Osteogenesis teaser!

With mom and dad out on a date at the newest restaurant that has opened up in the leisure sector of the Wraith compound for the human holiday ‘Valentine’s Day’, Cassia and her brother are left to the watch of their uncle Grunt and aunt Rym.  The choice is tonight’s wardens could have been worse and more rule abiding, but the twins think it has a lot to do with Rym not knowing how to tend to kids and Grunt being so happy to just be visiting from Tuchanka.  Cassia’s pretty sure Damocles is more than excited to have the two krogan watching them.

Still, being in their company is nice.  Even when their uncle gets loud over whatever sport he’s watching on the vidscreen, interrupting Cassia’s reading on the opposite couch.  She knows her brother doesn’t really like what’s on, but he’s playing his new Omni-Tool game with the occasional conversation when Grunt or Rym addresses him.

She can already start to hear a bit of a slur in her uncle’s voice – already downed a good number of some krogan drink – and Rym seems to be on the watch for him about to break something.  Still, he doesn’t seem completely drunk as he barks a laugh at something on the screen and jostles Damocles by the shoulder.  

“You see that?!”  Grunt stands and jerks a fist through the air, cheering wordlessly and making Cassia curious enough to glance over the top of her book to see.  She has no clue what’s happening besides krogan in two different uniforms running into and shoving each other, but it seems to be some sort of game as Grunt turns to her brother again and points to the screen.  “That was a hell of a fucking play!”

Damocles merely blinks at him before leaning to be able to look around the large krogan.  “It looks the same as it did earlier.”

Grunt laughs and slams his cup down on the table with enough force to slosh the liquid out and on the table.  Rym scoffs at his force, but she seems less annoyed than the sound would make Cassia believe.  After watching the two through the night, Cassia is starting to think her aunt likes her uncle, but just won’t admit it.  Ever since dinner where Grunt was loudly telling stories of what’s been happening on Tuchanka, Rym seems more forgiving of his rowdy nature – and even the fact that he’s a male.  She’s not one for males of her species because she says they’re too single-minded and machochistic, but something is different with uncle Grunt.

Stomping to the screen, Grunt shoves a finger against the screen to make the image burst into static and vibrant colors for a moment.  “You see him?”  He points at some krogan in a red uniform much like a light armor than real clothes.  “He’s the best damn charger in the damn league!  And he just scored!”  Probably seeing neither child understanding, Grunt grumbles and returns to the couch.  “Don’t you watch sports with your dad?”

“Yeah,” Damocles says, returning to his Tool, “Clawball.”

Grunt laughs dryly and jostles Damocles again, the rough looking gesture shaking him off balance.  “That ain’t no sport!  You wanna watch more than a bunch of turians chasing each other for a tiny ball, you watch this.”

Damocles follows Grunt’s point and flicks his mandibles.  “But this is just krogan fighting for a ball.”

Cassia giggles at the truth and Grunt’s huff, but Rym speaks first.  “He’s right, you know.  This is just a way for males to get out that need to fight they don’t get after the Cure.”  Rym grins and grabs the cup out of Grunt’s hand and downs it.  “Now that’s how you drink.”

Grunt laughs that low, slow laugh that he has and grabs the big bottle to pour himself another glass.  “Thought you said you didn’t want any.”

“Changed my mind,” she responds with a shrug and stands.  “Don’t drink it all while I get something to eat.”

“I’m hungry!”  Damocles yells at her retreating back and Cassia laughs, looking back to her book and decides to set it aside and just watch the game in attempt to understand.

She watches as krogan act like one giant wave crashing into each other for a comparably small metal ball.  The concept is simple enough, but as her uncle starts to explain in between shouts to the game, she quickly loses any chance to comprehend all the intricate rules.  It seems to be just as difficult to understand as Clawball with all the rules and stipulations for actually gaining a ‘point’.

“Grunt?”  Her brother interrupts the explanations just after their uncle lets out a booming cheer.

“Yeah?”  He drops his back against the back cushions and Cassia imagines hearing the couch crying out in pain from the force.

“What’s that?” Damocles asks as he points to the glass and rumbles curiously.

Grunt lifts a heavy brow and his jaw drops open in what looks like confusion before he snaps his mouth closed and grins.  “This?”  He holds up the glass and Cassia can see the light glimmer through the sickly looking, greenish yellow liquid.  “It’s ryncol, whelp.”  

As he downs it, Damocles watches with a considering hum.  When their uncle finishes and leans forward to pour more, Damocles stops him from putting the glass to his mouth.  “Can I try?”

“Huh?”  Glass half-tilted without pouring the liquid out on himself, Grunt slowly looks Damocles over.  There is a quiet filled only by the boisterous sounds of the game from the vidscreen, but Grunt is soon laughing loud enough that Cassia can feel it in her stomach.  “It’s ryncol!  The best damn drink in the galaxy!”

The name just solidifies Cassia’s suspicion of the sickly looking liquid being alcoholic, but she was starting to suspect from the very way it was making Grunt act.  She’s seen many of her Normandy family in some state or another of intoxication – and doesn’t fear their behavior – but she is a bit surprised Grunt is drinking it while he’s supposed to be watching them.

“Does mom and dad know?”  She rumbles as she drops her legs off the couch from where she had them folded up under the throw blanket.

Their uncle makes a weird buzzing sound before shrugging.  “I’m still watching you, aren’t I?

Cassia opens her mouth to protest, but her brother cuts her off as he scoots to the edge of his seat.  “Can I try some?”

Grunt laughs long enough for Rym to return with what looks like the entire kitchen piled on cooking trays as plates.  “What the hell are you laughing at?”

“The whelp here wants to try some ryncol!”  He starts to laugh again.