Authors Note: Hi guys, sorry about the long wait between this and the last chapter, I was stressed with a backlog of university work that needed to be done. I've made this one a tad longer than usual to make up for it. I also need to take this note to quickly answer a few questions that have been asked. Addressing Kapleon; I chose Earth because the school is primarily an Alliance Military run school that has strong ties with both the Citadel and other major planets, hence because Alliance primarily means Earth, that's where it's set. Your second question regarding the Protheans, you'll have to wait and see as I've not quite yet decided. Addressing Dingo; I made the substance green because I like that colour, I failed chemistry so I can't tell you exactly what they mixed together. Also I want to thank Hopelessly Blue for reading every single one of my chapters up to this point and commenting on them, you're so wonderful. Thank you to everyone else of course too :) Now back to the story!
As it turned out, Liara attending her advanced training session and not taking her eyes off Shepard didn't mean much at all. It had been two and a half weeks since the Miranda incident, and since Noah had been given a pass into the combat course. She hardly got to see the Asari outside of the one class they shared together, after Science she just seemed to disappear in a blue haze, and during lunch she merely glanced across the lunchroom before returning her gaze to either Tali or the same boy that always seemed to pine for her attention.
Shepard hadn't made much progress elsewhere either, the cheerleaders seemed to hate her more and more every day, she was frequently shoved in the hallways and had been given more detentions than she could count for retaliating at the offenders. It did however surprise her to find, several days after properly meeting them in the library, Ashley and Samantha gathered at the usual lunch table. Apparently they had been invited to become part of the group; much to Jack's displeasure, who glared daggers at Traynor every time the girl made a move anywhere towards Shepard. They were also frequented by Jeff, or Joker has he preferred to be called, before he disappeared back to do whatever it was he was doing - the excuse changed far too often to keep up.
She sighed as she curled up on the chair in her room, spinning around on it casually, her window had been tinted to stop the mid morning sun coming through, and to stop anybody seeing the state she was in. She really ought to get her hands on some actually nightwear instead of strutting around in boxers and old ratty tank tops, she thought as she picked at the waistband of the slowly decaying pants.
"Shep! You in there?" an all too pervasive and familiar voice called from the door, tapping it with their knuckles.
"It's the only Saturday morning Wasea will grant us off all year," Noah returned, hanging from her chair, "Can't a girl sleep in?"
The lock on the door flicked from red, to orange and then to green within a matter of seconds. Shepard groaned as it swished open and Kasumi walked in, dressed up in silver and blue gear, a similarly coloured scarf wrapped around her neck. "What's the getup for?" Noah questioned, casually pawing at the scarf ends.
"It's what I came to wake you up for," she turned around on the spot, showing off the back of the jacket which read 'The Normandy Academy' and had the letters KG on it, "Sport carnival. Happens twice a year. Goes all weekend. I seriously don't understand how you don't find out these things."
"Sport...carnival?" Shepard raised an eyebrow, remembering the carnivals that happened back at her old New York, they never had to dress up, and they usually only occurred once a year, for half a day, "And why does it look like your excited about said carnival?"
Kasumi laughed, sitting herself on Noah's bed and wrapped herself up in the largest, warmest blanket, "First Football and Ice Hockey games of the season Sheppy. And everyone's parents seem to find the time and money to come visit their kids for the weekend. But the fun thing is the amount of free crap they give out every year. As far as I remember, some guys from Texas was bringing up a candy bacon food stall, free candy bacon Shep!"
Of course that had always been destined to work, the fact she'd get free bacon of any kind meant Shepard would do just about anything. Kasumi kicked the chair a little to gain her attention, "Stop drooling, I haven't even got to the best part," she grinned, leaning forward, "Tonight there's this stupid fireworks event. The majority of the people attend with their parents or partners."
"And what's this got to do with me?" Shepard curled herself up on the chair more, eyeing the master thief, "Unless of course you're asking me out on a date Sumi. Because if that's what you're doing, I have a confession, I've been in love with you from day-"
A pillow rammed itself in the side of her face, cutting off her ability to finish the sentence, Kasumi shaking her head with a laugh, "You flatter me Shep, but I was thinking more along the lines of a certain blue girl."
