam coming out from her hood with her walk becoming clumsy for a few seconds until she straightened out her posture entirely and walked at a much faster pace.

-Scene Cut-

"So this is the place, huh?"

"We are seeing the Elcor diplomat, Tali."

"It is strange that this office also reads Volos as well."

"Maybe we can figure out the reason why." Roxas pressed the button on the side, setting out a sound briefly heard on the other side.

"Inquiry: Yes, what is it?" Spoke a being over an intercom, sounding rather monotonous and emotionless.

"We're here to see an Elcor named Xeltan." Roxas answered.

In an instant, the door automatically parted ways, prompting Tali and Roxas to walk right in. Going up a flight of stairs on the right, the two entered a room where a Volus stood on the left in front of a counter and two gargantuan quadrupedal aliens stood with one on the right and the other behind a desk.

Are these Elcors?

They were massive.

Roxas vaguely recalls seeing maybe one or two but right now, that wasn't on his mind.

The two walked up to the desk with the Elcor on the right moving his massive frame to face them.

"Hello there, human… Quarian. Sincere apology, but I am here on business and cannot be distracted. Please tell me what you need so I may return to my duties."

…

Wow, and he thought he sounded like a zombie when he first started out in the Organization.

This one certainly took the cake in that regard.

Roxas coughed into his hand, getting the Elcor to look at him. "I've come to talk to you about a problem you're experiencing with Sha'ira."

Xeltan merely blinked. "Curious, what do you know about the Consort and her relationship to me?"

"Not much." Roxas admitted. "A Turian named General Septimus supposedly found out your secret… whatever it was." He pulled out a datapad from his coat and presented it to the large being. "This here holds the truth."

"Unbelieving, I know this Septimus and he could not learn my secrets. The only way he could learn them is from the Asari consort."

"That doesn't seem to be the case, Xeltan." Tali said to the diplomat. "Just take a look on the datapad, please."

'He has an X in his name too.' The stray thought went through Roxas's mind.

Could it be something significant?

Maybe, who knows.

After looking through the contents of the datapad, Xeltan spoke. "Confused, this is difficult to fathom. If the Turian could learn this on his own… dismayed, anyone can discover my secret. Confused anguish, why would Septimus do such a thing?"

"A broken heart, most likely." Tali remarked with her arms crossed.

"He wanted to make things right." Roxas said.

"Gratitude relief, I owe you a great debt, human, Quarian." Xeltan said. "Startled realization, I must speak with the consort. She will be most displeased with my actions. Anxious request, please human, Quarian, if you'll excuse me, I must go now."

"Bye." Roxas said politely, watching as the large alien trudged off.

The other Elcor in the room spoke up. "Thankful, that was a great thing you did, human. Approving, you see Din, not all humans are as you say."

The Volus, who seemed to be Din, spoke next in a raspy tone. "I'm sure the Earth-clan stands to profit from this in some way."

"Not really." Roxas admitted. "Just doing something that's right."

"Apologetic, do not listen to my Volus compatriot. It was a good thing you did, regardless of your intentions. Approval, there needs to be more individuals like yourself out there." the Elcor stated. "Have a nice day."

Roxas simply waved goodbye as he and Tali departed from the building.

They stepped out and were momentarily unsure of what to do now.

"Well that was rather quick." Roxas said aloud.

"Right?"

"So where do you want to go now?"

Tali hummed. "I'm not really sure. What of you?"

Roxas placed a hand up to his chin in thought. "Well, we did something I wanted to do. Perhaps we can do something you want to do next."

The Quarian smiled under her purple-tinted glass helmet.

"We do have plenty of time till we need to get back to Chora's Den." He reminded her, making her smile a bit more.

"I probably have something in mind." Said the Quarian. "But first, I wanna head back to Dr. Michel and tell her the good news."

Roxas nodded, thinking it would be good to inform the clinic doctor on what's going on now.

It took some bit of time getting back to Chloe's clinic with how crowded their pathway was.

"I need those supplies for my clinic. I can't!" Chloe said in duress.

"You can and you will. Or your story won't stay secret for long." Spoke a man though the other end of a call. "Don't disappoint me, Doctor."

