#Markus Salivdius

[taysericommunity]

Since drawing turians is my kryptonite . I tried my best but he’s a short story based off a oc fic I’m writing.

Tayseri Short Story #1

“Markus, if we could've met in a different way would you.” Cleo asked, she had pulled a extra chair next to his desk. Cleo looked expectedly up at him her hands tucked between her thighs.

Markus looked up from his stack of data pads. “What?” he leaned on his arms to see if she was on any substances. Cleo blinked her large brown eyes up at her. “We met cause you're a-” his words faltered, as hes been told ‘criminal’ was too harsh so he tried to look for a new word.

“A criminal, i know.” Cleo’s eyes turned to look at the floor, her smile slightly faltering. Markus’ mandibles fluttered slightly, one side more tight than the other. “But its more of hypothetical! Its not a serious question. Aha!” she laughs. “But if we could be anyone!” Cleo moved closer to him as he relaxed into his chair. 

“Uh, I’d have to think about it. Meet as different people on the Citadel?” Markus asked. Cleo shrugged.

“it doesn't have to be just on the Citadel, we could meet on Mars or on a ship. OH! We could be pirates!” Cleo jumped up in her seat, now leaning closer hand under her chin.

Markus looked down, curiously. This hypothetical question came out nowhere. How else would they have met? Pirates? Mars? Why would he even be there? That was a Human settlement. Why would he want to meet Cleo in any other way?

“you're overthinking this way too much. Its supposed to be fun.” Cleo gave him a blank stare. To an outside observer would take his silence as thinking but the fluttering of his mandibles gave him away. Cleo noticed that when Markus was receded into his mind, forgetting the world outside, the movements of his mandibles became more scattered with random flicking.

“Cleopat- Cleo.” He corrected himself as he saw her squint her eyes. “If you weren't in this program, we would never have met.” he stated, its was a simple fact, undeniably truth. So why did Cleo give hum such a heavy sigh, throwing herself to the back of her chair, crossing her arms. He raised a brow plate at her.

“Ugh! I'll go first- even though its not fun anymore.” Cleo sighed and Markus noted one side of her mouth frowning. “If I HAD to meet you…we'd be…hmm. Oh, on Omega.”

Now it was Markus' turned to lean back in his seat. “Why…Omega?”

“You'd be a dancer at one of their night clubs. Not a good spot like Chora's Den. Something seedy and gross. And I'll be a merc, for the Blue Suns. Cause blue is my favorite color.” Cleo ignored his question.

“Blue Sun? Heh, they'd eat you alive.” Markus couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled to the back of her throat. Him, a dancer and her, a Blue Sun merc? It was funny, the opposite of what would happen. Her file and demeanor suggest someone not so violent. And him a dancer? Not her? His mandibles tucked on each side before going lack. A image of her in one of Chora's Den uniforms. Markus could feel a heat rise up his neck, he quickly looked away.

“whatever, I'm too sneaky for them anyway, im more like an assassin or professional thief.” Cleo stood up, staring down at him smiling. Markus shook his head, this human was the strangest he'd have ever met. “Maybe in alternate universe…”

“you really think we'd meet in another universe? In another way?” Markus didn't understand why she would ask such a ridiculous question. He admired her persistence and it was innocent enough.

Cleo nodded, waiting for his response, she sat back down. She watched his face as Markus looked off to the side, more deep thinking.

“If…if we might ever- if there's probability where there's a universe where we'd ever meet. I think I probably be in the military and you…” Markus held his chin with his pointer and thumb finger. “You'd be a colonist, the ship would land to refuel and during that, I'd get some much needed R&R. That's how we'd meet.” Markus' voice was even, plain. Cleo stared at him, her mouth flat in a neutral position. That answer was so him, lame and boring. Markus wasn't known to be touchy, so before he took her silence for something else, she let her smile grow.

“Cleo…” His golden eyes peered into her own. Cleo kept his gaze, and his mandibles flexed before he spoke. “I don't think you're a bad person.

Cleo felt her face flush as he spoke. “I-” Cleo swallowed. “You helped me a lot, Markus. To be a better person.”