A short chapter, but a chapter nonetheless! I'll try to update with again with a more fulfilling chapter by Monday! We're in the territory of the exposition here, ladies and gentlemen. It might take another chapter or two for us to really get into the action of what happened. After all, everyone still needs to wake up! ;)
"Shepard!"
Liara pushed against the ropes for what felt like the umpteenth time and turned away from her battered lover to glare at her father. Aethyta took the hint and hurried to untie her. She tried not to think about the fact that at some point she'd have to explain just how exactly Liara wound up tied to a freaking chair in the middle of the night.
As she unlooped the final knot, she was reminded of the pink tentacles that (with a great amount of dexterity) manipulated the rope before her. Aethyta was grateful when Liara immediately ran to her lover rather than asking about her undoubtedly queasy expression.
"I need to, uh, take a dump or something." Aethyta "excused" herself and tried to appear normal as she power walked to the nearest restroom, holding a hand over her lips.
Both Shepard's and Liara's gazes followed the older asari out of the room.
"What could have gotten into her, I wonder?" Liara, who after carefully hugging the injured Shepard had taken up a standing position next to her, wrinkled her brow. "She usually has an iron stomach."
Shepard shiftily glanced around the room.
"Well... If I remember correctly, which I may not with all the bangs to my head last night, you guys got into some pretty crazy stuff last night." Shepard hobbled over to the sofa. Liara followed dutifully. "I mean, look at this place! My living room is trashed! Cleaning this up is going to be such a clusterfuck."
"A clusterwhat?" the Shadow Broker's eyes glazed over. "I'm afraid my translator must have glitched." She shook her head. "Human expression? No, never mind that! What on earth happened to you?"
"'What on earth' is a human expression, Liara."
Liara scoffed.
"So I pick up some of your idioms more than I realize. Not the point, Shepard. Now why won't you just tell me why you look like you've just been digested by a Reaper?"
"You know, you always ask me about human expressions and learning more English, so it's important that you-"
"Jane." Liara didn't miss the fear in Shepard's eyes at the use of her first name.
"Liara?"
"Are you trying to change the subject?"
"No! No, of course not! I just, er," the Spectre scratched the back of her neck with her uninjured arm. "I, uh, wanted to point out to you that... um..." Shepard faulted under the singular brow raised upon her lover's face.
"WHAT THE FUCK?"
As Liara's attention turned to the source of the profanity (Jack had woken up), Shepard exhaled.
God forbid I have to explain to her what happened last night by myself... And I wasn't even here for the whole thing!
While Shepard was effectively saved by the bell, there were others who were less fortunate.
For all her perfection, Miranda Lawson was undoubtedly, painfully, and embarrassingly hungover. Noticing a kink in her hip (probably from laying on her side all night), she figured that wherever she was, now was the best time to find out. She opened her eyes.
Half expecting to see some kind of jail cell, she wiped the metaphorical sweat from her brow when she realized she was in Shepard's kitchen. She could barely make out Shepard and Liara talking in the living room and she heard the gravelly voice of Matriarch Aethyta talking to someone (probably herself) in the bathroom.
Not wanting to face her headache, Miranda closed her eyes again and tried to bring her arm up to cover her face from the light of the apartment.
Tried... I shouldn't have to...
"Wait..." Miranda's eyes opened wide, all remnants of a hangover suddenly transparent. She took a deep breath before looking down.
Okay, I'm dressed. I'm wearing... Well, I'm not sure. But it's alright because I'm dressed. I didn't have sex on Shepard's table. Okay. Okay, everything is going to be—
"Oh. My. God."
There was an arm. There was a naked, tattooed arm gripping the tie of her... suit?
Miranda's eyes refused to blink. Her limbs refused to cooperate. Her entire nervous system froze. A rustling occurred against her backside. And then...
Jack swears a lot louder when she wakes up next to you naked... Should I be insulted?