abraxaslogs | {Darude Sandstorm Intensifies}

Oh crap.

Maybe he should have gone outside the city. Or into some private garden or something. Or better yet, he shouldn't have done this. That's the obvious thing that should have happened here. He recognizes the voice, even with the wind - thanks to the shouting.

And the reaction is an immediate jerk in place. Like he just stepped on a live wire. If he had hair, it'd be puffed up like a cat.

"I'm good!" If there were any turians in the area, they'd be laughing themselves stupid at the amount of embarrassment echoing around in those two words. Quick - he needs to say something smart. Something to smooth over this incident. Make sandblasting his hide seem absolutely normal, and not weird at all.

"How are you!"

... well done.

For the most part, Steve's interactions with Garrus have shown him to be a composed guy — a little long-suffering about how the people in Abraxas view him but also used to it by this point. They've joked around with each other, they've worked together, and while they may not know each other well, Steve can say with certainty that he's never seen Garrus act quite like this.

Fumbling, nervous. Embarrassed?

Steve tilts his head, not quite gathering why it's such a big deal.

"All right. I was looking for people who might need help getting to shelter." Since he realizes it's odd for him to be all the way out here, too. He draws closer, mainly so that they don't have to keep shouting quite so loudly to hear each other.

"Are storms like this common where you're from?" It might explain whatever Garrus was just doing. It's not that important, probably, but Steve can't help but be a little curious, especially with the turian's uncharacteristic behavior.

You should see him when his committed girlfriend flirts with him, Steve - now that's nervous and embarrassed.

It's probably not necessary to be so embarrassed about being caught out here. It's not like anyone is going to accuse him of being reckless when he's still taking precautions. Or that this is affecting anyone else. But... boy. How do you actually explain? Maybe they should take this conversation into somewhere sheltered.

"I was doing that earlier." Which is true. He absolutely was, before he got this idea. But to continue -

"Not on most habitable planet, no. But -" A gesture at the visible scales, plating. "My people are a little more durable on the outside than humans."

If Garrus swept through this area earlier looking for people, it would explain why Steve hasn't stumbled on anyone who might need help. Which probably means that they can head back for shelter themselves, with their eyes peeled for any stragglers along the way.

Usually Garrus is a lot more covered than this, so it's the first time that Steve's gotten a good look at the plating and scales that are not on his face. It does look like armor, honestly, and he has to wonder if there's something about the sand against it that feels... good?

Why else would Garrus have done that?

"To say the least, yeah. When sand is blown around this fiercely, it's enough to cause a rash on our skin, if not worse." Humans are pretty vulnerable in that way, although Steve himself could withstand a lot more. "Anyway, I... didn't mean to interrupt anything."

Does Garrus want him to leave so he can continue whatever it is he was doing...

He doesn't answer for a long moment, debating the merits of burying his face in his hands until the sand covers him up entirely. That would be preferable. But... not rational. And rational finally wins out over the embarrassment.

Better get this over with.

A motion of his hand towards something more sheltered - a little overhang acting as a windbreak. Less need to shout. Less sand blowing over there too.

And, once repositioned, he really can put his face in a hand. "It's - like those rough brushes for human skin. Loofers?" Loofahs. He means those. "Like if you mixed one of those with an electric sander. I haven't... it's been a long time, and it was getting noticeable."

... Yes, Steve, he is fully admitting he is standing topless in a sandstorm to exfoliate.

Steve doesn't hesitate to follow Garrus over to the sheltered area so that they can properly talk. As soon as they're under the overhang it becomes about ten times easier to hear himself think, which is nice.

While he's no expert in understanding turian expressions, it's still pretty clear from Garrus' body language that he's embarrassed about all this. Steve takes a second to figure out what Garrus actually means when he says loofers, but then it clicks.

While the idea of a loofah mixed with an electric sander is nothing but troubling, he's starting to understand Garrus' explanation, muddled as it is.

"Oh, it's kind of like the callus softeners we use to get the dead skin off the heels of our feet." Potentially a better comparison than a loofah, which is more to do with just scrubbing yourself clean. "Well, you have no reason to feel weird about it then. Basic hygiene, right?"

He smiles and reaches forward to give Garrus a quick pat on the shoulder. "Besides, you also helped to clear any people who were in trouble out of this area. Two birds, one stone."

Somehow, the feeling of understanding just makes him want to disappear into the ground a little more. Because it's not just basics. Soap and hot water can work just as well, he just has to work a little harder than a human would. Scrubbing, that is.

"It... I have someone to impress..."

Garrus always manages to drop his cue cards and stammer around any time he has to explain this. Any time he has to actually concentrate and flirt, rather than just taking what pops into his head naturally. For someone who's usually so damn practical, admitting he was trying to make himself look better for a girlfriend is - it's weird. Even if Steve is understanding about it.

"I mean, yeah. I'm not going to just stand around, looking pretty. I don't know how to do that."

Someone to impress? Both of Steve's eyebrows hike up at that, because he hadn't realized. Not that he would expect someone who's usually pretty professional like Garrus to have mentioned it until it became relevant, which is now.

