Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"I will give you one last chance. Tell me where she is, and I won't end your sorry little life here." Blood was already trickling down her fingers, her nails embedded into the man's skin, hooked underneath his jawbone, threatening to crush his arteries. His face was mere inches away from hers, eyes full of fear, reflecting the blue glow of anger radiating off of Esmeas body. Her patience was wearing thin, and her sanity even more so.

The one thing the world never dare touch was missing. Someone had actually had the balls to take her sister, and now they were going to pay. But first, this man needed to talk, and maybe even suffer.

The man's body was shaking with fear, his word coming out in an unintelligible babble, bubbling through the blood seeling into his mouth. Esmea would be lying if she said it didn't bring a smile to her lips, or strike up joy in the wicked parts of her heart. But right now all her eyes saw was blood, and she had no time for uselessness.

"Cat got your tongue? Well you better loosen it before it gets torn from your head."

She lifted his body, holding him up against the now empty window frame, inches away from impending death. Coughing and clawing, panic filled the man's eyes, his legs trying all at once to get away from the sickening heights and keep her from ripping open his throat; which was already threatening to tear away.

"Wait, wait" his words were coughed out through blood, spitting out of his mouth and onto Esmeas pale face. "I promise, I don't know where she is. Please, please don't kill me."

Esmeas biotic glow dissipated, and she sighed, almost in disappointment. "Pity. Then you're even more useless to me then I thought." A sudden blast of blue and the man's body lept from her fingers. She watched as he fell, clawing at the air, mouth open as if screaming, but no sound touched her ears, only the glorious sight of him choking on his own blood. She watched, and she smiled.

The blare of a siren and flashes of red strike across the ceiling. "Dammit!" Esmea wasn't surprised, just annoyed that they had managed to detect her before she found any information. She was no closer to finding her sister and now she had to worry about getting out of here. Which in theory shouldn't be an issue, there was hardly anyone left alive in the entire building.

To her glee the alarm hasn't set off a lockdown. The doors were all still open and the hallway empty, well, besides the bodies of workers she had left bleeding on the floor. She heard no rushing footsteps or yelling guards, all was quiet. Odd. Had she really scared them that much? Or was there just no one left to tell on her?

Her hand brushed her cloaking device and she flickered in the eery red blaze. Her footsteps silent as she made her way to the stairs, her only bet of getting out of here now. Ever she listened, always on alert should someone come rushing out of doors or running up the stairs. Floor by floor she made her way down, keeping herself clear of the blood and guts strewn everywhere. Puddles of red, footprints of death, but not a drop touched her heels. She found nothing, as she made her way back down the stairs, nothing but the carnage she herself had left behind.

Quick and soft as shadows she plunged down the stairs, descending from floor to floor. She couldn't risk using an elevator, not with all the alarms blaring. Anyone left in this building would be on high alert, and cloaking only did so much.

A pause. That door shouldn't be open. She was never that careless, even in her blood thirsty rage. A quick glance onto the floor and she froze in place. The red flashes gloss over the shape of a Turian, kneeling down over the body of one of her victims. Did she forget one? Or had he wandered in himself?

There was no time for her to think, an explosion above her rocked the building and flames erupted into the stairwell, raining down chunks of rubble. There would be no going back up, but there was also no going down. Flashlights danced over the metal walls, the jagged movements of soldiers running, probably with guns already drawn. She had no chance left here.

She silently cursed herself, balling up her fists, sticky with blood. Her only hope would be to hide and pray to whatever deities were left in this galaxy that she could make it out alive.
With a deep breath, she slipped into the open doorway, her body tucked up against the wall, far from the corpses that littered the ground. One eye on the stairwell, waiting for the danger she knew was coming. The other, on the Turian in the center of the room, the wild card of her little game. She had no idea who he was or why he was there, she just knew that her odds of survival were much higher with him than out there.

As she stepped closer, she made quick note of the AR in his hand and the sniper on his back. It was hard to see in glaring red lights but he appeared to be wearing some kind of uniform. To her chagrin, it was a C-Sec uniform. That's great, her best chance at living was with a fucking cop.

Ducking in front of a window, her eyes went away from the officer and back towards the door to the stairs. Darkness flickered in and out of the room as soldiers ran past, every so often looking into the room with them, some yelling orders, others looking suspiciously at the Turian. Being C-Sec certainly has its privileges, the man was mostly ignored and overlooked. Hmm, maybe she could make use of him yet.

