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[center][color=d1001c][h2]CICERO[/h2][/color]
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Quietly filing away that information - Rigger, associated with Hegemony dissidents - Cicero backed off from the conversation, falling into the background. It was out of character for him to get so heated, but he'd yet to be taken off guard like that, so he allowed himself some forgiveness for losing his cool. It just meant he'd have to play his role better than ever before; level-headed, easy-going, capable, [i]likable[/i]. He called on some of the more useful Cloud caste upbringing; long parties spent wearing distantly neutral expressions, speaking with quiet affability, maintaining a relaxed upright posture.

He gravitated vaguely towards one of the newer arrivals who looked like they would keep at range. A Quarian, female, he didn't recall catching her name, but he had been a bit distracted at the time. "Unlikely," he commented as he heard her grumbling, "this is Omega, the best you could hope for is illegal mods, maybe a some unstable junky prototype that's better used as a grenade than a handgun."

He kept his distance, close enough to talk without raising voices, but not too close; if they were both to spread their arms out wide they still would have a decent gap between them.

As a Batarian who tried to come across as anything but a scummy outlaw, all of his interactions with other races were carefully calculated. He didn't stand close enough that it looked like he could assault or grab someone- which, he also never touched anyone without establishing a well-oiled rapport first, not even shoulder taps, which was why it was so difficult to leave Jin's club behind; he would miss sitting with others on a couch without being eyed suspiciously, or someone asking him to hand him something. Most seemed to assume that if a Batarian was too close then they were up to something, if they were too close to your stuff you'd no doubt have to scan it for bombs or tracking devices, and pillars forbid a Batarian come within sniffing distance of your food.

So yeah, Cicero took his perfect etiquette [i]very[/i] seriously. He valued his chance to befriend and work with non-Batarians too much to end up shunned for making them uncomfortable. He'd have to find some way of repairing his reputation after that little blunder with the kids. At least he hadn't pointed the gun at them, that'd be too far. This way he could spin it as just a reflex of being startled- which was thankfully the truth - and that he wouldn't have actually shot a couple of mouthy human kids - which was... debatable, but no one else had to know that.

He eyed their environs critically, glancing around at the barren room and calculating the distance to the office doorway from the few means of cover. His eyes followed the others climbing a catwalk, and he pointed it out to the Quarian. "What do ya say we team up around there?" He indicated the section of catwalk closest to the office doors. "You cover me, I'll cover you, we'll keep the Suns at a distance and if it looks like they're getting too close we barrier up and duck into the entrance room?"

On the one hand, Quarians could most understand what it was like for him. Neither Batarians nor Quarians had good reps with the Citadel: pilgrims turned into suit rat criminals under the suspicious gaze of shop owners, and a Batarian became a slaver scoundrel to anyone they so much as looked at. On the other hand... how many Quarians died because a tech specialist was worth so much on the slave market? Too many. So yeah, it was hit or miss, and he really didn't expect her to agree and [i]actually[/i] watch his back, but if they were together they would more likely survive, and once under fire he'd stop being a Batarian and become an extra gun killing the people trying to kill her, so he wasn't too worried about getting shot in the back. Yet.

Besides, being so far back, so high up, and so close to the interior entrance meant it'd be easy to keep an eye on the brats so they wouldn't die and get him exposed with that stupid video. This was the best vantage point for some ranged crowd control, as well as a quick retreat into tighter spaces where his 'spray and pray' gun or his warps would be most useful. With the Quarian with him he wouldn't have to worry about someone catching him off guard, but even if she had other plans it was still his best option...

Speaking of; "I'm Cicero, by the way." Tone relaxed, no staring, maintain distance, make no implications that he was anything but professional in his thinking.

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