Thane stood at a large balcony overlooking the presidium, gazing peacefully at one of the fountains and watching as a couple of young asari children splashed and laughed in the waters. He mostly paid no mind as the rest of the Normandy's crew disembarked from the ship. Apparently Anya had called for a little R&R for everyone, rather than just the two of them. He supposed that was a good idea. Everyone was wound up from trying to tie up loose ends and settle unfinished business. It was a daily thing to watch as Anya got called away by another of the crew. Just in the last couple weeks she had helped Mordin of course, as well as Grunt. She had helped Miranda recently as well. Miranda had a twin sister that she had kidnapped from her father in order to save her from her fathers twisted demands. Jack of course had need of Anya's help also, which upon their return, sparked a fight between Jack and Miranda in Miranda's office. A fight in which Thane could hear from the life support room. Jack had been screaming a slew of obscenities at Miranda, demanding that Miranda admit Cerberus was in the wrong with what they did to her. He had been surprised when Anya managed to dissolve the fight without anything major happening other than a few flung chairs.
Samara too, had requested Anya's help it seemed, much to Thane's surprise. The beautiful asari reminded him much of himself and his self induced solitude. He nodded to the proud warrior now, watching as she left the docking bay to no doubt find a quiet place to meditate alone. She nodded in return to him, her only her eyes bearing the truth of her inner thoughts. Samara's fugitive that she hunted at the time Anya recruited her was an Ardat-Yakshi. However, it was no regular Ardat-Yakshi. The one she hunted was none other than one of three of Samara's daughters. Thane had spoke with Samara about spiritualism and her code from time to time, and a few times Samara had mentioned her family. He had watched as she spoke of them proudly. Morinth, as she went by, was the one Samara sought to hunt down, and was the eldest of her three children. Morinth had become addicted to the thrill she got when she killed, and in turn had to be stopped. Anya and Samara had finally tracked her down last week on Omega, where they laid a trap for Morinth, ultimately ending with Morinth's death. The choice weighed heavy on Samara, and Thane felt a twinge of pity for the poor woman's broken soul.
Thane shook his head softly with an inward chuckle as he heard Mordin step out of the docking bay, chattering away with Jacob in his strange, manic way of speaking. With Garrus and Jacob also having settled their issues with Anya's help, He suspected he was the only one who didn't have any type of unfinished business, no loose ends to tie up. They were close to finding an IFF to get them through the Omega 4 relay, and then it would be over one way or another. As if on cue at Thane's inner musings, Garrus disembarked the ship next last aside from Anya herself, who hadn't come off the ship yet. He made his way over to where Thane stood, chuckling a bit as he took in Thane's appearance.
"Well look at you. Going someplace fancy, Krios?" he turned his gaze to his turian teammate, who for a change was wearing a simple shirt and pants of common among Garrus' kind, rather than his usual armor. Thane adjusted the collar of the black and blue dress shirt he wore, and looked down at the black pants. Kenneth down in engineering had lent him the dress attire, as Thane only wore his usual assassin outfits. It was a little constricting on his breathing, but not enough to cause him major discomfort. For the most part, the material was comfortably loose, to which Thane was grateful for considering his company to be. He nodded before resuming his watchful gaze at the children playing below.
"Indeed. I am going out to lunch."
"I assume you have a date? No one eats lunch alone dressed like that." Garrus jested, leaning his taloned hands against the railing and sweeping his gaze across the view before them. He gave a little hmm, the vibrating dual tone rumbling deep in his chest. "Treat her well, Thane. She deserves a little bit of a distraction. After everything she's been through, she needs this as much as the rest of us." He chuckled some. Thane nodded in agreement.
"Indeed..." Thane sensed Anya's proximity closing in through their strange connection as Garrus spoke up, interrupting any further response from him at the time.
