A Promise is a Promise (Atroxa & OstrichFromJoust)

The turian was lost in sleep as she came in. Hearing something made him shift slightly, not waking him. The feeling of the bed sinking next to him, something warm slowly getting closer eventually made him stir. Eyes barely opening, he made a soft noise as his head turned, seeing and feeling her arm on his. His mandibles moved, a light smile crossing his face as his head went back to the pillow. "This one feels real," he muttered under his breath, resting his head and falling back to sleep almost instantly. His half-asleep mind had thought it was just part of the dream, and brought him back to more as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

The hours passed, and eventually his alarm blared once more. With a tired grunt he reached over to turn it off, stretching some and forcing himself to get up. It didn't take long for him to realize he wasn't alone in the bed, feeling her warmth next to him. His mandibles fluttered, realizing that it hadn't been a dream when he felt her next to him, head on his shoulder again, arm around him. Vexus couldn't help but smile, realizing it was a bit bittersweet that she'd joined him. Another nightmare was probably the cause, but he liked that she'd taken up his offer.

It hit him that he had to hurry up, and Vexus started to get around and get his things ready for the day. He grabbed the C-Sec uniform he hadn't worn for very long the day before, and got into the bathroom to ready himself. Shower, teeth, doing a fast job of everything it took to prepare for the day, and he finished with the bathroom, moving out to where she was, a bit mindful that she might be sans pants as the previous morning and giving a slight knock on the door.
 
Tamsin glanced up at the turian as he woke a little and then said something, she didn't really catch it, but he went right back to sleep so she didn't dwell on it. Instead the girl settled down and closed her eyes, drifting back off to sleep rather quickly. Her sleep for the rest of the night was deep and undisturbed, comforted by Vexus' presence, protecting her and warding off the mixture of memories and fears that haunted her dreams.

In the morning, she slept on even after he got up, making a soft noise of protest as he extracted himself from her grasp. She rolled into the spot where he had been laying when he was gone though, curling up and nuzzling into his pillow before she fell back asleep. Tamsin started to wake though after he had been gone for a while, the background noise of Vexus getting ready slowly drawing her out of her sleep. So when he knocked to wake her she did so easily.

Blue eyes blinking a little, Tamsin sat up with a yawn, looking around groggily and then noticing what time it was. That made her frown a little but she looked at Vexus, trying not to look too put out that today was the day she was going to have to go back to the docks. “Morning,” she greeted him, “Ah... could you go get my clothes from the living room for me? Just leave them by the bathroom door and I'll get ready.” She waited until he was gone to get up and scurry into the bathroom to shower and get ready.
 
Vexus pushed the door open slightly after he knocked, giving a light smile as he saw her sitting up. "Morning," he said, giving a nod and moving from the door to the living room. He waited a moment as he heard her moving from room to room. After hearing the bathroom door shut, he grabbed her things and set them by the door, giving a slight tap to let her know they were there.

Not much time for breakfast today, as he wanted to get going pretty soon. It didn't matter of course exactly when she got back, but he wanted to get a head start on filing his report, and dealing with the build up from yesterday. Other workers would have helped of course, but he was sure there'd be a lot waiting for him. To cut that time, he decided to leave the apartment while she was showering and getting ready, to grab some coffee for them and have it ready once she was done. Shutting and locking the door, he headed to the stand they'd visited the day before, waiting in line with the other commuters.

The line was long as usual, but they were quick and he'd just gotten coffee, so Vexus got back before she was finished with getting ready. Her cup sat on the counter, a couple of sugars and creams sitting beside it, remembering how she took it. The turian sat on the couch, turning on the news to wait for her to finish.
 
Tamsin got ready quickly, though it took some motivation to do so. She kept wanting to drag out the process and take as much time as she needed so that she could put off having to go back to the docks. But she knew that Vexus needed to get to work, especially after he had played hooky the day before to spend time with her. So she got ready as quickly as she could, her hair still damp as she came out of his room and into the living room.

The girl paused when she saw Vexus sitting on the couch, watching the morning news and drinking coffee. She didn't know why the rather simple scene struck her but it did, for a moment feeling upset that after this, what small amount of normalcy she had found would be gone. And she would miss the turian immensely. Tamsin supposed she would still see him of course, but she planned on applying to be taken out of the docks when they returned. Her parents weren't coming for her, not any time soon, and she couldn't wait at the docks forever.

Tamsin recovered quickly and gave him a bright smile as she walked to the kitchen, smelling coffee and seeing a cup waiting for her with some creams and sugars. That struck her too, how thoughtful Vexus was, and she told herself to stop being so ridiculous. She was just upset about going back to the docks she supposed, but that was no reason to behave so unreasonably. She fixed her coffee how she liked and sat down next to him, sipping at her drink. “Thank you for the coffee,” she told him, “I was thinking , when I got back I'm going to apply to be processed out of the docks. We should go for coffee or lunch sometime when I'm on the Citadel. Maybe I'll even be able to pay for both of us.” The girl laughed softly and gave him a friendly smile.
 
Vexus sipped as he watched the screen, face a bit grim from what was appearing. He wasn't sure what he expected, maybe that they'd killed all the Reapers and things would be back to normal. If only. The reporters just spoke of how they were pressing on, cutting through the fleets and soldiers of each race like it was nothing. There were a few wins against them, but mostly it was just the same as the last few days, the threat pushing across systems quickly and without mercy. Palaven seemed to be doing better, as improbable as it was, the krogan had sent assistance to the turian home world. "What do you know," Vexus muttered, sipping more at his drink.

His face brightened as she came out into the living room, watching her aim for the coffee and fix it up. Even though it had been short, he'd miss this. Her hanging around, being next to him at night and there in the morning. It felt pretty good, but he knew when it started that it was temporary, he'd risked it just extending it by a day. Still, he could enjoy it while it was still happening, for the next few minutes until they headed back to the docks.

"No problem," he said, taking a drink of his own and moving his gaze back to the screen. Finally it seemed they'd moved off the Reaper story, to a highlight of an Alliance squadron of some sort. A feel good piece, and he was sure the viewers needed it. "Oh, good, I'll do what I can to help. I'm looking forward to it," he said, chuckling with her and smiling back. Nice moments had to end of course, as he caught the time on the screen. "I really hate to say, but we should get going. I wanted to get a headstart on things," he said, standing and giving a sad smile.
 
Tamsin smiled when the turian seemed happy with her decision, finding that leaving didn't seem so upsetting with the prospect of being able to see him after she left the docks. She had to admit it would be good to get out of there and never have to go back. She looked from the tv screen back to Vexus when he spoke, sighing softly as he told her that it was time to get going. The girl nodded a bit, giving him a sad smile as she stood. “Thank you for helping me like this... really, I don't know what I'd have done without you,” she told him quietly, waiting for him to stand as well before she moved into him to give him a tight, lingering hug. Tamsin stepped back to give him a shy smile, before following him out of his apartment.

The rest of the day at the docks was a bit of a blur, she was kept busy starting the process for her to get off of the docks. By the time she was done, she knew Vexus' shift was over, so she wasn't surprised when she passed by the security desk and didn't see him there. She slept poorly that night though, nightmares punctuated by dreams of Vexus which would soothe and confuse her at the same time.

When she woke up, she hardly felt well rested, back to being tense and agitated. Especially any time she saw a batarian. She waited until it was time for Vexus' shift to start before she really got up though, too tired and stuck in her own head to notice the general air of malcontent and agitation radiating from the refugees on the docks. There were more of them now than ever as more and more planets fell under attack and more were evacuated preemptively. Everyone was nervous and tense, and angry to be restricted to the docks how they were. They felt abandoned by their governments, by the Council, and abused by C-Sec and others who kept them in line.

Tamsin yawned, walking towards the security desk, unaware.
 
He really did want to just stay here with her, go do something, but life was getting in the way, unfortunately. If she would be getting on the Citadel though, they could see each other more, and in less distressing circumstances too. "No need to thank me," he said, standing, eyes widening a bit as she took him into a hug, arms tight around him. His mandibles pulled back into a smile, and his own arms went around her to return it. "I'm glad to help," he added before they released and slowly moved out the door, back to the docks.

Back in the C-Sec office, he got a bit of a talking to from a superior. Not really in trouble, not even a slap on the wrists, but essentially he realized what the turian had done, and reminded him of how busy they were. Vexus apologized and quickly got a report done, then went back to the desk to get back to work on processing and dealing with the refugees. He didn't see Tamsin for the rest of the day, and while he knew why and was glad she was putting in the requests, he still wished they could have spoken some. Maybe it was good though, some time away to get her out of his head so much, settle on the fact that they were friends. He stepped up his game for the day, working through the backlogged requests from yesterday and dealing with the new work, doing what he could to get them on their way. Luckily for now no new security issues were arising, but he couldn't help but feel a tenseness in the people of the docks. It wasn't such the frustration and desperation they usually held, but more...anger, not just towards the Reapers. Nothing happened though, so Vexus just worked through the day and headed home when his shift was through, satisfied with what he'd done.

The next day it was back to normal, Vexus waking up by himself in the apartment, getting ready and heading to the docks. There was a bit of commotion in the office as he stopped by before the desk, apparently a group of refugees was getting rather restless and acting up. They were sick of it, of everything: being stuck, the attacks, the government and Citadel officials just saying they were trying to help but not doing anything. Proof to them was the fact that so many people were there now, and only some were trickling into the Citadel. They were bottlenecked, and though it wasn't anyone's fault but the Reapers, they were upset and wanted to blame it on someone. C-Sec became the target, and apparently the tipping point had been reached.

"Sir! The group is moving, and gaining followers," someone shouted, a higher-up running over to their screen. They were getting violent, shouting all throughout the docks, pushing things over, moving to the security desks and checkpoints, fire in their eyes as they got closer to the C-Sec officials. "Get a riot squad out there, and make damn sure they're non-lethal. If one person dies, the shit's gonna hit the fan," he said, the office immediately moving into overdrive. Vexus got to work with some other officers on containment measures, planning on where the squad should go.

It was fine until someone in the crowd threw a bottle, flying over everyone's heads and hitting an officer in the face. A shot was fired, and all hell broke loose. Fists were flying, refugees just hitting people, aiming for an officer but not particularly caring where their fist landed. A full riot was on their hands. Vexus got a look of horror as he caught look of the screen, and the fighting that was breaking throughout the docks. "God damn it! Everyone get out there, contain the situation. Non-lethal, non-violent if possible, self defense only! Son of a bitch!" the higher-up officer shouted, moving back to his office to get the riot squad into gear. Vexus didn't even wait for him to finish. He was already out the door, sprinting to the door that led to the docks, one thing on his mind.

"Tamsin!" he shouted once he got out to the docks, pushing through crowds before they could realize who he was. It didn't take long though, he was gaining attention as he shoved and shouted her name, and soon enough a group of them, angry at the officers for seemingly doing nothing while they rotted on the docks, moved to surround the turian. Shouting threats, he was no longer able to move. His hand instinctively moved toward his pistol, but he stopped. He couldn't use that, he could barely defend himself without causing a PR shitstorm. His loud, flanging voice shouted back at them, trying to calm the group, but it almost had the opposite effect, making them angrier, moving closer around him.
 
Tamsin only started to notice the unrest around her when she neared the security desk, seeing that the C-Sec officer there looking very nervous as a group of refugees crowded around the desk, talking loudly and angrily. They were demanding answering, wanting to know what was taking so long, wanting to know why they were keeping people here against their will, what gave them the right? That made the girl pause, watching with widened eyes, her mind finally forcing itself to become more awake, more aware. She glanced around, seeing angry glares directed at the officer and others about them, muttering, whispering.

It was about then that the shot of a gun pierced the tense air, and everything exploded. It was the catalyst for the bomb and all the refugees around her surged like an angry sea. They moved like they had one mind, rolling up and out towards the entrance of the docks with escape on their mind. The C-Sec officer at the desk disappeared and Tamsin was glad that Vexus had not been there, afraid that the officer who had might not come out of this as well as he was when it started.

Tamsin started to turn, to go towards the back of the docks, away from the chaos and turmoil and violence. She worried for Vexus still, but what could she do for him? She could only hope that he was somewhere safe. She froze though when a familiar voice rose over the din, calling her name. Tamsin whirled around, staring around the crowd with her blue eyes wide. “Vexus!” She shouted back before she could even think about it, starting to weave her way through the crowd, heading in the direction she could hear him calling her name. She saw a convergence among the refugees, a focal point of anger.

She caught a glance of the blue and black C-Sec uniform, a familiar plate color, “Vexus!” she all but screamed, rushing over and shoving her way through the other refugees. “Stop it!” She shouted at them, trying to push them back. “Stop it! He's alright!” A few of them stopped, glaring at her in a confused sort of way.

“None of them are 'alright'!” Some one snarled.

“He's the one that saved me from those batarians the other night, he's alright!” Tamsin argued, pressing herself close to Vexus, getting between him and some of the refugees. They hesitated, glancing at one another. She had found out that what had happened the night she was almost raped had gotten around with the gossip, thrown out of proportion a bit. “Please,” She begged them, though her tone was more demanding than pleading.

“Fine! But get him out of here, now,” one of the refugees snarled at her.

Tamsin didn't hesitate, grabbing Vexus' hand and rushing off, pulling him with her.
 
All of the turian curses he knew were coursing through his mind as he tried to push himself away from the circle of people, but it wasn't happening. Anytime he got a little headway, more seemed to get around him and push back. Vexus knew it was only moments before this turned ugly. "Please, we want to help! We're doing all we can," he called out, basically repeating himself as he tried to assure them C-Sec wasn't evilly holding them hostage in the docks, but it was in vain as the mob just got angrier and angrier.

Suddenly through the sea of people and voices he heard it, the familiar voice of the person he'd been searching for. His fringe shot around as his head pivoted, looking for the girl. "Tamsin!" he gave a final shout as the blonde pushed her way into the group, standing before him and the crowd, blocking him from the angry people. They were still angry but seemed to calm, mostly from the confusion of seeing one of their one protecting the person their hate was targeting. Against the odds, Tamsin was able to talk them down, the people around them actually started to back off, not pushing him anymore. He just went with it, long fingers gripping Tamsin's hand as she grabbed his, moving quickly with her.

His only thought was to get her safe, and that was now done. Regular officers like him weren't having any effect, it would have to be the riot squad ending it now, unless the mob just decided to stop when they couldn't get in. By now C-Sec would have completely shut off access to the Citadel proper, as in fully shutting the gates. That didn't matter to him, the two of them were together and safe.

The two just ran, moving from the shouting of the mob. They were closing on the entrance to the Citadel and C-Sec's desks, so once they got down the corridor and away from that, it wasn't hard to find a spot they could hide away in, out of sight from the rioters. Finally they stopped running after getting away, the turian taking her into a hug once they were. "I'm so glad you're all right," he said, taking a deep breath as he started to calm down. He loosened his grip, pulling back from her with a smirk. "I guess we're even, thanks for saving my ass back there."
 
Tamsin was honestly surprised that it had worked, that they hadn't just shoved her out of the way and gone right for Vexus. She was glad that hadn't happened, she knew that he was armed, and that he would defend himself if he had to. She also knew that he didn't want to do that. If Vexus was the type prone to violence, he would have killed those batarians that had attacked her without a second though. He hadn't though, he had done the right thing and let them find the justice they deserved. She still knew so little about him on a superficial level, but Tamsin had learned enough about his character to know that he had not wanted to hurt any of those people.

She was on high alert though as she got them through the crowd as quickly as possible, trying to move fast enough that people wouldn't have time to really react to the sight of the C-Sec officer among them. Her hand kept a tight hold on the turian's, almost swallowed by it, until they were clear, letting Vexus go but then getting pulled into a hug. She returned the gesture without even thinking about it, her heart pounding in her eyes. Tamsin had been so terrified that he would get hurt, that she might lose him. She didn't know if she could handle that.

The girl was hesitant to let him go, but she did when he moved away, giving him a nervous smile. “I'm glad you're alright too,” she told him, then laughed when he said they were even now, “Yeah, I guess we are.” Tamsin glanced back the way they had come, listening to the commotion with a frown, “I didn't realize it had gotten so bad... what's going to happen?” She asked, looking back to Vexus with a concerned look on her face. She could understand the refugees' frustrations, but she knew that C-Sec had to respond, that they couldn't just let them riot like that.
 
Any effort he'd put into trying to keep her from being higher than a friend in his mind was cast away after this. The second he'd realized something was wrong, that the riot had started and people were getting hurt, she was the only thing in his head. When he'd run out of the office and to the docks, it wasn't to stop the riot, it was to find her. Selfish maybe, but he didn't care. She was safe. Hell, it didn't matter what he did for the crowd anyway, clearly they didn't want to deal with any C-Sec officers in a nice way. It had taken one of their own to just barely let them get away unscathed.

A pensive look crossed his face at her question, looking back to where they'd come from. It was still very loud, a huge commotion still erupting as the riot continued. "It's not a good idea to be on the docks right now, the last thing I heard when I left the office was that they're sending in the riot squad to handle it. They're not going to care who you are, if you're there, you're trouble," he said, looking back to her with worry. Yes, if she was with him she'd be okay, but even being here on the docks was still unsafe at the moment. Who knew what would happen next? If they moved and happened to find them, Tamsin might not be able to convince them again, and they could both be in trouble.

"You know, it's been so long since you visited the Citadel, about time you saw it again," he said, making the decision. She wasn't staying here. Even if everything calmed down, it wasn't a safe place, not for her being alone. He took a peak, waiting until he thought it was good to move, and took her hand again. Leading them from their hiding spot, he hurried them toward some more access doors. It wouldn't get them exactly where they needed to go, but it was off the docks, and they could move from there back to his apartment.
 
Tamsin was finding it impossible to keep her emotions in check when it came to Vexus, she'd rushed in to help him without even thinking about it. She'd only known she couldn't just stand by and watch him be hurt. Or worse, killed. It threw it all into very sharp relief for her, just how important he'd become to her in a very short time. Tamsin found herself just wanting to relive those moments of normalcy she'd found with him, waking up in bed, drinking coffee together, eating pizza and watching a movie. She'd be content to do that with him for the rest of her life... and that was a heavier realization than it seemed it would be. She kept trying to remind herself of the difficulties and the fact that he likely felt nothing of the same, but that didn't seem to be adequate incentive to keep her feelings in check. But they didn't seem to care, and dragged her along as they just dove head first into Vexus.

She glanced back towards the riot then to the turian officer as he told her what she'd suspected, that the docks were out of control and they would be sending a riot squad to handle it. It was obviously too much for regular officers like Vexus to handle, not properly anyway. That made her frown, and she could only hope that the innocent refugees that hadn't had a part in the riots wouldn't be hurt. She also hoped that they didn't just end up hurting themselves, whether they liked it or not, it was C-Sec who kept order on the docks. What would happen if some one found themselves in a similar situation to what Tamsin had? Who would be there to save them this time with C-Sec driven off and everyone else too busy rioting?

There wasn't much she could do about it though, so she just nodded a bit, heaving a sigh. When he mentioned her going back to the Citadel, her brows arched, looking at Vexus with a bit of surprise. “What, you mean, back to your apartment? Vexus... I don't want you to get into trouble because of me,” she told him with a frown. Still though, she went with him as he took her hand, not really able to conjure up any further protests after that. Tamsin honestly wanted to go back to stay with him, for more reasons than she cared to think about. Enough of them to easily outweigh the caution signs her mind was trying to throw at her.
 
"That doesn't matter," he said, not looking as he led her down the docks, trying to remember exactly where the door he was thinking of was. It should be right around here, he'd reviewed access spots when the vorcha incident happened and remembered it, now he just had to find it. What he said hit him, he really didn't care if he got in trouble for taking her off the docks. It would mean she was safe, and that was the only thing in his mind at the moment.

"Ah, there we are," he said, stopping as he suddenly found the small door. His omni-tool took a moment to scan the lock, recognizing his C-Sec status and sliding open for them. Vexus motioned her inside, then followed right behind her, closing and locking the door behind them. "Don't worry, just keep going straight, there's some turns you can take, but taking this forward all we can should drop us off a little ways away from where we ate lunch that day. We can grab a cab from there," he said as they moved.

His mind raced as they moved through the slightly cramped maintenance tunnel, body moving forward on auto-pilot. How he'd just raced out to find her, worrying about her so much, how she was always in his thoughts...He was coming to terms with how he felt about her, realizing he couldn't just push the thoughts away anymore and hope they'd stop themselves over time. Even if he'd accepted it though, he knew he couldn't do anything about it. A young, attractive human girl like her didn't want some boring, "behind the scenes of C-Sec" guy, not to mention the fact that he was a turian. The species difference was hard to overcome, and he didn't want to put her through it. He would still help her of course, and stay close, just had to put a pin in how he really felt.

"Yeah, there it is," he said, pointing ahead after they'd been moving for a few minutes, seeing the door at the end of the tunnel. His omni-tool worked its magic, unlocking this one as well as they got through it. Finally they were out and in a slightly familiar area, just off the transport waiting area they'd eaten lunch in a few days ago. "Well, here it should be easy now, just got to get a cab," he said, walking with her to somewhere they could hail a cab.

He avoided going to the transport hub. Being right beside the docks, right where the refugees were trying to get into, it would be chaos. Vexus led them in the opposite direction, to another ward level where cabs would also be. "With everything going on, I don't think it would be smart to go back to the docks after this. Too much is going on," he said as they walked. It wasn't that he didn't think she was tough enough to handle it, this was on him. "You've applied and sent in the request, right? So now that you're in the system..." he said, thinking for a moment. "There's a guy in C-Sec, really high up, Commander Bailey. I know him, owes me one from back when I first got in. He's someone that could...dot the T's and cross the I's faster than other people could," he said, motioning for a cab as they got to the ward. Rather than taking them to his apartment, Vexus had it go to the Presidium, to Bailey's office.
 
Tamsin didn't understand how he could just disregard his own safety and well being for her, like he did over and over again, putting himself at risk in more ways than one for her sake. The girl didn't understand at all, but now wasn't really the time to analyze it. She'd have to do that later, when there wasn't a mob and the threat of indiscriminate riot police on their heels. So she followed Vexus to safety, staying close to him. There would be time for contemplation later, not just of his own actions, but hers. He was coming to term with his feelings, but Tamsin was taking a little more time to do so.

She was starting to realize how she felt about him, but well... she was still hesitant to let herself fully accept it. There were too many uncertainties in her life, so much was up in the air, but Vexus had become a rock, the only solid thing for her to anchor herself to. Even this though made her hesitant. Did she feel this way because of the circumstances or because of him? Were her feelings more consequences than genuine affection? Again though, there would be time to contemplate later.

Tamsin was close on the turian's heels as they got through the door, and stayed close as they searched for a cab. She nodded as he asked her about her application to be released from the docks, “Yeah, I put it in yesterday when I got back to the docks,” she confirmed. She suppressed a bit of a giggle though when Vexus attempted a human saying, getting it a little mixed up, but she got what he meant. She climbed into the cab with him, riding to the Presidium. “By the way,” she looked at him with a smirk, “It's 'dot the I's and cross the T's'.” She sounded pretty amused, nudging him with her elbow a bit.

The cab dropped them off and Tamsin followed after him to Bailey's office, the girl sticking very close to him. She was admittedly excited about the idea of not having to go back to the docks, especially after these riots. She could only see things getting worse there. And it seemed like she would be welcome to stay with him, which also made her happy. She was a little nervous though, she wasn't supposed to be out of the docks at all, and while being out on the wards she felt like she could get away with it and not be noticed, here on the Presidium she felt far more like she was trespassing.
 
"All right, since it's in the system, we'll be able to expedite it," the turian said as the cab lifted and started to move, hover car driving down to the Presidium. Vexus looked over at her when she spoke, giving a slight chuckle, mandibles fluttering from slight embarrassment. "Ah. Well, close enough?" he said, giving another laugh. He'd heard it a while ago, a human saying it about doing something, and apparently had switched it in his head. It made her laugh though, so he was fine with it.

The cab got to their destination soon enough, Vexus getting out of the cab with her, glad that she was staying close. Sneaking to the wards was one thing, but they were pretty serious about security here on the Presidium, with the important diplomats and politicians. At least they weren't going to the tower with the Council and wouldn't actually be personally checked. As long as she stuck with him and they didn't draw attention to themselves, it would be okay. Bailey's office wasn't far. As they walked, a few screens showed news reports of the riots, blowing the cause out of proportion and questioning C-Sec's ability to control their own home. His eyes narrowed a bit in anger and he kept them moving, a bit disgusted that they would blatantly lie and disparage C-Sec like that. It was already a nightmare, and that would only hurt their lowering public reputation.

Up some stairs they found a door with his name next to it, Commander Bailey. Vexus knocked, waiting a few moments before the human's gruff voice came over the intercom. "Come on in," he said, the door sliding open. He led them inside, giving a smile as he saw the older human at his desk. "Hey, Officer Borin, right? I heard you helped with the vorcha thing the other day," he said, standing to shake Vexus' hand.

The turian returned it, giving a nod. "Yeah, the bastards found some holes we hadn't plugged. Pretty easy, just put down some bug spray and they got out pretty fast," he said with a chuckle. Bailey gave a laugh in return, moving back to his seat. "So, how can I help you?" he asked, giving a look to Tamsin. "Something tells me she's not quite supposed to be here."

Vexus gave a sigh. "Yeah, this is Tamsin, she's why we're here. I was hoping I could call in the favor from when I helped you out in my training. She's one of the refugees from the docks. She actually helped me out, talked down some of the rioters so we could get away. Her...well, she's alone out there and just filed for Citadel citizenship yesterday. It would mean a lot to me if that request could get bumped up," he said, explaining the situation.

Bailey's eyes darkened a bit, giving a sigh. "You know, Vexus, I really want to help," he said, the turian's face dropping as he spoke. "With the riot, all of us are walking on thin ice around processing them, especially since it's still going on. I doubt anything's going to move forward for the next couple days, and if it gets out that we're giving special treatment to some, it could come back to bite us."

"Sir, I don't wa-, I mean, you can see how unsafe it is out there. Do you really expect her to just go back to the docks after this?" Vexus implored him, trying to get him to agree. Bailey sat back in his chair, eyes moving between the two of them. The Commander was a smart, observant man. He saw it within a few seconds, that there was more to him and Tamsin than they would both care to admit. "I can't just move requests forward willy nilly, I'm sorry. However, I would like to remind you of the code that permits immediate citizenship in the case of a citzen and non-citizen...getting married."

The sharp teeth of the turian were easy to see as his jaw dropped some, eye plates shifting as surprise gripped his face. "M-marriage, sir?"
 
It was one of those situations where everyone was tense and frustrated but there was nothing that anyone could do about it. Instead of acknowledging that and trying not to get upset, which would help nothing, people searched for a scape goat. And C-sec was that scape goat this time. The refugees blamed them, and so did the media it seemed. It wasn't fair at all, even if Tamsin hadn't gotten to know an officer herself, she would have known that it wasn't their fault. They were doing the best they could with what they had. No one could have predicted that this would happen after all.

Well, that wasn't true, Shepard had been saying that something was coming for years, but everyone had ignored him, including the Council. Everyone was angry with them too, but C-Sec was more accessible, it would take a very large coordinated effort to really take their frustrations out on the Council. That wasn't the case with C-Sec. They were right there, within arm's reach, the sad irony there was that they were so close and so prominent because they were trying to do their job. Tamsin wondered about how badly the refugees had just shot themselves in the foot with this riot.

The girl glanced at Vexus as she looked away from one of the reports, frowning and seeing how frustrated it made him. She fought the urge to comfort him somehow, now wasn't the time. Especially as they walked into the commander's office. Tamsin stood aside quietly while the two talked, watching and listening, giving Bailey a smile when she was introduced.

She was hopeful as Vexus explained to the commander what the situation was, that they just needed her application process sped up a little bit. It didn't seem like so big a thing to her, but as Bailey started to explain that it was actually pretty big deal, her face fell a little and she looked at Vexus. She didn't want to go back to the docks, she could barely handle them when there was some form of order and safety present. Tamsin didn't want to think about what they'd be like for people like her now. And somehow she suspected that all C-Sec officers, including Vexus, would be on a rather short leash after this when it came to interacting with refugees.

The girl said nothing though, afraid of making the situation worse, she just stuck close to Vexus, resisting the urge again to touch him, to comfort both him, and herself. Her mind went a little blank though as Bailey mentioned the best option available if they wanted to speed up her getting off the docks. Her face went a bit pale, and then blushed brightly, her blue eyes going a bit wide. Tamsin looked at the turian, not sure what to say or do. To her surprise, she didn't find herself balking at the idea of marrying Vexus, but that just made her even more nervous. She barely knew him! But, if she had to marry anyone... and it would get her off the docks, but she would understand if he said no. Tamsin felt like they should at least talk about it, so that if he didn't want to do this, he wouldn't feel pressured to do so, “V-vexus? Can I talk to you?” She asked, her tone making it clear that she wanted to speak to him in private, taking a step back towards the door.
 
The turian was frozen in place, not many things had the ability to to that to a turian. Apparently this was one of them. He snapped out of it after hearing her voice, head shaking a bit as he looked to her. "Y-yeah, uh, just a second, please, Commander," he said, giving a 'one sec' signal with one of his long fingers, moving with Tamsin back to the door. Bailey couldn't help but chuckle, trying to keep it under his breath as he went back to typing something on his computer.

It was quite a bombshell to be dropped on the two of them, especially in the place they were now. Both of them arguing with themselves about their feelings, unsure yet confident, scared but excited. Vexus had just admitted to himself that there was something there for him at least, and was planning on dealing with that in his own time. Then this ton of bricks got slammed into them.

"I, well, this is, what are you thinking?" he blurted out quietly as they stood by the door. Vexus felt the same as her, confused at first but admittedly not just shoving the idea away, hell, he knew he liked her. Marriage was something else entirely though. It was allowable, pretty much any race could join together nowadays, but it certainly wasn't common. There was still the fact that they'd known each other for so little time. He knew she wouldn't want her life just decided like this, and would she even want to marry a turian like him? Then again..."I mean, he's right, if we were to get, you know, your application would be expedited, you could stay here."
 
Tamsin stepped aside with the turian, her face still blushing a little and her eyes still a bit wide from shock, but she was recovering quickly. She looked up at him as he stammered and blurted a little, just as thrown off as she was it seemed. The girl would admit that she liked Vexus, how valid her affection for him was she wasn't sure, and if there was anything there worth exploring... she wasn't sure about that either. She wished... she wished her mother was here, she wanted to talk to her and get advice on this. She knew that it would probably not be like the times she'd liked boys in her town, but still, this seemed far too complicated and overwhelming to figure out on her own.

Especially this marriage business... admitting that she had feelings for him was one thing, marrying him, no matter the circumstances, was completely different. It was a big step and she had been raised in a fairly traditional household, marriage wasn't something to be taken lightly. And while Tamsin had never been that girl who pined and dreamed about her perfect wedding to the perfect man, she certainly hadn't thought that it would happen like this. She hadn't though that she would marry some one who was practically a stranger, of another race, and without her parents, for reasons like having to save her life.

“I...” She looked away from Vexus, thinking quickly, then looked back up at the turian, drawing in a deep breath, “I think that of all the things that I could be required to do to get off the docks in a hurry, marrying you is far from the worst.” Her tone was clearly teasing a little, trying to lighten the mood as she smirked at him a little. Then she grew nervous all over again, “I mean, I understand if you're not comfortable with it... marriage is well, a big deal. But I...” she sighed, trying to calm down, but shifted on her feet nervously, “I'm okay with it.” Tamsin looked up at him shyly, wondering what she was getting herself into, but she could think of no truly good reason to say no unless he was against it.
 
Vexus stood there as he waited for her to speak, body tense from the situation before them. After what seemed like forever to him, she spoke, and it was a joke. He relaxed, laughing, thankful for reliving the tension. His face grew a bit more serious as he saw her get nervous again, at least not as bad as they were before, barely able to speak. Never would he think they, no, he, would be in a situation like this, with marriage being thrown around as an option, so casually. It was something he'd barely even thought of. Military and orders had control of his mind since he was fifteen, and now it was procedure and C-Sec that filled the majority of his thoughts.

She was right, it was a big deal. They weren't even a couple, they didn't even know if the other was interested in something like that. Vexus wasn't sure himself, knowing his feelings were there but with everything going on, it was just so confusing. If they even tried to start something like that, it would be so backwards. Funny story at least, though. He decided to speak now that she'd finished her piece. "Well, 'I'm okay with it' is better than 'Ew, no,' so that's nice, at least," he said as his face grew into a smirk. "I, I guess I feel the same. It'll get you off the docks today, hell if Bailey can do it here you can walk out of this office a citizen. If you're fine with it, I guess," he said, a slight smile forming on his face, "let's get married."
 
Tamsin had always thought she would likely end up getting married, but not for some time. Most humans these days did not get married until their late 20's, or even into their 30's, so she had thought she would like go to school, start her career, and then start keeping an eye out for a potential husband. This was certainly not a part of the plan, but well... none of this was. She hadn't planned for the Reapers coming and driving her from her home and separating her from parents. Tamsin had to be flexible with all of this if she wanted to make it out alive.

And then there was the complicated layer of her feelings for and relationship with Vexus to add to it. Her head was spinning from it all. It certainly did seem as if they were working backwards, they would be getting married first, and then figuring out their relationship later. Tamsin only hoped it didn't all blow up in their face.

She laughed softly and smiled as Vexus seemed agreeable to the whole idea, but when he said it out loud, 'let's get married', it made her heart jump a little and her face blushed. The girl gave him a shy smile and looked at Bailey, drawing a breath. “We've decided to go with that, with uh, getting married,” she told the commander.

Bailey nodded a little and gave a knowing, amused smile, “Very well then. I can't perform the marriage myself, but I can tell you where to go.”

Tamsin left with Vexus in tow, heading to the court house on the Presidium. Each ward had their own judicial office, but only the one on the Presidium issued marriage licenses. It wasn't too far from Commander Bailey's office, so a short walk later, and they arrived. The girl's heart was pounding softly as they approached the building, glancing at the Turian next to her almost constantly. She knew that neither of them were speaking their minds fully on this, but they didn't have the time. Later, she told herself, they'd be able to talk about it more in depth, figure things out.
 
Vexus smiled as they stepped back to Bailey's desk, waiting as Tamsin told him the plan. He was embarrassed slightly as he saw Bailey's smile, just showing that he knew, probably more than they did. He gave them directions and saw them out, Vexus leaving with Tamsin. He wasn't sure how he felt as they walked away from the office, down the corridors to the court house. Nervous for sure, but admittedly a bit excited as well. It was just strange, they would be leaving the Presidium as a married couple. There was so much that was supposed to go into something like this, just on his side with turian traditions, along whatever she really wanted to do, and it was being forced, rushed so she could stay safe with him on the Citadel. Maybe it would all work out in the end.

"Hi there, can I help you, officer?" an asari receptionist said, blue face greeting them with a smile as the two walked into the court house. For some reason, hearing that made him feel even more strange, as he realized it was still early. He was dressed in his C-Sec uniform, everyone just saw this officer coming here to get married to a young human. Not only that, he was supposed to be working right now, everything just got jumbled up.

"Uh, yes. We were wanting to...get married," he said, giving a nervous smile. Should he try to sell it or something, would they not do it if he and Tamsin didn't act like a couple? It wouldn't hurt, he supposed. His arm went around her shoulders, holding his smile. "Aw, congratulations. I can you in to see a judge in just a little bit, mind taking a seat?" she said, motioning to a waiting area. Vexus nodded, leading them to the chairs and sitting down. "I figured we should at least look like a couple, hope that was all right," he said explaining the arm thing. After a little while she got their attention, and it was time. "Well, Tamsin, I guess we're up," he said, mandibles giving a flutter along with a nervous chuckle as he stood up and walked with her where she was having them go to meet with the judge.
 
Tamsin hovered close to him as they walked in, feeling very nervous, mostly she was afraid some one would accuse them of, well, doing exactly what they were doing. When the asari receptionist greeted them she managed to give her a smile, keeping the expression on her face if only to not seem like she was terrified. She was wondering the same thing though, as far as how to behave, so when Vexus put his arm around her shoulders she leaned into him a little and tried to look a bit giddy. Which wasn't hard since she was feeling a little wound up from nerves.

So she nodded when they sat down and he explained his actions to her, “No, I was thinking the same thing, it's fine.” She assured him quietly, hesitating a little before her hand found his, holding onto it as they sat together. It was a little surreal to finally be able to touch him like she wanted, but under very strange circumstances. Tamsin was doing it trying to make a certain appearance as a couple, so technically she was pretending, but under it all, the gesture was genuine. It was all pretty confusing, hard to keep track of where her real feelings ended and where the front for the sake of getting a marriage license began. It was all kind of blurred together.

The girl looked up when the asari called for them, and nodded when Vexus spoke, her face a little pale, obviously nervous. Her hand stayed in his, holding onto him tightly with her heart hammering in her chest. “Guess so,” she breathed, walking with him to meet with the judge.

The judge was a turian, of all races, and as they entered he gave them both a hard, piercing look. Tamsin's knees nearly gave out and her hand tightened involuntarily in Vexus', glancing at him as the older turian looked them over. “So, you're here to get a marriage license?” He asked, his flanged voice was deep, and held a touch of suspicion. A turian C-Sec officer and a young human refugee, he hadn't been born yesterday. Turian-human couples were rare enough as it were, this particularly one was particularly uncommon.

“Yes, your honor,” Tamsin answered, trying not to let her voice shake.

“I see, and how did you two meet?” He could ask them as few or as many questions as he saw fit, until he was satisfied as to their authenticity.

She glanced at Vexus, clearing her throat slightly before she answered, “Well, I'm a refugee and Vexus works on the docks, that's where we met. He, ah, has been the only person I've met here that actually cared about what happened to me... he's been very kind and supportive.” Tamsin figured being as honest as possible was the smart thing, fewer lies to keep track of. She swallowed softly, glancing at Vexus then looking back to the judge, “I don't think I'd probably have made it if it weren't for him.”
 
Vexus tried to go along with their show as best he could, long fingers wrapping around her hand as she took his. It wasn't like it was hard, he'd been wanting to do this, sit like that with her, walk hand in hand, he couldn't help but enjoy it a bit. It was selling them for the marriage too, so win-win. It did work to confuse him though as it had her, while the actions were there, it felt like the only feeling behind it was for the ruse of getting the license. Maybe later it would be truly real.

He gave a polite nod to the judge as they walked in, giving Tamsin's hand a squeeze as it tightened in his grip. An older turian, surely knowing of this sort of act. His position held no power here, the only thing that would work was their feelings and how they could sell it. It was the moment of truth, they just had to convince him that they were the ones for each other, and that they hadn't just considered this as an option a few minutes ago.

Vexus looked to her as she answered his first question, giving a smile as he thought back to it, when they'd met. It seemed so long ago when he'd asked if she needed help, and they'd talked for a little while on his break. Who would have guessed they'd come this far. The judge starred as Tamsin spoke, suspicion holding as his gaze pierced into them. He gave a nod as she finished, looking to Vexus.

"Sounds like you really helped her out. It's rare to see a couple...matched such as you are. What makes you think this will last?" the judge asked, trained eyes glaring at Vexus. The turian couldn't help but give a slight glare back. He'd caught the subtext in the question, about how a turian and human would work, how unusual their 'relationship' was. It was a fair question though, how he thought they would work out, why he wanted to be with her. 'Time to pull from the heart, Vexus,' he thought for a moment before speaking.

"Because it's easy. Talking with her, figuring out what to do or eat, even just walking or sitting around doing nothing is easy. I haven't been able to keep her out of my mind for a while now, because she's incredible. I couldn't care less about the fact that it's unusual for people like us to get together, I know my life will be happy as long as I get to spend it with her," he spoke, hand holding hers tightly as he went on, finishing with a slight smirk as he looked to her, then back to the judge.
 
Tamsin listened as the judge asked another question, this time directed at Vexus, and she glanced at the younger turian, seeing that he disliked the implication of the judge's question. Or was it just a part of the act? She didn't know. She squeeze his hand a little to give him a bit of reassurance, but kept quiet. It was a valid question after all, something she often wondered about herself these days. Her thoughts often revolved around Vexus, and the unlikelihood of their relationship just based on the difference in their race was a common theme.

How could a human and a turian be together? They were so different, and their two races didn't have the most heart-warming of history. Looking at the judge, it was entirely possible he'd been a soldier during the First Contact War. It had been nearly thirty years ago, she hadn't even been born yet, and Vexus would have been an infant,, but she wondered if he would be bias against them for any possible prejudice he had against humans.

Tamsin glanced at her... well she supposed he was her fiance now, listening as he answered, and couldn't stop her face from blushing and giving a small, shy smile. And once again, it was hard to tell what part of her reaction was real, and what part was for the sake of the judge. This was all far more confusing than she had thought it would be. Vexus' words echoed her own sentiments, and she couldn't help but wonder for him like she did for herself, what was real and what was fake? Did he feel even remotely for her as he had just expressed?

She was pulled from her thoughts though as the judge looked back to her. It was her turn again it seemed.

“You're very young...” the turian all but growled at her, and then looked her over closely, scrutinizing her, but there was also enough interest in his eyes to make Tamsin's face turn a little red and for her to shift uncomfortably on her feet. She was unaware that the judge was mostly doing this to get a reaction out of Vexus, but he continued no matter what the younger turian did. “Are you sure you're ready for marriage?”

Tamsin swallowed softly and glanced at Vexus before she looked back to the judge and sighed, “Honestly... I don't know. I-I hadn't thought I would be getting married this soon but... I hadn't counted on the Reapers driving me from my home and separating me from my family either. I don't know how this whole thing is going to go, so I figure I should live my life while I can... and Vexus can be my family now. He's already been there for me like family would.”

The judge didn't look moved, his brow plates arched a little and he let out the softest of snorts, leaning back in his chair and drumming on the arm with long claws. He looked at Vexus now, and seemed to size him up a little, “You're a bit young yourself, though not as young as her, your service record is amiable and your work performance is strong... is there some reason you're not settling down with a turian female instead?” The implication being that there might be something about him to make him so inferior that he has to settle for a human, or that if there wasn't anything wrong with him, that he shouldn't 'settle' for a human.
 
The older turian didn't seem to have much of a reaction to his little speech about liking her, more like he was just waiting for anything that might show their falsehood. While it was true that he'd probably heard it all before and wasn't easily moved by things like this, it almost seemed there was something else behind his narrowed gaze. Vexus almost thought there might be more to his hesitation of granting them a license than just thinking they weren't a true couple, like...even if they were, he didn't approve.

Vexus wracked his mind as the judge looked to Tamsin, her turn to be on the spot. The older turians eyes making him a bit frustrated as he just took her all in, getting the sort of reaction he was trying to get out of Vexus. His hand gave Tamsin's squeeze in support as she started talking. The judge seemed older, probably at least close to twice his own age. Tough, by the books too, it seemed, maybe a military background? That would mean he had been enlisted when the Relay 314 Incident happened. The hand that wasn't holding Tamsin's clenched tightly for a moment as Vexus slowly came to a realization, why this judge was trying to pick everything apart more than usual, why any little detail would derail their plan and crush their spirits. They could be the perfect couple and this turian would still do what he could to stop them, because he didn't like humans.

Her answer helped to calm him, happy to hear that she almost considered him family, trusted him because she knew he was there for her. Even though her answer had some hesitation, it felt true, and would do well for their case. Of course, that's if their judge wasn't harboring a thirty year prejudice against them. His gaze shot back to the judge as he caught it, he'd honestly just scoffed? Vexus couldn't help but bare his teeth slightly as his mandibles and plates shifted, anger starting to rise in him. The judge was walking on thin ice now, and it was almost like he knew it as he picked just the perfect way to word his next question.

Vexus stared, a bit shocked about what the judge had asked of him. Not just the words, but all of the nonverbal connotations that it carried. How he'd asked, his tone, everything just stunk of a racist remark, wondering how a strong, good turian like him could even consider this, being with some young human. He couldn't help but give a slight chuckle at the tension that had suddenly mounted in the room, at least between him and the judge, unsure if Tamsin had picked up on it. "Yes, there's a reason," he said plainly, plates narrowed as he stared at the judge. The older turian's plates widened a bit as he was surprised at the answer, hands opening as if to invite an explanation.

"Because none of them are her. The turian women I know are great, and I'm sure some other guys will be ecstatic to have them. Tamsin is who I've chosen, and she could have been an elcor, a hanar, a drell, a volus, or even a damned rachni. There's nothing wrong with me, and there's certainly nothing wrong with her. My choice is made, you're going to have to live with it. Your honor," he said, not able to help but get a bit sarcastic as he answered, and the judge picked up on it, surprise on his face shifting to anger at the officer's audacity.

The older turian was silent for a few moments, long fingers in front of his face as he sat in thought. Vexus stood with her, glaring at the judge with his hand tight around hers. Anyone else would be done, that should be enough to prove it and grant the license. Still they waited though, because this wasn't some other judge.

Finally the judge sat forward, gaze moving between the two of them before he spoke. "Your request for a marriage license...is denied. I will not have you shark the institution of marriage for a sham, and for a...refugee, nonetheless," he said, giving a knock on the desk for emphasis, an action to declare his decision was final. Had he stopped earlier, it would be done. The judge was fully in his rights to deny them if he thought this was just to get around the system. He just had to go that extra step though, and actually voice his disdain for their relationship, just because he was a turian, and she was a human.

So because of that, Vexus let go of Tamsin's hand, moving forward to the desk. Suddenly, his large hands slammed onto the desk as he stared into the judge's face. "Varren shit. You know damn well that there's no reason to turn us away, other than the fact that you can't see past something that happened thirty years ago. You're not a judge, because that position means you work for the truth. You're the sham, and if you're going to seriously deny our marriage because of your own backwards thinking in that softshell you call a head, I'm going to bring the full hammer of Citadel Security down on you. Don't dare think you're above me, that you can't be touched, because even if it takes my whole career, I will take you down. Now sign it, and you'll never see us again," he ranted, volume raising in some parts, getting quieter in others, but always a fire behind the words, tone thick with disgust and passion. He considered himself a nice person, usually calm, respectful, rational...Few things really got him to this sort of level. She'd seen it before with the batarians, the pure anger that came forth when he dared them to move. The volume she'd heard during the riot, when trying to find her, to see if she was safe. Vexus took a deep breath, unblinking, just glaring into the judge's face as he waited to see what would happen.

His gaze was met by the older turian, anger and fury in his eyes. Vexus wasn't bluffing, and it was clear. A minute passed by, what seemed like an eternity. Finally, not shifting his gaze, the judge typed something onto a terminal, a machine printing out a small datapad. With quick, angry movements, he gave the pad to Vexus. "Get out of my office."

The younger turian said nothing, just taking the small device and turning away, taking Tamsin's hand again and leaving the room. The receptionist in the lobby and a few other citizens waiting just watched as they left the judge's office and turned to leave the court house.
 
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