Once the main group had passed she brought her attention back to the kneeling alien in front of her, and her heart stopped. He was looking straight at her. How? Her cloak was on, there was no way he could see her. Then a glint of blue. A DAMN VISOR! FUCK, he probably has heat sensors or a vitals monitor, or, damn it all these Turians! I knew I should have gotten the heat dissipater upgrade!

She knew uncloaking would just damn herself. She was covered in blood, of various colors, carrying guns and knives bearing the same. But did she really have a choice? A gunshot was too loud and would draw attention, and with his sights set on her there was no way she could get close enough to sink her knife in. And even if she could, she would have to get past his carapace and armor. Biotics maybe? No, too flashy and loud. There was only one choice really.

The world around them didn't seem to exist, and she barely breathed as she locked eyes with the turian. Neither moved an inch, almost as if in denial of what was right in front of their own eyes.

The sounds of soldiers faded away, to just the barking of orders echoing down the stairwell. Esmeas cloak fizzled out around her, no use wasting her charge on someone who already knew she was there. Time to see if she could charm her way out of here.

Esmea stood up tall, gently pushing her long black ponytail off of her shoulders. The circling red lights made her grey eyes glow, and her black armor was stained with dried blood; dark red, deep indigo. Her hands were open, showing that they hold no weapons, she didn't need them anyway. Her head cocked to the side, watching the Turian, waiting too see what he would do.

She was quite a sight, standing there, amidst a room full of corpses, victims of her anger. Yet she was seemingly showing mercy to a lone C-Sec officer. After all, he had to part in this all. And it would be no fun to kill him so quickly.

Chapter Text

Never, in all his years of service had he ever come across anything like the horrors now before his eyes. Not even black market organ dealers had ever been this bloody. Bodies strewn about everywhere, trails and splatters of blood covering the floor and walls. Even in the dark Garrus' stomach churned as he tried to push aside the grotesqueness in front of him.

Console screens still flickered on desks, and soft music still played over the speakers, in stark contrast to the death displayed there. They don't even look like they had a chance to get up from their seats, or have a chance to run. How could someone pick off an entire room, seemingly so easily?

His feet slowly clicked against the floor, avoiding puddles of blood and guts and bile. Why did he have to be so curious? Why did he have to come and look inside? He could have just walked by and pretended he didn't see anything.

No. That would not have been right. He had a duty to fulfill, and even such a grotesque display wouldn't keep him from doing his job.

His omni-tool flickered to life, softly illuminating his face as he made a request for backup. It didn't appear that whoever had gone through this massacre was still around, but he didn't care to find them on his own. Hopefully they get there quickly, but even so, it was too late for most.

The door to the stairwell was open, the white light flickering, and almost.... Red. His breath shrank in his lungs as he saw blood trickling down the stairs, a slow stream of dark blue and red. He felt a drop on his head and looked up, to find a headless body draped over the guardrail above him. A red stain splattered across the wall, all that remained of what was once their skull.

His mandibles flared and fluttered as his hands tightened their grip around his rifle. This felt like a horror movie, yet somehow it was real. He was alone, looking for whatever monster had done this.

When he started looking into arms dealers around the Citadel he had never dreamed it would lead him here. Who, or what had done this? And why? This wasn't a storage house, there was nothing of any value on any of the floors. At best it was a money laundering base. There was no reason to...

That's when it hit him. Information. There was no other real reason for this office to even exist. And the higher he went up the stairs the more he agreed with himself. Office blocks and a few random science labs. All full of terminals, and hard drive storage. All dead. They must have hit some sort of kill switch, when, whoever caused all of this, came in.

Garrus walked into one of the offices by the doorway. There were four bodies that he could see, most still slumped over in their seats. Only one was on the floor, laying in a pool of red.

The lights had long since gone dark, but even so, he did his best to look around. Something here had to tell him what was going on. Walking further into the room, he noticed a terminal screen still on, dimmed from disuse. He hurried over and woke up the machine, his eyes quickly glancing over words.

It was a list, shipment notes, names of systems and ports, as well as the goods delivered to each. His hands brush over the keys, recoiling slightly as he feels crusted blood. Glancing down he notices prints, made of blood, covering most of the keyboard. He tried to find a pattern, or some way he could tell what was typed it, but it was too messy, smeared and random.

One more sweep of words and the screen goes black, flashing a message of white words he can barely piece together from the glaring contrast.