Kasumi would swear upon any omnipotent being, that she witnessed physical gears turning over in Shepard's head as realization finally dawned on her. She would also swear that she had never seen someone go from confusion to pure joy and then straight to a frustrated scowl, as fast as she had just witnessed, "Ok you went from looking like a stupid dope to being the happiest I've seen you in three weeks, to looking like the wrong side of a Krogan. What's wrong?"
Shepard growled in aggravation, gripping the edges of her seat, "You had me excited for a second there Kasumi, you know, until I remembered that a 'certain blue girl' and I aren't actually friends. And unless I can pull off some major charm, I can't see her wanting to say yes to attending anything with me, especially some sappy firework carnival."
"Well...how about we just get you dressed and head down to the fields anyway? It's ten, and the football game starts at eleven. That fourth year Jacob Taylor is playing and if you make me miss that I will never forgive you," Kasumi pouted, attempting to pull a cute face beneath the mystery of the ever prevailing hood.
It took all of thirty seconds for Shepard to give into it, but not before flipping her off and throwing the pillow back at her with a loud thump. She grabbed her jeans and slipped them over her boxers and switched the tank top out for a pullover light fitting blue and white hoodie, figuring if she were going to attend the stupid game, she may as well attend in the colours of the school. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kasumi smile at her choice before the thief reached for the usual leather jacket and pinned a small "Normandy Heroes" badge to it.
"Having fun there? Defiling my poor baby jacket?" Shepard asked as she grabbed it, slipping it on and fiddling with the newly donned badge.
"You still look so out of place, put on your white high-tops and the scarf," Kasumi replied as she wrapped the fabric lazily around Noah's neck, dragging her out the door while the girl was mid slipping an already tied shoe on, forcing her to hop crazily beside her, fingers trying to pry the shoe on before she ended up flat on her face.
A laugh sounded, Ashley and Gabby Daniels, another roommate Noah had hardly gotten to speak with yet, fell into the line next to them. Williams cracked a smirk at the master thief, "Can't believe you actually managed to dress her up in the colours, I thought for sure she'd go in the red, white and black gear. The school would've had a fit." Gabby nodded in agreement.
"Why?" Noah asked, tugging at the scarf to make it look daggy but reasonably smart all the same, "Why would the school have a fit I mean, not why you think I wouldn't dress up. I mean have some faith Williams."
"Because, red and black are the colours of the opposing team today. We're taking on the Omega Crusaders."
"They're not actually from Omega," chimed Kasumi as she pushed through the crowd in the foyer, "They just like to think they're tough. Most of their team come from either the Citadel or Palaven. Group of meathead Turian and Krogan would probably best describe them. Our team has the odds with them today to say the least."
A laughed passed through the group as they had headed out bustling with students foyer and made their way across the courtyard toward the largest field on the campus, huge grandstands had been set up overnight to accommodate for all the extra guests. Shepard noticed the astonishingly scary amount of parents who attend this ridiculous function. And then she noticed, among everyone else who was bustling past them, a lone and all too familiar reporter and her camera droid, attempting to hound passing students for interviews.
"What a disgrace to journalists everywhere," Shepard said, nodding toward the reporter, "I know her, al-Jilani or something, she's the one who harassed Anderson about him getting the job here."
"I remember that report," Gabby finally spoke, her accent as think and wonderful as Shepard remembered it being when they first spoke a week ago, "The Alliance slammed it for being full of lies. Anyway," she waved at the familiar fourth year boy she spent an inordinate amount of time with, "I'm off. Catch you later. Say good luck to Garrus for tomorrow for me would you, in case I don't see him?"
Shepard nodded and then waited a moment before turning to Kasumi with a questioning raised eyebrow, "Why are we being told to say good luck to Garrus? He doesn't play Football does he?"
Even among the bustling crowd around them, a silence befell the group, Kasumi and Ashley shared a look that was akin to, 'nobody could really be that thick', before the master thief slowly replied, "No Shepard, he plays Hockey, I thought you knew that. You've had endless amounts of hockey related conversation with him."
Noah made a sound of realization as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, earning a giggle from Kasumi and a shake of the head from Ashley, "Well that explains how he knows so much about it I suppose," she paused before breaking into a small fit of laughter, "We are so going to his game, tell me we're going to his game later. I've never seen a Turian on ice skates. Single greatest thing I've ever imagined."