When the call ended, the clinic doctor ran a hand through her hair before trying to calm herself down. As she tried doing so, she heard someone walking up to her. Turning towards them, she saw two familiar faces.

"Oh, Roxas, Tali, what a surprise." She said pleasantly. "What are you two doing here?"

"We wanted to stop by but…" Tali shifted about uncomfortably. "Is something wrong? Who was that?"

"Just someone from my past who has come back to bother me." Michel said dismissively yet Tali saw through her tone.

"Is someone threatening you?" Tali asked, making Chloe seize up in apprehension.

Seeing this, Roxas immediately stepped in. "We can help you, Doctor. Please, it's the least we can do for what you did for Tali."

Chloe didn't know what to do, but after several moments she gave in. "I was fired by my previous employer for giving out free medical supplies to clinics like this."

This confused the Nobody. "What's so bad about that? Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?"

Michel couldn't help but smile at the boy's attitude. "If only…"

"It is, to some, Roxas. But in all honesty it's illegal without proper approval." Tali said to her companion.

Chloe nodded in confirmation before continuing. "They never filed any charges. They just wanted me to leave without any fuss. But somebody must have found out. Now they're blackmailing me. I have to give them what they want."

"What happens if you don't?"

"The board will find out of my past and I could lose my license. They'll shut my clinic down."

"We won't let that happen." Tali declared emphatically. She was not about to see the woman who helped save her life just lose her clinic.

Roxas nodded before addressing something crossing his mind. "We'll help you through this, Doctor. Just tell us what they want."

"I have to give some of my medical supplies to a merchant in the markets down below. They expect delivery today."

"Just tell us who this person is and we'll do our best in taking care of him."

"Deal with him? But won't they expose my past?"

"We'll be careful in not making that happen." Tali assured.

"I was told to speak with a Salarian merchant named Morlan down in the markets. I really appreciate this, you two. Thank you."

"No problem."

Leaving the clinic once hearing Dr. Michel wishing them luck, they made their way towards their new destination.

"Was actually wanting to check out the markets."

"Really? What for?"

"Just window shopping, as what you humans say it."

Well, he doesn't say anything.

He's not even fully human for that matter.

Just a Nobody…

The duo made their way down to the markets with Tali using the data she had gotten from Chloe to track down this Morlan that she spoke of.

"Hello there. Welcome to Morlan's famous shop." Said the Salarian in a cheerful tone. "You want many good supplies, yes?"

Tali leaned on the counter. "We were told you were expecting a shipment of medical supplies."

"But I was told the Doctor would be bringing them." Morlan said in confusion.

"Sorry, but she can't." Tali said.

"A change? But… the doctor… I don't… This is not right, Quarian."

"Shut up, Morlan."

Both Roxas and Tali peered over and saw a Krogan approaching them. If they were right, his voice was the one talking to Dr. Michel over the one call earlier.

"I told Barnes you'd screw this up!" Growled the Krogan before taking notice of the Nobody and Quarian. "What the hell's going on here? Who are you two, Pyjaks?"

"We're… friends of Doctor Michel." Roxas said.

"We don't want any trouble." Tali said. "Just leave the doctor alone, that's all we're asking."

"We can end this if you just bring me those supplies." The plated alien said threateningly. "Otherwise, I'll start telling people about the Doctor's secret."

Tali however stepped forward. "But you're trying to shut down a medical clinic. What if someone winds up needing it?

"What if you need it?" Roxas asked a second later, making the Krogan flinch.

"Hey, hold on! I'm just the middleman here." Spoke the blackmailer. "This is way more than I bargained for. I'm out."

With that said, he made his way out of the marketplace, hopefully to never be seen again by the two companions.

Roxas gazed at the retreating form of the Krogan.

'Huh.' Roxas internally mused. 'That was easier than I thought.'

From behind the counter, the Salarian Morlan rose up with a relieved look.

"Thank you human, Quarian. It's good to see him humbled so." he said earnestly.

"So… what was that all about?" Roxas inquired. "Who's this Banes guy?"

Morlan shrugged. "Never met him. I only worked with the one who spoke with the doctor."

