MechonRaptor

E x ᴄ ᴀ ᴠ ᴀ ᴛ ɪ ᴏ ɴ

@MissCapnCrunch
Still here!

The Legend of Zelda: Whispering Storm

Heyo once more! Let's hope everything goes better than last time.

Mᴀʜʟɪᴍᴀᴇ

I wouldn't mind attempting this again. Can't believe it's been so long too...

Mass Effect: Underworld

Rayes'Xum & Rol'Narris
QuarianEscapades

---

In the depths of the Yellowstone Frontier Pub on the Citadel sat Rayes, one hand clutching the alcoholic drink he had ordered, the other propping his head up from the counter. It was Dextro Heat Sink, alcohol that Turians could drink relatively safely, and Quarians could as well if they took the necessary precautions. There were already several empty glasses beside the Quarian, which Rayes himself found surprising, as he knew he was a lightweight. It must have been effective so far though, it was becoming increasingly hard to see, let alone take another sip from his emergency induction port. He believed that was for the best, or perhaps it was foolish. Whatever the case, he chuckled to himself in his seat, ignoring the various glances he got from the others in the bar before taking it upon himself to mumble:

"Hmmph... stupid situations... Bosh'tet husks... I-I ca-ca-cannot wait to see what those idiots get me into!" He said to himself, giggling afterwards before fumbling with the straw in his cup. He swore he'd invent something to make drinking easier... Probably would have to if days went like they did today. He glanced up to the bartender, waving the hand that he had used to hold his drink to get their attention. His last gulp had drained the rest of his Dextro Heat Sink, and he desperately wanted another.

"Psst... Hellooooooooooo. I-I require a... another!" He told them, to which they simply shook their heads in disappointment.

"Sorry Quarian, but you've clearly had enough."

"Pssssh! Yo-You think I... I've had enough? Hahaha! Yo-You look like a Bosh'tet and... and... you smell like a husk!" He shouted back playfully, giggling to himself at his smartness as he stuck his tongue out from under his mask. Of course, it couldn't be seen, but the iconic noise was very clear despite the hiccups. The bartender simply shook their head, sighing as they stared at Rayes.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." They told him, to which he attempted to look them in the eye, taking several long seconds to adjust his head to look in the bartender's general direction.

"Yo-You need to... to leave. I a-am perrrfectly okay... Yes.... I shall not mo-move!" He replied, slurring his words and giving an ok hand gesture, or well, it was more of a clump of his fingers because he couldn't get it right. The bartender called for security, and soon several of the bar's guards appeared next to the Quarian. The one on his left was a rather bulky and intimidating Krogan, while the other was a Turian of similar stature.

"Pfft... You th-think you can move me? I know someone twice your size bosh'tets..." He told them, placing his hands on their shoulders, or as close as he could get. They easily lifted the small Quarian out of his seat, causing him to wriggle in the air.

"I-I am not going to-"

Rayes attempted to shout before being thrown to the floor outside the pub. The impact gave him a slight headache, and he watched from the ground as they returned inside. Maybe he'd just lay there for a bit... It was a nice floor.

Rol'Naaris watched the entire event unfold along with the customers as the drunken quarian made a huge scene. It would of been funny if it was just a random quarian, but sadly, it was not the case. It was the quarian from the team down at the tunnel. The name was simple enough to remember, Rayes. Rol'Naaris was a bit surprised to see him here and drinking away as he took a quick glance at the table full of empty glasses. It was terrible enough that he cringed during the whole event. Finally, he saw the other quarian picking a fight with security before being thrown out of the establishment.

It was cringy enough that he felt bad for the bartender and the security. Once the customers stopped caring about the drunk, Rol'Naaris finished his drink as the bartender walked up to him. "I assume that you know the drunk quarian?" she asked.

"Sadly, I do." he said shamefully while he pulled up his omni-tool to pay from his drink, "I will be taking him to the nearby shuttle port and getting out of the Citadel."

"Thanks. The other bussiness nearby would complain to C-Sec about passed out customers." he said as he picked up the empty glass and the straw. "Let my security guards help carry him. As a token of my appreciation."

