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Aug 3, 2012

Boosting Morale | vesta-shepard & drsolus

[Timeline: ME2, Pre-IFF]

Vesta: It wasn't often she sought out the company of others, wasn't often that she left her quarters unless necessary. She was often found settled in her cabin, reports and computer usually on and ignored as she fiddled with the various model ships that served as decor. Or the collection of fish... But no, tonight she was seeking company. The ship was mostly dead, occasional members moving and talking. It was late by Earth time, and she knew it.. but there was one person she knew would still be up. Bustling, no doubt.

The trip was short from her cabin to the labs, the makeshift space having been turned into a personal haven for the Salarian doctor. She was dressed down in the black and white trimmed uniform, a hand coming up to touch at her cheek as she moved into the lab.

A few quick glances, her golden orbs scanning the view to look for the particular Salarian in question. ".. Mordin? Hiding in here?"

Mordin: It was late; the Normandy had entered the night-cycle shift quite awhile ago. He was in the middle of tweaking the latest upgrades for their weapons; a research project Shepard had set upon him only hours earlier. When perfected, the damage output would increase by approximately thirty percent. He just needed to adjust the energy output slightly... there.

Mordin gathered the tools he had used, bundling them up in his arms before moving over to a storage cabinet on the ground behind him. Bending down, he opened the cabinet and began replacing his tools when he heard a familiar voice call out to him. He sniffed, shaking his head. The hiss of the doors closing signalling her entrance, he called out, “Just a moment,” continuing to remedy the mess his work had made.

Finished with that, Mordin stood up from his place on the ground. “Ah, Shepard. What brings you down here?”

Vesta: "Mmn.. mostly curiousity." she said, shaking her head idly before finding a nearest surface to lean against. Her arms crossed over her chest with a brow arched towards him, "Comfortable? Finding everything all right? The crew been nice to you?"

She was seeking idle chatter, something to fill the silence of the air of her cabin. And Mordin was about the only one awake this late... "Research.. going well?" she rambled, her head tilting to the side slightly.

Mordin: He blinked, staring at the Commander. His hands moved idly, attempting to find something to do. Wringing his wrists for a moment, he smiled. “Everything in order. Crew see fit to leave me to own devices. Fine by me. Less interruption, more time to work. Finish up projects, learn new things. Fascinating what can be accomplished with time available.”

Eyes scanning the table he let his hands move towards the next project in line as his eyes checked on the bacterial growth in another experiment. Multitasking, an acquired talent. “Correct. Lots of things completed; more than ever before. Technology available aboard ship fascinating. Enables precision to nano-level. Just finished with last research project. Weaponfire improved thirty percent. Multicore shielding. Biotic implants for Jack. My omnitool.” He coughed. “How are you doing?”

Vesta: "Doing well.. for the most part." was her whispered response, though her fingers had found something of interest on her table of leisure. Her head tilting just enough as her hand reached to catch one of the items that were seemingly abandoned on the research table, looked like a portion of what used to be a gun though now disassembled. "I was looking for something to fill time... mostly."

She sighed, placing the item down before she was moving to stand near him with her hands behind her back. ".. what are you doing..? Looks like a mess.."

Mordin: “Relaxation technique. Idle conversation. Not many awake at this time, so came to talk to me. See how it is,” he droned teasingly, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

His hands moved as if they were out of his control, darting around the work-station quick as lightning. Mordin felt her approach, but he paid no heed as he continued to focus. “Bacterial growths necessary to build bio-weapon, if that is what you refer to. This? Next research project you set me upon. M-920 Cain. Taking high-explosive rounds, and modifying launch velocity to extremely high speeds. Dangerous. ...Also very satisfying.”

Vesta: "I won't drop it. I won't drop it until it's on our Collector enemies heads.." she said, shaking her head slightly before carefully moving to set it down again. She heaved a quiet sigh, looking over to some of the other items in the room before speaking again.

"No wonder they send me weird reports... So long as the two of you lively up the place, I won't complain either. Gets too dull around here sometimes."

She moved away then, only turning to face him with a smug grin when he talked of coffee. "Oh, I have my theories on you with Coffee.. would be better off handing ourselves over to Collectors before that happens. Ha. Salarians and coffee. Must be insane."

