Liara stood at the door of the apartment, tucked back down one of the nigh-infinite number of alleys in the Lower Wards; a dingy, crumbling section, one which had seem far better days even before the Reapers were defeated. The area had taken some heavy damage during Sovereign's attack, and was never really brought back up to snuff before taking it on the chin again after The Pulse.
Still, bathed in it's eternal twilight, with countless nooks and crannies for the less desirable elements of Galactic society to hang their collective hats, one almost had to wonder if the Keepers had some odd, intuitive understanding of the collective subconscious of most sentient life: that by intentionally creating ill-kept "dark areas" for the more criminally minded to congregate, it created an important societal pressure valve, maintaining the nicer areas as a byproduct, thus serving much the same function that Omega did.
She had come armed, of course, and had enough experience with assuming a "It would be best for us both if you simply chose not to fuck with me on this otherwise pleasant day" aura and bearing to give second thoughts to anyone who might think of accosting her.
The door chime appeared to be malfunctioning, leaving her no choice by to knock. The door was heavy solid steel, at least an inch thick, and the pounding she had to give it with her fist left her wincing. After a minute or two, it slid open; Aethyta stood, dressed in civilian Commando-style combat leathers, a curious mixture of delight and dread splashed upon her face.
"Li-Little Wing! Kid...what the hell are you doing...I mean...it's great to see you but...you could have called first. I mean...um...hi!"
Aethyta appeared torn, uncertain what to do next. Half of her body trying to bridge the few inches between them, to wrap her in a smothering embrace. The other half trying to spread out as much as possible within the doorway to keep Liara from being able to see inside.
Liara looked up at her Father, and smiled tenderly, in an almost childlike fashion. She had never known the woman that had been the "randomizing template" her Mother had chosen for the last daughter she would ever bear. She had never known what a family with two parents would be like. And yet...deep inside, she could feel an almost magnetic yearning, an instinctive recognition..
A need to establish a connection that had been denied to her, for over the past century.
"I...thought that I might surprise you. We hadn't had much of a chance to speak, not since..that is, not since we first met. I'm sorry I haven't contacted you sooner"
Aethyta softened further, reaching out, to rest a hand on her daughter's shoulder, weathered smile of affection quietly beaming out.
"Oh...kid."
Suddenly the head of another Asari was peering over Aethyta's imposing frame, just over the shoulder.
"Hey!"
It disappeared, only to appear again. The Asari in question was a bit shorter than average, prompting her to jump repeatedly to get the best view past the Matriarch's shoulder.
"Hey! Is that her!?"
Aethyta snorted with soft disgust, shaking her head, the smile suddenly melting into a pall of embarrassment. She closed her eyes and rested her palm on her forehead.
"Cosira.", she sighed.
She jumped up again, "Hi! Hi! You must be Liara!"
"Cosira..."
And again, "Hi! I've always wanted to meet you!"
"Cosira!"
"What?!"
"Just...just go back inside, alright? Athame's Tits, you're a damn handful sometimes!"
Liara rose up slightly on her toes, getting a better look of the other Asari behind her Father. She was clearly a Maiden, possibly not much older than she herself, dressed in combat leathers very much like Aethyta's. There was also an odd familial resemblance, the most striking of which was the near identical pattern of facial freckles that they both possessed, and similar sets of wide, expressive eyes.
The biggest difference was in their height. Cosira was perhaps about four foot, eleven inches, a stature that was rare amongst the tall, lean members of the Asari race. Either she was younger than Liara had initially expected, or was simply subject to the odder whims of the great genetic roulette wheel.
Slowly lowering back onto her heels, Liara turned her head to one side, regarding her Father with a sideways glance and a neutral pursing of her lips; a look of quiet, imperious observation, which if translated into words would say "I'm not in the habit of saying 'fuck' an awful lot, but if you don't fucking explain yourself, you're going to be in a lot of fucking trouble."
Aethyta could help but give a hearty laugh, shaking her head and reaching out to tenderly run her fingers over the top of Liara's ridges; it was the closest Asari approximation to ruffling a Human's hair.
"Damn", she whispered. "Look at you, kid. Just look at you...I bet you have no idea how much you look like her, right this instant. Nezzie, I mean."
The imposing Matriarch turned to the side, holding out an arm, inviting Liara to come inside. She then reached over, as her daughter passed by, to wrap a nervous, tentative arm around her shoulders.
