A/N: Because my heart went ZOOM when Rila went "I love you!" before...you know. And let me say; drama is HARD! For those expecting Samara here, do not mob me! She is mentioned passingly. I'd tag it with her babies but they aren't in the character list.
Eternal thanks to T.A.M. For making this readable. And to subverter for encouraging this guilty pleasure.
Disclaimer: Bioware and EA's not mine. Derivative works are mine though.
Edit & Warning: In case I haven't been clear enough, this will be an incest piece. I thought I should get that out in the open as early as now.
Lesuss was too swarthy, cheerless. It was everything Thessia was not. As if that wasn't depressing enough, the cold walls of the monastery were either white or gray; the only splashes of color were the green of unending forest outside and the blue of the inhabitants themselves. A small solace, the latter; even the residents' choice of clothing was subject to approval. The young asari sighed; a deep, mournful sound. Barely a week had passed since her and her sister's confinement yet it already felt like a year.
"Falere," sighed the other asari, setting down the tablet she had been reading, clear bright eyes regarding her sister with sorrow.
Falere shook her head with a start and turned away from the window, looking at her sister. The slight frown on Rila's face highlighted the anxiety in her tone. She immediately felt guilty for causing her concern. Falere forced a smile on her face. "I am sorry, Rila," she breathed, "I was simply thinking of—"
"I know," Rila interrupted as she rose from her seat, joining her sister in leaning against the windowsill. Azure fingers tenderly stroked the edges of Falere's fine face as she moved her gaze to the view outside. "At least we do not have to worry about your allergies here, do we?" she offered with mirth.
"I'd rather have that than this," Falere whispered hoarsely, taking Rila's hand as she pressed closer against it, "This is worse than a prison, Sister."
Rila shook her head, her thumb brushing away the unshed tears from her sister's eyes. That fondness of her action only summoned more tears from Falere. Rila sighed again and knelt before her sister, cupping her face with both hands and rested her forehead on the others'. Her own eyes became glazed."Oh, I wouldn't say so," she said softly, "The windows aren't barred and we're not required to do hard labor..." She paused, looking thoughtful. "Unless you consider crafts as hard labor," Rila added.
Despite the mist in her eyes, Falere gifted her sister's jests with a smile. Rila inherited their mother's colors; azure skin and eyes. It reminded her of their loss. Taking Rila's hands away from her face, Falere resumed gazing at the horizon, the endless green taking her mind off the memory. The forbidden name passes her lips.
"If only Mirala didn't run."
Rila's dismay was immediate. "But she did," she said, giving Falere's hand a light squeeze, "I'm only glad we spared our parents the pain."
"And now we suffer for it," Falere muttered, her jaw visibly quaking.
Rila shook her head and rose from the floor. "Falere," she said, taking her sister's hands. Falare looked into her eyes. Smiling warmly, Rila brought Falere's hands to her lips and kissed them fondly.
"The matriarch promised us peace. It can only get better."
Falere stood before the communicator, motionless, holding the receiver and the other covering her mouth, short and stifled sobs escaping her throat. The sound of her mother's voice, a sweet sorrow, had been reduced to plain sorrow. She could read between the lines; her mother was leaving her life, the life which included them, behind.
To become a warrior that embodied order and justice.
To become a Justicar.
To become the cold hunter who'd kill her own daughter.
Falere's shaky hand returned the receiver to its place. Most of the students looked at her with sympathy. As she shook her head, Falere offered them a weak smile; she knew that if her fellows learned that her mother was joining the Justicars, they'd be less than compassionate. She'd rather deal with that later, so she asked for Rila instead.
"She went into the meditation hall," answered Jethra, one of the older students. Tilting her head, she regarded Falere and asked, concerned. "Should we inform Matriarch Gallae?"
"Hopefully that isn't necessary," Falere replied, bringing a hand to her forehead. Jethra seemed thoughtful for a moment before nodding. Falere returned the kind gesture before scurrying after her sister. The students' hushed words and gossip ushered her out of the communal hall.
Falere found her sister kneeling on one of the corner pews, hunched with her face buried in her palms. By the manner Rila's shoulders were shaking, Falere was sure she was crying. She ached at the sight.
"Some older sister I am," Rila finally said, taking notice of Falere's presence even without looking, "Weeping when I should be offering you comfort." She brought a palm to her face as she turned to Falere, wan smile matching her flustered features.
