A/N: I was given a prompt from Raven Sinead. This is the beginning of it. I have quite a bit of it written, and had intended it to be one long one-shot, but I went back and read what I have and realized I have multiple chapters here. So I'm going to publish it bit-by-bit like that.

I'll let you know what the prompt was when it's finished, so as not to spoil anything now.

Liara was exhausted, but content. She had taken care of a lot of business on the Citadel, gotten in touch with her agents on the station, bought and sold a lot of information, and… had a much-needed break. Samantha had wrestled her into a lunch date, and while Liara had been reluctant at first, it had ended up being just the break she needed. They had parted ways both in much higher spirits, promising to meet on the ship after Samantha had done the small amount of shopping she needed to do. Something about a new toothbrush, and visiting the gaming store she'd always wanted to visit.

Chuckling quietly to herself, Liara exited the ship's elevator, this one much faster than the one on the SR-1 had been, taking her own purchases to her room on the Crew Deck. Maybe a small nap was in order, so she could be fresh and rested when Samantha returned.

"Goddess, that does sound divine…"

Deciding that it was actually a good idea, Liara put her purchases aside, slipped out of her coat and boots, and reclined on her bed. She took a datapad with a novel uploaded on it, but in the end put herself to sleep by daydreaming, a smile on her face as she remembered some of her time with Samantha Traynor.

The young woman's eyes clearly speak her terror. Shepard either misses it or doesn't care. Shepard has become somewhat cold and distant while she's been detained by the Alliance. Liara can hardly blame her. But Liara remembers when, not so long ago, she too was struck dumb and incoherent by Commander Shepard's mere presence.

Hopefully Shepard will warm up soon.

Liara smiles at the young woman with the dark skin and the even darker eyes, trying to let her know her blunder is okay. She finds the woman… intriguing.

"Oh, I… thought you were alone," the woman stammers, clearly beyond unsettled. Her eyes are glued to Liara, and the asari wonders if the woman has ever seen an asari before? Or perhaps it is that Liara is famous in her own right, one of the Saviors of the Citadel. Not that that honorific ever got her any respect from her own people…

"It is all right," Liara intones, stepping away from her friend and past the newcomer. "I was just leaving."

She enters the elevator, unable to keep her eyes off the back of the new woman. Something intrigues her even now. As the doors to the elevator close, she realizes that it is that she finds this young human attractive. It has been a long time since she has indulged such things. She in fact has very little experience beyond a few Joinings here and there with fellow asari when she was in university. She had been interested in Shepard at first, but was rebuffed. The idea of indulging now is… frightening, and titillating.

You must remember that the other person must also find you attractive, Dr. T'Soni, she reminds herself, feeling her face flush a little as the elevator comes to rest on the Crew Deck. She is so accustomed to getting the things she needs as the Shadow Broker that sometimes she forgets that, in her capacity as Dr. T'Soni, she must operate like a normal person, and build true relationships. She must not force the things the wants. She must speak with this woman and gauge her interest, and see if she is even a pleasant person to speak with.

Looking into the ship's manifest, she finds the woman is Communications Specialist Samantha Traynor. She has won several chess competitions on Earth, and her name shows up on Kepesh-Yakshi tournaments. So she enjoys strategy games, and plays with communications tech all day. She is smart, and enjoys logic and reasoning. I'm sure I can come up with something to talk about…