Rebuilding Everything
"Oh bloody hell," Kurt sighed, trying to cover his ears with his pillow.
It was far too early. If streaks of sunlight hadn't been coming in through his window, he would have been willing to bet that the choir was off to an early start. But the choir never made mistakes. They started singing every morning down on the street outside his apartment, exactly as the sun rose.
When he wasn't slightly hungover, he actually enjoyed the pleasant tones of the choir, singing a hymn to the goddess Athame and making sure that he didn't oversleep. But this was not one of those idyllic mornings. Having lived on Thessia for two years, this was the worst morning by far. At least it felt that way in the moment.
"Bloody hell," he repeated, throwing his pillow away, trying to remember anything that would justify his thundering headache.
A few blurry images of himself biotically armwrestling an asari commando started to form, but he wasn't sure he could trust his brain. Had the asari soldiers really been wearing bikinis? Probably not. Knowing Drunk Kurt better than anyone, he quickly checked the other side of the bed. It was empty, but he knew that Drunk Kurt would have been trying very hard to avoid this scenario. Probably too hard.
As it happened, Kurt was satisfied with being alone in the bed. His head felt like it had a pulse of its own, and he knew he wouldn't be ready to socialize with anyone until after lunch. Outside in the street, the choir was working on the last verse of their ode to Athame. Though it was beautiful, Kurt was happy it would be over soon. Unfortunately, the singing would be replaced by a much louder and much more annoying sound.
Kurt groaned loudly as the song stopped and was immediately replaced with the noise of hundreds of construction machines. Like many other planets, including Earth, Thessia was still under reconstruction from the reaper war. Although it had been nearly a decade since the war, many of the greatest cities had not yet been restored to their former glory. Tizana, where Kurt had made his home, was one of them.
Having spent several years trying to rebuild Earth along with his friends, Kurt suddenly realized that he had become an adult. Maybe it was because of the war, or maybe he was just a childish person, but adulthood had snuck up on him. Suddenly, after years spent on building sites and in humanitarian camps, Kurt noticed how it was happening all around him. Adulthood. Vera, his oldest friend, was married… MARRIED… To an Alliance officer, of course. Kolyat travelled back to Kahje to take his place among the drell. Even Charles and Jennifer, as she now called herself, had been married and had kids. And in the middle of all this was Kurt, basically still feeling like he was just 18, waiting to go back to school.
But he wasn't. So he had decided that it was time for a change of atmosphere. While the reconstruction of Earth had started almost immediately after the destruction of the reapers, other planets were off to a much slower start, since a considerable amount of their surviving inhabitants had been caught on Earth until the mass relay network was fixed. Thessia, once thought to be untouchable, had been hit hard, and Kurt decided to join a group of human aid workers who were on a mission to help the asari. Now, two years had passed since he moved, and Kurt was in his bed in Tizana, feeling sorry for himself.
"Bloody hell," he said for the third time that morning, holding his head. He sure didn't feel like he was 18 anymore. On the contrary, he felt old. Too old to party. But he was just 27, and a few drinks with some fellow veterans of the reaper war shouldn't incapacitate him like this. But they had.
He stumbled out of bed and took a moment to find his balance. The noise from outside was still rattling his brain. It felt like the construction workers were using their tools directly on his skull. Luckily, he had taken a day off. He didn't think he would be able to work under any circumstances.
Kurt didn't often go out drinking, at least not this much. He was just as hardworking as the rest of the humans that were in Tizana to help, and his biotics made him much more valuable than the rest. Actually, he took pride in his work, and, when he wasn't hungover, considered himself an important asset to the asari matriarchs.
Jennifer still thought that he had ulterior motives for being on Thessia. She thought he was only there to 'pretend to work hard and to swim in a sea of blue ass'. But Kurt did actually work hard, and he wasn't there to pick up asari. Well, not just to pick up asari. But if he met a cute chick who wanted to thank him for his services to her people, he would accept it.
A few of the other humans certainly seemed to be there mostly for the chance to hook up with an asari. As long as they put in the work, Kurt wouldn't be the one to complain about it. Besides, the asari were more than smart enough to know who was trying to take advantage of their gratitude. Those humans usually didn't last long before they took a ship back to Earth. But Kurt had managed to stay, which told him that he was doing alright.
With insecure steps, he moved through his small apartment. He needed to take a leak. In the bathroom, he wondered how long it would take before his work in Tizana was done. The matriarchs had made a twenty-year plan to rebuild the city. Twenty years was not a lot for the asari, but Kurt could not see himself working in construction for that long. He had done so since the war, and if he was to continue his project of becoming an adult, he needed to figure out what he actually wanted to do with his life.
Both Charles, Jennifer and Vera now worked at a school for biotic children. Kolyat had become a guard at the royal drell palace. Prangley and Sophia were working for the Alliance, serving on a dreadnought. And Oriana had just become the first ever human ambassador to Rannoch. And what was he? Still just sweeping up the mess after the war. Something had to happen. And he already had a plan, but first he needed to get rid of his hangover.
After taking a cold shower and putting on some fresh clothes, Kurt was on his way down the busy street. He was heading for the bar. It was an old trick of Jennifer's to combat hangovers with more alcohol. Kurt found that it only rarely worked, but this morning he was willing to try anything. He just hoped that he would be able to keep his drink down.
The noise from the construction site was much louder outside, and Kurt took refuge in his favorite café. Many of the asari construction workers had their lunch there.
"Hi, Kurt," the asari behind the counter said. "The usual?"
"Morning, luv. Yes, please, just the usual."
The asari smiled and handed him the bacon sandwich that he had convinced the café owner to put on the menu. Kurt paid for the food and continued down the street. Just a few shops were actually open. This part of the city was still freshly-built. In fact, Kurt was one of the only inhabitants in his entire apartment complex. In a few years, those apartments would be ridiculously expensive. Luckily, Kurt's rent was paid by the matriarchy.
On his way towards the bar he stopped in front of a clothes shop, the only one that had opened in his part of the city. He had never been inside the shop before. It catered to asari and only sold clothes that Kurt would consider female. Standing still, he took another look at the asari looking through dresses on a rack outside the shop. He thought he recognized her uniform. Her cleavage was… memorable.
"Samara?"
The justicar quickly let go of the dresses and turned around as if she had been embarrassed by the fact that she was looking at dresses. She quickly composed herself though.
"Yes?"
"Hi," Kurt said, taking a step closer.
"Ah," she said in her slightly aloof fashion. "Mr. Nielsen."
"Good memory," Kurt said. "What are you doing here?"
Samara folded her arms on her back. "I was born in Tizana," she sighed. "It makes me sad to see it like this. I have offered my help to the matriarchs."
Kurt nodded. He remembered how committed Samara had been to the code of the justicars. He was willing to bet that she spent a considerable amount of her time looking out for anyone in violation of the code. He hoped that he wasn't somehow breaking the rules. He sure hoped being hungover in public wasn't bad enough for her to kill him.
"And what about your daughter?" Kurt asked, remembering how tense things had gotten on Lesuss, where he and the rest of the Psychotic Biotics had helped Samara save her daughter Falere from the reapers.
"She fought with me against the reapers," Samara said. "I will return her to the monastery once the matriarchs are done rebuilding it."
Kurt nodded. He found it hard to maintain a conversation with the justicar. He was afraid to say anything that would somehow go against the code, and Samara's every sentence was short and seemed slightly indifferent. Oh, and her plunging neckline was awfully distracting as well. Especially since looking at it definitely felt like a violation of the code.
"Maybe I will see you around one of the building sites," Kurt said, indicating that he was about to continue on his way towards the bar.
Samara nodded. "Perhaps."
Later, when Kurt was eating his sandwich at a table in front of the bar, he saw Samara again, walking on the opposite side of the street. She walked very quickly. The justicar seemed almost stressed, but Kurt wouldn't have thought that she was so easily rattled by some construction work. He wondered if Samara was taking Commander Shepard's death very badly.
A waitress brought him the beer he had ordered. He thanked her but gave the beer a disgusted look. He really wasn't in the mood for alcohol. Ignoring all the signals his body was sending him, he picked up the beer and chugged. He didn't last very long, until he started coughing and had to place the glass back on the table.
