I have to this galaxy, now it's time for
This is Gonna Be Good - my character learns your character is in fact alive after believing they were long dead.
His eyes widened as he read the report. It couldn’t be. Shepard was… alive? Impossible. His fingers clenched around the datapad as his eyes ran over the words, turning them over and over in his mind. He had read the reports from two years ago, there was no way the commander could have lived through being spaced, could he?
Sighing, he set the report down and stared at the far wall. A sense of relief swept through him, and it threw him off balance. he hadn’t realized he had missed Shepard so much, or felt so much guilt over his death. Leaning back in his chair, he fought back the urge to track down the commander and lecture him long and hard about the whole thing.
God. Maybe now he’d stop feeling so… What was the word. Lonely? Unlikely. Of course he had mourned Shepard, but he was an admiral of the Systems Alliance, he had to move on, had to learn to get over it.
A tear rolled down his cheek, and he hurriedly wiped it away. He’d definitely have to fire off a very strongly worded message to the Commander, and hoped that they met up soon for coffee or dinner.
[breathes angst like air tbh]
[Excellent. Excellent. We shall get along well then. (hullo by the way, you’re a fantastic Miranda)]
[ always ]
[You people are all crazy… B) ]
“Hey, c’mere,” he muttered to the pup, who quickly bounded over to Shepard, tail wagging happily. “Go play with your toys or something; leave the poor guy alone.” Renzo stared at him blankly for a moment then promptly turned and went to tackle one of his toys.
He glanced back at Hackett with a smirk. The playful jab was unusual but not at all unwelcome. “Varren pup aside, I keep guns all over this apartment, so they’re welcome to drop by any time.”
Hackett snorted and watched the pup scamper away. Damn it it looked almost… adorable. “You and me both, Shepard. I have ten guns hidden in my study alone." He would never admit to being paranoid even after the end of the war, Tearing his gaze away from the varren he offered the commander a small smile.
"I never thought I’d say this, Shepard, but I don’t think I’m a fan of being retired. Too much time, and not enough to do.”
“Thanks,” he nodded as he accepted the bottle. Ryan shrugged in response to the teeth comment. “He usually doesn’t bite. So long as you pay him some sort of attention, he’s content.”
The younger man led the other deeper into the apartment as they continued to talk. “Yeah well…we’re working on that. He’s almost got his growl down though, so that’s progress.”
Hackett found that hard to believe, but so far it hadn’t made any move to bite him, so he chose to believe the commander. Following the other man deeper into the apartment he looked around. So this what the ‘Great Commander Shepard’ lived in. It suited him.
“I’m sure the assassins will be happy to hear that." The admiral had never really been one to tease Shepard, but now that he was retired well… Maybe he could work on easing out of his military persona.
[… I like this. I approve.]
[*gets squished*
Nooooo *aggressively pets face* You’re the perfect one here.]
Send me “I didn’t actually think you’d do it.” for my character’s mindset and reaction to having just shot yours.
The admirals tared down at Shepard, anger and guilt twisting together in his stomach to give birth to an ugly emotion he didn’t have a name for. Shepard hadn’t been himself he tried to tell himself. The commander had always been a bit ruthless but the blatant waste of life and the way he put the entire Alliance in danger… “I’m sorry Shepard, but the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or even the… one." He would spend the rest of his life regretting this, but the people came first. It was all for the people…
Hackett gave the commander an unimpressed look, his patience with the man running short. “Commander, I think that if they were going to kill you they would have done so by now.”