Callie was a little surprised that the restaurant was as busy as it was, she didn't know why but she had thought that in the midst of war people might not be as inclined to partake in fine dining as usual. It seems she was wrong though, in fact it seemed even busier than the last couple times they had come here. She supposed if she really thought about it it made sense though, people wanted some form of normalcy and perhaps they felt the need now more than ever to enjoy themselves and indulge. It wasn't too dissimilar for her and her husband, Corran, either. Normally a date night wasn't so expensive or high end, but it had been a little while since they had been able to go on one, and the last time he had had to leave almost as soon as it began. So she supposed that he felt the need to make it up to her. Callie didn't mind that one bit.
The galaxy had been tangled in a strange war for a few months now, one that none of them had really thought could or would happen. A war with the Reapers. The Council had assured them all that they were mere myth, that Commander Shepard, the Savior of the Citadel was misinformed and only being hyper alert in the aftermath of the Attack on the Citadel by the rogue Spectre Saren and his flag ship, Sovereign. There had even been rumors that humanity's greatest hero had cracked under the pressure. Then she had died, and everything had seemed to quiet down. Life had returned to normal, just like everyone wanted, and her warning had gone ignored. That was impossible now, and not just because Shepard had returned from the dead like a ghost, but because the Reapers had arrived.
Earth had fallen first, targeted as an apparent threat, and one by one the home worlds of the Citadel races were being pulled into the fray. It felt strange to be sitting here in a restaurant with her husband, wearing a sleek, short black dress and her long black hair down in loose curls, the bottom half streaked with dark green, and her finely featured, angular face dolled up a little with makeup, while Earth burned. Callie had never had to wear much in the way of makeup to make herself look good, she was beautiful, and Corran was handsome, they made a good-looking couple. They'd been married about a year and a half, though how long they'd actually been together was a matter of contention between the two of them. Corran considered it to be the day they'd met, claiming he'd known then that he was going to marry her; Callie considered it some six months later, when he finally convinced her to start a relationship with him. A proposal had come soon after, then they'd both let their contracts with the military run out, gotten married, and moved to the Citadel.
Corran's application to Citadel Security had been accepted almost immediately, and Callie, who had been a medic in the Alliance Navy, had gotten a job at Huerta Memorial Hospital. The next year had been a normal one, a happy one, even if sometimes Callie did feel bored. She tried to keep herself busy with kickboxing and wall climbing and work, never having been the sort to be happy being idle, now they were both so busy they barely got to see one another. As the war had started, refugees of all races had come pouring into the Citadel, as had injured soldiers. C-Sec was scrambling to keep up, and so were the hospitals, with only the worst cases being sent to Huerta.
Tonight though they were trying to just slow down. They'd just finished their appetizers and were waiting for their meals, an opened bottle of wine on the table for them to share. Technically they were both on call right now, but Callie had made it clear that she was taking tonight off, and Coran had assured her that his sergeant said he could have tonight too. And since Callie wanted to get laid and Corran was always a bit friskier when he had a little booze in him, she had insisted on wine. Neglected was maybe a bit strong of a word to describe how she'd been feeling about their relationship lately, but it was close.
So have you seen the previews for the new Blasto movie? Looks pretty good, Callie chuckled, since by "good" she meant cheesy and over-dramatic, but that's what made the series so endearing. Who could take a movie about a Hanar seriously?<|im_end|>
Corran's eyes were reflective of his joyous mood. Despite the fact that C-Sec had more or less dumped the workload of two or three officers on his shoulders, he convinced himself it was because if the Citadel wanted justice, it was his responsibility to police it. Society would think that with the advanced understanding of the universe, a certain level of sophistication would follow, but the truth was that society just found new and interesting ways to descend into depravity and exploit those who were dealt a weaker hand in life. Corran was the razor thin line that kept those people from harm. Yet... all of that sense of self-assurance and understanding wasn't what kept him happy. It was the woman sitting across from him, a broad smile cracked his handsome face, and it stayed put as he reached across the table to let his fingertips dance gently along the backside of her hand.
"Blasto? Mhh... if we want to get a good laugh, I say we see it tomorrow. If you just want to see people get shot, you could follow me around for a day."
A chuckle rumbled up baritone chords but it was relatively quiet compared to the low rumble of the chatter from all the restaurant patrons. Corran used his free hand to grasp the base of the wine bottle and showed an uncanny precision as he poured the contents into his glass. Not a single drop spilled, but this was no surprise considering his profession required absolutely steady hands. Once the wine was poured into his own glass, he leaned forward some in his chair to reach to her side of the table. His brow was arched in question, and a tip of his head was to gesture towards her wine glass followed by "Refill, love?"
Callie was a spark of beauty among a world of tainted. It's not that the C-Sec or Military life had ruined Corran's outlook on all of society, but he was acutely aware of how quickly a person could devolve into a monster. While it certainly wasn't fair to place her atop such a pedestal, she was almost this idea of what a woman or person could be: beautiful, passionate, and always focused on saving a life or bettering the situation of a person who was wounded. It's almost as if they fought the same war but on different fronts. As confident and headstrong as Corran was, Callie had become something of an emotional rock for him, keeping him steady despite the crashing waves of pressure from his career. So it was no surprise then that he'd fallen so completely and absolutely for her when their relationship blossomed, and even now, married years later, she was still a treasure to him.
"I'd think you'd want to see something with a little more skin than Blasto though..." Corran teased, his right eyelid falling shut in a fast wink as if the words weren't indication enough to what he meant.<|im_end|>