wayward ch 12- two land rovers, and a mako
The crew ventures out into the expanse of Shanxi. Shepard is faced with her first obstacle.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
"Commander…" he said, his voice trailing off, parched. He cleared his throat. "Pardon me, I was just…" This time, his voice trailed for a very different reason. She looked as though she barely heard him. He stepped to the side, giving her room back into the storehouse, hoping the shame that festered in his belly couldn't be felt like heat on her face.
Suddenly, she realized exactly where she was. She looked up at Garrus, the light from the fire behind him catching in her one eye that hadn't been slashed with silver. Except it was lit by something other than a fire, something that came from within. "Actually, Vakarian, do you have a second to talk?"
It took him a second to register that she was talking to him, and another five on top of that for what she said. She was patient with him at the very least. "With… me?" he finally managed, which was about as eloquent as he could get away with.
"No, actually, I was thinking that I could talk to that pile of bricks outside, and you could stand guard." Far too late, he realized she was joking. His blank expression drew something out in hers, a crinkled expression that could have been a smile or a grimace. "Okay, not in a joking mood, got it." Except he didn't think she was really in a joking mood, either. It was too forced. He had heard Commander Shepard attempt three jokes since their mission started, and all of them were so unfunny that he thought she surely had to threaten the people around her to laugh.
"I can talk," he said, his voice still even and still, like wading out into unfamiliar waters. "If you still want to." Just in case you changed your mind while I babble, he wanted to say.
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