The commander sat at a small corner table on the presidium at Apollo's cafe. All forms of people from varying species walked about living life purposely oblivious to the war. Here on the Citadel, their lives were untouched by the horrors out in the traverse. She brought the cup of water she'd been sipping for the past ten minutes to her lips while waiting on her lunch date. Her eyes continued to scan across the crowds and she was pleased no one had recognized her. I should dress in civilian clothes more often while I'm here, Shepard mused, a smile stretching her lips.
Usually, there was always someone asking her to find a lost relative or pet or to take one matter or another to the Councilors. The media followed on her heels while she ran errands on the Citadel when she wore her fatigues and was unmistakably the Commander Shepard.
But then again civvies also had their cons she thought as swaying hips approached her table. A pearly smile that communicated more than mere interest in her lunch order adorned the lilac lips of her waitress.
"Are you sure I can't get you something else while you wait? Perhaps an appetizer? We have oysters with pink peppercorn mignonette that is absolutely…" her gray eyes traced Shepard's lips then flicked flirtatiously back up to her eyes, "mouthwatering."
Laying it on pretty thick aren't you? Shepard thought but offered a polite smile to Lana, her asari waitress. The more time passed as Shepard waited, the more bold Lana became. God help her too because Shepard wasn't blind. Lana was exceptionally attractive, a beautiful symmetrical face, shapely body, and her skin was a beautiful cerulean shade that reminded her of- . Shepard shook her head "no" referring more to her train of thought than answering the question from the waitress.
"Um… no thank you Lana. I'll wait until my friend is here to order." Shepard noticed the step forward the asari took and the way her body leaned in an alluring way toward her.
"You have been waiting for a while." Lana said her voice low and seductive.
The intent of the asari was clear and she couldn't help but look around nervously because she knew this was one of the restaurants frequented by Liara. Why the hell did I choose this place of all places? "I have but I've been enjoying the view." Shepard smiled softly and leaned back to motion over the balcony and the sky cars zipping by. "Besides, my friend is pretty busy," she shrugged. "I don't mind waiting."
"I hope I've been good company for you?" A hopeful smile, a hip pressed into her arm, and a floral fragrance once again made Shepard scan her surroundings.
It would be so easy to play Lana's game and have fun… so easy… but she'd been there and done that. The aftermath was definitely not fun and Shepard was still paying the price.
Trying her friendliest voice, Shepard replied, "The best. I feel like your favorite customer." This made the asari smile wider and a hand brushed the back of her shoulders.
"You definitely are my favorite. It would be nice if I knew the name of my most favorite customer. I'd prefer not to call you cute human." Lana said leaning down.
Shepard noticed an older asari at the bar watching them as she dried the counter with more force than necessary. She could swear the asari was scowling directly at her.
Turning her face, she didn't realize how close the asari had brought her own until their noses nearly collided. Shepard jerked back, "I think your boss is timing you." Lana laughed and looked up briefly then gray eyes returned to Shepard.
"More reason for you to tell me your name since my favorite customer has gotten me in trouble."
Asari didn't have the same sense of personal space as humans but Shepard also knew her touch was way too forward but chose to ignore Lana's nearness and create distance by leaning back in her chair.
"You can call me… Esmeralda."
Lana smiled triumphantly, running her finger down the commander's shoulder before turning to walk toward the infuriated asari at the bar. Shepard searched her surroundings again before returning her gaze to the sky cars and continued to wait. She didn't wait long before she saw a dark haired human walking in her direction.
Shepard stood with a large smile. "Deputy Jo!"
Ashley gave a disarming smile in return before grabbing Shepard into a quick hug. "I'll allow you to call me that since I'm late and you've forgiven me so much for being an asshole."
"You've always been an asshole. It's part of your charm." She winked at Ashley as they sat down. "So... Spectre Williams! Congrats! We should drink to this! Show the citizens of the Citadel how the two human Spectres get down!"
"It's two in the afternoon, Skipper. Don't be a bad influence on me before five." Ashley grinned.
"If I recall correctly, you're the one who got Tali drunk the very first time in her life so mm-" Shepard stuck out her tongue and laughed and waved Lana back over "Soooo… what does the Council have in store for you?"
"I'm not sure. Udina has only said he wants me here for the moment. He'll let me know soon enough." Ashley shrugged and began flipping through the menu.
Lana returned once again to Shepard's side, "So this must be your friend you've been waiting for?"
Ashley glanced up over the menu and raised her brows at Lana's nearness to Shepard, her dark eyes danced with mirth but she remained quiet. "Yes, let me introduce you to my good friend, Jo Lupo. Jo this is Lana our server."