Rol'Naaris nodded and gave him extra credits for dealing with Rayes. Once he exited out of the Yellowstone Frontier, he saw the security picking up the quarian. The turian walked towards Rol'Narris and told him that they were going to drop him off at a nearby shuttle port. Once he entered the shuttle, they would leave them to go back to Earth. He also asked if Rol'Naaris would be alright if he was knock out.

"Let's see if he is still drunk before you do that." he answered coldly, "Don't want to deal with him bitching at me."

When Rayes was suddenly picked up, it startled him slightly. "Nooooo... It was so comfy..." He mumbled to the guards, but he barely put up a fight, if at all. Maybe they were going to take him to a hotel so he could have a long rest... Like personal escorts. He thought that would have been amazing if it was the case.

Through his mask, he could hardly make out the blurry sight of a shuttle, and soon another Quarian was nearby as well. It was one that looked familiar, but then again, he wasn't exactly sure at the moment.

""I am just... Just fine, I assure you! I-Is this the shuttle to... to um... a hotel? Or are we going to, to get more drinks?" He asked them, not really sure of what was going on. Maybe, he thought, they were going to go to a place that wouldn't throw him out for teasing the people who worked there. Either that, or some sort of luxury shuttle... How thoughtful!

Rol'Naaris listened to the other quarian's mumbling and decided that it was too much to deal with. "Be quick about it." he boldly told the turian before giving him enough credits to satisfied him. The turian nodded before waving to the others about the slight change in plan and they nodded back. Then, the krogan entered the shuttle with him and surrounded him to knock him out.

The turian might of said something to him if he was not given credits. It was rare for someone to ask security to knock out their pal. And for a quarian to request it was also a surprised to everyone in security.

It was a relatively quiet flight in the shuttle once Rayes was out cold, with the only real noise besides the hum of the engine being his occasional snoring. That silence was soon interrupted by his suit starting to beep, causing the Quarian to jump awake in shock. While still feeling the effects of the alcohol, he did his best to run a proper diagnosis on what was causing the noise, coming to a realization that his toxin filter needed immediate replacement due to the excessive drinking he had done.

"Kee'lah, what happened?!" He shouted with worry, wincing slightly as the blaring of his suit's warning intensified the pain of an oncoming headache. He worked as fast as he could, and soon, it was silent in the room as his suit was satisfied. Unfortunately, Rayes' body was definitely not, and his head ached immensely. He sighed to himself, leaning forward so that he could place his head on his arm, and it was then that he realized there was someone else in the shuttle: A Quarian no less. Kee'lah, he started to feel a tad embarrassed, and this feeling ultimately made him realize that he was in a shuttle, which brought the question... When? He swore, if he did something stupid... Ultimately, he decided he would try to find out despite his headache telling him to stay silent and rest.

"I... uh... Hello there! Augh... Er, sorry about this, but... Where am I? And Why?" He asked, doing his best to not sound like his body ached as he hoped for a reply.

He heard the other quarian asking him questions, trying to hide the fact that he was drunk about a half hour ago. Rol'Naaris looked at the quarian with his body armor looking almost different from Rol'Naaris'. It was an interesting design that many others could not have come up with. He then finally answered the confused quarian's questions, "Simple enough. You are on a shuttle heading from Earth. As to 'why.'"

There was a moment of silence before he spoke once more. It was an opportunity to make a new friend or make a new foe.

"You were drunk, trying to pick a fight with the bartender and his guards. Then, you were toss out and passed out as a result." he lied to the quarian besides being drunk. It seemed rather horrible to lie to a potential friend; however, Rol'Naaris felt like he was trying to fix the quarian's drinking problem. And it was obvious that he loved alcohol more than a krogan.

"Why were you drinking by yourself anyway?" he asked, "Aren't you supposed to keep an eye on the data?"

The Quarian placed his hands on his mask as he lowered his head farther down from the shame he felt. He passed out after being thrown out of a bar? He supposed that would explain the headache and as for why his toxin filter was on the fritz. And what made it worse was this Quarian had seen it all. He asked himself what the Spectres would think if they realized he had not only gotten hammered, but also thrown out of a bar within hours of leaving their sights. It just... didn't feel right. He looked up at the Quarian, about to answer his question when he heard the second part of it. Data? How could he have known... Wait, was this the Quarian that was with the Spectres? And Rayes had been... Kee'lah, this just was not Rayes' day. He always told himself things could get worse, but he didn't really think that when he decided to go to a bar.