Liara froze for a moment, eyes widening, uncertain of how to respond. Logically, she understood barely knew this woman, this Matriarch who had hid in the shadows for so many years now, keeping an eye on her, assessing whether she had become too much of a "loose cannon" that needed to be brought to heel, possibly with extreme prejudice.
Emotionally, however...
...emotionally, she looked up...and in her minds eye, a scene of a past-that-never-was flashed through in an instant.
An eight year old Liara holds up a short, stubby arm, a white blossom clenched in her small fingers. The two of them in a sprawling meadow in one of the more temperate regions of Armali.
She smiles wide, speaking in a tiny, sing-song voice.
"Look Daddy. I brought you a flower!"
Liara looked up; an intuitive understanding passed between them, rebounding back and forth, a silent, gossamer thread of connection making it's presence known, if just for the briefest of moments .
Then she smiled, despite herself, leaning in just a little.
She could feel the sigh of contentment that Aethyta did her best to try and hide.
The apartment itself, while hardly the lap of luxury, was in good condition compared to the outside. Granted, most of that was due to its sparseness, a complete lack of decorative ornamentation. The walls and the floors, mostly gunmetal grey slabs, were kept clean, but beyond that, everything inside only existed to provide function. Charts on the walls, utility tables tucked in the corners, shelves filled with various weapon and electronic parts. Cots for sleeping, some sort of camping stove for providing meals. This was more of a bolthole, less of an abode.
Liara realized in retrospect that she shouldn't have been terribly surprised. She had been aware that Aethyta had been watching her for a while. She, in turn, had taken time to try and discover more about her Father, and was already aware of the fact that while not an official Commando, the Matriarch was clearly some sort of free agent or mercenary.
She blinked in surprise, as the other Asari, the one her Father had called Cosira, was only an inch or two away from her now, her face contorted in an almost painful rictus of childlike glee. Liara hadn't even noticed Cosira coming up until it was too late.
"Hi! O-M-G. I can't believe we finally get to meet you! Drishni..." and at this, she attempted to gently kick Aethyta in the shin. "...I've been at her forever to let us meet. And she always says no."
"Hey! That's...not entirely true. I said 'No...not right now.' Shit, the kid only just found out that I'm her Father, this is...kind of a delicate matter."
Liara interjected, "Actually, that's not entirely true. I've known for a little over a year now. Once I became aware that you had been assigned to keep tabs on me..."
Aethyta seemed crestfallen, almost as if stung, "Damn kid...you...you knew all this time? How come you didn't say anything?"
Liara suddenly felt extremely foolish, blanching, "I-I...there were tactical reasons, at the time. And..it seemed better that way...to leave the situation as it was. Especially when I wasn't sure if I would live through this war. I..."
She sighed heavily...had been so foolish.
"...made a mistake in judgement. I am hoping that perhaps, we can make up for lost time now."
Cosira was still there, still radiating high-strung excitement and glancing up expectantly at her...
"...Drishni?", Liara suddenly made the connection. "Does that mean...?"
"Thaaaat's riiiiight!" Cosira said in a sing-song voice, reaching out to hold Liara's hands in hers, "We're cousins! And not just that, but we're your AWESOME cousins. Not like your other ones, the ones who...well...who aren't."
Aethyta grumbled, shaking her head and loosening her grip around Liara, "Yeah...yeah this is Cosira. And over in the other room there, where you can barely see...that's her sister, Pallana.
Liara had completely failed to notice the stony faced and silent Asari crouched over a workbench, putting together the many pieces of what was obviously a Disciple-class shotgun. Pallana looked up, half-grunted-half-waved, and immediately went back to her work. Taller, with a bearing that suggested that she was the older of the pair.
"And yes, these are, ah, my sister's kids. My idiot sister. Trella."
Neither of Liara's cousins made any motion, or sound, or gesture to try and dissuade her from that harsh pronouncement.
"So! That guy!" Cosira then fell silent, as if expecting Liara to intuitively understand the rest.
"Yes...that...guy?"
"You know! The one you were going to flay alive with your mind? So did you?!"
Liara blanched for a moment, before answering.
"Ah. No. That was...it was..."
"You wanna!? Sometime? I mean, not THAT guy, but, well, there's this other guy, this one that we are going after, when they finally get the Relays working, and I thought maybe you might wanna come with us, and you could do that. To him. And I could watch. It would be neat!"
Liara gave her Father a look...while not absolutely horrified, it was clear she understood why Aethyta might have wanted to prepare her before the first meeting with her cousins.