Lana smiled graciously at both women, her eyes lingering on Shepard, "It has been my pleasure to meet both of you Jo Lupo and Esmeralda. What can I get for you?"
Ashley immediately choked on her laughter and waved her hand in Shepard's direction, "Excuse me, Lana please take Esmeralda's order first."
Shepard proceeded to order lunch special with a house salad and Ashley a chicken Caesar salad with an ice tea. Lana nodded happily before leaving their table to assist her other tables.
"I thought I was going to die when she called you Esmeralda! You're such a damn idiot," Ashley snickered.
Shepard sat back in her chair and chuckled, "I figured you'd get a kick out of that."
"At the time I thought I was paying you back for calling me Jo Lupo, but it backfired when you took it as an actual compliment! So how's everyone on the Normandy?"
"They're doing pretty good. We've accomplished a lot of great things that has built up morale. I wish you could have seen how happy Wrex was when the cure was dispersed, he was bouncing around like a kid." Their laughs blended together and Ashley shook her head in amusement.
"Ah Wrex, I miss his brooding ass. So… how about Liara?" Ashley ventured cautiously, her nails drumming against the table surface. She'd seen the tension between the two on Mars and knew there were major troubles in paradise. She never got the chance to ask Shepard about it after the mech tried to flatten her head into a pancake.
"Liara is good too." Shepard replied, ignoring the ache that flared up in her chest. To know that it was over romantically between them was a difficult pill to swallow, but she kept hope alive. Strangely, her talk with Javik had encouraged her to do more.
"And… the two of you are good?" Ashley ventured further watching Shepard's green eyes.
Shepard shrugged and turned her gaze back to the skycars. She loved Ashley as her friend… no… as a sister but wasn't sure if she could even begin to tell the woman the mess she'd gotten herself in.
Ashley took her silence as offense and held up her hands in surrender, "Okay Skipper, we don't have to talk about it but I do want you to know that I like her. And I like her for you. At first, as difficult as it is to believe, I couldn't stand Liara." Shepard's eyes returned to Ashley and they both fell into laughter again. "But now I consider her a good friend. I hope you two work it out and soon… we don't know how much time we have left."
Shepard sighed and fought the urge to tug at her hair, "Thanks Ash. We're trying to fix what's broken between us, but it's… taking some time. It's been rough," she couldn't resist the urge any longer and tugged on the ends of her hair. She smiled when the thought came to her. "I thought the prothean I found would bridge some of the gap, but he turned out to be a bigger ass than me."
Ashley's eyes bulged. "Prothean? A living prothean?"
Laughing at her friend's response as Lana returned with a pitcher of water and ice tea for Ashley, Shepard waited until the waitress left. Another hand touched her shoulder in passing briefly.
"I almost feel offended! We could be lovers for all she knows… anyway, tell me about this prothean? Is Liara in love?" Ashely chuckled.
"He's not anything any of us thought a prothean would be that's for damn sure. Believe me when I say he has probably ruined any romantic notions she had for the protheans. You know you should stop by the Normandy and meet him for yourself… witness his undeniable charm."
Ashley laughed at the sarcasm evident in the commander's tone. "He's that bad huh? Worse than Garrus?"
"Yup and you know the Gar-bear is back on the Normandy. More reason for you to stop by."
"Actually…" Ashley shifted slightly before squaring her shoulders, "I've wanted to ask you if I could return to the Normandy… you know after the Councilors make everything official and Udina doesn't need me here…"
Shepard took the time to study Ashley. Of course she wanted Ash back on her team, but two Spectres on one vessel? Before Shepard could banish the thought from her mind she wondered if Ashley would try to usurp her position once onboard. On Mars, Ashley questioned Shepard's allegiance time and time again… What am I thinking? Too many drama vids…
"While I was fighting the Collector's with Cerberus, in every battle I would look to my left and wish that I saw you there. By the time we went through the Omega-four relay… I was proud that you stuck to your guns… that you hadn't followed me." Shepard watched Ashley's brown eyes as she spoke of truths never said. "I knew if I died on the Collector base… you would be the soldier that would lead the fight against the Reapers. I knew I could depend on you to step up to the plate. Ashley, you're strong, smart, and efficient… not to mention you're one of the best damned soldiers I've ever served with and… it would be an honor to have you back on the Normandy."
No guilt flashed in those dark eyes, just gratitude as Ashley snapped into a salute. Shepard knew her mistrust had been completely unfounded and returned the salute. Their conversation moved toward more lighthearted topics as the two women enjoyed their meal as friends. It temporarily took Shepard's mind off of the war among other things. With one last physical therapy appointment with Thane left, Ashley left after an hour with a promise to visit the Normandy the next morning. Shepard wasn't entirely ready to return to work so she took a seat at the bar.
