6
Ashley led the way as the two women crossed the threshold of Chora's Den. Amalia had never been to Chora's Den. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure if she had even passed by the entrance on the street. It wasn't that she had been outwardly avoiding it. It was simply the fact that she had never been to this part of the Citadel before. She was glad that Ashley had, otherwise the biotic was sure that they would have gotten lost.
The gunnery chief moved over to the bar, Amalia following, and took a seat on a barstool. Ashley gestured to the bartender and ordered them some drinks, but Amalia didn't notice. She was too busy taking in the interior of Chora's Den.
Aliens of all sorts interacted with one another, either sitting at a table enjoying a drink or lounging at the bar. Lights flashed and neon lights blazed within the bar. Bodies pulsed and moved to the beat of the music that was being blasted throughout. Scantily clad asari danced upon raised platforms and moved among the crowd, looking for tips.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a nudge from Ashley's elbow. "You drink alcohol, right?" she asked. She started to slide small glass filled with a bright blue liquid in it towards her.
Amalia reached and wrapped her hand around the clear glass. She turned and offered the other woman a smile. "Only when there is a worthy occasion," she said.
Ashley smiled back and gripped her own glass, raising off of the counter towards her lips. "Why don't we drink now and come up with what the occasion was later?"
The biotic grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me."
The two women raised their glasses and swiftly downed the contents. The set their empty cups down onto the bar counter with a dull click. Amalia dipped her head slightly as the alcohol raced down her throat in a burning sensation.
"What was that?" Amalia asked, coughing a little.
Ashley smiled and cleared her throat, the alcohol singed her throat as well. "I'm not entirely sure. I just told the bartender to recommend something and send it this way."
"That's a little risky, don't you think?" Amalia said, still struggling with the burning sensation that the alcohol left behind.
The gunnery chief's smile broadened a little more. "What's life without a little risk?" she asked her teasingly.
"Safe," the biotic answered bluntly.
"That's boring. Taking risks makes life exciting," the brunette told her.
"And more dangerous," Amalia added.
Ashley's expression soured. "Wow. You're such a downer behind all of those smiles, aren't you?" Amalia shrugged. "I think we need to get you more alcohol." The brunette turned back towards the bar and waved to the asari bartender. "We'll have a few more rounds of whatever you just sent over," she called.
The bartender nodded in their direction. She ducked behind the counter and set about preparing their drinks.
"So, tell me your deepest darkest secret," Ashley said with a mischievous smile as she folded her arms onto the bar counter.
"What makes you think I would tell you something like that?" she asked.
"Because if you don't, then I will be forced to get you drunk enough to where you will tell me," she answered, her smile widening ever so slightly.
Amalia laughed. "You're welcome to try. But just so you know, I'm not a heavy drinker. This next drink will probably be my last."
Ashley frowned. "Why do you have to be so responsible? It's our shore leave."
"Well, someone has to be the designated driver after you're done," the biotic grinned.
The gunnery chief rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She turned as two more drinks were slid across the bar towards them. "Thanks," Ashley said, smiling at the bartender gratefully.
If Amalia didn't know better, she would have thought she saw the asari blush. Her bright blue eyes shifted to the woman seated next to her. She looked just in time to see her quickly down her second drink. Amalia thought about it, but wasn't entirely sure. She knew Ashley was religious, but perhaps… "Hey Ash?" The gunnery chief looked at her. Amalia gestured to the female bartender. "I think the bartender kind of likes you."
The gunnery chief's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really?" She turned her head in the direction of the asari. The bartender noticed her gaze and smiled. Ashley turned back to Amalia. "Well, how 'bout that."
"Are you…interested?" Amalia asked carefully.
Ashley laughed. "Are you asking if I'm gay?" she grinned.
"Well…I was only asking…" Amalia said, feeling awkward. She fiddled with her fingers underneath the counter as her hands rested on her lap.
