Festivities and Conspiracies
A Resistances and Dalliances One Shot
[Author's Note: Written for the latest Mass Effect Creative Circle theme of "parties" on Tumblr - no major spoilers included for Resistances and Dalliances readers still not finished with the story, although reading up to chapter 4 or so will make it more enjoyable!]
"I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish here," Evfra muttered irritably, adjusting the dark tunic Ryder had cornered him into wearing. Originally, she had tried making it a velvet shirt, an incredible, gorgeous midnight blue affair she had found at the Nexus market with clusters of silver pearls sewn along the hems like glittering stars and a dashing cut that she thought would look marvelous on him – but the Resistance leader had put his foot down, refusing to come at all if she forced him to wear it, all the while loudly complaining that he was not in the habit of 'decorating' himself. Her inevitable laughter didn't improve his mood toward the end there, but at least he had deflated, realizing how he sounded.
"We're here to pick up rumors, remember? Now act normal!" Ryder hissed through her smile, which she held firmly at 'friendly' – at least a near enough approximation of it in the dimly lit Kralla's Song at this late hour; the sunlight's last rays were flooding through the windows in violent shades already. The breeze percolating through the thick air carried a strange mix of fresh and fetid scents, but it was easy enough to ignore so long as she remembered to breathe shallowly through nose and mouth; she had spent just enough time on this planet to learn that trick.
"I am," Evfra pointed out sourly, stormy eyes sweeping the room, scarred lip curling vaguely in disgust. His eye twitched as the music switched to a particularly dissonant song; at least it wasn't at an earsplitting volume. "This is a terrible meeting place."
Ryder rolled her eyes. Well, he did have a point, no one who know the moody angaran would expect him to be at ease in this setting. The dark violet hues of the sunset grayed his face somewhat, but his eyes seemed even brighter than usual and she found herself studying them, blushing at that familiar intensity she so craved in him. When his eyes stopped studying the interior of the place and finally fell on her, her pulse quickened; she gave him a tight smile and looked away hastily. There would be time for that later, she had different fish to fry tonight. If she turned this night into a success, she just might end up helping Evfra, and by extension help the Resistance; the two were intertwined in ways Ryder was only just beginning to grasp, even after so much time spent in his company.
"What are we doing here really?" Evfra asked as they drew closer to the bar, again tugging at the tunic uncomfortably; beside him Ryder casually met the eyes of the few patrons standing between them and the bar and smiled politely before shooting her companion a reproachful look as they passed the strangers. He frowned in response to the unspoken admonition, but he stopped twitching before continuing in a low voice. "We are two of the most recognizable people in Heleus, no one is going to talk to us, let alone around us."
"Yeah, you'd have a point there," Ryder nodded.
Evfra frowned as he leaned on the bar with an elbow as soon as they reached it, clearly not expecting that answer. "Explain," he said.
"Two whiskeys, neat, and a good chaser if you have it," Ryder told the asari bartender without preamble. Her previous encounters with the woman indicated she wasn't one for chit-chat, so she settled on a nod in lieu of a greeting.
"Coming right up," Umi said, eyeing the glowering angaran next to Ryder briefly before turning away in disinterest.
"Preferably something that doesn't make humans vomit in pretty colors," Ryder added.
The asari gave her a flat look. "Wouldn't dream of it – that's bad for business." She didn't sound that enthused about having business, but then, she did like her credits.
"So?" Evfra prompted as the bartender stepped away from them.
"We're doing recon, of course," Ryder said to Evfra softly, keeping her eyes on Umi as the asari prepared their drinks. "Someone tipped me off that someone on Kadara has vital information on Firaan."
"Again," Evfra leaned a little closer to give her a pointed look. "We're a little obvious."
Ryder waved a dismissive hand. "You're just saying that because you don't like Kadara."
"Do I need to like it?" he asked back stubbornly.