WARNING: SECURITY ALERT

Those were the only words he could make sense of before an alarm blared out above his head. Red lights flashed across the room as the never ending ringing echoed throughout the building.

Well, there goes any hope of no one knowing he was here. Let's hope that whoever made this mess isn't still around to add to it.

The stairs welcomed him again, and he was relieved to find slightly less carnage. At least for awhile. What looked to be a meeting room, was absolutely decimated. A large table thrown to the side and a much more obvious sign of fight and struggle existed for all the bodies laying here. They knew they were in danger, and many of them tried to fight.

Garrus squatted down beside one of the bodies laying towards the middle of the room. Biotics. Whoever had done this had most definitely used biotic abilities, which would explain in some part the amount of destruction they dealt.

But even then, the death that filled this building was something he hadn't seen even the most heartless of criminals commit. What madness could drive someone to do this?

That's when he heard it, the distinctive sound of a heartbeat, and saw, the faintest hint of a thermal reading. His eyes glanced up, as his hand slowly went over the rifle balancing on his knees. There you are.

A woman and..... Human.... How? He was expecting an Asari with as much biotic damage everywhere. And she didn't see him? Or wait no... His readings were flickering and his eyes unable to see her beyond his visor. Cloaking. Just how long had she been here?

After the last flashlight illuminated around him he noticed her head tilt back towards him. The spike in her heart rate confirmed what he already knew, she knew he could see her, the only thing left to do was wait and see what she would do to him.

Her cloaking device slowly fizzled out her image, leaving a dark silhouette against the glass. In the dark he wasn't able to make out anything more about her, other than his initial thoughts were correct. She slowly stood up straight and silence fell over both of them. Her heart rate slowed back down as his only seemed to pick up in pace. What the hell was she doing? Was she waiting for something? Spirits is this how I'm going to die?

The red light circling the room hit her face and he saw a cocky smile flash. "Well, hello there officer. Fancy seeing you here."

Chapter Text

That smirk... The long black hair... A voice that flickered back and forth in tone on his translator... His mandibles dropped and his jaw with them as the figure stepped closer. What the hell?!

The look of recognition reflected back to him in grey eyes shining in red light. "I can't say I'm surprised Mr.Vakarian. You seemed like the type to stick your nose where it doesn't belong. " A gloved hand pointed towards him while the woman put the other on her hip. "And don't think I haven't noticed you snooping around. You sure have bad timing huh?" A wide smile flashed across her face as she leaned down towards him.

Was she.....
admonishing him???? Or... Joking? Right now??? He still couldn't do anything but blink in shock as the woman's smile only grew wider. Spirits, she was enjoying this.

The woman's eyes flickered behind him. A pistol appeared in her hand faster than Garrus would think possible, shooting through the doorway where a man dressed in white and orange armor stood, well had stood. Now his rifle fell to the floor as his body went limp, sinking slowly down as blood ran down his chest.

Garrus' attention wavered for just a moment, but it was just a long enough. A flash of blue burst from the woman's hand and his body was forced down onto the floor with enough strength to force the air out of his lungs. With a sharp tug, the sniper on his back came loose, and in a single blink the sound of it firing filled the room, quickly followed by the hiss of an overheated thermal clip.

The damn woman had used him as a gun rest. Knelt beside him with the barrel resting on his hip, shooting through the doorway across the room. Spirits, what did she think she was doing? Who did she shoot? Why was she shooting them in the first place??!!!

His mind reeled, desperate for answers that just weren't there. He was jolted out of his head by the feeling of someone patting his side. The woman's face met his, and it slowly turned into a smirk as she handed him back his sniper rifle.

"Nice gun." She smiled, framing her almond eyes with small wrinkles. She brought a finger up and gently tapped his nose. "You got mag boots officer?"

Fuck. He sat up on his elbows, and shook some sense back into his head. "Yeah, bu-"

"Good. Hope you're not afraid of heights either." She stood up with a little hop, sticking out her tongue before walking over to the window. She wasn't seriously planning on wall walking down 10 floors?! She should have just killed me, my god.

"Wait a minute, hold on!" He quickly clambered to his feet, grabbing a hold of the guns now resting on the floor. What the hell was happening? He hadn't felt this awkward with weapons since he was a kid. Where they always this bulky? Had his legs always been this damn lanky? "Esmea wait!"

"Wowww, I'm impressed . You actually remembered my name." She glanced back at him, a smirk on her lips, before driving the butt of a knife into the window. The glass shattered around her, sending a rush of air into the room and a rain of glass down to the street below.

