[ OPEN ] A human, a turian, and a quarian walk into a bar. The volus just walks under it.

[boyscoutking]

WHO: Commander Shepard
WHERE: All over!
WHEN: Any time in March
WHAT: March catch-all. Biotic-ing, gymming & star gazing
WARNINGS: None yet!

01. Nonah

Wandering aimlessly isn't something Shepard is very good at. To be without a purpose, a task, even the rigid structure of the Alliance, is something that doesn't feel as freeing as maybe he once might have imagined. He'd given up on walking around after he'd found himself feeling no better, instead claiming a table outside a busy looking coffee place and making the metal-framed chair he's sitting on look tiny and almost comical.

Turning his attention to something he can actually work on, he's got the communicator given to him on his arrival laid flat out on the table top, his eyes flicking between it and the omni-tool he's got powered up around his forearm. The blade attachment is very firmly turned off, something which was an easy decision considering he's acutely aware of how many civilians are around.

The coffee he ordered is almost cold, forgotten about and simply an accessory to the table as he pours his attention into trying to hook up the information from the communicator to the omni-tool. Something familiar wouldn't go amiss here. The sound of somebody yelling from up above yanks his attention away from the task at hand, eyes seeking out the source and brain catching up after. Less than a split-second after that and the tell-tale blue glow of biotic energy has enveloped the falling pot-plant, suspending it temporarily midair above the sidewalk and over the heads of the people down on the street below.



02. The gym @ any city

Shepard doesn't like taking things for granted. Too much has happened for him to not appreciate the fact that he can actually walk into a gym on his own two feet, only a little sore and achy from the injuries he arrived with. There's a whole bunch of thoughts that keep circling his head about how exactly that's possible, but this seems like the best place to clear his mind and get his endorphins flowing. Working out had always been a crucial part of his active military service, something that kept him fit and able to fight in his armor. Maybe he needs that routine, that commitment to something, back in his life.

Sitting astride a rowing machine in dark gray shorts and a black tee with DRV Games emblazoned on the back (the only top he could find that actually fits him), he wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of one forearm and works hard to catch his breath. With a towel draped over the machine next to him, he only belatedly realizes that he's in somebody's way.

"Sorry, that's mine," he says with an apologetic smile at his lips as he reaches out to tug the towel off the machine next to him, freeing it up for whoever wants to use it.



03. Star gazing @ any city park

Existing in civilian clothes is something that Commander John Shepard isn't the most familiar with. It feels strangely uncomfortable to not be wearing either the starched, rigid press of an Alliance uniform or his armor, laden with weapons and a constant stream of information delivered via his omni-tool. His omni-tool is all but defunct here but he keeps checking it as if it's suddenly going to feed him information direct from the Normandy.

So, in the casual looking white tee, jeans and leather jacket, he feels loose, lazy, and a little weak. Outwardly, he looks just as uncomfortable, sitting as he is on a park bench and gazing up at the sky growing ever darker as dusk falls. Soon he'll be able to see the stars and that in itself is enough to keep him where he is, even in the crisp, slightly chilled air.

He's still looking up at the sky when a blur of movement passes by in front of him on the path. The sound of something dropped is unmistakable, and his eyes snap to the ground in front of his feet as he realizes it must belong to the passer-by.

"Excuse me?" he calls after the rapidly retreating back, already leaning forward to pick up what's been left behind. "You dropped your..."



04. Wildcard - hit me up with your ideas!

Comments

01

[lootsnshoots]

Cayde emerges from the coffee shop, strong black coffee in one hand, bagel in the other. The reaction from the crowd and passers-by when Shepard halts the falling plant draws his attention. He looks from the suspended plant to Shepard to his Omnitool, which he immediately recognizes as being the same sort of tech that belongs to Ashley.

"Smooth moves there, Mr. Warlock," he says, laying out his coffee and breakfast on the table and pulling up a chair.

"But that's not what you'd call yourself, is it?"

[boyscoutking]

Finesse isn't usually what Shepard needs his biotics to have. Maybe other biotics would disagree, but he's never really been one to put on a show, preferring to just get the job done and get it done well. It's why the plant, now out from over the heads of the pedestrians staring at him, doesn't make it to the ground in exactly one piece. Maybe four or five, he can't really tell from where he's sitting.

Satisfied that at least the only casualty was the plant itself, he'd been ready to work out where exactly it came from, but before he can get to his feet he's got company. He raises an eyebrow at the newcomer, switching his omni-tool off (not that it was doing all that much anyway) and clasps his hands together on top of the table.

"Uh, no. Usually just go by Shepard."

