Mairèad says: Alright, look. You obviously ent fine. What's wrong, Mine?
Shepard sighs heavily. "I just- don't like father talk. At all. That's it."
Mairèad 's faceplate falls down. She pushes it back up. " 'Cause 'a... that thin' with yer blood y'told me about?"
Shepard says: Well. That, and my own was... a disappointment.
Shepard huffs. "And then people telling me that because I'm nice, I'll be a good father. I don't know -how- to be father."
Mairèad says: I don't think most blokes what're fathers know how when they first start. I think 'cause yer so worried, you'd probably be a good dad, but... well, I don't want kids evarrr.
Shepard nods excitedly. "Good! Good. Good..."
Mairèad says: ...I am rilly glad y'said that.
Shepard says: ...I'd just be a disappointment, too. This is good.
Mairèad shrugs. "I just... don't like kids. Can't picture meself evarrr havin' 'em, y'know?"
Shepard says: I'm fairly sure neither of us can. So, to Stormwind I quietly say...
Shepard clears his throat. "Fuck y'all, we don't need a kid." He smiles.
Shepard says: I wonder if there's a standard way of saying that... and if I got it right.
Mairèad snickers. "Y'sounded like Mr. MacGlynn. And let errybody else have kids. We don't need to."
Shepard hops up and down, nodding. "Exactly! Don't need a child. None at all."
Mairèad laughs at her amazing, bouncing worgen. "You are rilly excited about this lack 'a kids thin', ent you?"
Shepard says: Oh, Mair, it's -fantastic-. Brilliant. Wonderful. I feel...
Shepard stops his hopping, chuckling. "Lighter."
Mairèad says: I can tell. Y'look like yer about to bounce into orbit or somethin'.
Shepard says: Oh, but you'd be coming along for the ride.
Mairèad says: ...that. Is terrifyin'. I like the ground.
Shepard says: Hey, you said you'd come with me -anywhere-. That includes high above the ground.
Mairèad says: Onleh if y'promise you won't let me fall.
Shepard says: I thought we went over this? I wouldn't let you fall. Ever.
Shepard taps his chin, then holds out a finger. "Well, that's not entirely true."
Mairèad says: ...when would y'let me fall?
Shepard says: Right into a body of water. Or a bed.
Shepard says: Preferably in reverse.
Mairèad snickers. "What, y'don't want me in yer bed when I'm all wet?"
Shepard says: Well, that's an alluring image... to...
Shepard trails off, eyes wandering over Mairead. "-To think about, but then my bed. It'd be soaked."
Mairèad says: We could change th'sheets.
Mairèad says: Or...well, yer rich. You could hire someone to change th'sheets fer you.
Shepard says: Well, I suppose that's true... oh, but then people would have to actually -go in- to my house. That's unnerving.
Mairèad says: What's th'purpose 'a havin' a big house like that if y'ent gunna let people in?
Shepard says: Well, I originally was only going to let only -one- person in. You made me- 'revise', that plan.
Shepard says: It's not even my house. Not to me, anyway.
Mairèad says: It's Alma's.
Shepard nods. "But... I suppose she'd want me to live there, too. 'Your money, your house'. That's what she'd tell me."
Shepard says: ... Oh! I forgot. Stehl isn't mad at you.
Mairèad says: He ent?
Shepard says: Well, he's mad, but. Not at -you- specifically.
Mairèad says: What's he mad at?
Shepard says: Lius, mostly. It's like I said, he's grieving. In his own way.
Mairèad nods. "You were right. I'm sorreh I was such a shit about it last night. Was kinda like bein' slapped, y'know? Stehl's... he's errythin' I always thought a palerdin should be, and the idea 'a disappointin' him is..." She just trails off.
Shepard shakes his head. "No, no. Don't worry about it, my dear. Stehl has just been- I don't know how to put this."
Mairèad says: Yer good with words, and even when y'ent, I always understand you.
Shepard says: It's like he became a walking embodiment of the Light's fiery vengence.
Mairèad says: Describe it to me.
Shepard gestures to the pauldrons. "Those? They won't stop burning. Even -he- can't stop it. And they've just- expanded. He can't contain it."
Mairèad says: ...is he gunna die?
Shepard says: I don't think so. He seems fine, for the most part.
Mairèad says: But he can't live normal no more.
Shepard says: ...was he ever normal?
Shepard says: If anything, I think him becoming -that- is normal; it's like he ascended, or something. Opened himself unwittingly to the Light.
Shepard says: ... And now he's like a walking lantern.
Mairèad nods slowly, considering this. "...I guess that's good. Fer him, at least. That's... I mean, unless y'got family or love, that's all any of us can hope fer."
Shepard says: Actually, I can see where there might be some problems...
Shepard says: Oliver told me he's married.
Mairèad says: Oh. Well. Tha-- oh -wait-. He's married to a deader, ent he?
Shepard nods.
Mairèad says: ...that's awkward.
Shepard says: Mm. But, back to the original point, he isn't really mad at you.
Mairèad says: I'm glad t'know that. I wish I could talk to him anyway... if he's gunna go away and be a beacon 'a the Light's vengeance, I wanna at least say good-bye.
Shepard says: Well, I wouldn't say he's leaving for good. Not yet, anyway. He seems intent on lounging about Stormwind.
Mairèad says: That can't last long, not with so many deaders around, not with how he's probably got a worse temper now than you and me combined.
Shepard says: Mm. Which reminds me, have you noticed any other changes as of late?
