8.
By the time the duo arrived back at their shelter, Kassius was shivering violently. The brief moments without his helmet had certainly done a number on him, but his species' disposition didn't help his case – turians did not fare well in the cold, and their typical body temperature was a few degrees warmer than a human's. A moment longer and he might have developed hypothermia, and Catherine was absolutely unprepared for such a catastrophe.
She did, however, act fast upon their arrival. She threw their comforter into the dryer on high heat and began to make some hot water for tea. When she turned her head, she could see him struggling to remove his clothes as his hands shook uncontrollably.
With a tilt of her head, she rushed to him. "Here, let me help you."
Her efforts weren't much better than the turian's – while she was physically more coordinated, the various clasps and buckles seemed to cause hesitation. Eventually, he was stripped down to his bodysuit, and even it seemed cold to the touch.
"You can remove that. I don't want to be too invasive."
Kassius nodded, gritting his teeth so they didn't clack against each other. He slowly removed the black garments, fully bared to his human roommate. It was a touch embarrassing, though she seemed to be ignoring his nudity for now as she pulled the large, white blanket from the heat. He couldn't help but face away from her; while nudity wasn't such a shock in his culture, he knew how the humans could be, and with Catherine being of the opposite sex and an admitted one-time xenophile, he wasn't sure if he wanted her curiosity to extend his way.
She approached him from behind, wrapping the comforter around him.
"Sit down on the bed. Your tea's almost done."
"Catherine, I…"
He shivered again, interrupting himself. Catherine walked briskly, grabbing his tea and bringing it to him in such a hurry that a splash of it landed on the floor.
"Here. This should help you."
She smiled at him, and for the first time, he didn't notice any sadness hidden in her eyes. Fear, yes, but that lost and disassociated stare seemed to be gone for now.
"Hm," Catherine began, studying him as he had studied her. "That's strange."
"What's wrong?" he asked, unsteadily bringing the cup to his mouth.
Catherine steadied his hands, helping him. "I've never really looked at you. You have a nice face."
It was true; his eyes were a saturated mix of brown and yellow. His plates were silvery in hue, with red markings that seemed to accentuate his facial structure. Some turians had marks that took over their face, but his were just right.
The turian flicked his mandibles with slight confusion, taking in the tea. It really did seem to help.
As he regained his strength, he watched Catherine walk out of the room to change clothes. She returned in her sweats, then took a seat next to him on the bed, wrapping the left side of the blanket around herself. Her heat built up around her, transferring slowly to him. It felt nice, like sitting next to a fire.
The warmer he became, the more frantically he started to think.
"Catherine, I'm not sure about these excursions," he finally stated. "When you went over that cliff, I thought I was going to lose my only friend. I wasn't sure I could go through that loss again."
Catherine did not reply, but leaned on his shoulder. She had no intention of cancelling her search over one near-death experience, but for now, she sought only to comfort him.
"When you showed up, I wasn't sure how much longer I could wait around. I was afraid of death, but the loneliness seemed worse. Since you've been here, I have a reason to wake up every day."
"Why, if we weren't the only two people in the whole galaxy, I'd think you were in love with me," Catherine joked.
Kassius didn't respond; he only hung his head. He knew what she meant – he wasn't in love with her, but he loved her nonetheless out of need and desperation.
"Please, just be careful from now on," he pleaded. His sub-vocals would have given away a much direr tone, but although she could feel the vibrations against her, she had no means of translating them.
"I will be," Catherine assured him, nuzzling her head on his arm. "Now, come on. Tonight, we can sleep in the same bed. I'll keep you warm."
Kassius thought about the possibility of her brushing against any sensitive regions and shuddered. "That's fine, but if it's all well, I'd like to have some pants on."
She suddenly looked quite shocked, as if she had never noticed his nudity to begin with. "Oh. Yes, perhaps that would make things less awkward."