[lootsnshoots]

Any collateral damage that doesn't involve explosions around civilians is a win in his book, so the broken plant is barely a consideration as he sits down. He gives his plastic butter knife an unnecessary twirl before he begins to spread cream cheese on his bagel, but pauses at the mention of the name.

"Shepard, huh? That a common name where you're from?"

Ash had a friend named Shepard. They'd shared pictures. The man sitting across from him definitely isn't her.

[boyscoutking]

It's not a question he'd been expecting, but Shepard does a good job of not looking too blindsided by it. His expression turns a little quizzical as he shakes his head, thumbs of his clasped hands pressing together as he thinks.

"No idea. Though... I've never met another Shepard that I'm not related to?"

As the other man starts spreading the cream cheese on the bagel, Shepard finally realizes how hungry he is. Using biotics always requires energy and it has to come from somewhere. In lieu of food, his hands pull apart and he picks up the cold coffee from where it sits on the table, takes a sip and decides he really needs to do a better job of taking care of the basics. Like eating.

[lootsnshoots]

Once finished with spreading the cream cheese, Cayde carefully tears a bite-sized piece from the bagel, tosses it into his mouth, and swallows. It's eminently clear that' he's not wearing some kind of mask—there's no indication of teeth or flesh of any kind, just inscrutable tech.

"I only ask 'coz I know a few folks with that kinda tech who talked real highly of a Shepard." He gestures at Shepard's omnitool.

02

[dauntless_son]

"Don't worry about it."

Declan drops down onto the machine once it's towel-free. His hands are still wrapped and he needs to take a moment to unwind them anyway; he'd just finished taking out his current frustrations on a punching bag not too far away. The thorough nature of wrap-job suggests he's not exactly new to boxing and when he finally gets rid of the wraps, he flexes his hands carefully. His knuckles had been protected enough to avoid getting badly scraped up, but Declan realizes he'll have to be more careful with padding them next time, or otherwise invest in a pair of gloves: his knuckles are going to bruise.

"DRV Games?" Alright, he's vaguely curious.

[boyscoutking]

Trusting that no offense has been caused, Shepard is ready to get back to pushing himself harder on the rowing machine, his ribs not aching enough yet to call it a day and hit the showers. But the man taking up the machine next to him is asking a question and for a second, he's not sure what he means.

"DRV--?" he starts to ask and then remembers, belatedly, it's scrawled all across his back. He nods, vaguely amused, and shrugs a shoulder.

"Right, the shirt. Only thing I could find that wasn't armor to wear down here. Pretty sure I read in the gym rules no armor allowed," he says, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile.

[dauntless_son]

Declan just nods and leaves it seems like he'll just leave it at that as he focuses on what he meant to be doing.

But when they both finish their respective work outs, both catching their breaths, he finds himself asking,

"You said armor. Are you military?"

He doesn't ask are you an imPort - he can see the mark on the man's wrist that makes it clear he is.

[boyscoutking]

Delaying his response, if only to catch his breath, Shepard starts to wonder how to explain the situation. Formerly military before I died seems a little too heavy for a gym conversation so, as he grabs his towel to wipe down his sweat-beaded temples, he picks out different words.

"Was. Before I arrived here." He pauses to pull both feet out of the rower loops and plants them firmly back on the ground.

"Though I'm not sure how easy it is to just stop being military. Especially if you've been serving since you were eighteen."

03

[roughworkdone]

Kaz pauses and turns on a dime when he hears someone call out.

Dark eyes flick from the small case in the man's hand to his face. Then he sighs and hobbles back. His sharp black coat is open, showing an equally sharp and tailored suit. Kaz leans heavily on his cane as he walks: the changing weather is playing hell on his leg.

"Are you always this benevolent?"

[boyscoutking]

"Just a friendly neighborhood comman-- civilian. Nothing more annoying than getting to where you need to be and realizing you dropped your... whatever this is."

Actually, there's plenty of things that are more annoying, but Shepard isn't going to dwell on those. He stands (maybe a little gingerly) from the bench he's been occupying and offers the case back to the man returning for it, his mouth pulling into a wistful smile. Benevolent isn't something he gets called all too much. Too many wars and bloodshed getting in the way of that.

[roughworkdone]

"Commander?" It's a guess, but it's either that or some mispronunciation of conman. Kaz accepts the case back and it disappears into a pocket of his coat. "Commandant?"

He adjusts his balance.

"What are you doing out here?"

[boyscoutking]

"Former commander, I guess you could say," Shepard replies with a tighter smile, the whole concept of not being active military something he still has to get his head around. Without a ship and crew to lead through uncertain times, all he's commanding at the moment is himself and, realistically, he's not doing a great job of that.

