A/N - It's what you've all been begging for...
Chapter 25 - I Think I'm Gonna Hurl
Shepard's two classes after lunch were as boring as she could have hoped for, though compared to the events that had transpired during lunch, that wasn't too much of a challenge. Her tech class had actually been quite interesting and she'd actually gotten to do quite a bit of hands on tinkering. She hadn't quite known what was going on, but she looked on as other students worked and found it pretty interesting. She learned that class wasn't always like that, one student telling her that they mostly sat at their desks and learned about things from the teacher, but it had been fun getting to mess around with some of the equipment they had in the class.
Kasumi had met her outside of her room after that and taken her to Study of Inner Council Space. Nothing special had happened in that class like it had during Basic Tech, but the entirety of the subject matter fascinated Shepard, so the class hadn't been a dud. She had been a little bit confused since she'd been dropped right in the middle of the school year, but she was a quick learner and figured that she'd be able to catch up quickly.
Kasumi had also showed up at her ICS class and now the two of them were currently headed towards Shepard's last class of the day; Biotic Training.
More than any other class that had been on her schedule, this was the one that she had been dreading the most. On any given day she completely ignored her biotics if she could, and if she had to use them, she used them as little as possible. She wasn't afraid of them, per se, but in a way they intimidated her. On Earth, very few kids at her school had had biotics, and they, too, all kept theirs on the down low. Having biotic powers was not something that was common at all among humans, and quite a few people on Earth viewed Biotics as freaks and often called them 'mutants'. Because of these stigmas and prejudices, Shepard had just found it prudent to advertise her abilities as little as possible.
Now she was on an asari world where it was completely normal and natural to have biotics; it was something that was even embraced. The change was something that she was trying to get used to, but after living with the mentality that her powers were viewed as something negative and bad, that old concept was hard to overcome. She was also extremely nervous because she had never formally trained with her biotics before, and she was terrified that she would lose control or fail miserably and make a complete fool out of herself. Everything was culminating and making her quite the ball of nerves as she walked towards the gyms.
Kasumi was chatting amiable next to her as they walked along, maybe picking up on Shepard's nervousness and attempting to calm her by talking about meaningless things. Shepard was trying to focus on her words, because if she thought too much about what was coming up, she was afraid she was going to hurl.
Her guide was currently rambling on about some kid in her last class who had fallen asleep and when the teacher woke him up, he had jerked so bad that he tumbled out of his chair. "Hey, Kasumi?"
"Yes?" the smaller girl answered, gaving no indication that she was upset about being interrupted mid-narrative.
"How come Ashley kind of... freaked out on James when he teased her about wanting to hang out with Vasir's crowd?" Shepard asked.
After a few moments of silence, she looked to see if Kasumi had heard her question because it was unusual for the girl to be so quite after being asked something. She was very surprised, then, when she glanced beside her and saw that Kasumi had stopped walking and as standing in the middle of the hall a few feet back, students walking around her. Shepard quickly slowed and turned around to walk back to Kasumi's side. "Uh, you okay, Kasumi?"
The uncharacteristically quiet voice that answered her startled Shepard even further. "I know I'm pretty much the main source of gossip at this school, even if I never start false rumors and only spread true things. But... That's not something that I can tell you; it's not my place." Kasumi started walking again and Shepard followed. "If you ever become close enough friends with her, you can ask her then, but you'll have to hear it from her." Kasumi looked at Shepard for second before speaking again, "You could ask some random student and they'd have no problem telling you, but if you respect her, ask her yourself."
Woah, that got real serious real fast... Shepard thought to herself, I was not expecting anything this intense when I asked. She filed the information away to think about on another day, since she obviously wasn't going to be getting any answers any time soon. "Oh. Um, okay, thanks for letting me know."
Kasumi nodded and was quiet for a few moments, and then quietly started talking again. Shepard was glad when her voice returned to her happy, upbeat volume and tempo, having been slightly weirded out by serious Kasumi.
They walked down a couple more hallways until Shepard recognized the hall they were in and realized that they had made it to the gyms. "Um, you wouldn't happen to have any biotics and get to be with me in this class as well, would you?" Shepard asked with a nervous smile.
Kasumi laughed and patted her shoulder. "Nope, sorry, Shep. But don't worry, you'll be fine. Everyone I know that is in the training classes love them. And I know this is your last class, but do you want me to meet you afterwards one more time before the day ends?"