The brunette laughed softly once more. "Don't worry about it. I'm not offended or anything. To answer your question, no. I'm not gay or bisexual." She nodded towards the biotic next to her. "What about you?"
Amalia shook her head. "Nope. Totally straight."
"Alright. So men then?" Amalia smiled and nodded. "Okay, so what's your type?"
"My type?"
"Yes, your type. What are you looking for in a man?" Ashley asked with a small smile.
"I don't know. Are you trying to set me up or something?" the dark haired woman asked.
"Possibly."
"And what makes you think that I don't already have a boyfriend or something?"
"Do you?"
"Well, no…"
"Well then, what's your type?"
Amalia sighed and rolled her strange blue eyes. "I don't know. I've never really had a type."
"Everyone has a type," Ashley told her.
The biotic shrugged. "Not me. I don't really have any preferences."
"Yes you do. Maybe you just don't know what they are yet," Ashley offered thoughtfully. "Let's see…are you interested in aliens?"
Amalia's face went totally serious. "You're not going to set me up with a krogan, are you? It's not Wrex, is it? Tell me it's not Wrex."
Ashley let out a breathy laugh. "No, despite how perfect that relationship would be. But seriously, are you interested at all in men of other species?" she asked.
The dark haired woman shrugged once again. "I don't know. I guess."
"Alright. That's something to start with," the gunnery chief said, nodding her head. "What about race? Skin or scale color you like better than the rest?"
"Ash!" Amalia exclaimed. She cast a quick look around her to make sure no one heard that.
The brunette looked surprised by her reaction. "What? It was a simple question. I'm not judging."
"Well I am," the biotic said with a disbelieving laugh. She quickly tucked a few stray strands of black hair behind her ears.
"Don't be so sensitive," she admonished with a heavy sigh. She reached forward and grabbed Amalia's glass and quickly downed the contents.
Amalia laughed as she watched her drink her third glass of alcohol. "Is it actually possible for you to be drunk that fast?" she asked in incredulity.
"Not a chance. It takes time for it to work. It doesn't happen that fast," the gunnery chief answered.
"Maybe in this instance it did," Amalia smiled.
Ashley rolled her eyes. "You'll do whatever you can to dodge a question," she told her with a sigh. She propped her elbow up on the counter and rested her head on her hand as she looked at Amalia sideways. "Why is that?"
Amalia shrugged. "There are just some questions that I don't want to answer. But," she held up a finger and pointed it menacingly at the gunnery chief. This caused a smile to appear on the brunette's face. "In this case, I was not dodging. I genuinely don't have a detailed list of what I'm looking for in a man. I don't have any particular preferences."
"So…you don't know what you want," the gunnery chief said slowly.
The biotic nodded. "Pretty much. And I'm fine with that. I'm not really interested in having a relationship right now."
"Now, but what about later?" the other woman asked in a teasing tone.
Once again, Amalia shrugged. "I don't know. I'll know it when it happens." The biotic shifted her gaze to Ashley. "What about you? After you asked me all these questions, I feel like I should ask you what your type is now," she smiled.
Ashley let out a little laugh. She reached down and grabbed another glass of alcohol that had been delivered while they and been talking. She raised it to her lips. Then, with a snap of her wrist and a tilt of her head, the gunnery chief swiftly downed the cup's contents. With a grimace, she set the now empty glass back on the counter and turned to look at Amalia. "Well," she began, considering it thoughtfully. "He has to be tall. Dark hair. Blue eyes. I'm not opposed to scars. Brave and heroic. Oh! And he needs to be a good dancer."
Amalia burst out laughing. "Your type is Shepard!" she exclaimed, a wide grin on her face.
The gunnery chief looked at her with an utterly shocked expression. "He is not," she declared defensively.
"Oh, yes he is! He has dark hair and blue eyes. He's tall. He's brave and heroic. He even has that long scar on his head that goes into his hairline," Amalia told her, listing each one on her hand.