Mairèad says: I hear shit better and smell shit better. And... y'know, I don't think I coulda broke someone's legs before.
Shepard says: So increased strength and senses, but hairtrigger temper and 'heat' flashes... seems you've gotten a pretty good deal. So far, anyway.
Mairèad says: And I like raw meat. What bad shit could I've gotten?
Shepard says: Well. Could have gone mad.
Mairèad waggles her eyebrows at Shepard. "How d'you know I haven't?"
Shepard says: Because you aren't walking around nude, or biting hapless civilians.
Shepard pauses. "Just me."
Mairèad says: ...y'ent a hapless citizen. Yer mine.
Shepard says: Really? Because I think half of Stormwind would like to contest that.
Mairèad says: What?
Shepard says: It's the weirdest thing. Ever since you and I... well, you know. Anyway, women -- and men -- have been getting 'nicer'.
Mairèad 's heckles rise. What are heckles? Who knows? But they're rising. She growls softly. "Whaddya mean 'nicer'?"
Shepard narrows an eye. "And that one bloke? Mahlar. He kissed me last night." The worgen grimaces.
Shepard says: So. That 'kind' of nice.
Mairèad says: -KISSED- you!? Why the -fuck- would he do that!?
Shepard flattens his ears. "He did it as 'thanks', I think. Called me handsome, and- well."
Shepard shrugs. Who knows?
Mairèad growls even more fiercely, like the not!worgen she is. "That -fucker-. That ent okay. What the hell, what's a girl gotta do to make sure errybody knows her man's taken these days?"
Shepard kneels down just a bit, getting on eye level with Mairead. "Come on now. Calm down, Mair. Like I said, he just- did it. Out of thanks for a situation."
Shepard says: I'm sure -- and hoping -- nothing was meant by it. Really.
Mairèad says: Still, people oughta know when they're hittin' on someone what's taken. They oughta know better.
Shepard says: It's Stormwind, Mair. If people knew better, there wouldn't be insanity in the streets.
Mairèad still growls softly but she looks slightly less like she's about to go rip someone's head off. "Well still. Almost wanna marry you -jest- to tell errybody else to bugger off."
Shepard blinks, then leans in close. Like. Really close. "Say that again?"
Mairèad says: I said I almost wanna marry you -jest- to tell errybody else to bugger off.
Shepard says: That. Is a brilliant idea.
Mairèad says: ...what.
Shepard taps one of his ring fingers, nodding. "A fake marriage."
Mairèad says: ...why not a rill marriage? I don't wanna -lie- to people.
Shepard blinks, leaning back. "I- wha- ... Do you want to marry me?"
Mairèad says: --well, I mean. I... I mean. ...I dunno! What's that gunna change, besides me name?
Mairèad says: Is it -gunna- make thin's different? 'Cause I kinda like thin's th'way they are.
Shepard looks away, absently rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, honestly... I doubt things would change. You'd just be my wife." He shrugs, focus panning back to Mairead. "But I- well. I hadn't really -planned- on aski--"
Shepard says: Well. Not for a few years, anyway.
Mairèad says: Y'didn't plan on askin' at all, did you?
Shepard says: -No-. I did. Honest!
Mairèad grins at Shepard. "Rilly?"
Shepard blinks. "I- ahh- well." The ground looks wonderful. "I was planning to, yeah- in a few years. I'd want to be- why am I telling you this."
Mairèad says: Want t'be what?
Shepard 's brows bunch together. "...better?" he admits, meek as can be.
Mairèad is grinning like an idiot and wraps her arms around Shepard's waist, pulling herself close. "Shep, yer amazin' jest th'way you are. I've been in love with you fer a while now... was jest waitin' fer you to realize it. Y'don't need to be better fer me."
Shepard 's mouth hangs open, eyes twitching. "...woo," he manages weakly. With a deep breath, he smiles. "Well. That's a weight off my shoulders, then."
Mairèad laughs softly, touching Shepard's cheek. "Y'didn't know that already? I wouldn't've chased after you ferevarrr if I didn't feel that way."
Shepard says: ...but weren't you at a point where you were close to giving up?
Shepard says: I mean, well. ... It sounded like it.
Mairèad says: Sorta. I think it was mostly 'cause I hadn't talked t'you in ferevarrr at that point. With you bein' that close again... well. I was jest glad Lio didn't want anythin' serious 'cause I knew... Light, even y'weren't nearby, I couldn't stop thinkin' 'a you.
Mairèad says: I jest didn't wanna get hurt again.
Shepard says: Well. I'm glad I swooped in, then. Completely contradicts that old phrase 'swooping is bad', though.
Mairèad laughs weakly and rests her head against Shepard's chest. "I don't think we evarrr coulda been friends. Not -jest- friends."
Shepard nods, then glances down. "...I'm confused, am I supposed to be asking you to marry me now?"
Mairèad says: ...hmm. Y'know. Since we're mostly doin' this fer errybody in th'Square, if yer gunna ask soonish, may's well do it there.
Mairèad says: Onleh, y'gotta make it all theatrical-like.
Mairèad says: Make errybody swoon.
Shepard says: I... see.
Shepard says: Right. Wait around in the square, and... I need to get some things.
Mairèad says: ...alright.
Mairèad says: Hey, Shep?
Shepard says: ...yes?
Mairèad reaches up to kiss the worgen gently. "I love you."
Shepard giggles, smiling like a derp. "I love you, too."
Shepard says: Now go. Go!
You salute Shepard with respect.
No comments:
Post a Comment