Chapter 11
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Mass Effect franchise and likely never will.
Miranda's POV
"Get up, Miranda," a loud, female voice said.
The brunette groaned. Her head was throbbing like hell and each of her limbs felt weighed down, almost like solid lead bars took the place of her bones. She struggled to open her eyes because it seemed like they were glued shut. She barely managed to peel them open and saw a hellishly angelic face above her. Fucking Aria T'Loak. Miranda still didn't understand why she had chosen to ask Miranda for help in the first place. Yet she knew that she couldn't help Oriana without the Pirate Queen's help.
"I swear to god," Aria practically growled. "If you do not get your finely shaped ass out of that bed, I will drag you out."
Miranda balled the quilt on top of her weary body and threw the heavy fabric at the offending woman. Aria snatched the ball out of the air and tossed it aside.
"You should work on not being so rude, Miranda. It's unbecoming."
"Maybe if you wouldn't act like I belong to you, we wouldn't have a problem." The assassin's voice was rough, more so than usual.
"Why are you so exhausted anyway? You'd think that we'd stayed up all night doing naughty things."
Miranda felt an unusual wave of panic shoot through her veins. "We didn't, did we?"
Aria walked over to the kitchen and leaned on the counter. "I'm surprised your brain isn't functioning correctly. What did you do, have a drink that some stranger gave you?"
Miranda thought for a moment. She remembered all of yesterday up until after they left Eternity. She also remembered having a sip of a clear liquid that she had gotten from the bar. After that things grew fuzzy. She pressed a hand against her forehead, trying to make the headache go away, but to no avail.
"Ah, yes," Aria said, snapping her fingers. "You did have something. That drink at that bar. You shouldn't trust those people, you know. Trusting me would be your safest bet when it comes to things like that." She gave a knowing smirk. "But I suppose it's best if you don't remember last night. You were certainly acting out of character."
"Just tell me what I did," Miranda muttered.
"You tried to have sex with me," Aria said bluntly.
"Oh, fuck me," Miranda said miserably, burying her face in her hands.
"I'd love to, but we need to be somewhere so get dressed." Aria herself was dressed exactly as she was yesterday, same dark brown clothing and leather boots.
"Are you not going to change?" Miranda asked. "You wore that yesterday."
"You certainly have a way with wanting to get someone naked. But you can't get me topless that quickly. You'll need to work on your charm before that happens."
The assassin ignored her and got up, looking for her bag of supplies. It was resting near Aria's own. She untied the top and dug her hand inside, searching for her town clothing. She pulled out a white shirt with black, long sleeves and black, form fitting pants.
"Do you mind turning away while I change?" Miranda inquired.
"You didn't seem to have a problem with it when we were in all of those taverns. Just hurry up and get dressed. I'm not going to look."
Miranda sighed and practically tore her night shirt and shorts off. She suddenly felt her back growing hot and glanced behind her to see Aria openly staring at her with unbridled lust in her blue opal eyes. Aria did nothing but give a sly wink to her. Miranda felt her entire face flush as she whipped back around and hurriedly dressed.
When she finished dressing, she quietly cleared her throat before saying, "You really should consider being more considerate of others and their privacy."
"I don't see why I should when we're both attractive women, in the same room, and you're clearly willing after your little display last night. But no matter. We have to be somewhere in a few minutes, so make sure you grab your weapons. Try not to use them on me this time." Aria tossed her a look of irritation, but it was lessened by some other emotion that Miranda could not identify for the life of her. She assumed she imagined it.
Miranda retrieved three leather belts that held her knives and crisscrossed two of them on her chest and the third one strapped around her ample hips. The blades were still firmly situated in their sheaths.
"Where are we going?" Miranda asked aloud.
"A little ways out of town, probably a mile or two," Aria replied, still gazing intently at Miranda.
The Cerberus officer furrowed her brows. "Could you stop staring at me like that?"
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Aria asked coolly.
"No," Miranda lied. "I would just appreciate it if you didn't stare at me like I'm a piece of meat."
"Okay," Aria replied. Her gaze immediately changed to something Miranda would never thought the lethal ruler was capable of. Warmth and compassion. "Is this better?"
Miranda gave an exasperated sigh and shook her head. "Can we just go?"
"After I suit up." With that, the sovereign of Varris walked over to her own bag, which was right next to Miranda. Aria didn't even bother to mind the miniscule distance between the two; she simply sifted through the large, cloth sack for her ebony armor and leather undercoating. She leisurely slipped into the toughened pants and overshirt, all the while not paying Miranda one bit of attention. Aria then slid on the metal plates, tightening the straps on the greaves, vambraces, pauldrons, and chestplate. She placed the leather straps around her waist and chest and slid her weapons in their respective holsters.
"Now we can go," Aria said, after letting her gear settle properly on her shoulders.
When the pair headed out of the city, avoiding the authorities the entire way, they traveled for what seemed like the better part of an hour before Aria finally stopped. The place she stopped at was surrounded by towering tropical trees and lush grass. Vines and unique fruits hung from various branches on the trees. Every now and then, Miranda would spot what looked like a strange mixture of a lizard and a monkey. Once, Miranda swore she saw a black panther prowling around on one of the thicker branches.
Aria sat on the trunk of a fallen tree, resting her arms on her knees. Miranda simply stood, crossing her arms over her chest.
"So why are we here? Miranda asked.