Ashley nodded with each one she said, obviously not arguing with her. "True. He is all those things. But, one thing he is not, is a good dancer."
"Really?" Amalia asked, cocking an elegant black eyebrow quizzically.
"Really. The man has no rhythm. You really should see it sometime. It's hilarious," the brunette smiled.
"I'll put it on my to-do list," Amalia said bluntly. She cocked her head slightly to the side as she regarded the gunnery chief, a faint smile still on her face. "Oh, come on. You cannot tell me that you never considered it."
Ashley bit her lower lip and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess, when we first met I was momentarily struck by him. But, it was nothing more than an attraction. There wasn't really anything there. Besides, I saw that someone else liked him a lot more than I did."
Amalia paused. Is she talking about Tali? The biotic brushed another stray strand of black hair behind her ear. "Who likes him?" she asked slowly.
Ashley eyed her warily, obviously ensure of whether to tell her. "I'm not sure I should say. For her sake."
"I understand. It's just that, I know someone who likes Shepard, too. We may be thinking of the same person."
This caught the brunette's attention. "Really? Okay…umm…is it a certain quarian we know?" she asked slowly and carefully.
Amalia nodded vigorously, a wide grin breaking out onto her face. "Yes! I've been talking to her about it. I wasn't sure if anyone else had noticed."
The gunnery chief laughed. "Nope. Both Liara and I noticed it, too. Though, we haven't said anything to her yet. What have you been telling her?"
"Nothing much, yet. She keeps denying it, but I see the way she is when she's around him. There is no mistaking it. I've told her that she can come to when she's ready to confess, but I'm not entirely sure when that will happen," the biotic told her female companion.
Ashley nodded. "She has to admit to herself, and obviously us as well, that she likes him. Only then can we begin to help."
"If she even wants or needs our help," Amalia commented.
The brunette nodded. "True, true." She tilted her head slightly to the side as a thought came into her head. "Tali's young, isn't she?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Do you think she's even…you know…been with a guy?"
"How should I know?"
"I don't know. I was just asking. Well, no offense to her, but I'm going to bet no. Isn't it kind of hard for quarians? You know, because they could get really sick if they take off their suits. Not to mention if they touched someone without it. It must be dangerous for them. So, like I said, I don't think she would have yet," Ashley said.
"Yeah," Amalia said, really drawing out the word slowly. "Umm, why don't we talk about something else besides Tali's love life?"
Ashley laughed. "Fair enough." She swiveled in her bar stool and looked behind them to where the dance floor was. "Do you want to dance?"
"Uhhh…" The biotic shifted her gaze in the direction of the crowd of people dancing on the crowded floor, moving to the beat of the music. "I don't know if I'm really in the mood."
"Oh, come on!" Ashley stood up and grabbed Amalia's arms. She began to pull her none too gently towards the dance floor. "Don't be such a downer. Besides, if you're in a bad mood, dancing will put you in a good one," she told her, having to shout as they came closer to the source of the music.
"I really don-" Amalia was cut off as both of the women's omni-tools flared to life, emitting a pale orange light.
The gunnery chief sighed with a smile and released Amalia's arm. "Saved by the bell."
Both of them lifted their omni-tools and read the message that had been sent to them. It was a simple one: All crew are to return to the Normandy, ASAP. After they finished reading, they turned off their omni-tools and exchanged a look.
"So much for our girl's day," Ashley said.
"Oh, it wasn't bad. It wasn't the greatest day of my life, but it wasn't bad," Amalia said, smirking. The gunnery chief laughed and gently pushed her in a playful manner. "Hey, at least we didn't go to the movie with Liara and Tali. I bet they're walking out of the theatre now."
"I wonder if any of the other people in the theatre are throwing food at them for obstructing their view or taking a message in the middle of the movie," Ashley grinned.
"We'll find out soon enough," the biotic answered.