#Allistair Shepard

[huevobuevo]

okay thoughts feelings prayers on twice upon a time

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

bill i miss u babygirl :}

CLARGAFHG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AUGHGHRG

twelfth doctor voice Im So Sorry You Had To Meet Me Before My Character Development.

Allistair :D!!!!!!!!!!!!

AUAGHUTRGRGSGRHUSIG ..................

RIVER'S WEDDING RNIG FALLING OGFF AUGRUGHGHHGH.........

mis s tardis im SO sorry this idiot keeps regenerating insdie ya smfh .😭

his last speech still gets me cryignig like oh meing gott i just got used to him being the docta again oh my GOD PEEPAWS FUCIGN DEAD

of course, The Christmas Armistice is so beautiful :]

this ehole fucking??? idea of what it means to exactly BE The Doctor and how it isn't a character but rather a role thats passed down from one regneration to the next is so. sex. so slayyy. i love this special

Rusty :}]] im glad they brought him back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE SHEPARD SBOY RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH

jodie !!!!!!!!!!!!! :D i lvoe her

jobie <3333333

oh but consider the following....... joidee.

[ferociousqueak]

According to Isaac Newton, this cube of frozen trash is going to ruin someone’s day. Somewhere in the galaxy. At some point.

[continuous-spec]

Eliza Shepard and Allistair Shepard for some awesome people. Happy birthday @theherocomplex and @ferociousqueak!

[tungstenb]

Quarantine Reading

Thanks for the tag, @serioussamiam!

I’ll admit I don’t read that much fic to begin with, and in addition, I’m actually taking a break from reading any fic at all right now. Before my fic abstinence, these were the series I was reading:

Cari’ssi’mi -- ME: OT. I can’t say enough good things about this series. An FShiara story with a focus on the T’Soni estate, asari worldbuilding, and lots of OCs.

Tessera -- ME:A. Lexi T’Perro/Thaia Kallistrate (asari OC). Awesome worldbuilding, awesome characters.

Allistair Shepard -- ME: OT, with focus on Hannah Shepard and the events of the First Contact War. More innovative worldbuilding and compelling original characters. (I think there might be a trend here...)

Catastrophe Theory -- While SimLit may not technically be fanfiction (or is it a subgenre of fanfiction?), I'm going to rec this here anyway. Starts as first-person gamplay narration, evolves into something much more complex, dark, and introspective. Just read it you guys -- the writing is off-the-charts good.

Tagging @natsora @illusivesoul @rackofages. No obligations.

[dr-ladybird]

Chapters: 13/13 Fandom: Mass Effect Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hannah Shepard/Original Male Character(s) Characters: Hannah Shepard, Original Male Character(s), Original Turian Character(s), Original Asari Character(s), Original Female Character(s), Original Female Human Character(s), Female Shepard (Mass Effect), Allistair Shepard Additional Tags: First Contact War, Light Viloence, Aerial Combat, Alien Planet, Origin Story Series: Part 1 of Allistair Shepard Summary:

The age-old question of whether humanity is alone in the universe has been settled once and for all, and the neighbors aren’t exactly on the doorstep offering fresh-baked cookies or casseroles. Lieutenant Commander Hannah Shepard finds herself deployed to Shanxi to meet the alien threat and to defend the human colony.

[dismaidencrafts]

WAAAAYYYYYY Too many things to cosplay....

Updated wishlist for every cosplay I'd like to do. What do you think would be awesome to see me do??? Female Sam Winchester -Supernatutal- Belle -Beauty and the Beast- Princess Midna -Twilight Princess- Tiefling Sorceress -D&D 5th ed.- Daenerys Targaryen -Game of Thrones- Kida -Atlantis- Juvia Loxar -Fairytail- Maleficent -Disney- Lady Loki -Marvel- Padme Amidala -Star Wars- Athena -Saint Seya- Ashe -League of Legends- Lady Katsa -Graceling- Katniss Everdeen -the Hunger Games- Kyoshi Warrior -Avatar the last airbender- Katara (Painted Lady form) -Avatar.tla- Tessa Gray -Infernal Devices- Mangle -Five Nights at Freddie's- Astrid -How to Train Your Dragon- Lady Sif -Marvel- Huntress -DC- Shaak Ti -Star Wars- Nyreen -Mass Effect- Nelliel -Bleach- Human Impala -Supernatural- Asuna -Sword Art Online- Bard -Final Fantasy xiv- Mandalorian -Star Wars- Dark Magician Girl Dragon Knight -Yu Gi Oh- Ra Priestess -Yu Gi Oh- Lara Croft -Tomb Raider- Fem. Shepard -Mass Effect- Fursuit -OC- Shiek -Legend of Zelda- Female Shredder -TMNT- Rey -Star Wars- Drow -D&D- Twisted Maid Marion Inquisitor/ Grey Warden -Dragonage- Female Cullen/ Allistair -Dragonage- Lightning -Final Fantasy- Avacyn -Magic: The Gathering- Angela - Marvel- Mercy -Blizzard's Overwatch- And I may even come back to add more later lol