"We're meeting an old friend of mine," Aria replied simply, not even looking at Miranda. Suddenly, what seemed like an earthquake shook the ground and the sound of trees being plowed down rang through the dense forest. "And here he is." Aria stood up, a grin gracing her features.
An enormous, glittering creature walking on four legs shouldered its way through the thick tree branches and leaves. The sunlight was refracted off of what looked like diamond and onyx…was that fur? Glowing, emerald eyes shone through the dimness of the forest. Miranda was now able to make out the shape of this colossal creature. It was a wolf. A giant, forty-foot tall wolf made from stones rarer than a sighting of a thresher maw. It was vaguely familiar, so much that Miranda could almost put her finger on it. It looked at the Cerberus operative with a strong sense of knowing, which caused goose bumps to erupt on her skin.
"What took you so long, Thane?" Aria announced, rising from her place on the fallen trunk.
"I stopped for a snack," the wolf's ethereal voice rumbled.
"You are such a liar," Aria said, shaking her head. "You don't eat. Ever."
"I took a scenic detour." The colossal wolf, Thane, leaned back and rested on his haunches.
"That's more believable," Aria told him.
Miranda finally cleared her throat, annoyed at clearly being left out. Aria glanced at her then looked back at the crystalline predator.
"You remember Miranda Lawson, yes?" Aria asked him.
Thane once again turned his weighty gaze to Miranda. "Indeed. The one you are in—"
"Yes, yes, that one," Aria interrupted, anger momentarily roughening her voice.
Thane laid down completely, crossing his front paws in a show of comfort and ease. "You have not yet told her? Do you remember what happened the last time, all those years ago?"
"Do you really think that I'd have forgotten, Thane?" Aria snapped. "I may be old. That doesn't mean that my memories deteriorate. You should know that better than anyone, you old dog."
The canine glared at the Pirate Queen, using the full force of his ancient wisdom and rage in his bright green eyes. However, Aria knew that he was not truly angry at her, nor would he harm her. "If you were another person, you would cease to exist after that comment and tone of your voice."
"Yes, well, I'm me. And that isn't changing."
"Okay, look," Miranda practically shouted. "If you two are comfortable enough to stay here and chat, I'm going to leave now because I have to help my sister." With that, she practically stormed out of the dense jungle. The Cerberus operative walked out the way she and Aria had originally entered, not caring if the sovereign and her wolf friend followed. Her gait was a quiet one, the soft soles of her leather boots diffusing any sound as she stepped on the leaves and fallen twigs the decorated the soil.
"Miranda!" Aria's voice rang out after a few minutes.
The Cerberus assassin ignored her and continued walking, despite the protests a small part of her mind was making.
"Miranda Lawson!" Aria bellowed again.
Miranda continued to ignore her. She was almost out of the forest now.
"Miranda Eve Lawson!"
The woman stopped cold in her tracks. She had never told anyone her middle name, least of all the Pirate Queen. The only person besides her father that knew it was The Illusive Man. Though it didn't surprise Miranda as much as it might have someone else. After all, there was no telling just how long Aria had been alive. Miranda knew that she had ruled Varris for at least three hundred years. That was all the information The Illusive Man would give her, aside from the fact that the monarch was extremely dangerous and difficult to kill.
Miranda suddenly felt a warm hand on her shoulder and she whipped around, preparing to throw her most menacing glare at Aria. The smirk on Aria's face only made Miranda's face harden in anger and irritation. Aria, however, was not taken aback like most people would be.
"Do not use my middle name again, Aria," Miranda stormed. "Ever."
"I do what I want, Miranda," Aria replied, her own indignation rising. "Do you want us to help you or not?"
By this time, Thane had shouldered his way through the remaining trees and foliage separating him from the two women. Miranda gave him a once over and frowned, her eyebrows drawing together and the corners of her lips turning down.
"How do you expect him to walk around Illium without being noticed and causing a stir?" Miranda inquired. "He isn't exactly ordinary something you see every day. He'll cause a stir; it could put Oriana in danger. You saw those people outside the warehouse. They probably already know what's going on. Who knows how they were tipped off—"
"Please tell me you don't talk this much in bed," Aria interrupted. "Look, Oriana is going to be fine because Thane won't go around town being noticed. He knows how to hide." The brunette turned to the wolf. "Show Miranda why we won't be harassed."
Thane's body began to shimmer and ripple, as though he was made of liquid. He shrank in size until he was as small as a direwolf. His fur melted into a deep black that had a slight green tint to it. Gray and white fur interrupted the sleek, black coat. His claws of diamond turned into traditional, organic talons. His eyes transformed from hard stones to moist, spring green eyes with large pupils. It shocked Miranda how quickly he morphed from a four-story tall, crystalline creature into a somewhat ordinary wolf.
"You may quit gawking at me, Miss Lawson," Thane told her. His voice had acquired a bit of roughness, as though he needed to clear his throat. It was a strange tone, if Miranda was honest with herself. Strange and quite foreign.
"If she should be staring at anyone," Aria spoke up with a smirk on her face. "It should be me. After all, she did try to have sex with me last night. Almost succeeded, too."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Miranda asked incredulously. "I did not."
Aria's smirk only widened. "Let's let you think that."
AN: I apologize for leaving it off there and in such a short chapter, but I've been really damn busy lately. Just ask my coworkers and the misogynistic pig that was harassing me. Anyway, I'm working on the next chapter so don't fret!