A Few Personal Favors

by Sachehund

For Tela Vasir, a run-of-the-mill containment mission jumps the rails as she finds herself in an increasingly irritating web of intrigue involving a shadowy cabal, mind-bending drugs, a psychotic conspiracy theorist, scripture-quoting Elcor, clandestine fetish clubs, petit fours, and of course, Commander Shepard. In short, Ms. Vasir has had better days. Tevos/Vasir, Adult Content.

25. All For Show

I've been really lazy about fixing everything in this part, I know, but uh, if you spot something egregious, PM me about it. Otherwise, I just want this thing done soon, aauuugh.

Thank you for the favs and comments, though! For a story that literally has no banging yet, and pays attention to really background characters, I'm amazed at the kind of attention it's gotten. Your patronage is appreciated~

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[ 25 :: All For Show ]

---

NOIR: This is going nowhere. All you're doing is talking in circles. You don't care, never had the capacity to care, about anything other than your own, insignificant problems.

NISAKIS: I could easily say the same to y-

NOIR: It's a little ironic, actually. The media being your first concern. And why is that? Appearances sake? Are your crows feet beginning to show again? Worrying if, perhaps, it's time for another surgery?

NISAKIS: I never-

NOIR: I'm on the cusp of making sure that what happened to me never happens again. Of making sure that the woman intent on giving more loopholes to the organizations that did this to me never gets a chance to. I want her scandalized, Edine, too humiliated to put any more of her barbaric legislation into practice, and that's precisely what I'll get. But you? You'll have done nothing. And I suspect that you'll even be a bit disappointed when the 'media spotlight' you're so fearful of never swings in your direction.

NISAKIS: Don't speak to me like I'm... [PAUSE] Did you say legislation?

NOIR: Ah. So you are listening.

NISAKIS: What do you mean by that? Who are you after?

NOIR: But only to a point, I see.

NISAKIS: Yirell-

NOIR: Really, Edine, what part of 'your representative in the Council' did you fail to grasp?

---

Stepping out of the courtyard, and into the Voreia's hallway should have felt like a reprieve. Instead, it felt like entering into an entirely new nightmare, the adrenaline that had coursed through Tevos's system beginning to ebb in time with the soft, pneumatic hiss-click of the door closing behind them.

There was a tinnitus hum in her ears that came in lieu of the sound, punctuated by the steady pounding of her heart, each beat feeling more labored than the last. That the sensation was little more than an illusion barely mattered.

At her side, her free hand had started to shake, her attempts to keep it still by balling it into a fist proving futile. An undefinably lightheaded feeling was quick to follow, a tremble that worked its way up her arms leaving in its wake a light tingle; an answering wave of displaced sensation.

None of this felt real anymore. The conversation- confrontation, rather- that had just taken place in the courtyard was like a far-off memory, the re-entry into the hotel itself not unlike immersing herself in water.

"Councilor?" she heard alongside her, the soft tones of Tela's voice, reminding her- it seemed ridiculous that she even needed the reminder in the first place, all things considered- that she wasn't alone in this. "You okay?"

Tela had to know that the answer was a definite no. She had to. To that end, the only response Tevos gave was a subtle shift of the hand shielding her eyes, as if it were necessary to obscure her gaze from the spectre alongside her, no matter the fact that it hardly seemed to matter anymore. Tela had already seen it, seen all of it, from her loss of composure, to the apparent lack of self-awareness she'd so blatantly exhibited in staring down the matriarch they'd just left behind.

"Councilor," she heard again; saw, in her peripheral vision, Tela take a step closer. "Are you-"

And then there was touch, skin against skin, the simple brush of Tela's palm over her shoulder making her breath catch, her every muscle going tight, body jerking away instinctively to avoid contact, the sudden reaction bringing the younger matron's words to an abrupt halt.

"Sorry," Tela said, hands raised in feigned surrender. "Should've realized..."

"It's-" Tevos paused to regain herself, dimly aware of a distant sound wafting down the hallway, as her eyes focused in on the polished marble beneath her feet, as if to assure herself that it was there at all. "It's fine, Tela," she made herself say, voice softened- she could hear the light tremor in it, the breathlessness. "You just startled me, is all."

Tela didn't say anything for a moment, save, "Yeah, I bet," and Tevos didn't look up to see the expression she wore- just saw the brief, tense brush of her thumbs against her fingertips, one of a scant few tells she tended to give when she was making it a point to bite back whatever was on her mind.

About what, Tevos wasn't sure, but she knew better than to ask, no matter how tempted.

"Anyway," Tela continued, a bit more apologetic- you're making her uncomfortable- than Tevos was used to hearing, "as much as I wish I could give you time to adjust to this? I don't know how much longer we've got until someone shows up."

Embarrassed for you, the thought concluded, unbidden, unwanted- but very likely accurate.

"I just need to know if you can walk on your own," Tela prompted her, a bit more urgently, making her aware that she'd lapsed back into silence, into stillness.

"I think so," Tevos said, trying her best to ignore a resurgence of that keening sound coming from further down the hallway; tried to tell herself that it wasn't real. "I'm not sure," she admitted, then, that sound- screaming, was it?- amplifying the peculiar feeling of weightlessness that had rooted her in place. "This is all just- very disorienting."

"Disorienting," Tela repeated. "Like... 'I can't walk' disorienting, or- 'the wall's not supposed to look like that?'"

How was she supposed to respond to that? "A little of both?" she said, fighting the urge to glance down the hallway.

"Then would it be alright if I gave you some help?" Tela said, careful in her choice of words, in her approach. "I mean... I know touch isn't exactly the most comfortable thing for you right now, but we really need to get moving."

There was reticence in those words, and for a time, Tevos couldn't help but resent it, even as she told herself that it wasn't further proof of second-hand embarrassment. Still, those words sounded cautious, almost uneasy, as if laying hands on her was- not repulsive, but certainly not desired. You should be grateful she's being so mindful about this, she reminded herself impatiently, opening her eyes to keep from seeing the colorful streamers that were insistent on igniting behind her lids. It's precisely what she should be doing.

It was precisely the response that was expected of the younger matron after Tevos had made it a point to pull away from the first attempt to initiate contact, responding as if out of fear, rather than surprise. She'd be loathe to give you the wrong idea, was the thought that came in the wake of those ruminations, double-edged, like everything else. Loathe to give the impression of taking advantage- loathe to have her superior think that the whiplash effects of any stimulation were intended.

That should have been a good thing. Should have been-

"Tevos," she heard again, Tela's voice turning more urgent. "Look, I know it's difficult to keep focused, but-"

"Just do what you need to do, Tela," Tevos interrupted, a little more abruptly than intended, her voice carrying hints of distress she wished she could just keep under wraps. "Please," she added, forcing a calm into her tone. "The sooner we leave this place, the better."

"My thoughts exactly," Tela replied, just as that awful screaming reignited; just as it seemed to come in time with a the light weight of her hand coming to rest on Tevos's back. "Just follow my lead, alright?" she continued, carefully urging the councilor towards the entrance to a maintenance hallway. "And grab hold of me if you start to lose your balance."

Tevos merely nodded, painfully aware of just how much reason Tela had to be cautious as she began to walk, all the distractions that had held her attention so firmly- the featherlight steps, the weightlessness, the horrible sound echoing down the hallway- seeming to vanish in lieu of what that simple point of contact was doing to her. Of how little it had taken to make her w-

"We'll be out of here in no time," Tela said, words interrupting the decidedly crude thought, hand raised to hit the door panel to the maintenance hallway, either too nice, or too uncomfortable to mention the deep blush that warmed her superior's face.

That much, Tevos thought as she was lead into the claustrophobic hallway, was in no way surprising. If anyone was aware of what was happening to her, of how visceral her reactions were, it was the woman alongside her, a simple fact that made her want to crawl out of her skin.

I don't mean to be subjecting you to this, she wanted to say, overwhelmed by a kind of guilt that made her throat tighten, that single thought alone reminding her of Tela's own protests in the hotel room- of how the young matron had barely been able to maintain even a meager semblance of control, of how intent those pitch black eyes had become-

"Just keep moving," Tela said, calling Tevos's attention back to the click of their footsteps against the grimy steel floors.

It was only then, with the door closed behind them, that she realized the screaming had stopped.

Had it actually been real? Or-

"Tevos?" Tela prompted her- had that been the fourth time, or the fifth?

"Was I-?" Tevos stopped herself from asking; she already knew she must have started to slow again, too lost in thought to keep up with something as simple as walking. "I'm... sorry."

"It's alright," Tela said, in a tone that- maddeningly- sounded like a fond kind of sympathy, the words punctuated by the faintest stroke of her thumb against Tevos's back, the move meant to be comforting. "I know it's probably getting hard to focus." More so, Tevos thought as she continued to walk, when there was this insistence on being placating. "Just keep in mind," Tela continued, "that if you're starting to get overwhelmed, or it feels like you're getting a little too anxious, that it's just the peak. It'll be over in no time."

"I certainly hope so," Tevos said, honestly enough, not entirely sure she could take the mounting uncertainties that were clamoring for her attention.

"Yeah," Tela said, voice softening again. "I'd bet."

It made Tevos want to yell at her to drop the act. To tell her to stop raising a sense of false hope that this kindness meant anything beyond a show of loyalty. With every footstep they took down the long hallways, the lot of them cleared for security reasons as the banquet proceeded, confronted with the cold reality of what lay beyond the Voreia's threshold. It wasn't anxiety, it wasn't fear of death, or even embarrassment- it was the certainty that she'd be completely, utterly alone with this, just as she'd been during those few times in her life that she'd been subjected to a desire not dissimilar to, but certainly not as weighted as, the kind she was feeling now.

The memories were clear, becoming clearer as they turned a corner and proceeded deeper into the maintenance hall. Memories of those transitory days between maiden and matron, a period marked by profound, biologically driven needs that would have blindsided her had she not been given fair warning that they were well on their way. Worse for you than others, they'd told her. Shut-ins never do well with this. But she'd done what she could, hadn't she? Twisted and turned in her own bed, moving against biotics she'd trained over years of solitude to mimic fingers, harsh grips, attentive caresses-

"Just a little bit further," she heard Tela say, in response to the shaken breaths she'd begun to take, the words making her heart sink, even though she knew they shouldn't have.

It was pathetic, just as Yirell had said, the reminder of it setting her teeth on edge. Even more pathetic that she found herself so singularly obsessed with thoughts that had no business being in the forefront of her mind.

"And just so you know," Tela continued, as Tevos fought another oncoming tremble, "there's some guards up ahead, so try to keep your head down. Worst case, they'll just think you've got a bad headache."

As if they'd ever believe the truth of the matter, she thought bitterly- and again, had to chide herself for thinking in those terms in the first place. Here she was, being lead away from one of the most important events held in Council space, the induction of an entirely new species, leaving behind not only her duties, but someone she had effectively condemned to die at the hands of mercenaries, and all she seemed to care about was whether or not the woman at her side would maintain a presence.

She could tell herself not to, of course- could recite in her head every rebuke she could think of to keep her thoughts tamed, but it didn't stop them from taking root.

Didn't stop her from reaching out to catch Tela's wrist as the spectre's hand rose to open the door to the main hallway, "Wait," said abruptly; almost pleadingly. "Just... one moment. Please."

She didn't look up to see what Tela's expression looked like; so far as she was concerned, the younger matron had seen enough of the darkness in her eyes, of the warmth coloring her skin-

"I wish I could," Tela said softly, apologetic. "but we really don't have time to hang around."