Mordin: “Your hands are incredibly restless tonight,” observed Mordin, silently contemplating her implicit desire to touch everything he was working on. Even in boredom, her inquisitive, curious nature shone through. She certainly never ceased to butt in on other people's business, solving their problems for them. “But comforting to know that.”

He chuckled at Vesta's comments. “Often get joking comments on being too loud. Can never be too loud. Can never have too much fun. Especially in our chosen occupations.”

Stopping short at her snipe at coffee, he gave her a gaze. “Hawthorne once showed me image of what he thought would happen. Said Normandy would explode.” Taking a few steps over towards the other side of his workstation, he began fiddling with something else. “Don't doubt that.”

Vesta: "Restless. Boredom. I'm lonely." she muttered the last bit, brow arching as her hands came to rest on her hips. She looked away from the table, briefly letting her eyes fall on him again before she chuckled. "Comforting, that isn't even going to describe it.."

She shrugged again, her arms moving to cross over her chest as he spoke of getting too loud but she didn't mind it sometimes. "Probably right in that respect... what with what we do, better to be loud and obnoxious than quiet and dull."

She let her gaze fall to the floor, scuffing her heel against the floor as she heard him move and she chuckled, "Normandy exploding or handing it to the Collectors... would prefer to hand it over. Ha. No coffee for you. Do you want some tea? I could go make some."

Mordin: “When described thusly, can understand why 'comforting' isn't best adjective. Explosions more chaotic.” He let out a laugh, allowing his hands to fall to his sides; for once preoccupied with actual conversation rather than hurried discussions with hinted dismissals. “...Lonely?” he murmured, as his large, expressive eyes slid slowly to gaze at his left. “Could... could be same as me,” he whispered, more to himself.

“Loudness should be expected of this crew. Don't complain or point it out when other crew members shout and scream in mess hall or in CIC,” he droned on, referring to the mention of reports on noise levels.

He raised a brow ridge. “Would really rather let our bodies fall in hands of Collectors instead of death?” he ribbed, hoping his dry, although rusty, sense of humour would shine through. “Tea would be wonderful.”

Vesta: "Lonely is about the best description for how I'm feeling right now, Mordin." She scuffed her heel against the floor once more before shaking her head and flicking her hands. "Besides, I won't complain about the noise. I like it better when the ship is lively, silent makes me wonder if everyone's suddenly died or something. To wish I'd be upset moreso."

Vesta moved away from his table then, starting towards the door with slow steps as she chuckled, "I would rather you guys have a fighting chance against the Collectors than instant death. Fighting chance to get away." She glanced over her shoulder briefly to him, "I'll be back with some tea then. Preferences? Or should I just randomly pick something?"

Mordin: “Lonely now? Have me for company. Can be lonely together... despite literal contradiction,” mused Mordin, turning back to his work on the Cain. He adjusted the angle of a component inside the weapon, calculating how that would affect vectors, speed, velocity and force at the same time. “You have point. Silence can be serene... can also be menacing.”

He looked up at her continued comment. “Rather optimistic point of view, Shepard.” Staring into her eyes, he saw her strong resolve, never backing down. Breaking the stare, he turned back once again to the weapon of mass destruction. “Strawberry if any. Otherwise, any is fine. Three pinches of sugar will do.” Mordin thanked her, silently glad for the short reprieve... but also feeling an onset of emptiness.

Vesta: "Mmn.. sounds good to me." she said, nodding briefly before moving out of the room. She was content in his company, she was closer with him than any of her crew... She had tried to get close to Kaidan, but he never had anything more than doubts in his tone. Garrus, more recently, she had tried to share conversations with. But they were more or less concerns on the mission and promptly led to 'Sorry, calibrations..' before she'd leave him to it.

She moved towards the mess hall area, the occasional passerby causing her to wave as they saluted before disappearing. It wasn't until she was digging through the cabinets to find the Strawberry tea that she felt suddenly silly... Flavored tea? She'd never tried it. Finding a small stash, she set to boiling the water and finding mugs for them.

As she waited for the water, her arms crossed over her chest and she leaned against the counter. The ship was unusually quiet, even from Miranda's offices she didn't hear the occasional sounds of shuffling. Brows furrowed, her eyes drifting to the floor again in idle thought.

