turianrebel‌  .       𝙶𝙰𝚁𝚁𝚄𝚂 𝚅𝙰𝙺𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙽 . 

WHEN  HE  FIRST  HEARS  HER  VOICE  ,  HE  THINKS  HE’S  IMAGINING  IT  .  it  can’t  be  ashley  williams  ,  come  to  speak  with  him  ,  come  to  make  amends  in  some  way  ,  heal  the  broken  bridges  burnt  in  the  process  of  two  whole  years  .  two  GIGANTIC  YEARS  of  conflict  and  disagreement  lead  them  here  ,  to  this  dialogue  in  his  dimly  lit  cabin  .  the  turian  cants  his  head  and  slowly  turns  around  .  ❝                   hey  yourself  ,  ❞  he  offers  ,  a  low  sound  .  ❝  it  has  been  a  long  time  ,  hasn’t  it  .  a  lot  has  happened  ,  though  ,  so  we  can’t  really  blame  ourselves  .  ❞  or  can  we  ?  he  abandons  the  console  ,  the  work  left  for  later  .  garrus  suspects  this  is  a  conversation  they’re  going  to  need  everything  for  .  ❝  things  are  a  little  bleak  right  now  ,  ash  ,  but  i’ll  be  fine  .  how  are  you  holding  up  ?  ❞

𝚂𝙷𝙴 𝙴𝚇𝙷𝙰𝙻𝙴𝚂 ,   a sound that might have been a soft - breathed laugh had it not given in at the midway point .        ❝       yeah ,   no kidding .   heard through the grapevine something about you being an adviser to the primarch now ?   talk about moving up in the world .      ❞        she’s proud of him ,   evident in the beckoning arch of her brow ,   the sudden lilt of her voice .   he deserves it ,   god knows .   with the jaws clamping down on them tight ,   they’ll need the best   —    &  he is .   but only a second passes before she turns a critical eye ,  skimming over the outline of his visage ,  looking for those universal signs of wear  &  tear .    on the sr-1  [  a lifetime has taken up the space between then  &  now  ]  she’d like to think she’d gotten almost good at reading him .   between the confined belly of the ship  &  the firefights that split them all down to the core ,   you learn .   but everything’s new  &  raw again ,   &  she can’t tell if he’s lying .   it pangs ,   an ache in the ribs .

❝       don’t worry about me  —  seriously .   i’m okay .   getting out of that hospital bed   —   i’m not useless anymore .       ❞      concern brandishes itself ,   &  she softens again .      ❝       look ,   i’m not really the poster child for talking about feelings ,   but it’s okay to not be fine ,  y’know .   with palaven ,   with everything .   if you need to talk ,   you should .      ❞       the underlying offer hangs in the air ,   emphasized by her following silence .   &  maybe it’s a little too bold ,  a little too familiar .   maybe she can’t make that offer anymore .   discomforted by the thought ,   she moves again   :   concise motions ,  positions herself partly into the corner ,   the entirety of the battery in sight .   a distance comfortable enough that she can breathe .   just barely .      ❝       i mean ,   it doesn’t need to be me .   i’d get it if you don’t   …   —-     ❞      hand waves flippantly ,    like it’s not what it is .    want to talk to me ,    unsaid ,   drawn to the teeth .