33 Apocalypse Ave, Saturday

[not_in_the_book]

After hearing from Kaidan about the room, Ronan had gone on a little bit of a cleaning spree -- not that the house was messy by any means, but there was always more to do when setting up for a new tenant/roommate/person-thing -- before starting in on the cooking spree.

What? This is Ronan. That's hardly unexpected.

That said, Saturday morning, residents new and old alike -- coming downstairs or moving in for the first time -- would find Ronan in the kitchen, coffee in the French press, rashers of bacon and a huge bowl of scrambled eggs keeping warm in the oven, and pancakes just coming off the stove.

There was a lasagna in the fridge, ready to be baked for dinner, and gazpacho for lunch; on the kitchen table was a bowl full of grape tomatoes, strawberries, and blackberries, for anyone passing through who wanted something to snack on.

Oh, and alcohol. Let's not forget the alcohol.

[Up early for SP! For the housemates, phone calls, etc.]

Comments

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan didn't exactly own much - it fit mostly comfortably in one duffle bag, personal side-arm aside. Packing had been easy, especially since he hadn't genuinely unpacked to begin with. Too much paperwork to do, too much class planning, and... well, his heart wasn't really in it right now.

Being here, that was.

He'd been grateful for the invite because it was the easiest way to settle the Alliance's housing requirement. It didn't take a lot of investment on his part. Nolan had seemed all right.

So, duffle bag slung over his shoulder, he was at the door now, giving it a knock.

[not_in_the_book]

There was a bit of a delay before Ronan got to the door -- he called out, "Coming!" though he was never sure how well that carried -- because he needed to get the pancakes off the stove before they burned, but a few moments after the knock, Ronan was pulling open the door. "Kaidan! Hey, c'mon in. There's breakfast if you haven't eaten."

All the breakfast, Kaidan. ALL THE BREAKFAST.

[not_a_whiner]

Have mercy, Ronan. He'd only been back on civilian grub for a few weeks now.

"I had some, but thanks," Kaidan said - unsuspecting of the ALL THE BREAKFAST situation up ahead - and stepped inside. "I should probably get some more protein anyway."

...he was a biotic. He was pretty much always hungry.

[not_in_the_book]

Yeah. This was Ronan having mercy.

There could have been mimosas.

"Eggs and bacon," he said, "for protein, and there's coffee and pancakes, too." Whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes, Kaidan. With homemade raspberry syrup.

And this is the good coffee.

[not_a_whiner]

This was probably not a good time to um, Kaidan.

Which to his credit he didn't, for once. "Uh, thanks," he said instead, which was at least somewhat better. "You running a B&B here, or something? I mean... that can't be in my rent."

Should have just stuck with 'thanks'.

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan laughed, shaking his head. "Nah, I just. Sometimes I cook."

Most of the time.

... All the time.

"And I like cooking for people, so. Chip in for groceries, enjoy the spoils. This one's a freebie, though."

[not_a_whiner]

"In that case, thanks," Kaidan said. He offered up a friendly smile, and added, "Mind if I drop off my gear, first?"

[not_in_the_book]

"Oh, terribly," Ronan replied, straight-faced. "Nah, room's upstairs, on the let's say right. Door's open; closed doors belong to housemates, Emma and Jack, who I'm surprised aren't down here yet. Normally the coff-"

Riiiight. Ronan didn't actually facepalm, but he might as well have.

"Yeah, never mind that, they're away for the weekend. I completely forgot." He glanced behind himself into the kitchen. "Uh. I... hope you're hungry?"

The lasagna, at least, he could freeze until everyone was around.


[Emma and Jack's departure handwaved and modded with permission!]

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan threw a glance in the same direction Ronan had been looking - he could smell the food from here. "I usually am," he said, which was kind of a joke, and kind of a rueful truth. "I'll go drop this off."

And then maybe get a hold of some of the people back home. He hadn't seen any of the former Normandy crew since their last debriefing.

He took his bag and headed upstairs, following Ronan's instructions.

[not_in_the_book]

"Bathroom's on the left," Ronan called up the stairs after Kaidan, as he went back into the kitchen and poured the last of the batter into a frying pan, three more pancakes that would be ready in minutes. "Let me know if you need anything!"

Always hungry would not be a problem in this household, Kaidan.

[not_a_whiner]

To a guy used to military rations - well, okay, as a biotic, he got significantly bigger rations - that was going to be something to get used to.

Kaidan put down his bag, checked over the room. Not that it mattered. As long as he had space to bunk up and communicate with the Alliance, he'd be fine.

He took a deep breath and tried to chase off the feeling of emptiness that had been hot on his heels for the past few weeks. It helped... sort of. Probably wouldn't be helping for long.

"What do you teach?" Kaidan asked, as he wound up back downstairs a few minutes later. He was almost inclined to think it might be cooking.

[not_in_the_book]

The room wasn't anything special -- furnished, with a decently comfy double bed, a dresser, a desk, and a couple of bookshelves, and it was painted in neutral-ish colours.