It took him a bit to think of how he should respond, having wondered how he should respond until he gave up from the aching and decided to say most of the truth. He gave one last glance at his toxin levels, watching as they were rapidly decreasing thanks to the new filter before finally speaking up.

"Ugh... Normally I don't go out of my way to drink so much, but today was dreadful... I just wished to forget it all, you know? The horde of husks that came close to ripping me to shreds. It was terrifying, much more than what we dealt with from the Geth... And, as for the data, it'll be safe so long as I have it. My security is near impeccable with my own modifications." He told the Quarian, scratching the back of his mask afterward as he waited for a response.

"I take it that you were not on the ground during the assault. You were stuck on some ship, afraid that your ship would get shot down by the Reapers. Am I right?" he asked after he heard that he was scared of the husks from earlier. He caught himself before saying something insulting to the quarian about being scared to not volunteer to join the ground force. Then again, almost all of the quarian did not volunteer besides himself and a few others. He never forget those that were too scared to join the assault.

He stood up and went to the other side and sat near the other quarian. "At least the data is safe." he stated in hopes of making the quarian feel some what better.

"I was on the ground for your information! I may be an engineer and scientist, but I did not let others fight my battles on Rannoch while I sat on a ship while other Quarians died. Just because I do not mind the Geth now and may have not approved of the war, as it seemed like us or them at the time, does not mean I was going to side with machines that wished to kill everything."

"You care about those things?!" he said with such disgust. He stood up and backed away from the other quarian. It was terrible enough that the Admiralty Board and the Conclave forgave the Geth. Now, there was a AI-machine lover on the team along with an actual geth. And worse of all, he did not even like the war.

"The war against the Geth was necessary to our survival. Everyone else supported the war and it was going well. Until, they joined the Reapers and fought beside them. No wonder that you are an engineer. They are usually the ignorant about warfare." he stopped for a moment and breathed once more. He took the moment to reflect on what he just said and realized that the war was slowly catching up to him. His actions and the consequences were being realized for the first time. All of the death and destruction that Rol'Naaris caused.

"What did you do then?" he asked while still clearly upset over the quarian's statement about the war.

"Care is a strong word, but I can understand their resentment towards us just like we resent them. The Geth are definitely not without faults, but neither are we nor our ancestors. At the time I did not approve because, while I researched the Geth, I felt as if it was a risk that may not pay off. Ultimately it did, but that was with outside help from a human Spectre and his Geth who sacrificed himself so that they could achieve individuality. That's... extroardinary to someone like me. How machines could achieve something similar to our individuality. The Geth on our team... they protected me in those tunnels. I would have died had it not been for it, I know it." He replied, attempting to defend his thoughts on the Geth and his reasonings as he watched the other Quarian move away. Another one to hate the Geth... It was not surprising. It was why Rayes was trying his best to be careful with his words. He could feel the tension and hostility that the Quarian was displaying after his second question, and so he took a deep breath to keep himself calm.

"But regardless, I assisted in dealing with the Geth forces on the ground. I provided insight on their designs and flaws, along with hacking through their defenses, shields, dealing with armor... Overall, I provided support. It may not have been front lines, but I did my best to help others. So many Quarians died already... I did not like seeing others die firsthand... I take it you played a more... aggressive role given your reaction to me saying I do not mind Geth."

'Agressive role.' That would be something that someone with a pro-geth stance said. Rol'Naaris wanted to challenge him on that statement but stopped himself before it got more heated. Instead, he was more interested on his time with the machines and his last sentence. He replied to other quarian, "I was one of the few that volunteered to join the ground assault on Earth while others... 'dislike seeing so many othere dying.' Before that, I was a strategist for the fleet during our war with the Geth. I was apart of the Battle of Rannoch when Shepard's pet ordered the fighting to stop. Good thing that it is dead or you—and the others—might have worshipped the damn thing."

