#domestic Reyes x Ryder

[otheenglishsetters]

WIP (AKA, I never published my work on Tumblr before and I am TERRIFIED)

Hello! I finally gave in and splurged on a Xbox this year, which may have also coincided with my rising anxiety and boredom since I’ve decided to take a year off of college (my senior year to be exact). Luckily, my boyfriend and friends, knowing how I tend to throw myself into fictional worlds when I am stressed had recommended to me this sweet little game series. It was filled with space and wonder and characters so wonderful that they will make your heart hurt.

That, dear readers, was Mass Effect. 

I had already played a little of the first game of the original trilogy at the very beginning of 2020 at my boyfriend’s house, long before all of my post-college plans came crashing down (as did the world too!) 

So I finally invested my time (and money) into Mass Effect Andromeda in November of 2020. Let me tell you, after loosing control over everything else in my life [laying panicked in bed, constantly praying that the pandemic would not claim the life of my middle aged father after already losing my mother to lung cancer just two years prior], it was unbelievably refreshing to be able to have some resemblance of control in this fictional world (And yes, I realize that this is a video game and of course I have control). And the fact that what Bioware was doing was...pretty freaking great.

So, I apologize if this is coming off a pity-party, I promise, it isn’t supposed to be. It’s more like I had just finished my first playthrough of my first videogame ever and I am filled with feelings and emotions. I never post original content on Tumblr, and that’s mostly because I got scared off posting my work after receiving mean-spirited reviews when I posted my fanfiction on Fanfiction.com years and years ago (which is fair, because looking back my work wasn’t that great, but holy crap I was 14 guys!) I have not written creatively since my high school creative writing class in senior year, but this game and this winter, I thought I would try? And hopefully get to connect with other fans? Let me know what you guys think; I’m planning to add more chapters/content soon. Okay, I’ll quit rambling...

He notices that she tends to have a lazy eye. He’s not sure when exactly he notices this, but it’s becoming more and more apparent.

Which is not a problem, absolutely not. In fact, he thinks it’s adorable in a way, especially when she’s tucked into a pillow and loudly craving sushi. 

“I wondered if she was mocking me,” Keema notes one day. Out of all the Angara Reyes has had the pleasure to meet, she still seems one of the few who can truly read humans in a non-lateral sense. Her favorite so far was when she discovered the music genres of both EDM and metal in the same day, “it wasn’t until I was approving shipping orders from the docks the other day I realized why. The Pathfinder needs glasses.”

She also loses control of her lazy eye, it seems, mostly at night, usually by 2300 hours standard time. 

“I’ve been reading studies about team bonding.”

He hums as he rubs her back. Sara, despite commenting on the numerous things she’s done throughout her day, seems wired and intent on rambling. He’s okay with that. More than okay, it’s been years practically since either of them has had a free moment to even been able to just relax in bed and daydream. They probably both haven’t been able to enjoy this luxury since they were…teens? Finishing school and about to launch themselves into the military? For him, he figures it was before that, probably when he decided to work for that florist at 12. Sara gives bits and pieces of her life in the Milky Way but he thinks she was definitely a kid who tried to ‘help’ C-Sec with their cases, constantly looking for ways to help people in any way she can. He smiles. It’s probably a never-ending itch for her. 

And now? He’s just content that he convinced her to come down to Kadara to ‘inspect Ditaeon’, or whatever bullshit she told Tann. Luckily, it seems that life is, slower? No, that’s not it, people are more than excited to create themselves anew here. Stores and trading posts are popping up everywhere and another hospital has just been built in Prodromos. There’s practically a whole shopping district in Kadara now, with outdoor venues and a movie theater that plays cinema classics every night. It’s more like they both are finally properly settled into their positions, like when a CEO is situated in a new company. Sure, the CEO may face numerous problems at first, especially if it’s during a recession or the company is about to go bankrupt. The CEO may even have to intimidate secondary managers and fight to gain respect; however, once the dust settles, whilst there may be everyday problems, it’s nothing compared to what it used to be. Usually, these problems are solved by lunchtime, mid-morning if either of them are lucky.