He doesn't sit back down, simply stands with his hands clasped behind his back in an old-habits-die-hard kind of at ease stance. He couldn't be any more obviously military if he tried.

"Waiting for the stars. Getting some air. All of the above?"

03

[obediences]

It's not the first time Luther's met someone new while stargazing. Despite the fact that they're in an entirely different world from home, and the constellations are in subtly unfamiliar configurations, he still likes the soothing routine of it: mapping the stars, looking up at the moon and seeing its broad face looking back down.

When the voice calls after him, though, he feels his whole body tense up and he swivels on his foot to look backwards. Luther is 6'5" and hulking: big in the shoulders, and his face wears a wary expression as he watches Shepard, trying to size up what he wants.

But the stranger's just holding a pocket paperback that Luther must have dropped: a short history of this world's lunar base. "Oh, uh, yeah. That's mine. Sorry," the blond man says, voice oddly meek and abashed despite his looming size.

[boyscoutking]

Glancing down at the book held in one hand, Shepard's attention snags on the apology the stranger is giving him. It's not like any wrongs have been committed here and he offers up a reassuring smile to the big man looping back to collect what he'd dropped as he stands from the bench.

"Lunar base, huh?" he asks, nodding at the book he's already holding out to return it to its rightful owner. He's heard a little about its existence, holding off from actually visiting because he's not sure he'd come back down. But he's interested all the same, more so to meet somebody with what he assumes is an interest in it. It's been a long time since he held an actual, physical book with pages to turn and nothing about it digitized.

"Looks like a good book."

[obediences]

"It's informative," Luther says — which isn't really a recommendation, but that's all he'd needed from the book. "You know much about it? The base has only been around three years, but it's already weathered some attacks and had to be repaired a few times over. But it's still ticking."

He accepts the book with a grateful nod and then tucks it back into his coat pocket, which is deep and cavernous enough to carry it. There's a reason they're called pocketbooks. And he just appreciates the physical artefact of it, having something to hang onto that isn't just a communicator too small for his clumsy fingers.

A tilt of his head towards the dark sky above them, as if either of them can see the base with their bare eyes. His voice is quietly impressed, a little wistful. "You ever been?"

[boyscoutking]

Shepard only knows what he's managed to uncover and none of that has been by talking to people. He's taken a look at the flurry of activity on the network but so far actively getting into it has been something he hasn't wanted to do.

"I haven't," he finally answers, glancing upward too and unable to help the comfort that even unfamiliar star placement brings. "Not this moon, anyway. Moons from my own world? Sure."

He can hear the wistful note in the stranger's tone, something that provokes a small smile. Being amongst the stars is something special, even after all this time.

"You?"

o3

[khajidont]

Mako sees Shepard before Jaime does.

Mako, in this case, is a blue corgi who is typically very well-behaved - Kaidan and Shepard had been the ones to train her after all - who, upon seeing her old owner, has thrown all her manners out the window. Unprepared for his good dog to disobey in the way that she has, Jaime loses hold of the leash and Mako sprints towards Shepard with the sort of full-speed excitement typically reserved for dogs greeting soldiers as they came back from war.

"Whoa! Mako, what are you doing?!" Jaime calls out, dismayed as he jogs after her, a second dog (a beagle) trotting on the leash beside him. "Sorry, I don't know what got into her, she's usually --"

And then Jaime stops dead, boggling. He should really know better than to expect anybody to recognize him after they've been ported back in after a few years, but he can't help but exclaim, "Shepard?!"

[boyscoutking]

It's not every day that small dogs leap on to his lap, paws pressing against his chest for better access to lick his face. Shepard is surprised but not unpleasantly so as the little dog, butt waggling in delight, barks its excited greeting.

"Where did you come from?" he laughs out his question, petting the happy dog distractedly as he glances up to work out where it came from. The answer arrives soon enough in the shape of a guy apologizing. He's halfway to saying 'no apology necessary' when the newcomer, the dog's owner, has stopped short and is staring at him like strangers usually don't on a first meeting.

Shepard is no stranger to people knowing who he is without any recollection of having met them before, but this guy looks astonished. Since he arrived, he's purposely been keeping himself to himself for the most part so at least this time he knows he hasn't met this guy here before.

"Yeah, I'm Shepard. Hello. Cute dog..." He finally says to break into the silence, one final pat of the small dog's head before he puts her down on the ground, stands from the bench he's been sitting on and offers the leash back to her rightful owner.

[khajidont]

Jaime had known as soon as he saw him that it wasn't his Shepard. His Shepard would have gathered Mako joyfully into his arms in reunion, even if this Shepard won't turn a cute dog away, and then he would have been quick to give Jaime a hug too, he thinks. Or at least a manly pat on the shoulder. He doled out a lot of those, but maybe that had more to do with him being a young teenaged boy at the time and not the man he's become.