He laughed at the last sentence, trying to be cool and amazing to the other quarian. In his special way. Then, he coughed before looking back at him with his arms crossed. "We are alright fighting and we don't know each other's names. I'm Rol'Naaris vas Vaepal, a strategist and Marine from the fleet."

If Rayes didn't have a raging headache, he would have put up more of a fight to defend his opinion, but this entire situation was just making it worse. Of course out of all the Quarians he could have been on a team with for the Spectres, it was one that was the opposite of his ideals... And probably more along the lines of a normal Quarian. He could have appreciated the different view had it not been for his continued belittlement of Rayes. Instead he barely gave the Quarian his attention while he continued. Though, his seething was more than likely visable when he began laughing that Rayes would have worshiped Shepard's geth. Ugh, what an ignorant bosh'tet! It took all his might to stay silent and not attempt to start another fight, even though with this Quarian's credentials he'd probably win...

"Kee'lah, no wonder you're so aggressive, you must have served with Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema... even agreed with his tactics that nearly killed Shepard on several occasions. But I am not going to push that subject further. I am Rayes'Xum vas Fowal, engineer, scientist, and overall technological expert that served on the Special Projects fleet."

"The Admiral and I may have supported the war against the geth but we often disagreed on several. Especially his attack on a geth ship while Shepard and Tali were on aboard. But, I agree that we change topics before things get heaten." he responded, thankful that the tension between them was over. Rol'Naaris knew that he could have a positive relationship with Rayes despite their different views.

He once again sat besides Rayes and started up another topic, "Tell me, what are you thoughts on Earth and humans?"

At least if they could agree on something, it was to change topics. To Rayes, this entire situation was not how you deal with someone still a bit drunk... But at least they were putting it past them for now... But it seemed when placing down one subject, he picked up another touchy one for Rayes. It made Rayes move slightly away upon asking, causing the Quarian to stare in Rol's direction as he gave his answer.

"I... I do not trust most humans... Nor do I like being on Earth. I have already witnessed a younger Quarian on her Pilgrimage being harassed by a local human... This place has become increasing hostile to other galactic races... It's one of the main reasons I was on the Citadel. At least there I would have had an increased chance of being treated a bit more fair." He replied rather hestitantly, clearly holding back some of his feelings... Either that or it was the headache. Kinda hard to tell with the constant pauses he took.

"Humans have always been mistrusting to those that are completely diffenent and go against their values. Based on my time at Earth, most of the humans are slowly changing their attitude towards other races. I guess that is one of the many good things that came from the Reaper War. It caused more humans and other spieces to trust each other." he spoke honestly to Rayes. Then he looked out of the window and soon saw the Earth.

"Regardless, we are going to Earth. Not to London. We are going to Alexandria, my second home. It is similar to Rannoch and the people are friendly to other races especially the quarian since most of the volunteers choose to stay there. Plus, I have something to do before we leave with the rest of the team. I was wondering if you would like to come with me." he stated to Rayes, waiting for his reaction to the news.

"Of couse, it is up to you." he added before he responded.

Rayes couldn't help but laugh to himself hysterically at the thought of traveling with Rol. It was definitely not on his to do list, but he felt as if he had no choice. After all, despite his nature, he did seem to help Rayes out when he had passed out in front of the bar.

"I... I suppose I could for a bit, if you are being honest... Just... try to keep the noise down, please? My head still hurts, aching both on the outside and inside..." He replied, nervous of this place. The other Quarian attempted to paint it in a good light, but even the brightest lights casted a shadow somewhere... He just hoped they would not see that darkness. And for the damn headache to go away... Maybe he'd replace his toxin filter once more when they landed to speed up the process...

"Great." Rol'Naaris said quietly, "The shuttle's near Alexandria and then we will explore the city."

The shuttle did indeed arrived at Alexandria and landed at Horus Shuttle Port, named after the Egyptian god of war, sky, and falcons. And that began the tour around the city. It took hours for Rol'Naaris to show Rayes the popular locations in the large city. And their last part of the tour caused them to stop at a nearby marketplace. It was full of stalls and customers looking to buy whatever they need. At the edge of the marketplace lain a memorial to those who died during the Battle of Earth. It was nearby the sea which made it more perfect to Rol'Naaris.

