Listen Before I Go (Chapter 9)

Chapter 9: Seattle

Errmmm… So this happened. I had something completely different in mind for this one but I just went with the flow.
Tried some new things (as you know this is the fic where I do all my experiments)… I still don’t know if I like all of them, time will tell

Summary: Shepard and her commanding officer talk a little after the morning training

Words: 1723
Rating: Teens and up
Warning: Language, as always.

Read in AO3 -> [link]
Previous Chapter -> [link]
Next Chapter -> [link]
Through Hell and Back series -> [link]

—————————-

Dennis walks slowly through the compound, reflecting on how much his life has changed in the last few months, while he carries two cups of coffee filled almost to the top.

A month ago it was basically impossible for him to take a break and, the prospect of having to add the training of a whole new unit to his far too busy schedule, was almost driving him crazy. So who would’ve thought that, against all odds, this new addition to his responsibilities, would actually release him of most of them.

The first thing he sees, once he gets in the training area, is the main reason for his new found peace, sitting on a bench, observing from afar how the rest of the unit do the last exercises of their training.

“Detroit.” He says as he sits by her side, offering one of the cups. “Thought you may need it.”

“Thanks. I actually do.” Shepard laughs and takes the coffee, using it to warm her hands for a few seconds before taking the first sip. “Everything okay, Seattle?”

“Yeah… Just wanted to check how you were doing.”

“Well, you put me in charge of the training… So, you shouldn’t worry about anything.” 

Shepard smiles at him before returning to focus her attention on her drink.

“I guess I’m still used to having Lyn as my second.” 

“She still is.”

“You know what I mean… To have someone that’s able to take care of things apart from me.” He clarifies before laughing a little. “It’s a rare gift… I’m truly glad I took David’s advise”

“So that’s why you picked me in the first place? Because of Anderson?” Shepard shakes her head a couple of times. “And here I was thinking it was because of my skills…”

“Nice try, Detroit. But I’m not Vancouver, you’re not gonna get me so easily.”

Shepard laughs and continues drinking her coffee.

“Yeah, you’re impossible to surprise… But I had to try.”

Cho smiles and pats her back a couple times before standing up, redirecting his eyes to the rest of the group.

“Speaking of which, Dee… How on Earth have you managed to get Frankfurt in the running course?”

“Oh, easy… I promised him a three day pass.” She says, following her answer with the most devilish smile he has ever seen on her.

“Wait… All of you are receiving a three day pass at the end of the month.”

“I know.” She smirks and finishes what’s left of her coffee. “But he doesn’t…” Shepard stands up and returns him the empty mug, giving him a quick salute before getting ready to the rest of the team. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

Dennis stares at her as she walks away, watching her from afar as she gives them feedback before formally ending the training, and staying behind to put everything back in its place while the rest of the group leaves to take a well earned shower.

He waits patiently, drinking his coffee, until Shepard finishes everything and goes back to where he is.

“Imma do a quick run. Care to join me, sir?”

Cho looks at her pretty confused, trying to remember her schedule, before choosing to ask her directly about it.

“Didn’t you train before they did?”

“Yeah, I did… But I have some free time left.”

“Ufff…” Dennis looks at her for a few seconds before answering, in complete awe, wondering where she gets all her energy from. “Sure, why not?” He finally replies after weighthing all his options.

“That’s the spirit.”

“Plus, if I don’t do it you’ll tease me about it for the next three months, don’t you?”

Shepard grinns for a few seconds before she’s able to take control of her facial expression.

“Who? Me? Of course not, sir… I would never.”

They laugh for a long minute before heading to the running course, way too affected by Shepard’s comment to head there right away.

They start running, once they agree on how far they should go, taking a few seconds to test each other’s speed before choosing one they can both keep up in order to stay side by side.

“So… What’s the new thing, Seattle?” She asks, knowing way too well he would’ve never agreed to run with her if he wasn’t about to give her a lot more work. “New recruits?”

Cho looks at her for a couple of seconds, surprised by her comment.

“Well… Yes. I wasn’t going to mention it right now but… How did you know?”

“Peacekeeper units are usually formed from twenty to fifty soldiers.” She answers him with a tired smile on her face. “Plus, we’ll need a researcher sooner or later…”

“Ah yeah, that’s truly a pain in the ass… Almost none of them have battle training and the few who have… Ufff. Well, let’s just say that they don’t pass the cut on the other end.” Shepard nods at him, agreeing that’s probably their biggest problem to solve about the unit. “Anyways… That’s not why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Ohh… Sounds ominous.”

“Dee…” His expression shifts a little, and she starts to wonder where this change of mood comes from. “I’ve received a message that did, in fact, surprise me a little bit…” 

“I’ll take what I can get before I’m able to leave you in complete awe.” She says as she laughs, wondering what the whole deal is about. ”Another officer arguing that I’ve broken their record by cheating?” 

“Dee…”

“Sorry, go on.”

“Well… Apparently… You got your high school degree a few days ago?”

Shepard’s face changes all of a sudden, not expecting the conversation to evolve into that subject.

“Ah… Yes, sir.” She finally replies, trying her best to put an end to the whole topic. “You know I didn’t have the chance when I was younger so… I just did it.”