"It's actually the single most awkward thing I think we've ever tried," Garrus sounded from beside her, his mandibles clicking out in humour as she jumped slightly and brought her hands up in a defensive posture only to relax again and throw a playful glare at him, "We weren't ever meant to get in boots like that at all, but Alenko wouldn't stop pushing all the way from grade one for me to join up with him."
Noah watched as Ashley visibly perked up at the name mentioned by Garrus, before she subtly began searching around the group, making it look as if she was just being curious of the bystanders. She would have laughed had she not then feared the girl to blow up in her face for it, instead she turned her focus back on Garrus, "Not going to lie here Vakarian, if you look stupid as hell in the boots I'm probably going to die of laughter."
"Future tip Shepard, if you die it just means all the more women for me," the two shared a laugh before Kasumi interrupted them by yet again grabbing onto the scarf she had loaned Noah and continued dragging her down the field towards the grandstands, grinning as Ashley and Garrus had to skip a beat to catch up.
It was then that out of the corner of her eye, even with the large crowd still shoving their way around the campus, that Shepard saw something that caused her blood to boil and her face to contort into an emotion that Garrus would later realize he could only remember Krogan being able to pull. Through the crowd, back at the small group of journalists, the particular one she had pointed out before, had cornered a certain individual that Shepard just wouldn't allow the bitch to corner, not like she cornered Anderson.
Forcefully pulling herself out of Kasumi's grasp, much to the girls frustration, she stormed through the crowd, shoving disgruntled strangers out of her way. Garrus was the first to notice who Shepard was heading straight in a beeline for, he muttered an "This can't be good" just before the other two saw what Shepard had stormed off at. The reporter had cornered Liara T'Soni, and the Asari look flustered and anxious to get away.
"Hey al-Jilani!" Shepard growled, her fists balled at her sides, Liara jumped at her voice and cowered a little further away from the older human woman, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
The little cam-bot android thing turned Shepard's way as the woman did, a smirk spread across her face as she recognized the girl. Noah didn't care, as long as the attention was off Liara for the time being, "Noelle Shepard," the woman spoke, crossing her arms, "Finally ready to give me that interview on David Anderson are we?"
"How about you just screw back off to whatever little hole you came from?" Shepard snapped as she formed an aggressive posture, the woman faltered for only a moment before smirking and allowing her to continue, "Who even gave you permission to enter the school grounds, I thought this place catered only to reputable journalists."
Al-Jilani straightened her posture at that, she worked for the Westerlund News company, a fairly reputable company that she valued highly, "Last I heard from a source Shepard, you worked for a rather suspicious group of people, I might just focus on that little story than Miss T'Soni's here, what do you think?"
Liara and Kasumi saw it coming before anybody else even had a chance to react to it, Noah breathed deep and took an assuring step forward, "Sorry Jilani but I think I've had just about enough of your ridiculously false suspicions," and before the woman could react, Noah had reeled an arm back and landed a swift jab into her jaw, causing the woman to stumble backwards. Kasumi and Ashley dragged palms down their faces, Garrus discreetly fist pumped.
In the time it took anybody to notice what had actually happened, and then for someone to help al-Jilani up, Shepard had taken Liara by the hand and dragged her back off through the crowds, away from the group she had previously been with, a large grin crossing her face at the Asari who hugged her arm tightly in an effort to keep close.
When she was sure she was far enough away from the group of reporters and close to her original destination, Noah stopped and turned to actually look at Liara properly, but instead found herself looking at the fact the girl had yet to let go of her arm, even though there was hardly anybody in this area at all to shove them apart, "You okay?" she asked with a tone she found only appeared around the girl.
"Yes, yes thank you Shepard," Liara flustered, finally realizing she was still clutching at the arm and immediately letting go, taking to staring at the grass with a thick blush covering her face, "You shouldn't have hit her though, you've had enough detentions lately as it is, having one on account of me..."
Noah shrugged before attempting to bend her head low enough to force Liara to look at her instead of the ground, "And leave you to deal with her all by yourself? I don't think so. My old apartment was hounded for months by her and her stupid little drone. I like to think that she's had that coming for a long time."
