god forbid i would show some understanding

[squanderlust]

who. Severa, York
what. Severa crosses the wrong turian and ends up in a bar fight
where. The Quad
when. After her gun training session, in the wake of the shuttle explosion
warnings. A very stupid, cocky teenager

"You wanna repeat that?"

Of course, Severa knew better than to actually answer, once she knew she'd insulted the birdlike creature—a turian, decked in a shade of blue she'd seen on a few other aliens around here. But there was no way he'd actually attack her. And even if he did, Severa knew that she'd probably win. Between Starscream and York, she'd gotten pretty good at using her pistol.

"What's the hardest part about treating—" was as far as she got into re-telling the joke she'd overheard from some other humans before she saw the turian start to stand up. He didn't even have to get to his full height for Severa to see that she was several inches shorter than him. Not that it scared her. As coolly as she did anything, she reached for her pistol at her hip, hoping that that would be enough to stop him from doing anything.

No such luck. He'd had something much bigger strapped across his back. Severa recognized it as what they called an assault rifle, though she wasn't sure what kind. This was really not the time. As the turian's gun readied itself, the other two people sitting at his table scooted their chairs away. Severa didn't see anyone else moving, so she exhaled and raised her pistol to eye level, lining any potential shots up with where a heart would be on a human. It was a gamble, but everything so far had been one, too.

It took a quick recollection of what assault rifles could actually do to people, especially those without armor, for Severa to realize she was in way over her head. "I don't want to do this," she said, not letting her gun drop. The turian wasn't budging either. This was turning into a terrible idea.

Comments

[squanderlust]

Severa wants to grimace and grumble, but the mead has begun affecting her too much for her to protest as vocally as usual. She'll settle for a snarky comment running at half power. "Can I ask you to never mess up my hair again?" It's not all that messed up and she doesn't care enough to straighten it, but that's not the point. It gets her to smile even more.

The smile remains even through her next statement. "That puts you another rank above my mother," she says, though she knows in the back of her head that it isn't true. If anything, Severa was the one who abandoned Cordelia and Gaius. If she'd been a better fighter, she might not have had to travel back in time in the first place. Just assuming that York knows what she's talking about, Severa doesn't clarify.

[neverknocks]

"You got it, kiddo," York laughs, withdrawing her hand from Severa's hand, but it's an unintentionally empty promise. It's just as likely that the next time York's struck with the urge to give her a noogie, she'll forget she promised not to in the first place.

It's easy to tell that Severa's got some reservations about family, or at least hers in particular. York gets on well with her own family, sure -- or at least, she did back in her world -- but she'd had her rough spots with them. Joining the military hadn't sat well with her dad for a long time. "Was she not around much, back home?"

[squanderlust]

All well and good; Severa doesn't stand much of a chance of remembering any part of this evening with the way she's been pounding mead.

"She was around, but she was always practicing. Trying to get better, as though you could build on perfection." Her eyes half-close as she conspicuously grimaces. "This isn't really the kind of conversation I want to have. I need to stop bringing up my family." Her better judgment is telling her she shouldn't go for a third glass of this sweet ambrosia, but her emotions are fighting back. "I'm drinking; it should be a time of celebration, not depression."