In the old days, when she appeared to be this amped up, Reyes would subtly (or not so subtle, it depends on how you look at it), swoon her until they had sex. It probably didn’t feel that way at the time, but sometimes Reyes cringes when he thinks of how rushed their attempts at romance used to be. Back then, they didn’t know how long she would be in the area and they would race to make the most of the evening. Now he wonders how much he used to unconsciously push aside the thought that either one of them could be dead the next day. 

Errrr. Negative bedtime thoughts. Not good for sleepytime. 

“Darling?”

“Yes?”

“Are you listening?”

“You were just telling me how you were reading various theses on social exchange theory but then you were already anxious about the thing that you have yet to tell me so you decided to read something familiar like one of the works by Dr. Brené Brown,” he pauses to give a quick glance at the data pad in his right hand. “Mi cielo, I have been informed to tell you that your contacts have been delivered as they were just sent in, along with the rest of the Tempest’s supplies, this morning.” 

He liked to think he was a good boyfriend.

“I hate when you do that.”

“What?” Listen? Dearest, it’s part of the job description as your lover. Speaking of, remind me to pick up toilet paper tomorrow.”

“No, multitask.”

He sighs and reaches up into the upper center of her back. Oof, she really is tense there. “You do it too.”

“Not at nighttime!” She scowls and rubs her eyebrow. “Ew, when did I become an old prune as soon as it gets dark?”

He starts tenderizing the hard muscle. Mentally, he makes a note to remind her later when she’s not grumpy to do her prescribed yoga. “We’re all getting older dear. I’m thirty-one and the other day I heard my knees crack.” 

She was silent. Any other fool would think that she was lost in thought while others would be jealous of the close bond she shares with her AI. Honestly, Reyes is just grateful she spends any of her time with him, let alone his bed. And if she occupies a part of it in a mental showdown with SAM, who is he to complain. 

“SAM thinks you should get an appointment. Even if Dr. Nakamoto is busy, there’s plenty of others who are just as qualified. Also, I think Peebee and Jaal are sleeping with each other.” 

  Both he and Sara know the in(s) and the outs of their jobs so well by now, that he can probably predict easily what his men will ask for even before the message is downloaded on his office’ terminal. However right now, as Reyes stops reading a report on corn being grown on Havarl that he already skimmed over this morning over his huevos rancheros, all he can think about before checking to see if he is correct is how her left non-dominant eye is floating far out to the side. 

Hmmm, who knew fraternization would be cutting into his beauty sleep? 

*************************************************

If you made it this far, thanks so much for checking this out! I apologize for any grammar mistakes. If you’re confused, this is set to take place three years after the Hyperion first makes contact with the Nexus in the Andromeda Galaxy. I was just so intrigued by the dialogue between Jaal and Peebee. And then, after the initial curiosity, I was about to forget about it when I came across some interesting dialogue while driving the Nomad...

Jaal: Vetra, I catch Peebee looking at me. Frequently.

Vetra: Peebee likes new shiny things. Uhh… and why not? You’re genuinely interesting.

#

Jaal: Vetra, remember when I told you that Peebee was looking at me? Frequently?

Vetra: Yeah? Is it getting annoying? Want me to say something?

Jaal: No, no, no. It’s… just that… lately, I find myself… looking back. 

Vetra: Huh.

**

So of course I had to dig into that! And what better way to do so than by using my new favorite ship: Reyes and Sara? (Domestic times!)

Anyways friends, hopefully my writing isn’t awful and you enjoyed yourselves. I may wake up in the morning and delete this. Who knows. 

Have a great day guys!

[scentedstrangercreation]

Get to Know Me!

Y’all sure know how to make my week

I was tagged by @bold-house-trevelyan (thank you!)

rules: you gotta tag nine people

tagging – That’s a lot of peeps! Apologies if you’ve already been tagged or you’re just not into this sort of thing.  