"I know," Tevos said, dimly aware that she could feel a light pulse beneath her fingers. "Believe me. I'm-" The curious sensation brought her words to a halt. Was that her heartbeat, or Tela's? Recoiling from the grip she had on the younger matron's wrist, she took a breath to steel herself, and said, "I just need to know... what's going to happen once we leave this place."

Tela gave herself a moment to think over the answer- or, at least, that was what Tevos assumed- before finally saying, "I know this isn't what you want to hear," in a soft tone, "but we'd be better off talking about it once we get to where we're going." Another pause; then, "Besides, I, ah... think you've got a pretty good idea of what you're in for, anyway."

She did, unfortunately... but at least the question that was burning its way through her mind had been given a partial answer, that Tela, presumably, had no intention of simply leaving her to deal with this on her own.

Whether that was a good thing, or a bad thing, she wasn't entirely certain.

Then came the question: "This is really scaring the hell out of you, isn't it?" spoken in a soft voice, the hand at her back stroking upwards subtly; another move to comfort, however slightly. "You're shaking."

It seemed an absurd question, until she took a moment to realize that it was entirely rhetorical. An observation, more than anything else, and a rather startled one, at that- one Tevos found herself incapable of answering, no matter how badly she wanted to say that it wasn't fear, wasn't anxiety, that was leading to the reaction. Not for the sake of staving off embarrassment this time, however; more for the sake of keeping it from being entirely too overwhelming.

"Sorry," Tela said, then, keeping her voice gentle. "I'm sure the last thing you need right now is me pointing out the obvious." She straightened, presumably to glance down the hallway for a time, then said, "Just try to remember that, no matter how bad this gets, you're not losing your mind."

"Easier said than done," Tevos admitted, unable to keep a lopsided, exasperated smile from tugging at her lips. "Even something as simple as being in someone else's company is-"

She stopped herself, the smile dropping, head tilted down a little further to try and hide the fierce blush that ignited over her cheeks.

"Makes it feel like you're going crazy," Tela completed for her, the words meant to be soothing, but they didn't do much to help matters. "I know. But... like I said- it'll pass." There was a pause, then, "You okay to keep moving?"

"I- believe so, yes," Tevos said, giving a slow nod.

"Alright," Tela said. "Then just keep your head down, and follow me."

---

NISAKIS: Oh, come on. You can't mean... [PAUSE] [LAUGHS] That's absurd.

NOIR: Is it?

NISAKIS: Of course it is! Listen to what you're saying. Going after the councilor-

NOIR: Gone after.

NISAKIS: What?

NOIR: Goddess, do I really need to repeat myself? Gone after. It's already in motion, and I'm hardly alone in the endeavor. Less so, now that I've spoken to you.

NISAKIS: What are you... [PAUSE] You can't be serious.

NOIR: You know the plan, don't you? A quick surface meld will reveal that on its own.

NISAKIS: No, this... [PAUSE] This is a joke, isn't it? It has to be-

NOIR: Are you willing to stake your life on that? Your livelihood? Because, as much as I hate to inform you of this, but thanks to your little temper tantrum, that's precisely what you've done.

---

Until that moment, Tela would have never counted herself as lucky for the treatment she'd gotten when she was in the same situation. The word 'lucky' would have never crossed her mind. But there, seeing one of the most powerful women in the damn galaxy shiver and cower in the corner of a maintenance hall, she couldn't help but feel like she'd gotten off light.

So to speak.

She'd at least had a small amount of time to reorient herself- had basically had the dumb luck of being dumped into the cab of someone who not only knew what was going on, but had gone out of his way to ease her. Sure, it wasn't the most coherent memory she laid claim to, and it sure as hell wasn't her idea of a relaxing environment, but it was a fuck-all lot better than having to be lead down the hallway of a ritzy hotel, with guards who may or may not want dirt on you standing at various checkpoints. In plain sight.

They glanced in her direction, of course- seemed to realize, belatedly, who it was she had in tow, and, just as Gallus said they would, turned their attention elsewhere as she stepped up to the door leading out to the outside alleyways.

"Route's clear?" she asked, as the doors opened.

"It's clear, ma'am," the guard alongside her said, keeping his eyes on the main hallway itself.

That was all she needed to hear. Pressing her hand a little more firmly against the small of Tevos's back, hoping that the councilor had enough balance to maintain a brisk walk, she was relieved to see that there was only an imperceptible waver in her ward's gait as they took to the alleyway. She just had to hope it would last.

"Can you keep walking on your own for a second?" she asked in a hushed voice, once they'd passed another pair of guards. After receiving a short nod, she said, "Only a second," briefly taking her hand away from the councilor to bring up her comms. Didn't even wait for a greeting to say "Aeza?" as they moved deeper into the alleyway, hand dropping back down to Tevos's back. "You there?"

"I'm here," came the reply. "What's up?"

"You got the cab ready?" she asked, feeling Tevos stiffen.

"Ready and waiting," Aeza said, just as it dawned on her that she'd completely failed to mention that someone else would be present for the ride to- wherever. "I mean... it's been real tempting to do some joyriding, but I figured it'd be better to wait on that."

"Well," Tela replied, biting back a cheekier response, "if you can hold off for a little while longer, we should be there in just a second."

"Won't be easy," Aeza said, "but I'll do my best."

The line went silent, then, just in time for Tela to catch the sound of a shaken breath alongside her, the expected, "You didn't say anything about a cab," quick to follow.

"Yeah," Tela said, inwardly kicking herself for the omission, "you'd think that would've been a good detail to mention." Letting out a light sigh, a glance cast behind her just to confirm that they weren't being followed- or watched- she said, "Look... I know this seems like just another thing to stress out about? But-"

You said it yourself, you idiot, she thought, reminding herself of the tremors she'd seen in the older matron's hands- reminding herself that the put-together act she'd seen outside was just that: an act. She's scared out of her damn mind. Would it kill you to show just a little more sympathy?

"I just need you to trust me," she said then, softening her voice. "I'll be right next to you the whole time, and I'll be damned if I'll let anyone use this against you. Alright?"

Aside from the person who already has, she amended inwardly, not even bothering to fight a grimace, gaze shifting from the exit of the alley to the slow nod she caught sight of in her peripheral vision.

"Alright," she said. "Now just keep moving, and remember: you're doing fine."

For now, anyway. How long that would last, though, she had no idea.

---

NOIR: What do you suppose they'll think when they see that I've made contact with you? When they've reviewed the log of this conversation in my personal terminal? Your said it yourself, your name is rather well known. Do you suppose they'll find all the literature you helped Eleria create when she bore you a 'defective' child of your own?

NISAKIS: Don't say that. Don't you dare. Ineesa-

NOIR: Is their smoking gun, sitting in the midst of all the verses, passages, and pilfered phrases you and your beloved bondmate lifted from outside sources, all in the dim hope of assuaging your own grief. [PAUSE] So far as they're concerned, they'll be certain they've stumbled upon an attempted resurgence. And seeing as I'm the one who signed a plea bargain... what do you suppose they'll do to you?

---

"I think I see them now," Aeza said into the skycar's comms, squinting to get a clearer view of the two asari that appeared at the end of the alley. "Oh, yeah," she said. "That's them." Turning to the quarian that had, so far, busied himself with rerouting camera feeds and monitoring comms, she said, "And that's your cue to leave," hitting the door controls to let them slide open.

Tamid looked up, bright eyes squinting slightly. "Pardon?" Catching sight of the two figures moving towards them, he said, "Oh. Yes. I-" A pause. "I forget- did... Sergeant Gallus leave the other skycar unlocked?"

"She did," Aeza said. "And even if she didn't, I'm sure you'll find a way in." He hesitated- then nodded, picking up a couple of the devices he'd brought with him, and exiting the skycar, quickly scurrying over to the one that had parked alongside the cab, leaving Aeza to say, "He's a good kid," into the comms. "A little high maintenance, but a good kid, overall."

"Seems it," Oma replied, having remained quiet through the exchange. "By the way, have you heard anything new on what's happening with Yirell?"

"Nothing yet," Aeza said, as the quarian started fiddling with one of the idle skycar's doors, "but I figure the fact that Vasir's on her way out is a good sign, at least."

"And she has the councilor with her?"

"Try not to be too jealous," Aeza said, "but yeah, she does," turning her attention away from Tamid once he'd gotten inside the skycar, and back towards the two asari.

"Jealousy is par for the course," Oma replied, audibly amused, "but only to some degree. After all, I somehow doubt that she'll be all that interested in a spirited conversation, under the circumstances."

"Doesn't seem likely," Aeza said, noting the tense posture of the councilor; the raised hand meant to shield her eyes. "Anyway, your social climbing habits aside, if I hear anything else from Gallus, I'll let you know."

"Good," Oma said. "Thank you. And do let her know that I expect Yirell to be capable of having an intelligent conversation when next we meet. We have a great deal of clean up to do, and she's the only one who's at all aware of how to do it."'

Waving Vasir to the back seat of the cab as the spectre approached with the councilor in tow, Aeza said, "Don't worry, she knows." A beat. "Just one second." Muting the comms on her end for a moment, she said, "Where we headed?" as Tevos was urged to climb aboard.

"I'll let you know in a second," Vasir said, sliding into the seat next to the councilor. "Just get us off the ground as quickly as possible for now."

"Alright," Aeza said, closing the skycar doors once the two had settled in, "but if I'm circling around all afternoon, I expect one hell of a tip." Unmuting the comms, then, she said, "You still there?"

"I am," Oma replied, as Aeza waved off a questioning look from the younger matron. "And I was meaning to ask- when do you think you'll be home?"

"Hard to say 'til I know where we're going," Aeza replied, putting the skycar into gear, the response prompting a hushed conversation between the two passengers. "Might as well give it an hour, hour and a half."

"Is there anything in particular that you'd like to have for dinner?"

"Dinner," Aeza repeated, pulling away from the landing platform. "Meaning something other than nutrient paste?"

"That was the idea, yes."

"Huh," Aeza said, negotiating the narrow skyway that lead back to the main drag. "Sounds like you took that 'date with an ammonia chamber' idea seriously."

"I saw no reason not to," Oma replied. "After all, it seems we have at least one small victory to celebrate. Two, if everything went well with Gallus."

"Well," Aeza said, turning on to the main skyway, and easing into the steady flow of traffic, "in that case, how about you just surprise me?"

"I'll do my best," Oma said. "And I'll look forward to seeing you in an hour or so."

"Same to you," Aeza said, letting the comms go silent. Relaxing back in her seat, she said, "Gotta love a guy that's got his priorities straight," a brief glance afforded to the rearview mirror. "So... any idea of where we're going? Or are we sticking with the 'drive around in circles' idea?"

"As nice as that sounds," Vasir said dryly, "I think I'd rather have you drop us off at the Louseia Estates."

"You're kidding," Aeza said. "That community's locked up tighter than a virgin's asshole. They've got DNA scanners aall over the place-"

"-None of which will be a problem," Tevos interrupted- voice weary, but loud enough to be heard. "The-" -a brief pause- "-my estate has a private entrance. What records it keeps are seen only by me, and my own on-site security."

"Ah," Aeza said. "Well... if you'd be so kind as to wipe those records clean the next chance you get? I'd appreciate it." And while she wasn't fond of the silence that earned, she took it as a given that the councilor, of all people, wasn't about to rat her out- especially under the circumstances. "By the way," she said, then, "how did things go with Gallus?"