"Last term was philosophy," Ronan explained. "On choosing and choices. This semester I'm tackling sex ed, though. Really interesting -- I've got a monogendered alien in my class."

[If he follows on the heels of my last sex ed teacher, cooking's next! ;) ]

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan's eyebrow went up. Couldn't be-- he was sure the Alliance would've let him know if there were any other Council races island-bound. "We've got a species like that back home," he settled on. "That'll make things interesting."

[not_in_the_book]

"Yeah, she's an..." Ronan ran his brain back over his class notes. "Asari? Name's Liara. Some kind of interesting almost-parthenogenic reproduction, apparently. I'm hoping she'll be willing to talk about it more."

[not_a_whiner]

It was probably a good thing Kaidan hadn't actually sat down to eat yet, or he might have choked on something.

"Liara," he said. "You've got an asari called Liara in your class-- Liara T'Soni?"

Could just be some other Liara. Should've thought about that before running his mouth.

[not_in_the_book]

"... Yes?" Ronan hazarded. "I take it you know her."

[not_a_whiner]

"...She was part of my last crew," Kaidan said slowly, "Before-- well, that doesn't matter right now. But Liara? I can't believe she's here and she hasn't contacted me. I could've-- I don't know."

If she'd come here for the same reasons he had, he could have... helped.

[not_in_the_book]

"It's possible she doesn't know you yet," Ronan suggested. "Fandom's... funky, with timelines. There's like four generations of one family who've attended the school within five years of each other, or something like that."

Ronan wasn't entirely clear on the Skywalker-Solo legacy, but it was hard to miss it completely.

"Or maybe she just doesn't know you're here, herself."

[not_a_whiner]

"I should talk to her," Kaidan said. He'd recovered from his shock enough to finally grab a seat for himself. "Damn, every time I think I've got a bead on this place..."

[not_in_the_book]

"I started school here in '07," Ronan offered, "graduated, spent two years out in the galaxy doing internships in medical clinics for species whose names I can't even pronounce, and still this place is the weirdest thing I've ever seen.

"If you ever think you've got a bead on it, you're wrong, and it'll probably take great pleasure in informing you otherwise. Just wait until you wake up as a woman. Or a pony."

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan rubbed at his forehead. "So I've heard," he said. "Never a dull moment, huh?"

A lot like life on the SSV Normandy, from a certain perspective. Still made a piss-poor substitute for life around Shepard-- not that he was going to say that out loud with Ronan around.

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan dished out a plate with bacon, eggs, and pancakes for Kaidan, then one for himself, bringing them both over to the table. "Coffee, juice, both?" he asked.

"And yeah, this island is many things, but dull is not one of them. The sheer number of worlds that people come from -- one of my best friends is an alien, her fiance, also my friend, is a half-angel witch..."

Their roommates were a mutant telepath and a werewolf.

[not_a_whiner]

"Let's go with juice," Kaidan said.

The food really did smell too good. Had to give it that. "And I thought being on a mixed-species crew for the first time was exciting," he said. A beat. "Actually, I still do. But that's something else."

[not_in_the_book]

"I remember the first time I did anything in a mixed-species group," Ronan said, nodding in agreement. "I was... Powers. Sixteen. The universe was almost destroyed."

It wasn't their fault! In fact, they stopped it.

[not_a_whiner]

"The whole universe?"

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan nodded. "Yeah, universe," he confirmed. He fidgeted a little -- there was some distance now, but it was still his closest brush with death... and that said a lot.

Also the one and only time he'd woken up in a bed with Space Battles sheets.

"I can explain, but I'll have to get into more detail about my universe's cosmology. I'm happy to, though, if you want to hear it."

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan had been in situations like that often enough that he recognized the signs all too well. "Don't feel like you have to on my account," he said, slicing up some of the bacon. "I know these situations can get... rough."

[not_in_the_book]

Rough. That was one word for it.

"Long story short, then," Ronan said, "one of the powers that created my universe has long wanted to destroy it, too, and it came closer to succeeding than it ever had before."

And how did Ronan's friends -- and consequently Ronan -- always end up right in the middle of it?

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan winced. Tried not to think of the Reapers, and failed miserably.

"And you and your people were in the way," he surmised. "Isn't that always how it shakes out?" A pause. "Sorry. That sounded-- bitter. I just mean that when it comes right down to it, there's... well, there's always going to be too many lives in its path."

Words were not really frequently on his side, especially when he was trying to think out loud.

[not_in_the_book]

Roshaun was gone -- something other than dead, but still Dairine couldn't find him. Ponch was... greater than any of them could ever have dreamed, now, but so far beyond them that he might as well be gone himself.

Nguyet and Tuyet, burned out in the last battle -- he never had heard what happened, if they'd ever recovered, if they were stuck, powerless. If they'd died.

One life was too many. That war had taken far more than one life.