"Speaking of distraction..." Garrus whistled lowly, his gaze fixed in the direction of the ship. Thane took a step back to look past his Turian teammate to see Anya walking towards them, a blush flushing her tanned skin deeply as she fumbled her hands over one another before her. His gaze traveled slowly from toe to head as he swallowed hard, focusing on not allowing himself to get physically aroused in the middle of such a public space. She was dressed head to toe in curve hugging black. Her small feet were slipped into heels attached to her feet by delicate straps. He slid his gaze up a slender, shapely, bare calf to just above mid thigh, where the hem of a short dress cut off the view of the rest of her long legs. He passed his gaze over the curve of her hips, where the fabric hugged tightly against her body. Continuing his upward visual trail, his path led him over her breasts, the creamy mounds of flesh pushed up and together by the fabric. Thane licked his lips and cleared his throat a bit, taking in her bare shoulders and arms, visually devouring every delicious bit of her appearance before finally looking her in the eye. She wore a subtle make up, her cerulean eyes enhanced by smokey, dark shadow, and a simple glossy shine to her natural lips pink shade. It was easy to forget sometimes that under that armor and soldiers bravado, Anya was every much of a soft, sensual, sexual, desirable woman as any one of the random ladies that wandered the presidium that day.
"Damn...Thane you lucky devil." He heard Garrus mutter softly. Anya came to a stop a couple feet away, smiling softly. No doubt she could see the blatant desire in his eyes as he took in her delectable appearance. She bit her lip, and he had to again focus to maintain control of himself.
"Hey...guys. Heh." Anya chuckled a bit. She brushed a strand of her black tresses from her brow with a blush. A small breeze carried the scent of her coconut wash to Thane's nose and he inhaled deeply.
"Lookin' good, Shepard. Hehe. You should dress up more often. This look suits you. You know, we could take a picture! Maybe the collectors and the reapers will fall in love and do all your bidding. Then you can order them to stay the hell away." Garrus jested with Anya a bit, pulling a good natured laugh and a 'You wish, Vakarian!' from her. Still in dumbstruck awe of her beauty, Thane patiently stood silent as the two joked. Seeing Thane still standing by silently, Garrus gave him a pat on the back, pulling him forwards towards Anya. "Well, I won't keep you two. You two have fun." He gave both Thane and Anya a smile, and meandered off in the direction of the wards. After he left, Anya looked at him and smiled sheepishly.
"You look nice, Thane. Guess I wasn't the only one with the idea to dress up for this. Do...do you like it?' She splayed her hands out to her sides slightly, glancing down at her attire as a soft blush flushed over her flesh from head to toe. In an instant Thane snapped from his stupor. Reaching for her hand, he brought it up slowly while maintaining eye contact, pressing her knuckles to his lips gently. He was rewarded with a brilliant smile as he did. Her skin was as soft as he remembered it from those months ago when they had their first encounter. She was warm, and smelled of coconut and lavender and he basked in the scent of her. As he spoke, his voice was thick, husky. He smiled as he watched a shiver caressed its way down her body.
"You look….absolutely ravishing, Commander." She smiled radiantly again. You are as beautiful as a Goddess, Anya...he thought.
"You look pretty handsome yourself, Thane." Anya winked at him, offering him a coy smile. He chuckled and bowed his head in thanks, offering her his arm. When she draped her arm through his with an amused smile, they made their way from the docking bay to a small restaurant, taking a seat next to a balcony with a view of the presidium, the arms, a whole great expanse of the citadel. After both ordering tea and receiving their drinks, Anya looked at Thane as he spoke softly.
"Thank you for meeting with me for lunch, Shepard. I felt you use the break after the last mission on Tuchanka. Plus it gives us a chance to talk." Thane smiled at Anya softly. She returned the gesture and nodded, gazing out over the sublime view before them. Thane, in turn, was unable to take his eyes off her. He basked in her beauty, committing the image to memory.
"I appreciate that. You're right. We deserve a little break. The last couple months have been...stressful, to say the least. I only hope we are getting close to putting an end to this. I think we all are." Thane nodded as she continued, returning her gaze to meet his head on. "So what did you want to talk about?" Thane smiled a bit, leaning forward and folding his hands before him on the table.
"I would like to know more about you, Shepard." A surprised look washed over Anya's delicate features.
"About me? Ermm...why?" A brow was arched slightly as she regarded him, awaiting his response.
"Usually when you come to chat with me on the Normandy, we discuss myself. I would like to hear more about you this time, if that is alright with you." Thane explained simply. Anya inhaled slowly, nodding and offering a smile his direction as she appeared to be thinking of where to start.
"Well...I grew up on space ships. Both my parents are Alliance military. At 18, I joined into 'the family business'." Anya made little quotation signs in the air with a smirk before continuing. Thane chuckled softly. "It was hard for a while, you know? Trying to live up to everyone's expectations. My parents are well respected in the military, and naturally everyone else wanted to see if I would live up to the hype. I wasn't some big shot then...not that I think I am now either of course, despite the opinion of everyone else. After the attack on Elysium, however, things changed." Anya shrugged a bit, and Thane took the pause in her recollection to ask about Elysium.
