Yang Xiao Long (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solar_flare) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
genessia2017-11-15 01:21 pm
solar_flare) wrote in genessia2017-11-15 01:21 pm
Entry tags:
Italian for the Turian
WHO: Garrus Vakarian, Yang Xiao Long
WHAT: Yang swings by with lunch for the guardians and gets to know Garrus. They cement their friendship with punches.
WHEN: November 15th, 2017
WHERE: Nova City - Guardian Office
Was Yang a traditional girlfriend that packed a lunch for her main squeeze?
Ah ha ha ha ha ha! ...HA!
She was, however, the type of girlfriend who spontaneously decided that she needed to bring him lunch just because she felt like it. And because she was aware of Garrus's special diet, thanks to her brief partnership with Gale at the Halloween party, she decided she didn't want to leave the other guy out and picked up some lasagna for him. Mercury got chicken alfredo, specifically because she wanted to make sure both of their dishes were obviously distinct. The last thing she wanted to do was mix up the orders by getting two types of similar-looking noodles and make both of them horribly ill from eating alien food.
Parking her motorcycle outside of the Guardians' Headquarters, Yang dismounted and carried the plastic bag of goodies inside, rode the lift, and knocked on the office door before simply barging inside. No need for formalities here, she came bearing gifts!
"Knock knock!" she announced cheerfully. ...No sign of Mercury, though. Maybe he was in the bathroom. She set the bags down on his desk, checking to make sure he got the right one, and set it next to his keyboard. Now she finally had a chance to see what Garrus looked like, as she hadn't met him personally before. ...Definitely a distinct face she was unlikely to confuse with anyone else! "I got you something too, Garrus. Dextro style. Where's your partner hiding?"
WHAT: Yang swings by with lunch for the guardians and gets to know Garrus. They cement their friendship with punches.
WHEN: November 15th, 2017
WHERE: Nova City - Guardian Office
Was Yang a traditional girlfriend that packed a lunch for her main squeeze?
Ah ha ha ha ha ha! ...HA!
She was, however, the type of girlfriend who spontaneously decided that she needed to bring him lunch just because she felt like it. And because she was aware of Garrus's special diet, thanks to her brief partnership with Gale at the Halloween party, she decided she didn't want to leave the other guy out and picked up some lasagna for him. Mercury got chicken alfredo, specifically because she wanted to make sure both of their dishes were obviously distinct. The last thing she wanted to do was mix up the orders by getting two types of similar-looking noodles and make both of them horribly ill from eating alien food.
Parking her motorcycle outside of the Guardians' Headquarters, Yang dismounted and carried the plastic bag of goodies inside, rode the lift, and knocked on the office door before simply barging inside. No need for formalities here, she came bearing gifts!
"Knock knock!" she announced cheerfully. ...No sign of Mercury, though. Maybe he was in the bathroom. She set the bags down on his desk, checking to make sure he got the right one, and set it next to his keyboard. Now she finally had a chance to see what Garrus looked like, as she hadn't met him personally before. ...Definitely a distinct face she was unlikely to confuse with anyone else! "I got you something too, Garrus. Dextro style. Where's your partner hiding?"
no subject
He leans back from his desk and crosses his arms. "He's following up on something." He's not giving you anymore than that - he doesn't know you! "Can I help you?"
no subject
Looked like Mercury wasn't the type to mix his work with his social life.
"No, you're fine. I'm Yang. Mercury and I are dating." Since she was pretty sure she'd have to clarify as to why she just dropped by and made herself at home. "I guess you could let me know if you guys have a microwave? I wouldn't want him to eat this stuff cold."
Now she dug out her communicator and carefully tapped out a text. It wasn't easy, using only her left hand, but it didn't seem to register the pressure of her cold robot fingers.
got u lunhc don eat out! \^_^/ <3 its @ ur dsk
Aw yeah, who's a good girlfriend now?