"That Krogan?" Tali asked with Morlan nodding.

"Brute isn't he? But it appears that you proved that not to be the case." The Salarian said smugly. "But, the two of you have done me a great service. This entire area. I was fearing there'd be conflict yet the two of you averted disaster. Please, whatever it is you want, you can have it on a discount. On me."

"You sure?" Tali asked tentatively.

"Positive."

Roxas didn't know what to do on this but seeing Tali like this made him comply.

She did say she wanted to check out the markets. Might as well humor her.

Gazing upon what Morlan had to offer, Tali practically gasped aloud. "How the hell did you get these?"

"Tali, what's wrong?" Roxas asked, startled by his companions' sudden actions.

Coming up to what was on display, Roxas saw an assortment of weapons. They were rather slender and slick in an indigo metallic color.

"How do you have Geth weapons?" Inquired the Quarian.

"By sheer dumb luck, if I'm honest." Morlan admitted with a small grin. "The circumstances in which I got these weapons would be a long story."

As much as Tali wanted to demand knowing the information, she could probably tell it would be too long to hear about. So she relented and let the matter drop.

For now, she was going to use this lucky opportunity and get some good equipment.

"And you good sir, do you want anything?"

"I… don't know."

Morlan gazed at the Nobody, checking his arm for a moment and voiced an inquiry. "Perhaps you'd like an Omni-tool?"

"An Omni-Tool?" Roxas murmured, brows furrowed.

"Er… yes, an Omni-Tool." Morlan said more slowly this time. "You do know what an Omni-tool is, right?"

"I…"

"Yes please." Tali cut him off, placing down some credit chits.

"Say no more." Morlan ducked down for a moment before coming back up with a small metallic tablet that held a number of Omni-tools.

Gazing upon them, they appeared to be wristbands of sorts in a variety of styles and colors.

"Choose anyone you like." Morlan said.

Roxas gazed upon the Omni-Tools with an intrigued expression. Weren't they that holographic thingy that Tali uses on her arm… as a matter of fact, he saw a lot of people have these Omni-Tools.

These all looked… the same.

"I recommend this one, Roxas." Tali pointed at the wristband, second to the right.

"Ah~ good choice. A really good model. Great reviews for that one."

Taking their word for it, Roxas took the one Omni-tool and slipped it through his hand before tightening it around his wrist to keep it in place.

The orange holographic displays appeared with multiple settings that Roxas couldn't even begin to understand.

Seeing the teens confused state, Tali giggled, reaching out to gently set the arm down.

"We can set things up on that later, Roxas." Tali said to him. "I'll even tell you everything you need to know on it as well."

Roxas gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

Tali found herself momentarily pausing as she locked eyes with the boy she had only known for a day by this point, clearing her throat in an awkward manner a moment later.

When they left, Tali was practically skipping. Strapped to her lower back was a Geth Pulse Shotgun and along the length of her back was a Geth Pulse Rifle. And Morlan said both were the top of the line with what upgrades he put on them.

Roxas had his new Omni-tool and… nothing else really, much to the Quarian's confusion.

He could've gotten himself some weapons. They were practically for free and no one would've argued. Yet Roxas declined.

Why?

Even though he was a teenager, having a weapon was commonplace, horrible as that sounds, makes it seem like the Galaxy was a dangerous place.

…Which it was at the end of the day.

Quite frankly, Tali would rather not push her luck by this point.

She had escaped death's door a day ago and was now spending time with the human who had done so who was quickly becoming one of her favorite people in the galaxy.

Right now though, Doctor Chloe Michel is probably waiting for them both.

They returned to her clinic quickly with the doctor seeing them upon entry.

"How did things go?" she asked nervously.

"You won't be having any further problems." Tali assured her happily.

"Really?" She let out a breath she had been holding. Michel placed a hand over her chest. "That's a great relief. You two, I can't thank you enough."

"It's no problem, doctor."

"I can't pay you for your help, but I can give you a discount on any supplies you purchase here from here on out. I'll even give you some for free for this time only."

"You don't have to." Tali said with a bashful tone.

"But I insist."

Well… she insisted.