"I get bitter," Ronan said, after a long moment. He moved to the fridge, pulled out a pitcher of orange juice, and poured them each a glass before returning to the table. If Kaidan were looking for it, he'd probably see the places where Ronan was moving a little too deliberately, covering up the memories as best he could. "I think back to what I was like when I first got here, and I can't even... I was a pissy little wanker."

[not_a_whiner]

"At least you're honest."

It was a stupid attempt at a joke, but he was sticking with it. "I don't know. Wars like that... they're going to reflect back on you. Change you. Sometimes it takes a while before it all falls back into place. New places."

He was kind of holding out for the thought that they might. Fall back, that is.

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan nodded. "And this is... the ultimate 'new place.' New every day of the bloody week."

Just watch, Kaidan. Tomorrow you will all be wearing pancakes on your head.

[not_a_whiner]

Now that was something he wouldn't be reporting back to the Alliance about.

"You know," Kaidan said, philosophically, "They sent me here to give me a 'quiet posting'."

...Okay, he was actually a little amused in spite of it all.

[not_in_the_book]

Yeah. Ronan snorted at that.

"They sent you to the wrong place," Ronan replied. "But it'll probably end up being the right one anyway."

[not_a_whiner]

"I guess I'll have to see about that," Kaidan admitted. "Could be they pull me back out by the end of the term, if they decide they need me somewhere else."

Or rather, when the shrinks decided he was back in the right headspace for combat. They didn't seem to expect him to develop PTSD, which was... a cautiously positive note.

Kaidan himself wasn't sure where he was at. Or where he was going.

[not_in_the_book]

"Well, the room's yours as long as you need it," Ronan assured him. "Unless you end up, I don't know, burning the place down, because that's about what you'd need to do for us to reject you as a roommate."

He grinned at Kaidan. "I should warn you, though, about the monthly drunken orgies in the living room. You're invited, of course."

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan opened his mouth to respond to that-- then intercut himself, and chuckled; a soft, low noise. "Thanks," he said, "But I think I'll hold off on that. You know. For the time being."

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan nodded. "You just missed this month's anyway," he assured Kaidan, "so there's plenty of time to change your mind before the next one."

Really, Ronan thought, the fact that that alone hadn't sent him running was probably a good sign. It'd be interesting to see how things shaped up when Emma and Jack were back on the island.

"Any questions about the island?" he asked, moving back to more relevant topics. "Where to find anything, that sort of stuff?"

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan could make jokes about it, and he considered himself an open-minded guy.

...he just happened to have his emotional mind set on different things, hadn't even really thought about that since Shepard... well.

He wasn't going to talk about it. Either topic.

"I think I've got it well in hand, but I'll probably go for a run tomorrow morning," Kaidan shared. "Unless there's something I really need to know."

[not_in_the_book]

"Don't be afraid if you wake up as a woman?" Ronan suggested. "Or a pony. Or... I don't even know. A reality TV show host."

That had been a weird weekend.

"Anything that can't happen, this is the place where it can." He grinned. "Oh. And don't worry about the giant squid."

[not_a_whiner]

Theeere went an eyebrow.

"Giant squid?"

He'd heard about the rest. The squid was new.

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan just grinned and reached for the pitcher of orange juice.

"Want some more?" he asked. "There's more bacon and eggs, too. Or, uh, there's some gazpacho in the fridge, too, if you want lunch later."

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan just shook his head and chuckled again. "No, thanks," he said. "Well, not to the gazpacho. But you've got enough here to feed a small country, and I'm... thinking maybe I'm not a small country."

[not_in_the_book]

"Yeaaaah." Ronan made a face at himself. "I was planning for Emma and Jack, too. Forgot that they're out of town. I mean, I normally cook large batches anyway, but this is a little much even for me."

[not_a_whiner]

"Maybe there's a soup kitchen, or... something?" Kaidan suggested. "Somewhere we could donate some of this stuff - maybe box it up, I don't know."

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan nodded. "That's a good thought. I'll check for anything on the mainland, maybe in Baltimore; easy enough to jump it up there."

Ah, teleport spells. What would he do without them?

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan was just going to file that in Ronan's mental folder as 'kind of like a Vanguard'.

He knew enough Vanguards.

"Sounds like a plan," Kaidan said, and took another bite of bacon.

[not_in_the_book]

Please, Ronan was so much better than a Vanguard. ... Whatever a Vanguard was. Could Vanguards teleport to the moon?

Ronan leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of orange juice. "You want to come along?" he asked. "Easy enough to jump you up with me. Or do you want to get used to the island a little more before venturing out into the rest of the current century?"

[not_a_whiner]

Vanguard was practically a state of mind. And that state of mind was 'zippy-doo-dah zip zip I'll go where I want! Even if it's on the moon! Or in the middle of an entire group of angry krogan!'

So Ronan qualified.

"I've got to unpack, call some people," Kaidan replied. "Alliance is probably expecting a report sometime soon. I'll have to check out the mainland some other time."