forgivetheinsubordination | IC Contact

[She listens, letting Garrus explain, because his perspective sheds some much-needed light on the situation. While the wariness doesn't quite leave her demeanour, she nods.]

I'll keep it civil, don't worry. I just wanted your take on the situation, since you apparently had some idea of who he was. I'm not sure I'm ready to make friends, but allies might work. If... if you have plans, I'll accommodate them.

[Plans. The word has an echo both exhilarating and ominous. She doesn't think she wants to go further down that path at the moment.]

By the way, do guests get asked in from the doorstep in this house? Even if it isn't as nice as the one a dozen busy Primes are building for me on Rannoch.

He's one of the highest-ranked people in a culture where rank is everything, and entirely dependent on your blood color. So he's... I wouldn't call him the easiest to befriend, but there's plenty to respect there when it comes to skill.

[He doesn't have anything set yet, still trying to consider ins and outs, but the other question knocks him out of those thoughts and he blinks, half-turning and looking at the living room as if it had just snuck up on him.]

...That was stupid, sorry. I'm not exactly used to hosting. Come in. Drink? Snack? Don't touch the coffeemaker or the one painting on the wall, but you're safe to sit anywhere. Uh, probably don't want to jump on the couch, though, there's some stuff under it.

Someone's been busy doing cultural exchange. [She pokes him gently.] If you start making noises to the effect of "by the goddess!" then I'll know you've spent too much time with Liara.

[Genuine, merry laughter bubbles out of her, until a wedge of incredulity jams itself into her mirth.]

Garrus. Are you telling me you booby-trapped the coffeemaker? And if I may be so bold as to say, the couch is an incredibly obvious gun cache.

If she ever gets here, she's going to kill us both. [There's a very short pause.] Worth it.

And yes. The coffeemaker has a timer. It was the work of moments. Plus it's not the gun under the couch. That's in the umbrella stand. Keep up.

[He's close to laughter himself, both with the joking around and the pure relief that things are fine with Tali again.]

I can offer the leaf water stuff, Thane's obsessed with it. We've got regular water too, and some apple juice because I was curious. Half the fridge is because I was curious.

Of course, [she rejoins smoothly.] If there's ever an ambush while I'm over for a cup of tea, it's important to know where the weaponry is. Speaking of which, tea is fine. I brought my own straws. [She pats a suit pocket absently.]

It's an experience, isn't it? Trying to learn a whole new order of things to eat. I managed to set up a filtering system in the kitchen, though how to make it double as a proximity mine, that is the question...

[He gets water going, tilting his head in thought.]

How's it wired? It shouldn't be hard. We can keep both... Wait. You don't actually want it to work as a mine too, do you.

[Garrus looks over at her as it sinks in he's being teased.]

I'll take any defenses I can get. Wait and see, the coffeemaker will come in handy. I'd place bets on it.

While it might be highly effective to explode a complicated array of glassware at an intruder, I spent a good while putting that thing together, and you may remember I'm an engineer, not a chemist.

[She leans back against the kitchen counter, crossing her arms lightly.]

You could show me how to rig the coffeemaker, though. I've come to the conclusion that as far as human drinks go, that isn't my thing.

I haven't tried coffee yet.

[There's a flicker of his mandibles as he pulls down mugs.]

Been too busy wiring the machines.

[Once he pulls out the different types of tea they have so she can see them, he carefully disarms the coffeemaker and opens it up.]

Take your pick, and then we can go over this. It's easier than rigging most other things. Already has a timer. The tricky part is setting it up to super-heat the water and getting the disarming code in there so you don't wind up taking this to the face.

Of course. A lesser turian would have cooked his mandibles in trying to set that up.

[She leans over for a proper look at the selection. Something much like tea is drunk among her people, though obviously the plant and the flavouring ingredients are different.]

How about you get me a mug of tea first, and we'll sit down and talk about something else for a while?

[Something that won't loop back into the danger their very being here puts them in, or the fragility of their existence in this city. Tali likes to think she has her head on straight when it comes to the facts, and if there is a threat, now, at hand, they'll leap up to meet it. But as long as it is quiet, she'd as soon focus on that.]

A guy offers to show off for you and you're asking for tea. Yeah, you've got this under control.

[But there's calm teasing to his words. He's not bothered, and Garrus sticks the bags in the mugs, pouring in the hot water and bringing it over to the table.]

Pull up a chair.

[Then he's going back to the cabinet quickly and grabbing sugar.]

Uh. I stick this in mine. I guess there are other things you can put in it too? I can see if we have something if you need it.

Well, Mr. Vakarian, it's not as if you can see me flutter my lashes, anyway. And not like I'd risk swooning in this kitchen and triggering a collapsing shelf or something. [There's an answering hint of teasing to her words, even as she looks slantwise up at him from the array of teas. A slow beat passes before she shifts to find a seat at the table.]

Um, right. No, I'm fine, I'll take mine as it comes. We... have something a lot like this on the Flotilla, so you could say it's homey.

[His mandibles flicker in amusement as he looks the kitchen over.]

You might have a point. This is one of the most secure kitchens in the city, likely, but not the safest.

[He brings over the sugar and takes a seat of his own, pulling a glove off to poke his tea bag so it bobs in the water. That's the best part of tea, really.]

The flavor's there, but just a little too faint for me. Or maybe I just like adding things to earth food and drinks. They have a lot of additions. So, yeah. What did you want to talk about?

Are you sure you're steeping it enough? The dark variety gets pretty strong if you let it sit for long enough. Don't ask how I know this. Field research was involved. [She casts a look out of the kitchen window, amusement noodling along her words.

She tugs a knee up, leaning back into the chair once she's sure the back of it will hold her weight. When did she last sit in a friend's kitchen over a drink, nothing more important in the immediate plan than the sharing of company? She can't remember. The kitchen may be a borrowed one and the moment most definitely stolen, but she finds she wants to pretend a little.]

We have a minute, don't we? [she says softly.] So give it a minute. It'll come to me.

IC Contact - City of Ariel

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