@misseffect @vorchagirl @commandermorgan @pigeontheoneandonly

@pauvre-lola @hanatsuki89 @nug-juggler @trulycertain @merrybandofmurderers @charlatron

Top Three Ships: Only three?! I already know I am going to break this rule. Let’s see, in no particular order of importance:

Shakarian

Hawke x Fenris 

Warden x Zevran

…. Oh boy here I go: Also, Shenko , Sten x Warden, Alistair x Warden…. f!Hawke x Isabela (playlist).... Dorian x Bull…Cullen x Inquisitor (also playlist)... Leliana x f!warden… Reyes x Ryder.. Aziraphale x Crowley (Good Omens)…Solas x levellan…Fiona x Rhys (Tales from the Boardlands), Taako x Kravitz (TAZ)….

Listen, listen, listen. It’s all of them, okay? I Love all the ships. They are all wonderful and unique, and every ship has a home in my heart. I’m also going to go ahead and shamelessly link any content I’ve created for those ships if anyone's interested!

Last Song: Wait a Minute by Willow – a true bop.  

Last Movie: Snowpiercer. I’m late to the party, but I just watched this the other night and loved it. I know I’m not alone in thinking Bong Joon-ho is a genius, but seriously, that man is a genius. If you haven’t seen any of this other work, I truly cannot recommend The Host (2006) enough.

Currently Reading/Watching/Consuming:

Reading: I’m currently reading the 3rd and final book in the Broken Earth Trilogy (a series everyone should read) and getting into the Rat Queens comics (something I love, but hesitate to recommend due to some recent-ish issues surrounding the old artist and domestic violence).

Watching: I’ve been living off Bon Appetit content lately, but as far as actual shows, Killing Eve, Futurama, and Gravity Falls have all been on heavy rotation in my house.

Consuming: I am so behind to this train, but I just started listening to The Magnus Archives, and I am loving it. TAZ, Hello from the Magic Tavern, and The Empty Bowl (meditative podcast about cereal) are personal favs as well.

I’ve also, of course, been replaying both DA and Mass Effect, currently in the middle of a ME2 run.

Food I’m Craving..: Hmm… Sushi and ramen. I love cooking, so I can usually make what I want, but I just don’t have the chops to confidently make either of those. One day, my loves. One day.

Thanks for reading, y’all! If you ever want to chat or make a writing request, drop a line! I am available and willing

[gh03st-writer]

Madam Kadara

Summary:  Phoenix Ryder got herself exiled after joining the revolt on the Nexus when both the Arks and Pathfinders were nowhere in sight. After over a year of coping with losing her family and being stranded in a whole new galaxy, she finally gets word of an Ark docking the Nexus: the Ark Hyperion. The arrival of the Hyperion and its Pathfinder shakes Phoenix’s world and forces her to consider her position as an information dealer on Kadara.

Pairing: Reyes x OFC

chapter 2

Chapter 3: Promises of Dreams Never Deliver

The sun had set on Kadara hours ago, the oranges and purples filling the sky slowly turned to black and filled with stars as Phoenix and Reyes drifted to sleep in Reyes’ room in Tartarus.

           A banging at the door woke them and Phoenix groaned, “Maybe if we ignore them they’ll go away.”

           The banging became more persistent as the person on the other end shouted, “Madam Kadara, I know you’re in there, Sloane wants to talk to you!”

           “Tell Sloane, it’s late and I couldn’t care less about what she wants,” Phoenix shouted back, “I’m not a lap dog, I don’t come running when called!”

           “Sloane said that you might say that,” the voice remarked, “She told me to mention that it was about a Doctor Carlyle.”

           Phoenix’s ears perked up at the mention of Harry Carlyle, she weighed her pros and cons, hesitating a moment before replying, “I’ll meet with Sloane in an hour.”

           The sound of footsteps could be heard as the owner of the voice walked away, more or less happy with Phoenix’s reply. A sigh escaped her lips as she began to get up, untangling herself from Reyes. Phoenix stretched as she stood, Reyes stayed laying on the couch and wondered aloud, “Who’s Doctor Carlyle?”