"I hate you, Jennifer!" he coughed, pushing the beer away.
-X-X-X-
He had done it. It had taken a few months, but he had finally figured out what his next step on the road to adulthood and a career that at least seemed as mature as his friends' should be. After discussing his situation with a few of the local matriarchs, Kurt was offered a position on the Citadel, which the asari had been working on for five years.
The asari were almost ready to hand the Citadel over to the council. And they wanted Kurt to help in the process. Initially, only the Presidium would be opened, but they needed someone to help finding businesses to invest in the new Citadel. And when the wards opened, Kurt could see himself being very busy.
It had taken him a few weeks of working the matriarchs, but it was worth it. Kurt was very excited about this new opportunity. He still wasn't sure when he would be able to go to the Citadel, but he had invited his closest friends in Tizana out for a drink to celebrate and say goodbye.
Not surprisingly, that drink had quickly turned into drinks, plural, and Kurt and his friends, both human and asari, were back in the bar, securing the owner a hefty income. Kurt had forgotten everything about the hangover that felt like it had nearly killed him a few months earlier. He was there to celebrate.
As he was standing in the bar, waiting for the bartender to give him her attention so he could buy another round for the table, he was approached by a young asari in a very tight black dress. He had not had much luck with the rest of the asari he had tried to chat up that night, so he was slightly surprised when she handed him a blood-red drink in a long-stemmed glass.
"Here," she said. Her raspy voice sent tingles up his spine from just one word, and the look in her eyes was making his heart pound.
He turned around to face her fully. He had completely forgotten about the bartender and his friends. Even the music in the bar seemed to be at a much lower volume, allowing him to hear her delicious voice clearly.
Completely under her spell, he watched her as she took a sip of her own drink. It was like she was moving in slow-motion. Her full lips touched the glass, printing it with her lipstick which was almost exactly the same shade of red as the drink. A small amount of the drink disappeared between her lips as she closed her eyes, and Kurt watched the slight movement of her slender neck as she swallowed the liquid. Kurt found that he subconsciously swallowed as well, although he had yet to take the first sip of his drink. The asari opened her eyes again, wiped her lips with the tip of her index finger which she then sucked on.
"Try it. It's very good," she told him, and Kurt was suddenly aware that he was standing with his mouth open, just staring at her lips.
Real smooth, Idiot!
He tasted his drink. It was delicious. But he suspected that he would drink just about anything and find it was to his taste, as long as he was looking at her.
"Amazing," he said, just as much a commentary on her as on the drink. "Thank you, miss?"
"My name is Florinth," she said, boldly moving closer. Her smell was as intoxicating as her appearance, and Kurt almost dropped his drink when her sweet perfume hit his nostrils.
"I am Kurt Nielsen," he said.
She smiled. "I know."
Kurt being recognized for his time with the Psychotic Biotics happened every once in a while. He was mostly recognized by humans, but also sometimes by asari. For some reason, when Florinth said that she knew his name, he felt a warm sensation all over his body.
She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him gently back until he was sitting on a barstool. In a smooth movement, she took the seat opposite.
He dared to look into her eyes. For an asari, Florinth had applied a large amount of dark eye makeup, making her naturally dark eyes look very deep and big. As soon as he looked in them, he almost couldn't pull his gaze away again. It was like she could speak directly to him, without moving her lips, as long as he was looking straight into her eyes. And the things she said… He had never met a girl like her before. How could she make him feel like this just by looking at him?
When he was finally able to look away from her eyes, he noticed that she had placed her hand on his thigh.
"Are… Are you from around here?" he asked lamely. She was making him uncharacteristically nervous. In fact, she was almost scaring him, but at the same time making him relax. It was a curious sensation, but very pleasurable.
Slowly, she shook her head.
There was something familiar about her, Kurt realized. But he couldn't have met her before, certainly not spoken to her. He would have remembered that. Florinth was unforgettable in the very sense of the word. In fact, she had made him forget about everything and everyone else in the bar.
"Have we met before?" he asked, taking a large sip of the red drink to lubricate his dry mouth. Looking down, he found that her body was just about as enthralling as her eyes. Her black dress seemed to be impossibly tight, and it revealed just enough to make him dizzy, trying to imagine what she would look without it.
"Have we met before…" she repeated his question. "Don't you remember me, Kurt?"
Kurt shook his head apologetically.
"Now," she said, sliding her hand further up his thigh. "We can't have that."
Before he knew it, her delicious lips were on his, and her nails dug into his leg. She took control, and Kurt let her. For every second their lips were touching, it felt like he was becoming more and more intoxicated. He had never felt like this before. Then her tongue started playing along, and Kurt actually dropped the drink out of his hand. The glass shattered on the floor of the club, and red liquid sprayed all over the floor. He didn't get around to asking her where he was supposed to have met her.
They kissed for some time. Kurt had no idea if it was just a few seconds or several hours. But when he felt Florinth's lips leaving his, he sighed sadly, knowing he would give just about anything for her to kiss him again.
When he opened his eyes again, Florinth's eyes were even darker than before. Once again, she was licking her lips. She leaned in, and Kurt thought she was going to kiss him again. Instead, she bit his ear softly.
"Take me home, Kurt Nielsen," she whispered hotly.
Kurt hardly noticed leaving the bar. And he had no recollection of the walk home. Without saying goodbye to his friends, he and Florinth were just about to enter his apartment, before Kurt realized what had happened.
"I forgot my jacket," he said, as he tried to locate the key card to his door. The card was in his jacket back at the bar.
He was about to suggest going back to get it, but Florinth's lithe body rubbing up against him made him think that blasting away the door with his biotics was a better idea. Some asari were turned on by biotic humans. Or maybe that was just his theory. But he hoped it was true for Florinth.
He thrust his hand forward, there was a bright blue flash and his apartment door flew open with a loud crash.
"Ooh," Florinth said and nibbled on his ear. Perhaps there was some truth to his theory after all. He had to remember to tell Prangley and Charles. They never believed him.
"Ladies first," he said, gesturing for Florinth to lead the way through the gaping hole in the wall.
As soon as Kurt was also inside, Florinth started ripping off his clothes. She also removed her dress with surprising ease, considering how tight it was. She continued until she was naked, and Kurt was only wearing his underpants. It was quite apparent through the fabric that she had a huge effect on him.
"My turn," she said, flashing her biotics.
Kurt was lifted off the ground, and she guided him towards the bed. He could feel her strength. Her biotics seemed to be considerably stronger than an average asari. Of course her biotics were also extraordinary. That seemed to be the case for everything about Florinth.
She eyed him hungrily, licking her lips. Her eyes were even darker than before. As she continued to hold Kurt in a biotic field hovering above the bed, she stood on her toes and kissed him forcefully. He felt her fingers slipping into his underpants. Then there was a bright flash and Kurt dropped onto the bed. For a moment he thought that Florinth had disappeared into thin air, explaining why he had suddenly fallen. But then he saw her, pinned against the wall by an invisible force field, grabbing her throat. Clearly, she was having difficulties breathing. In the middle of a room, Samara had appeared out of nowhere, she was using one hand to hold Florinth against the wall with her biotics and pointing a gun at her face with the other.
"Florinth!" Kurt shouted, looking at the beautiful, naked asari, writhing and kicking as she was being held to the wall making choking noises. "Samara, what the hell are you doing?"
"Florinth?" Samara said, taking a step closer to the other asari while Kurt jumped out of his bed and took a position between the two asari.
The justicar looked at him. "Stand back, Mr. Nielsen. I am here to save you."
"Save me?" Kurt asked in confusion, looking up at Florinth, who seemed to have passed out against the wall. "From what? Florinth and I were just about to…"
"I know," she interrupted. "But 'Florinth' is not who you think she is."
She holstered her pistol and grabbed a vase from the windowsill. She pulled out the flowers and threw the water in Florinth's face. Satisfied that the younger asari was still unconscious, she released the biotic field, and Florinth slid down the wall and landed unceremoniously on the floor. With long steps, Samara walked over to her, and started rubbing her face. A significant amount of makeup came off, giving Florinth a much lighter shade of blue, and Kurt suddenly realized why she had looked so familiar.
"Falere?" he gasped and sat down on the bed in shock.