Trying to find reason for seeking out Mordin, wanting to hunt him down, to talk with him... she had felt things for him she hadn't felt for others, but to pin them down scared her. What was it? Love? Lust? Interest? Simple attraction based on the fact he was witty? Or was it because he shared a similar sadness she did?

The low whistling pulled her from her reverie, her hands reaching to pour them both cups of the tea, three pinches of sugar in Mordin's before she was heading back with the mugs in hand. A few seconds later she was slipping back into the lab, moving over to where he stood to gently place his mug down near him on the table in the nearest clear spot before she moved away again.

"Lucky for you... they had Strawberry."

She was leaning against the wall a short distance away, sipping at her mug with a soft hum. "This is good, by the way."

Mordin: Vesta left the room, and Mordin let out a brief sigh, placing his hand over his chest. She was gone for the moment. Starting to feel uncomfortable, his hands had been even more fidgety than usual. He wiped a few droplets of perspiration off of his marked, wrinkled brow before focusing once again on the weapon before him. Mentally, he began calculating vectors once more, occasionally mumbling out loud before shaking his head.

'Incorrect. Wrong, all wrong. Formula unchangeable, figures have been given incorrect input.' His mind raced quicker than usual, attempting to correct his miscalculations. However, for some reason, he couldn't focus quite enough. He grew frustrated, expression becoming increasingly intense. Eyes narrowed into a glare, he stared furiously at the weapon, parts jotting into the air at seemingly random angles.

Sharply exhaling, he decided to temporarily forgo calculating vectors in favour of examining the growth of the microbes on the other side of the workstation. Moving over, he examined the level of growth the colonies had undergone.

'Expansion by 7.46 percent.' Not nearly enough to begin experimentation. Waiting for microbial colonies to multiply and expand was always the worst part. He began pacing impatiently, mind still running on overdrive, becoming maddeningly antsy.

What was the reason he was so off balance tonight? Vesta's interruption shouldn't have thrown him off so much. It was no different from any other unplanned visit... was it? He frowned.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice Vesta re-entering the room until she had placed a mug of strawberry tea down on his workspace. Mindlessly, he picked it up and took a sip. Perfect amount of saturation and blend of sugar. He placed it down on the counter behind him, nodding his thanks.

Watching her lean against the wall, his frown took on a neutral expression. 'Should really pay more attention to surroundings. Limits survivability. Unnecessary focus on extraneous subject matter.'

“Of course. Fruit teas rather favoured. Don't taste quite was unsaturated as other types of tea.” Picking up the mug again, he regarded the steam floating serenely toward the ceiling. He wished he could feel the same.

Vesta: Vesta stood there for a moment, quiet sound of a hum falling on her lips as she sipped at the cup in quiet contemplation. No, she didn't know why she felt this way. She idly looked over at him, brows arching up as she watched. She knew if she was closer she'd be poking and picking up his work items, he'd probably eventually tell her to stop touching them.

She looked down into the cup with a half-lidded gaze, lips forming a slight frown, "Again.. used to having coffee. And if I weren't visiting you tonight, I'd probably have made a pot of it and sat up in my cabin watching fish.."

She sipped again, chuckling softly, "Tell me, Mordin, how come you have that furrowed little brow in your expression? Something not going right on your work here?"

Pausing, she chuckled again, "I didn't mess it up, did I? With my touching everything?"

Mordin: He shook his head, indicating the negative at her question. “No, didn't alter any results. Should be fine.” Mordin shot her a brief smile before turning back to the dilemma before him, sipping his tea as he went. He hadn't realized that his brow was in that peculiar position, but he didn't question it. He had, after all, built himself up into a tizzy, frustrated at his experiments.

Another sip. Mordin felt himself calm down slightly. His brain releasing serotonin, he felt its calming, feelings of content and happiness slowly spreading through his body. He relaxed. Able to think slightly clearer, he was finally able to correctly calculate the equation; subsequently the hypothetical vectors, and thus speed and velocity, were at the correct levels. A grin slowly spread across his face. He could finally advance ahead on it.

“Thank you, Shepard. For bringing tea. Just what was needed.” He tilted his head, addressing her other comment. “Thought you would be sleeping, not staying up to stare at fish. Seems mundane.”

Vesta: Vesta nodded, idly, her head falling back against the wall with her cup in hand. She sipped slowly, eyes sliding closed as she settled into the warm steam from her mug as well as the somewhat calm air between them. She welcomed it, for now content.