Liara smiled at her, forcing herself to not look at the ground, and instead glance around at the arena grandstands, "You left your friends to come help me, it was a selfless thing to do."
"Yeah well, I like to think that someone would do the same for me," she looked to the rapidly filling grandstand seats before nodding to them, "Care to join me?" she held her hand back out to her.
Another blush covered the young Asari's cheeks before she, instead of taking Shepard's offered hand, hugged the arm tightly to her side again, attempting to look everywhere but at the beaming girl next to her. If there was one thing Liara could say about Noah Shepard it was that she loved to see her smile. She didn't understand humans, even at this school she'd had very little interaction with them, except for Kaidan, he had latched onto Tali and then herself. But she'd rarely been approached by a human as Noah had done to her, and had never had them try to follow up a friendship. Yes, she liked seeing Shepard smile, and she found she very much liked holding onto the protective arm.
The football game had been everything and more Shepard had expected it would be, even though she had never truly understood the rules for it, she was up on her feet cheering like an idiot whenever the academy scored a goal, and when a full blown fight exploded on the field, and two Krogan were smashing into each other, she found herself fall in love with the game. And it pleased her that much more when Liara had decided to join her in the midst of strangers; during the down times when neither of them could understand what was going on, they sat curled up close together, Liara holding onto her arm time and time again as if she had gained a special fondness for it.
They had waited behind in the grandstands for the majority of the people to make their way out into the early afternoon sun, before they trudged their way to the markets set up in the surrounding field. Shepard found that the longer the Asari spent in her company the more bold and sociable the girl had become. She found it especially endearing when Liara's eyes lit up at an off-world fruit store, or at least that's what Noah suspected the pudgy coloured things were in front of her.
"They're similar to your fruits such as pears and apples in texture Shepard," Liara said in all too factual manner, she had noticed the confused expression spreading across her companions face, "But I suppose they taste much like your berries and melons."
Noah casually poked at a fist sized purple one, much to the amusement of Liara before grabbing one, swiping her student ID signature for free purchase and then waited as she watched Liara grab a small bag full of different colour ones. Again Liara took her arm, the bag swinging between them, "Of course you had to take the strangest looking one," she commented at the fruit that Noah was fumbling casually.
"It better taste good and not kill me or anything," Shepard replied as she attempted to poke a finger through the peach-like skin of the fruit.
Liara chuckled a sweet laugh that made Noah well up with happiness, "I'm almost positive it won't kill you Shepard, but I hold no responsibility if it tastes horrible to you. It's a rather enjoyable food for Asari. How about I eat one too?" she reached into the bag and brought out the same fruit.
Bringing the pudgy purpley thing to her mouth, with a raised eyebrow and slight smirk, at the same time her companion did, Noah took a reasonable bite and immediately regretted the look of unexpected joy the past across her face. Liara grinned at her, ducking her head to hide it as she nibbled at her own fruit. "Could have told me this one tasted like one gigantic sweet strawberry," Noah teased, nudging her lightly, "I was expecting something sour."
A comfortable silence fell over them as they finished off their food and continued to browse the other stores, Liara found herself at the candied bacon stall more than once. She slightly scolded Noah on the third go there, telling her the ill effects of eating too much of things with fat in them. If humans confused her in one major way it was the manner they treated their bodies in terms of food consumption.
It was heading onto late afternoon when they had finally emerged from the market fields and ended up at the far field where men were setting up the fireworks for later. Shepard sighed before mentally nodding to herself, "So, fireworks tonight I heard."
"Yes they do this every carnival, apparently they have been getting more magnificent every time," Liara replied, deciding to lean closer into Shepard as she watched a woman fumble with a particularly explosive firework, whether it was from fear or just simply wanting to be closer she'd never admit.
"Apparently they get better? You've never actually been to one?"
"The Science Division people usually go in big groups, but I don't...handle...group situations like that very well, you humans ask too many questions," she half joked.
Noah did an internal happy dance, then internally slapped herself for happy dancing over the fact that Liara had never been. Outwardly she simply nodded and then smiled, "So what would you say to attending one with me to tonight?" the blush on the Asari immediately appeared, "You know, because I'm new. And because you're extremely nice company and spending more time with you is probably the only reason I stuck around all day."
