<i>Is he trying to impress me, or is he always this stupid? </i>Cole slammed back the glass like an overeager teenager, too excited to be taking his first shot of tequila. Or whiskey, or vodka. Or anything, really. The Commander raised an eyebrow, long, dark, and arching, nursing her own glass with a bemused smirk on her face, watching her Lieutenant's face twist up as the alien alcohol scorched his throat.<i>He's going to regret that in the morning</i>, she thought, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder as he flagged down Nyssa for another drink. What better night than tonight to learn his lesson, or perhaps learn nothing at all? They both knew what this was, what he was doing here. Maybe tonight could be a night of quietly somber celebrations, a reminder that for now Cole was here, and Cole was alive.<br/><br/>A weaker man might have passed out only after half an hour of drinking asari whiskey and vivacious dancing, but Cole lasted the better part of two hours before Reese was hauling his wobbly body into a private skycar back to the docks. He babbled unintelligible words at her, causing her to chuckle and smile, encouraging him to rest his head on her shoulder. She doubted he would remember such tenderness once he awoke.<br/><br/><hr class="bbc-hr"/><br/>Reese awoke to the sound of Faustus's voice filling her cabin. She groaned, tossing the thin white sheet off her body. Dressed in nothing other than the black lingerie she had worn the night before, she trudged over to the intercom. “What's that, Faustus? You have a sick man being sick in your sick bay? How horrendous.” A smirk crawled across her face, settling comfortably there as the turian began to chastise her ever so politely.<br/><br/>“Yes, I am aware were I still in the military my actions would merit some well-deserved discipline, of course. . . . Yes, Faustus, I realize you did not become a medic to tend to drunken humans with overactive libidos, of course. . . . No, not all humans want to fornicate with machinery. Some humans, sure, but I wouldn't consider it a common trait. . . . All right, all right, I'll be there in a minute, Faustus. . . . Yes, I'll be fully dressed.”<br/><br/>Black denim pants, a billowy eggshell semi-translucent tank top. Easy to put on, easy to take off. Down the elevator, doors opening up to the large mess table where Cole sat, looking quite a mess as he nibbled on a biscuit.<br/><br/>“Look at you. You made it through your first night out with Commander Amari. A little roughed up, but not too bad, eh?” she laughed, pulling out a chair across from him and making herself comfortable. “I<i>did</i>warn you Nyssa would get you plenty drunk. I'd encourage you to exercise caution next time around.” The Commander bit her lower lip, shrugging her shoulders lightly. “Looking at the bright side, I did get to see your stellar dance moves, which I can assure you was a joy for me<i>and</i>everyone else at Purgatory.”<br/><br/>“Oh, Commander, my apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt.”<br/><br/>Tossing her head toward the elevator, Reese grinned and waved forward a large krogan with bright green eyes and a smooth frontal plate the color of dark honey. “Nonsense. Come here, Pol. You haven't met Cole yet, have you?”<br/><br/>“No, ma'am.”<br/><br/>“Cole, this is Jorgal Pol, our engineer. He takes care of the Anzio.”<br/><br/>The krogan nodded his oversized head, tilting slightly to give the human a good stare with his left eye. At almost seven and a half feet tall with a large shoulder hump encased in navy blue armor, the krogan was imposing at best. He sniffed the air as he stared at Cole, quiet, as if he were attempting to see beyond the human's exterior to expose what secrets lay beneath his skin.<br/><br/>“Welcome, Cole,” Pol muttered, his voice low and gravelly. “You like things so far? You like the Anzio? It's a good ship, isn't it? Suni thinks I spend too much time worrying about the cosmetics, but she doesn't realize how important it is for a ship to look good, too. If it looks good, it feels good. A ship that feels good flies better. Do you understand, Cole?”