           Phoenix thought about how she should reply, and if she were honest she would say that Carlyle was someone special, “A friend.”

           Reyes knew that there was more to her relationship with Carlyle than she was letting on, “You’ve never mentioned them before.”

           Phoenix knew she would have to tell him the truth about Carlyle, especially since the simple mention of his name was able to make her agree to meet someone in the dead of night, “I’ll make you a deal, be in my room in Kralla’s Song when I finish talking with Sloane and I’ll tell you anything you want,” she smirked, “Free of charge.”

           Reyes considered her offer before taking her hand and pulling her down towards him, “Deal.”

           She laughed as their lips met and they started to melt into each other again. Reluctantly, she pulled away, “Keep that up and I’ll miss my meeting with Sloane.”

           It was Reyes’ turn to smirk, “Would that be so bad.”

           She shook her head playfully and walked towards the door, “Maybe, maybe not, but tonight’s not the night I want to figure that out.”

           Tartarus was still quite alive with the sounds of patrons and bartender alike. Phoenix barely registered the noise as she left the club and headed towards the lift to the Port. Her mind ran through every possible thing Sloane could tell her but one question kept popping into her mind: how the fuck did Sloane know about Harry.

           She reached the Outcast headquarters and stopped at the guards, “Sloane requested to see me.”

           The guard on her left, a new one by the looks of it, puffed his chest out to make himself seem more intimidating, “Head in, but don’t even think about trying anything.”

           Phoenix looked the guard over, her walk from Tartarus to Outcast headquarters had given her enough time to turn her mood from annoyed to aggravated, leaving her with little to no patience for people who thought they could intimidate her. She glared at the new guard and glanced at the older guard that stood on the other side of the door, “You should teach the rookies some manners.”

           The older guard was about to say something but was interrupted when Phoenix used her biotics to slam the newer guard against the closest wall as she walked through the door. She could hear the older guard muttering and telling the newer guard he should pay attention to who he’s talking to.

           The other guards parted ways to let Phoenix through, knowing why she was here. She entered the room where Sloane sat atop her throne as if she were the high and mighty ruler of Kadara. Sloane laughed, noticing Phoenix’s mood, “Who got all your panties in a twist?”

           Phoenix rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her, “I was told you had information about Doctor Carlyle.”

           Sloane leaned back in her seat and smiled, “Not really, I just needed something to get your attention.”

           Phoenix clenched her jaw with enough strength that borderlined on breaking her own teeth, “I don’t take well to being lied to, how the fuck do you even know about him?”

           Sloane chuckled, “I have my sources, but don’t worry Madam Kadara, I won’t air your dirty laundry out to dry,” she paused for a moment, “I just need information and I heard you were slumming it with that third-rate smuggler Vidal.”

           “Information isn’t cheap,” Phoenix stared Sloane down, “My usual price plus a hundred credits for lying to me and another hundred for your smartass remark.”

           Sloane nodded and transferred the credits, “Sounds fair, knew my mouth would cost me something,” she contemplated her request for a moment, “Now, tell me about the Human Pathfinder.”

           Phoenix shifted so that she was leaning to her left, “She’s become quite the hot topic in Andromeda recently, her SAM implant has given her the uncanny ability to interact with the Remnant and restore Vaults, helping boost the viability of previously unlivable planets.”

           “Does she have a name,” Sloane questioned.

           “Ryder,” Phoenix replied, “Artemis Ryder.”

           “Thank you, Madam Kadara,” Sloane’s voice patronizing, “I appreciate your time.”

           Phoenix contemplated the reasons why Sloane would want to know about the Pathfinder, deciding that the need to know probably came with the territory of trying to rule an entire Port on an outlaw planet. She turned and headed towards the door, stopping short of the doorway as she considered the implications of Sloane knowing about the Pathfinder, “Oh, and Sloane, I’m sure you’ve already figured out that the Pathfinder and I are family, so that means if you decide that the Pathfinder needs to be removed, I will personally make sure that such a decision will be the last thought you ever have.”

