IC Contact - Consignment

[forgivetheinsubordination]

vakarian.garrus@cdc.org
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[forgivetheinsubordination]

FROM: vakarian.garrus@cdc.org

I'm awful company right now, Vriska. Are you sure you wanna deal with that?

[hypertoxic]

FROM: serket.vriska@cdc.org

........ Garrus, you dealt with me when I was the worst company imagina8le.

FROM: serket.vriska@cdc.org

Yes. I'm sure.

[forgivetheinsubordination]

[He was trying not to remember that. This loss of Noh is even more final than that had been.]

FROM: vakarian.garrus@cdc.org

I'm at rover 2. Leaning on it, outside.

[hypertoxic]

[ Whoops. She'd be sorry if she knew it was such a gaffe. But she's trying to return the favor. He helped her despite his own misgivings when she was at her lowest possible point. If she can do anything to help him in return, it'll be worth it.

His text doesn't even get a response. She just goes, taking to the air to speed the process up. So she descends from on high once she spots his rover - and him - coming to land a couple of feet away. Once she straightens up, she just stands there for a moment, looking at him.

Then she walks a few steps closer and gives him a rueful smile. ]

Elena always goes in for the hug in moments like this. Not sure if you're the same that way.

[forgivetheinsubordination]

[He opens his mouth to reply and then glances away, finding his voice a moment later.]

Generally... My people aren't really the hug sort.

[There's a beat, and his mandibles draw close to his face before he's looking back at her.]

But I'm pretty bad at being a turian. Wouldn't mind a hug.

[Which is to say that yes, he'd like one. But he's trying to hang on to a shred of pride.]

[hypertoxic]

[ She smiles, for real this time. Then she kicks off the ground so she can float up just enough to give him a proper hug. ]

Hey. I'm pretty bad at being a troll. We can be shit at representing our races together.

[forgivetheinsubordination]

[Garrus hugs her in return before patting her back a few moments later. There's a huge job ahead of him and he needs to focus on it. It's just... hard. Right now he can't bring himself to care about the natives that are going to die, which makes him feel a little guilty but mostly he's wrapped up in pain.]

Yeah. We can.

[Most turians in this situation, being on Macha, wouldn't have any problems killing off the inhabitants anyway. Hell, most turians still thought the genophage had been a great idea. He's just all around bad at being anything, really.]

Thanks, Vriska.

[hypertoxic]

[ She takes the cue and lets go, dropping back down to the ground. If she knew how he felt, she wouldn't be able to hold it against him. She's been that selfish most of her life. For someone like Garrus, he's probably earned the right to be selfish even just once. ]

Yeah. Sure. Trolls aren't naturally touchy feely like that, but I have become weirdly fond of this strange human gesture.

[ She turns away from him to face the camp, watching people get set up and settled in. It gives her a momentary pang that she tries very, very hard to keep off her face. ]

So what're you up to next? Doesn't seem like we have pretty much fuck all to do.

[forgivetheinsubordination]

Camp defenses, probably. Take a look at them, get them where they need to be.

[Anything other than dwelling on what he's lost. One of his pillows still has Noh's scent, if only faintly, and he's been torn between washing it and curling up with it all day. So far he's resisted giving into either urge, though it's more indecision than any sort of strength.]

Heard one of the groups already ran into natives. We're gonna need to be ready. The shai weren't sentient but they still mounted an attack.

[He's rambling a little. Garrus feels a bit lost right now, really. The person he'd spoken his thoughts to before isn't his anymore, and he doesn't know what to do.]

[hypertoxic]

[ Her subject change was deliberate. If he wants to talk about literally anything else right now, she'll indulge him, and make sure he's not alone. ]

Want some help? I can give you a view from the air.

[ His comment about the natives gets a raised brow. ]

You talking about the Khasatsa? I heard about the spear-throwing thing.

[ Rambling is okay. She isn't sure what to do except indulge it, because she just doesn't know how else to help. ]

[forgivetheinsubordination]

Yeah. Yeah, let's go for an aerial view too.

[That's something he can do, and he sorely needs something he can actually accomplish. Garrus pushes up off the rover and starts heading for the perimeter, expecting Vriska to follow.]

I don't know what group it was that they dealt with, but Joel ran into some. Said they were big, sneaky, and coordinated. Sounds like something we're gonna need to be prepared for. You run into any of them?

