Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect in any way. The characters, the game, and that God awful ending belongs to Bioware and their accomplices. I'm just borrowing their ideas and expanding on them a bit. It's what I do best.

And the days are not full enough
And the nights are not full enough
And life slips by like a field mouse
Not shaking the grass

-Ezra Pound

Chapter One:

The Wordless Mouse

Matron Diara had said she'd finally found a use for me as she thrust a large tray into my arms. A variety of mouthwatering dishes were neatly arranged on the serving plate and I looked up at the ancient Asari in awed surprise.

"It's not for you, human," the Matron scolded in exasperation when she saw the look on my face. Willowy, indigo hands roughly turned me toward the kitchen door by my thin shoulders and nudged me forward. "Now come. We have a demon to feed."

At those words, I slightly stumbled over my own feet. Miraculously, I managed not to spill any of the tea sloshing around in its saucer. The Matron naturally took notice of my slip up and made a harsh tsking sound before continuing out into the hallway. "Oh, you can quit your worrying. She'll want nothing to do with some incompetent human child. Though if she does happen to kill you, I'll have to thank her for making my job that much easier."

I barely blinked at her insult. I had grown used to her snide remarks.

We took a left along the monastery's East wing and continued until we reached a flight of stairs. I had never been to this part of the building before. It could have been just the imaginings of a child, but I could have sworn that the lights that lit our way were a bit dimmer and the air cooler. The corridors that branched from the Great Hall usually displayed tasteful artwork and sculptures depicting the Goddess or Thessia along their passages but the hall we were in now were sparsely decorated. Eventually, even the occasional painting became a rare sight before the walls appeared completely bare. The sound of Matron Diara's high heels on the ceramic tile seemed impossibly loud in the narrow passageway. I was suddenly very glad to be wearing cloth slippers.

Finally, we came upon a heavy door and I was startled to see that there were no locks. My youthful mind supplied that if I were trying to keep a demon from getting out, I'd want there to be many bolts and vaults between me and the monster. My hands shook where they held tightly to the tray of food and I swallowed noisily as my imagination ran wild. I had overheard whispers about the Ardat-Yakshi as people gathered for the communal. They spoke of terrible things that always ended in death.

I whimpered softly as the Matron knocked a steady tempo on the wooden surface before carefully swinging open the door. The room that was revealed within was luxurious and lavishly decorated. There was a large, handcrafted four-poster bed adorned with silk sheets that were as white as untouched snow. Floor to ceiling windows looked out upon a spacious balcony where a reclining patio chair sat patiently next to a short glass table. On the opposite side of the room, row upon row of books were lovingly tucked in tall bookcases next to a comfy looking couch. Near one such bookcase stood a quaint desk where stacks of paper, canvases, and paints littered the surface. The walls proudly bared many original paintings, many depicting different species of birds and other wildlife among beautiful landscapes.

There was a closed door as well, where the sound of raining water could be heard emitting from.

"Good. She's in the shower. Hurry and take the tray over to the table on the balcony," The Matron whispered harshly as she made a gesture towards the said table's direction. I hurriedly began to cross the room, eager to do as I was bid and make my escape. For some reason I can't explain even today, my attention was suddenly drawn towards the couch where a stuffed animal lay nestled in the cushions. It was a toy Varren, a cute version of the real thing, with big beaded eyes. My attention was so captured by the doll that I didn't notice the slight rise in the floor and the edge of the rug before I was already falling.

I watched as the tray slipped through my fingers and the fine china and aromatic food crash to the floor with a resounding crash. The tea cup was the only lucky piece as it managed to bounce on the rug before rolling away unharmed.

"You stupid girl," was the loud response that came from the Asari near the door. The Matron swiftly rushed to where I had fallen and snatched me from the floor by my dark curls. "I asked you to do one thing! One, simple request and you can't even do that!"

Thick, fat tears were already streaming down my face before the harsh slap came. Then another. A third was on its way before the sound of a door closing halted the next strike in mid-descent.

My head swiveled at the sound and standing there was the Ardat-Yakshi. What struck me as most unexpected was how beautiful she was. Even as a child, I had difficulty making the connection between the lovely Asari standing there and the 'demon of the night winds' that she supposedly was. She was dressed in a cream-colored, silk robe that ended mid-thigh and showed off impossibly long legs. A towel was draped around her neck where water droplets still clung to the cerulean blue skin, a color I had not seen on any other Asari.

But what captured my attention the most were the metallic grey eyes that looked back at me. Those eyes spoke of a deep sadness and an endless loneliness and it was in that moment that I knew that this Asari was no monster.

"That is enough," said the melodic voice from the striking Asari.

"F-Falere," was the stuttered response from Matron Diara as she quickly rose to her feet. "I…I will clean this mess immediately and make sure this, this human," she spat the last word with utter disgust, "is punished."

