Title: Connoisseur
Fandom: Mass Effect
Categories: Kasumi/Morinth
Disclaimer: Mass Effect and all characters, locations, ect. remain the property of BioWare. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Morinth turns her attention to Kasumi. Originally written for the ME Kinkmeme.
Her blood ran cold when she returned from the mission to see the Asari woman standing in her room. She was about to leave, when the Asari heard her, smiling slightly as she turned to face her.
"My apologies, Ms. Goto. I was merely admiring your artwork."
The voice, Kasumi shivered. The same voice, the same piercing eyes, the same coolly elegant expression. It was hard to believe this woman standing here was not the individual she posed as. She shook her head. The rest of the crew suspected nothing, but she knew the truth. She'd suspected something about the Justicar when she'd returned from Omega, and slowly, watching her, she'd begun to see the flaws in her masquerade.
Don't ever try to con a con-artist, she thought to herself. The Asari was very good, but nobody was perfect. Kasumi still didn't know what had really happened to Samara on Omega – though she could guess – but she knew enough to know who this woman really was.
They stared at each other a moment longer, Kasumi trying to resist the urge to activate her cloak and flee. Then, to her surprise, it was the Asari who turned away, a brief flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.
"You know, don't you. Who I am." She said softly, and Kasumi was surprised to hear a hint of nervousness in her voice. Slowly, she nodded.
The Asari's expression was unreadable. Eventually, she turned her attention back to the painting on the wall. "It's beautiful. I don't recognise the artist."
"A young girl painted that for me." Kasumi found herself saying, remembering watching in awe as the girl's slow and careful brush strokes became a work of art. "I saved her from slavers, and she wanted to make something for me I could keep to remember her."
The Asari fell silent, still staring at the painting. Finally, she spoke again. "Once, an artist painted my portrait for me. I treasured it for a long time, but in the end, I had to leave it behind when I was forced to leave his world. I had hoped… I had hoped my mother might have taken it and kept it."
There was a sad smile on the Asari's face when she turned back to Kasumi. "I should have known better than to expect such sentimentality from her.
You have exquisite taste. I am glad to see you keep such things close to you."
The Asari tilted her head respectfully, before quietly leaving the room. Kasumi frowned, confused, and wondering what she should think about the Asari woman now.
It was hard to remain scared of the Asari after seeing her so entranced by the paintings. Kasumi knew, of course, that good taste didn't mean one was a good person, but still, it was hard to imagine the Asari woman now and think of her as the mad demon she was supposed to be. Ardat-Yakshi, Kasumi thought again. She'd checked the extranet, but the stories she'd found were mainly folklore or legends, sounding more like something out of the gothic romances that lined her shelves than a real thing. She wondered if anything she'd read was true, or if it was all just garbled superstitions.
The rest of the crew still didn't seem to notice any change in 'Samara', but from time to time, Kasumi saw brief moments when the mask fell away, when the Asari hesitated before speaking, as if trying to work out what she was expected to say – or as if there were things she wanted to do or say she knew she couldn't. It must be hard to have to give up your identity so completely, Kasumi thought.
Kasumi knew what it was like to hide behind a disguise, but generally, even in her most elaborate heists when she was faking a new identity for days or weeks on end, she still had a partner – someone who knew who she really was, someone she could lower her guard around, even if only for a few moments. The Asari, she'd realised, didn't have anyone like that. Shepard was the only other person on the ship who knew who she really was – and the Commander seemed to go out of her way to avoid the Asari. Worried about accidently blowing her cover, I guess, Kasumi thought.
She didn't know if it was curiosity or sympathy that had led her to invite the Asari to her quarters again. Maybe it was just the thrill of knowing a secret nobody else knew. Mostly, though, it was just nice to be able to talk art with someone who appreciated it - it wasn't as though one could meaningfully discuss aesthetics with Grunt or Jack.
The Asari seemed nervous as Kasumi poured her a drink. With a hesitant smile, she reached up, removing the red devices from her head, her face relaxing slightly as she put aside her false identity for a moment. She looks far less confident as herself than she had pretending to be a Justicar, Kasumi thought, wondering if the Asari had ever really had the chance to relax around anyone.