"Just follow my lead, would you?" she sighed, suppressing a smile. If he only knew how useful this would be, he would shut up then. Unfortunately, telling him wasn't likely to make him understand, he would just go straight back to his endless reports and the realities of their situation until he drove himself to exhaustion.
The sound of tin cups banging on the bar in quick succession drew Ryder's attention back to Umi, who was looking at her expectantly and ignoring another customer trying to get her attention on the other side of the bar.
"Everyone pays up front tonight," the asari said. Ryder nodded and punched in the credit transfer into her omnitool before picking up two of the cups, muttering thanks, but Umi's attention had left her the moment the credits had cleared.
Ryder smiled slightly. "I guess we won't be opening a tab then," she said, shoving the drinks into Evfra's hands, he had the choice of dropping them or taking them, before gesturing for him to follow her.
"You plan on staying long, then?" Evfra sighed, examining the contents of his drinks by giving them each an experimental sniff. His nose wrinkled, but otherwise he gave no indication of whether or not he found the sharp scents pleasing or not.
"This will pan out, just give it time!" Ryder rolled her eyes again, picking up her own drinks.
Evfra gave her a look that said he wasn't buying her explanation, but he didn't complain as she lead him over to a free table near the view. Immediately a very drunk krogan who had been lurking in the corner directly behind it lumbered forward, raising a hand to protest, but a brief glaring match sent him grumbling away. It might have been the sight of the glowering Evfra which had sent the fellow packing in the end, with his lurid scar and scary eyes, but she was pleased with the wary look he had shot Ryder, too, she must have had a little of that menace herself. So much so, in fact, that his eyes had slid right off her and…
Ryder turned, sighing in realization. "Drack, you big old lump, were you just going to stand there silently all night?" she asked, giving the krogan veteran a fond, exasperated smile.
"Hah! I'm only silent now because I'm building to something bigger," Drack grunted, both hands already occupied by several drinks.
"Were you going for completely conspicuous or just suspicious?" Evfra inquired, frowning up at Ryder from the seat he'd taken, his back to the windows so he could keep his eyes on everyone who came and went. It didn't surprise Ryder; even at the Resistance headquarters on Aya his back was to his window when he was working – but at least there he turned around sometimes to contemplate the view.
"Well, Drack does fit in around here a lot more," Ryder shrugged. "He's a regular. People will see him first and dismiss us."
"Angarans won't," Evfra pointed out.
"Alright, look," Ryder raised her hands to suppress his further complaints. "You're going to have to trust me on this, Evfra! Just have your drink, act like we're having a casual night out. If we look like we're having enough fun, people will loosen up around us."
"You realize that our foe is far too crafty to be fooled by this, right?" he asked.
Drack let out a loud sigh. "Please tell me you two won't go on like an old married couple all night," he shot them a baleful look and barreled right through their protests. "I came here to drink!"
"Which is why you need someone to keep you in line," Vetra's voice said suddenly as the turian woman herself stalked over to them. She gave Ryder a wink as she sat down.
Evfra looked at Ryder.
"Well, she's known around here, too!" Ryder tossed up her hands in exasperation. She sat down and set about looking as casual as she could, swirling the whiskey around before downing it. She noticed Evfra wasn't touching his drinks. "Well, drink up!" she poked him gently.
He frowned, but slowly raised the cup to his lips and imitated her. "Interesting," he said unenthusiastically, smacking his lips experimentally.
"Well?" Ryder prodded.
"What?" he asked, frowning.
"How is it?"
"How else would it be, it's alcohol," he admonished, but the look he gave her told her it wasn't entirely serious.
Ryder stared at him for a moment, but she didn't have time to respond as all of a sudden the rest of her squad and crew filed in one by one to Kralla's Song. She glanced hesitantly at Evfra; she supposed the cat was out of the bag, but the Resistance leader was just sitting there, eyes flicking between each new arrival pulling up chairs to crowd around the small table. After what seemed like an eternity his eyes rested on Ryder again and the suffering look on his face made her certain that he understood the situation.