           Sloane chuckled, “Is that a threat?”

           Phoenix smiled sweeter than syrup, “It’s a promise.”

           The guards eyed Phoenix as she left, very well aware of the danger she posed to their leader. She passed the newer guard who she slammed against the wall earlier and noticed how he averted his gaze when she walked by, “You know son,” she grabbed his attention, “Let our little interaction be a warning that when you try to intimidate someone like me, you need a bigger gun.”

           The older guard chuckled to himself as Phoenix continued her walk away from Outcast headquarters and towards Kralla’s Song. She rolled her shoulders out as she walked, the tension she was building up in her muscles nearly made her want to jump into one of Kadara’s many acidic lakes.

           The door to the club slid open as she entered and the music flowed out onto the Port before the door shut behind her. Umi nodded to acknowledge Phoenix’s entrance and Phoenix returned the greeting with a tired wave of her own.

           Phoenix entered her room to find Reyes sleeping in her bed, his shirt tossed on the floor. She laughed at how domestic he made the whole room look; it reminded her of her own apartment on the Citadel that she shared with Harry before the Initiative was born. It made her wonder, if they had never boarded the Nexus and crossed dark space, where would they be now.

           She began to undress down to her shirt and underwear before sliding in next to Reyes. He stirred as she laid against him, his back to her. The bed shifted as Reyes turned so that he was facing her as he wrapped his arms around her, his voice raspy from sleep, “What took you so long?”

           Phoenix smiled and subconsciously ran a hand down his arm, “Sloane likes to hear herself talk.”

           He laughed as a yawn escaped his lips, “I think you’re the only one who thinks that.”

           “Mmm, you’re probably right,” Phoenix’s smile evident in her voice. She watched him, took in every feature of his face, it made her feel like everything was how it was supposed to be; that they weren’t two criminal bosses trying to survive in an unforgiving galaxy, and instead, they were just two people finding happiness in the comfort of one another.

           Reyes knew that look in her eyes, the misty far off dream of a home they were promised but never given, “Would you like a map?”

           It took Phoenix longer for her to register his words than she would like to admit, “Why would I want a map?”

           “Because, I think you’re lost in my eyes,” Reyes grinned.

           “I hate you,” Phoenix laughed and playfully pushed him away, “Can’t you learn any new pickup lines.”

           He hummed and pulled her back into him, “Never.”

           She softly shook her head and smiled, “I can’t stand you.”

           “Good thing we’re laying down,” he teased.

           Phoenix laughed, it was moments like these that helped her to forget for a brief moment that she was one of the most infamous women in Andromeda.

That she was anyone at all really.

There was a soft silence in the room as the two of them enjoyed each other’s comfort and drifted off to sleep. Phoenix knew that she would have some explaining to do when they woke up. Reyes isn’t one to forget about the deals he makes; especially when it’s with her.

[pathfindersemail]

Pregnant - Chapter 1

Summary: Marriage. Babies. Happily ever after. That’s how it went, right? Maybe for some. But for Sarianna, some of that happiness was left behind. A small piece of it was still with him, and nothing - not even her own wedding and baby on the way - would stop her from seeing him gain.

Pairing: Sara/Sarianna Ryder x Reyes Chapter rating: T for teens (mild language and heavy concepts) Warnings: future NSFW; angst; running away; cheating; heartbreak; rekindling past relationship.

*Ate = tagalog word for older sister; pronounced Ah-teh

There was no mistaking the seemingly harmless plus sign blinking on the stick. Sara was pregnant. There, at the bottom of her sink, the stick kept on blinking what should be nothing more than a sick, practical joke. Yet nobody popped from the compact storage closet next to her in impish glee. Neither did a soul peep from the bathroom door to yell, “Surprise! We fooled you!” She leaned over the counter, head sunk low into her shoulders, in dejected shock and wholly unable to even face the tired woman standing before her in the mirror. Besides, the almost clinical pallor of the bathroom light had a nauseating effect, like a tightness in her throat threatening to spew at any given moment.

