Title: Aria T´Loak, Omega and a problem
Author: written and translated by Servala, corrected by InuDran
Game: Mass Effect
characters: Aria T´Loak
Disclaimer: Mass Effect and its assets belong to Electronic Arts and BioWare.
No copyright infringement intended.

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Aria T'Loak looked around her apartment satisfied. Only a very few knew where it was, for most of the scum she didn't care about and it seemed as if she lived in the Afterlife. Many times, she was amused, but was not concerned about it. She lived alone, because she liked it. For every kind of entertainment she had her dancers.

The day had provided something interesting. To meet a Spectre, resurrected from the death, was nothing that she could say too often, and what an interesting one. Aria had remembered well the difficulties two years ago, as Dr. T´Soni looked for Shepard on Omega. Back than Aria had not understood the reason, but after today's meeting with Shepard, she did. Commander Jane Shepard was interesting, even for someone like Aria.

Omega might not be interested in a human, but Aria was patient. She would find out what she wanted to know, sooner or later.

Actually it was not one of her principles to submit free information, but Shepard was looking for a Salarian called Mordin Solus. That Salarian doctor fought in the slum´s against a new epidemic. It did not interest her if Batarians, Turians or Quarians died, but everything that could kill an Asari after three days in agony was a real problem. Additionally were Vorcha, like humans, immune and too many Vorcha were simply not good for business. Aria had sealed the whole area and she would wait until everybody down there had died.

She would have also just smoked everything out, it would have been cost effective, but Shepard had kindly taken care of both problems, completely in vain. Actually she should pay the Commander, Aria thought with amusement.

She gave herself a drink and looked out of the window on the skyline of Omega when she heard a noise behind her. It sounded like a faint, soft "au". She turned around and scanned the room with her eyes. The noise seemed to come from under her bed.

Aria waited without moving, just took another sip from her glass. The silver sheets of her bed, that went from the bed to the floor rustled and a small head appeared, soon followed by the body. Aria looked at the - to her unknown - animal.

It had a round head, slightly slanted green eyes and pointed ears. The body was black, except for the white feet, the tips of its ears and a small patch under the chin. The creature lumbered towards her, stood close in front of her, sat down and looked up. As the small little mouth opened for a big yawn, four large pointed canines appeared in the light.

Aria looked at the creature, still not sure what to think about it or how it even could get into her apartment. She prodded it gently with her foot and wanted to push it away, but the little animal clung itself with its tiny claws on her black leather boots and to Arias horror it tugged itself up.

She lifted the foot to take a closer look. When it began to mewl, only ending in another yawn, Aria caught, herself smiling and shook her head about herself.

She took the animal gently off her expansive boot and holds it a little higher while holding it at the neck. Both looked deep into the eyes of each other and the animal began to purr loudly.
Aria put it on the floor and shared some of her food, which was greeted with loud smacking, further purring and a hiccup. When it had finished eating, she grabbed it by the neck again and brought it outside her apartment.

When Aria awoke the next morning, something was a bit different than usual and she stopped for a moment to focus. Her eyes went to her belly, where the little animal from last night curled in the purple blanket and slept peacefully. When she moved, it blinked at her sleepily, stretched one of its small front legs and yawned. Aria wondered how the animal could have come back into her apartment. One of her guys had to attend to that problem urgently.

She prodded it gently with her index finger and it immediately rubbed its little head against her finger and pushed further into her palm. Aria simply didn´t know, what she should think about it. She wanted to take it up, but as she tried, it turned onto it´s back, spread all four legs and looked at her with green sparkling eyes. Aria with her finger touched the soft side of the abdomen as the paws closed fast.

She took her finger away and the paws opened. Then she grabbed it carefully, but the animal turned around and started biting her hand. She looked fascinated at the animal as it held her finger in the front legs, kicked her with his other legs and chewed on her finger. Strange creature, she thought, must be something from earth.

She stood up, shared her breakfast and threw it out again before she went to the Afterlife.

As Aria returned that evening to her apartment, she wondered if she should ask Shepard to work for her. The commander solved problems faster and better, than anybody she knew. It was not only that Archangel was finally dead or disappeared, Shepard also killed all thee merc leaders on the same mission.

It could not be better, she thought. Aria was bringing loyalty to her people in the new leading positions of the gangs. It was one thing to control the bosses in a certain way, but at the same time all three gangs under her control? Aria was thrilled.

The little animal did not reappear in the evening or the evenings that followed. Probably some Vorcha captured it for dinner she thought with a slight of regret, but also dismissed that feeling immediately.

On Omega nobody needed Animals, not even Aria.