“And why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not a big deal… Took me only a few months.” Her voice starts to get weaker by the second, wishing she could credit the running for the sudden switch in her mood. “I Just wanted to prove… To have, you know, some kind of…”

“Are you gonna continue? Going up, I mean. Get a college degree?”

Her speed decreases a little, with her body not knowing what else to do. She is used to Vancouver’s attempts to learn personal things about her, he’s tried way too many times, and it always ends with her turning the whole situation into a joke or deflecting his questions into new subjects.

Nevertheless, this is new to her, for no one else had ever kept insisting with the questions after seeing her reach this level of discomfort.

“I… I haven’t given the whole thing that much of a thought… Plus I don’t think I’m able to…”

“Think again.” 

“Sir.”

“You’ll need it to make it to high rank officer”

“Well… I’m not trying to get too high…”

“Shepard!” Dennis grabs her by the arm, making both of them stop in an instant. “Cut the shit… What’s the problem?”

“Sir, with all due respect, I sleep three to four hours a day. And you’re going to add, what? Around thirty rookies to the unit that I’ll have to train. How do you expect me to do that, plus everything I do right now, and attempt to get a degree all at the same time.”

Dennis inspects her expression as he releases her arm from his grip, taking a deep breath before saying out loud what he thinks.

“I know there’s a lot on your plate, Detroit. So, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m under the impression that time is the least of your problems here.”

Shepard sighs, looking at the sky for a few seconds before trying to find her words, unable to meet his gaze as she finally speaks again.

“Sometimes I hate that you are so clever, Seattle…”

“Well, that, doesn’t surprise me.” Cho laughs a little, considering her answer a big win when it comes to Shepard talking about her feelings, as he starts to discern where all her worries must be coming from. “Dee, come on… Choose anything that has electronics in it and you’ll get it in less than a couple of years, I’ve seen your work.”

Shepard stops to contemplate what he just said, feeling a bit surprised by the fact that he was able to pinpoint the problem before she was even able to realize there was something to worry about.

“You really think so?” She coyly asks, still a bit doubtful about her reach.

“Of course… And I want no argument about it, that’s an order.” He tells her with a kind smile on his face.

“…” She smiles back as an answer to his words, not knowing what else to do, unable to talk, and still a bit lost in her own mind.

“Detroit, for the next month, grab Vancouver and Chicago.” He tells her, now with a gentle but firm tone of voice. “Teach them all you’ve been doing until now with the unit.” 

“But…”

“No but… They’ll be in charge of training once we get the new recruits.” Shepard sighs and smiles, leaving aside her hesitation as she starts to believe in Dennis’ words. “So, now that time is not an issue…”

She groans in a joking manner, which instantly develops into her laughing at the whole situation.

“I freaking hate you…”

“I hate you too.” He instantly answers her, unable to hold back his laughter too. “Now, go look at all your degree options.” 

She smiles one more time and sighs, grabbing the forgotten empty cups of coffee after taking a second look to make sure that there’s nothing left behind. 

“I want you to have a pick by tomorrow.”

To his surprise, she doesn’t complain again, and just nods at him, agreeing with his decision.

“Aye, aye, sir.” 

She finally says, as a goodbye, before walking away, leaving his superior behind in the training ground, feeling very confused as well as proud, and wondering if what just happened in front of his eyes was, in fact, real or just a product of his imagination.

Oh my… Detroit agreeing with me. He says to himself, observing how Shepard walks away with the two empty cups. Now I’ve seen everything!

—————————–

I’m having mixed feelings about this one (maybe because of the lack of fluff, funny stuff and/or smut, who knows)
Well… The cool thing is that I finally reached the point I wanted (only took me 9 chapters lol) and in the next one I’ll introduce back into the story the main character of this whole thing WEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Is going to be a pain in the as to write lol (plus I’m having a lot of fun with Didn’t Have the Heart) but I need to finish this fic first for the other to make sense in the last chapter so…. Wish me luck!! Or you won’t see neither of them lol

If I’m in the mood I’ll upload ch3 of DHtH tomorrow (get ready for some angst lol)

Listen Before I Go (Chapter 8)

Chapter 8: Persephone

I truly love this one… I added the maps I made so that you can se how the bases are distributed.
Hope you like it.

Summary: Shepard and her team go through a quite unusual game of capture the flag.

Words: 3080
Rating: Teens and up
Warning: Language, as always.

Read in AO3 -> [link]
Previous Chapter -> [link]
Next Chapter -> [link]
Through Hell and Back series -> [link]

———————–

“Holly shit, it’s cold in here.”

“Really, Frankfurt? And here I was thinking this was a heat wave.”

The whole group laughs at Vancouver’s comment, Frankfurt included, which helps to lighten the mood a little bit and gives Shepard an opportunity to finally expose her plan, or at least fragments of it.

“Very funny Van, but try behaving for a little. And yes, Frank, we already know Persephone is not a tropical paradise, but what were you expecting?”

“Heaters?” Frank’s answer causes a second round of laughs.

“Look, I know this seems like a pain in the ass, but we’re ready for it.”

Vancouver smiles and sighs in relief after hearing his friend’s statement.

“And you already have a plan, don’t you? I know that tone of voice… You wouldn’t be so confident if you didn’t think we are going to win this.”

Shepard returns the smile but remains silent.

“Wait… You already know what to do?” Lynden asks, truly amazed with Shepard’s skills.