Liara became flustered even more if it were possible, and in an attempt to divert attention from her flushed face she stuttered out, "W-what? No, you would have stuck around for the candied bacon. I am certainly not the only thing keeping you here."
"But I'd have much rather spent the day with an extraordinarily beautiful girl on my arm who taught me all about fat consumption and Asari delicacy fruit, than be cooped up in my room all day."
In an attempt to hide her rapidly darkening cheeks and the big smile on her face Liara had turned away and fumbled with her hands, glancing back at Noah who just stood there, arms casually crossed and a smile gracing her face, "You're too kind Shepard, but we've only known each other for several weeks, and we do not speak out of class."
Noah shrugged and took a relaxed pace back toward the markets, watching the Asari falter before she caught up, a questioning and worried look marked her face but before she could ask, Shepard interrupted with a soft, "I don't really know much about Asari to be honest, so I understand if I was too forward with you, but I like you Liara, and I want to get to know you better, and take you to these fireworks, even if it's just as friends."
Shepard could see the emotions that ran their course across the Asari's face, before she simply just smiled and offered a nod, "I do want to know more about you too, to understand what made you who you are today. You're a strong and determined human being; you connect with people on a level I've not yet seen outside the Asari. There is something compelling and intriguing about you, Shepard."
The crowd around them had become slightly more dense again with the afternoon rush to get a free early dinner before many of the food stalls closed for the day. Shepard had to guide the Asari through the people to a less crowded area, allowing her to continue, "This seems strange though, doesn't it? We've only known each other such a short time, we have next to nothing in common, and yet I feel so comfortable with you. It makes no sense."
Noah stopped at a stall and browsed the goods, necklaces, rings, charms of all kinds laid out before her; she smiled and shrugged again, "Yeah well, you just need to let yourself get swept up and away with this sort of thing, ride the storm out, you know? It doesn't quite have to make sense. The ride is the fun part."
"You humans make everything sound so intense, dangerous at times."
She laughed as she toyed with a small necklace, "Not humans, just me, making the galaxy a more dramatic place one word at a time," Liara watched her purchase a small pendant, craning her neck to see what it was before Noah shot her a playful glare and hid the charm from view, "So impatient," she joked.
Liara huffed, a stern pout graced her face. She heard Shepard chuckle before she felt hands at the back of her neck, drawing away a little before she felt the hands leave again and looked at her chest. A small blue bird glinted in the afternoon light.
Noah smiled as Liara fiddled with it slightly, "Birds here are mysterious, beautiful creatures. People look upon them with awe. You reminded me a bit of them to be honest."
"I remind you of a feathery pecking creature?"
There was a small silence between them once again before Liara cracked a small shy smile and Shepard chuckled, shaking her head slightly, "Giving a girl a compliment and getting sarcasm thrown back in your face must be a galactic similarity."
"Some human customs do rub off on us," she joked in reply, "Thank you Shepard, both for the day and the gift. Your "moves", as you call them, intrigue me, however I need time, I am only ninety-three years old, not nearly an adult by Asari standards, this kind of thing does not usually occur this young for our kind Shepard. Especially considering the circumstances."
Noah nodded, offering her arm again out of politeness and indicated back towards the lowering sun and the fireworks field, "How about we wastes some of your time while we watch some fireworks? As friends of course."
Once again the Asari tentatively linked her hands around the offered arm and they walked back the way they had originally had come. Noah inwardly grinned, in a single day she had made more progress than she had over the past three weeks with the girl, and having her love the random gift made it that much more exciting. Liara, keeping her eyes locked to their moving feet as they moved silent, found herself inwardly cursing her awkwardness around the human, she'd never had this occur around anybody else. She'd also never had a human, nor any other species interested in her, they'd usually turn away as soon as her 'Prothean Obsession' as Tali affectionately calls it, surfaced. Shepard intrigued her to a point of frustration, and she was not yet sure whether that was a good thing or not.
The fireworks display had been one of the most magnificent Noah had ever seen, and that was including the New Years ones she'd seen over her years living in New York. It made it all the better when Liara, enthralled with the fireworks had subconsciously decided to lean into her and pulled the arm she had yet to let go of, around her. Of course when she had noticed she visibly froze and let go of the arm, rigidly frozen against Shepard for all of thirty seconds before she softened again and timidly retook the arm, thinking Noah had hardly noticed. Noah had noticed and spent those few seconds with her brow raised but her eyes faced forward.