[ferociousqueak]

Finally finished ME1 and started ME2. I actually don’t know how to transfer face codes, so I did the best I could with a side-by-side look at them. A few things to note:

Alli started dyeing her hair when she was about 16, but he natural color has always been the same as Hannah’s.

The black hair was in part to obscure the red (for Family Resemblance plot reasons) and embody more of her father, which is more apt than she realizes when she becomes the Butcher of Torfan.

I made her hair very short in ME2 in part because all of it had to grow back after she was pretty much just a charred corpse post-atmospheric reentry. Cerberus kept her hair short as a matter of grooming maintenance, not for any style reasons.

She is INCREDIBLY resentful that she doesn’t have her scars anymore. She earned those scars, and those scars remind her of her mistakes. How dare anyone try to take that from her.

Her face is more sallow and gaunt than it was before because when you’re in a hospital bed for two years, you tend to lose some color and some definition.

The uncanny valley of her reflection in the mirror is the most difficult thing to overcome at first because she always thinks there’s a stranger looking at her. She shot and shattered more than one mirror her first weeks aboard the SR-2.

Gosh, I’m excited to keep going through her playthrough!

[ferociousqueak]

I SEE NO DIFFERENCE HERE

Also, WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME YOU GET A KEI 9 IN ME3???

I’m so happy! Alli has always wanted a dog but living on the Citadel and then serving in the Alliance Navy kind of prevented that. NOW SHE GETS A ROBOT DOG.

[ferociousqueak]

YOU GUYS

The inimitable and generous @syzara gifted me MELE!!!!

I can’t tell you how touched I am or how long the hug will be if I ever do get to meet her in real life :D

Only a little over an hour to go!!!

I AM EXCITE

THANK YOU @syzara!!

[ferociousqueak]

Allistair Shepard🌺

🌺 What does your OC do to calm down when they’re scared or after a nightmare? Do they have any special comfort items or need to be reassured by a specific person? How do they handle this if they’re alone?

Thank you for the ask! <3

This ask is a little prescient because nightmares play into some of Alli’s development in chapter M. So I’ll try to avoid any spoilers :P

Alli starts having nightmares when she’s 16 (side note: nightmares and other sleeping disorders are not uncommon during puberty, though most people grow out of it by their 20s). Unfortunately, Hannah is on tour when these episodes start, so it’s Dess who ends up being the first to help her through it.

Generally, Alli handles her nightmares on her own. Immediately after the nightmare (and also when she's scared), she does breathing exercises to slow her heart and ground herself. In the morning, she records the nightmare in a journal. She writes down everything she can remember, and when she feels it's complete, she strikes out the ending and writes a new one. As she goes to sleep the following night, she concentrates on the new ending.

It works about half the time.

It’s easier to come down from a nightmare when there’s someone else there, but she doesn’t share her bed easily. It’s not really until Garrus starts to sleep in her cabin more regularly that the nightmares start to dissipate, and when she does have them, he’s able to comfort her and smooth the jagged edges they leave on her psyche.

Thank you again!

Soft OC Asks

[ferociousqueak]

may I get flower prompt Daffodil for Hannah please?

I know it’s taken a bit to put this together, but I finally have something for you :D Thank you for the prompt, and I hope you like it!

Also on AO3!

Daffodil: A new beginning

The two years that passed between the first call and the second had felt more like twenty. It had been like a pocket dimension, not apart from but beside her main reality. While Hannah had noticed some grays starting to glisten in her hair after the Battle of the Citadel, a shock of white now streaked her hair, a constant reminder of what Alchera had taken from her.