He approached the memorial and looked at the list of names. There were too many people that died and Rol'Naaris felt like it was time to say goodbye to those that he sent to their deaths. Then, he looked at the statue of humans and aliens fighting as a team. That was when he saw replica of himself. He remembered how much honor he felt when he was asked if Systems Alliance could add onto the memorial. If only his friends could be there with him.

Rol'Naaris realized that Rayes was still standing there and most likely looking at the memorial. He probably did not want to be there and listen to a quarian's farewell. "You should get somethings before we leave Earth. I will be here, saying my goodbyes to... some friends." he quietly said towards Rayes.

Rayes could only find the tour to be so interesting, partially due to how his unfondness of humans, but mainly due to the massive amount of aching his head had caused him. Hours of torturous pain severely dampened the mood, and while his filter was doing its best to get rid of the alcohol, he had gone above and beyond the normal level after all.

So when Rol told him to go out and buy things before they left, he immediately set out to buy another toxin filter or two... or ten... At this rate, he'd need to constantly replace them to speed up the process, and he'd put the last one in several hours ago before they landed. As much as he would have liked to say something to Rol, question his role in the Reaper War and why this memorial depicted him, but he felt that was a story for another time. He also doubted the Quarian would give him a decent answer without some sort of speech about the Geth being evil, and Rayes could only take so much of it at times.

Regardless, it didn't take him long to find a place that sold environmental suit parts for Quarians, if only because there seemed to be quite a lot here at the memorial. Perhaps more fought here than expected, or perhaps his traveling guide was more popular than Rayes saw. He shook his head, readjusted his cloak a bit, and used a tiny bit more of the credits for these filters. Luckily, the Spectres didn't know how much there was to begin with, and everything added up wouldn't even put a dent in it, right? Yes, Rayes did the calculations. And if they did find out somehow, he'd explain his reasonings. But, that was for later, and now, he had to install this blasted toxin filter again...

"Hellizia Iessaria, I am sorry for sending your squad to their deaths. I knew that your team would die while clearing the street towards command. But.... I hoped that my calculations would of been wrong... I prayed." he said towards the memorial, feeling terrible about his decision. Of course, some of his calculations were wrong. People, who thought would of died, lived and vice versa. Then, he looked around at other names he would remember.

Cravanor Nokor, one of the older krogan, was a tough son of a bitch with his shotgun. Sadly, he died while defending a supply point that Rol'Naaris ordered to be defended at all cost. Silpia Fallius' entire family were at Earth during the finale battle and she prayed that her family was protect. Instead, Rol'Naaris cold heartly sent each one of them towards danger. Her lover died as one of the skyscapers collapsed on top of him, her father was torn apart by husk while pushing them back from another supply point, and her sister died defending a key captain from a suprise ambush. Silpia later killed her with poision because the pain was too much to bear.

Why was he thinking of her all of a sudden? Because he just found out at the spot as he looked at her sister's name. A suicide note appeared on his onmi-tool and he read it. She blamed him for ruining her family's future and destorying the only chance of rebuilding. Her home was destoryed at the beginning of the Reaper War and her child among with her mother were killed. Before the note ended, she cursed and hoped that he realized how much blood he truly had in his hands.

Rol'Naais just looked at the memorial and the statue of himself then collapsed to the ground. He began to weep towards the name of the dead, the names that he personally ordered to their death. Other people at the memorial looked at the crying quarian and did not know what to do. He put his hands against his mask as he kept on crying while trying to shut up. It was time for him to realize the consequences.

When Rayes returned, the scene he came back to was not what he had expected in the slightest. There stood Rol'Naais, weeping at the memorial as others stared. Did the people who fought here mean that much to him? Rayes himself could not be certain... But he understood there was at least a deep enough bond to be sad over their demises. It reminded him of a good friend on Rannoch, who died as he stared at the stars of their homeworld... Perhaps that soul crushing feeling was what Rol was feeling...