“Since the moment I set foot on that shuttle.” She answers her, giving her a soft pat on her back before switching on her omni-tool to send a message to the whole group. “On our way here I made sure our comms were unbreakable and unhackable…” She says as she keeps writing her orders. “But I’m not sure about the security here, so I’ll just say the basic stuff out loud, you’ll get the details in no time. Any question?”

Except for her best friend, who is already used to her commanding form, everyone else needs a second to process all of her words.

After leaving them a few seconds to catch up with her, Shepard starts to talk again.

“Perfect, let’s get this party started.” She says before switching off her omni-tool, preparing to address every member one by one.

“Van, comb the room for ears or any spying device and, if there’re cameras, deactivate them in all bases, not only ours. Lyn, there’re shields and barriers surrounding our base, but they’re out, see what you can do to fix them. Lisbon, back there there’s a broken heater, fix it as quick as you’re able. The rest of you follow me.”

Everyone with an order starts moving right away to do their tasks, leaving the rest of them alone in the middle of the room.

“Right, you said you were good with tech, Val?” Valencia nods. “Perfect, get me a map of the planet. Coming here I saw a data hub, do what you can to get all the data that may be useful for us. I’ll join you in just a sec.”

The two biotics stare at Shepard as Valencia nods and proceeds to follow her order, still amazed with the whole situation.

“Frank… Any good with barriers?” Shepard asks him, making him come back to reality.

He replies with a smug smile that lets her know he is an expert before he actually replies to the question.

“Of course. No offense to Chicago here, but you’re looking at the best biotic in base, Detroit.”

“If only you could run…” Chicago says with a big smirk on her face, not even remotely bothered by his comment.

“Ehehehehe. Good one.”

“Perfect. Frank, you’ll be on defense.” He smiles after hearing his role in the whole plan. “Although I can make you come with us if you prefer to run a little.” Shepard smiles at the biotic, seeing him shake his head vigorously.

“I’d rather stay put, Dee.”

“I guessed as much.” She laughs at her own comment for a few seconds before continuing. “Well then, in that case, go talk with Valencia and get familiar with every single entrance and weak spot.”

Frankfurt nods and leaves.

“Chicago, come with me.” Shepard starts moving and she follows her to the other end of the room, next to their flag, where no one else can hear them. “You, my friend, are going to be the key to win this, you’re up for it?”

“Here for whatever you need, Dee.”

“Perfect.”

˜

“What did I miss?” Anderson asks as he approaches the rest of the officers, stopping right next to Cho.

“They started twenty minutes ago, more or less.” Dennis says, turning a little to speak with his friend. “Tell me David, are you still interested to bet?”

“Depends…” Anderson smiles. “Is Shepard finally in this?”

“Detroit? Yeah. She and her plus one. Both of them are down there.”

“Same team, right?”

“Yup.”

“Count me in.” As he transfers the credits with his omni-tool to the online pool, the rest of the officers start to laugh at him. “What?”

“Maybe we should’ve told you, Anderson… They’re in Connor’s group.” One of them says as everyone starts to laugh again, already savoring a victory that is yet to come. “You just bet a fortune on the worst lieutenant in the history of the Alliance.”

Anderson smiles but doesn’t say anything, letting his friends make fun of the situation.

“I mean, we’re now betting on how long it will take the other groups to take them down. I mean, they have half the members to defend their base! They’re gonna be eaten alive.”

“There’s only seven people in team A.” Cho explains to his friend. “They cannot attack and leave a lot of their people behind, but they need to… It’s doom from the beginning being in that squad.”

Without losing his smile, Anderson nods to say goodbye and leaves the group, switching on his omnitool the second he’s away from them. Dennis follows him after a few seconds.

“You seem oddly amused by the fact that you’re going to lose a lot of money.” He looks at his friend as he says this. “Trying to annul the bet? To get your money back?”

“No… No. Betting even more.”

“What!?”

“You said Shepard was in charge, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. But come on, she’s just one person. What do you think one person can do?”

“That’s the fun in all this. I have not the foggiest idea… But I’m positively sure that she’ll find a way.” Anderson starts laughing as he places one hand on his friend’s shoulder. “That kid would never, never, do anything without a good reason and a great plan that allows her to win… Now we just have to wait and see.”

“Why am I starting to believe you?”

“Because I’m right… Or do you think she ended up in that squad by accident?”

Cho hesitates for a few seconds but, after seeing Anderson’s confidence, he gets on his omni-tool and places the same bet as him.

“At least if I lose this time so will you, David.” He sighs. “You’ve been winning me too much… It may be time for me to start paying attention.”

“I’m glad to see you come to your senses, Dennis.”

“Hey…” One of the officers screams from across the room. “They’re about to break into their base! Wanna see how you lose all your money, Anderson?”

Cho and him rejoin the group and, as the first one gets ready to lose a lot of money, the other starts to smile even more.

“You realize you’re the only one crazy enough to bet on that unit?”

“Not anymore.” Anderson taps his friend on the back. “Now there’s two of us.”

“He got you into that mess, Cho? Well.. More money for us.” All of them start laughing but, after a few seconds, they cannot avoid noticing the strength of Anderson’s smile. “What is so amusing, David?”

“Didn’t you say they were about to lose the base?” One of the officers nods very confused. “Well it seems they cannot breach it.”

“What?”

“Take a look at what’s happening.”