She turned her head towards him at the thanks, nodding before she chuckled, "Glad I could help. Tea is nice, may have to start drinking it more." She paused, shrugging a bit, "Mundane, but it clears the head sometimes. I've thought about doing other things, but staring at fish and listening to music as I work helps me work a bit more steadily."

Sighing, she looked to the weapon again, "Clearing the mind. Harder to do than it looks."

Mordin: Mordin had worked himself up into a relative excitement. Focus growing sporadic, he hopped from one experiment to the next, accounting for any calculus-related problems he had encountered while in his brief daze. Occasionally stopping to guzzle away at the tea, he slowly emptied his mug until only a sliver of the slightly sweet tea remained.

He nodded at her admittance that tea was an excellent choice of beverage. “Good. Caffeine levels in coffee-related drinks high. Can be good for human if needing to remain awake. However, tea has similar effect. Does not last as long, but also effective over time compared to short highs associated with coffee. Also, doesn't taste bitter.”

Considering her next words, he responded succinctly. “Can see your point. Quiet music, perhaps singing or humming. Helps to focus. Allows mind to generate conversation, thought. Distracts from making odd observations or straying to other thoughts.”

Vesta: "I prefer coffee to tea.. but in this light, I would rather have the tea." she said, nodding, "If only to be drinking the same thing you're drinking." She offered a small laugh at the notion, sipping at the mug again before falling silent.

It was a nod later that she murmured softly, "I have tried music, and my singing is just about as good as my dancing. And I'm sure you've at least seen that much." She glanced over to him, "Too hard to focus when you have your mind on something and it doesn't want to flit away out of view."

She sighed quietly, shrugging her shoulders, "I don't know, Mordin.. have had my mind in a place that.. makes me wonder about things."

Mordin: “The same thing? What purpose does that serve?” asked Mordin, tilting his head. He blinked, confused at her sentiments. “Glad you tried and enjoy tea, but why not take what you prefer?” Stepping away from his desk, he sipped away the last of the human fruit-based tea before sighing, listening to her next words carefully.

Moving his gaze upward, he approached Vesta, expression serious... with an undertone of worry. “What is bothering you?” he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently before pulling away. “Maybe listening ear can help.”

Vesta: "Would mean I'm drinking the same thing as you. Wonder if I could locate flavoring for my coffee... would work." she murmured, chuckling briefly afterward before she was drinking again and only paused when she saw him approach.

Her gaze moved to the hand that briefly touched her shoulder, brows furrowing in thought before his touch was gone again and she offered him a slight smile at the corners of her lips. "Mordin.. there is a lot bothering me. Working with Cerberus.. moving out to stop the collectors..", she paused, her head lowering in thought, "I think I'm still not over the shock of being dead.."

A chuckle as her hands fumbled a bit over the mug and thumbs moved over the smooth surface in an attempt to distract herself. ".. had my mind back to other things.. but those things I suppose can wait.. until later."

Mordin: Mordin returned the smile with a brief twitch at the lips before his eyes met hers, concern clear. He grasped his hands behind his back, preventing them for wandering around as he leaned forward slightly. “Hm. Yes, could see how that is worrisome. Distrustful of former enemies turned allies. Collectors veritable threat.”

His expression fell slightly at the mention of her death, though he allowed it to show. “Death normally final. End of journey.” He moved to lean against the wall next to her, crossing his arms.

Mordin thought he'd never be the one with the optimistic point of view. He liked to leave that to his comrades, instead acting as the realist to keep them grounded. It was strange to think of optimism as grounding, but in this case he supposed it worked. “Could look at it this way,” he mumbled. “Cerberus working for you, not with you. Using their resources, their people. But they are now yours.” He paused. “...Do you regret being brought back?”

He raised a brow. “...Thoughts of other things? Like what? Must be fairly important if distracting you.”

Vesta: ".. I'm distrustful due to the situation." she murmured, finishing what was in her cup before moving to set the empty mug aside. She crossed her arms over her chest, smiling at him a little, "The only reason they brought me back was because they needed me. Needed Commander Shepard... the only one who had some sense left to stop Saren, to stop the Reapers from coming. Doubt I'm anyone glorious, just a soldier."