Three well-meaning knocks thudded from outside the door. “Hon, you okay?” Loving fiancee and partner of three years, prim and proper Geoffrey was no doubt awaiting his turn. They had a busy day, after all, and dealing with an unplanned bastard in the making was not on the itinerary.

“Yes! Everything’s fine!” she yelled. Sara grappled with the unholy stick as it bounced around the sink in her inept rush. Shit. Her hand finally won, and it wasn’t long before she disposed of it with an unseemly contempt into the small, almost aesthetically pleasing roundness of their wastebin. She made sure to plop a few sheets of toilet paper over it for good measure. “You can come in!” The door slid open the moment the faucet hissed with a pressurized stream of running water. Sara diligently made as if she had been washing her hands.

A rather sleepy Geoffrey, his normally coiffed hair tousled in bedridden weariness, stepped into the light with a rather unflattering and squinty expression. Yawning, he inched behind Sara and placed a rather doting kiss on the back of her neck as he reached for his tooth brush. His other hand found its way to her waist in a rather backwards embrace. “Good morning to the most beautiful woman in Heleus.” The superlative was followed by a languid smile, somewhat short and saccharine for an otherwise mundane ritual before cleaning one’s teeth.

“Just Heleus?” she teased with a suspecting eyebrow. They both laughed, Geoffrey knowing in his heart that she was the most beautiful even outside Heleus (the entire universe, for that matter); and Sara not knowing why and how to juggle about the daily antics of domestic life while silently panicking at the news she scarcely had time to process. Her thoughts raced to the still blinking stick hiding under a heap in their wastebin. “What are you gonna wear?” She wiped her hands dry with the lush cotton hand towels dangling from from a sleek platinum ring next to the mirror.

Geoffrey looked at her from the mirror, toothbrush jammed into his mouth in a sidelined battle against germs and plaque. “I was thinking that suit Tann had tailored for me. Authentic cotton grown from Podromos.” Sara would’ve judged that he was grinning too widely given the occasion, but she couldn’t fault him for it, especially when he could have been just as easily widening his mouth for the necessary work of moving his toothbrush from one side to the other.

“Fancy,” she said in a low whistle. In truth, Sara hated anything that screamed so… luxuriously. To some, ten years wasn’t a very long time. Many, the ex-Pathfinder included, still remember the harsh pangs of hunger, the measly parcels of rationed food and water, and the overall hopelessness of a people resigned to the little that life dealt them. The choice of touting a retrofitted outfit made of the finest and rarest of fabrics would’ve added insult to a still healing injury.

But looking at Geoffrey, at his rather well kept shadow of a beard (the facial hair style of the month, apparently), his chiseled nose, and defined jaws, Sara realized that not all remembered the same, especially when, like her fiancee, some had the fortune to be dreaming rather peacefully in that hour of need. Geoffrey never knew need. He knew nothing but expenditure, and their rather sleek life in a prime real estate apartment on Meridian was proof of it.

“Listen, I’m going to run some errands. We have a couple of hours anyway.” She hovered next to the door as if waiting for that sure sign of approval.

Geoffrey gargled and spat into the sink. He splashed water onto his face and let the ivory foam meld in a swirl in the running water. “Just be back in time. You know how I hate being late.” He ended his concern with a rather indifferent shrug. A mere reminder is all one needed in life, after all.

Sara laughed. “Sure thing.” Her foot was almost out the door.

“Hey!”

Her foot paused mid-air as she hung by the thread of his words.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” His head bobbed to the side. On the counter, tucked away on that marbled corner, glimmered a golden band with nothing save a sparking diamond for decoration.

His trophy wife-to-be grinned in sheepish bemusement. “You’re right.” Without skipping a beat, Sara swiped a hand at the counter and grabbed her engagement ring. She slipped it on, lithe finger in full view as Geoffrey watched from the mirror. And when he garnished the moment with his own satisfied smile, Sara planted a delicate, dutiful kiss on his stubbly cheek. “I”ll see you later.”

She barely heard him shout “Love you!” as she spirited away from the door.