"I've heard stories of your deeds on Elysium, but I don't know what I've heard is fact or fanciful fiction. What happened, if I may ask?" Thane tilted his head a bit to the side quizzically. Anya stared down at her hands for a moment before she spoke, fidgeting her fingers a bit.
"I was sent to Elysium on a standard patrol. While there, my team and I were ambushed by batarian slavers looking to kidnap some of the colonies. It was a damned disaster. A lot of my crew ended up behind enemy lines as hostages. We were out manned and out gunned from the start. The ones that weren't captured I had bunker down and hold the line as best they could. At some point, there was finally a break in the batarian's defenses and I used it to sneak behind their lines. Post by post I crept, taking down out different groups, freeing my team. Damn couple times I thought for sure I would be discovered. A couple times, I actually was." Anya paused for a second, absently rubbing at a scar that dipped down the back of her shoulder. From a glance, it looked like an omni-blade wound to Thane. She breathed out a heavy sigh before continuing, Thane listening patiently as she spoke.
"It felt like it dragged on forever, but I finally managed to free my men, and by then, there were so few of the slavers who could fight us. Some retreated, some surrendered. At the end of It all, most of my men escaped with their lives, though there were several who were severely wounded. The people ended up calling me a war hero for almost single-handedly taking out the enemy and saving my crew, and the Alliance gave me a few medals for my actions" Anya shook her head with a snort. "My men were a huge help. Without them holding the line and keeping the batarians distracted, I don't think I could have ever made it behind their lines to rescue the ones that were being held hostage. I'm no hero" She leaned back in her seat and cast a half smile at Thane. He shook his head, sympathetic, but also impressed.
"Hmm. While you feel like you would not have survived if not for your men, Commander, I'm sure your men feel that they would not have survived if not for you. That sounds like a hero to me." Thane offered softly. She shook her head softly.
"I'm just a soldier, Thane. Nothing special."
"But you are special." At his words, Anya blushed deeply and she averted her gaze out and over the balcony shyly. Thane chuckled as she continued her story.
"Ahem...so. After Elysium, I was offered a spot in the N7 program. Basically its the Alliances elite soldiers. N7's are kind of like the council's Spectres. Only we are expected to maintain the morals and laws as any of the other soldiers in the Alliance military. I suppose the Alliance soldier in me is what keeps me from being like some spectres. Heh." Anya chuckled and shrugged a bit. "At first, I wasn't sure I should join, or that I even deserved such an honor. It was Captain Anderson who suggested I take it. At his prompting, I finally did. And well, then came Saren and the geth, Sovereign, and of course here we are now. Collectors and reapers trying to destroy our galaxy, kidnap our colonists, and I'm on a wild and crazy mission again to stop it all again just like we did two years ago." Sitting back and taking a sip of her tea, she pursed her lips petulantly. After a moment she chuckled, shaking her head. Quirking his own brow, Thane set his cup down after taking a long drink of his own aromatic beverage.
"Something humorous, Shepard?" She nodded, her eyes meeting his.
"i just thought of something Mordin always says. 'Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong.' Heh, I'll do my damn best to stop the reapers and the collectors. Someone has to. And if no one else will, then, I guess it really did have to be me." She smiled brilliantly at Thane and leaned her elbows against the table softly. They sat in silence for a bit. Thane smiled inwardly, feeling alive and awake for the first time in many years. He took in the details of her face for what seemed like the hundredth time. Her blue eyes looked at him in a way it set his body on fire in the most delicious way before looking out over the balcony, spying a few kids playing with toy ships and laughing. A giggle bubbled out of her throat as she watched them briefly.
As she turned her gaze back to his and opened her mouth to speak, and long before he could take a moment to think about the action, Thane reached one of his hands across to hers where it lay on its side, aching to feel her touch, her skin. She jumped slightly in surprise as he traced his fused digits over her palm, reveling in the softness of them. It amazed him that her hands could be so soft, given the fact she was a soldier. He assumed she pampered herself well during down time. A rush of desire spiraled into his loins as he imagined pampering her in all manner of ways. His thoughts focused back to the present as he continued caressing Anya's palm. She of course rewarded him with one of her endearing blushes and the shyest of smiles. Whatever her words were to be, they were lost on the moment the instant he touched her luscious skin.