Satisfied, she pocketed the device and rested her hands on the desk edge as she crossed one ankle casually over the other. "Mind if I wait for him to come back? Or is he going to be out for a while?"
no subject
"Yeah, there's a microwave over there." Garrus points to a counter that has the office's coffee maker and microwave on it. Below is a mini fridge, perfect for storing Mercury's food in case he's out for a while.
Don't look now, Yang, but Garrus may or may not be gaping because he still can't get past the fact that Mercury has a girlfriend. It was surprising to say the least. Partially just because he had no idea, but mostly because this is Mercury they're talking about. Arrogant lazy jerk Merc.
Guess there really is someone out there for everyone.
"It's hard to say how long he'll be. If it's nothing he shouldn't be too long - shouldn't being the key word - but if it's something there's no way of knowing. You can stay if you want, but if something comes up and I have to step out I'll have to kick you out then." It's a little unorthodox to even allow her to hang out there at all, but she was nice enough to provide him lunch and she doesn't really give off any Bad Person vibes so it's probably harmless.
There's one thing that he's dying to ask, and he knows he shouldn't, but he just has to know.
"So... You and Black, huh? How'd that happen? He doesn't really seem like the dating type." Really he only seems like the snarky asshole type. Not that he's a bad guy, per say; they're working surprisingly well together. But seriously, Merc has a girlfriend?
no subject
She took note of the fridge, giving it a single thoughtful nod. If she didn't hear any communicator pings in the next half hour, she'd assume he ran into some guardian business and stash his lunch there.
Yang relaxed, stretching her arms over her head while holding onto her metal wrist. At Garrus's question, she paused, turning her head to look back at him. The question didn't offend her. If anything, the corner of her mouth quirked up a little higher. This probably wouldn't be the first time someone asked her how the hell the two of them got together, nor would it be the last.
"That's fair. I wasn't so sure he was the type myself, until Halloween." She dropped her arms, folding them casually across her chest with a smile. "I guess it was just a series of things falling into place. I mean, we're definitely not friends the last time I saw him in Remnant, and when I woke up here, I probably would have tried to put him in the hospital if Weiss hadn't told me that he'd changed and she trusted him."
Yang hesitated, just for a moment, then hoisted herself up to sit on the edge of Mercury's desk. "I wasn't expecting anything more than a sort of mutual agreement to stay out of each other's way, but he offered to help me with my arm, even pitched in with my first bounty job. Saved my life. Pretty soon we got to be friends, and then...more, I guess," she shrugged. "I dunno, it's sweet. Surprising, but sweet. He's definitely not the same guy I remember from home," she shook her head.
Her hands shifted as she leaned back. "What about you, how did you guys get to know each other? I only showed up about...six weeks ago?" Had it really only been that long? So much had happened that it felt like much more than that. "How long have you been coworkers?"
no subject
He's fully paying attention as he clicks around, shooting her a surprised look when he finds out she knew what he was before he came here and still decided to date her. And the fact that he apparently knew mechanics did not go unnoticed. He doubts he's nearly as skilled as himself, but still, something they actually had in common.
"We were both deputies for awhile. I started in, what, the beginning of December? He was already serving as one when I signed on. When Schnee stepped down over the summer, she left us in charge as a tag-team. I'll admit we get along better than I thought we would, considering our very different pasts." He pauses, staring at her. If a girl he met had had some part in killing his friend, he never would have dated her. "We do see eye-to-eye on some things, though." The bullshit od rd tape being one of them. "Didn't know he was good with mechanics, though. He's never said a word about it to me. Doesn't say much to me at all, really, not unless it's work related, and even then he's not always in a sharing mood. He's not always a team player." At least if the Attleton incident is anything to go by.
And what do you know, there is a waiver on the hard drive.
no subject
So if Garrus didn't know about Mercury's skill with mechanics, he likely didn't know about his legs either. He'd said he didn't mind going public with that information previously, but either he changed his mind or the matter just never came up.