Shepard thought about it before answering, not wanting to inconvenience her faithful guide but nervous about her mental state after she finished with her training. "Would you mind? I know you're probably tired of leading me around all day but I would appreciate it."
"Of course! And don't worry, I've had a great time today! I'm glad I got to be your guide," Kasumi said with a bright smile. "I'll meet you here after class and help you make it out of the building. Do you think you'll need me to show you around tomorrow as well or do you think you have it down?"
"Awesome, thanks. And I'm pretty sure I remember where all my classes are, so don't worry about it."
"Sounds like a plan!" Kasumi looked down at her omni-tool and then back up to Shepard. "Well, I gotta get to class. Have fun!"
Shepard must have had a pathetic look on her face because Kasumi laughed at her and patted her shoulder one more time encouragingly before she turned around and left Shepard to her doom... Alright, it probably wasn't going to be that bad, but she wasn't looking forward to it regardless.
She took a deep breath and then turned around and looked at the doors leading into the gym. She probably looked extremely stupid standing in the middle of the hallway staring at a door, and the kids walking around her probably thought so as well, but she had to mentally prepare herself before she walked in. She was most likely going to have to stand in front of the class and introduce herself (again), and then all the kids would be curious about her and look at her a lot, which would mean they'd be watching her when she made a complete fool out of herself showcasing her less than stellar biotic abilities.
Oh yeah, this is going to be awesome.
-.-.-.-.-
Liara's day would have been exactly like any other day, meaning she would have enjoyed her classes and learning new things, but it measured among some of her less than great days since all she could think about was her father leaving. There wasn't much else that she loved more than school, but this was one day that she wouldn't have minded skipping and getting to spend it elsewhere, namely, with her father.
It's not that she hadn't known the day was coming, Aethyta had been home for a while and another trip had been due soon, but that didn't mean Liara had to like it. She still paid attention in class and took notes, but her heart was most definitely not in her school work and she wasn't very engaged in class. Ironically, what she considered being 'zoned out' was actually the most attentive that some kids ever got in their classes.
Lunch had been alright, though. She didn't have many friends, her shy personality not lending itself well to meeting new people, but those that she ate lunch with were good company and had distracted her for a little while from her father's departure. Sekat, a jumpy salarian she had befriended a few years ago, and her friend Nyxeris, an asari whom she'd been friends with most of her life, had done their best to liven her spirits and lighten her mood. She'd told them a few weeks ago when she'd found out that her father had to leave and they'd tried very hard to be encouraging. They were good friends and Liara was very thankful for them.
After lightening up a bit during lunch, her afternoon classes hadn't seemed as droll. She was still somewhat subdued, but she tried to focus on her class work and participating more in class. The class she had just left was one that was a particular favorite of hers, Ancient Civilizations II, so she'd gotten another boost to her mood. It was an advanced elective class that most students didn't take until they were Sixth years, and even though she was only a Fourth year, the subject was one that fascinated Liara, and she'd absorbed the material lightning quickly and proved that she could keep up with the work load and course curriculum.
At first the kids in her class had thought she'd been lost when she'd walked into the room, and it didn't help that she was also younger than any of her fellow Fourth years since she'd skipped a year. Quickly, though, she proved to them that she was smart enough to be there.
When Liara had been a First year, Benezia had appealed to the Academy board when she'd seen that Liara was not being challenged enough in her regular classes and had convinced them to allow her to advance a year. Most saw Liara's grades and agreed with her mother, and those that were skeptical were soon silenced when Liara aced standard tests that were designed for Third years when she was a First year. She probably could have jumped two years if she had wanted to, but Liara's father hadn't wanted her to advance too quickly and be isolated by her age. Benezia had reluctantly agreed with Aethyta and after half a year as a First year Liara had started taking Second year classes.
Ancient Civ II was usually taken alongside the Sixth year history class about the Protheans because it focused on the other civilizations that had existed besides the Protheans, but because of her schedule, Liara couldn't take the class on the Protheans until the second half of the year. It disappointed her, but she was just excited that she got to take it either way. Ever since she had read a book from her mother's library about the Protheans she had been fascinated by them. She was almost one hundred percent certain that the ancient race and their culture was what she wanted to study about at university, and she planned to one day go out and explore their ruins that were dotted across the galaxy. It was a point of contention between her and her mother, and as much as she hated doing anything that went against her mother's wishes, she was passionate enough about the Protheans that she was willing to do something that her mother disapproved of.