The almost harsh ringing, incessant as it was as it screeched through her omnitool was filling Sara with dread. C’mon Scott… The line continued, yet no answer gave her a reprieve from the monotonous beeping of a call that was yet to be answered. It took only a few clicks, and she was once more redirected to his voice mail. “Hey, Scott Ryder here. Busy at the moment, but hit me up by the *BEEEEP*.” Sara hung up before the call could record any further.

Shit. Dread was coiling in tight, stifling knots in her stomach. And it was just her luck that her normally available twin brother was somehow unreachable at that very moment.

Vetra? No, she’d be in the Remav right now still rooting out derelict mines.

Liam? Cora? But both would be gone with Scott as part of the new and rebranded Pathfinder team, seeking out more exploits in neighboring clusters. A bitter note seemed to ring just saying it out loud. New. Pathfinder team. Many didn’t think of Scott filling in for Sara as some kind of affront, but in a way, she did. Complications with cerebral lesions be damned, she didn’t want to have to be replaced - least of all by a brother who somehow came out less damaged than she.

The list moved on. Jaal maintained work with the Resistance as one of its three generals. Though in truth, she suspected he’d be the most pleased with news of her untimely conception. Suvi, on the other hand, was much too far on the Nexus and no doubt stressed enough as it was with her new pet project - classified, unfortunately (one of the many channels Sara was no longer privy too). There was Gil, who parented as best he could from Podromos, and Kallo was on the Nexus training more pilots now that Scott had paved the way. Peebee too, last she checked, was lost in some vault with an archeology team. The asari would be more amused than panicked, Sara thought. And Peebee was always more prone to pithy banter than any real, solid advice.

Drack? Surprisingly enough, he would have made a good shoulder to lean on. But his grave was much too far, and the dead could hardly impart their wisdom to the living. There was always Lexi and Dr. Carlyle, but having been immensely happy and proud for her when news of her engagement with Geoff spread, she doubt she’d find likely allies in the two, well-meaning doctors.

Suddenly she found herself missing SAM - the AI implant once inextricably woven into the very tissue of her nerves. But he too left her for better, brighter things, as everyone eventually did.

Her hands stayed quietly on her lap through it all. Sitting as she did in the atrium, pleasantly blending in with the very inanity of the bench and happy folk crowding around on such a beautiful and busy day, Sara found it rather difficult, actually, not to fidget. A trembling of her lip seemed to hint as much. That, and a well suppressed tear building up in the corner of her eye.

A ping notified her of a sudden change. Sara hurriedly fiddled for her omnitool, hoping Scott at least tried to call her back.

An email.

To: Sara From: Geoffrey Richards Commemoration is in an hour. Where are you?

Sara didn’t really read the email - sparse as it was. All she needed to see was the question mark demanding of her something she didn’t really want to give. She shut it off before any sort of argument could sway her.

More and more civilians seemed to crowd out as high noon signalled the morning’s passing into lunch. Laughter now echoed in the main hall, and the Hyperion was abuzz with newfound life. How quickly time went by, forgetting the formative seconds that built up to it.

Be somewhere else. Anywhere but here.

Another ping.

A call.

“Hello?”

“Sara?” Scott’s concern was more audible than her name. Static pervaded their channel, and even the pauses had a brush of white noise. “Sara, what’s going on? You called me like five times!”

The initial trembling soon devolved into fingers winding and curling tightly in a ball. A scrunched fist on her lap. Sara sucked in and bit her lip. She tilted her chin upward up so as to keep withheld tears from falling as she emphatically nodded her head.

“Hello? Sara?” The line was threatening to cut.

She inhaled a sharp breath, finally relenting with the allowance of a single tear to drop from large, unbelieving eyes. “It’s so good to hear from you little brother.” She sniffled through the words, a mistake she didn’t really want to make.

“Sara are you-... are you crying?!”

“What?! No!” She wiped her eyes and sniffed again. Around her, intermittent eyes from the amorphous crowd of people began to notice too. The jury was out. She was indeed crying.