Not that she hadn’t known at least some of what happened after the attack. Right when she’d started to put her life back together, her eyes and ears on the inside of Cerberus had broadsided her with the news: Alli was alive. That archeologist had helped those terrorists to recover her daughter’s burned and broken body, and they proceeded to do unspeakable abominations to her.

“Han, I can hear you grinding your teeth from here, and I’m several mass relays away,” Dess’s voice called Hannah back to the present.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Sorry, sweetheart. I was just . . . Alli’s remanded herself to the Alliance. She’s under house arrest while a tribunal figures out whether to indict her for treason.”

“So when do you plan to go see her?” Dess’s voice was carefully even, but Hannah heard the question all the same. Are you going to see her?

“I . . . don’t know.” Hannah untwisted her hair and let it fall over her shoulder so she could run her fingers through it. “What if . . . what if it’s not really her? What if she’s a clone? Or worse, what if she’s not all there anymore? What if Cerberus did something to her to make her easier to control, emptied her out? What if she’s . . . not Alli, anymore?”

Dess hummed as she considered. “But what if it is her?” she said at last.

Hannah nodded. “You’re right. I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

#

Hannah had been part of the Alliance Navy her entire adult life, and still, the brick wall walking her down the hall to the brig, his face gently lit by the haptic interface of the datapad he held, was a rare specimen. The tattoos, the muscles, the yellowing bruises and pale pink, healing scars across his face. She wondered briefly if those were Alli’s handiwork, but dismissed the idea. However bulky this marine was, Alli could take him down using only her feet if she really wanted to, and it would be a while before he could walk upright again.

“I’m glad you’re here, Ma’am,” the walking mountain—Lieutenant Vega, that was his name—said as they progressed toward Alli’s cell. “The commander has been pretty antsy since she arrived.”

That sounded like Alli. A wave of nausea overtook Hannah, and she had to place a hand on Vega’s substantial arm to pause for a moment.

“I guess it’s been a while since you’ve been on Earth, huh,” he said, his demeanor more casual than Hannah was used to. “If you need to use the head, it’s just around the corner on the right. I’ll wait here.”

She nodded and walked stiffly in the direction he’d pointed. By the time she pushed open the door, she was sure she wouldn’t need to make use of the facilities, but she’d take the time to collect herself all the same.

Running a paper towel under cool water, she pressed the compress against the back of her neck and closed her eyes. As she leaned over the counter, Hannah wondered if Vega had just been trying to be delicate. Was it obvious how nervous she was to see her daughter—her dead daughter, no less—for the first time in more than two years, knowing what she did about how Alli had become not-dead again?

Part of Hannah wanted to run to Alli, hold her as tightly as her body would allow, never let her go again. The other part was terrified of what she would find when she looked into Alli’s eyes. No one goes from death to life unaffected by the transition.

Taking a final deep breath, Hannah tossed the now-warming compress and returned to Vega, her hands only shaking slightly. No time like the present.

They walked the rest of the way to Alli’s quarters in silence, not that Hannah had said much at all up to this point. She was saving all her words for her daughter.

Finally, they came to a stop in front of what Hannah could surmise was her daughter’s door. “You ready?” Vega asked, his hand hovering above the red lock.

“Yes, thank you, Lieutenant,” Hannah nodded. “I’m ready.”

The door hissed open and Vega walked inside ahead of Hannah. “Commander Shepard, you have a visitor. Captain Hannah Shepard.”

Whatever opinion Hannah had been forming of Vega, his insistence on referring to Alli by her rank had permanently endeared him to her. He saluted, and Hannah returned it, dismissing him. The door closed behind him, and Hannah finally brought herself to look at the woman standing in front of her.

For a moment, it felt like she was looking in a mirror of herself from twenty years ago. Alli had let her hair go back to its vibrant red—or perhaps she just hadn’t had a moment to dye it black again. She had the same straight posture from the years of training Sana had given her, her shoulders square and her knees loose. Light scars criss-crossed her jaw and cheeks—those were new . . . and glowing? And her eyes. They were determined and curious and pleading all at once.

There was no mistake.

“Alli.” Though barely a whisper, Hannah’s voice broke as the tears welled and spilled freely.