All of them turn to look at the screens and become pretty surprised after seeing why it is taking team B so long to take the A base.

“Am I crazy or is that both a technologic and a biotic field?”

“They won’t be able to hold it forever, Anderson. I don’t know what you are so happy about.”

“Well… The temperature in the field is decreasing. So maybe they won’t be able to keep trying for a long time. Do we have visual of the inside of the base?”

“No, only the open areas, the cameras are not working at the main buildings for some reason. Why do you ask?”

“Tell me… How many groups are you able to see right now?”

“B, trying to take the A base, and C and D, on their way there.”

“And A? We are assuming all of them are at their base…” Cho starts smiling the moment he hears that, beginning to understand why his friend is so confident about their bet. “But does anyone know what they’re doing right now?”

None of the officers knows the answer. They’ve been so focused on the big squads that none of them has stopped to think about team A’s strategy until now.

“And now tell me one more thing, just to confirm my thoughts…” Anderson adds, trying his best to control his expression. “How many weapons were assigned to each group?”

“Two, with practice rounds… If you are hit, you’re out.”

“Let me guess… They chose the type?”

“Yeah.”

“Did team A get a sniper?”

“Two, actually.”

Anderson can’t avoid laughing, feeling even more sure about his chances, if that’s even possible.

“This is definitely going to be fun.”

And he isn’t wrong.

A few seconds after, they see, for the first time ever, one member of team A, Valencia, climbing to the rooftop of her base to shoot anyone who tries to get remotely near to the area, eliminating in the process almost every member of team B, who were still trying to find a way to enter the base. The few left, saved after a quick attempt at retreating, are quickly eliminated by team C, that’s taking cover on the opposite end of the field.

“Erase that smile from your face, Anderson.” One of the officers says. “I’ll admit they’ve been clever enough with their defense to be able to take a team down, but this is far away from the ending.”

Contrary to the suggestion, his grin gets even wider, finding it impossible to avoid laughing after spending a few seconds analyzing the situation.

Cho turns and pulls his arm a little to gain his attention.

“What am I missing?” He asks in a whisper, understanding that his friend is seeing a lot more than he is.

“Well… It seems that team C and D are all in the same area, and I suppose they will ally temporarily to take down team A. I’m assuming their objective is to eliminate everyone in there before they can make it out of the base and take their flag as soon as possible.”

“And why are you laughing?” Anderson’s smile gets even wider, unable to hold it back after his friend’s question. “Come on, tell me.”

“Two snipers.”

“What?”

“Team A has two snipers and, I don’t want to disrespect Espinosa, she’s clearly done a wonderful job taking down team B…”

“But?”

“But I’ve never seen a shot like Shepard’s in my whole entire career so… Why isn’t she on the rooftop too? It’d be the logical thing to do, they would’ve eliminated the enemy even quicker, no?”

“Yes, I suppose.”

“So… Where is she?”

Cho thinks for a couple of seconds, looking at the monitors and trying to understand what he’s missing out on, when he finally understands what his friend is trying to say.

“No, wait… It cannot be.” A moment after the realization he starts smiling too, suddenly comprehending why Anderson was laughing like that. “She isn’t on the base… You have to be kidding me.”

They stare at the screens, seeing team C and D striking the base at the same time, suffering a few losses before the technological field, that’s no longer supported by the biotics, is finally down allowing them to enter.

Anderson rests his hand on Dennis’ shoulder, happy to see his friend finally catching up with his suspicions.

“She… She is attacking their bases while they focus on hers, right?”

He nods, agreeing with Cho’s deduction, just a few seconds before reality confirms it for them.

What happens next, is way too difficult to understand at the beginning for the majority of the people gathered around the monitors, but they all start to comprehend the span of team A strategy the moment their whole plan starts to unfold in front of their eyes.

A few seconds after seeing the base shield fall, they notice, to the surprise of all the officers in there, included Anderson and Cho, a second member joining Valencia on the rooftop.

“Wait…” One of them says, squinting her eyes. “Isn’t that the lazy biotic who’s always complaining about everything? What’s Weber doing up there too?”

Her question is quickly answered. After a few seconds focusing on him and Valencia, they start to see both team C and D retreating in a hurry from base A, running as fast as they can through the no-man’s land.

“What the hell is happening? Have they already eliminated the other members of team A?”

“Wrong question.” Cho replies, quickly understanding the whole plan in just a few seconds. “Take a closer look.”

All the officers stare at the screen, but they aren’t able to decipher what’s going on.

“What are we supposed to see?” One of them asks, quickly losing his patience.

“It’s more in terms of what you are not seeing.” Anderson adds, trying to contain his smile as best as he’s able. “Don’t you see what’s missing?”

“A flag.” The woman from before replies, coming to the realization all of a sudden. “No one has taken the flag from team A, which means…”

Before she is able to explain her deduction, the whole plan starts to develop in front of their eyes.

Out of nowhere, in the building situated on the other end of the open field, appears Shepard, followed by Lynden and Lisbon, and as the first one starts climbing her way to the rooftop, the other two stay in front of the building, hacking the main entrance to shut it close.

“You have to be kidding me…”

The commotion spreads through the whole room, causing gasps and laughters at the same time, as they see both Vancouver and Chicago getting out of the sewer, in the middle of the battlefield, and with the first one carrying every team flag, including their own, while the biotic casts a huge biotic force field to protect the two of them.