So as she was going to her last class of the day she was in a slightly better mood and not as melancholy. Biotics training was also something else that she enjoyed immensely, and she was quite happy that it was her final class since it gave her a chance to forget about how her day had gone up until that point and focus on her power and the energy running through her. Being distracted while practicing with biotics could be quite dangerous, so Liara used it as a chance to free her mind of any bothersome thoughts and for a short time and ignore any problems that she had going on.
She walked through the doors that led into the gym and made her way over to the rest of the students that were milling about on the padded floors waiting for training to start. She didn't really look at anybody as she walked in and quietly went to stand on the outskirts of the mass of kids. The biotic classes weren't year specific, so there were First years mixed in with Sixth years. Age didn't matter much when it came to biotics, power did, so within each class, students were subdivided into groups by their power level.
There were four power groups that kids were put in; group 1 was the kids with the lowest power levels and 4 was the highest. Some students used their classification to lord it over their peers, but for the most part kids weren't arrogant about it, especially because someone in group 1 could still beat someone in 3 or 4 if they had better control. Just because someone had a lot of power did not mean they necessarily knew how to control their power. Most of the time, trainers partnered kids up with others in their power group, but because control could often best power, the trainers would sometimes mix things up and put a high control, low power person with a low control, high power person.
Liara was actually one of the best in her entire class, something that often surprised a lot of people. Depending on the student, it was either a pleasant surprise or an unhappy surprise. The Academy was very diligent with its anti-bullying policy, but faculty and staff just aren't able to be everywhere at all times and people still got picked on. One of those, on occasion, was Liara.
Having two asari parents wasn't something that had ever seemed strange to her until she'd started going to school. Kids will say what their parents might not, and taunting Liara because she was a pureblood was something that she'd been forced to deal with most of her educational life. Adults, for the most part, aren't rude enough to insult purebloods to their faces, preferring to talk about them to their friends behind their backs, but children are often times much more vicious than
their parents. The taunting wasn't as bad as it would have been had she been raised on Thessia, but Sanves was still an asari world and as such, the prejudices were still prevalent.
When Liara first came home to her parents and told them of the children who had taunted her, they were outraged, as any parent would be, but they comforted her and taught her to be strong in the face of the torment. When she became old enough to utilize her biotics for the first time, she took most of her classmates and teachers by surprise with her ability, though they should have known better.
Not well known by those who are non-asari, those who are purebloods tend to have stronger biotics than most. The only explanation is that because both parents are asari, and therefore natural biotics themselves, the biotic potential in their daughter would be great than those with only one biotic parent. It is a theory that is often times criticized since some krogan and turians are biotics and, more recently, human as well. Regardless of the cause, it seems that purebloods do often times make stronger biotics. Also, daughters born to matriarchs have a tendency to be more powerful biotics, and that is less of a mystery than the pureblood theory. Matriarchs have lived long lives and have had centuries to develop their skills and abilities. In Liara, the two phenomenon were combined, seeing as how both her parents were asari and matriarchs, and as a result she gained exceptionally powerful biotics.
So to many students her abilities come as a surprise when she displays them, but she never flaunts them nor uses them to lord over other students, so most of her peers developed a quiet respect for her. Those that picked on her became more weary and those that thought her weak reevaluated their opinions of her. It didn't gain or lose her friends, but fewer people bothered her about her parentage.
The kids were only standing around for a few minutes when the trainer came out and took the floor in front of them. There were multiple biotic training classes at the Normandy, there being too many kids to just have one section of it, and multiple trainers as well. The trainer for the class that Liara took was Trainer Shiala, who, coincidentally, also happened to be an acolyte of her mother's.
When Aethyta, and by extension Benezia, was exiled to Sanves, Benezia's support of her bondmate lost her some respect and standing in the community. Some of her followers abandoned her, those who had sworn loyalty to her broke away, not wanting their names and futures to be tainted by her name. However a great majority still believed and respected her, and decided to move with her when she relocated. Shiala was among those who remained faithful to Benezia and willingly followed her to Sanves.