"Not sure," Vasir said, as Aeza made a move to merge on to the skyway lanes above them. "We bugged out the moment they showed up."

"But you made the hand-off, right?"

"Yeah," Vasir said. "For all the good that'll do."

"It'll do plenty," Aeza said. "Trust me."

"Maybe," Vasir said, not sounding entirely convinced. She lapsed to silence, then, leaving Aeza to increase the skycar's speed, and merge on to the beltline skyway. "Well... probably. I guess."

"You guess?"

"Just... something she said before we took off," Vasir replied, audibly distracted. "I'm still not sure what to make of it."

"Considering who we're talking about?" Aeza said, then shook her head, merging into a faster lane of traffic. "Just walk away, Vasir. It's Chinatown."

Vasir paused- then said, "What?"

"It's nothing," Aeza said. "Got the line wrong, anyway." She gave a lopsided shrug, and said, "Point is, you've got someone else handling it."

"Yeah," Vasir said, easing back into her seat. "Now we'll just have to hope they don't screw up."

---

NISAKIS: [PAUSE] They've already spoken to me about this. I've already been cleared. They know I had nothing to do with the movement, with that colony...

NOIR: But they'll think twice about it now, won't they? Maybe even read you one of the phrases Eleria held so close to her heart. Read over and over, as a means of comfort? Ah... what was it, again?

NISAKIS: Yirell... I'm warning you, don't-

NOIR: 'The world eats bodies...'

NISAKIS: Just- stop. I-

NOIR: 'And everything eaten in the world dies.'

---

"Do you have any idea," Licaela snarled, roughly adjusting the wrapped-up body of the matriarch slung around her shoulders as they made their way to the skycar, "any idea what that shit-for-brains stunt you pulled back there could've cost us?"

Detri only got as far as, "I-"

And for what was probably the fifth time, was cut off by, "You're lucky we had a chance to improvise," the older turian reaching out to bang on the window of the skycar with her fist. "Open the fucking trunk," she snapped. "I've got my hands full."

Dutifully, Tamid scrambled into the front seat to hit the switch on the trunk, the doors to the car itself sliding open soon after. "Sorry," he said, "I didn't see-" He paused, then, eyeing the 'package' Licaela was carrying. "Is that, ah..." He cleared his throat. "Is that a carpet?"

"What the hell's it look like?" Licaela said, hefting the body off her shoulders, and dumping it unceremoniously into the trunk.

Tamid peered at the bundle curiously- and only then caught sight of the white linen peeking out from one end, as well as the dark blue stain that spread out over the material.

"Is that...?"

"Still a carpet," Licaela said flatly, slamming the trunk shut. "But if you're asking about what's inside? Then, yes. It is."

"Oh," Tamid said, and paused to swallow, wide eyes still riveted on the trunk. "I, uh... was under the impression we were supposed to take her alive."

"Oh, hey, yeah, so was I," Licaela said, turning to shoot a pointed look in Detri's direction. "But wouldn't you know it? Corporal Fuck-knuckles here decided to brush up on her improv routine."

"I'm... not sure what that means," Tamid said, looking between the two of them.

"It means I screwed up," Detri spat out, arms crossed over her chest as she turned from the two of them, and began pacing. "Just leave it at that, alright?"

"'Leave it at that?'" Licaela repeated, incredulous. "Who the fuck are you to say 'just leave it at that?' Moment I send the news of what happened down the pipeline, Caris might just decide it's high time to have me hog-tied and spit-roasted, and that's really all you can say?"

Detri didn't respond to that immediately, save to mutter, "Maybe you'll get lucky and it'll be the fun kind of spit-roasting," under her breath.

"There's a fun kind?" Tamid asked.

"Depends on who you ask," Licaela said irritably. "Now will you get in the fucking car? I don't have the patience for a comedian right now, let alone two."

"I- yes," Tamid said, "sorry," quickly returning to the skycar's backseat after affording the trunk one last uneasy glance.

Licaela fell silent as the skycar doors slid closed, watching as Detri continued to pace over the landing pad. The younger turian was beyond tense, expression dark, her crossed arms tightening visibly under the scrutiny.

"If you've got something to say," she said, finally, "just say it."

"Oh, I've got plenty to say," Licaela replied, keeping her eyes fixed entirely on Detri's face every time the young turian turned around to face her. "The least of which is how it'd serve you right to get your ass beat straight into the fucking ground for what you did back there. But instead?" A pause. "Instead, I'm gonna ask you if it was worth it."

Detri didn't respond, at first, though her pacing slowed. Then, she said, "What kind of a question is that?"

"It's just a question," Licaela said. "Was it worth it?"

Again, Detri lapsed into silence, her shoulders getting tighter. "I don't know yet," she said. "I hope so."

"'Cause you know what you might've just cost us," Licaela said, "what you might've just cost those girls at the Lounge, don't you?"

And there was the third pause, a pregnant silence that settled between them, what little could be seen of Detri's face revealing a deeply troubled expression. For that reason alone, Licaela didn't repeat herself- just waited for the thought to settle in, little by little.

"We had no way of knowing she'd help," Detri said under her breath. "Either she would've held those girls for ransom, or she would've let them die, same as all the others. Same as-" A pause. Then, "Same as Kaia." She paused- then said, voice a bit firmer, "I'm not going through that again."

"Yeah, well," Licaela replied, "you just made sure you're gonna go through it fifteen times over, by my count."

"Be a lot more than that if we let her call the shots," Detri said. "Better for everyone if we take the reserves of whisper we've got, and just-" There was a lapse, there- a complete inability to carry through the thought without realizing the absurdity of it. Then, "Just make this as painless as possible, I guess."

Licaela let that one drop, rather than pursue it, arms crossing loosely over her chest as she leaned against the trunk of the car. Detri, for her part, went back to pacing.

"Well," the old turian said, then, "if it helps any, you're probably right. Just wanted to make sure you were alright with what might've happened if Noir decided to play ball."

"Wasn't gonna happen," Detri said under her breath. "Spirits, Licaela, I tried to get Kaia something to take the edge off. Just- a couple doses. All Yirell did was threaten me with a breach of fucking contract. Told me I had to bring her back to the Lounge if I wanted to help her out."

Licaela didn't comment on the irony of that, at least so far as what had happened the night before was concerned. Instead, she said, "You never told me about that."

"You would've made me eat my own mandibles if I had," Detri said, turning to face the older turian. "I know how you felt about her, and I know the kind of shit I'd catch for even thinking about it."

"Would've caught plenty," Licaela admitted, shrugging, "but it would've been about more than the breach of contract."

Detri sneered. "Yeah," she said. "There's that whole 'promised your father I'd make sure he'd have grandkids one day,' thing, too."

"Well, sure, there's that," Licaela said. "But I gotta ask: even if Yirell said yes, let you sneak out with a few doses... Do you have any idea how long you'd be doing that for?"

"Couple days?" Detri said. "Couple weeks?"

"Try 'the rest of her life,'" Licaela said, bringing up her omnitool to start going through her comms contacts.

"We don't know that for sure," the younger turian said. "All we know is no one's found a treatment for it. If I'd just- if she could've held out for a little while longer-"

"Don't kid yourself, Detri," Licaela said, looking up from her screen. "She'd be just as hooked now as she was then. Same glassy-eyed stare, same fried nervous system. Wasn't a damn thing you could do about either on your own. Only thing you could do is pitch her over to Yirell. Your choice on whether or not that's better than dead." Looking down at her omnitool, she brought up the frequency for Paschalus, and said, "Sure as hell wasn't hers," as she put the call through.

---

NOIR: [PAUSE] How did the rest of it go? I'm having trouble remembering.

NISAKIS: Go to hell.

NOIR: I probably will. But you'll be there before me... won't you?

---

For all the criticisms Tamora could have made about how the situation had been handled, the choice of locale, though significant, had been the least of them. The lack of coverage in the hallways had been a little more concerning, a gaping hole in the perimeter Security Local had established allowing her to make her way down one of the deserted hallways leading to the courtyard's perimeter.

She would have liked to chalk that up to an oversight created by her own rather dramatic form of distraction, but she knew better than to let it rest.

Adding to that was the rather plain view anyone on the upper floors could have gotten of the burn scar, and the bloodstains. Just a single glance upwards from the window she approached showed two balconies from the suites set aside for high-profile diplomats. Any cleaning crew wouldn't have to search for long to see the carnage on the walkway, even if it was, admittedly, minimal.

Still, she had to grant that Security Local had been quick to dispatch their own embeds in the maintenance crews to deal with the mess. She could see them outside without issue, their positioning such that it made seeing the burn scar difficult, and it appeared as though they'd mopped up most of the blood. Two of them were busied with a nearby lamp post, so far as she could tell, and she didn't have to guess why.

They needed a reason to be there, and equipment that was malfunctioning to a dangerous degree was as good an excuse as any.

She wasn't certain that was legitimately the case, however, until the frequency she was monitoring went live, Orenn's voice, "What the hell are you idiots doing out there?" barking out angrily over her earpiece.

She had to hand it to him: he could certainly be shrill when he wanted to be, and it had the desired effect, the sound of his voice startling the salarian team leader bent over the base of the post. "Got a lamp post out here that's been throwing sparks," he said, motioning for his team to keep working. "Figured we'd take care of it before it turned into a problem."

"And isolating it from the power grid somehow, magically, failed to occur to you?" Orenn said.

"Already did that, actually," the team leader said, "but this thing's been sucking up more power than it-"

"I don't care," Orenn said. "And, just so you're aware, no one here reported seeing sparks flying. They did, however, report seeing you, which, from my vantage point, is a much bigger problem." The team leader raised his head to look around, but before Tamora was forced to move out of his line of sight, Orenn cleared his throat, and said, "Behind you." The salarian glanced over his shoulder at the banquet hall's large bay window, paused- and offered his boss a slow wave, and a weak smile, which earned, "By the way," by way of response, "I think it goes without saying that the last thing our esteemed guests need is to see you and your team presenting like varren brood queens."

The team lead looked at the stooped forms of his colleagues, had the good sense to look sheepish, and said, "Right. Sorry. Like I said-"

"Usually," Orenn interrupted, "I don't like to repeat myself, but in this case? I feel obligated: I. Don't. Care. Just de-activate the lamp, and get out of my courtyard."

"Yes sir," the team lead said, standing to his feet, and motioning for his team to do the same.

Then, and only then, did Tamora get a clear view of the burn scar. It was unsightly- about as unsightly as the wiring sticking out of the base of the lamp post- but it lacked the blue corona of blood that had surrounded it initially.

She heard Orenn hm over the connection as the team began to gather their supplies, presumably on account of catching sight of it, as well. "Well. That's a bit ugly, isn't it?"

The team lead glanced up at the window again, and said, "Does that mean you want us to-"

"I'll trade 'a bit ugly' for a troop of blue-collar knuckledraggers with their backsides sticking up in the air," Orenn said. "Move."

"Yes sir," the team lead repeated, motioning for the small group to follow him towards the exit.

Right in time for Tamora to hear, "Download complete," over her earpiece; the distinct voice of her personal VI. "Purge of all local listening devices will begin in t-minus one minute."

Tamora paused to bring up her omnitool, looking over the screens showing the status of the recordings that had been taken by the various devices planted in the courtyard. The files appeared intact, just as she suspected, but it never hurt to be sure.

