T'Soni/Shepard Apartment
6.8.2192
"Where could she be? The wedding is starting in forty minutes and I haven't seen her all day."
"Maybe the Commander is trying to be all traditional, you know. No seeing the bride before the big event. It's a human thing."
"For your information, Asari also have similar customs, I'm not oblivious. It's amazing what you can learn from old vids and educating yourself." Long, exasperated sigh. Breathe in, breathe out, Liara. "But Hayley wasn't here when I came back from a quick run to my office, she wasn't in our bed when I woke up, and she still isn't here now."
She instantly regretted her use of a harsh tone with the man in front of her. Joker was only trying to help, having been left in her company to calm her nerves; she was "stuck" with him because of his "wobbly legs" (his words). He wasn't much help with wedding preparations and now he mentioned, "not very good at supplying comical relief." Liara placed one hand on his shoulder and used the other to rub her temple.
"I apologize, I'm just a little...nervous. People everywhere keep insisting that this is the biggest marriage ceremony in decades. Emily Wong recently had a report announcing 'the first human Spectre, savior of the Citadel, defeater of the Reapers to wed Illium's best information dealer and Prothean expert Dr Liara T'Soni. The Citadel and I'm sure the rest of galaxy are just awaiting the news of the expected day!' I had to make sure it never leaked to the public. In addition to that, the extremist group Terra Nova have been planning to invite themselves to our wedding...something about not allowing their human savior to marry an Asari. Have I mentioned yet -"
"Wait, how do you know all this?" Joker raised an eyebrow.
"Just because the Reapers are officially gone doesn't mean I have to give up my role as the Shadow Broker. At least not yet."
"Well, remind me to never use a public bathroom again. I get the feeling I wouldn't be able to get over the paranoia of being watched by one of your cameras."
Liara smirked. Seven years ago she enlisted Shepard's help to take down the original Shadow Broker and free her friend Faron from his two year prison in the Broker's lair. Ever since then she had been using the resources left to her to uncover any secret dealings between the enemies, understand the previous motives of the Collectors and Saren, help give the crew of the SR2 Normandy a warning and final chance against the Reapers, and occasionally doing some unnecessary spying here and there. Claiming the lair also gave her one more added benefit - the chance to reconnect with her lover Commander Hayley Shepard.
It had been two years since Liara and the Commander really had the chance to talk about anything without the fear of it all being tracked by the old Shadow Broker or even the Collectors; she wasn't sure if her previous adversaries were still teamed up against her. She hadn't exactly made friends stealing Shepard's body back after the destruction of the original Normandy, but it had all been worth it. It had taken many months, with little communication as the Commander left for places in space where the Extranet could not be accessed, but the Reapers had finally been vanquished. There was also time needed for the Commander to heal and adjust to normal life again, but Liara made her keep her promise of "marriage, old age, and lots of little blue children." It had been years since peace had reached every edge of the galaxy. The hardest of times seemed to be behind them and now Liara's biggest fear was getting the chance to become more acquainted with Shepard's parents. Captain Hannah seemed kind enough, if a bit stern with little knowledge of the Asari and their culture. If Liara was honest, she would admit that she was slightly terrified of informing the Caption of her and her daughter's plans to carry on the family name. You can explore the galaxy and see everything, but there was still something incredibly awkward about telling your soon to be mother-in-law the specifics of the Asari reproduction system.
Yet, none of this mattered if they couldn't find Shepard and soon. The previous forty minutes had dwindled down to twenty and Liara's anxiety was starting to rise.
"Joker? Joker? Answer me, Joker. Hello?"
Joker tapped his headset. "Hey, Tali, what's up?"
"Something's happened to the Commander, you guys better hurry down and see this."
He exchanged a worried glance with Liara. "Alright, send me your location and we'll be there right away...or as fast my legs can carry me." He disconnected and looked over at his Asari companion. "What's that look for? What, you think you're going to carry me? ...Uh, wait, wait...!"
With a flash of blue Liara had him up in the air next to her, running as fast as she could towards the nearest cab away from her apartment. She knew something was wrong with her fiancee and it couldn't wait or be delayed from the risk of snapping Joker's legs in half.