Garrus does seem a little embarrassed, though, which is endearing. It's a side of him that Steve's never seen before, and it's not like he would be much better if he was put on the spot to talk about his relatively new relationship with Sam.

"How about sitting around looking pretty? This area seems to be pretty cleared out now, and you deserve a break. We can go grab something at Mag's if you want, and you can tell me about this someone."

He won't be offended if Garrus refuses him, but he has to admit he's a little curious, and it is about time to turn in. They're quickly losing daylight, not that the sun has had much of a chance to penetrate through the storm clouds.

He's a bit surprised Steve doesn't peg it right away. Mostly because Koby had it dead to rights almost immediately - but on the other hand, maybe he hasn't run into Shepard yet. So that would track. It's not like either of them are broadcasting it in neon lights.

Boy that would be embarrassing beyond belief.

"Yeah, I could use a drink." Less shouting to one another, less wind, and sand getting into crevices. Sure, it might not bother his plating, but breathing is a whole other story. "Looks like most people are already inside for now."

Even if Steve might have an inkling, he isn't going to jump to any conclusions about it either. While his own newly-formed relationship is with someone from home, that definitely doesn't have to be the case. Jaskier and Nadine serve as a good example of people who found that sort of closeness here in Abraxas.

They really do seem to be the only people still out and about. Steve hopes he hasn't interrupted Garrus' beauty regimen too much, but he won't put him on the spot yet again.

Instead, he turns on his heel and leads them back to the inn. Given how long he's been living there, he knows the quickest path back, and they make it in no time.

The inn has been converted into a sort of soup kitchen for those who have nowhere else to go, so it's packed. Steve ushers Garrus in, and then quickly tells him, "Let me grab us some drinks and then we can go up to my room."

He does as promised and leads Garrus up the stairs and down the hall, then hands him one of the drinks so he can grab for his keys to unlock the door to his suite, which he shares with Sam. Sam's busy downstairs serving up food for people, so there's plenty of space in the common area for Steve and Garrus to settle in.

"Make yourself comfortable." He gestures to the nearby couch.

He follows in casual step, keeping an eye out for any stragglers, just in case. They really do seem to be the only people out here, which is very good. They've been helping and making a difference, in that case. A relief, to be sure. He still keeps close on Steve's heels though. The blasting sand might not bother his scales, but he could still get turned around.

Once they're inside, he nods, and picks a nice, inconspicuous corner to lurk in. It helps, in these times, being so much taller than the general populace. Most of the time, it's a hassle to get clothing that works, or not bang his head on a doorway, but now, it's probably good so he stays easy to spot.

Then they're upstairs, and he's automatically scanning the area. Old habit, looking for escape routes, for sight lines. It's not something that's ever gone away. Probably never will. Still, he drops onto the couch, legs tucked in with his knees up past his waist. Like always, sitting in human seats. But no complaints here.

"Nice place," he says instead. "How'd you end up with it?"

Steve immediately recognizes what Garrus is doing when he enters the room, and how that sort of habit is ingrained in soldiers like them. It frankly feels more normal than anything else, and he'll find that other than the door they came in through, there are a few windows that serve as entry or exit points in the room.

"Well, Sam and I just sort of ended up sharing the suite," he explains as he takes a seat in a chair the sits opposite of the couch. "He had it before I even got here, and since we were used to sharing space back home, it was an easy choice."

The two of them were on the run together for a while alongside Natasha and Wanda, but usually they had split up the rooms by gender, so it was often Steve and Sam bunking together. That's just how it went, and so it felt like a natural extension here in Abraxas.

"The whole inn was recently renovated too," he explains with a glance around the space. Jesper and company did a good job. But then he glances back to Garrus, one eyebrow raised curiously. "Come to think of it, where in the city do you stay?"

As far as Steve is aware, Garrus has never lived at the inn, which means he must have found lodgings elsewhere. But where?

He nods. That makes sense. You stick by the people who are most familiar, when you're in an unknown place, a place that doesn't always follow the rules of... well, anything logical. "He's the one who's run a lot of meetings, and things to help the locals, yeah?"

There could be more than one "Sam". He's fairly sure that's a common human name, but he could be wrong. It also doesn't hurt to verify, if he is right. "Is he the only one from your world here?"

And then he's scratching idly at the scarred side of his face. It's not really a nervous gesture, just old habit. Partly for something to do with his hands, and partly because the answer kind of outs the whole reason they're here to talk. "Shepard and I have been in the barracks," he answers, with a surprisingly easy drawl. "Old habits die hard and all."

Steve nods. It's fair for Garrus to want to confirm, given that Sam is a pretty common name and Steve's pretty sure there's another Sam among the Summoned. Honestly, it's hard for Steve to imagine that there's anyone here in the Free Cities who doesn't know Sam well by now, but Garrus isn't as entrenched in the inn and Sam's other projects, so it makes sense.