After a moment, she stopped his gentle caressing, picking up his hand softly and examining where his middle two fingers were fused. When she looked to his other hand, he lifted it up next to the one she already held. His breath caught as she regarded his hands with a furrowed brow. He wondered if she found them to be repulsive. Anya's hands were soft and gentle as she traced a finger over the minor dip between the two, right where they were fused at the length. She cocked a brow with a curious expression.
"Are all drell's hands this way, Thane?" The thickness of her voice caught him off guard, and he felt his desire for her rearing its head yet again. He could sense hers in the sultry tones of her voice. Not here, Thane. Not here. He thought to himself. Readjusting in his seat, he nodded. His own voice came out low and rough, and he watched as the slightest of shivers made her twitch. As he responded to her question, he wondered if she found is tone appealing. Human mannerisms still confused him, despite the amount of research he had spent doing after their brief encounter in the shower so many months ago. He had researched more after Anya had openly expressed an interest in more than just friendship.
"Ah, yes. It is a genetic trait specific to my kind." Anya nodded, then bit her lip as she cast a slow, sweeping glance over his face. Thane suppressed a low groan as she bit her lip, taking in a slow, steady breath. Thane's groan wasn't suppressed long as she released his hands, reaching over the tiny table between them to trace a finger over the outer fringes on one side of his head. He let out the smallest of appreciative groans, watched as her chest rose and fell faster. Her arousal was palpable as her scent drifted around him. He was thankful for loose clothing and to be sitting as his own arousal became apparent to him. He was also thankful that where they sat was off on its own little corner, and that no one was around at the time.
"And this?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. Thane nodded at her, not trusting his voice to find the words to speak. His eyes slid shut for a moment as she caressed his fringes, one side at a time. She seemed to be testing how his skin felt below her soft fingertips. He could hear the sounds of her breath coming in as the softest of pants, and as Anya slid her fingers over the red frills that decorated the sides of his cheeks and his throat, he moaned softly. Each touch was sensual, and it lit a fire of desire that spiraled and crashed head first into his loins. He flung his eyes open and cast a quick gaze about the area, and spotted a dark corner nearby, out of the sight of prying eyes. He reached up and softly took her hands, immediately craving more of her touch the second they left his frills. He stood, pulling Anya up with him.
"Thane?" There was a hint of confusion in her face, as well as a curious spark in her oceanic eyes. Thane pulled her gently to the privacy of the corner, confident no one would see them unless they too stepped around the corner.
( - - - )
Anya bit her lip as she stared into Thane's eyes, allowing herself to be pulled into a dark little cove out of sight of anyone else in the area. His barely audible moans coaxed from the touch of her fingertips left her squirming even as she walked with him. The dark emerald green of Thane's eyes were so clear in this light, and they gleamed with intent, desire, and she found herself lost in his gaze. As the reached the little cove, she had enough time to inhale before Thane had pressed her firmly to the wall, his mouth on hers feverishly. She moaned ever so softly into his kiss, parting her lips to allow his demanding tongue access as it darted in and out of her mouth, curling around her own tongue. In moments, that same light headed buzzed feeling she felt the first time they kissed washed over her senses. Her whole body seemed to tingle as she hitched a leg behind his knee, him grinding his hips into hers in response. In the back of her mind, she thought she should feel worried about being caught, being out in public like this. Thane's persistent kisses quenched those thoughts as the moments stretched on.
His hands were roaming all over her body, gripping every one of her curves. Anya could hear Thane barely audible groan as his mouth left hers to spill slow kisses over the side of her neck. As his wandering hands stopped over a heaving breast and located her hardened nipple below the thin fabric to gave it a small pinch, she bit her lip to keep from crying out with pleasure. She arched her body into his hand instead, earning herself another soft moan into her neck and a firm thrust of his hips into hers where he was pressed against her core. In a sudden bold moment, she slipped her hand between their bodies, firmly gripping his erection through his pants. She blushed and bit her lip as his head darted up to meet her gaze. He was long, and thick. That much she could tell. Thanes voice was a ragged whisper of pleasure and need as she rubbed her hand against his hardened length.