"Only by three years," Falere replied quietly with a shake of her head. She approached, pulling loose a sash from her waist and folding it into a hanky. She offered the small cloth to Rila as she knelt with her on the pew. Rila uttered a soft "thank you" as she took the fabric. Falere kept her eyes on the small window above, soaking in the harsh light as her sister cleared her face of remaining tears. She would've done it herself, but it was quite disheartening to see her stronger, elder sister cry. A moment later Falere felt her sister's hand rest beside hers. With her eyes away, Falere sought the warm hand with her own. Rila responded by twining their fingers, her gaze likewise straying afar. They knelt in silence.
"I gave Mother your love," Falere whispered eventually.
Rila's eyes dropped, narrowing. Her fingers tightened around her sister's. "I can't understand why she has to do this," she said, voice tight to Falere's hearing, "Couldn't she let another take her?"
Falere bit her bottom lip, unable to think of comforting words. Her sister could do so easily yet now she herself needed those words from her, more than ever. Yet she couldn't find them. Guilt coursed through her. "I couldn't understand either," Falere confessed feebly.
"She's all we have left."
Falere turned to Rila, fighting to keep her anguish from appearing. "That isn't true, there's still Father," she countered.
"Father's bonded with another, with a daughter of her own," Rila replied bitterly. Her eyes misted once more as she met Falere's gaze. "She hasn't called in three years. Mother's all we have left and yet—"
"No, no, Rila," Falere cried and shook her head, unable to take any more of her sister's sorrow. She took her hand back and threw her arms around Rila. The older sister broke down in her embrace. It took every ounce of Falere's will to still her own tears. Disheartening as it was, Goddess damn her if she failed her sister now.
"There's always 'us', Sister," Falere cajoled, gently rocking Rila in her arms. Kissing Rila's forehead, she promised, "I'll always stay with you."
"What is it?" Falere asked, peering over her sister's shoulder to see the novel confection she was making. Rila, however, kept mum, instead offering Falere a sample with a spatula. Falere's eyes narrowed at the peculiar mixture, its golden-brown color and sweet aroma completely foreign to her. Her eyes moved to Rila, regarding her dubiously. Rila only gave her an encouraging smile and brought the sample closer to her mouth. Falere chuckled, nodding; who was she to refuse the best confectioner in the monastery? Tentatively, Falere sampled the sticky fluid. Surprise showed on her face as the tangy sweetness, unlike any other she had ever tasted, spread on her tongue.
Rila laughed and resumed stirring. "A new recipe for marinade. I gathered the honey myself," she related, looking thoughtfully at the bowl's contents. "Do you think Matriarch Gallae will like it?"
"She loves anything you prepare, Sister," Falere commented as she moved to the oven behind them, discreetly glancing at the other students. She wasn't sure if their covetous gazes were for Rila or her latest confection. Yanis, the latest resident, however, didn't leave much room for guessing. Falere couldn't help but frown; ever since that image of that diva Sharblu made the rounds, most of the students had taken undue notice of her sister's colors. More than usual, anyway; Rila's looks and manners had always made her attractive to the other students. Falere was only too glad that Rila and their superiors knew better than their fellows.
"Rila," called Jethra, distracting the students from their tasks. The newly-appointed superintendent stood by the door, smiling serenely at the person mentioned. All eyes were upon the superior and Rila, patently curious. Over the decades Falere had known Jethra, she had watched her grow from a serious student to an enigmatic matron; she could never tell what the senior was thinking.
Thus, Falere couldn't help but worry as she watched Rila engage Jethra in silent conversation. Unfortunately for the younger sister, Rila's demeanor gave no clues as to the nature of her summons. The discussion apparently ended with a nod from both parties and Jethra leaving. Releasing the breath she'd been holding, Falere expected her sister to rejoin the activities but instead, Rila wordlessly followed the superintendent out of the hall.
Falere hadn't realized until later that her quiche had burnt to a crisp.
"I'll be training in biotics," Rila declared with pride.
"You jest," Falere exclaimed, abruptly pausing from folding her clothes.
Rila shook her head vigorously, her lips trembling with barely-restrained glee. Falere dispensed with that, openly crying in joy as she jumped to her feet then nearly tackled Rila with a hug. The sisters joined hands and squealed for quite a while, jumping as they did.
The doors to the sisters' room hissed open, revealing the stern floor warden with a pointer pressed to her lips. A silent order. Not needing to be told twice, they stopped their intimate celebration and offered up sheepish apologies. The warden nodded, seemingly satisfied. As quickly as she had appeared, the doors hissed closed with the warden's departure.
"So," Falere breathed as soon as she was sure the warden was beyond earshot, "Tell me about it."
