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All she wanted was sleep.
But she was too scared to sleep. She couldn’t get the voices out of her head or the faces of the people she’d lost. She couldn’t outrun the trail of death that haunted her. She just needed to calm down.
Perhaps that’s why she was suddenly in front of the door to Life Support. For reasons that escaped her, Metzli always seemed to calm down after her conversations with Thane. The door opened even before she could knock and ask for permission to enter. She found him standing in front of the window, facing the iris glow of the Normandy’s mass effect core. He didn’t turn when he greeted her.
“Shepard.”
Only once Thane heard Metzli step across the threshold did he turn to meet her gaze, seeking violet eyes resembling the same glow from seconds earlier. “EDI informed me that you were restless, she believed you might come visit me.” He looked at her with a small smile forming on his lips. “It seems that she was right,” he continued before directing her to walk further into the room, offering his usual seat to her.
“You’re talking to EDI about me now?” She half joked. Something about that fact made her heart feel light. She trudged closer to the table, stopped just behind Thane’s usual seat. Metzli stared at the two steaming mugs on the table, a pristine white porcelain and an earthy terracotta mug. “I don’t actually mind that you do, but I guess she caught me. I tend to feel better when I talk to you. I was hoping for more or less the same this time,” she mentioned, leaning on her elbows across the back of his chair, idly smiling at the terracotta mug.
He straightened, offering an explanation to the question he could see forming on her face, “I was in the mess hall preparing a cup of tea for myself. I took the liberty to prepare one for you as well. Here,” she watched his hands as he reached over the table to gently slide the terracotta mug closer to her. When she finally slid her eyes to meet his onyx gaze he spoke again, softer this time, “I hope this will help soothe your nerves.” He couldn’t help but notice the dark circles under her eyes, nearly matching his own.
Suddenly sheepish, she turned her head away, hiding her smile while catching a glance at his cot behind her. She reached for the mug he offered and looked at him softly, lacking the energy to regain her composure. “Thank you,” she whispered to him and the freshly steeped tea. Metzli turned to look down at his cot again, the light cushioning much more inviting than a cold metal chair. “Do you mind if I…” she motioned behind her.
“Please. Make yourself comfortable.” Thane took Metzli’s normal seat as she carefully lowered herself down to his bed, turning the chair in front of her to rest her feet on. Now relaxed, she stopped to take in the scents emanating from the steaming mug. She smiled into her cup, “ Toronjil . I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you remembered.” Thane closed his eyes and chuckled, taking a sip from his own cup while reliving one of his memories of her. I catch her in the mess hall, brewing what smells like lemongrass. Té de toronjil , she says. She’s making amends with Officer Lawson after our mission on Illium. Miranda must still be anxious after reuniting with her sister. Shepard whispers words to the dried leaves in a language my translator doesn’t recognize. She lifts her eyes to look at me, finally. It’s good for migraines and anxiety. Even puts me to sleep sometimes, she mentions. She looks down into the cup and excuses herself without looking at me again.
They spoke about idle topics while drinking their respective teas. Rakhanan flowers. Mesoamerican art. Old books they have yet to read. It wasn’t until twenty minutes later that the lights magically dimmed and Metzli’s eyes grew heavy.
“Hey, Thane...” she said quietly with her eyes closed, breathing suddenly relaxed. He waited for her to finish. She took a deep breath before the last words escaped her lips, “Please, call me Metzli.”
She finally drifted off to sleep, still sitting on his cot, cradling the empty mug between her hands. Thane didn’t have the heart to wake her, not that he planned to sleep any time soon. He was surprised by the fact that she could find respite with him there. After all, it had only been about three weeks since he joined her crew. Without waking her, he carefully laid her down properly along his bed, removing her loosely tied boots so her feet wouldn’t ache when she awoke. He observed her more closely this time, worrying about her deepening eye bags and paling skin. She even looked distressed in her sleep. Hopefully the calming tea and conversation would keep the nightmares at bay tonight. With a heavy sigh, he draped a blanket over her sleeping body and slipped out of Life Support before asking EDI to further lower the lights.
Perhaps he could spend the next few hours meditating with Samara or listening to Garrus’ stories from Omega. He’ll know when Metzli wakes once EDI informs him that he should return to his quarters. After all, if anyone deserved some rest, it should be her.