Perhaps foregoing the meeting altogether.
Still, Cosira seemed...lively, and friendly, despite her unnervingly psychopathic demeanor.
"She's not as crazy as she comes off, Liara. She just really enjoys the job. Don't let her spook you.", Pallana said in a reassuring manner, "And she really HAS wanted to meet you...and I have as well. Not just because the thought of being related to old noble blood excites the crap out of her."
"Hey!" Cosira called out with passionate anger. "Don't make me sound crazy! Liara is awesome all on her own. And we're gonna be kick-ass cousins together!" She then reached over and hugged Liara tight, resting her head against Liara's chest. To her credit, Liara just smiled, as good-naturedly as she could, returning the embrace.
She had spent so much of her childhood living in isolation, cut off from much interaction with any immediate or even extended family due to her pureblood status. Even exceedingly odd and potentially criminal family seemed like a sudden and wonderful blessing.
Sort of...
"It's...it's lovely to meet you. I'm sure we'll have a lot of time to catch up, get to know each other, but..."
She glanced up at Aethyta, holding up the metal basket she had been carrying along in one hand the entire time. "I thought perhaps...a picnic? In the park?"
Aethyta winced, looking over at the other two Asari, "Ah...well...you know kid, we're kind of in the middle of this...delicate...thing." She kept glancing over towards Cosira, and it was clear she wasn't sure how to get out of the apartment without having her tag along.
Fortunately, Pallana provided the solution.
"Hey munchkin, I'm just about to test that new white phosphorus mod I've been building and...you wanna help?""
"OHBOYOHBOYOHBOY!DOI?YES!YESIDO!" she bounced over to her sister as aunt and cousin - who were now beating a hasty retreat out the door - became completely forgotten.
The pair had settled down at one of the larger artificial parks on the Presidium, sitting on a blanket that Liara had brought for the purpose. It was almost possible to forget about any of the damage that had wracked the Citadel two months earlier. However, scattered to and fro, various groups, mostly composed of Keepers - with a mix of other individuals eager to help with the rebuilding - were planting new flowers and trees.
Liara had brought a small assortment of various Asari delicacies, many of which had been difficult and expensive to obtain with trade all but impossible at the moment. Thessia was still at least five years away by Mass Effect drive alone; assuming of course, one could keep going flat out day by day while figuring out how to deal with things like food, water, and drive charge buildup in the vast emptiness of interstellar space.
It made her appreciate just how dependent the Galaxy had become on Reaper technology. It had been an elegant, insidious trap.
"And Elasa too...ah. Goddess kid, I sure hope you aren't wasting your last bottle on me. Who knows when we might see this kind of stuff again? Maybe never."
Reaching into one of the opened tins, and popping a small, salty fish into her mouth - one much like a Human sardine - Liara replied "What good is food and drink if you don't eat or drink it...Dad?"
"Yeah uh...just meant that you ought to have saved it for a special occasion, is all."
"This is a special occasion. I'm having a picnic. With my Father. For the very first time...in either of our lives."
Aethyta covered up swallowing a lump forming in her throat by choking down some rich pate she had spread on a large, cracker-like piece of flatbread, followed by a long pull from her bottle of water.
"S-so how are you, Liara? I mean...really?"
Liara smiled mysteriously at this, "Are you asking me if I'm still hopelessly pining over a certain Human female?"
Aethyta made a harsh noise in the back of her throat "Guessed that I knew, huh? Well, you're right. I made sure to keep a close eye on that one. Especially given how much you seemed to be absolutely swooning over her. Never realized her tastes ran in that direction though...hell, if I had, maybe *I* would have made a play..."
Liara grimaced, the wound inside pulsing, just a bit. But...perhaps not as badly as it had, that day almost two months ago.
Still, Aethyta took note, and looked rather sheepish, "Sorry, Little Wing. Sometimes...things just aren't meant to be. But I know that doesn't make it any easier. And it probably doesn't make it any easier to hear that your old Dad has been there. Oh Goddess, when I was a young Maiden, absolutely convinced that such-and-such a person was my be-all, end-all destiny. But...life just isn't like this. You think you've found "The One"...then you eventually realize there are plenty of "The Ones", out there. Big Galaxy, and all...
"I...certainly, a few weeks ago, I would not have been ready to hear that. Part of me still doesn't want to believe. But it gets a little bit better...every passing day. It helps that there is no end of things to attend to, stay busy with. Javik...er, I mean Taevar, and I, for instance, are making remarkable headway on our book. Which I hope people will find enlightening, when the notion of reading books starts to become worthwhile again."