Both Roxas and Tali were soon given some prototype devices that are supposed to help monitor and regulate their vitals and systems. And with them came with a couple of Medi-gels.

He asked about them earlier, learning they helped heal someone from certain degrees of injuries.

That kinda reminded him of Potions.

And… strange.

There's a spell that suddenly came to Roxas's mind. One he had not learned of during his month-long time with the Organization.

What were they called again?

'Cure, Cura, Curaga.'

How did he know that?

He knew the usual spells like Fire, Blizzard, Thunder and such but… he never recalled the Organization bringing up something like that.

Returning his attention back to the discussion on hand, he heard Tali bring up something that was related to what transpired down in the market.

"The blackmailer, he said he worked for a man named Banes. Does that mean something to you?" Tali asked the doctor.

"Banes? I wonder if he meant Armistan Banes?" Michel said with a thoughtful look. "We worked together a long time ago."

"What can you tell us about him?" Tali asked.

"Last I heard, the Alliance Military was contracting him for some research in the Traverse." She said to them. "I wish I could tell you more…"

Tali held her hand up placatingly. "It's fine, doctor. I thought you should at least know who was doing this to you."

"I appreciate it." Michel said gratefully.

"Oh yeah, we meant to tell you things over at Chora's Den worked out well." Tali said in a chipper manner.

"Really? That's good."

"We'll just have to stay over there tonight and wait things out, I suppose." Roxas said.

"Of course." Chloe said to them. "Well, I wish you both luck."

"Thank you."

Heading out of the clinic once more, the pair didn't know what else to do once again.

But soon enough, a small sound was heard.

*Growl*

Where did that come from?

Tali abruptly began giggling aloud.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"...Two days ago."

That threw her for a loop. "Really?"

Roxas thought about it for a moment.

"Yeah, it's been two days."

Well… that was incredibly nonchalant.

Clearing her throat, Tali brought up her Omni-tool and found what she was looking for.

"I think I might know a place. But we'll need to check it out."

Heading towards the parked sky car nearby, Tali paid the fee and entered the coordinates in where they needed to go.

-Scene Cut-

The pair was walking through the 26th level of a building in the Zakara Ward's Mid-Ward district. There was a whole assortment of things occurring around them that kept catching Roxas' gaze.

They had come here looking for a place to eat since Tali's stomach had rumbled by this point.

"What is this place you're taking me?"

"It's something I heard from a couple of Quarians back on the Flotilla. A place called Stand."

"...Stand?"

"Yes, Stand."

"...Who names a place 'Stand'?"

"Hey, don't look at me, I wasn't the one naming it as such."

He only shrugged a moment later in compliance. After all he didn't even get to name himself.

"And what is this place called 'Stand'?"

"A ramen shop."

"Ramen?" Roxas frowned in thought. He recalled seeing something like that one time in Twilight Town in passing. "Like… noodles?"

Tali was really beginning to believe that something happened to Roxas to question just about everything.

At least he knew what this was.

"The chefs there make ramen for all species. It's supposed to be a place where I can actually eat solid food instead of having my normal dextro-amino nutrient pastes. Something that won't give me digestive problems."

Roxas didn't know what dextro-amino is, but he wasn't going to say anything.

Tali guided him towards their destination before she abruptly halted in front of another restaurant.

Bewildered by her sudden stop, Roxas saw she was gazing intently at the establishment before her.

He looked up for a moment to see just what it was about this place that caught her attention.

'Ryuusei's Sushi Bar.' he internally read, looking back at Tali who appeared to be determined now.

"Someday." She said to herself. "Someday."

The Nobody was certainly confused but also intrigued by this declaration to herself. What was it that she hoped for someday?

Did it have to do with this restaurant?

Tali turned to Roxas, jolting as she realized he was standing there waiting patiently for her.

"Oops." She said sheepishly. "Sorry Roxas. Come on. The Stand isn't far from here."

Resuming their walk, eventually they arrived at the small open seating restaurant called Stand.

"Sumimasen." Said the chef, greeting the two new arrivals. "What will you be having?"

Tali excitedly looked down the menu, pointing to a specific dish with Roxas simply gazing at his own menu with a blank face.