"Oh, what's to say," Rila replied as she moved to the nearest bed, seating herself on its edge. Falere quickly joined her, taking her sister's hands as she listened to the good news. "Given our Mother's calling and my agreeable behavior, the Martriarch deemed me worthy enough to join the biotics class," Rila enthused.
"You mean cushy enough to not run off," Falere jibed. Rila pursed her lips in reply, bright eyes narrowing at Falere. It was all the warning the younger sister got before Rila tickled her sides. They fell on their backs, wrestling and squealing and tickling. They only stopped when heavy footsteps approached their door. Their eyes settle on the drab gray of the ceiling as they caught their breath.
...
Falere smiled. The color depressed her no longer. A while passed before she whispered, "I'm glad you could speak of Mother now."
"It's useless to be sad about it. It's been what, ten years?" Rila replied easily, holding her arms up as she looked at her fingers. She turned on her side, facing her sister. "Do you think she's caught Mirala yet?" she asked.
Falere shook her head. "I think she'd tell us if she did."
Their conversation lulled into silence. Falere only noticed their hands were joined when Rila gave it a light squeeze. "They'll ask you too, soon," Rila whispered.
"I'm not really interested," Falere confessed then tilted her head to meet her sister's gaze. "I'd rather read. And eat. And..." she paused, then giggled. "And just eat some more, I suppose."
"You scamp," Rila snorted with a nudge of her elbow, her bright smile belying the scolding's purpose. "I don't recall raising an idler!"
Falere retaliated with a swat and said, "You didn't raise me at all!" They laughed once more.
"Seriously, though. I hope you won't decline," Rila implored soon as the laughter seized.
Falere regarded her sister in earnest. As much as she loved Rila's smiling face she was helpless against the way she pleaded with those wide eyes and pouted lips. Feigning a sigh, she nodded.
"Of course, Sister. I'm with you," Falere said, leaning closer to Rila to kiss her forehead, "Always."
Falere glared hotly at the small window flashing in her journal. Well, it wasn't her journal, actually; she had picked up Rila's by mistake and had to make do with it since the latter had biotics training scheduled for the entire day. She wasn't quite sure if the mishap was a blessing or a bane considering she now had to choose; report the sender or ignore her. Considering who the sender was, Falere was fairly sure that the felon would be in for lengthy confinement and even that would be the best of it.
She decided to read the note again before choosing.
Congratulations for being chosen for biotics class. I am pleased you're not all good looks. Have you any other talents we've yet to know about? I'm eager to know. If you've changed your mind we could chat a bit later during free time, I have recent holomags from Serrice.
-Y
Folly using that letter, Falere thought with a sneer. As if anyone else with that initial was brazen enough to flout the monastery's rules. She deleted the note as soon as she made her choice.
Falere approached Yanis without drawing much attention; like her sister she was known as a proper student, always a stickler for the rules. Yanis watched her with apparently little interest but Falere knew better; her blasted condition made her sensitive to others' feelings. Of course, her fellows were likewise afflicted as her, but suffering from the condition's most lethal form also meant her sensitivity was greater than the others'. Not that it was something to be proud of. She stopped her approach within arm's length of Yanis, careful to remain impassive as she mulled what to say to the latter.
Yanis, however, spoke first, all smiles as usual. "Falere, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked, not even glancing up from the datapad in her hand; an act which Falere considered to be incredibly smug.
Thus, she decided to be blunt.
"I've read your message."
Yanis barely flinched; Falere only noticed because of her 'talents'. Yanis made a show of setting down the pad on the table before her. Looking up to Falere with an impish smile, she said, "So you have. I doubt Rila sent you, though."
"No, I had her journal when you sent it," Falere admitted, keeping the annoyance from showing on her face. Had she been a lesser person she'd reported Yanis. She folded her arms before her, joining her hands in front of her hips; a stance Jethra favored. As intended, she felt Yanis' fear from within her. A fraction of a smile appeared on Falere's face. "I'll keep this between us if you promise not to do it again," she declared.
"As you say," Yanis agreed with a nod but still had that annoying smirk on her face, "Should've known you're greedy with your affections."
Falere's eyes narrowed with confusion. "I beg your pardon?"
"You share a room unsupervised and Rila is charming," Yanis said as she shrugged indifferently. With a hand scrolling down on the datapad, she dryly added, "I wouldn't squander the chance, sister or not."
Falere's eyes widened, her stomach lurching at the implication. "You are horrible," was all she could say.
Yanis snorted. "Please, as if you haven't yet."
Falere nearly stumbled on her way out of the hall, intent on reporting the hag.
But she didn't.