"Now come on pretty boy, if we both make it out of here alive I owe you a kiss." With a wink the woman stepped out of the now broken window. Shit, she didn't even make any kind of tie down. The building was still in the wards atmosphere, gravity worked here, yet she just stepped out like it was nothing.

With a small groan Garrus got back fully into his feet. "I think I would prefer an explanation." His footsteps crunched on glass as he peered over the edge and down to the street below. Esmea was crawling down the sides like some sort of insect, showing no sign of fear, or of slowing down. Why the hell would he even follow her? If anything he should make a run for it downstairs and hope that some kind of help would be there. No way was he going to let her get away with this.

His gaze flickers over to the body lying face flat on the ground. He studied it for a moment, taking note of the white and orange armor and the odd symbol plastered on the helmet. Yelling came down the stairs, perfect, he would just stay up here and try and figure out what was going on with whoever had come storming in here. Except, not so perfect. A flash of white heat flew past his face, missing him by mere inches.

Well that decides that. He had no choice now, out the window he went. "This is just going to be so much fun. Huh. How the hell am I going to explain this to Pallin? Man hasn't been on the job for a month and I'm, already knee deep in shit."

"You gonna keep talking to yourself up there or are you gonna hurry?" Glancing down he saw Esmea putting an anchor into the window a level below him. Oh thank god, this is too high up for this shit.

Just as he was able to climb down beside her she clipped onto the hook, leaning her weight back against the rope. The street lights all around them illuminated the pair against the walls. Skycar headlights flashed over them as they flew between buildings, none noticing two figures hanging off a building.

He felt her buckle something into his belt, looping them together onto the tether. How that was supposed to work since he was about three times the size of her Garrus had no clue but he didn't have time to question.

"Having fun?" The wind was blowing through her hair and tossing her words into the sky but he heard her well enough. He tilted his head and blinked silently. That's it, this woman is crazy, how the hell could this be fun. We're 100 feet in the air dangling off a rope screwed into a window.

Laughter bubbled out of the woman as she looked at the Turians expression. She readjusted her footing, double checking all of the ropes, all the while a smile still rested on her cheeks. Her tongue peeled out of her mouth and she waved a mock salute, kicking off and sliding down the rope before Garrus even had a chance to blink.

Instincts took over and he reached for where she had been only moments ago but all he touched was air. The knee jerk reaction though has just enough momentum to push his weight forward. He held onto the rope for all of his life waving around one lef as the magnets on his boot threatened to give way. And then, they did and then he fell. And never in his life had he been so glad none of his coworkers could see this.

Chapter Text

"You know, as much as I... Huh... Loved watching you... Ugh... Fall and make a fool of yourself, you could have at least waited till we weren't about to die." Esmea had known turians were heavy, but she hadn't expected to learn firsthand just how hard it was to lift one.

"God, I need to start going to the gym." Her small 125-pound frame was no match to even get the dazed alien sitting upright, let alone somehow manage to drag him over to her car. She quietly panted for breath, looking up at the building behind them. Garrus had barely made it 20 feet before passing out, idiot probably had a concussion.

She could hear people yelling and saw flashes from the windows above them, they didn't have much time. "Oh fuck it all I should just leave you here." But even as she spoke she was still trying to pull him up in any way she could. He seemed to be gaining some kind of semblance thank God, but as quickly as he stood up he started to fall again.

"Oh no you don't." Esmea barely came up to his shoulder but by God was she not going to let him fall. "If you can just stay standing this whole thing would be a lot easier."

"God the ground is spinning."

"Don't you dare throw up on me."

If the two of them weren't covered in blood at the time, not to mention carrying assault weapons, a passerby would easily have just assumed they were two.... Very... Drunk friends stumbling home. Yeah, we'll just leave it at that.

They wobbled, much less then gracefully, as fast as Esmea could drag the Turian along. He was mostly just mumbling gibberish her translator couldn't pick up and tripping over his own feet, but hey, at least he wasn't being loud or fighting her so win win. Esmea still wasn't quite sure why she hadn't left him, it would have made her life a whole lot easier right now, but hey, when did she ever know why she did anything. She'll figure it out in a few days like she always does, if they make it out alive.

The car was right in front of them now, they just needed to get inside and this would all be-

Yelling, glass breaking, and the sound wave of an explosion, all erupted behind them. Esmea shoved Garrus forward as much as she could, turning around with her pistol drawn, ready to fight whatever was coming for them.