"He'll have your back in any sort of a fight," Yang acknowledged. "But I think he's still got some personal issues he's coming to terms with. He's not always open with me either, but we're getting there a little at a time. I wouldn't take it too personally." Her grin turned crooked. "Honestly, if he's NOT talking to you a great deal, that's probably a sign of respect. He loves to tease people. I'm sure you're fine."
She was curious about this guy. He definitely didn't look like anyone she'd ever met before, and his mention of a 'different past' hooked her interest. "What kind of past do you mean?"
I don't know why I said he started in December - it was February
Looks like it's the right one. He spins the screen so that she can scribble a signature on it. "Sorry, normally I wouldn't care about all of these formalities but since I'm in charge now I'm supposed to set a good example." He's also not sure if she's actually combat ready or if she just thinks she is, so this is just as much to cover his ass in case she gets seriously hurt and Mercury tries to kill him. At least now he can say he tried to warn her.
"Could be why we don't talk much," he continues while she signs. "Which is fine. So long as he does his job I don't care. But he has to learn to tell me things if we're going to be a team." He crosses his arms. "Did you know he got himself landed in a hospital last month? He got in over his head in Attleton and instead of calling for back-up - either from here or from their law enforcement - he was seriously injured. If he wants to fight things on his own, fine, but he should have at least told me he wouldn't be around for a couple of days while he healed up. I didn't even know until we go the bill in the mail."
I'll pretend that's what he said all along!
She touched the screen. Tak. ... Tak tak. It looked like the touch screen wasn't going to register her metal finger for a signature. Yang sighed and used her left hand, scrawling her name with all the skill and grace of a five-year-old. It would have to do. "Nah, don't worry about it. It's not like playing by the rules is putting me out or anything." Yang stepped back to fold her arms and admire her...handiwork, so to speak. "I really need to figure out how to be ambidextrous one of these days."
Her easygoing grin faded slightly as he brought up Mercury's disappearance, and her gaze dropped to the side. While she wasn't the type to gossip unnecessarily, his partner should at least know why Mercury went into radio silence. Otherwise there would be a lack of trust, and that was something they might really need in the days to come. Knowing Mercury, he wasn't going to bring it up.
"Yeah. I know all about it. I was there." Her folded arms dropped to her sides as she slowly paced back toward Mercury's desk. "He didn't call for back-up because he couldn't. Attleton changed him into his worst fear -- becoming the person he least wanted to be." Who that was, she probably wasn't at liberty to say, so she didn't. It was enough for Garrus to know that Mercury wasn't just being brash and reckless, thinking he could tackle the situation alone. "I got hurt pretty badly. So did Emerald, his best friend. That all happened at his own hands, so you can probably see why he doesn't want to talk about it. Once he managed to resume control of his body, he was ashamed, and scared. Honestly I'm surprised he still came to work at all, but I think that probably has something to do with the respect he has for you." She traced her finger lightly over the surface of the desk, then exhaled heavily.
"Just...cut him some slack for this one. I already punched down his door to talk some sense into him about it." She smiled wryly, and shrugged her shoulders.
Re: I'll pretend that's what he said all along!
He looks up when she makes the comment about becoming ambidextrous, snorting when he sees her signature. “I could see where that might have its perks. For something like a touch screen, though? I can fix that easily. I just have to recalibrate the sensors.” He takes it back and starts doing whathe does best. “Really, with the amount of robots here you’d think they’d already have this kind of thing set up.”
...How did Grievous sign forms?
That’s a thought for later. He listens to Yang’s tale while he works on the sensors, a frown on his face somewhere underneath all the plating. How the hell had that secret been kept from him? He shakes his head. He really feels like a jerk for getting on his case about it now. Why hadn't he just told him, damn it?
“Respect or not, he still could have said something<./i>. Andor’s my best friend on this rock. I knew what was going on in Attletone, how bad it was. He could have told me. I would have told him to take the week off.” While Garrus may prefer to distract himself through his work, not everyone’s like that and he knows it.
