<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/XYnVKuM.jpg)</div><br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">NAME:</span></strong>Nello Dreis<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">RACE:</span></strong>Drell<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">OCCUPATION:</span></strong>Virologist<br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;"><strong>DATE:</strong></span>17th, December 2174 CE - Afternoon<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">WEARING:</span></strong>As Shown<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">LOCATION:</span></strong>Outside Engineering<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">CONTENT:</span></strong>Standing | Listening to this. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye9hGotPPVk)<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">TAG:</span></strong>Rue<br/><br/><div align="center"> ___________________________________________________________</div><div align="center"> ___________________________________________________________</div><br/>When her words first trailed off, so did his train of thought. He wondered right alongside her: what was the word she looked to fill the silence with?<br/><br/>Then came his answer, from another, more artificial voice. Was that VI? In her suit? It certainly couldn't be an AI. He could not think of any quarian mad or brave enough to keep one of those on the same vessel, let alone in the suit that controlled personal environments and protected their weakened immune systems.<br/><br/>Her questions about Sir Elton John earned a thoughtful look from him, then he replied with, "actors and artists, I believe. We'd have to ask a human for more details."<br/><br/>Her surprise and resulting openness after realizing his knowledge of her culture made the large smile reappear on his face; brighter and less nervous this time around. "I know some details. Mostly what I've learned from a virologist friend and some holovids I watched." 'Some,' he said, as if the reality wasn't an obsession with the cross-species romance:<em>Fleet and Flotilla</em>. "I hear pilgrimages are a very exciting time. This should fit the bill."<br/><br/>Maybe it was because that vid was in mind, but her suggestion for midnight guidance brought his mind to a place he was<em>sure </em>she didn't intend. "Guiding 'light'?" he asked, his nerves returning especially strong after hearing the trill of her laughter through her helmet's speaker, somehow retaining its endearing musicality despite the barrier. She must have meant a light in the literal sense, of course! Not a partner who spent the night in his room for...reasons...and decided to go on one of these midnight snack runs. That would be a wild and very forward notion!<br/><br/>And strangely, the more time he had to think on it, the more he realized how incredibly smooth of a pickup line it would have been if it were her intention; and how much he didn't mind being on the receiving end of it.<br/><br/>Fortunately, she moved on, and after testing his name on her tongue--which increased his heartrate at least three fold--she began to speak of the mission; of teamwork and faith. It was a focusing thing--enough so that his stupid, apparently gutter-filled mind didn't wander when she offered her service. "Thank you," he said, nodding and offering a smile. And despite the embarrassment of his flights of fancy, this smile was genuine; just as he was sure her words were. He wasn't sure if she gave off an air of honesty strong enough to overcome the hiddenness of her face, or if not seeing her face made him more comfortable in general. He always did feel better opening up to anonymous people on the extranet.<br/><br/>"I will certainly be calling on you whenever I can--or, I mean when the need arises." A light laugh followed, hopefully covering that first little slip up. "You work down here right? I'm guessing engineering, based on process of elimination and your virtual companion. Did you make it, by the way? Is it in your omnitool, or your suit?" The delve into his well of curiosity was as sudden as it was eager, but he was far too interested to play it cool.