Normally the elevators were fairly quiet at this time of day, so Samantha was surprised to hear the door ding open only one deck down from where she'd entered.

"Hello Joker," she said, trying to act natural.

"Hey, Traynor," he said, clearly distracted. Good. There were some things she wasn't quite ready to discuss with anyone else right now, let alone someone so tactlessly blunt. Joker slumped against the wall of the elevator, a dippy smile on his face despite the tension in his hunchbacked pose. Samantha was reminded of just how sick he was, it was easy to forget when you mainly only saw him in his chair. And was that a rash on his neck? It was that or a hickey in the shape of a perfect circle.

As the elevator opened onto the crew deck and Traynor was about to make her getaway he looked up at her and said "Wait a second. What were doing at the CIC on an elevator going down?"

"I was...uh meeting with Gi...Commander Shepard in her quarters," she said. People met with Gina in her quarters all the time, nothing suspicious about that right?

"Really?" he said, a knowing smile slowly growing across his face.

"Um. Yes," said Samantha. She was the world's worst liar, she couldn't even manage a decent redirect. Good thing she never went into espionage.

Joker laughed and leaned against the wall. "Oh my god you hussy! You slept with Shepard, didn't you?"

"Shhhh," said Samantha, as another crew member walked past.

"Hey, I'm not judging," he said, lowering his voice. "Good for you. Love is a wonderful thing, in all it's forms."

"Yes," said Samantha, trying not to grin too broadly, "It is. I'm surprised at you saying that though...oh!" She laughed. "You have been bizarrely prone to smiling recently. Have you found someone as well?"

"You might say that," he said with a sly smile.

"Don't tell EDI," said Samantha, "I'm sure she'll be..." Joker coughed. "Oh Joker, you didn't. She's an AI!"

"Oh Traynor you didn't," he said mimicking her tone. "She's your commanding officer!"

Samantha frowned at him and then gave a nervous, relieved giggle. "We are the worst aren't we?"

"The absolute worst," said Joker, smiling. "Terrible relationship decisions high five?"

She laughed. "Absolutely." And then they both went on their way.