Closing out the screen, she turned to make her way elsewhere, just in time to hear, "Yeah, they've got it covered," waft down the hallway from the direction she'd come.

Mn. Well. So much for that. Turning to walk down an alternate route, the tactical cloak she'd kept on standby activated as she moved, she was careful to keep her movements subtle, rounding the corner that lead to one of the other gaps she'd located in the secured perimeter.

It was only once she was out of earshot that she said, "Lucy," softly. "Switch to the feed designated for Security Local, if you could."

"One moment please," was the diligent response, the familiar hiss of static filling her ears as she continued to make her way down the hall, in search of a place where the cloak could be safely dropped.

"Comms frequency activated."

"Is the maintenance team still out there?" Licaela asked, making her way back to the skycar to thump her fist against the window, and motion for Tamid to open the doors.

"No," Paschalus replied over her earpiece as she took a step back to stand clear of the driver's side door. "Orenn had them give it a rest, but the guy I sent out there said they got most of it cleaned up."

"Did they?" she asked, motioning for Detri to get into the passenger seat, the quarian moving to the back seat without her needing to say a word.

"Let me check," Paschalus said, as Licaela got into the driver's seat. "Only thing out there is the burn scar, from what I can tell." A pause; then, "Did a number on one of the lamp posts, too."

Licaela hit the controls to close the skycar's doors, started the ignition, and said, "Why? They trying to claim the thing was malfunctioning?"

"Seems like as good an excuse as any," Paschalus said. "There's already been some malfunctions in the grid lately. May as well capitalize on it."

"Works for me," Licaela said, putting the skycar into gear. "No one said anything about the stains?"

"I'd've heard about it by now if they had," Paschalus replied. "Honestly, given what you told me? I'm not sure how you did it, but it looks like you'll be getting away with it." A pause. "How are you guys holding up with that, anyway?"

"Aside from our package suffering a little 'accidental damage,'" Licaela said, lifting off and turning towards the main arteries of traffic, "we're still on schedule. It'll be delivered to the 7th in no time."

"You sure it's still a good idea to go through with that?"

"To be honest?" Licaela said, rounding the corner and pulling onto the skyway. "I can't say one way or the other. I'll just have to hope that whoever relays messages on to Caris tells him our side of things. Otherwise, everyone might be up for an early promotion come morning."

"That's... grim," Paschalus said.

"Yeah," Licaela said, "well... even more reason to get our girl here to where she's going. After all...

...she's still got a few pictures to pose for."

The line earned a subtle raise of Tamora's brow as she settled back on the couch, eyes absently looking over the gaussian window at her side. At least she knew, now, where she was likely to be needed in the upcoming hours- not that she expected anything less.

The rest of the chatter was unremarkable- a series of updates that gave away the positioning of the guards, some talk about the initial reasons they'd sought to salt the banquet in the first place... Nothing important, or worth paying attention to.

"Lucy," she said, bringing up her omnitool again, if only to make sure the audio and video jammers on the device were working properly, "end monitoring session, please- and give me the last known location for Miss Nisakis."

"Yes, ma'am," the VI replied dutifully. "One moment please." There was a pause, then a display that came up to show a rudimentary, 3D mock-up of a nearby landing, adjoined to the alleyways. "Displaying current location. Please be aware that subject is not exhibiting any life signs-"

"Continue tracking anyway," Tamora said. "And switch me over to my last frequency, if possible."

"Yes, ma'am," the VI said. "One moment please." Another pause. "Comms frequency is currently showing no activity. Would you like to begin the monitor anyway?"

"Yes, please," Tamora said, going back to the prior screens on her omnitool to run a more thorough verification check on the data she'd retrieved from the courtyard devices while she waited. "Just because they're quiet now, it doesn't mean they're going to stay the way."

And as the verification process continued, she was proven correct in her assessment not long after the order had been given, beginning with the familiar sound of Irana Tinos's voice, "Vasir?" said tensely, "Are you there?"

"Yeah," Vasir replied. "Something going on?"

"No," Irana said-

"-but I could really use an update right about now-"

-the press secretary slowing her restless pacing in the confines of one of the small, private comm rooms set aside for hotel guests. "Assuming you feel like giving me one."

"Not a whole lot to say," Vasir replied. "We're on our way to the estate. Shouldn't be long before we get there."

"Well," Irana said, "that's good, I guess," unable to keep from recalling what Tamora had said prior to leaving the banquet hall. It was enough to prompt her to say, "You're not planning on calling her physician, are you?" as she brought up her omnitool, solely for the sake of making sure that all of her audio and video dampeners had been engaged.

"Irana," Vasir said flatly, "I know you like throwing the word 'incompetent' around just as much as I do, but-"

"I was just making sure," Irana said, adopting a flippant tone to keep the relief out of her voice. "How's Tevos handling all of this, anyway?"

"As well as you might expect," Vasir said, her own voice calming. "Has anyone asked about where she ran off to yet?"

"They've asked," Irana said, "but they're content with listening to the party line. 'Matters of state' doesn't get a lot of traction when there's a veritable buffet of new rumor mill topics to chat about over dinner."

"Good to know," Vasir said. "By the way... before I forget: I heard something about an overdose on my way out. You mind giving me some of the details on that?"

Irana slowed her pacing, a slight, anxious tension arising in her shoulders. "What's there to say?" she said blandly. "It was an overdose. Might have come with a spectacular meltdown, sure, but it's nothing to write home about."

"That's not-" Vasir paused, then dimmed some of the irritation in her tone to say, "I just need to know some of the basics. I ran into someone on my way to the bathroom Tevos was in... wanted to see if maybe it was her."

Irana stopped entirely for a moment, closed her eyes, and let out a slow breath, hoping it was inaudible through the comms. "Why?" she asked, regardless, before the silence had become too prolonged. "Do you think she might have heard something?"

Not that she needed an answer; she already knew what was coming. It wasn't as if she'd needed confirmation of the matriarch's involvement in all of this, but knowing the specifics-

Realizing belated that Vasir had said something, she did her best to ignore the subtle chill down her spine- same one she'd felt when Tamora had remarked on Isella's outburst- and said, "I'm sorry. What was that?"

"I was just saying," Vasir replied, "that I don't think she heard a hell of a lot. Might be enough to get some panties in a twist around the rumor mill, but-"

"I would have settled for a 'yes,'" Irana said, "but I appreciate the effort you put into making it more engaging." She began to pace again, and said, "Anyway, if you're wondering if I've heard anything, I haven't. Most of the crowd's attention is turned towards either the overdose, or- as shocking as this might sound- the new delegation. As for the victim..." She paused, looking at the door as if expecting to see Tamora casually walking through, and said, "You're familiar with Isella Semone, right?" covering the distance between herself and the door in order to double-check the lock.

Not that a simple lock was liable to keep the woman out anytime soon.

"Isella," Vasir was saying, the name repeated bemusedly. "You're kidding. She finally snapped?"

"No," Irana said, "though there's plenty of people here who wished she had. No, in this case, it's her daughter that 'snapped.' Loudly."

"Not sure I've ever seen her daughter before," Vasir admitted. "What's she look like, anyway?"

"Like you'd expect Isella's daughter to look like," Irana said. "Otherwise, she's moderately tall, slate skin, a little on the violet side. Has her mother's markings."

"Dark blue?" Vasir said. "Amber eyes?"

"Upholding the fine Semone tradition of wearing a beige silk dress with way too much cleavage showing?" Irana said. "That'd be her, yes."

"What's her condition?"

"The words 'walking chemlab' should tell you enough on that front," Irana said, again glancing at the door. "I don't know what exactly she took, but you'll be happy to know that, unless you count 'incoherent wailing' as 'saying something,' she's not likely to repeat anything she might've overheard. Any 'testimony' she could possibly have on what happened would be written off as complete gibberish."

Vasir mn'd, and said, "Lucky break. I was worried I might have to have someone track her down and clarify a few things once all this was over."

And there was that sinking feeling again; that odd tightness in her chest that had picked up steam the moment Vasir had said so much as a word about Nieri's role in everything that had happened. "I wouldn't call it 'lucky' for her," she said, then, "but I suppose that's besides the point."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'll send her a get well card once all this is over." There was a pause, then, "Anyway, if there's nothing else..."

"Not on that front," Irana said, no matter how badly she wanted to say more on the subject-

"-There's just a few things you should mention to Tevos when you get a chance-"

-the shift in topic giving Tamora reason to bring the monitoring session to a halt through a screen on her omnitool, one last glance shot towards the private room Secretary Tinos had holed herself up in.

Ever since returning to the frequented wing of the hotel, the cloak having been dropped at the earliest convenience, she'd made it a point to linger near the doorway, just in case anything too telling was given honorable mention. It had been relieving, then- if that was even the right word for it- to know that discretion still had its place amongst high ranking colleagues, and that there were still some people to whom good instincts could be attributed.

Whether or not Vasir's became a concern would be another matter entirely, but she was confident that the Spectre had enough to do, presently, that any attempts to look into Nieri's 'overdose' could easily be headed off at the pass- if, indeed, it was even that memorable.

As for Nieri herself- Tamora had to admit, she rather liked the idea of sending a get well card. Just a little something to get Isella's attention.

As for everything else- she'd have to wait and see what came of it.

---

NISAKIS: What makes you think I'm not 'there' already? You've gone out of your way to make sure I'm-

NOIR: Are we really back to this again?

NISAKIS: Does that really surprise you? After everything you've said-

NOIR: I've barely even scratched the surface on what I could say to you. All this time, you've placed the blame for your miserable life on me, on Eleria- even on Ineesa.

NISAKIS: I never blamed-

NOIR: I mean, it really must be terrible, just awful, having everyone around you do their best to sabotage your life, and everything you held dear. That is what they did, isn't it? Eleria's violent depressions were definitely there just to spite you, and Ineesa! Goddess, she not only had the audacity to be born with a genetic disorder, but she ruined your figure, too. Very calculating on her part. Oh, and then! Then, you have to suffer the humiliation of having your hopeless, delusional wreck of an older sister turn out to be more successful than you ever have been, or ever will be.

---

Tevos, for her part, wasn't nearly so content with the 'wait and see' approach.

She had every reason in the world to resent what had occurred in the courtyard, to call it one of the most uncomfortable moments in her life, but neither that, nor the uncomfortable walk to the cab, could hold a candle to the singular torture of having to sit still.

With nothing to prioritize, no distractions, it seemed as if everything was vying for her attention. Anything that touched her, anything she touched, in return, seemed to have its own pulse, its own captivating properties. Be it the seat she occupied- warmed leather that gave beneath her fingers every time she clutched at it, every time she let her nails push into it- or the dress she wore- leaving behind molecular fingerprints on chafed, excited nerves- every little shred of minutiae was gnawing at her, making her restless.

It didn't stop there, of course, and wouldn't, a fact that nearly made her long for those moments when her discomfort had stemmed solely from watching an animal slaughtered, or from the memory of the fever dream, of rudimentary shapes that had been so inexplicably haunting to her. She'd been terrified, then, of complexity again giving way to that indecipherably simplistic prison, but now?

Now, it was clear that complexity, above all else, was proving itself to be the actual nightmare.

She had no idea where she could turn. Everywhere she looked, she saw a world bewitched by visceral peculiarity, from the rhythmic hiss-catch of the driver's respirator, to the Presidium streets she observed outside the window. They passed by too quickly to be seen in detail, but even a single glance down at the platforms that boasted plazas, shopping districts, and residencies revealed a swarm of bodies that moved like a sluggish pulse of coagulated cells through polished metal arteries.