Samara looked sadly down at her unconscious Ardat-Yakshi daughter. Her only surviving daughter.
Kurt couldn't believe it. Samara really had saved his life. That certainly explained how 'Florinth' had managed to seduce him so effectively and why she knew his name.
Samara sighed, unholstering her pistol again. "I should have done this long ago. I thought we could live here together, until the monastery is ready. But there are too many temptations for an Ardat-Yakshi on Thessia. She escaped from our home. Luckily I was able to track her before it was too late."
The justicar slowly raised her pistol towards Falere's head. "It is crueler to let her live," she said, more to herself than Kurt.
Falere moved slightly and then opened her eyes. She looked at Kurt with her dark eyes, but when she saw him, sitting on the bed in his underpants staring back at her in shock, she seemed to wake up from a trance and her eyes turned blue like Samara's. She then looked up at her mother, straight into the barrel of a gun, and then down at her own naked body. She gasped and began to cry.
"Falere?" Kurt said.
"Sit down!" Samara yelled, using her biotics to push Kurt back onto the bed.
Falere was sitting on the floor, naked and hiding her face in her hands as she cried.
"I'm so sorry!" she managed to get out between her sobs.
Kurt watched as Samara walked closer, still keeping her gun aimed at her daughter's head.
"I'm so sorry, mother," Falere cried, looking up at the justicar through teary eyes.
She then looked to the side at Kurt. And she began to cry even louder. "Oh, Kurt… I'm so sorry! Oh, Goddess… I could have… No! No! No!"
Samara looked down at the Ardat-Yakshi, giving her a very skeptical eye.
"I… I just couldn't control it…" Falere sobbed. "I knew what I was doing, but I just couldn't stop myself. I am so, so sorry!"
"My Little Bird," Samara said softly, aiming the gun at Falere's forehead. "You swore an oath. You know what I must do."
Falere nodded and started crying harder.
"No!" Kurt said, crawling off the bed. "You can't shoot her."
"I can, and I must," the justicar replied, raising her hand so she was ready to push him back again.
Falere looked up at Kurt. "It's okay," she whispered. "I thought I could control it, but I couldn't. It is the only way, I think."
"Fuck that," Kurt said, moving closer, causing Samara to give him a look of warning.
"I swear I never meant to harm you," Falere said. "I just… I just wanted… To thank you. I remember you from Lesuss. You were nice to me. But then… I just lost control. I never wanted to hurt you, I just wanted to make love to you."
"But you knew very well what that would result in, Falere!" Samara said strictly. "You knew that it would kill him!"
"Yes," the Ardat-Yakshi sobbed. "I know. I just couldn't control myself!"
Samara sighed deeply. "Close your eyes, Little Bird. It will all be over soon."
Falere sat up on her knees in front of her mother, and Kurt looked on in horror as Samara pressed the barrel of her pistol against her forehead.
"I love you, mother," Falere whispered hoarsely, as she willingly pressed her head against the cold metal of Samara's gun.
"NO!" Kurt yelled and jumped forward. He pushed Falere down to the ground and landed on top of her. Samara lowered her pistol and glared at him.
Kurt, who was now suddenly aware that he was lying on top of the naked Ardat-Yakshi wearing only his underpants, looked down at Falere. Through the tears, he could already see her bright blue eyes darkening as their skin touched. He quickly jumped to his feet and placed himself between mother and daughter. He had had fantasies about asari. Many of them. Bringing a mother and a daughter home to his bedroom had been one of the more exotic ones. But this mother-daughter situation he had found himself in was nothing like the fantasies, and it seemed unlikely that all three of them were going to survive the night. That, nevertheless, was his mission.
"I forbid you to shoot Falere!" he told Samara.
The Ardat-Yakshi, who was still lying on the floor behind him, looked up at him.
"Humans hold no authority over the justicars," Samara said. "Move, Mr. Nielsen."
"You are in my apartment. I will not allow it!" he said.
"The sanctity of a home can be ignored in service of the code," Samara replied calmly.
"Sod the code," Kurt said, glaring back at Samara. "I am not letting you kill your daughter. And I am not letting you kill yourself either, like you tried on Lesuss. The three of us are figuring this out here and now."
"I must insist that you stop disrespecting the code immediately," Samara said.
"Or you'll shoot me too?"
"If I must," she said, and Kurt believed it. "You are naïve, human. This night has proved to me that I cannot suffer an Ardat-Yakshi to live."
"My name is Kurt Nielsen, thank you. And if your code doesn't forbid you from killing someone for just nearly doing something bad, something they are not doing willfully, maybe you need to write an amendment."
Samara opened her eyes widely, looking past Kurt at her daughter who was now standing up.
"Stay still, Falere," Samara ordered.
"I am not going to run, mother," the Ardat-Yakshi replied. She put her hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Thank you, Kurt. But my mother is correct. Tonight proved that I couldn't ignore the temptations. I thought I could. But… I accept my fate."
Kurt shook his head as Falere gently pushed him to the side, opening up Samara's line of fire.
"Okay, mother," she said, closing her eyes. "I am ready."
Samara raised her pistol and Kurt looked away. Staring into the wall, he waited for the bang that he would be hearing, and then the thud of Falere's body falling to the floor. Any second now…
But there was no bang. He dared to look back at Samara, who had lowered her pistol again. Tears were running down her face.
"Falere," she said. "Look at me."
The Ardat-Yakshi opened her eyes and looked straight back at her mother. Seeing her tears, Falere began to cry hard again.
"Don't look away," Samara ordered. "Was it your intent to hurt Mr. Nielsen tonight?"
Falere gazed deep into her mother's eyes. "I swear to Athame, on my life and on the code, I never meant to harm anyone… I only wanted to have him… You know."
Kurt couldn't stop himself from smiling crookedly. Falere gave him a sidelong glance, and she blushed.
Samara nodded seriously, and she holstered her pistol.
"The code can give you one more chance, the last one," the justicar said. "Since you have not yet willfully tried to kill anyone. I believe that you did not mean to cause him any harm."
Kurt sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed.
"Thank you, mother," Falere cried and fell to her knees.
"But I am worried for you, Little Bird," Samara said. "You are not like your sister. But your behavior reminds me of what Mirala used to be, before she decided to give into her urges completely and became Morinth. She was still somewhat innocent, but very dangerous."
Falere nodded in understanding.
"You cannot become Florinth," Samara told her daughter. "Or I will have to do what I did to Morinth."
"I will not become like her, I promise," Falere said, looking up at her mother.
"I want to believe you, Little Bird," Samara said. "But as long as we are here, there are too many temptations. We will move far away from Thessia again. Coming here was a mistake."
Something deep within Falere clearly fought against the idea of leaving Thessia. Her inner Ardat-Yakshi had located such a prime hunting ground, and she did not want to leave.
"Okay," Falere eventually sighed, fighting back the darkness that had flashed across her eyes.
Samara pulled her daughter to her feet again, just as the choir outside started singing, and Kurt saw the sunlight sneaking its way through his blinds. It was dawn.
Falere visibly relaxed. "It is worst at night," she sighed and looked at Kurt, sitting on his bed in his underwear. "You're going to have to put some clothes on though, Kurt. You're not making this easy for me."
"Right back at ya," Kurt said, smiling back at the naked asari.
She looked down herself and seemed to notice her state of undress. She bit her lip and winked at him.
"Stop it!" Samara said, snapping her fingers in front of Falere's face. "Don't make me change my mind. Get some clothes on. Both of you!"
Having awkwardly put his work uniform on, Kurt offered to cook breakfast for them, but Samara declined, saying that she wanted to make preparations to leave Thessia as soon as possible.
Falere, who was back in her tight, black dress, stepped forward and kissed Kurt's cheek. This happened under Samara's very close supervision. "I really am sorry, Kurt," she said, as a single tear dropped from the corner of her eye. "Thank you, for everything. I wish I could show just how grateful I am to you, but that would kill you."
Kurt could feel himself being drawn in by her mysterious powers again, but there was nothing he could do to resist. When Falere's mouth moved from his cheek to his lips, he eagerly kissed her back, until Samara yanked Falere away.
"How long can it take to rebuild a monastery?" the justicar sighed tiredly.
To Kurt's surprise, Samara also leaned forward and kissed his cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you, Kurt Nielsen."