It was a blur after that. Alli rushing across the room and sobbing into Hannah’s shoulder. Hannah hardly able to breathe as she held the child she feared she’d never see again. Tear-soaked sorry’s and pleas for Hannah to believe her.

Hannah stroked Alli’s hair and breathed deep, taking in her scent the way she had when Alli was a baby. It was a different smell now—standard-issue shampoo, sweat, and a hint of sweet pea blossoms, the same subtle perfume she’d always worn. She shuddered to think what Alli had been through, what she’d seen waking up lassoed to Cerberus’s whims. No amount of shushing or cradling would heal anything Alli had been through in the last months and years, and Hannah felt helpless to soothe her.

“Tell me everything, Starshine,” Hannah said instead.

And Alli did. The destruction of the SR-1. Lazarus Station. The missing colonists and the Collectors. The battle at the Galactic Core. Project Rho and the three hundred thousand batarians. Hannah had heard some of it from scant intelligence reports and her moles in Cerberus itself, but nothing like what Alli described.

“They want to try me as a war criminal,” Alli said as she swiped at the tears that had started to dry, her voice deflated and overworked. “But I swear, Mom, I did everything I could. It was either the colonists or the rest of the galaxy. Not both.”

Hannah squeezed Alli’s hands. “I know, Starshine. I know.”

A flash of anger came into Alli’s eyes and she began to pace the small room. “The Hegemony has had it out for me ever since Torfan. What they can’t seem to get into their thick, wrinkly heads is that I’m trying to save them too.”

Hannah sat at the edge of the bed and let Alli work off some of her energy. Alli never had been one to take a breath and calm down. She was like a hurricane—once she’d started there was no stopping her. All anyone could do was let her burn herself out.

“This Harbinger,” Hannah said instead. “Did they say how long we have?”

Alli crossed her arms and shook her head. “Of course not. But it’ll be sooner rather than later. And the more time I’m sitting in the brig waiting for this stupid tribunal to figure out which platter they want to serve my head on to the batarians, the less time we’re out there hardening our defenses and comm buoys and supply lines.”

“What about your team?” Hannah prodded. Alli had always inspired such trust and loyalty from the people she led. If any one of them took some initiative, they might be able to make progress where Alli couldn’t right now.

She let out a long breath, like the oxygen escaping a compromised air lock, and dropped next to Hannah, leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees. “I honestly don’t know. Tali went back to the Fleet, and even if I was on the outside, I doubt I’d have much communication with her. Miranda and Jacob disappeared almost as soon as we landed to get away from The Illusive Man and his goons. Everyone else pretty much scattered, and I don’t really have a way to communicate with them. I’m sure the Alliance even has this conversation bugged.”

Hannah hummed. Alli was probably right about that. “What about Garrus? Do you think he still has contacts in C-Sec?”

“If his dad still worked there, then maybe.” Alli’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Dess could help him! Do you think she would pull some strings?”

Hannah bit her lip and slowly shook her head. “She’s volunteering on Taetrus, Starshine. She hasn’t been to the Citadel in months.”

Her brows knit together in apology. “Oh, Mom, I didn’t know. How are you holding up?”

Hannah shrugged and swallowed whatever emotion threaten to rise in her throat. “We’re not talking about me.” She reached over and placed her hand behind Alli’s head, pulling her close to kiss her forehead. “We’ll figure something out. I’m just so happy to see you, Starshine.”

“Oh, come on, Mom,” Alli said, a tone of embarrassment in her voice that belied her leaning into the affection. “You’re going to start crying again if you keep that up.”

Hannah chuckled. “Believe me, I’m not done crying over you. Now. Speaking of Garrus.”

“Mother, please,” Alli said, pulling away from Hannah this time. “I’m not a teenager anymore.”

“I met him at your . . . before.” Hannah still couldn’t bring herself to say funeral. “He seems like a good sort. A little confused, but earnest. I think he was taken with you.”

“I’m not talking about this with you.” Alli stood and paced toward the small desk by the window, color starting to creep up her cheeks. “And whatever you do, don’t . . . speculate with Dess, okay? She’ll probably threaten to break his mandibles if he hurts me or whatever.”

“So, there is something going on!”

“Mother!”

Hannah put up her hands in surrender. “All right, all right. I won’t pry. I promise.”

Alli turned around again, her shoulders visibly relaxing. “Thanks. I’ve got enough on my plate. I don’t need . . . distractions.”