She chuckled, her head tilting as she continued in a hushed whisper, "I feel like I'm working for them, some hound dog sent out on errands to stop the Collectors.. Following orders. Always been part of my understanding, my life.. but now. I don't know. I'm not sure what I should feel regret for.. being alive still where others didn't make it, or having died in the first place when it could have been avoided."

Vesta turned her head towards him, giving him a small smile at the corner of her lips as her hand came up to touch at face. It was a small gesture, light, "Other things. Things we've not talked about.. or mentioned. Though.. I worry about what you'll say to that."

Mordin: “All valid points,” began Mordin, narrowing his eyes slightly. Her laugh - while a welcome sound to his weary mind – was disconcerting. Despite this, he knew that she understood the gravity of her situation. And an unusual situation it was.

“Still,” he continued, moving to stand in front of her, “At most, working with them. Still, personally see it as taking their resources, their personnel. Turning them into your own. Have observed fundamental changes in personalities of staff. More light-hearted, happy. Wouldn't expect Cerberus to have people like that. Slowly sabotaging Cerberus. Taking their people away. They work for you, not Illusive Man.”

He paused to gather his thoughts. Glancing into her eyes, he saw behind the strong pillar that was Commander Shepard. Behind the wall, he was able to see another person: Vesta. He sniffed, closing his eyes before continuing. “Best not to dwell on hypotheticals. Path that happened is this. Too many variables, will consume your mind. You died. Maybe could have been avoided. Many lost, many mourned. But you are here. You are able to carry on for their sake. For the sake of the galaxy. Here to help you... Vesta.”

Her hand reached up, and he couldn't help but to lift his own leathery hand to touch hers. He stayed silent, simply content to keep physical contact as he waited for her to continue.

Vesta: Vesta stood for a moment in simple thought, it must be obvious now the doubting aura she wore around her neck and shoulders. She had wondered if dumb luck had hit her, or that the real reason was because Cerberus did need her. They could have gotten any soldier, any marine, anyone. And they picked her.

But taking the different perspective on how the crew was responding, the things they were using.. It had been true, she recalled the first time the crew had greeted her. They were distant, quiet, hardly did things outside of orders. But now they talked and laughed, even approached her to talk casually. She offered a soft sigh, her head tilting forward as her eyes slid closed. She was alive, no matter what it said on paper to anyone in the Alliance and to the Council. She was alive now, no matter what had happened to her crew from the original Normandy.

She even moved to lean into the touch of her hand and his. It was a new gesture, her lips curling into a smile slightly, ".. I will have to try and look at it that way.. it's better than what I had thought. And I know.. Mordin, here to keep going." She nodded slightly, "Have to keep strong afterall."

Mordin: Mordin stared intently into her eyes. They had only met months previous, and they had already been through so much. He had seen many atrocities, tragedies... miracles. He was getting old, and he knew it. However, he himself still had much to live for. He could only hope that he had shown her that she could do so much more with her second chance.

“See to it that you do,” he murmured, sufficiently reassured that she had cheered up. Idly, he left his hand where it was. Almost... enjoyable. No, not almost. Simply... a good feeling.

His eyes softened with her last words. “Good to keep strong... but need support behind that. Liable to crumble without moral support. Personal aid.” He wasn't sure whether he was offering or not... but he supposed he was.

Vesta: Vesta offered him a genuine smile, her eyes soft as she regarded him with admiration. It was true that recently she had been considering all sorts of things. Her life as a whole, the people she'd lost, the fact she had never sat down and admitted love... and even now she was beginning to see something more in him in particular.

She nodded her head slightly, her hand pulling his to touch her lips as she offered a smile. "Support is hard to come by... and I've crumbled before. So long as you're here I'm sure I'll be able to make it.. " She moved to push away from the wall, her eyes closing as she spoke again.

"I've taken a lot of your time tonight... I'm going to head back to my cabin to work. Thanks for the reassurance, Mordin.. "

Mordin: Mordin smiled, watching her go to move away. Success. He let her step away, leaving his hand in the same position for a moment before allowing it to fall.

"Can always come to me to talk... anything for you," he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. His eyes closed. Feeling lighter than he had in quite awhile, he went to move back to his work.

Being bothered wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

#vestashepard #skype rp #drsolus #Boosting Morale #AU: Thin Red Line

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