Waving goodbye, the two asari left Kurt's apartment, and he was left alone, wondering just how close Falere had been to killing him.
"And what the fuck did I do to my door?"
-X-X-X-
"You fucking idiot!"
"Hey, hey, girl," Kurt laughed, smiling at the screen in his office. "Watch your mouth! There are kids in the house!"
After many months, the vid-con system in his Presidium office was finally working properly. The first person he called was, of course, Vera Vega. He didn't think he had gone this long without talking to her since they became friends back on Terra Nova when they were just eight years old. That was nearly twenty years of friendship.
Because they hadn't spoken for so long, they had to catch up on a few things. First and foremost, Kurt had to congratulate Vera on giving birth to her daughter, Valentina. But the thing that had made her call him an idiot was his anecdote about Florinth who turned out to be Falere.
"The twins are playing with James outside, and Valentina is sleeping," Vera replied and crossed her arms. He could almost feel her glare burning through the screen. "So I will repeat. You fucking idiot!"
"I didn't know it was her. She was in disguise!"
"You could have died!"
"If I had known it was an Ardat-Yakshi, I wouldn't have taken her home. I'm not that stupid."
Vera sighed.
"I just knew that you would get in trouble one day. Because of your…"
"My what?"
"Your attitude!"
Kurt laughed. Now that his friend was married with three kids, she was constantly asking him when he was going to settle down. This Ardat-Yakshi encounter would probably bring that discussion back on the table.
"Are you coming to Earth again soon?" she asked. It had almost been a year since his last visit. "The boys are still talking about the last time."
"Soon," Kurt promised. "How are things at the school? Is Charles and Jennifer doing alright?"
"Everything is great," Vera said, smiling brightly. "I love living in Australia, and Charles is a great boss. Jennifer too. You should see their daughter, Kurt. Luna is such a talented biotic, and little Atlas could be just the same in a few years."
Kurt smiled. He enjoyed hearing about his friends' lives on Earth. He missed them sometimes. Charles had offered him a job at his school, the Kahlee Sanders Institute, but Kurt wanted to give his new job on the Citadel a chance. So far, he felt that he had ended up in exactly the right place. And if he missed his friends, it was much easier to get to Earth from the Citadel than from Thessia.
He looked out of his office window at the Presidium Lake.
"Why don't you guys come and visit me sometime?" he asked Vera.
"When the kids are older," Vera promised.
"Then stop getting knocked up all the time," Kurt said. "I miss you, girl!"
She laughed, and he smiled at the screen. In the background he heard a baby crying.
"I have to go, Kurt," Vera said sadly.
He smiled understandingly and nodded. "Call back soon!"
He disconnected the call and leaned back in his chair. It was getting late in the afternoon. The artificial sunlight was slowly becoming dimmer outside his window. He rubbed his tired eyes. He was busier than he thought he would be. The wards wouldn't open in at least four years, but he was already being contacted by entrepreneurs from all over the galaxy, asking him questions about what kind of real estate he could offer.
In the months he had lived on the Citadel, he had quickly been given a lot of responsibility. Finding the right people to invest in the new Citadel was hard work. Not that there weren't many who were interested. But he was representing the council, and there were many factors to consider.
If he was too avoid stress, he needed an assistant. He could ask the council to pay for a VI, but Kurt wanted someone he could talk to in the office. If he could get an AI like EDI, who Joker had managed to reactivate with a little quarian help, he would have been fine with a synthetic assistant. But since that probably wasn't the case, Kurt was searching for an organic.
He knew the council would be happy to provide him with the funds to pay for an assistant's wages. The council had recently expanded to include krogan, drell, quarian, hanar, elcor and volus members. There was even a batarian councilor, although the reapers had left his species practically extinct. The new council seemed to appreciate Kurt's work, and if he had to say so himself, he was very good at his job. For some reason his business contacts responded well to his humor, and the fact that he had been a part of the Psychotic Biotics and spent years helping to rebuild Thessia gave him a somewhat famous profile which certainly didn't hurt either.
As he walked home from the office, he looked up. Now that the Citadel was basically just the Presidium, only the ring itself was accessible to him. But he could see three of the five arms had already been attached to the ring. Zakera and Tayseri would be opening first. The third ward, which would become the Bachjret Ward, was only half-built. Construction of the last two wards had not yet begun, but Kurt knew that the council was debating if they should name one of them after Commander Shepard. If they did, Kurt might consider replacing his Presidium apartment with one in the wards.
Personally, he couldn't wait for the population of the Citadel to grow a little quicker. He could play loud music in his apartment, because he had no neighbors, but that was about the only good thing. As a social person, he needed more people around him. There were too many politicians and embassy workers now. Luckily, it seemed that the expansion of the council would speed up the migration to the Citadel as well as the construction tempo.
Entering his apartment, he had to admit that there were perks to being one of the first to live on the new Citadel. Much like his apartment on Thessia, this was a place that he probably would never have been able to afford at another time. The council paid Kurt's wages, and they didn't demand a lot of it back to let him live in his luxury apartment. The funny thing was, that as a part of his job, Kurt was trying to find people who would rent the other apartments around his. And the monthly rent he could offer them were several times that which he paid himself. But Kurt had freedom to negotiate the prices with his future neighbors. He had already agreed with himself, that if a hot girl was thinking about moving in next door, he would drop the rent as low as he could. Without a lucrative deal like Kurt's, most people would still not be able to afford living on the Presidium, which was why his hunt for neighbors had not taken off yet. But as soon as people started moving to the Citadel, more would quickly follow, and the prices would go even higher.
"Lights on," he said, and the VI that controlled his entire home responded immediately.
"What would you like for dinner, sir?" a slightly synthetic asari voice asked.
"Chicken, please," he said and heard how an electronic arm inside the fridge shoved the chicken dish into the oven which immediately switched on.
"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, sir."
Kurt gave the camera in the corner of his living room the thumbs up. "Cheers, Minnie."
It was sad, really, that he had found it necessary to give his apartment's VI a name. He was in urgent need of an assistant or neighbors. Anyone he could talk to.
Just as he sat down in his couch, he felt his omni-tool buzzing. It was a message that had been forwarded from his office:
Meet me at the Embassy Café. I have business to discuss with you.
Kurt read the short message a couple of times. It was very mysterious. He decided that he needed more information. He wasn't going out to meet someone in secrecy without more information.
He wrote a message back:
Who is this? And what kind of business are we talking?
Just a few seconds later, he received a reply:
I am someone you cannot afford not to meet with. And we are of cause talking about Citadel real estate. Meet me in 20 minutes.
Kurt sighed and looked out of his panorama windows. Who the hell wanted to discuss business at this time of the day.
If he was to be at the embassies in 20 minutes, Kurt needed to get a move on. He thought about ignoring the messages, but his curiosity had been tickled. And at least he wasn't meeting someone in a dark alley or in a grubby pub. The Embassy Café was a respectable place.
He groaned as he rose from his couch again. "Cancel dinner, Minnie."
"Yes, sir."
It was only a short walk from his apartment to the embassies. The path was lit up by just a few lights, otherwise, the Presidium was running the nighttime lighting cycle. Every once in a while, a skycar flew overhead, but compared to what Kurt had experienced on the old Citadel, even after dark, the Presidium was very quiet. It was an almost eerily quiet and solitary walk to the embassies. He couldn't wait for the population increase that was just around the corner.
He reached the café, which was mostly empty. A couple of turian diplomats were eating dinner and discussing something about a trading route to Illium. More politicians. Sometimes Kurt felt like he was one of the only people on the Citadel who weren't involved in politics. But even he was working for the council. A larger group of asari was standing near the bar talking quietly amongst themselves. Kurt looked from the asari to the turians and back to the asari, wondering who had asked to meet with him at such a strange time. None of the groups seemed to pay him any attention.
"I need a beer," he said to himself and walked up to the bartender.
The asari behind the bar smiled nervously at him and ignored his order. "Please, follow me, sir," she said and moved around the counter.
"But what about my beer?"
The asari walked past him and continued towards the back of the café. Kurt followed cautiously. This meeting was starting to seem more and more shady. Nevertheless, he followed the bartender until she stopped in a dimly lit backroom.