"Um…"

"First time?" The Chef asked kindly with Roxas nodding. "Then leave it to me."

He immediately got to work, showing a brilliant display of his skills as he effortlessly made and cooked the Ramen before their eyes.

In a matter of minutes, two bowls were presented before them and two pairs of chopsticks.

"Enjoy." The Chef said graciously, moving on to another pair of customers that had just seated themselves.

Roxas gazed down at his bowl in front of him, looking to Tali who was rubbing her hands excitedly.

She broke apart her chopsticks when Roxas realized something.

He had never seen her take her helmet off.

"Tali…"

"Yes?"

"...How are you going to eat with…"

Tali saw him gesture the glass covering of her helmet.

"Ah, right, that…" She murmured before pulling out a metal object from… somewhere.

"I've got my induction port to help me eat."

"...I think that's a straw."

"It's an induction port."

"No, I most certainly know that's a straw."

"Roxas…"

"Hmmm?"

"Just eat your ramen."

"... alright." Roxas was about to dig in yet a little voice in the back of his head egged him on, one last time. "Straw."

Tali's head snapped in his direction with a mock look in her eyes of seething rage as Roxas began to eat his ramen with an innocent expression.

Her false rage didn't last long with her laughing a moment later with Roxas having a small laugh of his own though it went away in an instant.

With Tali beginning to have her own bowl, she missed the troubled face that Roxas gave off after he had laughed.

'What was that just now?' Roxas internally asked himself. 'I… I know I felt something.'

He was a Nobody.

He wasn't supposed to experience emotion.

…

But that was undoubtedly what just happened to him.

What in the world… or Citadel, was going on?

"Oh~ Fellow hood wearers."

Both Tali and Roxas looked to their right to see two other humans seated beside them, wearing skintight black and grey suits with hoods that obscured the upper portions of their faces.

They were kinda like the Organization hoods. Except their faces were still visible for the most part. Whereas the man only had some facial hair, the woman had a strip of purple lipstick running down the middle of her bottom lip.

"Don't mind us." Said the man beside the woman.

"Just a couple of ramen lovers such as yourselves." the hooded woman said cheerfully.

The newly arrived hooded pair gave their requested order, causing the one chef to quickly get to work.

"So~" The Woman looked to them both with a mischievous look. "First time on the Citadel?"

Roxas gazed at her before nodding.

"Yeah."

Tali merely nodded as she slurped more of her noodles through her stra- *cough* induction port.

"How are you liking it?" the man asked.

"It's… crowded." Roxas answered.

The hooded woman giggled. "Yes it most certainly is."

A moment later, their bowls were served with the two new arrivals digging in immediately.

"Mmm… so~ good. Almost as good as my grandmother's."

"Didn't you say you wanted to steal her recipe, Kasumi?"

"I did, didn't I, Keiji."

As they continued to eat, Roxas observed them all the while.

They were certainly expressive and emotive, that was for sure.

Tali was somewhat shy though she spoke confidently on matters she was certain or confident in or when dealing with people that she liked.

These two on the other hand appeared to openly display their emotions.

…He was… envious.

The woman named Kasumi appeared to have noticed him staring out of the corner of her eye.

"May I help you?" She asked politely, a small grin in place.

He only gazed at her with clear interest, looking up to the man named Keiji who was gazing back at him whilst inhaling his own bowl.

He then wordlessly returned to his meal, with the two hooded individuals sharing a look.

They only shrugged and resumed eating.

Almost done with his meal, Roxas spoke towards his Quarian companion. "Since you paid for the… skycar, I can pay for our meal, Tali."

Tali stopped eating and addressed the blonde teen beside her. "You don't have to."

"I insist."

Pulling out his Munny Wallet, Roxas withdrew what appeared to be some metallic chits.

From what he was told, the Munny Wallet can convert every and all currency to whatever World he was presently in. And whatever he deposits inside reverts back into the normal Munny he was used to seeing while having an infinite amount of space.

Axel once said that it was like carrying a portable bank with him at all times.

He can acquire more Munny through defeating Heartless as they seem to leave behind it among other things, such as Potions and Ethers.

Roxas didn't really question the details on how that worked. Just something the way it is.