"Don't you worry. We're not dead. Not by a long shot. The Galaxy may be fucked right now, but you have to look at the long game. This is going to be a drop in the bucket for you, and before you know it, this'll just be another brief chapter in your life. I mean look at you, you're still so young...and...I'm blubbering now, aren't I?"
Liara laughed lightly, "It's alright. I appreciate it. As for...for Aurora..."
She still couldn't bring herself to say the diminutive of her name...
"I suppose I should be happy for her. Without her intervention, neither of us would have begun talking to the other. And now, we have moments like this to share. As long as I can remember that...remember what she went through to save the Galaxy, what she suffered until that ultimate moment of triumph, it makes it easier...keeps me from wanting to..."
She pauses for a moment, dropping her head, almost whispering it out.
"...hate her."
Liara was nearly startled when Aethyta leaned in, embracing her warmly.
"Not worth the time, Little Wing. Or the tears."
She hadn't even realized she had been holding her breath, let it out as she leaned into the hug.
"I know. I keep telling myself that. There's...there's someone actually, that I find rather...intriguing. I was hoping to have had dinner with her before now, but the Systems Alliance recalled her, and they've been keeping her busy with the rebuilding efforts."
"Oh Goddess. Another Human? I don't know what it is, this strange Human fetish so many Asari seem to have."
Aethyta smirked, touching her forehead to her daughter's for a moment, before letting Liara out of her embrace. She the chuckled as she noted the blush of embarrassment.
"Nothing wrong with it, of course. There was a whole century I only got involved with Turians. Had a thing for scales, when I was in my four-hundreds..."
Liara answered, "The hair...of course. And her skin coloration is different from many other Humans I've met. But it's more than that of course, I think we...we seem to have a lot in common. I don't know, Dad, I'm sure...it could be nothing, at the same time."
"Well...is she interested as well? I mean, shit kid, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't want you making the same mistake all over again."
Liara frowned lightly, but nodded all the same. "I...think so. I mean...I've definitely gotten more of a sense of mutual interest, more than I ever did with Shepard. I'd like to think that I'm not nearly as naive with this sort of thing as I had been a few years ago."
"Ah...and you're probably scared about some sort of rebound weirdness?"
"Yes. Something like that."
"Well good for you. But...don't get too wrapped up in it either way, okay? Don't feel like this NEEDS to go anywhere. Give it a shot, and if it works, great...if it doesn't, maybe you'll find out that at the very least, she's a good lay, and then you'll have someone in port to hook up with every now and then..."
"Dad!"
Liara frowned again at her, prompting Aethyta to laugh kindly. She wasn't ready to tell her Father that she had yet to have a full sexual meld with another individual; she had been so stung by Shepard's rejection and then so hopeful that she could somehow catch Aurora's fancy over the past few years that she hadn't even considered making herself available to anyone else.
"Just saying kid, you've been living for that Shepard woman since you met her. Just make sure to start living for yourself. At least for a while."
Liara blinked, started for a moment at the words.
"Yes...I suppose...suppose that I have. Living for Rory, that is, more than myself."
She realized she was suddenly able to say the name again.
"But...anyhow. It will probably be a few more weeks, maybe months, until that chance comes. Probably for the best. Anyhow, enough about me, what have you been up to?"
"Oh...well...you know, Cosira more or less spilled the beans. There's this asshole Batarian...war profiteer I guess... who's pissed off the wrong group, a bunch of civic-minded Turians. We picked up the contract, and the shit hit the fan before we could get out of the system. But you know, a job is a job...and I'll be damned if I let a few extra months or years - or however it long it takes to get the damn Relays fixed - derail it. Bastard's getting his bullet sooner or later. Just...trail's getting damn cold, longer we're stuck here."
"I...I could help. Communications bandwidth is still limited right now, but I'm regrouping certain assets under my control. We could...we could team up, perhaps, over the long term..."
Aethyta gave her daughter a long, hard look, prompting Liara to nearly fidget, before she finally responded.
"You seem so surprised. You knew I was an information broker..."
"Sorry, kid. It's just...I guess you'll always be my little girl. I liked it better when you were content to simply dig in the dirt and write papers on the past. Now you dig up dirt on people. And ah...what I do...it's just not life for you...it's not the kind of life I want you to have."