Those grey eyes took in the mess on the floor and the tear tracks on my face for a silent moment that had the other Asari shifting uncomfortably. "I see nothing that the child did that merits punishment. It was an accident that could have happened to anyone. If one should be punished, it should be the one who dare slap a child. "

"But you don't understand. This slave—"

"Don't!" the Ardat-Yakshi abruptly cut her off. "Don't ever use that word near me. Just leave the mess and go."

The Matron went to grab me by the arm and leave when Falere once again cut her short. "Leave the girl with me. Oh, and Diara, don't let me hear of you hurting her again."

And just like that, the Asari was gone. I stood in the middle of the room surrounded by broken glass and ruined food as I timidly watched the so-called 'demon' from beneath the bangs of my hair. She slowly walked toward me as if afraid she would cause me to flee. She stopped just outside the circle of broken china before dropping to her knees and sitting on the back of her heels. Carefully smoothing out the edge of her robe, she spoke softly, "Hello. What's your name, little one?"

I nervously played with my own dress, though mine was tattered and a bit too large and hung from my frail shoulders limply. I simply shook my head to answer her question.

A small, sad smile graced her generous lips when it suddenly occurred to me that she must have taken the shake of my head in the wrong way.

"You won't tell me your name? Do I frighten you that much?"

I shook my head more determined this time while desperately thinking of a way to make her understand. I opened my mouth wide and pointed a pudgy finger at my face then abruptly closing my lips.

My action was met with a slight tilt of the head and an arch of an eyebrow marking when recognition suddenly lit up those lonely eyes.

"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly. "You're mute?"

A nod and a shy grin confirmed her question. An answering smile made blood rush to my face, dusting my pale skin in red tinged embarrassment.

The stunning smile swiftly disappeared and I took a half step back surprised at its abrupt departure. A sharp pain bloomed from that small action, and I would have cried out if not for the fact that I had no voice. All that escaped from my lips was a pathetic little gasp but that was enough to alert the Asari before me what had happened.

Before I could even think to be scared, two deceptively strong arms carefully grabbed me from under my arms and lifted me from the mess of shattered glass that circled me. Startled, I clung to her shoulders awkwardly as she carried me towards the couch by the bookshelves. She carefully deposited me on its soft surface and kneeled before me. Taking my foot tenderly in her hands, she examined the shard of china embedded deep in the skin.

"Hey, no more tears okay? Let me grab a few things to clean this up."

As she stepped into the bathroom, I sniffled softly and wiped my wet eyes with the backs of my hands. Falere didn't keep me waiting long. She carefully applied a small amount of medi-gel around the protruding glass and sat patiently as the numbing effect settled in, then carefully pulled out the shard.

After patching the wound up, she suddenly became very still, her cool hand still resting gently around my ankle. Her eyes had a very faraway look in them for a moment and I watched in curiosity.

"Are you afraid of me little one?" she asked very softly, her eyes avoiding mine. I hesitated a moment before slowly shaking my head.

Tears gathered in her eyes and threatened to spill over but she blinked them away. "Please, don't be. Please…"

Then, as suddenly as her moment of weakness appeared, it was gone just as fast. "Um…well, I don't believe I've even introduced myself. My name is Falere and you are…hmm. I guess I'll just have to come up with my own name for you."

She tapped her chin with her index finger and I smiled as I watched her tilt her head in contemplation. "What to call you…hmm…what is small, cute, and quiet?"

I blush at the use of the word, 'cute'. I had only ever called 'stupid' and 'slow' or other more colorful words that have the same meaning.

Falere chuckled and I knew she had found the answer to her question. "I know, you are just like a Miri'jyrl."

My translator faltered on that last word and the Asari must have noticed my confusion because she got to her feet and walked to the desk in the corner of the room. I saw her pick up what looked to be a piece of charcoal and start to sketch something on paper.

My curiosity intrigued, I slid off the couch and, mindful of my injured foot, limped over to the desk. I was just tall enough that if I stood on the tips of my toes I could see Falere bring to life the animal on the page.

It looked like a cross between a tail-less mongoose and a mouse.

"This is a Miri'jyrl. It lives underground in remote parts of Thessia. They're very timid creatures that are said to only mate with one other Miri'jyrl in their lifetime. So even if their mate dies, they'll never choose another. They say that's one of the reasons why seeing a Miri'jyrl is so rare, because there are not many."

I watched as Falere added a final touch to the whiskers of the drawing before saying, "Yes, Miri it is then."

Those stormy grey eyes locked on my emeralds before that lilting voice added, "It's nice to meet you, my little Miri."

Author's Note: Aaaaannnd Cut! Well, I know this is different and this is my first fanfiction so please...be gentle with me. I've just had this in my head since I finished playing ME3 and I wanted to expand on Falere's character a bit since I found her fascinating. And I know there's a lot of OC's and people generally don't do well with OC's but I honestly want to know what everyone thing and hope that you'll all give it a chance. This story might seem a little slow at first, but I promise shit is about to get deep. This is a romance written by my after all which means you, my dear readers, are in for one hell of a ride.
-Starstuff

P.S. I apologize for any typos. I finally finished writing this at some ungodly hour in the night.