And he had no idea what to do for the other Quarian. He did not seem like the type who would appreciate a comforting shoulder, but at the same time, Rayes knew that his people were very close. They may not agree on a lot of things, but clearly there is more to this Quarian than Rayes originally gave him credit for. He was glad that it seemed a majority of his aching was starting to slowly fade as his filters worked into overdrive at this point, giving him enough clarity to walk over and simply place his hand on the crying Quarian's shoulder. It wasn't much, but it was all Rayes could think of doing without disturbing his fellow Quarian or saying anything. After all, he didn't want to make Rol upset more than he already was.

Rol'Naaris was looking at the ground as he had been crying from five minutes until he saw blood on the ground—rushing towards him like a river. He started to shake uncontrollably in fear of what he was about to see. His head slowly to move upward and watched as the memorial had been turned into a collection of bodies. Bodies that he recogized during his times at Earth and Rannoch. Above them were quarian ships that were destroyed by Geth and Reaper ships because of his orders.

Then, he felt something placing their hands on his shoulder. When he turned, he saw someone that he had not thought of in a long time. "Are you alright?" the mysterious stranger asked.

Rol'Naaris gasped in shock and sat there in silence while trying to suppress the thoughts of him. That was when he realized that the blood and the bodies were all fake. He had been hallucinated the whole time. This had never happened to him before and first time that he was crying in a long time. The Reaper War caused him to suppress his feelings and guilt because he needed a clear thinking head. But, he never could realized how much pain he kept in him self.

Now, he did not know what to do. With Rayes' hand on his shoulder, he felt embarrassed about his sudden breakdown. "Oh, I did not realize that you were done so quickly." he said while trying to stop crying and clear up his head. Rol'Naaris stood up from the ground and turned towards Rayes.

"Now that I gave you the tour of my home, what do you want to do next?" he asked while trying to sound like he was alright and happy. But he was not alright. He was not happy. For the first time, he did not know what to do. He was stuck.

Rayes wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that Rol went into a sort of shock when Rayes placed his hand on Rol's shoulder, or how afterwards he attempted to act as if nothing was wrong. Obviously, this had effected him more than Rayes could understand at the time, and while Rol did his best to sound like he was fine, Rayes didn't quite believe it.

"Perhaps it would be best if we turn in for the day, no? Some rest will do us both good, and after such a long day I believe we deserve it..." He replied, thinking it to be the best option. Some sleep would help with the hangover he was experiencing, and could help Rol calm down... Rayes wasn't sure. To him, some rest was definitely needed, and he felt like his Quarian comrade would feel the same.

"Yeah..." he agreed. "Let's rest. I know where we could stay. Most of the quarians are staying at this place."

And they went off towards the hotel to get some needed rest. While they were walking, Rol'Naaris was walking slow and he was dragging his feet among the dirt until they reached the asphalt. He was trying to keep together and looked at the other quarian. "I am sorry for that. I should not have done that at all." he said with no emotion in his words. He could not cry any more tears and was so tried of his time at the memorial.

For one of the first times today, Rayes may have actually smiled at Rol's weakness... In a good way. Not to say he liked it, but rather that it seemed there was at least a bit of trust coming... even if it was only because he saw him weak.

"Everyone struggles to stay in control from time to time... You wept when you remembered pain, I drank to forget..." He told Rol, patting him on the back as he remembered the swarm of husks. The very minimal thought he just experienced gave him shivers, but he attempted to put all his focus on walking towards the hotel. Rayes was a bit excited about it, if he was being truthful with himself. A place on Earth mainly used by Quarians? It was nearly unheard of for Rayes!

When they finally arrived, it was clear that the day had drained their energy and spirit. They both recieved a seperate room across the hall from each other, and to Rayes, he was glad he was finally in a place where he could rest. No more worrying about husks, definitely no more drinking, and what was probably the best was that, while they were still a bit on rocky terms, he had met a new Quarian ally.

And thus, after taking the necessary precautions, both Quarians soon found peace in sleep.

Mass Effect: Underworld

@Silver Fox

I think the only reason they had suits on in the memory bank was due to it using Shepard's memories/thoughts of Quarians so that it could properly show him the, well, memories. At least, I think that's the reason Legion gave while they were in there.