"I must say…" an asari said, stepping out of the shadows. "A human. What a pleasant surprise."
As she came into the light, Kurt immediately recognized her.
"Aria," Kurt nodded.
She smirked, enjoying the surprise on his face. With a lazy hand movement, she sent the bartender away. Keeping her eyes on Kurt, she sat down at a table.
"Why don't you grab a seat, kid?" she said, gesturing at the empty chair in front of Kurt.
He cautiously pulled out the chair and sat down slowly. He knew enough about Aria T'Loak to be wary of her. Another bartender hurried in with drinks for both of them.
Aria lifted her glass slowly. "Drink, boy."
"I am an adult," Kurt noted lamely, picking up his beer.
"For a human, maybe," she said, putting her glass back on the table that separated them. Kurt took a large gulp of his beer.
"Why am I here?" he asked, hoping that Aria wasn't planning on having him killed.
"I want to speak to someone who can help me get my hands on some property here. Is that you?"
He nodded. "It could be."
Aria leaned back in her chair and studied him carefully. "I was expecting to negotiate with an asari," she told him.
"But you got me."
She nodded. "I am pleased. Humans are much easier to intimidate and manipulate."
"Lovely," Kurt said sarcastically.
He was slowly relaxing in Aria's company. She did in fact seem genuinely surprised that she was meeting with him, and he had no reason to believe that she was not actually there to negotiate a real estate deal.
"How's your sister?" he asked bravely. He seemed to remember that Aria wasn't a big fan of her younger sister's fascination with humans.
"Adina's on Omega," she replied shortly.
"Taking care of the family business?"
Aria snorted. "Omega is not a family business. It is mine. But now that Patriarch is gone, Adina works as a caretaker when I am away. Annoyingly, she is doing rather well. And no, she hasn't talked about you. What has it been? 10 years?"
Kurt nodded. He couldn't pretend that he wasn't a little bit hurt by Aria's comment. He remembered Adina very fondly. Settling down with a woman wasn't something he often thought about. Most of the time, he enjoyed his life as a bachelor. But when, from time to time, he tried to imagine what it would be like to start a family, his imagination always made his wife look exactly like Adina T'Loak.
"So," he said, taking another sip from his beer. "What can I do for you, Aria?"
It turned out that Aria wanted to open a night club on the Presidium and buy the right to build an enormous hotel and casino on Zakera, which would be the first of the wards to open.
Kurt nodded and made a few notes on his datapad. "Obviously, you realize that the Citadel is not Omega."
"Generally, you can assume that I know more about both the Citadel and Omega, well, anything really, than you, Mr. Nielsen," Aria said.
"Alright, alright," he chuckled, holding his hands up apologetically. "I only meant that this club will probably be very different from Afterlife."
"Sadly, that is true for all other clubs. Still, it should be able to turn a profit, wouldn't you say?"
Kurt smiled and finished his beer. "Most certainly," he said, putting his empty glass back on the table. "In a few years, the Citadel will have returned to its former glory."
Aria nodded thoughtfully and snapped her fingers. The bartender hurried in with another beer for Kurt. Then followed the discussion that Kurt dreaded most. The price.
He worked out the numbers on his datapad and showed the number to Aria. She lifted her asari version of an eyebrow and gave him a look that suggested he had better be joking.
"I can only negotiate within the price frame that has been established by the council," he told her and pulled back the datapad. "But let me run the numbers again."
He could feel Aria watching him carefully as he went through the numbers again, trying to bring down the price without compromising his loyalty to the council.
"This is the best I can do," he finally said, showing Aria a new, slightly lower number. "You have to realize that we're talking about quite a lot of…"
"I'll take it," Aria said.
"Really?"
"What a salesman you are. Yes, really," Aria sighed, taking a sip from her glass.
"Alright," Kurt said happily and slid his datapad across the table. "If you would just sign here, please."
Aria signed and handed the datapad back to Kurt.
"Damn, I'm good," Kurt whispered to himself, but Aria heard him and gave him a small but genuine smile as she leaned back with her drink in hand.
"So you do smile," he said, packing away his datapad and picking up his beer.
"I'm convinced I have just made a very good investment," she replied, stretching lazily in her chair.
Kurt studied Aria's behavior. It had been a decade since he last saw her, but her body language definitely seemed a little less closed than he remembered. She still expressed superiority and a certain level of arrogance though.
"How have you been doing since the war?" he asked, relieved that he had managed to land the deal. "Are we even on social conversation terms?"
"Not really," Aria said. "But I'll humor you. Why don't you come to Omega and see for yourself?"
"Maybe I will."
"I'm sure Adina would appreciate that."
Kurt looked across the table at the notorious asari crime boss. "I thought she hadn't talked about me in 10 years?"
Aria shrugged. "Actually, Adina talks so much shit, I rarely listen to her. She may have mentioned you."
Kurt couldn't stop himself from smiling, as Aria finished her drink and stood up.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about the contract I have signed today," she said, adjusting her collar.
"Of course," Kurt replied, standing up as well.
She looked at him and took a step closer.
"I could make you rich," she said quietly, almost in a whisper. "If you would be willing to pass on insider information to me and maybe work some magic on the numbers, I will pay you twice as much as the council is paying you."
Kurt shook his head. "No deal, Aria."
"Bah, boring!" she groaned and stepped past him on her way out of the café.
"Give Adina my best," Kurt called after her.
Without stopping or turning around, Aria left the room with her final words. "I will be back in a few months."
-X-X-X-
Kurt looked up from his screen at the young man on the other side of his desk. On the screen was the young man's exam papers from Yale University. This man was maybe a year or two younger than Kurt and grossly overqualified for the job as Kurt's assistant.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. Daniels," Kurt said, looking at the well-dressed man. "I like to keep things informal. You can call me Kurt, do you mind if I call you…" he looked back at the screen, "…Jerome?"
"That is fine," Jerome said.
"Great. Where are you from?"
"Vancouver," he answered, and Kurt nodded. He would have guessed something along those lines.
"Tell me then, why did you apply for this job?" Kurt asked.
Jerome had all his answers planned. He had prepared his answers for all of Kurt's questions. He was good, but not particular entertaining to talk to. Kurt needed an assistant because he was too busy, but he also wanted someone he could have a good conversation with. Maybe even someone he could be friends with.
When the interview was eventually over and Kurt was once again alone in his office, he sighed deeply. Finding the right assistant was proving to be a surprisingly difficult. Jerome hadn't been that bad, just a little boring. If the right person came in with a smile and cracked a joke, Kurt wouldn't need someone with a fancy university degree.
He had spent most of his week on interviews. The candidates were very diverse. A young quarian female on her pilgrimage. Two different krogan who both thought they were applying for a job as his bodyguard. They had almost killed each other before Kurt could pull them apart. There had also been a few asari and a handful of Jeromes, young humans looking for a job on the Citadel.
He rubbed his eyes tiredly. Just one more candidate before he could finally go home. He was starting to consider just buying a VI to serve as his assistant. Maybe he could find a friend at the embassies. He looked at his screen to prepare for the next person, but was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.
"Come in."
A woman in her mid-twenties entered the office. She wore a black pinstripe skirt and a white shirt. She couldn't have dressed more stereotypically as a secretary. Kurt almost started to laugh.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Nielsen. My name is…"
"Mona," Kurt, who had found her application on his screen, finished.
She smiled nervously, and pulled a strand of her shoulder length black hair behind her ear. "Yes. Mona Penney."
Kurt gestured to the chair opposite him, and Mona sat down.
"Mona from Elysium," Kurt read from the screen.
She nodded, wringing her hands uncomfortably. "Yes, Mr. Nielsen."
Kurt leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.
"Kurt will do, thank you. I almost lived on Elysium when I was younger."
"I know. You were at Grissom."
"You've done your research?"
She blushed slightly and looked down at the desk that was separating them. "I remember the Psychotic Biotics from when I was a teenager. I saw you guys on the Battlespace. My parents may even have a poster or two in my old room."
Kurt chuckled.
"So, who was your favorite out of the Psychotic Biotics? Don't say that it was me just because you want the job. I bet it was Prangley."
She was visibly relaxing as she got used to his informality, and she leaned forward in her seat.