He presses a couple of more keys then spins the screen back to her. “It should work with your prosthetic now, if you want to redo that.” It’s totally her choice. Like he said, he doesn’t care all that much truth be told.
He picks up his mug of fake coffee, but doesn’t drink it, staring into it instead. It had taken Cassian and Kay a vacation to get over the effects of Attleton. Granted, they lived there, but still. “Is he okay now?”
If anyone asks, it’s purely professional concern. He needs to know if he can depend on his team. That’s totally it.
no subject
She grinned, and if her affection for her new boyfriend wasn't obvious before, it's written all over her face now.
Faced with the screen, Yang tentatively tapped her fingertip against the monitor, and made a small high-pitched noise of delight to find a small white line traced with her motion. She wrote her name far more boldly, like a true adult. "Nice work! Think you could do that for my communicator too? My texting skills aren't exactly pretty."
Yang watched him stare at his coffee. He was thinking about something, that much was plain. But when he asked about Mercury, Yang's smile turned warm and gentle. "Yeah. He's okay." Nothing could erase the hardships of his past, but he seemed happy now. Hopeful. Not only was he making strides to change, he was also turning out to be a pretty nice guy to other people. She couldn't be more proud of the man he was becoming, and the man he was now.
"Sounds like you're pretty good friends, if you're worried about him. You'll make a great team."
Oh god that formatting fail in my last post
Words he never thought he'd say. But Mercury had come through with the exception of the hiccup during Halloween, but if that wasn't his fault then he really can't hold that against him. He had once told Shepard that he liked the world in black and white, but suddenly grey - ugly, horrible, morally ambiguous grey - was starting to make the most sense. Sure, Mercury might be a cocky dick sometimes but he was pretty good at what he did and wasn't actually that bad of a person. And the Co-Guardian thing was surprisingly working out really well, so maybe keeping it up wasn't such a bad idea.
"Let me see your device." He hadn't considered how many things didn't work with metal limbs. That was something that definitely needed a major upheaval. "The OS on them is pretty basic; shouldn't take more than a minute for me to recalibrate the sensitivity in it so it registers non-organic things like that arm of yours."
There there, it's happened to all of us!
She watched him curiously as he worked, and shifted her weight to her left hip as she folded her arms. "Not only is it better for the city, but if you think about it, it's a smart way to run too. Instead of dividing the votes between people who would vote for Mercury and people who'd vote for you, you pool it all together. Easy win, unless you're both wildly unpopular."
She knew several people had good reason to hold a grudge against Mercury, but for the most part he seemed to get along fine. Garrus wasn't someone she knew all that well, but he seemed like an upstanding...alien...guy.
"Plus you've got the incumbent bonus. The ones who are ambivalent are going to vote to keep you in just because you've both managed to do fine so far." As long as they didn't get Weiss's dad to advocate for them...which seemed wildly unlikely since Garrus wasn't human and Mercury's reputation in Remnant was so very not sterling...she really couldn't see how they'd lose.
"Thanks, by the way. I've been trying to use my left hand more, but it's not easy."
Re: There there, it's happened to all of us!
"The Co-Guardian thing just seems like a good way to run things overall, though. We can each get some time off without having to worry too much and it keeps one person from becoming too powerful. I'm not a fan of of systems where people are untouchable because of their status, and a Guardian seems like they might be able to pull that card."
He plays with the device, working diligently but still able to keep up the conversation with ease. These things are like child's play compared to some of the systems he's used to.
"And it's not a problem. You shouldn't have to change your whole life over a lost limb, not with the level of tech we have here. You have a new arm; you should be able to function as you used to for the most part." He's not sure what the specs are on it without scanning it with his omni-tool so there's a good chance that there are some limitations as to what she can do, but using a touchscreen should not be one of them.
After a couple of minutes of work, he hands it back to her. "Here, try that and let me know how the sensitivity is. I'm not sure how much pressure you're using."