"I sent Lana home if you're sticking around to see her." A gravelly voice interrupted her thoughts.
"What? Who?" Shepard looked up at the asari that had sent daggers her way earlier. Now upon closer inspection, Shepard felt like she'd seen her before…
The asari gave her a look like she was the dumbest being she'd ever had the misfortune to come across, "Lana, your server? The one that was willing to serve her goods on a platter to you earlier? Do all humans have such short damn memories or are you a special case?"
Despite the asari's clear distaste in her, Shepard laughed heartily. How refreshing it was not to have someone fawning over the hero of the Citadel. Also, there was something about this asari that she liked. Most matriarchs conducted themselves as if they were the Queen of England and expected to be treated as such but this one… she was something else; in a good way.
The asari shook her head and the scowl reemerged, "What the hell does she see in you?" A shot glass was placed in front of Shepard then cleared liquid poured from a black bottle filled it.
"Enough to serve me her goods and incite your wrath," Shepard joked as she took the shot and downed it. It took only a few seconds for the burn to kick in, but when it did, the fire in her stomach almost made her double over in pain.
"What in the hell did you just give me…? Fucking maw spit?" Shepard wheezed as she clutched the edge of the bar, a cold sweat broke out on her brow and a layer above her top lip. She felt like dizzy and gagged. The asari scowled again before pouring green liquid into her shot glass and shoved it toward her. Shepard quickly downed it and felt immediate relief.
"The question is: what the fuck happened to you? You took this like a champ back on Illium."
On Illium? It couldn't be… "Matriarch Aethyta?" Shepard struggled to say, her vision blurred by tears.
"I swear you're about as smart as a goddess-damned vorcha. Yes, I'm Aethyta... I can't believe she's wasted so much time on you." The angry matriarch said with a huff.
Shepard coughed and fanned her watering eyes, "It was barely an hour."
The older asari slammed a palm down on the bar drawing the attention of the other patrons to their direction. She leaned forward menacingly, "I'm not talking about Lana. I'm talking about Liara."
Realization dawned on the Commander then. She remembered viewing files on the Matriarch and one in particular caught her eye. The asari sat hunched at a table, staring at a photo of Liara with a drink in one hand. She'd always wanted to ask the information broker what that was about, but their personal issues always persisted being the main topic.
Shepard straightened in her chair and watched the asari with interest. She had a hunch of who she thought the asari was and hoped the matriarch would be willing to confirm it. "I haven't always been good to Liara, but I'm trying to change that. I couldn't care less about Lana, believe me." Aethyta's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. "But, Liara… is she family to you?"
Before answering, Aethyta turned her back to retrieve a bottle of asari liquor and poured them both a shot. Her eyes were still disapproving but she relaxed enough to not appear threatening. "I am what you humans would label… her father."
They both drank their shots which were quickly refilled. "Does she know?"
Aethyta sighed in her gravelly voice, "The kid is smart… I'm sure she does know."
"Have you tried to talk to her? I bet she'd love to meet you." Shepard thought back to the conversations she had with Liara about her parentage. How the young asari had questions in her eyes as she spoke guardedly about who Benezia had chosen as a partner.
Aethyta didn't look very impressed and bristled at the commander's words, "What would you know, human? How could you possibly speak on Liara's desires? If she wanted to meet me she'd walk right up here and do it. She comes here every damn time your ship docks, there's been ample opportunity for her to."
Feeling sheepish, Shepard immediately apologized. She felt like a teenager trying to impress her girlfriend's dad and failing miserably at it.
"Ah fuck it… Truth is, I could introduce myself but… I don't want to hurt her… Goddess knows she doesn't deserve more pain after all she's gone through…"
Shepard's eyes fell to her glass she played with between her fingers. Aethyta was right. It was a sensitive situation, especially if Liara didn't want to know her 'father'. She also thought of all the unnecessary pain she'd put the maiden through herself. The glass was refilled again and they drunk together in contemplative silence.
Shepard tapped the bar and stood up, signaling her intent to leave. She suddenly had a strong desire to see the maiden that occupied both of their thoughts. "How about I ask if she wants to meet you?"
The asari nodded and cleared her throat, "I would appreciate that. But don't think it gets you off of my shit list just yet… she's my baby girl and I don't like assholes messing with her heart." The matriarch warned sternly.
A moment of understanding passed between the two. Shepard bowed her head and turned to leave as Aethyta began to clean up their glasses. If Liara wasn't on the Presidium, there was a good chance she was working on the Normandy. Hopefully butting into her personal life wouldn't set back the new ground she recently gained. Shepard wasn't sure if they were at the point yet in their fragile friendship that she could suggest meeting Aethyta. It really wasn't any of her business… she could only hope not to make Liara angry... again.