"Maybe I wasn't a big enough fan to have a favorite," she said, giving him a mischievous look.
Kurt raised his eyebrow.
"Right! Who was it though?"
She sighed. "Vera Rodriguez. She just seemed like such a cool girl."
Kurt laughed. "She is very cool. Now, Mona. Are you just here to talk about old days?"
She shook her head. "I'm here for the job, sir."
He raised his finger. "No sirs or misters. Just Kurt."
"Sorry."
"No worries. Now, what do you like to do in your spare time, Mona?"
She looked across the table. She seemed confused.
"Don't you want to talk about my qualifications?"
"Maybe later."
She nodded.
"I like skiing, but I guess that will be hard here. Oh, and I like going to the cinema as well."
Now that she was relaxing, Kurt was starting to like Mona. She smiled a lot, and he had already glanced at her university papers. She was more than qualified for the job.
"I have a test for you," he said. "Come around the desk."
Mona cautiously rose from her chair and joined him behind the desk. "Where is this going, Kurt? I'm not that kind of secretary."
Kurt laughed. "Oh, shit. No, no, no! Relax."
He opened the vid-con application on his screen and stood up, asking Mona to take his place.
"So I've got the job?" Mona asked jokingly as she sat down and began to spin his chair back and forth.
"We'll know in a few minutes," Kurt said, pressing a call number he knew by heart. "I want you to call this number and keep a conversation going for five minutes."
She looked up at him. "Okaaay? Who am I calling?"
"All part of the test," Kurt said and pressed the call button for her. Quickly, he moved back so he could see the screen but was out of the view of the camera.
Mona sat in front of the screen and waited for someone to pick up the call. When Jennifer appeared on the screen, her jaw dropped, and Kurt had to cover his mouth to prevent himself from laughing.
"It's five in the morning, Kurt! If this is not important, I am going to kill you!"
Then Jennifer noticed that she wasn't looking at Kurt, but at a young dark-haired woman she had never seen before.
"Who the fuck are you?"
Mona quickly closed her mouth and took a few deep breaths.
"Hello. I am Mona Penney. I am Mr. Nielsen's personal assistant."
"Listen, if this is some roleplaying shit that you guys are rocking, cool, but don't get me involved."
It looked like Jennifer was about to hang up, and Kurt checked the time. The call had only lasted 30 seconds. Mona had a lot of work to do. She looked nervously at Kurt, and Jennifer seemed to notice that Mona was silently communicating with someone off screen.
"Are you there, you dumb blond fuck? What the hell is going on?"
Kurt stepped into the frame and smiled at his former instructor.
"Hi there, Jennifer."
"Jennifer?" Mona asked. "This is Jack, isn't it?"
"Not anymore, Sunshine. Kurt, who is this woman? And why the fuck are you calling me this early?"
"She already told you, Jennifer," Kurt laughed. "She's my assistant."
"So I got the job?"
He nodded.
"YES!"
"And," Kurt continued. "I wanted to test her. So I asked her to call you and keep a conversation going for five minutes. She didn't really make it, but you are sometimes hard to talk to."
"It's fucking five in the morning, asshole! Oh great, I woke up Atlas!"
Jennifer picked up her three year old son and held him in front of her camera.
"Look at that man," she said to her son, obviously pointing Kurt out on the screen. "He is the reason mommy drinks."
Kurt laughed.
"Momma," Atlas said, giving his mother a wet, noisy kiss on the cheek. "Wake daddy!"
Next to him, Kurt heard Mona sighing. "Awww, he's so cute!"
"Wake daddy!" Atlas said again, and Jennifer put him back down.
"Good idea, go annoy your father."
Kurt looked at Jennifer through the screen. He knew he was in trouble.
"Let me begin me three-part apology by saying that you look absolutely lovely. Especially for this time of the day. Just fantastic. If Charles hadn't taken you, I would…"
"Shut the fuck up, Kurt. I'm going back to sleep."
"Great," Kurt said. "See you at Christmas?"
"You're not welcome in my house ever again," she replied, disconnecting the call.
"Well," Kurt said, patting Mona on the back. "That went well. Don't worry about not making it to five minutes. That was rather optimistic of me. At least she didn't threaten to kill you."
"No," Mona said. "Just you."
"That's nothing new."
Mona shook her head. "This is the weirdest job interview ever."
"Well, you got the gig, so be happy."
"I am," she said, smiling up at him.
"Great. Because you're coming with me to an auction tomorrow. That'll be a real test."
-X-X-X-
The following morning saw Kurt pacing back and forth in his office. He was completely restless. This was a very important day for him.
Just as he was trying to focus on his last mental preparations for the day, his door opened and Mona stepped in. The secretary outfit from the previous day was gone, and she was wearing an elegant blue dress. Kurt stopped in his tracks and stared at his new assistant.
"Bloody hell," he said.
Mona laughed nervously. "Your message said to wear something nice."
"Yes, but you're looking like we're going to a wedding, Ms. Penney."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Ms. Penney? What happened to keeping things informal?"
Kurt chuckled. "This is a really big day. I have to maintain an illusion of professionality today."
She smiled back at him. "I noticed the suit."
Kurt looked down himself. Not only had he shaved and tried to control his hair, he had also bought a brand new suit for this very occasion. "Oh, this old thing?" he joked, but he could hear the nervousness in his own voice.
Today was auction day. A huge apartment complex on the Presidium was for sale, and Kurt had been working for months, taking advantage of all his connections and calling all his contacts all over the galaxy to find potential buyers. Not many organizations were big enough for an investment of this size. This event was only for the biggest players, the financial hot shots of the Milky Way. And Kurt was in the middle of it. Everything would be decided at an auction. Kurt just hoped that he had managed to find the right buyers. If he hadn't, months of work would be wasted. But if the auction was a success, he would be looking forward to a very generous bonus.
"This is going to be one hell of a first day on the job," he told Mona, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.
She nodded, and he was happy to see a determined look in her eyes. She fully understood the importance of today's auction. Of course she did, he had spent almost two hours discussing this deal with her after he had let her know that she got the job.
"What do you want me to do today, Kur… Um, Mr. Nielsen?"
He sat down on the edge of his desk. "Just follow my lead, take notes of everything that happens, everything everyone says, and make me look like I know what the fuck I'm doing, alright?"
"Everything will be fine," she said reassuringly.
"Aww, you're the best," he replied, took one last deep breath and headed out of the office with his new assistant in tow. This was it.
They had only just arrived at the hall where the auction was to be held, when Kurt noticed an Asian man in a designer suit. The man looked up, saw Kurt entering the room, and headed straight for him. Kurt pulled Mona close and whispered in her ear.
"That man is Ming Xhao Fa, he is the vice-president of…"
"The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China."
"Impressive!"
"Thanks."
"I knew you were good. Now, he will want to complain about the auction method. He's used to holding up numbers and all that stuff. But today we're just asking them to submit their bids electronically. I need you to talk to him. Calm him down. I have a few others I need to talk to before we begin."
"What do I say to him?"
"Just say that you're sorry that we can't change the system. As long as you talk to him and make yourself and him seem like important people having a discussion, he will feel like he is being taken seriously."
"Right," she said and gave him a determined nod before she stepped forward an intercepted Ming Xhao Fa before he could reach Kurt.
"Good morning, sir," Kurt heard her say to the bank official. "I am Mona Penney, Mr. Nielsen's assistant. How can I help you this morning?"
Kurt noticed the banker's eyes dropping to Mona's cleavage for just a second, and he smiled politely before starting his predicted complaint. Kurt hurried away. The auction hall was quickly filling up, and Kurt was starting to relax. It looked like there would be plenty of potential buyers. Hopefully, there would be fierce competition for the top bid.
Hoping that Mona was handling things on the main floor, Kurt took refuge in a side room. Standing by herself in the corner of the room, he saw none other than Aria T'Loak. He was very surprised to see her at the auction. Not only was it a very public event, particularly compared to the secret meeting she had arranged last time she wanted to make a deal with him. But this was not a nightclub they were auctioning away. These were luxury apartments. A huge block of them. Not necessarily something for Aria. It seemed a bit too civilian for her. Kurt had sent her the invitation himself, but he honestly hadn't counted on seeing her at the auction.