The Asari's eyes darted nervously around the room, coming to rest on the shelves of paper books in the corner. "May I borrow some of these?" She asked shyly. "It's been too long since I read anything printed on real paper."
Kasumi smiled, nodding, and the Asari pounced on the bookshelves, her eyes lighting up as she studied the titles. It was funny, Kasumi thought, how few people appreciated real books any more. Even Keiji hadn't ever understood her affection for them as anything other than one of her eccentricities.
With a handful of books in her hands, the Asari seemed more relaxed, slowly growing more confident as she spoke when Kasumi asked her about her tastes. She smiled easily when Kasumi described a set of Hanar sculptures she'd failed to steal in one of her few unsuccessful heists, quickly launching into a long description of second wave Hanar artists. Even with all her knowledge of alien art, Kasumi found it hard to follow her as she discussed increasingly obscure works. I could have used her on some missions when I was scoping out galleries, Kasumi thought, amazed at the depth of the Asari's knowledge. She realised how long it had been since she'd talked to someone like this without planning how to steal from them.
"Can I ask you – about your… condition?" Kasumi finally asked, curiousity overwhelming her. The Asari smiled slightly.
"I suppose you were going to ask eventually. My mother would tell you it makes me a monster worthy of death. Of course, she'd say the same thing about a thief." The Asari fell silent for a while, before continuing quietly. "Yes, I've killed people. Sometimes, I've enjoyed it. If they deserved it…"
Kasumi was silent, nodding slowly as the Asari spoke. She's no different to anyone else on this mission, she thought to herself, remembering the fierce joy she'd felt herself seeing Hock's gunship explode.
"My mother couldn't understand that. She never took pleasure in what she did, and maybe that made her a better person." The Asari shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't seem to me like it matters much to the dead. I've always felt there's not enough joy in life to ever turn down pleasure when it's offered."
The sadness in her voice as she said that was heart-breaking. The Asari turned away, but for a moment, Kasumi saw the look in her eyes, and wondered if the other woman had ever had a chance to experience real joy in her life. Ran away from home while barely more than a child, then four centuries hiding from her own mother, she thought to herself, struggling to imagine it. She knew what it was like to be hunted from time to time, but nothing like that, being hounded as a monster by her own people, all because of a genetic disorder she had no control over. Even now, she still has to hide everything about herself…
She felt suddenly warm as the Asari gently brushed against her shoulder. "It's good to talk to someone." She whispered, and Kasumi nodded, frozen. "Thank you for listening."
The Asari moved slowly, turning to face Kasumi again, and their eyes met. Kasumi shivered as she looked into the alien woman's ancient eyes, seeing the immeasurable sadness hidden beneath the dark depths. She was still, unresisting as the Asari leaned forward, goose bumps forming on her skin as she felt her cold lips brush against her own-
Abruptly, the Asari turned away, and Kasumi blinked, her mouth suddenly dry. The Asari suddenly smiled broadly, a suddenly predatory gleam visible in her eyes.
"Such a shame to stop now." The Asari said, rising to leave, a coldly amused tone in her voice. "But I promised Shepard I wouldn't cause any problems until the mission ends."
Kasumi remained speechless, staring up in horror at the Asari, seeing how easily the alien woman had discarded every aspect of the personality she'd fabricated. There was nothing left of the nervous, lonely woman Kasumi had been speaking to all evening. Seeing her expression, the Asari grinned again, before disappearing out the door to the ship's corridors.
It was several moments before Kasumi could move again. Chills ran down her spine as she slowly realised just how much danger she'd been in, that despite knowing Morinth's secret, she'd still been taken in so easily. Her heart racing, she wondered how long Morinth had been planning things, if every moment she'd thought she'd caught a glimpse of her 'real' personality had all been carefully orchestrated to lure her in. Despite it all, she couldn't help but feel some professional admiration for such a well-executed con.
Shepard needs to know just how dangerous this creature she brought on board is, she thought to herself, cold shivers running down her spine.