As strange as the analogy was, it wasn't without merit. At those times that she was certain her eyes were playing tricks on her, it appeared as if the crowds were moving in time with each heavy beat of her heart... just as they were now.

She closed her eyes, then, asked herself- for what seemed like the third time since boarding the cab- if she had simply passed out in the bathroom, if this was little more than a dream, though what she heard beside her, "What story did you say you were going with, anyway?" reminded her that it wasn't- and reminded her of why she'd subjected herself to all this disorientation in the first place.

It was thanks entirely to the woman beside her, to the sound of that voice, even the most innocuous phrases, "Wait a minute," becoming evocative, Tela's calm, measured tones carrying in them a curiously tantalizing hint of tension. It was there every time she spoke, the words, "What colony?" rendered unimportant by the reaction they caused.

Reactions that made her want to turn her attention back to the woman beside her, but she'd made that mistake before. Had chanced a peripheral glance at Tela before, at a moment when the younger matron's head was turned, attention focused on the window. It gave a view of her ridged nape, patterned with dense violet markings; gave light to the realization of how easy it would be to raise a hand, and draw her fingers over the sensitive skin there.

Just the thought of it made her eyes close tighter, in spite of the colors that erupted behind her lids, all of them bright, poisonous.

Determined not to pay them, or her impulses any mind, she tried, instead, to remind herself of who it was Tela was speaking to. Irana, wasn't it? They'd been talking about a number of things, not the least of which was verifying that everything was under control, that everything had been taken care of. Colony referred to Irelli, though she was having trouble gaging how it was at all relevant to the conversation at hand. Far too much trouble, in fact.

It should have been easy enough to keep track of, but it sounded so far away that-

Maybe it really was just a dream; maybe she really was just listening to to the voice of those that spoke around her collapsed form, and interpreting them peripherally.

Or, maybe, there were no voices there at all.

She tried to tell herself not to be so absurd, but the inward rebuke only served the purpose of making her heart start to beat faster.

Immediately, she turned her attention back to that voice; tried to solidify it as a part of reality, even if listening to it felt- voyeuristic. "Alright," was hardly a charged, or compelling word, but her need to pay attention to it reminded her of the eagerness it had invoked for even the smallest shred of stimulus. "Yeah, I'll let her know. Just hope you realize that it'll probably be a while before she gets in touch with you about it."

Silence followed, as did the curious feeling of being watched.

It wasn't the first time she'd felt it, or seen it peripherally, and, logically, she knew that Tela's concern was perfectly reasonable- she didn't need to see outside of herself to realize how she must appear- but, Goddess, what that simple feeling did to her. The images it called to mind nearly stole her breath away, even as she tried to tell herself, time and time again, that Tela would be appalled, insulted, by the lot of them; by how powerful they'd become.

They'd had a mind of their own throughout the entirety of the trip, like dreams recalled by nonsensical triggers in waking life. In those moments that they took hold, she could turn her eyes down to the Presidium as much as she wanted, observe the crowds and their seemingly unearthly movements in an attempt to decipher them, but she was always quickly reminded of just how futile the effort was.

It made her wish, in a way, that all this really was just a fever dream; just an illusion. If anything, it would keep her from being convinced of the flipside: that this was what going insane felt like.

"How are you holding up?"

Spirits, that voice. For as much as she needed to hear it, it still had the effect of making her teeth clench, lips thinning into a tight line as she fought to contain a shiver. Her efforts were rewarded, to some extent, but it was cosmetic, a token gesture, made while an impulsive imagination reconfigured those words, that tone, into something altogether different. Behind closed eyes, she could imagine them spoken into her ear as the younger matron's body pressed firmly against her own; could almost see, and feel, hands grasping at her wrists; feel the press of the cold wall against her bare shoulders; the presumptuous nudge of a leg between her own, intent on parting them-

"That good, huh?" Tela said under her breath, more for own benefit than anyone else's.

Embarrassingly, that single rhetorical question nearly brought tears to her eyes. She wanted so badly to say that nothing was right, that everything was falling apart around her, but she was loathe to say it front of a stranger. She was going out of her mind, she was sure of it, unable to speak her mind, much less escape, as trapped by this ridiculous state of mind as she was by-

By them.

Her eyes had opened, gaze caught by the crowd below, her breathing slowing as a flash of... Was that resentment? It was the only word she could think of for the tightness in her throat, in her hands. True, these were the people she governed- but they represented a cage all their own.

Didn't they?

They were the reason for her facade, after all. All for the sake of appearances, as the matriarchy had more or less claimed. Outsiders tend to have rather crude ideas about our conduct. So, here she was, desperate, tempted, anxious, those words- it's good you don't have the same... interest in your own kind as your predecessor- ringing in her ears, unwilling to be put to rest. We wouldn't want to give the maidens that look up to you any bad impressions.

How often had any of them heard that, she wondered. How many of them have been given bullet points to follow for their personal lives? And how many of them were cowardly enough to follow them- just as she was? Had been...

Would have to be.

Not many, she wagered. A good number of them would return home to someone who eased them, who could tend to them. Could ease into the arms of their loved ones without fear, without hesitation-

That's enough, she chided herself, but for as long as she kept her eyes on the Presidium's occupants, she couldn't escape the direction her thoughts were taking her.

But was there anywhere else to turn? She could bring her attention back to Tela, but what good would that do her? She'd be back where she ended up, back to the imagery that she'd turned to the window to put out of her mind in the first place, and it went without saying that she couldn't simply leave the cab if she wanted to. She couldn't even tell the driver to land, to take them to a quiet venue along the plaza, some place with a private room. People would recognize her, the 'excuse' Irana had given her for leaving made into a blatant lie.

There was no escape. Not from this, not from-

She took a breath- felt her heart pounding in her chest, felt the panic that went along with thought of confinement starting to claw at her. Sinking back into the seat, she wrapped her arm around her midsection, her head bowing as she pressed her fingers to her temples.

Nothing seemed to alleviate this-

-and so far as she could see, nothing would.

Tela had been watching it since it began; watching for any tic, or tremor that gave the impression of genuine distress.

It wasn't out of disinterest that she'd kept her silence when she'd seen the panic begin to build on itself; wasn't meant to be dismissal of what was happening. Or, at least... that's what she told herself. Obviously, it had nothing to do with feeling like she was clueless, feeling like she couldn't possibly offer anything more than a few stupid anecdotes to calm things down; definitely had nothing to do with paving the way towards feeling like an out-and-out creep.

Sadly for her, that part didn't seem entirely avoidable. The nature of what was happening, beyond the disorientation and anxiety, left little room to maneuver, and talking about it outright? Really, all it took was a single glance in Tevos's direction to remember that, in spite of all of that uneasiness, words like wet, and desperate could be applied, no matter how many times Tela had gone out of her way to tell herself that the flush, the trembling, was based entirely on fear. Setting aside the reminder of those dark eyes, however...

Not possible, was the only concession that could be made, there.

Was it really worth just flat-out ignoring it? Address just part of the problem, and the rest would go unchecked. But how the hell did she address something like this without in some way implying that she was angling to be provocative?

It was a question worth asking, but as she heard those close, steadying breaths- the kind someone took when they were trying to remind themselves that breathing was even possible in the first place- she had to wonder: Does it matter? She could see the pinched muscles in the councilor's shoulders, pulled tightly enough that it had to be impeding those breaths. It had happened to her a couple days ago, hadn't it? Feeling the muscles in her chest react to the tightness in her own shoulders; feeling like there was a lead weight pressing against her sternum...

All while her body made its agenda perfectly apparent to her. There wasn't an off-switch for it. No single distraction, no matter how much she'd focused on it, had given her a proverbial cold shower; her thoughts had just shifted in another direction. When she hadn't been attuned to thinking about... well, about the woman beside her, she was thinking about-

What the hell is wrong with you? she thought, jaw tensing slightly as she glanced up towards the rearview mirror. Just nut up and say something, already.

"You got some kind of privacy screen up there?" she asked, calling Aeza's attention to her.

"This is a cab, Vasir," Aeza reminded her, just as she caught sight of Tevos's head bowing a little further, "not a limo. Closest thing to a 'privacy screen' I've got is the suit's built-in noise filter."

"How well does that work?" Tela asked. "Does it mute voices?"

"Usually," Aeza said, giving a faint shrug of one shoulder. "So long as you're not shouting, I mean."

Wasn't planning on it, Tela thought, glancing in Tevos's direction one more time before saying, "You mind switching it on?"

Aeza nodded- raised her hand to one side of her head, presumably to flip a switch of some kind. Aside from that, and the 'ok' gesture that the volus gave, there was no way of knowing if anything had actually been done; meant Tela had to take her at her word.

It wasn't the most comforting thought. Sure, she'd already put more trust in the volus couple than she'd normally give to anyone, had already spelled it out to Aeza what was happening in the first place, and, sure, the surveillance that was normally running in the cab had been switched off per request, but...

If this is a fake-out, she thought, I'll be upping my body count in no time.

She just had to tell herself that it'd be worth the risk- and did, forcefully enough to make herself say, "I know it's pointless to ask if everything's alright when it's pretty obvious that it's not," in as soft a voice as she could manage, while still ensuring that she was heard. "So... I'm just going to ask you to listen to what I have to say, instead."

There was no response- nothing visible, anyway. Just more of the same tension, more of the same slow breaths, taken in the hope of staving off hyperventilation, or worse. It was discomfiting to see, not just because Tela was concerned about the councilor's physical well-being, but because she was only too aware of just how embarrassing it was to be seen this way.

It was something she could relate to; something she opted to point out by saying, "I'm not sure if it helps, but... it's only been a couple of days since I was in the exact same position you are right now. I remember how it feels, how it-"

She paused, there- suddenly a lot less certain that moving forward was in any way a good idea. It wasn't because of the volus that may or may not have been listening in; wasn't because of possible surveillance, but because of how- dare it be said- intimate this felt; how intimate it had to be if she wanted to make progress.

Didn't help that she wasn't exactly good at this. It was exceedingly rare that she'd gone out of her way to offer comfort to someone lost in an altered state; more often than not, she preferred antagonization, a strategy that was certainly amusing, but not likely to work, in this case. Nor was telling the councilor to suck it up and cope, as she had with people she'd considered friends.

"Sorry," she said, then, breaking the prolonged silence between them. Then, partly for her own benefit, she added, "It's hard to know what to say without giving you the wrong idea."

To that, Tevos gave a light shake of her head, what little of her expression that Tela saw clouded in ambiguity.

Rather than question it, Tela said, "I probably should've put a little more thought into this before I started bugging you about it," opting to carry through with the apology rather than backtrack again. "Honestly, if you need me to leave you alone-"

"No." The word was abrupt, urgent, even if Tevos's voice managed to remain soft, shaken. "Don't-" She took another breath, then- as slow, and steady as possible- and said, "Just keep talking. Please. Short of telling me that I really am losing my mind, I don't know if I care what you say, I-" Tela could see her jaw clench subtly, lips thinning into a tight line. Then, tone steeped in embarrassment, she said, "I just really need some kind of distraction, no matter how inadvisable it might be."

Beyond being impressed at Tevos's continued ability to remain articulate, Tela didn't need to guess what 'inadvisable' meant. Just hearing the councilor's voice when they'd been alone in the hotel room had been enough to make her feel like she could act out at any moment. Oddly, she hadn't considered that Tevos might be subject to the same, no matter how idiotic the oversight seemed.