He should probably ask the next time he's back at the World that Never Was.

"I believe this might be enough."

Once retrieving the chits, the chef deposited them into a machine and saw the reading from them. "Ah, yes, and then some. I can serve you and your friend another serving with what you've given me."

Feeling like he was still hungry, Roxas complied. "Alright, sounds good."

"Oh, that's a unique looking pouch you got there."

Roxas looked over to Kasumi who was leaning over to gaze at his munny pouch.

"Uh… yeah." he said absentmindedly.

"Where'd you get it?"

"From a Moogle." Roxas answered.

"..."

"..."

"...From a what?"

Oh, it seemed that Moogles were not common here.

"A Moogle." Roxas said as if it were obvious. "They help with items and such. I got this from them to hold Munny."

"Munny?" Kasumi repeated.

"The fuck's a Moogle?" Keiji muttered in bewilderment.

"Yeah." Roxas said, pocketing his pouch with the two once again sharing a look with them both trying to figure out as to what the boy was talking about.

Both hooded individuals once more glanced at one another and had a silent discussion between one another.

Even Tali stopped eating as she looked at Roxas with utter curiosity.

The feeling was soon shoved aside when another bowl of ramen was placed in front of the Quarian, making her smile in glee on the additional part to her meal.

The four were silent as they continued their respective meals. After some time, Kasumi and Keiji paid for their ramen and gave their thanks to the chef before departing.

"So~ they were interesting."

"Indeed they were, Keiji." Kasumi remarked.

"What do you make of the boy?"

"Well, having a Quarian as a companion is certainly fascinating. But that pouch of his…"

"..."

"..."

"Kasumi, was there supposed to be something in your hand?"

"Wha-?" Kasumi gazed at her empty hand. "WHAT?!"

She was sure she had pilfered that interesting wallet of his. But where'd it go?!

She wildly looked around her while patting herself down. What in Sam hell? Where was the pouch? She knows she nicked it off the teen, slightly guilty as she felt.

Kasumi was about to head back and come up with an excuse of misplacing "something". But Keiji stopped her.

"We need to get going."

"But-"

"Now. We have a job to do and we're on a timetable."

Kasumi merely pouted in a way like someone kicked her puppy.

Back with Tali and Roxas, the two finished their second bowls with Roxas paying the meal in full being none the wiser to the hooded thief's plight as he casually placed his Munny pouch back into his pocket.

"Thank you for the meal, Roxas." She said, patting her stomach. "I needed that."

"No, thank you for introducing me to this place." Roxas stated.

The Quarian merely giggled as they kept walking through the Zakara Ward and explored what it had to offer them.

This place was truly fascinating beyond comparison.

He never would have thought that in his short existence, he would wind up in a place like this one.

"Anywhere else you have in mind you want to hit next before heading back to Chora's Den?"

It was at this point that something caught Roxas' eye.

He thought it was nothing, but he saw something a bit… familiar.

"They… have that here?"

"Roxas?"

She was surprised by the Nobody running forward at full speed towards a booth.

An Ice-cream booth.

Being run by a man who wore as much black as Roxas did.

"Hey there kid, what can I get for ya?" The man said in a rather eccentric manner.

"You have Sea-Salt Ice-cream."

It wasn't a question, but more of a statement. It was more clear when the Nobody gazed at the little sign showing the familiar flavor he ate for a month now.

"Oh?" The man leaned forward on his booth. "I take it you're a fan of it."

Roxas only wordlessly nodded.

"Well, you're in luck then." The man opened up his freezer and pulled out a stick.

Reaching into his pocket, Roxas pulled out a stick that said "winner" imprinted on it.

"Oh-ho!" The Ice-cream man said cheerfully. "Would you look at that? We have a 'winner' here."

"What does this get me?" Roxas asked.

"Well kiddo, for that, you get a free ice cream."

"I'll take the free one," Roxas gazed back at Tali, who was looking on in curiosity. "And one for… my friend here."

"Ah~ one for the pretty lady, huh? Good choice, my friend."

Tali visibly moved about in a flustered manner.

"Here kid, take the second one on the house."