Flashing lights cast the room in magenta and blue shades. The music declared the party's status as a rave, though it was restricted under the legal limitations that came with the watchful eyes of C-Sec. Vymeria was dancing, of course – partying seemed to be one of her favorite pass-times, despite her rather serious occupation as a navigational officer.
Saturus was on duty with his team. They had been sent to investigate some recent batarian trade routes that were emerging in Citadel space. It didn't sound particularly interesting to Kassius, but it had to be better than sitting around, wasting his graduation day at a dance with his sister, watching interested men gather around her as if she were some spectacle to behold.
"Kass!" she called out, moving towards him with drinks in her hands. She offered him one; with some hesitation, he took it, though he stared at it in uncertainty. Turian drinking laws mandated that after one's graduation, they were free to do as they pleased; prior to that, they could drink in the presence of their family, but not beyond the confines of their homes. "You are way too glum, brother! Lighten up a little before you scare people out of here!"
"Sorry, Vy, this just isn't my field of expertise… all the dancing, drinking…"
A couple of girls occasionally looked at him from the bar, obviously enamored and tipsy. One was a fairly pretty asari who had to have just entered adulthood herself – her face was soft-featured and innocent despite the intoxication. The other was a lanky turian he recognized as an upperclassman. She'd been heavily involved in the sports teams, occasionally making the news on Palaven for her skills with a rifle and her record-breaking speed on the track. She was sure to have a full-ride into any university, but girls like her didn't go to fancy academies – she was true to her turian nature and had, by her uniform, already signed up for military duty. School could wait until she earned it.
He looked away after catching their gaze, rubbing the back of his neck.
"…Makes me uncomfortable."
Vymeria watched his eyes, looking over at the pair of women. Her mandibles flickered in amusement. "You've always been terrible with women. They like you – why don't you go say hello? Maybe you'll get to have your first time with TWO women!"
Kassius stood up, preparing to leave the club. His sister grabbed onto his hand, laughing boisterously from behind him.
"Oh, Kass, I'm only joking. Come on, at least let me share the experience of your first drink!"
He grumbled, looking down at the beverage that was still in his hand. It looked like water, but smelled strongly of alcohol, almost enough to compare with straight acetone. "What is this, anyway?"
"It's called the Vymeria! They named it after me!"
That couldn't be good.
Still, he had been curious about the effects of alcohol. If he was going to drink, wouldn't it be better to do so in the presence of family that he trusted? Even through her partying nature, Vymeria was a reliable woman, so if things went south, she'd be there for him.
He lifted the cylinder to his mouth, but was quickly stopped.
"No, I can tell you're gonna wuss out of this. You've got to chug it – down it all in one gulp. Otherwise, you sit there sipping it like it's some kind of dainty evening beverage, and you'll stop after three sips. I guarantee," Vymeria pressed. "On the count of three, throw it back."
Annoyed, Kassius quickly downed the drink before she could even begin to count. It was every bit as horrible as he imagined it would be, and he coughed, grabbing at his throat as if he'd been poisoned. The two girls that had watched him from the bar now giggled, understanding his situation entirely despite having no part in it.
His eyes watered as the hellfire settled in. "Spirits, did you poison me?"
"Technically, spirits are a type of poison," Vymeria quipped. "But no, I just gave you something to get your party started."
"That's… disconcerting," Kassius replied, wishing he had something to wash the taste down with.
The music shifted to something a little faster, and the DJ, a Hanar by the name of Sofistranomolus, or DJ Sofi, somehow spoke through the speakers without the use of a microphone.
"This one wishes to request an inquiry as to the well-being of the audience."
With that, the room erupted in cheering. Kassius held his head, wondering when the drink might take effect. Vymeria looked towards the DJ's booth, throwing up a fist and joining in on the fanfare.
"An excellent response. The audience has gratified the efforts of this one. Prior to the initiation of the next song, this one would like to offer congratulations to the recent turian graduates. May the Enkindlers guide you all and provide infinite wisdom in the years to come."
"What a character," Vymeria chuckled, shaking her head. "Alright, Kass. Let's get you on the floor."
Kassius groaned. "I'd rather not."