He stands there frozen for a moment, hating himself for it; he's been through this often enough to be able to smooth it over and to not look at the newbies like they've just crawled freshly out of the grave, but he's finding it a little difficult at this particular moment, especially upon seeing Mako's joy. Humans can hide what they feel all they like, but dogs don't -- and there's no explaining it to the poor dog.

He takes the leash back.

"...hi. You're, um. You're new, huh?"

[boyscoutking]

If Shepard notices the hesitance, he doesn't pry just yet. Instead he offers up what he hopes is a reassuring smile, nodding at the question and folding his arms over his chest. The last thing he wants to do is make anybody feel uncomfortable, even if he doesn't fully understand why.

"I am. Still trying to work this place out. ...sorry, I didn't catch your name?" He hopes they haven't met before. As good as he got at not offending people when he didn't remember their name (because there had been a lot of names to remember) it still doesn't feel good.

"Or hers?" he adds, looking back down at the excitable, friendly dog with that same, reassuring smile.

[ CLOSED ] » ASHLEY WILLIAMS // 2nd week of March // Heropa

[boyscoutking]

( continuation from here! )

Shepard doesn't arrive early or late but almost exactly on the hour since Ashley had suggested they meet. Call it too many years of his life operating on military time but he's not a huge fan of unnecessary waiting around or showing up late. He had that drilled into him by his parents when he was young.

So when he arrives he's semi expecting to show up around the same time as Ashley, another military kid, does. He's already half-debating whether to wait out front or to head on inside. The latter wins out, the idea of standing around waiting, feeling like he does, isn't a productive one. Even if she's not here yet, he can at least order a couple of drinks for them and snag a table somewhere they can talk in relative privacy. And if she is here, he'll still get the drinks in. He's got a feeling he might need one.

Shepard isn't late but I sure am

[cannotrest]

On the hour, Ashley steps out of a shadow in front of the barcade wearing the Alliance uniform she added an Aegis Force insignia to for her work on Force, prompting a local passing by to ask if she's here on business. She shakes them off with the promise that no, she's not here to fight crime or some otherworldly nonsense, before heading inside. (Though she still takes advantage of her Shadow Step significantly cutting travel time to find more time in her day even while living by military time, she's learnt her lesson about Stepping straight into local-run establishments.)

Thanks to her procrastinating contacting Shepard by taking Cayde to the Memorial Centre, she knows whom she's looking for: A man she's seen before in photos and fanart and in a memory of Jacob's, but never had any personal experience with. It makes this a little easier in that she doesn't have to just call his name and wonder what kind of man she's going to get, but it does come with the realization there are at least four different Shepards with their own timelines out there. She finds him easily enough, but still takes a deep breath and releases it before approaching.

"Hi, you must be Shepard," she says, hesitating before awkwardly offering a hand to shake. Were this her Shepard, she'd hug her, maybe salute as a joke. With this one, she doesn't know if he's the same rank as her in his timeline or not, and besides, this world somewhat flattens rank distinctions.

no rush, lovely!

[boyscoutking]

"Ashley."

It comes up short of how he thought he'd be greeting her, but mostly it's bordering reverent. He's still up at the bar, had been contemplating something harder than just a beer. But all of that falls away as he looks at her, really looks at her. She's changed, and yet he wouldn't fail to recognize her in a crowd. There are stories, he knows, both of them have to share.

But, for now, his hand reaches out and grasps hers in a handshake, firm but friendly. Familiar but not.

"Hey," he finally adds, expression caught somewhere between a scarcely seen uncertainty, deeply-rooted guilt and nostalgic joy. It's a real storm of feelings.

[cannotrest]

Having been here a few years now, Ashley's had some run-ins with fans, met complete strangers elated to meet her. This world doesn't shelter her from it the way being constantly on the move in a warship kept her from meeting most people thrilled that there was a second human Spectre or a good female role model at home. That's weird enough, but all these mixed emotions from someone she's just met hit so much harder in person than it did over video, so overwhelming she almost forgets to actually grip his hand instead of just being taken along for the handshake.

"Hi," she repeats, and immediately deems it inadequate. She tries for a smile. "Um. Sounds like it's, ah, been a while. For you."

Augh. Usually when she regrets not being a word person, it's at work, not in her personal life and definitely not while probably bringing up her own death to someone who was very upset about it. Way to go, Williams.

But then, it's been a while since she's seen her own Shepard as well, and only months since she really confirmed her Shepard's sacrifice to change the universe. "I mean, I've been here for a couple of years, too," she offers, perhaps a touch late.