"Huh?" Roxas stopped himself from reaching to grab the second ice-cream stick. "Why?'

"For being my very first customer to have Sea-Salt Ice-Cream." The Eccentric man said with an over the top thumbs up.

Instead of a simple popsicle for Tali, the vendor gave her a cup of the soft serve so it can be easier for her to consume.

"For your Induction Port." He said knowingly. "Don't worry about Dextro, one flavor for all."

"I… thank you."

When Tali was about to start digging in, Roxas grasped her hand.

"Roxas?"

"Not here."

"Huh?"

Before she knew it, she was being dragged along by her… friend.

"I saw a place where we can eat this place best."

"What?"

"You'll see."

It took a little bit of time for them to reach whatever Roxas had in mind. But through a quick elevator ride, they got to their destination.

Atop a tall building within the Citadel, Roxas had guided Tali to the edge before promptly seating himself.

"Uh Roxas…" Tali was nervous. "Why'd you bring me up here?"

"Look." Roxas pointed out before him.

Looking forward, Tali momentarily froze on the spot, gazing out at the sight before her.

It was the Citadel but… not in any way she had ever seen it.

Or had seen it for that matter.

She had only been here for a short while, not having much time at all to enjoy herself or relax overall for the majority of her stay here.

But…

She was certain that nobody on the Citadel had ever had a view like the one Roxas had brought her too.

Tali saw how comfortably Roxas had seated himself on the edge of the roof. He certainly seemed undisturbed by the height in which he was sitting at.

Cautiously, Tali sat down herself beside him and felt her heart rate drop momentarily at her feet dangling so high above in the air.

Looking beside her, she saw Roxas begin eating his ice-cream with a unique calmness. He smiled, but only so much.

Rather carefully so she won't fall off on accident, she pulled out her induction port and inserted it into her soft served treat.

The moment the concoction entered her mouth, she pried the induction port away from the treat.

"It's salty!" She then moved her tongue a little as she tasted something else. "Huh… It's sweet. How?"

Roxas shrugged. "It's the flavor, Tali."

She blinked at his response, looking down at her ice-cream before resuming to eat her small snack.

For Tali, this day was certainly one she would not be forgetting any time soon.

Though her Pilgrimage had started out harshly and dangerously, by some miracle, she had met a human who assisted and saved her life. From there… well, there's really no other way to call him anything other than her friend.

For Roxas on the other hand, he immediately thought of Axel and Xion.

He should be doing this with him.

The Greater Nobody figured that he could return to them in an instant. He already missed them.

But…

Being here…

He was exposed to so much. So many new and extraordinary things that he could never even think of seeing if he stayed with the Organization.

He knew that eventually he would have to return. Roxas had to.

However…

Maybe staying here a bit longer would be good for him.

After all, aside from interacting with Axel and Xion, he knew that there was something about this place that made him feel something.

And it started with the new alien friend seated beside him.

The two sat in silence as they enjoyed the view before them as they kept eating their ice-cream. It was a rather pleasant experience for them to have with how their day turned out.

They hoped things would be much better with what's to come.

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

From the sidelines, the eccentric ice-cream vendor smirked as he gazed at the Nobody and the Quarian.

"Enjoy things while you can, you two." He said to himself as he quickly packed up his equipment. "You'll be needing it with what's to come."

With the last stored away, he closed up his booth before walking into a nearby alleyway. Not long after, a Corridor of Darkness appeared and consumed the vendor's form. Once disbursing, there was no further evidence of his presence here.

AN

Well, thanks again for all those reviews and I think this is one of those FIERY moments of a writer's high.

Less than an entire day to get this one out. Really proud of that.

Jebest4781: Indeed and it was relatively easy, to some degree. We went through a few Citadel side quests to help build things up for Roxas and build a bit of a relationship with Tali before the Normandy arrives.

FMW: Yes, when things are planned out, when both of us just know what we're gonna do the chapter basically writes itself. Lots of fun, fun, stuff coming next chapter. I can't even contain my excitement.

Don't forget folks, got a poll up on my profile so please go check it out.

Gonna have that one up for a while cause I know it'll probably take some time to get the votes up and all.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.