Now it was over though, and Shepard, after returning Liara to her floor in the dorms and being given a wolf whistle by Jack, had returned to her own dorm and was laying on the bed, a large grin crossing her features. She loved carnivals, she thought as she rolled over and clutched a pillow to her chest. However, after all of tonight's activities, though she should be tired, Shepard found herself wanting to just get up and move. "Stupid Wasea and her stupid Saturday training," she growled under her breath, "Already got me in some sort of crappy routine."
Without another word or thought about how much trouble she'd be in if she was found out after hours, especially with all the people still running about setting up for the hockey game on Sunday, she changed into her swim shorts and superman swimming singlet, slipping another long sleeve shirt over the top before racing out the door, not even bothering to lock it.
Sneaking out to the courtyard was the easy part, the night guards weren't very responsive, they barely looked away from their screen when she passed through the doors. And the people that had seen her in the courtyard, the contracts for the stalls, had just simply looked the other way.
As soon as she had laid eyes on the very much locked stadium door, she growled and ran around the side of the building before she came to a door with a set of tape across it reading "Workers and Authorized Personnel only". A quick look around, a duck and roll, and a smug look later the tape had been avoided and she just strode through.
In her three weeks of being at the school she'd only seen the inside of the stadium once, and had never travelled up to the second floor for the hockey arena, it was mostly off limits unless you were a player until the season started. However with a stroke of luck she had ended up in the same set of hallways she was in the first time she had come here. With a jog to her step she darted down the passage and followed the signs that led her to the pool entrance.
Unbeknownst to her, through the numerous cameras placed in the hallways, a watchful eye was darting this way and that, what resembled a smile graced the users face. If the girl knew who was watching her, she'd be freak out and probably pretend like it wasn't her, before accusing the woman of being a perv. The woman would keep her late night run around a secret though; she was an android, but she wasn't heartless. The girl had been in trouble from Anderson enough as of recently and Edliana Delus, or as the students commonly referred to her, EDI, simply just sat back in her office chair and clicked through the cameras, unlocking the doors needed for Shepard to get through. Of course EDI wouldn't allow Shepard to get away with it for free, no, she'd communicate and bargain with her eventually.
Noah had been surprised this many doors had been left unlocked overnight but didn't think twice of it, her mind focused on getting to the pool. As she finally slithered through the last door and carefully, silently, closed it behind her, she turned around and took a deep breath of the salty pool air. With a hum of delight she walked into the arena, kicking off her flip flops and dropping the towel beside them. The pool looked eerie in the late night moonlight that streamed through the windows. The lights had long be turned off, save for the blue glowing ones in the water itself.
It was then, as she glanced around the large poolside that she had locked eyes with the last person in the world she expected to be there. Of course instead of growling or yelling, fearing that she'd alert anybody in the surrounding area, Shepard merely just stood there and sighed a frustrated, "So the ice queen enjoys sneaking about does she?"
Miranda Lawson, her feet dipped in the pool and her usual black and white tight fitting clothes replaced for daggy, dishevelled looking clothes, "I should be asking you the same question," she replied with a snappy tone before sighing herself, her fingers rubbing against the bridge of her nose, "Actually you know what, don't answer it, I don't want to know, I don't care. Let's just leave it at that, no arguing, not tonight, temporary truce if you want to label it."
Noah walked forward a few more steps, her arms still rigidly crossed and a half assed scowl set on her face, "Temporary truce as long as you don't plan to drown me, or turn the water into an ice pond, I prefer being warm and living."
Miranda let out a cheerless huff of a laugh and returned her gaze back to the rippling water that lapped against her shins, "If I wanted to kill you Shepard I would have done it when I broke your nose."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Noah commented as she unfolded her arms and plunked herself down a few paces away, dipping her feet in the water too.
A calm silence enveloped them and save for their quiet breathing and the occasional sound of the pool doing whatever it was pools do, neither said a word for minutes without end. Until Shepard let out a sigh and kicked her feet in the water to make it ripple out further before turning her head toward the other girl, finding her captivated with the waters movement, "I've been meaning to apologize for weeks now but Wasea left me alone about it, said I'd done enough damage to her team and just to get on with life. But yeah I'm sorry."