When the other teams realize where they are, it’s already too late.

Lynden and Lisbon finish hacking the door and Shepard gives the order, leading to Frankfurt going to the main door while Valencia covers him from the rooftop.

In just a few seconds, the biotic field the entrance of their base reapers, casted by Frankfurt, and the couple carrying the flags starts to run to the building as Shepard and Valencia start an inescapable crossfire.

The first to be eliminated are the ones who attempt to attack the flag team, who quickly become Shepard’s main target to prove Anderson was indeed right when he dedicated so many compliments to her skills with the sniper.

The remaining time for the ones who tried to retreat instead of attacking isn’t much longer either. Both teams turn into complete chaos, all their members confused and separated in an open field, and with no option to escape now that the two closest buildings are blocked by team A.

By the time Vancouver and Chicago make it to their base, most of the other participants have been eliminated in the crossfire and, after putting all the flags in the designated area, none of them is left.

“Team A wins the game.” A VI voice announces, both in the field and in the room situated one planet away from there, confirming to everyone inside of it why Anderson was so sure about his bet.

The silence that spreads through the room once the announcement is over, that lasts for a while as all of the officers stare at the images of team A celebrating their victory, is quickly broken by Cho who, still in awe of what he’s just witnessed, starts to clap without even thinking about it.

The applause extends in record time, and all the officers in the room join in a matter of seconds, creating an ovation that, even though the winners are not able to hear, they need to get out of their body after seeing what just happened in front of their eyes.

“Fuck, I’m not even mad about loosing the bet.” One of them says as he gets closer to Anderson, fidgeting with his omni-tool preparing to transfer the credits. “That shit was amazing.” Many laugh and follow his lead, paying what they’ve lost to Anderson and Cho. “You were right, David, as always… Although this time it doesn’t hurt to admit it.”

“You’ll get me the next one.”

“Count on it.” He says before shaking his hand as both of them smile at each other. “Although I’ll refrain myself from betting against that kid any time soon… Well, or any time, period.”

The whole room laughs and starts to form their goodbye, getting ready to go on their way.

˜

The celebration is still going on even when they make it back to Demeter, with the whole team still shouting and praising each other when the shuttle lands on the main base.

The first thing they see as they get out of it is Commander Dennis Cho, waiting for them in the landing zone, with a big smile on his face.

He takes a few steps to close the distance between him and the rest of the team, stopping right in front of Shepard.

“Sir.” She greets him and salutes, but, to her surprise, he puts his arm out to offer her a hand shake, which, after a quick smile on her part, she takes without hesitation.

“Seattle.” He says, immediately mirroring her expression with a smile of his own. “You can call me Seattle.”

Cho looks at the rest of the crew, dedicating a moment to congratulate each and every one of them without needing to say any word.

“Well…” He adds, taking his hands to his pockets before addressing the whole group. “Welcome to my unit.”

———————-

Yaaaaaay!!! We are closer, only 2 chapters until we meet Ryder weeeeeee~~~
I had a lot to tell you but I’ve forgotten everything lol
Well… Have a nice day

And her are the maps and team A path to victory (the black squares are the sewers btw)

Listen Before I Go (Chapter 10)

Chapter 10: Abyss

Yaaaaaaay It only cost me 10 chapters but here we are lol
Thank to @halesshepardn7 for the name recommendation for the bar <3
I’m mega tired (so forgive me if there’s a few mistakes ehehe) I swear I did my best
Hope you like it!!

Summary: Shepard and her best friend go out to celebrate her promotion, but she’ll end up spending the whole beginning of the night making a new friend.

Words: 2215
Rating: Teens and up
Warning: Language and alcohol.

Read in AO3 -> [link]
Previous Chapter -> [link]
Next Chapter -> []
Through Hell and Back series -> [link]

——————-

“I suppose you want gin, don’t you?” 

Shepard waits a few seconds for an answer before turning to look at his friend, quickly realizing her inquiry hasn’t reached its destination.

The Abyss is usually a busy place and tonight it’s not an exception. In fact, there’s so many people in the pub, that Shepard has to repeat her question a couple times before he is able to hear it. 

“Gin?” She tries again, raising her voice even more.

Vancouver smiles after her last attempt, finally able to understand her, and throws his arm on top of her shoulders in order to bring her closer.

“Ohh… You know me so well, Dee.” He laughs as he pulls her in for a hug. “What are you going to ask for this time?” Vancouver looks at her, thinking about the last nights they went out, and his smile deepens even more. “Everything they have mixed in a bucket?”

Shepard laughs and shrugs her shoulders, considering his suggestions.

“Could be interesting…” 

“You don’t really have a preference?”

“I don’t think so…” She gives the whole idea a second thought, but her verdict remains the same. ”I mean, it’s alcohol. It just has to get you drunk.”

“Oh… Look at me! I’m Detroit.” He starts saying in a higher pitch. “I’m so badass I can drink anything…”

“You’re insufferable, you know that?” She rolls her eyes but her smile widens by the second with each and every one of his words.

“Oh, come on Dee! You don’t fool anyone… You love me and you know it!”

“Shut up.” Shepard replies right away, but the tone of her voice clearly indicates that her friend is correct about his assumptions, which instantly makes him laugh even more. 

