#I didn’t mention Liara since she’s technically not SR2 crew and is a whole ‘nother story

[favoriteblogonthecitadel]

was going to ask about Xiomara and Kasumi’s relationship, which i would love to hear about, but also… who on the SR-2 is Xo closest to? does she have any designated gossip buddies, rivals, really close friends, etc…? 👀

Oohh this is such a fun question!!

In general, Xiomara is a curious coworker to have because she’s an extrovert with a strong self-preservation instinct: she tends to get along easily with people on a surface level, but develops few meaningful relationships. More on her various dynamics with the SR2 crew below!

Miranda is the intellectual rival with sexual tension. Xiomara often takes her along for missions because she’s undoubtedly capable and easy to annoy once Xo figures out her red buttons, so she gets to channel her distaste for Cerberus while getting stuff done. The more rogue Miranda goes, the more they come to like each other.

Garrus is another frequent companion because they have a friendly competition and the same aversion to talking about feelings, so it’s a nice bro relationship. I would say he also makes her laugh, but I think it’s more that she laughs at him often and appreciates that he provides that relief just by existing.

Kasumi is an unexpected friend. She frankly seems to have no agenda to influence Shep, she’s just there to get her credits and be hilarious. 10/10 they become gossip buddies, exchange stories about stealing from rich people, and she might even be the only person that Xo ever mentions Kaidan to. Kasumi knows what it’s like to lose your person.

She finds Mordin unnerving because she doesn’t like scientists in general, especially those of the medical kind, being a biotic who often got treated like a lab rat early in her career. The thing is that Mordin’s cold calculation often makes perfect sense to her. So she listens to his professional advice and keeps a safe distance. When he goes through his moral crisis, she lowkey goes through her own as a result, but she keeps it to herself.

Thane, Grunt, Samara, and Jack are all fine by her, they’re also just so intense that she spends less time around them. Samara and Thane also happen to be at a different, later stage in their lives, where Xo doesn’t quite relate to them. In contrast, Grunt and Jack at least share Xo’s penchant for chaos. They’re high maintenance, but what they ask of her is not emotional support or even a listening ear; just blowing stuff up with them, which is the mark of camaraderie in her book.

Jacob is a good, reliable person to have on board, just too serious to pique her interest.

Joker is the one she goes to when she needs to make inappropriate jokes in a safe environment. She definitely doesn’t trust EDI at first, but later becomes quite fond of her.

She recruits Tali last and it’s not until she’s on the Normandy that Xo realizes how fucking much she missed her. Ultimate babygirl that brings the best out of Xo while also being a supportive, unjudgmental ride or die, which means the world to her.

I haven’t gotten to Legion yet so I’m not sure what to describe there, but I can update with thoughts later. 👀

Edit: I forgot about Zaeed lmao!! Considering Xo could’ve easily become a mercenary in a different timeline I feel like they communicate easily. She calls him “old man” when he starts trying to tell her old stories. He feels a bit like a cautionary tale. @urzfanclub Adding this here whoops <3