"Sorry…?" she said experimentally, laughing and wincing in apprehension of his reaction.
"You mislead me," he said angrily.
"I told you he hates surprises," Jaal chimed in, smiling at Ryder in greeting and gripping her shoulder as if to offer solidarity.
"Well, did it work?" Cora asked, stepping out from behind Jaal. "Hey, Ryder, Evfra," she nodded respectfully to the angaran.
"It will do you good, you'll see!" Ryder said, crossing her arms defiantly.
Evfra opened his mouth to retort, but then he visibly calmed himself and seemed to let it go. "Very well," he grumbled, but he stood up and went to the window to stare out of it, drink forgotten on the table.
"Let me," Jaal stopped Ryder from getting up. "He is not being fair. I will speak with him, you have nothing to worry about, Ryder."
"Thanks Jaal," Ryder smiled up at him gratefully. Her heart twisted at the thought that perhaps she had made a bad mistake with this plan.
"Ryder!" Liam came over to greet her. "I never heard of this diplomatic technique before, but I like your style," he smiled.
"Anything to get the angara to see us as friends, right?" Ryder asked with a sardonic smile, trying to mute the wryness in her tone at least. She was half serious.
"I'm sure Jaal will help," Cora reassured her, eyes catching Vetra's. "Excuse me for a moment," she said mysteriously, and went over to the turian.
If they only knew how desperately she wanted this to go right, Ryder thought; not just because the Resistance needed a strong, refreshed leader at their head, but because Evfra himself needed to release a little. For an angaran, he could be remarkably repressed that way; just because he showed his emotions didn't mean he faced his stress head on and let it out. The chatter from the crew was starting to get noisy, she noted. Glancing around, she spotted Suvi, Kallo and Peebee at the back of the crowd, chatting about something before Peebee caught her eye and waved at her cheerfully, Ryder raised her own hand to returned the gesture.
Just then, something strange caught her eye: an angaran man was staring at their group from across the bar, dusty violet eyes traveling from face to face as if memorizing them, but he didn't hold a drink in his hands. He noticed Ryder looking and immediately turned around to leave. Hackles rising, Ryder pushed her chair away from the table and muttered to the just arriving Gil that she would be back in a moment, making a quick sprint up the stairs and round the corner, where the door of the bar was just closing. She punched her omnitool to go after him, but as usual, it took an agonizing few seconds for the doors to pull apart; she dashed through immediately but stopped after a short run as she reached the market square and couldn't see any suspicious movement around her in any direction.
"Shit," she cursed, stamping a foot. Who had that been? Roekaar perhaps? Her stomach flipped at the alternatives. She'd run into the xenophobic group here before, though; a number of scenarios ran through her head as she turned around and around on the spot. "SAM? See anything?" she scanned around.
No, Pathfinder. The angaran seems to have vanished, SAM intoned.
"Of course he has," Ryder sighed. Finally, she gave up and headed back to the others. Perhaps she could pick up some clues there.
Rubbing the back of her neck, Ryder wondered suddenly if perhaps it would be a better idea to contact Evfra to come out and take him back to the Tempest; he clearly wasn't having a good time and she might have made things worse by forcing him to de-stress in such a human fashion. She often took hanging out with friends for granted, even in the inter-species friendships she'd developed, somehow Milky Way people just got along more or less the same, but perhaps she had miscalculated when it came to angarans.
That's not true, Ryder corrected herself. She could name several very good examples to the contrary, readying her omnitool to open the doors to Kralla's Song once again, when something white caught her eye. Bending down, Ryder picked it up to examine it and realized it was a token of some sort, smooth to the touch, synthetic. Holding it up to the dim overhead lights, she moved it around, looking for clues and noticed an impression on one side.
A symbol.
"Hello," Ryder murmured. "Did our angaran friend drop you?"
I do not recognize the symbol, SAM said. However, I may be able to glean more details with a scan.