Before Hannah could respond, the door to the room opened and Vega stood with all his hulk on the other side with an apologetic look in his eyes. “Time’s up, Ma’am.”

Hannah nodded. “Thank you, Lieutenant. Just one more minute, please.”

He nodded and stepped aside, leaving the door open. Hannah stood and walked the few steps to Alli, putting her arms around her daughter one more time.

“Sometimes the important things look like distractions when you’re not paying attention,” she said lowly in Alli’s ear. “We have some very hard times ahead of us. So pay attention.”

Alli returned the embrace and buried her face in Hannah’s shoulder. “Thanks, Mom. I will.”

Hannah did an admirable job, if she did think so herself, of not falling apart as she left Alli’s room. For as dark as the future looked, a dizzying lightness had overtaken Hannah.

She had Alli back.

[ferociousqueak]

Describe your OC using 1 gif

Thank you for tagging me, @rpgwarrior4824​.

Let’s see, I’m gonna cheat a little and do one gif for each of the Family Resemblance crew!

Hannah Shepard

Odessus Ravaka

Alli Shepard

Sana T’Oriza

Michael Shepard

Bethany Greenwood

And now for tagging! How about @black-rose4​, @s0me-writer​, and @bronzeagelove​. Only if you want to, of course!

[ferociousqueak]

So, @mordinette tagged me for a Last Line meme, @theherocomplex tagged me for Six Sentence Sunday, and @rpgwarrior4824 tagged me for WIP Wednesday. Let’s quench you thirst friends :D

Last Line

The urge to smile and play it off was strong. She could fold and wait for the next hand, or she could raise and see how the river played out.

Six Sentences

Hannah pressed her lips together, considering whether to ask her next question. “Do you ever have trouble understanding me?”

Dess rubbed the back of her neck and stood, walking briskly to the bowl of stones and ladling more water over the heat. The sweat ran down Hannah’s neck and back in an uncomfortable stream and she took small breaths waiting for the answer. She returned to her seat, nearer to Hannah than she had been before, closing her eyes as she leaned back.

“It’s not something I think about anymore,” she said, her voice oddly flat.

WIP snippet

Their eyes locked, and Dess paused in her pacing. She twitched her mandibles in a silent question, her brow plates drawn together in anxiety, and Hannah shook her head once before turning her attention to Sana.

“I don’t suppose it matters if I tell you I don’t want to do this now?” Hannah asked crossing her arms.

“Mom, what’s going on?” Alli said from the door, her arms hugging her torso.

Hannah walked the few steps toward her and kissed the top of her head. “Nothing’s wrong, I promise. I just need to talk with Sana and Dess for a few minutes. Go ahead and get the popcorn ready, and I’ll be down soon.”

No part of Alli’s expression said she believed Hannah, but after a moment, she nodded and headed back down the hall toward the stairs. Hannah closed the door and set it to Privacy before turning back to Sana.

“No,” Sana said, answering Hannah’s question. “We need to address this now and we need make a plan for what to do.”

“Wait, Sana,” Dess started, holding her hands up to stop her. “I don’t know what you—”

“Vyrnnus is coming to the gala,” Hannah interrupted Dess before she could start to give an explanation that only made things more complicated. “Conatix invited him as a special guest because he’s training the first generation of human biotic children. He’s their shining example of human-turian collaboration.”

Now for tagging! Let’s go with @servantofclio, @tarysande, @pagerunner, @thievinghippo, and @forlornmelody. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do all three! Just pick the one you feel most inclined toward. Or don’t! No pressure! Do you, friends :D

[ferociousqueak]

Taking a cue from both @dearophelia and @theherocomplex because this looks fun :D But with a little twist — instead of me vs. my OCs, here’s me with some of the female characters in the Family Resemblance crew (using this dollmaker)!

(Of course, Dess and Cassia are turians and Sana and Kardi are asari, so just assume these cuties are their human versions :P)

Hannah Shepard | Alli Shepard | Dess Ravaka

Sana T’Oriza | Me | Admiral Kastanie Drescher

Bethany Greenwood | Kardith Oraya | Cassia Laeptus

[ferociousqueak]

modern day AU: what jobs would your OCs have and how they would goof off on a slow day

Oh fun! Okay, let’s see.