“What’s wrong? Tell me!”

The urgency was slightly intimidating, if Sara had to be honest. She remembered a time when Scott wasn’t always in such a rush, and when he would gently call to her in their hour of need. “Is there something wrong with wanting to talk to my baby brother?”

A radio silence told her he didn’t really buy it.

“Did Tann yell at you?”

“What?! No-”

“Do you owe money?”

“Of course not! I-”

“Is it Geoff? Did you two fight?”

It was so typical of Scott to never listen. Not a word. But still he was always the one who could come closest to understanding a little of what had been plaguing his sister through all these years. “Scott, listen to me,” she commanded. A more stern voice suddenly took over. “I just… I just wanted to ask how you were doing.”

Another pregnant pause followed. This time, she could hear him breathe with a nervous, almost quickened rhythm, even through the static of their omnitools. No doubt he was processing things; trying his best to maybe figure his elusive sister out. “I’m fine.”

“Good!” She almost laughed at how feigned her excitement was. “Where are you now?”

“We’re actually back in Heleus. Kadara, to be specific, and- … Hey, Sara, listen. If something happened, you’d tell me right?” Scott was pleading this time. Impatience could never stop him from worrying.

Again, Sara laughed off his concerns. “Scott, I’m your Ate. Listen to your Ate.” Her knuckles wiped at the watery beads pooling in the corner of her eyes. “I’m telling you. I’m fine,” she declared, smiling as if to an unconvinced audience. “Now, tell me. What brought you to Kadara?” There was an eagerness to her question that she didn’t quite expect. It was puzzling, to say the least.

“Well…” Scott hesitated as he let out a sigh. His exasperation was more than pronounced in it. “We needed something. It was for a mission, actually.”

“Oh?”

“I-... I really can’t tell you about it.”

Sara felt her heart crumble a little; like a withered flower quivering from the pressure of an unwitting yet nevertheless callous thumb. “I see.”

“I’m sorry, Sara.” But Scott was never one for protocol - least of it all when it came to his dear sister. “But you know, we came to Kadara, because we needed something a little special for it. It’s classified, and all that bullshit. But if you want…” He paused to listen in for her withheld breath. “Why don’t you come over? Let’s hang out. I have five days of shore leave, and I’m sure the crew would love to see you. SAM included. I just figured you’d be busy with wedding stuff, and all. I didn’t want to bother you.” A string of excuses erupted from his end of the line, which did not at all reach Sara. There was something latent in his reasons. It was palpable from the nervous ticks of his inflection, but neither of them were going to push it.

Her hand fell gently on her stomach. Somehow, sitting where she was in an almost Edenic slice of Meridian, the world itself was beginning to feel small. Something of a rush overtook her. The offer was a surprise, to be sure, but it came with the prospect of a tantalizing freefall - that sort of thing pregnant women like her shouldn’t partake in.

“I’d love to.”

Five years ago.

“I heard the news. Are you alright?”

She ran an agitated hand through the knotted curls of her hair. The purple dye was running thin. Anemically pale.

“Sara.”

“As fine as I can be.”

He sat by her side. The bed always sank when he put his weight in it.

“I’m fine. I promise.”

He held her by her ear. The line of her jaw was soft in his palm. “You’re a bad liar.”

“And what does that make you?”

He laughed, at a loss for the unexpected snark. But there was something more important to discuss. “Stay with me.”

“Reyes…”

“You have everything you need here. A home, Dr. Nakomoto, your turian friend-”

“There’s nothing for me here. I… I’d just get in your way.”

He had no argument for that.

“You can come with me.” This wasn’t the first time she made that offer.

“And the Collective? I need to be here.”

The same circular reasoning. Sara opted for the other debate at hand.

“It would look bad for the ex-Pathfinder to shack up with a smuggler. And, who knows what that might mean for you.” The word ‘you’ always took on different meanings when speaking with him.

He scoffed. “Who cares about that?”

“I do.”

“And that’s it?”

“That’s it.”

He left the bed shortly thereafter.