Ryder obliged. "Well?"
It is a compound manufactured out of materials from the Milky Way. However, it is not of standard Initiative make. Likely one of the exiles crafted it for an unknown use already in Andromeda, SAM explained.
"Well that's useful, but I'm not sure how yet," Ryder replied. She pocketed it and went back inside, but the image itched at her. Preoccupied, she almost ran into several people – among them Liam, who seemed well into his second round already by his wide smile – as she returned to her seat, eyes immediately fastening on Evfra's back.
Sitting down, Ryder shot Jaal, still standing next to the Resistance leader, an inquisitive look when the angaran glanced over his shoulder as if sensing her presence. He just shook his head before shrugging. Not a great sign. She sighed, leaning back into her chair and taking the token out of her pocket again. The light was much better in here, even though dusk had fully pulled its blanket of sparkling night across the sky already.
"What's that?" Peebee asked, suddenly popping up from behind Ryder, setting down a drink before the Pathfinder.
"I thought I saw someone suspicious," Ryder explained. "I think they dropped this."
Peebee's expression immediately drained of amusement. "Let me have a look. Do you think we're being followed?"
"I'm not sure," Ryder answered, handing the token over.
"Ahh, and I just found such an interesting person to talk to – never mind," she waved a dismissive hand before Ryder could ask. "I've seen these before, down in Tartarus. I'm not sure what they represent, though."
Ryder stood. "Enough for me," she said.
"Not before you drink that," Peebee pointed to the drink she had brought the human woman. "I'm sure that asari bartender overcharged me!"
"Only if you let her," Ryder shook her head in mock bemusement, but she drank the drink as instructed. A few moments later, she left a satisfied Peebee behind, heading down to the port's underbelly.
A few minutes later, Ryder was stepping off the elevator, heading for the seedy bar which glowed invitingly in the darkness. She could also make out the ragged breathing and occasional coughs or groans from the shadows; she avoided going near that area, not wanting to draw attention, wondering if she was being an idiot for investigating by herself. The truth was though, she thought she had the right of it; for once, Evfra wasn't inextricably meshed into the situation in a new and damaging way. If this turned out to be a legitimate lead – she could scarcely believe her incredible luck for stumbling across it if so – then she would share it anyway.
Suddenly, Ryder noticed something out of the ordinary as she wound her way through the faint dark patches that were puddles she could barely make out. In a relatively bright patch toward the mouth of the cave exit where the border post was to the Badlands, something was glittering. Making her way to it carefully and stepping closer, she crouched down to examine it. It appeared to be a metallic box of some kind.
"SAM?" Ryder asked, scanning it.
It doesn't appear to be dangerous, Ryder. I can detect no hidden traps or explosive materials.
"Alright, then," Ryder muttered, opening the box carefully. "Don't you find it a little coincidental that I'm drawn down here and this seemingly harmless box is just sitting here? I mean, what are the chances?"
The chances of it being a coincidence are quite low, SAM agreed.
The lid opened up all the way to reveal a neatly folded piece of what looked like paper of all things. "Huh, will you look at that," Ryder said, taking it out and unfolding it, surprised to find that it was rather ripped and ragged in reality. "It looks like a piece of something," she turned it on its sides and upside down, trying to make out the strange burgundy and black patterns on it.
I believe I can reconstruct the missing pieces, SAM said. It seems to be a novelty poster manufactured in the Milky Way.
"Alright, our mysterious angaran is definitely into Milky Way people," Ryder laughed, but mostly she felt confused.
Humans to be specific. The materials in the token are of Earth origin, as is this poster.
"Not a Roekaar, then." That also meant it likely wasn't Firaan; but then who was it?
I believe there is a trader in the market place who may sell items such as these, SAM added.