Because of the loyalty and dedication that Shiala had shown and continued to show, she rose to a very prominent standing in the T'Soni household. She was almost considered part of their family, and as such had been a constant in Liara's life. Before the humans had even joined the galactic stage, therefore before the Normandy had been built, she had helped Aethyta teach and train some of the newer recruits of commandos on Sanves. When Liara became of an age to begin using her own biotics, she quit her job with Aethyta, with the matriarch's blessing, and became a full time mentor and teacher to Liara before she was in school. Under Shiala's tutelage, Liara was skilled beyond her years in regards to her biotics, and was leaps and bounds ahead of her peers.
When Liara started attending school, while still remaining her mentor, Shiala stepped back from full time mentoring of Liara and helped keep the entire T'Soni household running smoothly. She also taught any new acolytes that came seeking Benezia's wisdom. When the Normandy Academy opened, Benezia had been on the original board and she had offered two recommendations for the positions of biotic instructors that needed to be filled. One was Shiala, who gladly accepted and had worked there ever since. The other was an officer from law enforcement who worked under Aethyta and had been looking to move into a less demanding position. Detective Anaya then became Trainer Anaya when the job was offered to her.
There were a few other trainers that worked at the Academy as well, but Shiala was Liara's current biotic trainer. Biotic training was something that students with biotic potential had to take every year, not just once. Her first year Liara had been with Anaya, her second year she'd been with one of the other trainers, but this year she got to be with Shiala. Only those in administration who were asari really knew of Liara and Shiala's connection, but they did not see too much wrong with it. Liara and Shiala were not blood relatives and had been assured by Benezia and Shiala herself that no favoritism would be shown, and as long as it didn't interfere with the class, they saw no problem with allowing Shiala to train Liara. Liara had been very excited to get to work with her mentor again and training with Shiala was an excellent way for her to wrap up her days.
On a usual day the students would break up into their power groups and then pair up with their partners, trainers having assigned most kids a permanent partner for class times, and start working on their warm-ups. So when Shiala walked up, out of habit the students began breaking off into their groups. They halted, however, when she cleared her throat and spoke. "Before you break up into partners, I would like to make a short announcement." She motioned with her hand and a student walked up to her side. "Some of you may have already met her in your earlier classes, but we have a new student with us today. This is Shepard and she will be training with us."
Liara watched and listened as Shiala introduced the new girl. She had heard a few people in her classes mention the new student and had wondered a little bit herself about who she was, but hadn't given too much thought over to it. She hadn't been in any of Liara's classes until now, but if she was lower than a Fourth year that was understandable since Liara was in higher level classes. Being quite shy and keeping mostly to herself, Liara didn't interact with many students outside of group work in class or her small group of friends, namely Sekat and Nyxeris. She had never really gotten to know any humans and as such wasn't very accurately able to approximate the new girl's age. For all Liara knew she could be a Second year or a Sixth year.
Shiala wasn't extremely tall, though she was taller than the average asari, but the new girl, Shepard, was just as tall, which made her taller than Liara. Liara was standing sort of to the side, so she was not looking at her straight on, but from what she could see the human had blue-ish eyes and striking features. Her hair (which was something that fascinated Liara about humans) was a rich brown and hung long down her back. She stood nervously, though Liara couldn't blame her, but held her back upright, and although her hands were clenched behind her back, she looked the other students in the eyes confidently. Liara had never been a new student before, thankfully, but she figured she would look a hundred times more wrung out and nervous than this new girl was, and was impressed with her courage.
"She moved from Earth not too long ago, so please welcome her and help her adjust," Shiala finished her introduction. "You can all go into your groups now and start with your normal warm up routines," she dismissed.
Letting her eyes look over the new girl one more time, Liara turned away and went to find her partner. Liara was the most advanced in the class, but her partner was another asari who was quite strong as well, and they worked well together as partners. When they turned to face each other, Liara cleared her mind and turned all of her attention to herself and her partner, tuning out all of the other students, the new girl and her sadness over her father's departure. This was a chance to distract herself from everything around her and focus on the power running through her body.
She took a deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it, and then she nodded to her partner and with a flash of blue and a rush of energy they began.
A/N - ...and don't kill me because it's not how you wanted it to happen! Realism guys, it's what I aim for. Ain't no love at first sight up in this business. But hey, they met... sort of. More later, don't worry.
And I read a story where someone's headcanon was that purebloods have stronger biotics and that daughters of matriarchs have stronger biotics, meaning that Liara is pretty freaking strong. I don't know who it was (sorry!), but if you guys know what story I'm talking about then they get the credit for the concept written about in here!