Allistair: Ithink she’d probably work as an engineer for someplace like Boston Dynamics. Ican also very definitely see her on a show like Mythbusters :P And I mean, there’s not a lot of difference between goofing off and experimenting with robots and/or explosive materials, so she always has something to do and get paid for it too!

Hannah: I can seeher waking up one day to find suddenly she’s a tenured professor at somewherelike Caltech, where she teaches climatology when school’s insession, and chases tornadoes when it’s not. On a slow day, she’ll sit in her office, close the door, turn out the lights, set her status to Do Not Disturb, and read fic on AO3 until it’s time to go home.

Michael: He’ddefinitely be a SEAL. And once he’s done there, he’d move on to a place likeBlackwater. I really don’t think he’s suited to do anything other than killpeople under very clandestine circumstances. During down time, he’ll shoot things far away (trees, bottles, etc.) just to see how awesome he is as a marksman.

Dess: Without thestructure of the Turian Hierarchy moving her through its various systems, Ithink she’d end up living somewhere like Hawaii, where she runs a charter planebusiness and flirts with tourists looking to make a Mistake while on vacation:P Heck, she might even give private surfing lessons to that cute Cal Techprofessor if she’s asks nicely :D And when she’s goofing off, it’s usually in a hotel room with one of her passengers :P

Sana: She’dprobably work for the World Health Organization or Doctor’s Without Bordersduring the early years of her career, and then settle down with the CDC whenshe gets a little older. Sana is very diligent, but if there’s nothing to do (and there’s very rarely nothing to do), she’ll just go home. No reason to stay at work and be bored.

Bethany: She’d bea (very much hated) high school gym and an underground MMA fighter duringbreaks. I mean, they don’t pay teachers during the summer, so she has to do something to pay the bills. On a slow day, she finds her way to the weight room and gets in some time with the punching bag.

Kardi: I thinkmaybe she’d run a daycare or even a summer camp for kids. The best part about working with kids is that most of your day is just playing and keeping everyone entertained, so she’s an expert at always having something to do :P

[ferociousqueak]

Three Times Hannah Shepard Spent New Year’s Eve Alone and One Time She Didn’t

Hi! I’m here! I’d wanted to finish and post this on New Year’s Eve proper but then Things got in the way! But I’m here anyway! And New Year’s Week hasn’t quite wrapped up so. IT COUNTS.

Please enjoy this exercise in entirely self-indulgent fluff :D

It wasn’t technically New Year’s Eve. At least, not on Mars. That was still a few months away, but as far as Hannah could tell, that just meant the base would have another reason for a party. Which meant Hannah would take an entire week amping herself up to socialize with the other military wives and husbands just to spend another evening standing with an empty red cup at the edge of conversations she had little hope of entering.

She didn’t understand it. She’d been the new kid in school more times than she cared to remember, and never had it been so difficult to integrate herself into a new social circle. Not having anything in common with the people she hoped to befriend had never been a problem before. But the military spouses on Mars seemed to sense something about her, something lacking. They smiled their plastic smiles and then turned their shoulders away from her to talk to each other instead.

If Michael were there, the rejection might sting less. But when they found all that weird tech, the UNAS top brass had picked him, in particular, to work security detail at all those big international talks on Earth, something about establishing some kind of alliance. It was a good opportunity for Michael. He’d get to rub elbows with all kinds of dignitaries and high-ranking officers who might be good to know when he decided it was time to advance to spec ops. Hannah spending New Year’s Eve alone among strangers who regarded gum on their shoe with more interest than they did her was a small inconvenience. A passing unpleasantness in service to a long-term goal that would benefit them both.

Hannah tipped her cup, watching the last remaining drops of bright red punch slide around the bottom and sighed. She set down the cup and left without excusing herself. Not that anyone would notice her absence and wonder where she’d gone.

When she entered the cramped family quarters, she removed the shimmery, neon green headband announcing the incoming year and made her way to the bathroom to start removing her makeup. Nowhere on Earth had reached midnight yet, but she didn’t particularly care. If she’d been back in Vancouver, she’d at least still have some friends from high school she could call up for some impromptu shenanigans. Then again, maybe not. Most of them had scattered across the UNAS for uni and were probably too poor to make it home for the holidays.

Hannah rubbed at the freshly naked skin under her eyes and groaned. “Home.”

Keep reading on AO3!