"Anya..." She blinked in surprise momentarily as it registered that for the first time since they met he called her by her first name, rather than her last. The surprise was fleeting as she reached up her free hand to run over the velveteen crimson frills on his cheek, coaxing him to lean forward and kiss her again. The action caused his shaft to twitch wildly in her other hand, and his mouth came crashing over hers in another frenzied, demanding kiss. One of his hands reached between them to gently grab her wrist, pulling her hand up and away from his pulsating member to rest it against the side of his face. She grumbled in soft protest, with Thane's only response a devious sounding chuckle that he buried into the hollow of her throat. She realized he was exercising a tremendous amount of self constraint, taking his time teasing her rather than ravishing her on the spot.
As Thane scattered his kisses across her chest and over her shoulders, she took the opportunity to turn her head, cradling his softly and spilling her own kisses over his crimson frills. A pleased, low rumble of his voice against her chest made her grin, and she flicked her tongue out over his fringe, tracing the contour of the soft frills hidden under the fringes inner edge. An explosion of sensations erupted in her body, a myriad of colors seeming to flash in her mind as she felt higher than his kiss ever made her. The sensations swirled into her core, and she bit her lip harshly again as they pulsed almost painfully as she nearly hit her peak. Thane in turn shuddered against Anya at the touch of her tongue against his frills. His voice was instantly in her ear, thick with desire.
"Perhaps we should return to the Normandy, Anya. This would be much better suited to your cabin." He groaned slightly into her ear as she snuck her hand down to grip him again, softly stroking him through the fabric of his pants. He shuddered again, moaning just barely into her ear. Anya was pleasantly 'drunk' from his essence and in a haze as she nodded. She wanted more of his touch, and wanted it over every inch of her flesh. His exotic scent filled her senses as he pressed his lips to hers again and reached to unhitch her leg from behind his knee. As he dropped her foot softly to the ground and readjusted his swollen member to hide it, Thane's entire body stiffened against hers, followed by a highly annoyed grunt deep in his chest as his keen hearing picked up the sound of her comm chirping. Anya's blinked through the haze, confused for a second before her comm chirped again, drawing her out of her buzzed state. As it chirped a third time, she let out a low, almost feral growl. You have -got- to be kidding me...again!? Her inner thoughts raged at the interruption. It was the shower room all over again.
"This had better be important..." Anya all but spat through grit teeth, crossing her arms after answering her persistent comm piece.
"Sorry, Commander. You have a message from the Illusive Man. He says its pretty important. Everyone else is already back aboard. Looks like shore leave is over, huh?" Joker's voice sounded apologetic over the ear piece. Anya sighed softly, glancing over at Thane who had abandoned his usual poker face and looked as frustrated as she felt.
"Roger that, Joker. We will be back shortly."
"Aye-aye, Commander." As her comm unit clicked back off, Anya shrugged and waved her hands a bit in a dramatic, exasperated fashion. She offered a sympathetic and apologetic look at Thane, who stood by silently with his eyes closed. "I'm so sorry, Thane. I suppose we will have to do a rain check on….lunch." She eyed their table, realizing they never had the opportunity to actually order any food before they got distracted. Of course by lunch, she meant more of losing herself in his kiss, his touch. Opening his eyes, Thane shook his head lightly at her. His gravelly voice was still low and husky, obviously catching on to her play on words, which sent a shiver down her spine. She leaned a bit against the wall, still feeling slightly heady from the effects of his kiss and when she licked his skin.
"There is no need to apologize, Shepard. We have a duty to finish our mission. Shall we return to the Normandy?" He offered her his arm. Physically, he appeared to have recovered from his own lusty state, his usual calm demeanor back in place. The predatory, hungry look that lingered in his eyes still, however, gave her delicious chills. She nodded and took his arm, smiling softly. He hesitated slightly before walking, leaning down to smile and plant another dizzying kiss on her lips, then lead the way back to the Normandy.
I swear, after this is over...my room, door locked, comm disabled. No...damn...interruptions. Anya thought as they boarded the ship, winking discreetly at Thane, who nodded ever so softly in response with a hint of a smirk on his full, green lips. But first...a change of clothes. I'm not meeting the Illusive Man in this. Anya pursed her lips in annoyance as she looked down at her dress, grumbling audibly as the elevator chimed on arrival at her cabin. She pulled the slinky material over her head, flinging it on the bed and grudgingly reaching for her uniform.
Stupid Illusive Man...