But instead of finding a wave of mercenaries storming towards her, she saw the building on fire, giant plumes of black smoke already filling the atmosphere as flames reflected on metal streets."Shit."

The door opened, a very dazed Turian was stuffed inside, and Esmea had the skycar up and running in five seconds flat, speeding for her life as far away from there as possible.

Allowing herself one glance in the rear view she couldn't help but smile, what a pathetic group of thugs has just let her get away. The Turian in the back seat caught her eye then, and the mirror reflected her cocky smile. "Ya know, this isn't usually how I have Turians passed out in my car, but hey, I ain't complaining."

Auto pilot and GPS were Esmeas saving graces when it came to driving, she was never able to hold her attention to the road for more than five seconds, not to mention the fact it wasn't even legal for her to drive in the first place. Which is probably a good thing, based on the fact she was turned around in her seat, practically hanging over the back of it, with one foot resting on the dash. Not exactly..... Driving position.

Her eyes were locked onto her omni-tool, scrolling through who knows what, while Garrus lay in the back seat with his eyes covered. Oh he so had a concussion.

The GPS beeped, drawing her attention back out to the front of the vehicle. "Oh yay we're here." She picked a random spot where she could just dump the car when she was done, letting the computer do the work for her, before turning back towards her main issue.

Garrus was at the moment semi-conscious, enough to be holding his head in pain anyway. Esmea crawled into the back and helped him sit up, opening his door as soon as she felt them land. With a bit of help from her Garrus was able to half crawl, half fall, out of the car. His head injury was making him rather cooperative so there wasn't much of a fight as the small human did her best to lead him up the steps to the elevator.

The ride up was so close to being uneventful, with Garrus leaned up against the corner and Esmea enjoying the surprisingly good music. At least until the door opened to very surprised Asari and Salarian. There eyes quickly glanced between Esmea and Garrus and back again.

"Oh dont worry, he's just had a bit too much to drink, long day ya know?" Esmea shook her head, pretending to tut at the dazed Turian, who was just awake enough to give her an annoyed glance. The doors closed again, leaving behind the couple as a smirk spread across Esmeas face. She always loved being the talk of the town.

"Come on this is our floor."

"Where the fuck are you taking me?"

"Somewhere you can pass out and not get killed. And hopefully not get me arrested either." Esmea reached down to offer him a hand up; her body went rigid as his hand struck out grabbing a hold of her shirt, pulling her closer to him.

"What delusional world are you in that makes you think your not getting arrested? I saw everything you did, and I'm not an idiot, I know a professional job when I see one."

The smirk quickly returned to Esmeas lips. "Oh, so you're a tough guy huh? Haven't you gotten in enough trouble bothering yourself with me?" A swift yank of his arm pulled him off balance and a gentle pull from her biotics had him stumbling after her once more, like a dog on a leash.

"C-Sec needs to learn to keep their noses out of things bigger than them. I would have thought the loss of your dear Executor would have taught that lesson but I see not."

"Now be a good boy and come along quietly now, unless you want me to regret not leaving you to the dogs." Her remark had him quiet in a second; maniacal lust flashed across her eyes, thirsting for blood, thirsting for death. And then she blinked and it was gone, replaced by a goofy smile and twinkles of mischief, but not before the image had been seared into mind. His heart pounded against his chest and he followed behind her quietly and without complaint.

Esmea stopped at a door near the end of the hall, and instead of typing in a code or swiping a pass, she opened her omni-tool with a faint hum and within moments the door was open. The pounding in Garrus' skull was enough to keep him from saying anything.

"Crash on the couch and try and get some sleep. Medi-gel can only do so much. I'll be in the kitchen, don't yell if you need anything."

The silence of the small apartment was a stark contrast to the chaotic last few hours. Even in the strange environment Garrus couldn't run away from sleep for long, letting his guard down as he passed out on the couch, sleep the only cure for the pounding in his skull.

Soon the only sound that could be heard was Esmea typing on her Omni-tool, and the rhythmic breathing from the injured Turian. One could say it was almost relaxing... Almost.

Chapter Text

"GODDAMIT ESMEA!" Garrus jolted upright, waves of pain pounding into his eyes quickly made him regret it as he held his head, looking through open fingers at the large man now yelling in the kitchen. "It's bad enough I find you breaking into my place but you just had to bring your little C-Sec fuck boy along too! Now is not the time for any of this nonsense! I would have thought you of all people would be taking this seriously but I should have known better."