She gives him a soft hit with her elbow in an attempt to stop his laughter. 

“I freaking hate you.” She adds, doing her best to avoid smiling.

“Look, my arm has been resting on your shoulder for a minute now and you still have not attempted to tore it apart…” He brings her even closer as he says this. “If that isn’t love I don’t know what it is…”

Shepard laughs and, after a few seconds of struggle, manages to free herself from the hug, pushing his friend in the process to make him stop.

“Lord, I need a drink…” She adds before starting to walk towards the bar area.

“Still sure you don’t want me to pay!?” Vancouver asks her half screaming when she’s already halfway there.

“It’s my fucking celebration, Van!!” She yells at him once she makes it to her destination, turning a little to rest her elbow on top of the bar. “Drinks are on me!!”

All the voices in the place go silent just a moment before that sentence comes out of her mouth, leaving the room completely empty of any sound so that her words can echo in every single one of its walls.

Fuck…She says to herself, quickly realizing what is about to happen next. 

In no time, just as she suspected, all the people in The Abyss, thinking her offer wasn’t just for her friend, start cheering and surrounding her in a matter of seconds, raising their half empty glasses to celebrate the misunderstood offer. 

The noise increases so much because of it that she isn’t able to hear what any of them is saying but, much to her dismay, it’s not enough to cover the laughter of her best friend, who is currently cracking up because of the whole situation he is witnessing from a distance.

She tries her best to find a way out but, after a few seconds, she gives up, suddenly realising she’s way too happy to ruin the general mood, and her own, just because of a stupid coincidence.

“Oh well… Why the hell not?” Shepard pounds her hand on the bar with all her strength. “Bartender! Serve a round of gin for everyone here! On me!” 

The crowd surrounding her quickly disperses to go for their drinks and, as Vancouver goes to look for a table, she waits patiently for everyone to disappear so that she can pay and collect her own.

“Two gins…” The girl tending the bar says to her, placing two empty glasses in front of her. “These two are on the house.” She whispers as she shows her the bottle she’s about to serve them from, a different one from the ones she just poured, much more expensive.

“Thanks…” Shepard smiles at her, a bit surprised by her generosity. “That stuff is hard to come by, especially out of Earth.”

“You just made a lot of people happy, spending a little fortune in the process, and all of that just to get others drunk… I think you deserve it.” She fills the glasses almost to the top and puts the bottle back in its place. “Plus, it seems like you’re celebrating something.”

“Yes, yes I am…” Shepard looks at the bartender for a few seconds before making a decision. “Tell you what, serve yourself a drink!” She demands, already paying for it with her omni-tool before she’s even got the chance to give her an answer.

“All I wanted was to save you some money… And now you’re spending even more?”

“It’s just money… I can always earn more.” 

Her comment makes her smile a little and leads her to start considering the offer.

“I really shouldn’t…”

“Ah, no.” Shepard interrupts her. ”I won’t take no for an answer. So… What’s your poison?”

She hesitates and, just as she’s about to give in, she suddenly has an amazing idea.

“Guess.” She demands with a big smile on her face that Shepard cannot avoid to mirror right away, already knowing where this is heading. “Guess my go-todrink and, If you are correct, I’ll have one with you.”

After placing a third glass on top of the bar she takes a step to the side, granting a clear view of all the bottles on the wall.

“Can you guess it?”

“Easy…” She tells her without a hint of hesitation. “Extremely easy… In fact.”

“So?”

“Whiskey. Neat.” 

Shepard looks at her for a few seconds, waiting for her answer with a smug smile forming on her face.

The bartender stares at her for a moment and, even though she tries her best to keep the mysterious gaze for as long as possible, her whole facade falls apart in an instant, quickly bursting into laughter because of her answer.

“Holy shit! How did you know that!?” She asks as soon as she’s able to recover from it.

“As I said, It’s easy… I just have a good feeling about you!” Shepard says, tapping the empty glass to indicate she needs to serve the third drink. “I always have amazing vibes with whiskey people… Best friends you can find!”

They stare at each other for a few seconds and the girl cannot avoid dedicating her gentle smile that could have lasted a bit longer if a distant voice wasn’t about to pull her out of the trance.

“Detrooooooit!!” Vancouver calls for Shepard, screaming from the other side of the room. “Stop giving your money away and bring my gin and your ass over here! I’m thirsty.”

“See?” Shepards shakes her head a couple of times, doing her best to contain her smile as she does it. “That’s what I get for befriending gin people” The two of them laugh at Shepard’s comment and the bartender finally serves herself a whiskey.

She looks at Shepard with disbelief for a couple of seconds, still wondering how she managed to guess her favorite drink among so many options.

“Okay, let’s say I believe you. That you knew because we get along nicely…” She states looking at her glass. “How on Earth did you know I like it neat?”

“We couldn’t be friends otherwise…”

The bartender starts to laugh at her comment, nodding her head energetically as she picks her drink, completely agreeing with her point of view.

“Oh my…” She says after a few seconds, clearing a tear from her eye. “Where have you been all my life?”

Shepard is the one laughing now, grabbing her drink and raising her hand in the air to throw a toast that her new found friend follows right away as she attempts to say something nice.

“To…” The bartender says unsure, after mimicking her gesture, suddenly realizing she doesn’t even know her real name. “Detroit?”

“Yeah… Long story.”

