A/N: I just had to get this out of my system. If anyone else ships these two, let me say I am very suggestible.
Tevos found Aria sprawled on the couch of her office, careless slouch and posture indicating she had every right to be in there. She didn't, of course, and Aria being Aria, merely nodded as a greeting.
Tevos shook her head with a sigh; she would have a stern word with C-SEC later.
"Aria," Tevos began evenly as she walked to her desk, "A prior call would be nice."
Aria shrugged, "Number changed."
Tevos perused her files, frowning. Aria never changed; a wonder why she still thought she ever would. She sighed, "Mine didn't."
"Mine did. Along with Omega's leadership."
"I know," Tevos replied, her gaze landing on a report detailing the coup d'etat. The formality of bureaucratic language did little to mask Cerberus' brutality. A question hung in Tevos' mind, filling her with dread. Decades of diplomacy kept it from her expression. "Where is Liselle?" she asked in monotone.
Aria turned towards the window, keeping Tevos from seeing her face. Long silence ensued. Tevos had given up on getting an answer until Aria, in a monotone reflecting her own, replied, "Gone."
Gone.
Tevos' knees buckled and she fell into her luxurious chair. "I-I see," she stammered as she searched for Aria's face but failed. Tevos took a breath before asking, "How?"
"I don't see how it's any of your concern."
Anger threatened to show on Tevos' features. Practiced control held it tight, but still appeared in her voice. "It is," she hissed.
"Was," Aria replied, finally looking back Tevos' way, unconcerned as usual. "If anything you should be happy since your rep is secure. But that isn't what I'm here for."
"I can imagine why," Tevos sighed as her face fell into her palms. She wanted to cry but she couldn't. She should be bristling with anger but she shouldn't. Not in front of Aria. A moment later she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"I can count on your support then?" Aria asked, the usual pushiness absent from her tone.
Tevos pushed the hand away, burying her face deeper in her hands. She couldn't tolerate Aria's presence anymore. "Of course. Just…just leave," she whispered.
Aria left without another word.
