And why was she so surprised?
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Looking back, it had begun without her even knowing, back on the Alarei and the Rayya, and even before. She’d drawn such solace, such relief from his embrace when they had found her father. When she had told him that having him was a comfort and security she treasured, what had she meant? The stunned joy at meeting him on Freedom’s Progress, the way he seemed a constant presence to her even before he came for her on Haestrom; her mind whirled. Then there was the guileless kindness he showed in helping her complete her Pilgrimage with a gift to put every other Pilgrimage to shame. His open, honest face, his broad shoulders… Was she…? And Shepard, what did he…?
As quickly as the euphoria had swept her up, she regretfully started to tamp it back down. Shepard was a good man, and a good captain, a heroic one, even. But he was just a human, big, ungainly, and slow no matter how well he meant. And, surely he wasn’t… no, he had Liara, even if he hadn’t seen her in two years. Tali’s hands fell heavily on the console again. To him, she was probably just… just a quarian.
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Quarian