“Well then, to Detroit!” She says, raising her cup even higher. “By the way, what are we celebrating?”

Shepard snorts a little and smiles, unable to contain her happiness.

“Me.”

“Well, then…” She smiles back, trying her best to come up with an ambiguous speech. “To Detroit, the… Erm… The bravest, strongest and…. Erm… And the… The.. ”

“The fucking yongest Chief ever in the history of the Alliance!” Shepard completes the toast for her and both of them down their respective drinks as fast as they’re able.

“Woah! Really?” She asks after leaving the empty glass on top of the bar.

“Yeah… Got the news today, that’s why we’re here.” Shepard says pointing back at where Vancouver is sitting. “Which reminds me… I should go look for him.”

“Come see me whenever you’re thirsty again, Detroit.” 

“Ha.” Shepard laughs, resting some of her weight on top of the bar. “See you in no time then, errm…” She stops to think for a second. “Wait, I don’t even know your name!”

“Nor I do yours.”

“Ha! True.” Shepard points at her glass to ask for a refill. “Then tell me… Where are you from, kid?”

“Erm…” She laughs and spends a couple of seconds thinking about the answer. ”Anywhere. Everywhere… The perks of being an army brat.” She explains. “Never spend too long at the same place.” 

“Alliance parents?”

“Yup.”

Shepard quickly notices how her expression starts swifting from her happy state, evolving into something she’s not fully able to decipher.

“And you’re Aliance too?”

“Yeah, kinda…”

She looks at her for a few seconds more, surprised by her answer, not knowing if she should keep asking this type of questions but way too invested into knowing what her words truly meant to be able to stop. 

“Kinda? How’s that even possible? To be kinda in the Alliance…”

“In theory I’m a private but… Well, in reality, I’m a researcher…” That’s all she answers as she begins to refill Shepard’s glass, unable to give a more precise explanation.

“That’s as Alliance as it gets, kid.” After a few seconds of expecting a smile that doesn’t appear Shepard decides to change her whole strategy and try a new angle. “In fact, you should be calling me by rank now, Private, but I kindalike you… So I’ll let it slide.”

This time she hits right on the target, and she smiles too after seeing the effect of her words on her new friend.

“Good to know you think that way… Ma’am”

The smile deepens after a short pause and Shepard’s quickly develops into a laughter, starting to feel more comfortable now with asking more questions about the whole affair.

“And I’m guessing others don’t?”

“Regular army people don’t usually see us as… Well… Anything.” She explains with a hint of sadness in her expression. “And who could blame them, afterall, I spend most of my working hours in a lab.”

“And how’s that? Any fun?”

She snorts at Shepard’s question while she grabs her empty glass and puts it away.

“I’m working here in my free hours… What does that tell you about my real job?”

“Right. That bad?”

She isn’t able to reply before they are interrupted once again.

“Deeeee!!!” Vancouver calls her again.

“You’re wanted… You should go celebrate before I depress you with my lab rat problems.”

Shepard smiles at her one last time and grabs the two drinks, prepared to walk away, but stops dead just when it seems she’s about to turn around and leave.

“Hey, you didn’t answer my question…” She tells her, surprised she’s been able to dodge her question for so long. “Where were you born?”

“Earth.”

“No shit, be more precise, smartass.”

Shepard’s reply makes her smile instantly, causing her to shake her head a couple of times before returning her attention to her.

“You never give up?”

“Oh… How little you know me.”

This time around the smile triggered by her sentence is even bigger, making her give up and finally deliver the answer she’s really looking for.

“A small corner of Italy. Catania…“ She states, taking a second to analyze her reaction to her words. ”Happy now?”

“Yeah… I’d say so.” Shepard looks at her for a couple of seconds and smiles, lowering her head to say goodbye before turning away. “See you around… Catania.”

The bartender laughs at her farewell, not truly believing everything that just happened in the last few minutes.

“Not if I see you first, Detroit.”

“Ha…” She can hear Shepard laughing as she walks to her seat and, even though the bar area is now crowded with many people waiting for their drinks, she can still hear her, replying to her taunt through the distance. “Good one kid… That was a good one!”

——————-

Yaaaaaay
This was supposed to contain all the night in just on chapter but only the beginning of it was more than 2000 words lol so I decided to divide it
Next 2 chapter are going to be awesome (or at least I think so eheheh)
Anyways, thanks a lot for being here and I hope you liked the chapter
And in case you were wondering: YES. The whole “I always have amazing vibes with whiskey people” is a blatant (pre)reference to Kaidan… There’s gonna be a lot of that in this fic XDDD

——————-

#christmasmovies

Klaus is a new origin story for Santa Claus, about a postman that gets sent to the remote town of Smeerensburg and befriends a reclusive toy maker. Sergio Pablos, the director, used mostly traditional 2D hand-drawn animation, while animated film nowadays use 3D animation and CGI. Pablos wanted it to give the movie a nostalgic component, but he overcame some of the limitations of 2D using lighting to give volume to the characters.

“One of the early inspirations that we had for this film was ‘Batman Begins,’” said Pablos, whose version of Santa is taciturn, has dealt with loss and has a toy shop that could be seen as a sort of Batcave. “You can definitely say people have described it as 'Santa Begins.’