Liara canted her head slightly, "And yet my cousins..."
Aethyta cut her off "Cosira and Pallana are different. I mean...hell, you've SEEN Cosira. She was born to this kind of work. The only reason she's not working for Eclipse is because she freaked the recruiter the last time she was on Omega. She's just not...I mean, don't get me wrong, if you've not done anything to deserve it, she'd never be anything but sweet as kavala fruit to you. But Goddess, if you're someone living in the shadows, and she's going after you...um...anyhow, Cosira just isn't someone who'll ever have a nice, comfortable job, or a stable, secure life. She might easily be dead before she turns five hundred, but she'll never regret it.
"And Pallana?"
"Oh...Pally's a genius when it comes to guns and mods, got a real obsession for doing her own field testing too; she'll deny it if you ask her about it, but she's joined at the hip to her kid sister, always looking out for her. As long as Cosira is pushing air past her teeth, Pallana will be by her side. Otherwise, she'd probably be working for one of the big weapons firms on Illium."
Liara smiled bemusedly, as she took another bite of food.
"What? Why you smiling like that?"
She swallowed and answered, "Just...I'm amused. I'm a good way, mind you...by my terribly improper side of the family. I was just wondering what my Mother would think, if she could see us now."
Aethyta fell back for a moment on the grass, "Oh shit, I can tell you exactly what she'd be saying; or rather, what she'd be doing, which is going full biotic on my ass for letting you anywhere NEAR your cousins."
She rose back up, "My life, and what it was about...wasn't something she wanted for you. She had a good point too...but you're...heh, I guess you're where she and I meet in the middle, in all the best ways."
Liara blushed. A comfortable silence fell between the pair, and they ate quietly for a good few minutes, before Aethyta spoke again.
"Gotta try and find some decent work for those two in the meantime. Getting so it's damn close to them having to strip at the bars, or worse. I mean, hell, can you imagine Cosira doing that...actually, strike that, yes, you can, but you know she'd kill the first customer who slapped her on the ass. I mean, she likes that sometimes, but that girl has mood swings like crazy..."
"Is the job situation really that bad right now?"
"You tell me, kiddo...you're the information broker."
With the lack of galactic trade and transit, combined with the large number of stranded individuals currently inhabiting the Sol System and other nearby stars, a rough and temporary command economy had been hastily assembled; as a result, all but the most menial of jobs were still hard to come by.
Liara sighed through her nose, "Alright, foolish question."
She then looked up, "Well then...why not come live with me? For a while at any rate, until the situation improves."
Aethyta looked terribly torn. She bit down on her bottom lip, "Do you really...really want that? I mean, you've seen how Cosira is, at the very least. And...damnit! I don't want to be a burden on you."
"It's hardly a burden. Barla Von himself extended a generous line of credit applied against my considerable holdings on Thessia. It's more than enough for all of us to live comfortably, although not extravagantly, for the foreseeable future.
Aethyta continued to work her jaw, clearly torn. She downed the rest of her drink and cleared her throat.
"Well fuck. Alright, Little Wing. But only as long as it takes me to get the girls on their feet. Not a day longer!"
Liara reached over, threading her fingers in her Father's, and squeezed, giving her a bright smile.
"Of course."
Aethyta smiled back, despite herself, looking up, and then back. "Fine. Well, lets go get the girls, and let them know. Maybe on the way back, you can tell me more about this new Human who's going to be the next great love of your life..."
"Dad..." Liara swatted gently at Aethyta.
"Fine! Fine...or just the next great roll in the sack."
"Dad!"
"At least tell me her name."
"It's...It's Samantha."
"Oh. Well...sounds pretty enough. Got a picture you can show me?"
Liara reached over to her omni-tool, punching a few buttons, "As a matter of fact..."
A holographic image of Traynor formed in the air before her. It had been the better part of a month before Liara had let herself look at it, let alone even think of Samantha in that way. The neat, shoulder length mane of raven locks; blemish-free, coffee colored skin. Wide, doe-like eyes...
She had to admit, she felt the slightest flutter in her stomach, looking her image over.
It was pure, clean. A simple, giddy moment filled with such potential.
She couldn't wait for Samantha to return...if just to see where things went next.
A/N: Dang it, I keep meaning to get to that date, but interesting bits keep happening on the way there...life, especially work, has been kind of crazy and cutting into my writing time. But I'm hoping to get the next chapter out in another week or two...hopefully that long awaited first date!