Shepard came over to talk about the weapon upgrades. His favorite subject, really, and Garrus had been listening very carefully in the beginning. But the longer she spoke, the fewer words got through to him. The idea that it was a translator glitch occurred to him but he dismissed it quickly. He understood the words. Those that he could catch.
“Great job… secondary cannons, so… efficiency up to… just love to hear… like purring.”
The lips, the lips were the culprit. They were a constant source of distraction, moving, as they were, in such a fascinating manner. He’d spoken with hundreds of humans before but never quite noticed how limber, mobile and flexible the lips could be, under certain light. From certain angles. In certain magnification levels when studied through his visor. He had done his homework. Humans needed to coordinate hundreds of muscles to form facial expressions and perform the seemingly effortless act of speaking. It sounded profoundly exhausting, but Shepard could do it for hours unending. Perhaps lips had the sort of muscles that never tired, kind of like his…
Continue reading First Kiss
The rules of proper conduct vary across land and epoch, but some basics are essential to learn in order to avoid embarrassment at best, exile or death at worst. When you are introduced to a sorcerer, do not put out your hand in greeting, as an eagerness to make physical contact is associated with treachery by magic or poison. Cross your arms over your chest instead and make a courteous bow, but not too deep; do keep an eye contact at all times. Do not attempt to engage the sorcerer in a discussion of magic, as an eagerness to learn or argue is taken as a sign of ignorance or lack of decorum. Instead, challenge the sorcerer with a witty inverse riddle, but be careful not to let him win out of politeness. In fact, if he fails to guess the riddle you have given him the answer to, which of course only happens in exceedingly rare occasions, you will have earned a measure of respect.
The little observation room was already crowded when he came in. Kasumi and Tali were sitting on the floor with their backs against the far wall, and Jack was crouching in front of them, looking at a data pad that occupied the trio’s attention in full. Zaeed and Thane were mixing drinks at the bar. Some music was on but he couldn’t quite place it; and there was a familiar scent of alien food in the air… popcorn. The word came to him with almost no effort at all. He was getting used to living on a human ship.
Continue reading A Game of Cards
The hall echoed with their heavy footsteps in the perpetual violet twilight. Nihlus felt as if he were walking through a dream. Everything had a halo of unreality about it. The ancient trees with leaves of gold and brown, never touched by the autumn winds. The deserted paths, watched over by ghosts of countless generations. The glass chasm dividing the pleaders from the judges. But the most unreal of all was the life-sized holo of Saren in the witness stand, shimmering in the distance.
Continue reading The Hearing
Check out my latest Mass Effect fic, Directed. It’s a very short, slice-of-life story, possibly the first of a series, and my first venture into Saren’s pre-Nihlus history. Young Saren reaches an important milestone in his biotics training, but at what cost?
Image: Catwagons @ DeviantArt