"Do you think you can afford a serious bid, T'Loak?" he asked.
Aria gave him her best cold stare. "Careful, human. Don't think, just because you have seen how Jack talks to me, that you can do the same. I have killed for much less."
Kurt grinned and raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright."
"Speaking of… How is the bitch doing?" Aria asked. "She did survive the war, didn't she?"
Kurt nodded. "Yeah. She married Charles Magnus a few years back. Oh, and she's called Jennifer now."
A small smirk grew from the corner of Aria's mouth. "You don't say," she hummed, almost happily, making Kurt feel like maybe he had said too much. "Don't tell me she's been knocked up as well."
"Two kids," Kurt said, holding up the appropriate number of fingers. "Cute little ones as well."
"Oh, that is just perfect," Aria whispered gleefully, now completely unable to hide her smirk. "I bet she hates what she has become."
To Kurt's great surprise, Aria leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. His entire body stiffened. He had not expected this. Not in a million years. When she pulled away quickly, he looked back at her in total confusion.
"Don't get worked up, kid," she said. "I'm not my sister."
"Aria! Leave him alone!" he heard and whirled around to see Adina marching into the room.
Aria smiled at her little sister, then at Kurt, before she took a step back. The younger T'Loak sister stopped between the two of them, and glared at them both. She was angry, but Kurt, who hadn't seen her in close to a decade, could not stop himself from smiling. She looked exactly as he remembered her. He was suddenly very conscious of the fact that he had aged ten years, a much more significant amount for a human. Still, he took pride in the fact that he had managed to keep some of his boyish looks.
"Hi," he stammered. "You look amazing!"
Adina frowned and looked back at her sister. "You don't even like humans!" she accused.
"No," Aria said. "I just got a little excited when I heard that Jack, sorry, Jennifer, has gone all vanilla on me. Also, I wanted to see how this human could make you want to accompany me on this boring business trip."
Adina was about to say something, but was interrupted by Kurt. "You… You came because of me?" he asked.
"No!" Adina stubbornly answered, crossing her arms.
Over Adina's shoulder, he saw Aria silently mouthing the words 'yes, she did', before she slowly backed away.
"Please," Kurt said. "Let me take you out for a drink later."
Adina slowly uncrossed her arms. "Okay, but you're buying."
"I absolutely am," he laughed and took both her blue hands in his. He sighed as he looked into her eyes. The eyes that he had not gotten lost in for 10 years, but never forgotten. "I really did mean what I said. You look very beautiful."
She allowed their fingers to intertwine and leaned her forehead against his. They were now staring straight into each other's eyes.
"You look nice as well," she whispered. "When you're not kissing my sister."
"I didn't really…" he started, but was silenced by Adina's lips on his.
"I know," she moaned softly. "She's just messing with us."
When she deepened the kiss, Kurt felt like he was a teenager again. He was back on Omega with the rest of the Psychotic Biotics, and Adina had just asked him to dance for the first time. He was pulled out of the nostalgia and back to reality when Adina's lips left his again.
"Whoa," Kurt panted. "Did you do that?"
She nodded and licked her lips seductively. "I'm an asari, Kurt."
"That you are."
He had almost forgotten everything about the auction. He was supposed to be one of the organizers. In fact, he definitely should not be kissing with Adina, and certainly not with Aria. If anyone saw him, how were they supposed to believe that the auction would be fair?
"I will catch you after the auction," he promised.
Adina smiled. "You better."
Kurt looked around and gave her another quick kiss before hurrying back to the main floor. Half of the potential buyers had already found seats and directed their attention towards the stage, where images of the apartment complex they were bidding for were being shown on a huge screen. He was glad to see that Mona, whom he had unfairly abandoned, was in full swing, expertly charming guests as she showed them to their assigned seats. He hurried over to her.
"You're doing a bang up job, Ms. Penney," he said quietly, as he stood next to her, watching as the last guests found their seats.
"Thank you, Mr. Nielsen," she said, grinning back at him. "I've met so many fascinating people."
"Glad you're enjoying it."
Mona was about to say something else, but she froze and pointed discreetly across the room. "Is that… Aria T'Loak?"
Kurt followed her outstretched finger and saw Aria and Adina sitting down and turning their heads towards the screen above the stage. "You know what? I think it is!" he said, feigning surprise. "Do you know her?"
"Oh," Mona said excitedly. "This is very fascinating. I wrote my master's thesis on the economy of Omega. I had an entire chapter about her. I even tried to get an interview with her, but that's just impossible."
Kurt nodded in understanding. He felt a bit bad that he had his assistant, an intelligent woman with a master's degree, running around playing hostess and showing people their seats. But then again, it was not his fault that she had applied for at job that she was overqualified for. And she did seem like she had genuinely enjoyed herself.
He patted her softly on the back. "Really good job, Mona. Maybe we can talk to Aria after the auction."
A volus banker, one of the last guests who was still not seated, walked up to them. He waddled around, seemingly confused about where he was supposed to sit. Kurt couldn't remember the name of the volus. Luckily, Mona came to his rescue.
"Would you please follow me, Mr. Qarn," she said and escorted the volus to an empty seat on the front row.
A few minutes later, when the auctioneer stepped onto the stage and welcomed everyone, Kurt and Mona were sitting on the back row, watching the proceedings. Kurt could not stop glancing towards the corner where the T'Loak sisters sat. Aria and Adina were whispering to each other. He saw Adina shaking her head at her older sister and hoped that she was reacting to something that Aria had said about the auction and not about him.
"Beautiful," Mona said.
Kurt nodded, but then looked up and saw that his assistant was looking at the images of the apartments on the screen.
"Yes," he said quickly. "Very beautiful."
The images were then replaced by a number.
000,000,000, Credits
"Commence the bidding!" the auctioneer said from the stage, and the number immediately skyrocketed into the millions and soon hundreds of millions, while the auctioneer kept the room abreast of who had submitted the highest bid.
Kurt heard the name T'Loak a few times, and he wondered if Aria's reputation could get some of the other potential buyers to stay clear in order to avoid confrontation. But it didn't seem like the bankers and investors she was up against were so easily scared.
Eventually, the apartment complex was sold to an asari bank consortium from Illium. Considering the months of hard work that Kurt had put into the event, it was all over very quickly. He looked up at the astronomical figure on the screen and automatically broke into a smile. He had succeeded, and his bonus was more than secure.
The room politely applauded at the end of the auction, and Kurt pulled Mona to her feet.
"Come," he said. "Let's see if Aria T'Loak is a sore loser."
Mona, who knew enough about Aria to say that the answer to that question would most likely be 'yes', didn't move.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked nervously.
"Oh yeah," Kurt laughed, pulling her along the row of chairs.
He found Aria and Adina outside the building, waiting on the stairs. Noticing that he was still holding Mona's hand, he quickly let go.
"You'll get 'em next time," he said to Aria, who was already looking quite unhappy with how the auction had played out.
"Fuck off, Nielsen."
"You know Aria T'Loak!?" Mona gasped, gripping Kurt's arm.
Kurt could not help but notice how Adina's restrained delight with her sisters defeat quickly turned into a much less disguised scowl as she noticed how Mona grabbed his arm. If Adina was jealous and felt threatened by Mona, he would take that as a positive sign.
"This is Aria T'Loak and her beautiful sister Adina," Kurt introduced. "Sisters, this is my assistant, Mona Penney. She's a big fan of yours, Aria."
Mona swatted his arm. "Lovely to meet you both," she said. "I was just explaining to Kurt that I have worked with Omega when I went to university."
Aria nodded. "And what did you learn?" she asked without sounding particularly interested. Aria always managed to gather information without seeming like she was.
Mona thought about her answer for a moment. "There is only one rule: Don't fuck with Aria."
Aria's little smirk was back on her face. "You got the gist of it," she said.
Kurt looked at Adina who was still paying close attention to Mona. "When are you leaving?" he asked.
"Tomorrow morning," Aria answered.
"Great," Kurt said, stepping forward and grabbing Adina's hand. He was already pulling her towards his favorite bar on the Presidium, when he turned around and waved to Mona and Aria. "Have fun you two," he called and turned around a corner with Adina.