St. Fortuna's Academy for the Higher Arts

@onenote
"Me too..." Nathan whispered as he agreed with Nancy's statement, he too was glad to be back in Fortuna. This place was like home to him, much more than he could ever imagine. A place where he could study what he desired without the limitations that Maefeld had. And while it was occasionally interrupted by others, often… they weren’t so bad as their appearances deemed them to be. He glanced over at Nancy, a person whose first impression was pretty much the opposite of who she really was. And, while he doesn’t know her that well, he believed he knew enough to be overall content with his situation. In fact, looking back at last year, he was surprised how little he knew of his class. There was the one he tutored last year, the guy who looks off putting but is rather outgoing, and then Nancy. But that was alright in Nathan’s book… It let him focus on his studies.

When they arrived in the room, Nancy did the thanking for the both of them before she could not contain her happiness. Nathan had simply tipped his hat at the volunteers as a way to say thanks before staring at Nancy, tilting his head slightly left with a questioning smile on his face. While he was excited for the new year, he wasn’t much for showing it, and instead he turned his attention to the actual room they were in. It was an overall improvement to Nathan, going from the loud, annoying environment of last year to a much simpler, quieter room for two. Well, if he was being technical, it was more around two rooms that could become one giant room if they kept the sliding wall, well, not slid. He doubted they’d have it as one big room though, as the place was not only designed to be two, but he liked his privacy.

Nancy began to speak once more, causing him to turn his attention to her and immediately take notice of her continued happiness. It made him smile gently; a tiny, happy expression was what he returned. Ground rules, whose room was who… Nathan wasn’t particularly picky other than that they be relatively calm here. But, those could be established later, seeing as she wanted to discuss electives. She mentioned how Monster Hunting was mandatory, and while it wasn’t his first option, he had to roll with it. At the very least, he could not only train to use his ability, but study the monsters of this world. That was something to look forward to. Glancing down at the sheet, he believed he already knew the other one he’d like to take.

“ I’m going to sign up for music.” He replied honestly, as it was an interest of his… Music, that is. But Horticulture… He looked down at his elective sheet, reading the short description it gave. Gardening, huh? He wondered if she’d like that class, but then again, he hardly knew Nancy outside of her baking. Maybe she’d find new plants to cook? He shrugged at his own thought, instead looking at Nancy and waiting for her response.

Recall: The Second Omnic War (An Overwatch RP)

I've been silently watching, so I wouldn't mind joining if you need more people.

Mass Effect: Underworld

---

---

It felt like Rayes was worrying over Tiberius for hours when it was most likely just minutes, but with the adrenaline-like rush he was still on, time was all messed up for him. It felt like no sooner than they had met the reinforcements did they hear an explosion, which was soon followed by various other events. It had only slowed the husk movements, but enough so that the reinforcements could handle the situation. That was such a relief to the Quarian, taking several deep breaths to calm himself down. He kept telling himself that the danger was over, that everything was fine now, but they honestly did little to settle his mind off the horrors that would flash inside his mind, giving him shivers.

He was glad no one could see his face under the mask, because he felt like he was going to be sick and didn't want to show it. Everyone here had military experience, and if this was what they dealt with in the war than Rayes felt immensely sorry for them. This was more than likely just a taste of what happened on battlefields, and they were only really husks! Keelah... He'd need a drink after this, and could only imagine how everyone else was feeling. It certainly was not his forte, but at least they all made it... so the situation could have been far worse.

But unfortunately, that wishful thinking was cut short when Spectre Anderson began to talk. The first bit of information that struck him as interesting was that they had a full 24 hours until they had to meet at new coordinates. While that was all fine since Rayes had no one he had to say goodbye to, having done so when he came to Earth, he wasn't entirely sure what he could do. He had no items to tinker with, and he wasn't willing to give the one human repairs. Some other person could handle that, but it was not going to be Rayes.