Well. That made for two things to worry about in respects to being inadvertently provocative- or, potentially, being seen as opportunistic.

She didn't let it stop her up, however, though, "You're not losing your mind," came out a bit more stiltedly than she would have preferred. "I mean, I know how easy it is to feel that way, but the thing you need to remember-"

Another pause. She couldn't help it. She knew how badly her advice could be taken, how it could sound- but what other options were there?

Casting a quick glance towards Aeza, the sight of the volus idly drumming out a rhythm on the dashboard giving her reason to believe that the 'noise filter' was actually a music station, Tela let out a slow breath, resigned herself to the possible fallout, and said, "Well... I know how strange this is gonna sound, but: you need to remember that the harder you fight this, the worse it'll feel. Only thing you can do right now is just-" how about 'just say it?', she thought, irritated with her own apparent sheepishness about being blunt- "-let it go."

Unsurprisingly, the advice earned a soft, incredulous laugh from Tevos, the abbreviated sound utterly stripped of good humor. "You can't be serious," she said, that nervous smile fading almost as quickly as it appeared. "Tela, if you had any idea..."

It was Tevos's turn to stop herself, that time. She knew better than to say Tela had no idea- but that just made the suggestion she'd heard even more vexing. That, too, came as no big surprise.

To that end, Tela said, "I know it's frightening to think about," as softly, and as evenly as she could manage while still being audible, "and I know it sounds counterintuitive... but you'll burn out hell of a lot faster than the drug will."

"I'm just not sure what you're asking me to do," Tevos said, still audibly bemused. "What you expect me to do..."

"I'm not saying you should do whatever it tells you to," Tela said, reminding herself that ambiguous wording would just make things worse, "and... Maybe I'm wrong about what's going on, but... every time I've seen someone like this, every time I've been where you are, it's because I'm trying to control something that I can't. Usually, it's just- thoughts. Being 'shown' something I don't want to see, and trying to correct for it." Then, after a brief pause, she said, "Is that what's going on?"

The silence that followed was a lengthy one; one that was explained by the slow, humiliated nod that Tevos gave, the deep blush over the councilor's face visible even in spite of the hand that was raised to shield her eyes. Once again, Tela didn't have to wonder what was so humiliating, in this context, but she did her best to try to ignore it; to not be curious.

It wasn't her place to be.

"If you had any idea what was on my mind..." Tevos said, the unspoken apology weighted enough to come as a bit of a surprise, the words trailing off into another pregnant silence. "Spirits, it feels like it's always there..."

Once it was clear Tevos wasn't going to finish the thought, Tela said, "Don't take this the wrong way, but it'll be there for the next couple hours, whether you like it or not." Giving a slight shake of her head, and resigning herself to just... going with it, she said, "Like I said, just try to remember that I was in the same place you are. You don't need to tell me what's going on. I just hope you know that... I'm not going to judge you for things that are completely beyond your control, and neither should you."

She had to bite back a bit of self-consciousness once she'd carried the thought through. Touchy-feely had never been her strong suit, and hearing herself speak like that was... awkward, but, at the very least, it seemed to be having an effect. Tevos wasn't completely relaxed by any stretch of imagination, but at least the tightness in the councilor's shoulders seemed to loosen, little by little, with every passing breath.

"You know," she continued, then, "it's worth mentioning that what happened a couple nights ago... It's not the first time I've been in a situation like that. Even if I didn't know what was happening to you, what it entailed, I'd at least be able to relate to what's going on. I mean..." She couldn't help a faint smile; couldn't help but be amused in spite of herself. "This probably isn't the smartest thing to admit to my boss after everything I've already said, but-"

And, there, her words were cut short- not by uncertainty, or uneasiness, but by Tevos's hand coming to rest on her own.

"Please," Tevos said, then, tone nearing on begging, the subtle knit in her brow still visible behind her raised hand. "Keep talking. Say whatever is on your mind. I promise you, I won't take offense, just... don't- leave me in silence again."

It would've been easy to lapse into speechlessness for a time, or to go into another round of internalized chiding for being shocked by something so innocuous. Well... It wasn't innocuous, she knew, but that was besides the point.

Rather than allow herself to do either, she said, "I won't," and slowly turned her hand upwards, inviting Tevos's grasp without calling too much attention to it. As the offer was accepted- and quickly, she noticed- she said, "Anyway, the, ah..." trying to get her bearings on the anecdote she'd recalled during her own 'trip.' "The first time anything like this ever happened to me, I got in over my head at a warehouse club on Illium. It's not an actual venue or anything, just a place event planners to set up shop when they feel like running something a little more..." A pause. "Let's just say it's a little more off the radar. Wasn't the first time I'd been to a place like that, but I'd never bothered to try one of the bar's 'specials.' Not really sure why I decided that was the night to do it, either. I didn't know anyone there, didn't have anyone to watch me in case something went wrong..."

And, there, again, she couldn't help the faint smile that tugged at her lips. "I deserved everything I got," she said, doing her best to ignore the pleasant warmth that came from Tevos's fingers lacing with her own. "Soon as the dose kicked in, I couldn't think straight, couldn't really focus on anything... saw these vivid colors everywhere. Almost seemed like fun, for a little while, but then my stomach starts tying itself in knots, my heart's going a mile a minute, and I'm standing in the middle of a dancefloor thinking, oh. This is what an overdose feels like."

Tela paused, then, trying to gear her thoughts back to the point of the anecdote, when Tevos asked, "Had you?" her voice softened. "Overdosed?"

It was subtle, but- it was a good sign, at least.

"No, thankfully," Tela said. "I just hadn't done my research; didn't know what to expect. Didn't know how to ask for help, either. Just backed myself into a corner, took a few deep breaths, and told myself that if I'd just calm down, I'd be fine. Only thing is, you can't just 'calm down.' A faster heart rate is part of the package. Meant that even when the nausea died down, I'm checking my pulse every couple seconds 'cause my heart's still racing. Then my temperature goes up, and I get this- I don't know. Floaty feeling, like my feet aren't really touching the ground." She shook her head. "I tried to tell myself that that was the whole point, that it was just a part of the high, but..."

She gave a light shrug, leaning back into the seat, her eyes staying on the woman beside her-on the slowed breathing, the incremental loosening of tensed muscles. "Things like this," she said, then, "they don't show you want you want to see, and don't behave the way you want them to. They show you want they want you to see, and that's just the end of it. Took some matron I'd never seen before walking up to me, putting a hand on my face, and telling me to just let it all go before I got the hint that, maybe, that was the case."

Tevos gave a halting half-smile, at that. "That... doesn't seem very helpful."

Offering a smile of her own, even if it went unseen, Tela said, "Add in a slew of hysterical cussing, and that's pretty much what I said. Just lucky for me that she was probably expecting it." There, she sobered, and said, "Think it took her five rounds of telling me, 'just let it go, and talk to me,' before I finally started to listen to her. Actually had a pretty nice night after that- just took realizing that I couldn't do shit about my situation, so I may as well just go with it."

There was a blush across Tevos's face again- a slight loosening of her grip on Tela's hand, in lieu of that. As with everything else, Tela didn't have to wonder why.

"I know it's not that simple in this case," she said, then, allowing her voice to soften. "I know 'letting go' means a lot more than just letting yourself see pretty colors, or feeling like the universe is one big party that you only just got invited to, but... in a lot of ways, it still applies."

"I don't know about that," Tevos said, fingers tensing to rub lightly at her temples. "The way this feels..."

"It'll pass," Tela said. "It's just temporary. I mean, sure, you still have to be careful about what you do, or say, but-"

She had to pause, on that. She knew full well what she was saying, what she was implying, with all of this, and couldn't help but feel like a creep for having said it. It didn't erase the fact that it was true, but given where her interests had drifted to- strongly- over the past week, she had to ask herself if she really was just being an opportunist.

"You can't change what's on your mind," she said, then, trying to push past her uncertainty, lest she belabor the point- again- and make them both wildly uncomfortable, "and you can't change how you're feeling. Just- control what you can, don't worry about the rest, and try to remember that you're still at the peak of all this. Even if you're stuck with feeling something you don't want to, it'll at least level out."

Wasn't exactly stellar advice- and Tela had to wonder if anything she'd said at all had made even the slightest bit of sense, but, at the very least, Tevos seemed to be taking all of it in stride. As best she could, anyway. Whatever it lead to, whatever it would bring about, she'd deal with it in her own way, once she'd found some privacy.

On that, Tela had to be at least vaguely honest with herself: ignoring what was happening, much less that it was guaranteed to happen, would be its own kind of hell on earth. But, for as aggravating as being teased with the prospect of seeing Tevos so plainly uninhibited, of knowing that all it would take was a simple 'how you do' to reap the 'rewards' of that state, Tela was less concerned about her own frustration, and far more concerned about the councilor's well-being.

It was almost like she cared for the woman- a lot more than, really, she ought to.

---

NOIR: [PAUSE] Still no response, hm? Interesting. Are you taking a good, long look at the festering swill of gin and regret your life has become, or is that too much to hope for? [PAUSE] Doesn't really matter, I suppose. You'll be facing it down soon enough.

---

So far as Irana was concerned, she, personally, could stand to care a whole lot less, but that, she reasoned, was what the corner booth of the hotel's overpriced bar was for.

To her credit, she'd done her best to stay in the banquet hall, chatting here and there with the rest of the staff that had been invited to the event, but the conversation left a great deal to be desired, and dinner hardly looked appetizing. Her half-emptied martini glass, however, did.

She didn't need much of an excuse to leave for the bar to fetch a second round; she had plenty of reasons to be on the move, and she was only too happy to use them. The trick, she assumed, was not getting too drunk, though she was fairly certain she could at least make an artful exit before she ended up face-down in her half-eaten entree.

Strange, though; it almost seemed worth it to stick around, to make a spectacle of herself not once, but twice. It was an entertaining idea, at least, being able to show her contempt for her situation so clearly, but she preferred to leave a brazen act like that for the day she retired. For the moment, she was content enough to simply watch people from her seat, at those times she wasn't looking over some screens on her omnitool.

Unsurprisingly, it was quiet, as it often was during big events, and the crowd, as always, was composed entirely of banquet attendees that didn't want to get caught making frequent trips to the open bar that had been set up in the hall. So, instead, they came here, under the assumption that their fellow barflies would hold to one singular, unspoken rule: if you don't out me, I won't out you.

The staff, normally irritated with the less than generous tips the 'elite' crowd gave them, absolutely loved it. The desire for silence always brought the unmarked chits out in play, which meant the tips were not only generous, they were easy to pocket without the management batting an eye. Often made their paltry wages, and the bar's tendency to garnish tips, seem somehow forgivable. Meant they were all in good moods, the patronage was in a relatively good mood...

Just business as usual, from what she could see. Outside, the crowd that had assembled around the Voreia's front lawns and steps- even the animal activist protestors- had wandered off to go on with their lives. Left Irana with a view of the imported grass and foliage, with the occasional security guard patrolling the area.

It was all incredibly unremarkable- but that was probably why it caught her attention. None of them, not a one, had any idea what had happened here in the past hour. They were aware of the overdose, certainly- it was hard to find someone who wasn't- but the murder?

The only indication Irana had gotten that there was some awareness of what had occurred was in hearing about the perimeter that had been set up around the hallways that encircled the courtyard. Some of the guests had commented that it seemed a bit over-paranoid, but many of them had admitted that they hadn't attended an event of this magnitude before, so it seemed perfectly understandable.