"Yeah, that's him. And there are a few others from our world too. Matt Murdock here in the Cities, if you've met, but also Stephen Strange in Thorne and Wanda, Rocket, and Nebula in Solvunn." Will Garrus recognize any of those names? Maybe not, since he does tend to do his own thing from what Steve has gathered, but at least it's all laid out now.

And yes, he does pick up on the implication in Garrus' response, even if he's pretty casual about it. While Steve couldn't imagine staying in the barracks himself, even with his background (or rather because of it), he can understand why Garrus and Shepard have made that choice. He leans back in his seat, his fingers interlacing on his lap as he raises a careful eyebrow. "And she's the one you mentioned earlier?"

His someone.

Steve's familiar with Shepard, though they haven't had any in-depth chats. She seems like someone who wants to do things her way, for better or worse. Steve can relate, but it does mean their paths haven't really crossed.

"Wanda. Makes..." Garrus gestures in little circles with his hands. "Light? Into things?"

He'd met her in one of the meetings in the Horizon. They'd had a riveting discussion about pigeons and ravens. So that's two people he knows from Steve's world. And a whole lot more besides. That's good to hear. He wondered, sometimes, if he and Shepard's situation was echoed by other Summoned. The only ones from their world.

And then he sort of sinks in his seat. He looks embarrassed. Like it shouldn't have been that obvious.

"Yeah. Yeah, she is." But then the affection creeps into the echoes of his words, in the vibrations. "We've been through hell, more than once. I don't know what a woman like her sees in a guy like me... but. Wouldn't change it. She's one hell of a person."

Steve frowns at that description of Wanda. It's not wrong, exactly, but "makes light into things" is kind of vague. The gestures that Garrus makes seem familiar enough, though.

"Yeah, she's a pretty accomplished magic-user." Or a witch, if that's the term someone preferred, but he's pretty sure that Garrus will also find that descriptor kind of strange.

However, everything in Garrus' tone and body language notably shifts when he speaks of Shepard. The embarrassment only lasts for so long before the obvious affection comes in, and Steve can't help but chuckle.

"You could always ask her, but to be honest, I think you're selling yourself short. Pretty sure she'd agree." There's a beat before he indulges in a sneaky smirk. "Also, you make a point of taking care of your hygiene for her. That's gotta count for something, right?" He can't help but tease him a little.

"Right. Magic. Was that from here, or...?"

Most places here seem like they're more acquainted with the stuff than he is. Or anyone else from his world, for that matter. Biotics make sense, far more sense, to him, but they just don't seem capable of the things all this magic does.

He ducks his head again, definitely flustered. "I mean... yeah. Yeah, sure. It's true, but..."

But how is he supposed to explain everything she's done? How incredible of a person Shepard is? Without someone being there to see it? Steve heard about the Reapers, back when he was telling the story those months ago. But just the way she didn't let a single damn thing stop her - the way she just sidestepped death and spat in the face of a mission supposedly doomed to failure...

"The weight of the galaxy is on her shoulders," he says, finally, instead. "And she holds it up. Always has... That's what I mean, I think. You want to make things easier on someone like that." Not weigh them down with your perceived shortcomings.

Steve shakes his head at the question about Wanda. No, that magic is something that she achieved back home, and even "magic" feels like a pretty basic way of putting it. It's not really his story to tell, so he leaves it at that for now.

Especially as Garrus moves on to describe Shepard in his own words. Again, the affection is there, but it's also admiration, respect, even awe. Steve knows people like that — so many of his own teammates are the exact same.

He smiles, something more genuine than his previous teasing one, at that final statement.

"You're right," he admits. It's what he tries to do for Sam, if he's honest, and he knows that Sam always wants to do the same in return. "And I'm sure that you do, every day. The fact that you're both here together, that must count for a lot too." He can't imagine what it's like for those Summoned who are stuck here without a single familiar face from home. It can't be easy.

"It's helped," he admits. Something loosens up in his shoulders, in the flex of his mandibles. Relaxing. "Situations like this, it's always good to have someone you know at your back."

Where the world has been pulled out from under you, and you're left trying to make sense of something that just... doesn't make sense anymore. A place like this would be an absolute fantasy in Citadel Space.

He spreads his hands, a sort of giving up gesture. His talons need trimming. They always seem to, here. "But you see where I'm coming from, yeah? Someone... someone like that doesn't need more pressure."

"You know, I think you've answered your own question." It feels like they should be sharing a drink all of a sudden, though Steve will have to be the one to brave the crowds down below to see if there's still anything left. He doesn't usually keep any secret stashes in their room, for better or worse.

He stands to do that without immediately explaining, crossing the room to settle a hand on Garrus' shoulder. They're both still caked in sand and he's in serious need of a bath, but he can worry about that after he's bid farewell to his guest — when the storm has abated slightly.

"You want to make things easier for her. You understand the burden on her, and you're there to lessen it, even if it's just a little bit. That means... a lot more than you might think." He gives Garrus' shoulder a final sort of pat, and then heads toward the door.

"I'm gonna grab us a drink and some food. Sit tight."

{Darude Sandstorm Intensifies}

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject