A Promise is a Promise (Atroxa & OstrichFromJoust)

"That's fine, I expected that. I just want you to be prepared. The things I heard about made me worry, so I wanted to do what I can," Vexus said, continuing to eat while they sat and talked. It was a nice moment, he knew the job hunt hadn't panned out yet, so being able to make her happy felt good. She seemed hesitant now about the training, but he really hoped she would accept. It was just as much for him as it was for her. He wanted her to be ready in case something happened, but knowing he could have done something and didn't would crush him if anything happened to her.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to go into turian drill sergeant mode and get you ready to fight a commando or anything. Heck, even a little training would be more than most thugs on the Citadel. If you've never done anything like it before, it'll be weird, but it'll definitely help," he said, taking some more bites as she mulled it over. It really was pretty good, she'd done a decent job getting the taste down. He figured this wouldn't happen every night, but it was great of her to do it even just today.
 
Tamsin smiled a little as he told her that he wanted her to be prepared in case anything happened, it was touching really, she knew he was concerned for her and wanted her to be safe. With good reason for sure, it seemed like she attracted trouble. So she gave Vexus a warm smile and reached across the table, one of her hands finding the one of his he wasn't using to eat and twining her fingers into his. “I think you'll be a good teacher,” she told him, going back to eating for a few moments and chatting with him.

Her search for a job hadn't been going well, it seemed like no one was hiring, there were so many people coming onto the Citadel, more than ever. Everyone was looking for a job, people far more qualified than some small town girl with no higher education or work experience. It had only been a few days, Tamsin would keep looking and hope that she found something. In the mean time, she would just try to contribute any way that she could, like cooking and cleaning.

When they were done eating, she cleaned up the kitchen and watched some TV with Vexus before turning in for the night. She was starting to feel normal at last, and fell asleep quickly curled up in bed with... well, her husband. That was still a little strange to think about, but she was getting used to it. So far, married life wasn't so bad though. Tamsin knew it was only because she'd lucked out with him though.

A couple days later Vexus went through with his plan to start teaching her some self defense. She took a transit to the C-Sec headquarters, a duffle bag over her shoulder with a change of clothes, picking up an ID pass that he had arranged for he. Following the directions that the glowing map signs marked out for her, she went down to the private gym and shooting range to meet Vexus.

Tamsin was nervous, she wasn't the most graceful individual, she was terrified of making a complete fool of herself in front of him. She knew that Vexus wouldn't make her feel bad, but she knew he already worried about her, she didn't want him thinking she was completely incompetent and hopeless. Her pride would much prefer that he felt some measure of reassurance in her abilities, and maybe a little proud of her too.
 
The long fingers in his hand gripped around hers, giving a soft squeeze as she took his hand, Vexus giving a warm smile. "Here's hoping," he said, continuing to eat. The rest of the evening was nice, they finished the food and he helped to clean, not wanting to leave it all to her since he was home. They sat on the couch and watched some TV before heading to bed, sleep coming easy as they laid together on the bed. Honestly he was sleeping better now as well, for whatever reason having her there at least made him feel like he was better rested.

On the day they decided to start, Vexus got out a bit early, heading down to the C-Sec training area. It was essentially a private gym for C-Sec officials, though they allowed family members to come in as well as guests. It would be perfect for them, quiet, private, good equipment, and they could legally practice shooting with the firing range. He'd brought some extra things to work that day, some comfortable work out clothes so he wouldn't have to wear his uniform, and a change for afterward.

She would find him warming up, practicing on a punching bag with trained, precise hits. The turian military had given him his first training, and mixed with what C-Sec had done made him a decent fighter. Not as good as soldiers that would really be on the front line, but well enough to be an officer and to be able to teach Tamsin a thing or two. The goal wasn't to turn her into a fighter, just for her to be able to defend herself if needed, to get away from trouble. As she came down he stopped, giving a smile and approaching. "Hey, glad to see you made it. Got any preference for where to start?" he asked, he'd had a plan in mind but wondered if she'd wanted to learn anything specific.
 
She paused as she spotted Vexus, watching him for just a moment as he worked on the punching bag. She'd never really seen him in action, Tamsin had to admit that he was interesting to watch... handsome. She blinked at that thought and shook it away before walking over, giving him a smile. Vexus' question brought a shrug from her and she shook her head, “No, not really, I'm just going to go change real quick.” She shouldered her bag a little and walked off towards the locker room.

Tamsin returned a few moments later, her short blonde hair pushed back out of her face with a head band, wearing a black tank top and dark gray work out pants that ended just below her knees. She was fit, not quite toned, but she had clearly not lead a lazy lifestyle before coming here, that was how it went growing up in a farming community. She was still young enough though to have the vestiges of baby fat in her face and on her body.

“So,” she smiled, trying to hide her nerves, “what are we doing first?” She didn't really have a preference, she figured she'd be pretty bad at things either way. Tamsin had never shot a gun before, they'd had weapons at her town like guns, but she'd never been allowed to handle them. And she'd never even been in a fight before.
 
Vexus nodded, watching her leave to change. He made a few more hits on the bag as he waited, going through the plan in his head. By her reaction it showed they would truly be starting at the basics, and that was fine. He'd expected to start there, and was happy to. Really he was a bit anxious, never really teaching something before, it would be an interesting experience. At least it was something he was good at, so he knew what he'd be talking about.

With a final kick, Vexus stopped as he heard her coming out, giving a smile as she approached. "I figured we'd start off with some hand to hand, important stuff first, then we can move to shooting later," he said, leading them to a large mat and standing across from her. He started off by having her come at him, to see how she moved, what she would try to do first off. The turian spent time showing her proper stances, how to keep steady and really use her power to her advantage, what to watch for to dodge an attack and use it against them. Vexus was patient, slow to explain things, doing it himself before having her follow his example. As they fought and trained, several times they ended up fairly close, as he would help her into the proper stance, taking her arms to show how to follow through on a hit. It was innocent, but they were still very close like this, and after revealing their feelings it felt good to be close to her in any context.
 
Tamsin nodded when he told her they'd be starting with the hand to hand stuff, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it as a rough sigh, trying to release some of the tension in her chest. She felt nervous, afraid she was about to make a total fool of herself, but she went with him anyway. It was obvious when he had her 'attack' him that she was both horribly inexperienced and very lack in confidence. She got a little better as Vexus showed her how to stand, how to move, but Tamsin would never be a soldier. Good think she'd married one instead.

He was a good teacher, and by the time they were done with the hand to hand, she was feeling and performing with far more confidence and technique. The girl was still very rough of course, but with some more training she might actually be able to hold her own in a tricky situation. Especially considering the fact that Tamsin looked about as threatening as a kitten. She was enjoying herself though, it felt some how empowering to learn these things, and it was good to spend some time with Vexus, after how much he'd been working lately. Though she had to admit that it was a little distracting at times as well, mostly when he was close to her, touching her.

Now that they had been honest with one another, Tamsin found that she wasn't holding back how she felt about him anymore, so now it was changing, deepening, progressing. The touches they shared were innocent, functional, but she enjoyed them none the less. When they finished, she stopped and sighed again, though this time to catch her breath, she was a little sweaty, panting a little, and a little tired. “So, how did I do? It's okay to tell me how awful I was,” she told Vexus with a sheepish smile.
 
Vexus stepped back as she did to take a breather, laughing a bit at what she said. "No, that was great. We keep this up and you'll be able to take on the Reapers yourself," he said with a chuckle. He walked away to a vending machine, grabbing them some water and returning with it, handing one to her. "Seriously, that was good. You're getting it, how you're supposed to move and not just swing blindly like an idiot," he said, opening the bottle and taking a drink.

He gave them a few minutes to cool down, talking about random things with her while they rested, sipping from the water. "All right, that's good with the hand to hand for today, ready to start shooting?" he said with a smirk, leading them from the gym to the shooting range. They got into a lane, and he walked her slowly through the ins and outs of firing a pistol. There was more to it than just point and pull, with how the firing worked, loading it, the safety and proper handling. A bit boring, but important to remember if the gun you're holding stops working. Finally he got them ear protection, loaded the gun, and showed her how to aim, two hands up to keep it steady, keep the sights aligned at your target, and fired. Carefully he handed it to her, letting her stand and take aim down the range at a basic target. Seeing her stance waver a bit, his arms went around to move them properly, their bodies pretty close now. "There you go, there's a bit of recoil, so watch out for that," he said, realizing he was staying for a bit too long. His mandibles fluttered, and he slowly stepped back to let her shoot.

They went through a few rounds for her to get used to it, then called it a day. The next few days stuck to a similar routine, Vexus would go to work, and after they would meet down in the training area, spend some time in hand to hand, then move on to shooting. They focused more on the hand to hand, since she obviously wouldn't be carrying a gun around the Citadel, it would just be nice to know how to use one. Almost a week later they were here again, him wanting to put what she'd learned to use in a little spar. He caught her in a grab as she made a move to him, pulling her close to see how she'd use what he showed her to escape one. "Weird out it takes a fight for us to get close," he teased.
 
Tamsin smiled when he assured her that she'd actually done really well, glad that she wasn't completely horrible at it or did something completely embarrassing. She still felt a little awkward doing this, she was a pretty nonviolent person, but she was catching on. “Well, that's only because I've got such a good teacher,” she beamed at Vexus as she took one of the water bottles from him. Taking a few drinks she cooled down as she chatted with the turian, then went with him to start training with a fire arm. Tamsin was also nervous about this, but more because it was genuinely dangerous rather than fearing she would embarrass herself, though that was still there too a bit. She didn't though, and nothing bad happened.

She listened to Vexus intently about how to operate the weapon safely, since about the last thing she wanted was to do something as stupid as shoot herself or some one else, then it was time to shoot. The girl felt awkward and ungainly, trying to mimic his stance but not quite able to pull it off until Vexus stepped up and corrected her, showing her how to stand. Tamsin was concentrating so hard on getting it right at first that she didn't notice how close he was to her, his arms up and arm her to show her how to hold herself. She grew immediately distracted when she did notice, glancing over her shoulder at him discreetly before he pulled away quickly, and she was pretty sure he was just as aware of the awkward push against their boundaries as she was. She turned her attention back to the gun though, gently nudging her thoughts back in line since she was pretty sure that firing a gun while distracted wasn't a good idea.

Tamsin grew in confidence over the next few days as she trained with him, she still was having no luck with the job search but thankfully training was helping to work off her frustrations with that. She went to bed at night too tired to fret over it. And she enjoyed the time spent with Vexus. She thought it made sense in their weird, out of order relationship that they would get to know one another best over combat training. Nothing about them really followed the typical formula, and she was okay with that. For the most part anyway. She was concentrating a little more on this sort of 'pop quiz' that Vexus was giving her, sparring a little so she could show him what she'd learned.

When he pulled her close and spoke, the girl gave a bit of a laugh, looking up at him. “Yeah, usually couples have at least one date before they go getting this familiar,” she teased him back before she twisted in his grip the way he'd shown her, grabbing his wrists as she did, twisting them as well (though not enough to hurt him) to force him to release her.
 
Vexus grinned as she twisted out of his grip, just as he showed her. He'd taught her quite a bit in the time they'd spent training. They'd have to keep going at it, but she was definitely getting there. If someone were to try something now, he felt good about her chances. Better than before, at least. He'd still rather be there to beat the crap out of them himself. She was his wife, after all. It was getting less weird to think about that.

His mind wandered as she got away from him, in a stance but not really thinking. They really hadn't been on a date. They'd been alone together quite a bit, with the lunch, and the day he'd kept her on the Citadel, but those weren't really dates, they hadn't talked about their feelings yet at that point. Of course, there was a lot about their relationship that was in the wrong order or hadn't happened, but that was a big one. Married without having a single date.

"Well, let's fix that," he said, shifting from his stance. "Let's go out, like on an actual date, as a couple. Gotta have at least one, right?" It would be fun, having another first together, at least being able to say they'd gone out, even if they were already married.
 
Tamsin had to admit that she felt better about going out on her own now too, though she'd rather have Vexus with her, not just because he could beat the snot out of anyone who tried anything on her, but because well, he was her husband and she enjoyed his company. It was getting a little less weird for her too, beginning to feel more normal, even nice. Still though, bringing this point up reminded her that their marriage was anything but conventional. They were doing everything all out of order, but well, they were making the best of it.

Thankfully this was something that could be easily rectified, and maybe it would be less stressful than most first dates. After all, it wasn't like Vexus was going to never call her again afterward or something. So Tamsin smile when he said they should go on an actual date, laughing softly and nodding. “Yeah, I'd say so,” what kind of couple ere they if they'd never gone on a date after all? Well, they were married no matter what, but it was the principle of the thing. Maybe it would help to make their relationship feel a bit more normal too.

They had gone out a couple times already, but as friends, not as a couple. She wondered if things would be very different now, given that they knew how they felt about one another. “When should we go?” She asked him curiously.
 
A small part of Vexus was relieved that she'd agreed, some leftover of their awkwardness from before. They liked each other and were married, so it was pretty much a given that she'd accept. At least now they could make an effort to do things the right way, as much as they could be when you get married a few days after meeting each other. It had been pretty great so far though, unorthodox as it was, so being out for the first time officially as a couple should be fun.

"Day after tomorrow sound all right? Unless an emergency happens I should get out at a decent time," he said, mind switching to thinking of the date. He wondered what they should do, wanting think of something special for her. The Citadel was full of things to do and places to see, it was just a matter of figuring it out. At least if they sat together for something he could actually pay attention and just be with her rather than exhausting himself with over-thinking everything he did and how she might react. It would, hopefully, just be simple.

The next couple of days passed quickly. They finished and headed home, and the next day he left some more money on a credit chit so she could pick up something to wear for the date. The day went by, and the next as he got back from work. It was the night of the date, and that was all that had been on his mind throughout the day. He'd had to rewrite a report because he'd put down her name on one of the lines instead of another name. "Hey, I'm back," he said, calling out as he came through the door, moving to the bedroom so he could get out of his work clothes and change into something better suited for a date. Saying he was excited was an easy understatement.
 
Tamsin would probably find it pretty cute that he'd been worried at all about her saying no to going on a date with him. It was understandable of course, she felt nervous about it too, in an excited way, but anyone who looked at it logically would think it pretty silly. She was his wife, of course she would say yes, and they were already married so did it really matter how it went? Still though, she and Vexus hadn't had the chance to go about things in the usual way, she thought they were allowed some of the butterflies that they hadn't been able to experience on their own terms. So she nodded with an almost shy smile when Vexus suggested when they could go on their date, though she laughed a bit and shrugged just after. “I mean, I'll check my schedule, I might be able to work you in but I'm awful busy,” she teased.

The next two days seemed to drag by. Tamsin kept herself as busy as she could, looking for work, cooking, cleaning, anything she could think of just to keep herself from thinking about how it should be the next night already. The day leading up to their date, she went out with Vexus' permission to get something nice to wear for their date. She had bought herself some clothes already but they were nothing special, cheap second hand clothes as she had tried to spend as little of his money as she could. She was nervous about buying something like a dress, she didn't wear them often, and wished her mother was there with her more than once, but eventually she found a shop with a very friendly Asari attendant. And when Tamsin had explained what she was buying a dress for (more or less, leaving out that she was already married to the man she was going on this first date with), the blue alien was almost giddy about helping her. It made her feel better to have someone to be excited with, especially another girl.

That night couldn't seem to come fast enough, she tried to entertain herself with some tv but she just found herself staring at the display, lost in thought, day dreaming. When Vexus finally came out she looked up, smiling at him, “Hey,” she greeted him, watching him make an immediate B-line for their bedroom, disappearing again. He seemed like he was in a bit of a hurry, but that just made Tamsin laugh softly, glad she wasn't the only one that was excited. Whenever he was done, she got up and took his place, looking him over as she passed and giving him a grin with a wink. “Looking good,” she told him before she disappeared into their bedroom to get ready.

She got ready as quickly as she could without just rushing it and making herself look a mess. She straightened and preened her short blonde hair to perfection, put on just enough make up to accent her already lovely features though it also gave her a slightly more adult appearance, and then put on the dress she'd bought. It was a deep indigo color, a perfect match for her blonde hair, fair skin, and bright blue eyes. It was tighter than she was used to, but the Asari had said it was flattering, she looked like a local in it, like she was from the Citadel, not some back water colony. It was long sleeve, though it had a pattern cut out of it down her arms, cut across her upper chest for a neck line, exposing her shapely shoulders, and stopping just above her knees. She pulled on the heels she'd bought as a finishing touch, and drew in a deep, calming breath, trying to calm her stomach before she stepped out into their living room nervously.

Tamsin gave him an anxious smile, “So... how do I look?” She asked him, holding her arms out a bit and turning in a quick circle. The dress hugged her in all the right places, and made Tamsin look very much like the woman she was still growing into.
 
A large part of both days was spent thinking of what to do, where he should take her for their date. There were plenty of things to choose from, but he wanted something special. Especially with their unique circumstances, this would be something to remember. Finally he came up with something he thought would make a good impression, so the plans were set. Now it was just a matter of if she'd like it as much as he thought she would.

In the bedroom he quickly changed out of the C-Sec garb, digging back into his closet for the nicer things. They were rarely touched, only a couple times since he'd been here for certain occasions. It was a similar cut to other turian clothing, unique to fit their bodies with their metallic carapace. He came out in a suit, black with some silver accents. "Thanks, I try," he said to her compliment, heading out to the living room to wait for her to change, keeping the TV on for background noise. He was anxious, but mostly excited.

His head moved as the door opened, hearing her come out. She'd gotten something with the chit he left her, but he hadn't seen it yet, and was looking forward to it. He stood as she came out, scales shifting as his eyes widened a bit as she came into view, giving a spin to show off. Mandibles moving back into a smile, he took her in for a moment. "So, you're not gonna dress up?" he teased, stepping forward to take her hand. "You look beautiful, Tamsin. I'm a lucky guy. Shall we?" he said happily, leading them to the door to get it started. Not often you left for a first date with the person from the same apartment. As they left he would lead them to catch a taxi, being secretive about their destination.
 
Tamsin was practically beaming as he looked her over, but she faltered a little when he teased her, blinking at him before she realized he was just teasing at her. So she just rolled her eyes at him, letting him take her hand, “Very funny,” she muttered at him, but looked slightly appeased when he followed up with a compliment, smiling at him. “Yes, lets,” she answered, leaving with Vexus happily, her fingers entwined with his as best as they could be considering the two of them had a different number of fingers. She climbed in the cab with him, doing so carefully considering she was in a skirt and high heels and they took a certain amount of care to maneuver around in.

“Still refusing to tell me where we're going?” She asked him with a soft laugh, her hand finding his again, both of her hands wrapping around his this time in an affectionate gesture. Tamsin was very excited, she'd really only dated a little back home and it wasn't like there had really been anywhere exciting to go there. But now she was going on a date on the Citadel, she still hadn't seen a lot of it so she was pretty excited to see where he was taking her. It all felt a little surreal really, but what didn't these days? Going on a first date on the Citadel with her husband, she wasn't sure if anyone would believe her even if she tried to tell them.
 
Vexus couldn't help it, he laughed at her reaction and took her hand gladly as they left the apartment. The awkwardness was gone, mostly, at least. They could just be together, and he was excited. The regular joking, talking, it was nice to be this close and be normal with each other. It was different for their hands as their fingers entwined, his long two fingers and thumb sliding between her smaller five fingers, but it worked, like them.

He smirked, giving a nod. "Yes, I am. It's a surprise," he said. The location and other parts of the evening would be a surprise, one he hoped she would like. It was still so weird to think that they'd only known each other for a short time, when they felt so close to each other already, and were living together as a married couple. The cab took them down the ward, heading toward the ring below that made up the Presidium. "So, how's the job hunt going? Any leads?"
 
Tamsin would have never thought in a hundred years that this was where she would end up, on the Citadel, married to a turian, especially not in these very strange circumstances. That by no means meant that she regretted it of course, she was happy. That realization hit her for a moment. She was happy with Vexus, despite everything that had happened, that had lead her to being here in the first place, and had more or less forced them into getting married, she was happy with him. She was glad things had turned out this way. Tamsin only wished that she had some sort of surety about what had happened to her parents, that was the only thing she would change.

She laughed softly when Vexus agreed that he was, indeed, keeping his plans a secret. “Well I'm sure I'll love whatever you have in mind,” she told him, leaning into the turian a little and giving him a smile. Tamsin's face fell a little when he asked about her search for a job though, sighing a bit. “Not too well... there are so many refugees here, and most of them are looking for work. And a lot of them are way more appealing as employees than me,” she told him, giving him an apologetic look, “I'm sorry, I don't want to be a burden.”
 
Vexus gave a chuckle, putting an arm around her as she leaned into him. "Me too," he said. He was pretty confident she would, just that little awkward part that wouldn't seem to go away kept telling him it was stupid. Luckily he was able to ignore it now. His gaze moved down as she responded, giving a frown as she apologized for thinking she was a burden. That couldn't be further from what he thought. "Hey, you're not a burden. Being with you is great, and it's the best part of my day when I get home and see you there. You'll find something, no rush. They just have to see how awesome you are, like I do," he said, comforting her as the cab drove them along.

In a little while the cab came to a stop, doors opening for them to head out. They were on the Presidium, easy to see by how nice everything looked. As they exited he took her hand once more, leading her to his chosen spot. "Now that it's completely legal for us both to be here, I wanted to show you something," he said as they walked, coming to a stop in front of the Mezza Botanical Gardens. "I thought you might like to see the plants and gardens here, it's supposed to be really nice. I'm sure it's been quite a change from your planet with the Citadel's tight quarters and lack of green, so I thought you might like to see what they have. There's a pretty nice restaurant too, so I thought we could eat first, then see the gardens," he said, giving a light smile and starting to head in with her.
 
Tamsin settled against her husband as he put his arm around her, feeling content despite the trouble she was having finding a job. Vexus certainly helped as he heaped praise and compliments on her, making the young woman give a bashful smile and blush a little. She wasn't sure what to say in return though, so she just nestled in a little closer against him and waited for them to reach their destination, where ever that might be. She was enjoying even just riding with him, his arm around her securely and her hand curled into his free hand. Tamsin thought that it was finally starting to feel like they were a couple.

When the cab stopped, she let Vexus get out first, then got out with his help, having to maneuver a little more carefully with the high heels on her feet. She straightened her skirt a little then took his hand for good, smiling at him a little as she followed along with him. She read the sign over the shop they went into, grinning a little when she saw the word 'garden' and listening to him explain where they were and what he had in mind. “Sounds wonderful,” she told him, walking inside with him. She almost immediately noticed the two of them getting a few looks from people around the restaurant, she wondered if any of them had ever even seen a turian and human couple. Tamsin tried not to let it bother her though, this was going to be a great night, she was determined about that.
 
The first time they'd ate together, it was just a friend thing, a lunch break. Not many connotations to it, not many looks. Now, they were hand in hand, acting close, clearly a couple. It was different, people took it differently. It was rare to see a human with a turian, for any of a number of reasons. The fact that the first thing that happened when the species met each other was a war didn't spark much romance. Nonetheless, it happened; Vexus and Tamsin were the exception that proved the rule, as far as you could get from the thought that they couldn't get along or wouldn't do well together. They stood happy, proud, hand in hand as they waited for the hostess. It was quite a nice place, the Presidium was full of fancy establishments like this for the politicians, diplomats, rich, etc. It wouldn't be a cheap night, but he didn't care, it was a special.

A human woman came to greet them, taking them to a table for two. Quick glances were stolen by the people at the tables they passed. Advanced technology couldn't beat the atmosphere of candlelight, and two long-stemmed candles stood on the table between them. The hostess brought some water, and left them for the waitress to take care of. "Pretty nice, huh? When we go out, we go all out," he said, mandibles curled back in a smirk as he took a sip of the water.
 
Tamsin knew there had to be other human/turian couples out there, but obviously they were rare enough that most people never saw one. So she and Vexus were a point of curiosity for most. She tried to just pay them no mind though, after all, most of the looks they got were more curious than disapproving, though one or two humans and turians did seem to frown at them a bit. There were lingering feelings of ill will on both sides even today, which she thought was stupid, considering the predicament the galaxy was in right now, but prejudice didn't die easily. Her own father still had some resentments towards turians, knowing this she did sometimes wonder what his reaction to her relationship with Vexus would be, nothing pretty she could imagine.

The restaurant was very nice though, fancy without being pretentious, and the table they sat down at even had a couple of candles burning on it, basking them in a warm, intimate sort of glow. Tamsin gave him a bright though shy smile when he spoke, feeling even more nervous now. “Very nice,” She agreed, “Nicest place I've ever been to actually...” She told him, sipping at her water.

Their waitress, an asari, arrived, looking between them quickly before she handed them their menus with a bright smile. “Hello, I'm Kalani and I'll be your server tonight,” She told them, clasping her hands in front of her, “Would you like to order something to drink to get started?”
 
Vexus smiled, glad she seemed to like it, glad that he could show her a good time for their first real date. Hopefully she'd like the rest of it as well. The gardens should prove to be enjoyable, being here he was sure they'd gone to great lengths to make them great. There was still the other surprise he had in store for later, once he found a good time to get around to doing it. Again, the gardens should be a perfect spot.

As the waitress approached and asked about drinks, he took a second to glance at the menu. "Nice to meet you, Kalani. I'll take a Korask with ice, besides that the water will be fine," he said, looking to Tamsin to see if she'd want anything. As with food, drinks besides water were split for the various amino acids, Korask being a dextro-based alcohol, basically like human scotch.
 
Tamsin was definitely eager to see the gardens, outside the Presidium was moving towards the evening in it's artificial day-night cycle, which they didn't have on the Wards, she could imagine how romantic it might be to walk around with him in the dusk. She tried not to be quite so silly about it, but she couldn't help that little bit at least. It was hard not to feel a little bit giddy though, considering everything.

She didn't get much of a chance to look the menu over before their waitress was asking about drinks, Tamsin glancing at Vexus as he ordered then it was her turn. “Oh, uhm, water is fine, thank you,” She smiled.

The asari arched what were basically her eyebrows and gave her a smile, “Are you sure?” The blonde girl nodded so the waitress nodded as well, “Alright then. Have a look over our menu and I'll be back to take your orders.” Kalani left, leaving the two of them alone again.

“I uh, don't really drink much...” she told him with a shrug, “I mean, I actually only became legally old enough to drink on human colonies a few months ago and just... haven't had the chance to really try it much since then.” Tamsin felt painfully childish admitting that to him, a stark reminder that she was almost twelve years younger than him. Usually it didn't seem to matter, Vexus wasn't stodgy or cranky, and Tamsin had a good head on her shoulders, they made it work. Still, the girl sighed, looking at the menu finally and her eyes going a bit wide, “Vexus, everything is so expensive!” She protested quietly, brows drawing together in a soft frown.
 
Vexus looked over to her as Tamsin decided on the drink, giving a smile to their waitress once she had. "Thanks," he said as she left, gaze shifting back to Tamsin as she spoke. He chuckled, giving a nod. "Makes sense, no pressure to have anything. I wouldn't have gotten anything either, but I haven't had a good Korask in a while. Maybe another time, if you want," he said. It was a good point, there was a decent different in their ages. Twelve years was a big gap, but they were really making it work. He didn't really notice it much, with how well they clicked it didn't really occur to him. This being an exception of course, her younger age being a factor in not drinking.

"Bah, it's nothing," he said, waving his hand. He knew it was pretty expensive going in, but it was a special night. "Trust me, it's fine. We should decide now though, if we're going to dine and dash, or if you're going to be washing dishes. It's important to plan ahead," he said with a smirk, giving a chuckle before looking to the menu himself to decide. A few minutes had passed, and Kalani came back to drop off his drink. He sipped at it, appreciating the flavor before setting it down. "Anything jumping out at you? I'm thinking about the pithyak steak, from this menu."
 
Tamsin nodded a little when he said maybe she could try something alcoholic another time, still wishing that she hadn't seemed like such a kid just then, but there was nothing for it. However she kept frowning a bit when Vexus tried to dismiss the prices on the menu. She didn't know if she'd call this 'nothing', but he seemed intent on not having it be an issue so she sighed a little and looked back at the menu. She looked back up though as he kept speaking and couldn't help a soft laugh. “Dine and dash for sure, I don't particularly enjoy dish pan hands,” Tamsin joked back with him. She didn't know why it was always a little surprising to her that he had such a sense of humor, she supposed because turians always seemed so serious and straight-laced. She liked it though.

The girl made a thoughtful noise at Vexus' question though, “There's actually a few human dishes on here, surprisingly. I guess there are enough human politicians and businessmen on the Presidium for there to be a demand for Earth cuisine... I think I'll go with some seafood. My colony was pretty land locked so I never got to eat it much, probably the shrimp verde.” She was skittish of trying an alien dish here, nervous she wouldn't like it and waste a bunch of money, but she felt like it would be a waste to just get something she was already familiar with.

Kalani returned a few moments later, smiling at them both, “Were you ready to order or do you still need a few moments? I'd be happy to make suggestions.”

“Ah, no I think we're ready,” Tamsin said hesitantly, looking at Vexus to make sure, “I'll have the shrimp verde, thank you.” The girl told her, handing over her menu, the Asari took Vexus' order and left with another smile, leaving them alone again.
 
"Sounds like a plan. I'll fake an emergency call after we're done eating," he said with a chuckle, looking back to the menu. Their menus were vastly different, mostly alien meats and dishes on his while there were many human dishes for hers. There were a lot of the same style, just called different things, different names because of the different ingredients. As he continued to look over the menu he kept going back to the pithyak, it sounded pretty good.

"Yeah, by now enough humans are here and come through that they've adopted Earth dishes, and for the species that can eat it, it's sort of exotic, so there's a demand for it," he said, just another impact that humans had made on the galactic culture. As Kalani came up he returned the smile, nodding as Tamsin suggested they were ready. "I'd like the pithyak steak, medium," he said after she'd given hers, giving Kalani his menu as well.

As she left, he took another sip of his drink, looking to Tamsin with a smile. "You know, because of our unique relationship, we skipped over a lot of the beginning questions, superficial stuff like likes and dislikes, basic info. I've just been doing a lot of assuming and hoping when I take you somewhere," he said with a chuckle, taking another sip and setting it down. "I know some big stuff, but there's so much we don't know. Favorite color?" he said, starting it off easy. They knew so much, yet so little. The small stuff could be important too.
 
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