To Irana, it just seemed too convenient, just like the maintenance crew that she'd seen from the banquet hall's bay window. The group had just gone about their business, purposefully blocking the view of of the bloodstains from any onlookers that might look in that direction. She'd assumed, when she'd seen them, that a report would be given about what they observed, but nothing came of it. Security hadn't been alerted, the councilors, nor their personal guards, had been warned...

Protocol was either being straight-up ignored, or no one cared.

Tamora's doing, she wagered- maybe even Vasir's- her eyes going back down to the display screen on her omnitool. On it was the simple, written 'advisory' the matriarch had given her, unsolicited suggestions that were too spot-on to dismiss. About the colony, Tamora had said, when everyone's attention had turned away from their grab-assing, and moved on to the commotion outside the banquet hall.The convenience of using it as a worthwhile distraction can't really be overstated. And, as if that wasn't cryptic enough, she'd added, I would strongly recommend that you take some time to acknowledge it during tomorrow's briefings.

For as obtuse as it was, however, it was oddly specific, especially where the carefully worded statements Tamora had relayed to her were concerned. What you do is up to you, of course, Tamora had said, but... the news will still make it out there, one way or another. Just trust me when I say that you'll be disappointed with the results if you're not the ones to get the drop on it.

As for the statements themselves... she wasn't entirely sure what to make of them. They were vague, at best, and practically demanded an explanation. More to the point, they seemed slanted in such a way as to arouse suspicion if, indeed, they meant anything.

"There you are," she heard off to her side, then; a voice she immediately recognized as Adira's. "I was wondering if I might find you here."

Raising her drink to take a sip, she glanced up from her omnitool, and said, "'Might?'"

"I figured it was a fifty-fifty shot between either here, or outside," Adira said, offering a subtle, one-shoulder shrug. Inclining her head towards the booth, she added, "Mind if I take a seat?"

"Only if you plan on ordering something," Irana said, gesturing loosely with her half-emptied martini glass to the seat across from her. "Drinking alone may be one of my favorite pastimes, but doing it in front of an audience is just irritating."

Seating herself, Adira said, "Just how may of those have you had, anyway?"

"Not enough," Irana said, setting down her drink to close out her omnitool. "And I'm assuming you didn't track me down to ask about my intake, so how about you just tell me what's on your mind."

"I was actually hoping you'd tell me what's on yours," Adira said, with an amused smile. "Aside from that, I figured you'd want an update on the colony."

Irana arched a brow, motioning for one of the waitresses. "There's an update?"

"Sort of," Adira said. "At the moment, it's mostly just reactions to the short brief we gave to local broadcasters."

"Wasn't much of a 'brief' to react to," Irana said, picking back up her drink to take a sip. "I'm guessing that means they switched to user-generated content?"

Adira nodded, just as the waitress made her way up to the table, small datapad and stylus in-hand to ask, "Something I can help you with?"

"Just another round, please," Irana said.

The waitress nodded, jotting the order down, and glanced to Adira to ask, "And you?"

Adira only got as far as opening her mouth before Irana said, "She'll be having the same, actually. Sorry, I forgot to mention."

That earned another nod from the waitress and, unsurprisingly, a rather pointed look from the younger matron, the latter of which Irana happily ignored in favor of taking another sip of her drink.

From there, she said, "So what have they been saying?" looking up to see that that look was still being leveled on her. After a moment's silence passed, she arched a brow, and said, "I did say this conversation came with a one drink minimum, didn't I?"

Looking a bit irritated, but, once again, knowing better than to argue, Adira paused for a time, then said, "You could have at least done me the favor of getting something I like."

"Please," Irana said. "I'm not letting you humiliate yourself by ordering the kind of drink that comes with a little umbrella in it."

Arching a brow, Adira said, "At least they taste halfway decent. The martinis you order taste like pine trees dipped in jet fuel."

"Just as Athame intended," Irana said blandly, taking down another sip. "Anyway, you were saying?"

"About what?"

"The user-generated-"

"Oh," Adira said, looking back down at the screen she'd brought up on her omnitool. "Right." Clearing her throat, she said, "So far, respondents commenting at most of the popular news sites are a little surprised by the councilor's absence, but they don't seem to think it's a bad thing."

"Honestly, I don't know why they would," Irana said, giving a slight shrug. "Shows she's prioritizing the economy."

"And the labor movement," Adira added. "Some people are even calling it 'unprecedented.' Actually, from what Ellia tells me-"

"-That's the intern you've got working the asari feeds, isn't it?"

"Ah... yes."

"I never liked her," Irana said under her breath. "For someone who could lose an argument with a boulder, she's way too ambitious." Finishing off the remainder of her martini, she paused, then said, "But, good to know she's making herself useful, I guess," setting the emptied glass down on the table. "What did she have to say about it, anyway?"

Adira cleared her throat again, then said, "That the asari approve of the councilor's decision."

Irana resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and said, "So... 'trying to be useful' would be a more accurate way to put it." Before Adira could raise a protest, she went on to say, "But, good to know Tevos has something on-hand for her next round of campaigning." Turning from the window, and motioning for Adira to follow, she said, "Did you get an idea of how other species are reacting to the news?"

"There's the usual complaints about favoritism," Adira said, accepting the drink that was handed to her by the returning waitress, "but other than that, it seems like the people who know about it are throwing their support behind the workers, especially after some rather damning footage of the blockade got leaked."

The waitress paused upon setting Irana's drink down, favoring Adira with a curious glance that she, apparently, couldn't quite help.

"Something the matter?" Irana prompted her, brow raised.

"No," the waitress said. "Sorry. It's probably nothing."

Normally, Irana would have been only too happy to let that one rest, but in lieu of how the day had gone, "'Nothing' doesn't make people nervous," came out instead of a dismissal.

"It's been that kind of day, I guess," the waitress said, shrugging.

"Yeah?" Irana said. "Tell me about it." The waitress paused, glancing at some of the other patrons- just long enough to prompt Irana to say, "Listen, if it's about a customer, I'm willing to put down a little extra on the tip," the peculiar look she got from Adira outright ignored.

The waitress considered for a moment, then said, "I just don't want a bad rep with this crowd," in a softer voice. "This is the first time the manager's let me work an event like this."

"And it won't be the last," Irana said. "Trust me. You'll be fine."

The girl seemed to know better than to glance around again, bringing up her datapad as if to appear to take an order, and said, "It's just that we had the owner of the mining company in here earlier. She was making a lot of noise about the footage being released."

Irana glanced again at Adira, and said, "Who's the owner?"

"Isella Semone," Adira replied, the answer forcing Irana to keep her expression from faltering.

"That's it," the waitress said. "Same one who had her daughter taken out of here on a stretcher." She shrugged, then said, "If she hadn't stiffed me on the bill, I might actually feel sorry for her."

"Even if she'd paid your college tuition," Irana said, "you'd be better off with 'not.'"

"I'll have to take your word for it," the waitress said, offering a nervous half-smile. Then, she said, "By the way, I forgot to ask- do you want both of these on your tab?"

"Yes, please," Irana said. "And let me know how much Semone stiffed you for. I'll make up the difference."

Raising her drink, she settled back into the seat, near ready to down the entire martini in one go. If the situation wasn't completely absurd before, it sure as hell was now, the connections, the coincidences too numerous to be written off out of hand.

As if she could've written them off before.

Shaking her head, she raised her glass, and took a sip of her drink- looking over the rim in time to see Adira looking at her quizzically.

"What?" she said, flatly.

Adira paused a moment, then said, "That was just awfully generous of you for something you could've found out on your own." Inclining her head slightly, she said, "Do you know something I don't?"

"Maybe," Irana said, doing her best to play the whole thing off as perfectly normal, with or without the return of that awful sinking feeling. "I'll get to it in a moment." Taking another sip, she paused, then added, "Anyway, I guess that answers my question on whether or not the footage was real, or staged. If Isella's running the show, you can bet she's got eyes and ears all over that colony. No way she'd let something like that fly without putting out a statement of her own." A beat; then, "She hasn't, has she?"

"Not so far as I know," Adira said. "Honestly, I'm not really sure what she'd say. We had confirmation of the footage's authenticity from our analysts not long after it was broadcast," she said, raising her own drink to look at it as if she was halfway expecting it to bite her. Then, turning her gaze back up to Irana, she said, "Not that everyone believes it. Some of the fringe networks are calling it a fake, claiming we're manufacturing the problem to make the councilor look good, but that's nothing new."

Irana mn'd over the rim of her glass, taking a larger sip of her drink as she considered her response. She still had Tamora's 'advice' churning around in her thoughts, saying nothing of the matriarch's apparent involvement in the so-called overdose, much less the rest of the day's events.

Made it seem all the more inadvisable to sit on the suggestions she'd been given, her drink set aside to bring up her omnitool.

"Something on your mind?" Adira asked, noting the silence.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Irana said. "I just need you to put out a brief statement to asari media outlets by tomorrow morning."

"Alright," Adira said, setting her own drink aside to bring up the recorder on her omnitool. "Shoot."

"It's nothing major," Irana said. "Just tell them that, in regards to how the colony's been handled, there's been suspicions of foul play from the beginning."

Adira arched a brow. "Foul play?" she repeated. "What kind?"

"This isn't the best place to go into specifics," Irana replied. "All you need to mention is that it stems from outside involvement that both the corporate office, and colonial affairs, were aware of from the get-go. And while you're at it? Point out that the councilor's been concerned about lack of oversight, and that she was right to be."

"Is she?" Adira said, a bit incredulous. "I mean- you'd know better than I would, but-" Noting the look she was getting from Irana, she gave a slight shake of her head, and said, "Sorry. This is all just a bit sudden."

"'A bit sudden' may as well be the tagline for this whole event," Irana said, taking up her glass again for another sip.

Adira gave a faint smile, closing out the recorder, and her omnitool. "Can't argue with that," she said, shrugging. "I'm just surprised that Tevos would issue this kind of statement without discussing it first."

"I don't know if you've noticed," Irana said, not entirely fond of lying through her teeth, "but this is all fairly time sensitive." Then, echoing Tamora's own sentiments, she added, "I know it lacks her usual subtlety, but, in this case, if we don't say it, someone else will, and given how quickly she had to bail out of one of the most important diplomatic functions of the decade? I don't think 'subtle' is going to cut it."

"Good point," Adira said, raising her drink to chance a light sip- and immediately forcing back a sour expression. "Mn... that really is terrible, isn't it?"

"If by 'terrible' you mean 'amazing,'" Irana said, "then, yes. It is. And expensive, besides, so I expect it to be gone by the time this banquet's over."

Adira made a face, and said, "I'd dump it in one of the plants, but it'd feel a bit like murdering an innocent," though she, dutifully, took another sip. Then, after the burn had, presumably, passed, she said, "Anyway, I suppose you're right about subtlety."

The cheeky tone earned a pointed look. "Got something to add to that?"

"Just that it isn't what I'd call your strongest suit," Adira said, with her patented 'gotcha' smile. "This evening, anyway."

Hoping her look was just as witheringly deadpan as she was trying to make it, Irana said, "Or yours."

"You started it," Adira said, smiling. "What was that all about, anyway?"

"What was what about?" Irana said, raising her drink for another sip.

Adira arched a brow. "You're not really going to be play dumb with this, are you?" she said, visibly amused. "Really, Irana, who was that?"