Then, Rayes was directly addressed due to having hacked the information and was, ahem, advised to send the information to the Spectres, along with how they trusted him that he wouldn't leave and run away without doing so. Well, he certainly wasn't going to run away and bail at this point, and while he was slightly happy they seemed to trust him on doing so, it also caught him as odd. They placed a lot of faith on a Quarian they only met, but then again, they most likely had seen a dossier on him. Whatever the case, he nodded to Anderson before sending them a majority of what he had gathered... Every last detail excluding the fact that he had transferred the funds he had managed to track into a private account. Instead, he placed a line that read: 'Regarding the funds, I wish to speak to the both of you about them. It is rather important that I may discuss with both of you in private when I come back tomorrow.' He felt that was sufficient enough, and besides, it was not like he could spend all those credits in one night. Though, since he had 24 hours with nowhere to stay... He'd most likely use a small portion to find a place to stay for the night, seeing as he was stranded on Earth. Like compensation.

Regardless, there was also other news. The explosion caused casualties due to tenement collapsing, but in Rayes' eyes, it could have been much worse. If Cerberus had managed to release those husks without anyone's knowledge, not just the people in the tenement but an unthinkable number of civilians would have died. There could have been other solutions, but they had done their best with damage control... Hopefully the families died together... Rayes could not imagine a broken family, suffering from his actions... He'd definitely need a drink.

He decided it would be best if he went to the spaceport and catch a shuttle to the Citadel, seeing as it was still around Earth. At least there he could get a drink without having to worry about bosh'tet humans poisoning him because they were xenophobic...

He'd also have to remember to buy plenty of toxin filters.

He could also rent a room for the night up there as well. It would certainly be better than, well, whatever the humans would provide him. Probably shove him in a closet and say it's a luxury suite at this rate...

With his mind made up, he gave everyone a rather disheartened wave of goodbyes before walking off towards the direction of the spaceport, hands in the pockets on the inside of his cloak. This day was gonna be a long, forgotten, bad dream by the time it was over.

E x ᴄ ᴀ ᴠ ᴀ ᴛ ɪ ᴏ ɴ

Shawn Oliver Sinclaire

Outfit
Interacting with: Bailey(@MissCapnCrunch), Texting Caleb(@Apoalo)

---

After the prayer and once everyone began to eat, Shawn turned his phone to silent, which was generally the norm for him. It made him smirk when just seconds later his sister's phone went off, to which she recieved the same small lecture of no phones during breakfast. It made Shawn giggle under his breath at his sister, though this was hardly the first time she didn't pay the rules mind. As he took another bite of food, he glanced up to make eye contact with her, to which she stuck her tongue out at him before starting her 'secret' texting. He just rolled his eyes at her, shaking his head slightly in disapproval at her.

It was almost an awesome moment for Shawn when he saw dad staring at Bailey, and the anticipation of a bust was almost too good to be true, which it ultimately proved to be just that... Too good to be true. It was almost a role reversal, where this time dad was the one busted because his phone rang. It even seemed mom had taken notice and giggled, but it made Shawn slightly sad that the bust didn't go through. He'd get his revenge from the slap earlier, or at least see her get in trouble. It wasn't a matter of if she would, it was just a matter of when, and he'd be there when it would happen to watch the bust unfold.

When breakfast finally ended and he washed his own plate after Bailey, she looked at him once the parents were in the other room to ask him what he was doing with his friends.

"I ain't sure yet, sis. I still gotta check what Caleb texted and see if he had something in mind, ya know?"

The texts!! His phone had vibrated on several occasions during breakfast, and as soon as he answered Bailey he pulled his phone out to reveal the two longer texts from his friend. He winced slightly, unsure of what to say or do. He hadn't planned on anyone coming over... But it was Caleb, and he's come over a lot... Usually whenever Shawn said he'd just stay home too. Odd that works. Regardless, he began to text his friend.

Oh, uh, okay? I wasn't really planning on having someone over... But... I'll need to ask my parents. I don't think they'd mind since you come over a lot, but it'd be best if I do just because I don't want to get in trouble.

I'm sorry this was a bit late btw, I can't txt at breakfast and just finished. Movie is alright so long as it isn't some horror movie... Not with what happened. Our family isn't going, we didn't really know them that well and my sis is scared to go lol. I'll txt back when I know if you can come in or not.

With that, he made his way to the den, waiting patiently for his parents to finish their conversation so that he could ask them if Caleb could come over.

E x ᴄ ᴀ ᴠ ᴀ ᴛ ɪ ᴏ ɴ

I'll try to get a post up today or tomorrow.