"Take me to your leader," Ryder said wryly, straightening and heading back to the elevator. The journey was short, but it gave her a moment to puzzle over the clues she had so far. It wasn't much to go on, a torn poster in a mysterious box, an Earth token that lead her to the aforementioned box. It was like someone was leading her by the nose – but to what end? She didn't particularly enjoy cat-and-mouse games since Firaan had darkened her proverbial doorstep, too often those games had ended in tragedies in differing magnitudes.
Finally arriving on the upper level, she headed as SAM instructed until she reached a shuttered shop towards the back of the complex where Sloane and her cronies had moved in to dominate the port. Scanning again, she looked for any traps, clues or ways in; anything out of the ordinary. It was more than a little suspicious when in seemingly no time at all she discovered a pad conveniently tucked away behind a drainpipe, as if someone had accidentally dropped it and kicked it aside so it would stick there. Or place it there crookedly to make it look like that's what happened.
Ryder frowned, picking it up after determining it was safe. "Whoever is doing this, they're not being very clever about it."
Perhaps they are amateurs, SAM offered.
"Perhaps," Ryder agreed, reading the contents.
'Watch the Pathfinder and her team. Come meet me above Kralla's Song after you're done. Don't let anyone follow you.'
"Well, you're out of luck, because your spy was a total dimwit," Ryder muttered, pocketing the pad. "I guess we're going up there."
I advise alerting the rest of the crew, SAM said.
"No, don't bother them," Ryder waved a hand, already making her way up. "If they were any danger I think we would have found that out by now. Someone is just really curious about us."
It seems unlikely they would leave such obvious clues for us to follow if their intentions were benign, SAM pointed out.
"I'll take the risk," Ryder answered, taking the stairs two at a time to get up to the meeting place faster. "It's still an incredibly shallow trap to set for me with you in my head, SAM."
Precisely the image they may want to project in order to truly trap you.
Ryder grimaced. "It's bad enough Evfra does that, now you're doing it?"
Apologies, Pathfinder. It was not my intention to question your judgement, I am merely concerned.
"Noted," she nodded. "Now be quiet, I need to focus," she added, creeping forward softly as she spotted the conspirator waiting at the railings. The shape was oddly familiar, broad-shouldered and… angaran, if she wasn't mistaken. "Wait," her eyes narrowed and she picked up the pace, laughter suddenly bubbling in her throat.
The man turned; it was Evfra! Wearing an uncharacteristically open expression as he waited for her to approach, no less. Ryder laughed with delight, suddenly feeling conspiratorial in an entirely different way as she closed the remaining distance between them, and as she reached him without warning he scooped her up into his arms and kissed her. Her surprise melted into warmth as she felt all her worries and anxieties drain away from her, replaced only by the contented desire to continue being right where she was. For once, all she could smell was that special fragrance that was all Evfra's own and she lost herself in it, gazing lovingly into his silver eyes, tracing a delicate finger along his scarred lip when he drew back.
"Our absence will be remarked soon," Evfra murmured, cupping her face in his hands. He kissed her again before she could respond and she felt her toes curl up this time, delighting in his touch, his closeness. When he finally pulled back again she snuggled close to him, unwilling to be apart.
"They can party on without us. And how long have you known the plan?" she demanded, glaring up at him with mock severity, but she couldn't suppress her smile.
"I'm the leader of the Angaran Resistance," Evfra replied seriously, "I hear everything."
Ryder shook her head, laughing. He held her like that for another minute, the pair of them enjoying their solitude and the bliss of the moment. This was the closest she was going to get to moonlit strolls down romantic streets, Ryder mused, but somehow its uniqueness added its own flavor which she could only describe as befitting who they were. There were so many secrets and suspicions perpetually floating around them, it was intrinsic to their lives both apart and together; somehow this cloak and dagger setting met with those expectations, hiding away to steal a few tender moments. All too soon Evfra loosened his embrace, but she didn't mind very much as he took the opportunity to fondly caress her cheek as he sometimes did.
"Come, let us finish what you started," Evfra said, drawing her towards the stairs.
