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Jaal is talking with Kallo on the bridge when Gil calls on the radio.
-Suvi? I got a Snow White in the engine room. Can someone help?
-Gil? Liam and Drack are not aboard. I could call Cora, she can do something with her biotics?
Is it a military term? Jaal still doesn’t understand a lot of those “idioms” the humans use all the time. But he’s willing to learn.
-Can I help?
-Oh Jaal, I’m not sure. Ryder is most particular about this.
It concerns the pathfinder? All the reasons to try to help, he’s so grateful to him and he’s the most intriguing one. Ignoring Suvi’s warning, he goes to meet Gil in the engine room to see the problem. Gil is waiting near the door and stops him before he can enter.
-Sshhh, Man… Quiet. It just took so much time to put him to sleep. I kept talking about the most boring of stuff but he wouldn’t quit! I was listing all the part of the Nomad motors when he finally lost the battle. And man! He literally fell! He’s a disaster at this.
-Are we talking about Ryder? Why was the goal to put him to sleep here?
-You don’t understand. Ryder never goes to sleep on his own. But he’s so tired that he falls asleep everywhere between missions. Lexi is on his ass about this, telling him to take better care of himself.
-But why not just tell him to go get some rest?
-Have you met the man? He NEVER stops, it’s inhuman! Anyway, I think he has trouble sleeping in his room. But that’s not my business to pry so… Wanna help put him back to his bed?
-Suvi was not sure I could help.
-Well, sometimes he wakes up and he’s mad at us. But I think it’s because the last time, he called Vetra Mom and he was really embarrassed. Drack is really good at this by the way!
Does anybody knows this but him? Ryder never showed him this part of himself. Jaal is ashamed to not have noticed the hard time Ryder is having. The pathfinder always seems confident, reliable when Jaal goes on and on about his doubts. It changes now! He’s gonna pay more attention about this.
When he enters the engine room, Ryder is tucked away in a corner, head at a painful angle (but maybe it’s only painful for Angara? Human necks look so fragile). The hum of the Tempest power source is the only sound breaking the quiet. He takes a moment to think about the best way to transport the human to his room when Gil appears at his side, a fond smile on his face.
-Come on, you need to carry him bridal style. And don’t worry about waking him up. At this stage, he’s gone for at least ten hours. I think Sam abuses its powers sometimes and keeps him down to recharge a little.
“Bridal style” is apparently something he’s familiar with even if the name doesn’t match in Angaran, meaning more a parent/child relationship than a union. Human “idioms” are really weird. He keeps Ryder’s head tucked on his shoulder and proceed to slowly transport his cargo to the pathfinder’s quarters. Having him so close he realizes Ryder kept his physical distances and rarely touches him. Only when emotions are high and comfort is necessary, he puts his hand on a shoulder or sits closer to him. The human is warm, heavy with the abandon of sleep.
He lays him down on the bed, noticing that nothing in his room is out of place. It doesn’t seem Ryder is using much of this space. He doesn’t even have a pillow or a blanket on his bed!
Well, he has a gift idea for the man at least. Aya got the softest fabrics for making a quilt. He lets him rest, thinking about some pillows strategically placed on the Tempest to accommodate the sleeping habits of his new friend.