The sudden sound of the voice had jolted Miranda out of her staring contest with her reflection and she shot a daggering glare at Noah before sighing again, "What's done is done. I broke your nose as repayment. We're even."
Noah hummed in agreement, subconsciously reaching up touch her nose, inwardly still worried it looked wrong even though Chakwas had promised it looked exactly the same as it had before, "I heard about your dad comi-" she didn't get to finish it though before Miranda turned with a panicked and angry look.
"He is not my dad, just because he's my father does not mean he is my dad," she growled, her fists curled in till her knuckles turned white against the tiles.
It was at that moment that Shepard, having not really looked at the girl properly in the dim light saw the bruise that surrounded the girls upper arm. Noah had seen her fair share of bruises, ones like that only came from having an arm gripped too tight and being pulled or shoved. As quick as she'd noticed she was staring and tried to look away again, Miranda had seen that she was observing it, "It's a bloody bruise Shepard, what? Never seen one in your life? Or has your life really been that damn easy?"
Noah stayed quiet, her eyes trained on the water and her stomach in knots, "You're strong, you proved that when you hit me, why didn't you fight back?" she asked, a hint of concern laced over by an unkind tone.
"None of your business, do you enjoy prying into people's business all the time?" Miranda stood as she snapped her reply, her arms crossed and a hand gliding up to try to cover the purple and yellow mess.
Shepard shot up to a stand, facing the girl with a look that had an underlying anger "If I were prying I'd have asked who you pissed off that badly that they chose to treat you like a ragdoll."
Miranda visibly cringed under the tone and the look before she straightened herself up and with a stern glare and a shake of the head, "Just drop it Shepard," she strode toward and past the girl.
However, Noah had a different idea and lightly grabbed hold of her wrist as she passed, stopping the girl in her path. She had expected a punch but felt nothing, instead she found Miranda standing rigidly, her hand curled into a ball, "We're enemies, I get that, but if you need help, I'd be willing."
"I don't need your help Shepard, in fact I was getting along just bloody fine until you decided to come into the school. Now let go before I break more than your nose."
Noah shook her head and let go of the wrist again, watching the girl head toward the door and just before she disappeared into the darkness of the hallways she said, "Miranda, I'm sorry, I am, but you shouldn't let people push you around like that."
No reply was given, no indication that what she had said had even been heard by the other girl. She waited all of two minutes, her eyes locked on the door, subconsciously wishing the stupid Australian would walk back in and they'd fight off whoever was causing the bruises. Just like how she'd have done in the Reds. But instead she simply found herself sighing and turning back to the water to do what she came to the pool to do the in the first place.
Miranda stood in the darkness of the entrance, observing as the girl gave up waiting for her and took to looking back at the pool again. Her hand still covered the raw bruise and silently she made her way up into the darkened bleachers and took a seat. Shepard took one more look at the doorway before stripping her sleeved shirt off and cracking her neck.
And if Miranda hadn't been trained to look for the little flaws in people she'd have never noticed what she saw in that moment. Dotted along Shepard's back were numerous scars, too many to count unless she had been up close, several traced her front too. A tattoo, or rather a black marking of some kind, badly done and healed, was painted against her ribs. She furrowed her brow, stroking the bruise as she glanced down at it before looking back up at as the girl dove in the water. She wondered why nobody had noticed the scars before, the girl wore tank tops all the time.
It was then that Miranda found herself realizing that even if they hated each other, her and Noah Shepard had obvious shady pasts neither wanted to deal with, perhaps Shepard had escaped hers unlike herself, but nevertheless they shared it in common. And then, beyond all reason and logical thought, Miranda found herself wanting to know more about the girl, more of what made Noah switch her emotions so quickly all the time. And if she had known at that point in time that Shepard had been thinking a very similar thought, Miranda Lawson would have had a panic attack and they would once again be back to wanting each other dead. Nevertheless, she had stayed to watch Shepard swim and then continued to stay long after the girl had left back to her room, her thoughts running rampant on ways to bring the conversation up. This would either end very well or very badly was her final thought on the matter before exiting the stadium herself.