Ryder laughed. "Oh, so you do intend to party?"
"Jaal tells me it's beneficial for my health," Evfra said wryly. "By which I mean he indicated just how unpleasant you might become if I offend you by spurning your 'customs of merriment' as he put it."
"Well, I might have been offended," she replied, chuckling.
The rest of the evening passed exactly as Ryder had hoped – well, almost. Evfra wasn't at all what she expected when she finally managed to get a few drinks into him. There was no singing or slurring of words, but he did seem unusually fond of everyone, which amused her no end; at least, until he had pointed out that she was compulsively hugging everyone in sight, almost including a few strangers before he gently stopped her each time. She collapsed against him a few times, too, reminded sharply, embarrassingly, of how much she had tripped and stumbled before that first night they had spent together, but everyone else seemed to absorbed or drunk to care.
Not long after Ryder had switched to water to sober up a little, Evfra left her side to step over to the windows, a few paces away from anyone else. She had so hoped she could offer him a moment to admire the view again, if only for one night; she joined him, satisfied. With so many around them, they stood a pace apart, but every second so near him made her desire to come closer multiply. She glanced at him surreptitiously and found that he wasn't admiring the view at all anymore, but he was studying her, face tilted slightly towards her. Glancing over her shoulder she made sure no one was looking and shot him a small smile before casting her gaze out. The soft breeze, corrupted as it was by the filaments of stench woven through the fresh mountain air, felt gentle on her skin and she shivered in awareness of herself.
The night stars were magnificent; she felt as if she were bathing in peacefulness, even with the ruckus behind them. Her eyes adjusted a little to the darkness, the light haloing on her periphery only a minor annoyance as she enjoyed the evening canopy. Another glance at the Resistance leader showed her he had finally let himself enjoy the moment and she reveled in a mission accomplished, even if it was a small one compared to what was to come. It was enough, she hoped; a night to forget everything and enjoy the company of friends, to remind him of what he was fighting for – not just the angara in general, but a way of life, free of war and death.
Evfra seemed to sense that her thoughts had turned serious, because he gave her a questioning look, stepping closer. It wasn't close enough to draw comment, though Ryder figured any idiot could see her heart beating in her throat and see the sparks flying between them; she tried to concentrate on throttling her feelings, but it was hard. After so much hardship, misery, doubt and who knew what other dark emotion had plagued them from the very start of their liaison, she couldn't help but want to completely give herself over to enjoying this moment of happiness while it lasted, even though she knew she couldn't. The look in Evfra's eyes told her he felt much the same.
"Time to go?" she asked softly.
Evfra hesitated, then nodded.
"Right," Ryder replied.
The two of them made their goodbyes to the others who were still there; Drack and Vetra, of course, looked as though they were ready for another round, although Ryder noticed fondly that Vetra seemed a little too propped up, even for a turian. Liam, she noted with amusement, was mumbling something indistinguishable against the table in the limbo between consciousness and sleep typical of someone exhausted after working too hard, Cora patting him on the back comfortingly while chatting with Suvi. Jaal was engrossed in an incredibly technical cloud of a conversation with both Kallo and Gil about how the ship worked. She'd long ago lost track of Peebee, though she recalled between two drinks the asari archeologist had found someone fascinating to latch herself onto; well, she'd return to the ship eventually.
They left.
Stepping outside, the pair of them slowly made their way to the lower level. "Now we're ready for Firaan, and the rest," Ryder said quietly, gazing up at the sky as they reached the Tempest'sdocking bay, leaning against the railing to look out on her ship. Their fingers brushed, tingles warm shooting up from her fingertips where they touched as Evfra stepped up beside her for one last look at the view.
"It was a good night," he looked at her, a rare, small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
Ryder laughed delightedly. "Definitely… but it's not quite over yet," she leaned closer to kiss him. "Come to my quarters and I'll show you what I have in mind."
Evfra chuckled softly and followed without a word of protest.