Titanium Man wrote...
PFFFFFFFFT BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Huzzah! Titanium is here. Repostan!, as he
requested demanded it.
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Costumesa request for
Titanium Man--------------------------------
It's a beautiful day today, Tali thought to herself as she walked around the colony. Months after relocating, the groundside crew for the
Normandy was well on their way to making the formerly abandoned colony their own. Some of the crewmen had even relocated family and friends here; either for safety from reprisals by Cerberus, or simply because additional crew was needed.
The quarian was on her way to work on the
Normandy, as there was always work to do to keep the ship in top form. As she turned a corner, a small body collided with her legs. She stepped back slightly in shock, even as she reached out to steady the child.
"Are you okay?" She asked. It wasn't a hard collision, but she was well aware of how solid the shin guards of her suit were.
The child didn't appear injured. She gave Tali a quick hug. "Happy Easter Suit Lady!"
An exasperated human came running up just as the child spoke. She smiled in embarrassment. "Honey, her name is Miss Tali." She nodded to the quarian.
"Sorry Miss Tali," She began apologetically. "My little girl tends to get away from me sometimes." She turned back to her child. "It's not Easter yet, honey. You have to wait until tomorrow to say that."
"I wanna see the Easter Bunny!"
"It's fine," Tali replied to the mother. "What is Easter?"
"Oh!" The mother said, surprised. "It is an Earth custom. It started as a religious holiday, but this little one," she answered as she picked up the child, "only seems to care about the eggs and chocolate." With another apology, the two humans walked off to a different part of the complex.
Tali shook her head in confusion. Eggs? Chocolate? Bunnies? Her omni-tool told her a it was another name for an earth animal. She'd have to look it up later, or just ask Shepard. With a shrug, she headed off to the
Normandy.
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In engineering, Tali was hard at work with Ken. Gabby was off this day. Ken had mentioned her complaining about an upset stomach. With a sigh, she stretched.
Looks light a light day. She had finished her work, and it wasn't even 1300 hours. She smiled to herself, satisfied with a job well done.
What should I do with the rest of my day?.
Then she remembered the child, and her confusion over the Earth holiday. Pulling up the extranet on her omnitool, she quickly searched out the term. The information she found surprised her. The more she read, the wider her eyes became. On a hunch, she did a search for Commander Shepard. Her eyes filled with mirth as she read some of the files.
She had to find the commander. Tali checked the systems one last time, then synced the controls to her omnitool. That would alert her of any issues. With a wave to Ken, she departed.
Now where is he?Checking her omnitool again, she was slightly startled to see him at the hospital. She rushed off to find out why. Thankfully, the hospital was not far from the dock. Useful, considering the
Normandy's line of work.
Entering the facility, Tali was relieved to see her captain seated next to one of the crew. The crewman was leaning on his knees, clearly stressed over something. She moved to join them.
"John, what is it?" She asked as she approached.
The commander looked up and smiled. "Hey Tali!" He responded. "This is crewman Watkins. He and crewman Gardenia are having a child. She went into labor earlier today."
Tali looked over at the stressed young man. She put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "Congratulations."
He looked up, startled. with a faint smile, he replied, "Thanks. I wish I could be in there though."
"It'll be fine Watkins," Shepard said gently. "As soon as Chakwas is done with the setup, she'll let you in. It just takes a bit."
As he was talking, the doors opened and Chakwas walked out. She turned, even as everyone looked to her. The doctor smiled. "Ok Watkins, we're ready for you."
Standing, the human turned to commander Shepard. "Thank you for staying with me," he said, before rushing into the medical bay.
"That was nice of you John," Tali said as she walked over and put an arm around her human. Chakwas was nodding in agreement. With a waive, the doctor returned to her patient.
"It wasn't anything special," the spectre denied. "I happened to be near when Watkins got the news, and didn't want him to panic."
Tali shook her head. Her commander doesn't even realize exactly how special he was. "Not everyone would do that, Captain," she said softly. "But I am glad you do."
He just shook his head. "So why were you looking for me?" He asked, changing the subject.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I heard some of the crew talking about an Earth holiday that happens tomorrow."
Shepard grinned. "Easter, right?" She nodded. "I was thinking of having the crew do something for it, but observances are different depending on where you are from, so I decided not to."
"We could always just celebrate you," Tali said with a laugh. Shepard looked at her, perplexed. The quarian let him go, and crossed her arms briefly.
Then she started listing off her reasons. "Let's see. You saved the galaxy. You came back from the dead, have saved the galaxy again," she listed off, counting on her fingers. "You have 12 followers that go with you everywhere. You constantly talk about forgiveness, unity, and peace." She was chuckling now. "And, the people in power don't want to hear what you have to say."
"I am just a man," Shepard said as a rebuttal.
Tali shook her head. "You are more than just a man, John," she responded. "For all of us here, with you, you are hope for the future." She walked closer, running a hand up his chest until it rested on his neck. "You are so much more than 'just a man', my Captain."
The spectre wrapped his arms around the quarian before him, and leaned in. "So what am I then, Tali?" he asked softly.
"You're a Hero," she replied, equally soft. "It's one of the things I love about you John."
After returning his hug for a few moment, she let him go and took his hand. She lead him away from the hospital, toward their quarters. She glanced back as they walked.
"You know, maybe we should see if they can get you a bunny costume. For the children?"
Shepard groaned, but laughed with her as he followed Tali. "It would be ridiculous."
She nodded, still laughing. "Maybe, but the children would love it."
"We'll see."
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Early the next morning, Shepard was inspecting his handiwork. All of the eggs were out and hidden in the small square near residential. Drinks and snacks under an awning. As he looked around at the setup he smiled to himself. He could hear the children and their parents approaching.
The things I do for this woman, he thought to himself as he looked over at his lover.
From behind a costume head of a white rabbit.
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