"Come on! Just one dance with your big sister? We never get to hang out anymore."
He turned his head in rejection.
"Pleeeeeaaaase?"
"If it will make you stop harassing me, then I'll dance to one song."
"Yes!"
He stood up, and suddenly, the effects of his drink became quite evident. His eyes widened as he stumbled, barely able to hold himself up at first. Eventually, he gathered some composure, but the sensation was startling – not unlike standing up on a ship after takeoff.
"Shit," he mumbled, surprising himself. "I, uh… that was fast."
Vymeria laughed. "Don't drink any more than that. It's slow to sink in, but you'll be hammered in a few minutes."
Damn Vymeria.
He followed her like a puppy through the crowd, but almost immediately, he lost sight of her. Typically, he'd feel an immediate need to leave, but the music had begun to settle, and he soon found himself actually wanting to dance.
The turian and asari from the bar seemed to appear in front of him, joining his movements with their own.
"Was that your first time drinking?" the turian asked in a soothing, mature voice. His heart fluttered a little.
"I just graduated, so yes," he replied, just loudly enough to be audible. He wasn't sure what he was doing on the dancefloor, but hopefully he looked as cool as he felt.
The girls exchanged a glance, smiling at one another.
"I'm Sereen," the turian said, then placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "This is my best friend, Q'ora."
"A pleasure. I'm Kassius."
"You just graduated?" Q'ora asked. "What are your plans now?"
"I'm thinking about serving with my brother, Saturus. He's got his own ship now. He's a pretty cool guy."
As he began to ramble, he realized he ought to return the question.
"And what about you two?"
"Well, I'm currently stationed on Palaven, but I'm hoping to transfer here," Sereen answered. "There's a little more adventure to be had in such a mixed community. I'd like to join C-Sec, maybe in traffic control"
"And I'm studying film at the Citadel Academy of Arts," Q'ora replied. "When Sereen comes here, she usually stays with me."
The alcohol made his head feel foggier by the second, almost as though he was dreaming. He hardly noticed the song change to a more bass-heavy one, and he was even less aware of how close Sereen had come to him, or how provocatively she danced. To a sober person, her intentions would be evident, but in the moment, Kassius hardly felt perceptive.
Q'ora moved behind him, and soon, he was sandwiched between two attractive women, dancing in a way that spelled trouble. The smell of their perfumes wafted towards him, along with a faint and more carnal scent he wasn't familiar enough to recognize.
"You're a good dancer, Kass," Sereen complimented, watching him like a hawk.
"Thank you!"
"They say a man who dances well fucks better."
Her bluntness was harsh enough to sink in. Kassius' mandibles slightly parted as he became more flustered. "I, uh, wouldn't know. Never done it."
Fucking moron, he thought to himself. You're still cognitive enough to know that's embarrassing. Snap out of it.
Fuck you, me!
"Well, I wouldn't mind breaking you in," Sereen replied. She was an absolute madwoman, and her asari companion was just as bad as she snuck her way to his aural canal, whispering in a sinfully husky tone.
"Why don't we go back to my place?"
"Back to… your place…?"
It had taken him a while, but Kassius was now fully aware of the situation he found himself in. His cognitive mind was behind closed doors now, but he could feel it slamming against them. His body, on the other hand, was all for the idea – even through his shyness, his plates had shifted beneath his codpiece.
"Look, I, uh, appreciate the offer, but… I don't take this stuff lightly," he tried to say, though his anxiety had built up in his chest. His sub-vocals gave away some of his nervousness, and unfortunately for him, some of his arousal.
Sereen took this as an invitation, pressing herself fully against him. Others in the club danced in such a way, meaning this act drew no outside attention. She moved his hands to her waist, making him almost sick with strange desires.
Almost sick.
Sick.
Very sick.
He gagged, covering his mouth and ripping away from her hips. Rushing clumsily to the restroom, his mind raced: what had he drank?
Whatever it was, it was about to come back up, and then he was getting the hell out of here.
