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Voice Test: OTA ๐ฃ๏ธ
1. Rough Ride
[ Trying to outrun pursuers, or in the middle of a gun fight and need an evac STAT? Never fear, Shepard is here!The ramshackle car barrelling towards you screeches into a 180 turn at the last second, almost rolling from the force of the manoeuvre as too-thin tyres lose a little more of themselves to the concrete.
With two loud BANGs, the passenger-side door yields to the kicks of the driver, crashing against the front fender in a shower of glass. ]
Get in!
[ Shepard swivels back into position with a bounce, one hand gripping the wheel and the other on the stick-shift of the ancient car. Her focus snaps back to movement in the wing mirror, body tensed like a coiled spring that's itching to hit the gas. Maybe you know her, maybe you don't, but one thing is very clear: she's trying to save your ass from whatever mess you're in. ]
2. Is This Loss?
[ Index finger thumps against pursed lips as she studies the display, brow furrowed in thought. Maybe it's something you yourself made, put a lot (or very little) effort into. Perhaps you're a fan of the arts, or maybe you're not but know this piece is valuable and are scoping the joint. Whatever your reasons, Shepard turns to look at you with her arms crossed, finger curled back into the fist resting against her chin.
Her bright eyes are piercing, her gaze unnervingly intense. ]
... I don't get it.
[ A small, self-deprecating smile and an unapologetic shrug. She's a soldier, not a critic. ]
3. Choose Your Own Adventure
[Bring it on. (โ อก° อส อก°)โ]
2. blame kimmeh
That, however, is still a poor substitute for the real thing, so sometimes โ especially when a purchase is in the works โ so here he is, at said gallery, admiring the exact same painting.
Had he been aware that it was Shepard nearby? Sure! But he also has guards in place, a pocket-sized emp for electronics, and a determination to not let her ruin his one day out for the entire fiscal year. ]
I'll take that as an endorsement, given my tastes compared to yours.
[ See? Cordial. ]
OH I WILL
Right. Taste.
[ Inscrutable as ever.
When Shepard looks back to him, the pretence is gone. There's no humour in her expression, just hostility. She's alone, unarmoured and unarmed. Despite that, she's reckless enough to fight her way out if she needs to, confident in her ability versus Cerberus goons... But there's always a catch with this guy. She always seems to be on the back foot, successes never feel complete.
And surely this is a hologram. Or a body double. Rigged with explosives. ]
Am I supposed to believe this is a coincidence?
no subject
[ Particularly this one, which is a human artist, albeit one who studies with the Asari, and their style reflected the usual dream-like strokes and unusual forms of an asari artist. It could almost be easy to mistake it, if it weren't for the name attached. ]
I think the suspicion should go the other way around. I generally expect your presence to be heralded by explosions, and maybe a diplomatic incident to follow.
[ look how reasonable he is being. Not even an assassination attempt thus far.
Ok, so he doesn't want to be caught in said explosion and wants to give the impression that he's in control. ]
no subject
[ Nothing involving explosions or diplomatic incidents can ever be said to be an empty threat when it's Shepard leveraging them. Both are usually preceded by a lot of gunfire, though, and there isn't usually much in an art gallery that would make for a satisfying explosion. Certainly not the paintings. ]
I'm more surprised at you showing your face here. You gonna tell me this place is funded by Cerberus?
no subject
[ He says, airly, instead of trying to goad her into trying to make those explosions and diplomatic incidents happen.
He didn't necessarily fear for his life, but he'd lived a long time, really. There was a lot of work that went into keeping a shadowy figure like the Illusive Man alive, and he wasn't keen on this being the thing that did him in.
Damn Shepard, for being everywhere when she wasn't welcome. ]
But if I make a generous purchase, it practically will be. Might want to make sure you catch the rest of the artwork on this visit, or I might put it in the contract to bar your entry in the future.
[ A twitch of a smile, there. Is he joking? (He is not joking.) ]
no subject
[ Shepard mockingly holds her hands up, voice flat.
She might be more needled by the flex of his ridiculous wealth if she wasn't keenly aware of how much of that was poured into bringing her back from the dead. Knowing she'll be the most catastrophic investment he ever makes is a small balm to the frustrations of dealing with his and Cerberus's shit. ]
You gonna block me from looking at them on the extranet too?
[ Just wait until he finds out she can download his ape jpgs. ]