Esmea was leaned back, perfectly relaxed against the wall, calmly looking at her nails. She seemed to be only half listening to the man beside her, who looked as though his head was about to pop. The two of them saw Garrus, now sitting straight up on the couch. The man, older, probably in his 40's mumbled something under his breath. A gloved hand was rubbed over his face, before he left with heavy footsteps out of the room, barely brushing past Esmea, who was acting as if the stranger wasn't even there.

Grey almond eyes met his, and a smile of perfect white teeth greeted him. His mandibles snapped shut, as his memories settled back into his brain. This girl, in the dark, covered in blood, surrounded by bodies, yet, he sat here, perfectly safe after who knows how long. And she was.... relaxed.... almost happy... peaceful.... spirits how long had he been out?

"Well, good morning there handsome. I was starting to worry you weren't going to wake up?"

"Excuse me?"

"You slept an entire day. Been out cold since you first got here yesterday." Esmea walked over to the back of the couch, pulling something small out of her pocket. "I had to disable your tracker before we got here, didn't want any of your C-Sec buddies snooping around. Za'eed is mad enough at me for dragging you here as it is, let alone having an entire platoon of you show up." His eyes flicker to the object in her hand, the tracker chip for his Omni-tool.

"I've been here since yesterday?"

"Mhm" One of her hands gently brushed the back of her hand against his neck, under his chin. His head immediately jerked back, his jaw flickering in surprise at the touch. "You want anything to drink? You're probably thirsty after all that. I picked out some dextro things at the corner store while you were asleep. I'm not quite sure what any of it is but ya know" She leaned down till she was eye level with him, a devilish grin on her face and mischief glinting in her eyes. "Beggers can't be choosers."

In any normal circumstance, what she said could be blown off as a jest, but right now he wasn't sure if this was a threat or some kind of tease. His eyes immediately glanced around him, looking over the room. Esmea stood between him and the door, and he realized with mild shock, he wasn't in his armor anymore. "You can leave if you want to." Esmeas's voice now echoed back to him from what he assumed was the kitchen. "Your armors in the spare bedroom, I had to have somewhere to put it."

His head swiveled, back and forth from where he heard Esmea to the hallway where he assumed his things would be. "Your'e..... You're just letting me leave?" His legs swung down till his feet hit the floor, and he had to swallow back a new wave of nausea. Testing his weight he slowly stood up, getting a better look at the apartment they were in.

Empty was the best word he could use to describe the small abode, it mostly just consisted of a couch and a TV. His head tilted as he heard Esmea tinkering with something in the other room. Garrus felt stuck, in a way he hadn't since he was a rookie. Part of him wanted to stay and try and get some explanation for... whatever the fuck had just happened, the other wanted to run away as fast as possible and forget this ever happened. He blamed his headache for that one.

Tentative steps, his feet clicking softly against the hardwood floor he found a random assortment of drinks and snacks; just like Esmea had said there would be, but he also found the young woman in question, sitting crisscross on the countertop, tablet in hand, seemingly engrossed in whatever she was reading.

An old analog clock clicked steadily in time above them both, each sound making his mandibles tick. The moments of awkward silence seemed like they could drag on forever, till the Turian cleared his throat. Those grey eyes, again, glanced at him, looking up through long eyelashes; setting off another series of nervous clicks within him.

A smirk touched Esmeas lips, but she mostly pretended not to notice him. "GOOD GOD WHY IS THERE BLOOD ALL OVER MY RUG!" Both of them look up to the hallway. "AND MY BATHROOM! HOW MANY PEOPLE DID YOU FUCKING KILL FOR CHRISTS SAKE!"

Garuss' eyes shift quickly between Esmea and the source of the yelling. The young woman seemed undeterred by the theatrics, simply continuing to scroll through whatever was on her screen. She seemed to grow more and more frustrated with every move of her finger, before finally throwing the tablet down onto the counter.

"Fuck." The word was muffled by her hands as she ran them over her face before resting her chin in her palm.

The man's head popped back out into the hallway. "Please tell me that was a good 'fuck' and not a, this whole fiasco was useless, 'fuck'?"

A sigh was her only answer until her eyes locked onto Garrus. His stomach plummeted as he met her gaze and watched her smile grow. "Maybe not entirely useless." Yeah, that's not good.