He had really thrown Mona into the deep end this time. As if it hadn't been bad enough getting her to call Jennifer, now he was leaving her alone with Aria Bloody T'Loak. Hopefully, she wouldn't get killed. And on the off chance that Aria actually was willing to talk to a human stranger, Mona would be able to get that interview she never had.
"You're evil," Adina said, as they walked through an alley hand in hand. "No one deserves being left with my sister like that."
"Do you feel sorry for, Mona?" he asked.
"No."
"Does she make you jealous?" he asked, giving her hand a small squeeze.
"No," Adina repeated. "She is with my sister, and I am here with you."
"Good point," Kurt acknowledged.
"Besides," Adina said, pushing him up against a wall with her biotics. "Can she do this?"
She then kissed him so hard that Kurt forgot to breathe, and when she finally removed her lips from his, Kurt gasped and quickly sucked in air.
"I've missed you, Adina," he panted, placing his hand on the small of her back and pulling her closer.
She gave him another kiss before dragging him further down the alley.
"Let's just skip that drink," she said. "Where do you live?"
Kurt laughed and guided her left as they exited the alleyway. Soon after, they entered his apartment.
"Mood lighting, Minnie," Kurt ordered, and the VI turned on the lights and immediately dimmed them.
"Shall I play music, sir?"
"Nope," Kurt said as he swept Adina up into his arms and started carrying her towards the bedroom.
Adina giggled and ran her hand through his hair. "Nice place," she said.
Kurt gently laid her down on the bed, where she immediately rolled over, arched her back and looked up at him with demanding eyes.
"Do a good job and I won't get Aria to whack your secretary," she said.
Kurt, who was undoing his tie, grinned at her and kicked off his shoes. "Just get your clothes off, and I'll forget all about her."
"You're the worst," she chuckled and shook her head. Nonetheless, she began undressing in a very seductive manner.
He turned around briefly to hang up his suit, and when he turned back around, Adina was completely naked on top of his mattress, rubbing her long blue legs with her hands. Kurt froze and stared at her.
"Do you think Aria has murdered Ms. Penney yet?" Adina asked, spreading her legs enough to make Kurt swallow nervously.
"Murdered who?" he asked and joined the asari on his bed.
-X-X-X-
Kurt woke up the next morning to find Adina tiptoeing around his bedroom, looking for her clothes.
"Leaving already?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
She nodded and gave him a sad smile. "My ship is leaving in 45 minutes."
He sat up in the bed. "Were you just going to sneak out?"
"I would have said goodbye," she assured him.
Kurt jumped out of the bed and quickly pulled on his underpants and a t-shirt.
"I think we need to talk," he said.
Adina, who had been zipping up her long boots, paused and nodded.
Kurt started.
"I know we talked about this 10 years ago. But the fact that you still make me feel this way must mean something. I think I love you, Adina."
She sighed deeply.
"I know what you want, Kurt."
"I want you to stay," he said, taking her hand. "Or I want to come with you to Omega, I don't care."
She smiled and leaned against him.
"I am really sorry, Kurt," she replied. "But the kind of commitment you seek, it's just not for me."
He hung his head. He had known she would say something like this. Things were exactly as they had been 10 years earlier. It almost felt like she was playing a cruel game with his heart, but Adina had always been honest with him. She had never pretended that their relationship was anything beyond this, but it was still hurtful. In his dreams, he had once again seen himself settling down with her.
"I am sorry," she said. "I am just not ready, not yet."
Kurt kissed the top of her head. "I understand," he said.
Releasing her, he sat down on the edge of his bed and watched her put on the rest of her clothes. When she was finished, she sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, her hand rested on his thigh.
"We will see each other again soon," she said. "It won't be another 10 years, I promise. I know that is a long time for a human."
He nodded quietly.
"I'm sorry for being such a bad girl," she whispered, squeezing his thigh.
He couldn't stop himself from smiling just a little bit.
"Youare a T'Loak," he said.
Suddenly, her lips were at his ear, and she softly bit his lobe. "Some day, I may want the two of us to be exclusive," she whispered. "But until then, you can have other women. That must be a consolation at least?"
He pulled her onto his lap. "Only a small one," he sighed and wrapped his arms around her.
"You can fuck whoever you like," she said, rubbing her shapely ass against him. "Even your assistant. She is very beautiful."
Kurt chuckled and kissed the soft flesh of her neck.
"And what if I'm married the next time you'll want to see me?" he asked.
Moaning softly, she rubbed her ass harder against his crotch. "I'll just have to steal you back," she whispered hoarsely. "You know I could."
"You could make me do almost anything," he admitted, running his hands up and down her body. He was more than a little tempted to pull her clothes off again.
"I have to go now, Kurt," she whispered.
"I know," he sighed.
Slowly, she stood up, turned and looked back at him.
"I'll see you soon, Kurt," she said.
He nodded and got up to walk her to the door.
"I think I have a business trip to Omega coming up, actually," he said, as they walked across his living room.
"Really?" she asked, as he opened the front door for her.
He shrugged. "I'll find some excuse to go."
She smiled brightly and kissed him.
"See you soon then, Kurt Nielsen."
He watched her leave and closed the door after her. He turned around and leaned against the door, until he allowed himself to slide down to the floor. He was in over his head, and he knew it. He had been rejected by women before, often actually. It was a guaranteed consequence of his flirty behavior. But no rejection hurt as much as Adina's.
His omnitool buzzed and a small holographic image of Mona appeared on his wrist.
"Yes?" he said, hoping that his melancholy wasn't too evident in his voice.
"Hi, boss," Mona said.
"Hey."
"Thanks for leaving me alone with Aria T'Loak like that, not scary at all…"
"Sorry, Mona," he said. "Did you have a chat with her?"
"No," his assistance replied. "She seemed very bored. And I'm not sure if she even likes humans."
"She doesn't really like anyone. Don't beat yourself up about it."
"It's probably none of my business, but are you cutting some special deal with the T'Loak sisters? You and Adina disappeared pretty quickly."
Kurt sighed.
"Adina and I have a complicated relationship, but I promise that it has nothing to do with the business," he said.
"I see," Mona answered. "I am on my way to the office now."
Kurt slowly got to his feet. "Great, I'll be a bit late. Just relax. You did a really great job yesterday."
He disconnected the call and stepped into the bathroom. He had to pick himself up, even if he felt more like staying at home. There was still work to do, and he had an obligation to get Mona started in her new job.
About an hour later, he entered his office and found Mona sitting in his chair, spinning back and forth in boredom.
"Sorry for being late," Kurt said, "and sorry for leaving you with Aria yesterday. That was not nice."
She smiled back at him, once again she was in her secretary outfit. "No worries," she said, jumping out of his chair.
"We should get you your own desk," Kurt said, pointing to the empty corner of his rather large office. "How about here?"
Most of the other people, who were employed by the council, had their assistants sitting at a desk outside in front of their offices. But one of Kurt's main reasons for hiring an assistant was to have someone to talk to. So far, he was happy to have picked Mona, but she wouldn't do him any good if she wasn't in the same room.
"That'd be great," Mona said.
Together, they went out to talk to the council procurement manager to see if they could get a desk and a chair for Mona.
"So," Kurt said, as they walked along the hallway. "Did you even try to talk to Aria?"
"Just the normal pleasantries," Mona replied.
"She hates small talk."
"Yeah, I gathered that. She couldn't wait to get away from me, said she had a meeting."
"With who?" Kurt asked curiously.
"Someone called Doctor T'Soni. I don't know who that is. Do you think she is sick?"
"Not that kind of doctor," Kurt informed. "Remind me to tell you all my old war stories. Oh, and we should go and see T'Soni sometime soon as well. I haven't seen her in years."
Author's notes:
I hadn't planned on putting out another one of these one-shots right now. I am very busy. But suddenly this weekend I started writing like a mad man, and this is the result. Hope you like it.
Obviously, this is an account of how Kurt ended up on the Citadel. All these events take place between the end of the war and chapter 50 of Biotic Beginnings. It may be difficult for you readers to put these one-shots into context, which is why I will create a timeline. I will post it as a separate story.
I have a few more of these one-shots planned. Let me know if you like them, or if there are any particular characters you would like to read more about. And please do leave a review. I love them, and it's nice to know that people actually read these one-shots.