[hypertoxic]

[ She does, of course, floating along at a level just below his shoulders and keeping pace beside him. ]

Actually, yeah. They fucking threw rocks at me and Hibari. [ Her mouth twists. ] They're obviously very adept at using the terrain to their advantage, because I had no idea they were there until too late. We need to be prepared for them to be sneaky! We're at a huge disadvantage against natives on their home turf.

[forgivetheinsubordination]

We are.

[Though rocks... that's not as bad as it could be. They can still do damage, significant damage, but they're low tech enough that they wouldn't be an active concern. A flung rock isn't going to do as much as a bullet.]

Did you throw rocks back? Did Hibari try to set them on fire? Basically just wondering what your reaction was, and how they behaved then too.

[hypertoxic]

No! I just went to look at a sound I heard nearby. It was them! And they didn't like anyone realizing that they were watching us, I guess. Hibari did something really stupid and actually protected me, too. From rocks! Gross. And unnecessary! But whatever. [ The look on her face - which is pretty much just :T - says how she feels about that. ]

[forgivetheinsubordination]

[As one relationship crashes and burns, another seems to build.]

He protected you, hm? He must care about you to do that.

[They'd come into the room together when he and Noh-Varr had been kissing, the one time. And she'd teased Kyouya, too. He doesn't know how he's really feeling about things right now, about encouraging relationships, especially here, but he can't be rude to Vriska.

Or he can't when she's not being rude to him.]

You protect him back?

[hypertoxic]

[ Her face proceeds to :T even harder for just a moment before she sighs. ]

No. I didn't have the chance! Not that I would if I had! He should be able to fend for himself.

[ She pauses for a second, processing what a bald and egregious lie that is. Not the fending for himself thing. The refusal to protect him, thing. Something about it seems to genuinely annoy her. ]

It's stupid! I didn't need his help.

[forgivetheinsubordination]

Everyone needs help sometimes, Vriska. Everyone needs some backup from time to time.

[Garrus pauses in his walk to look over at her, to study her face.]

There's nothing stupid to it. And you know full well he can fend for himself. Kyouya isn't weak. What's going on here? Why's it bad that he helped you out, or the thought of you helping him out?

[hypertoxic]

[ Caught. Vriska flinches in suprise when Garrus correctly hits on the fact that there's something more to her annoyance, and stops moving too, folding her arms defensively over her chest and looking away. ]

... it's not that it's bad. I guess I am still kind of pissed at him, is all. [ She pauses, looking narrowly at Garrus. ] Did I tell you about that whole moronic thing he did with Gliese?

[forgivetheinsubordination]

You didn't, I don't think. What did he do with Gliese?

[Probably something with no self-preservation thought at all. All Garrus can hope is that it's glown over, that Gliese isn't angry. He's already trying to help one kid who is in trouble with an instructor. He doesn't need a second.]

[hypertoxic]

Challenge her! He challenged her to a fight, the fucking moron.

[ If her tone and word choice didn't make her frustration clear, her angry gesticulations would. ]

I knew he was insane, but not suicidally so.

[forgivetheinsubordination]

Mm. That. Yeah.

[There's a beat, and his mandibles draw close to his face. That had been public, and very stupid.]

You can't really protect him there. But if she leaves him alone, you can at least drag his body to Medical.

[hypertoxic]

Gliese snapped both my arms and abandoned me on a mountain miles away from camp just because I stalled on saying yes to raising her stupid bahari. [ Said very, very flatly. ] Any human in my position would have died a slow, painful, and miserable death. You think if Hibari challenges her there'll even be a body left to drag back?

[forgivetheinsubordination]

[Garrus tilts his head, looking at her.]

Do you think if she wanted you dead she would have left you living? She didn't want to kill you. She stopped short of it. Pretty sure Gliese knows exactly what would kill someone, and as long as they don't cross some lines, she won't end them.

[Optimus is an obvious exception, but for obvious reasons.]

[hypertoxic]

Don't be insulting. Of course she didn't want to kill me. But we don't know the same would be true of Hibari. That's the point I'm making! I'm afraid if he pushes his luck she won't hold back.

[forgivetheinsubordination]

If he catches her on a bad day.

[He has to concede that much.]

I've got a little faith in her, that she's got a high tolerance. There is a line, yeah. I don't think challenging her to a fight, with the motivation he had, is crossing it. I think as long as he manages some respect, he should be all right.