_____________________________________________________

Klaus è una nuova storia sulle origini di Babbo Natale, che parla di un postino che viene mandato nella remota città di Smeerensburg e fa amicizia con un giocattolaio solitario. Sergio Pablos, il regista, ha usato principalmente animazione tradizionale, in 2D e disegnata a mano, mentre al giorno d’oggi i film d’animazione usano 3D e CGI. Pablos voleva dare un tono nostalgico al film, ma è riuscito a superare alcune limitazione del 2D usando l’illuminazione per dare spessore ai personaggi.

"Una delle prime fonti di ispirazioni che abbiamo avuto per il film è 'Batman Begins” ha detto Pablos, la cui versione di Babbo Natale è taciturna, ha sofferto una perdita, e ha un negozio che ricorda una sorta di Batcave. “Si può decisamente dire che il film è stato descritto come ‘Santa Begins’”

Regia/Directed by: Sergio Pablos

Sceneggiatura/Screenplay by: Sergio Pablos, Jim Mahoney, Zach Lewis

Soggetto/Story by: Sergio Pablos

Montaggio/Edited by: Pablo Garcia Revert

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Metacritic: 65

IMDb: 8,2

Letterboxd: 4.0

Anno/Year: 2019

#klaus #klausmovie #christmasmovie #santaclaus #sergiopablos #jasonschwartzman #jksimmons #rashidajones #sami #samiculture #postman #toymaker #2danimation #handdrawnanimation #handdrawn #netflix #farnorth #originstory #moviemaking #movielover #letters #animation #filmdanimazione #filmdinatale #filmnatalizi #babbonatale #northpole #directorialdebut #batmanbegins

Our 7th grader noted that everyone owns an Uno deck yet no one remembers where they got it. Where do they come from?

They’re like dandelions, I suggested. They’re everywhere. A card flutters off sometimes and reseeds a whole new deck. If it’s a Draw 4, it seeds four decks.

Dizen Morningstar *Part 2* March 9 2021

The woman smiled with teary eyes.

“Great! Come, let me give you the tour. Then I’ll find you something to wear. You gotta blend in right? When in Rome…”

Dizen confused, looked down and saw she was still wearing her Sentinel outfit.

“Ah I see, I’ve been summoned to Rome then" Dizen said. "Hmm, I wonder what time period? I’ve heard and read so many books about it. Dizen thought to herself.

"Haha no silly, this is my apartment in Canada! The Rome thing was just a saying, ya know?”

They walked past a mirror and Dizen abruptly stopped.

“Huh? My eyes are green? What happened to my teeth? Where are my marks and horns? Hmm, my wings are missing too…” she thought. The woman looked back at Dizen.

“Something wrong? Are you ok?” The woman seemed very concerned.

“I’m fine! Just surprised by my reflection, I look a little…different” Dizen said while examining her human realm look. “Well I did read about these effects in an old Daemon scripture but this whole thing was so sudden. Plus I feel weak, the power suppression is rough…” Dizen felt helpless and lost in her thoughts.

The woman walked up to Dizen and placed her hands on Dizen’s cheeks.

“I think you’re adorable, I wouldn't have it any other way!" Dizen’s cheeks were flushed and she smiled warmly. Her eyes glowed red for a slight moment.

"A-as you wish mistress~”

Dizen said shyly.

“Aww you don’t have to call me that! Call me Evi” The woman said politely then smiled.

Evi Noru, who exactly was this woman? The ritual performed was no normal summoning and the compact terms undefined. Regardless Dizen was intrigued, she wanted to know more about this woman and experience human realm in person.

“Sure Miss Evi! I am Dizen Morningstar~” Dizen said cheerfully then bowed.

“Nice to have you dear! Here’s something comfy to wear. When you’re ready, we got much to discuss!”

Mistress Evi looked relieved then left the room.

Dizen looked at the clothing laid out for her. She touched the items.

“Soft!” she thought to herself. “I’m not used to such things but as the mistress said "When in Rome" I guess?” She changed into the outfit.

“Warm…Reminds me of home. ” Dizen looked at her reflection one more time then leaves the room.

*My Original Character debut* Feb 15, 2021

Dizen Morningstar *Part 1*

Hey all Here is my character’s profile and origin story, thanks for reading!

Dizen Morningstar is a Demon birthed from magma and forged by the fires of Hell. Youngest in the bloodline, she was kept close to home for many years. She spent a lot of time alone, reading all the books and scrolls she could get her hands on. Dizen also learned a lot from her older siblings as they regailed her with tales of war, travel and adventures in the human realm.

As a child, Dizen took an interest in weaponry and combat. Once she was old enough, she joined Hell's Sentinel force. After 10 years of training she eventually became one of the top sentinel and stood guard for over 200 years!

One night, an unusual summoning ritual was performed. Dizen was targeted and materialized somewhere in the human realm! Dazed, faint and confused, she noticed a human woman on the floor holding a single candle. The woman looked up at Dizen with tears running down her cheeks and a faint smile.

“Why have you summoned me mortal? What do you desire?” Dizen asked. The woman closed her eyes and clenched her chest.

“Solace…I don’t want to feel this way again!”

Dizen looked at the woman with a wily smile then laughed.

“Ah well lucky for you, I was bored in Daeman realm, challenge accepted!”

Now this new compact was confirmed! Dizen, with her appearance changed and powers supressed in human realm, can she accomplish the task ahead of her? Adventure awaits~