"An old friend from college," Irana said, setting her drink back down. "We go way back."

"'Old' is right," Adira said. "She looked old enough to be your-"

"-If you say 'mother,' you'll be adding this martini as an accessory to the lovely dress you're wearing."

"Please," Adira said, smiling. "You wouldn't waste alcohol like that."

"Wouldn't I?" Irana said, brow arched. "Just a word of advice, Adira... I wouldn't tempt fate after the day I've had."

"From my vantage point, it seemed to be going quite well," Adira replied, taking far too much pleasure in all the less-than-gentle ribbing for her own good. "So... who was she?"

"An old professor," Irana said. "How do you think I got such good grades?"

Adira watched her curiously for a moment, then said, "As strange as this might sound, I just assumed it was hard work and dedication."

"Means roughly the same thing, doesn't it?" Irana said, giving a vague shrug as she raised her drink again. "Besides, I always did have a thing for authority figures."

Adira gave a light snort of laughter. "Right," she said. "If 'having a thing' means 'all the contempt in the world.'"

"Love and hate have a lot in common," Irana said blandly, sipping her drink. "And speaking of..."

Once she lapsed into silence, Adira gave her a curious look, visibly unsure of what to make of it, prompting the younger matron to ask, "You're not still thinking of making me wear that martini, are you?"

Irana considered the other woman for a time, then said, "Still doesn't seem like a half bad idea, but, no. I'm not." After a pause, she added, "I was just wondering why you're suddenly so interested in my personal life."

"I-" Now it was Adira's turn to pause, brows arched, bemusement plain. Then, she said, "I was just curious. It seemed a bit... I don't know. Out of character."

If not for that lapse, it would've seemed like a perfectly acceptable answer for being put on the spot, but the almost... bashful tone the younger asari took was difficult to miss. Amusing to see, from Irana's vantage point, and a fine distraction, besides.

To that end, she said, "You know, normally, I'd say that's a perfectly good reason, but this isn't the first time you've brought it up. Mind telling me why that is?"

"Do I need a reason?" Adira replied, giving a slight shrug, the halfsmile that followed letting Irana know that she was, in fact, on to something. "Like I said, I'm just curious. You don't talk a lot about it, and... well. You're fun to tease, I guess."

"You guess?" Irana said, unable to keep a vulpine smile from appearing on her face. "With your track record, that's a lot of dedication for a simple 'I guess.'"

That, she was pleased to see, earned the beginnings of a blush from the younger matron. After the day she'd had, witnessing something so mundane seemed like a breath of fresh air.

"Well," Adira said, then, trying- once again- not to make a face at the taste of the liquor, "if it's bothering you, I can always stop."

Would've been better for both of them if she had, all told, but she's always known to keep personal chatter out of most of their conversations when they were around colleagues. Tevos was a bit of a different story, mostly thanks to Irana's comment that the councilor seemed to be more at ease when the staff she worked with closely were more personable with her, but there was always a limit to how far that 'teasing' would go.

Normally, Irana would have opted to keep that limitation present, but in this case? After the day she'd had?

"You don't have to if you don't want to," came out easily. Then, without so much as a single hesitation, she said, "Actually, I was just wondering... are you free this evening?"

Really, with all the blatant indiscretions of the day- why not add one little one to the list?

---

NOIR: [PAUSE] [LAUGHS] Ah. Well. That answers that, I suppose. Not that I can blame you for it, entirely. All of this must be very painful for you to recall, much less deal with. I know I'd be beside myself if I had to remember that, had I not told the woman who loved me, who relied on me, that I couldn't stand the sight of her. If I knew that, if I'd just supported her a little longer, been a little more attentive, during the horrible depression she'd suffered upon giving birth, and then again as she was grieving the sudden loss of a daughter she had finally come to accept, I might have been able to save her. Save thousands.

[NOTE: sounds heard in the background; unable to determine source]

NOIR: Did it really surprise you when she did what she did, I wonder? Did it really surprise you that, when you stripped her of every shred of self worth she still possessed, she turned to the very thing that you deluded yourself into believe would help you with your own... Is 'unhappiness' too strong a word? Discontentment? I suppose you were suffering horribly from your botched cosmetic surgeries, the ones you claimed you got to reclaim the torrid night life you'd tried to continue behind her back, and failed t- Wait. No. I'm getting that wrong, aren't I? It was to spare yourself the public humiliation of people knowing who you were, and what an awful woman you were associated with. Isn't that right?

[NOTE: sounds heard in the background; unable to determine source]

NOIR: [PAUSE] Hm? What's this? More silence? [PAUSE] Goddess, you're pathetic.

---

For a time, Tevos had been spared the effects of that word- pathetic- allowed to go without feeling the weight of it; had found a reprieve all her own. Two, in fact, both of which she was entirely grateful. Between Tela's careful attempts to keep her head above water, and the slow ebb of the disorientation she'd been subjected to, she'd been given a small window of time where she'd felt, finally, like she could breathe.

But now, with the simple statement of, "Looks like we're almost there," catching her attention, she could feel the calming effects of both get washed away completely.

Suddenly, that word the one spoken to her in the courtyard, the one she heard repeated in the back of her mind, the one that had taunted her, eaten at her, resurfaced.

Pathetic.

It was like getting the wind knocked out of her; not enough to bring back the feeling of panic, thankfully, but more than enough to give a bitter edge to why that panic had flared up in the first place.

It was strange to feel so lucid after so much confusion... but Tela had said that would happen, hadn't she? That disorientation would be traded for a strange kind of clarity? Not that 'clarity' was even the right term, nor was this particular feeling all that foreign to her. In fact, she could say with some certainty that it was with her every time she saw the familiar landmarks leading to the estates out of her peripheral vision- but she couldn't recall a time when it had been quite so profound, and the closer they got...

She couldn't say for certain if it was the drug that was guiding her discontentment this time. Certainly, its effects had a hand in its amplification, but... was that only peripheral, or-?

"Damn," she heard Tela say under her breath then. "That's-" A pause followed; then, "Huh."

"Never been out this way before?" Aeza asked, an interjection that might have given Tevos cause for concern, had the volus not warned them ahead of time that the noise filter was being switched off.

"No, I have," Tela said. "Just been nearly a half a century since I had to be." Beat. "Almost looks like they've added to it."

Aeza snorted. "Wouldn't surprise me. When you've got that much money laying around, there's always room for expansion."

Tevos didn't bother to chime in on that, instead keeping her eyes- uncovered, as there seemed little point to pretending everything was alright- on what she could see of the place from the windshield.

And there it was. The palatial Louseia estates, given its name in honor of Louseia Efthalis, one of the first councilors chosen by the asari government to serve the galactic community.

It was, by Tevos's estimation, a gleaming monument to excess.

That few people ever got to see it from within the gates- both visible, and invisible- was a given, and so far as she was concerned, that was to their benefit. Unsurprisingly, the community was locked down to nearly everyone save the rich and powerful, host to all manner of luxury penthouses, high rises, and outright mansions, the most prominent of which were the 'homes' set aside for the councilors, each one isolated by swaths of land to keep gawkers to a minimum; each one a perfect example of the phrase 'horrifying waste of space.'

Initially, when she'd been presented with the option of moving in to the estate set aside specifically for asari councilor, she'd asked if it was necessary. She'd been informed, in no uncertain terms, that only the salarians could get away with abstaining, the mansions often times only suited for the needs of any still-fertile dalatrasses that remained on station to counsel their male counterparts.

For them, it's only for the sake of utility, one matriarch had informed her. They need as much space as they can get to care for their clutches.

But what of her, she'd wondered? Not aloud, of course; she wasn't foolish enough to give the observation a voice. So, instead, she'd complied- just as you always have, where it comes to personal matters. Always deferring to the matriarchy's judgment. It would be unseemly for her to refrain from accepting the home as her own.

You realize it's all for show, don't you? Irana had commented to her, not long after the younger matron had been chosen, by her, as her new director of communications. No one's saying you have to stay there all the time. You just have to make it look like you are.

She did her best to tell herself that the trip she was making presently served a similar utility; that she was being taken to it for the sake of privacy. That her office had too many security checkpoints, too many people that might see her, to make the journey to her auxiliary apartment worth the risk. And yet, those words- all for show- made the risk seem negligible.

"You don't look too happy to see the place," Tela commented gently, the light brush of her thumb against the side of Tevos's hand giving a reminder of the contact they shared.

That only added to her discomfort- not because it was unwanted, but because, for a moment, she'd almost forgotten about their linked hands. It had been a profound source of comfort a moment ago, but now? Now, it was a reminder, just like the estates up ahead, of what 'all for show' really meant; represented the things she resented about the position she'd taken, even if it was, by all accounts, a position she genuinely enjoyed; that she had unreservedly sacrificed her personal life for, once upon a time.

You're one of the elite now, she'd been told. You're expected to act accordingly.

And she'd accepted that, without question. Accepted their insistence that she take up residence in a place that was far too large, far too immodest for her tastes; accepted their wildly intrusive 'requests' to keep her hands to herself, should she find her interest piqued by a member of her own species...

"Should I take that as a yes?" Tela asked, then, the younger matron's eyes locked on her.

"It's just... a bit of an eyesore," was her only response, opting to at least assuage any concerns that she was near panic again.

She should have been, though. She was being shipped back to a gilded cage, not a place of safety. A place that represented all the times she'd been told how horrified her constituents would be to learn that she was just as 'depraved' as her predecessor. A place that had made it only too easy to assume that the woman beside her would look at her in disgust, had the places her imagination had drifted to become known.

It was galling to think that that was all it was, that she'd put herself through hell for little more than a fabrication. But she'd suspected as much before, hadn't she? Staring down at the Presidium, at the pulse and flow of bodies, trying her level best to keep her mind centered on how she should behave, rather than how she wanted to?

It seemed a dangerous train of thought to entertain, but she wasn't entirely sure it mattered anymore, and part of her- the part that had traded total disorientation for a kind of anger she was unaccustomed to, for all the acceptance Tela had tried urge her towards- was only too happy to follow it. She'd been so eager to let herself lose her mind, to tear herself to pieces, for what she'd imagined, for what she'd felt, and for what?

Was it for Tela's benefit, she wondered- for the sake of the woman who asked, "You sure you're alright?" in those patient, calm tones meant to ease her- or for theirs?

Tevos closed her eyes for a moment as that scattered feeling began to encroach on her again, taking a slow breath to steady herself. It wasn't nearly as overwhelming as it had been before, but it was still there; she was still drugged. No matter how 'right' her bitterness felt, she couldn't be sure the sentiment was- real.

But it was real, wasn't it? Spirits, how many times did she have to go through this? All this second guessing- It felt like the worst case of emotional whiplash she'd experienced since her early years as a maiden.

And for what?

Even down to wondering how horrified her superiors would be if they'd learned how she was feeling in this moment, knew what she'd been imagining. Would they respond as her mother had, at those few times she'd been caught seeking the attention of another of her kind? Berate her for something as simple as the desperate hold she'd taken of Tela's hand- call her weak-willed for wanting that innocent contact to turn into something more?

Much more.

Goddess. Whether or not she was more lucid than before, more cognizant, she could feel a thin sheen of sweat on her skin, still feel-everything she had before. The desire, its ferocity, hadn't dimmed in the least; it was only her inability to process it that had faded, leaving behind only a deep sense of frustration.

"Tevos?" Tela prompted her again, just as she opened her eyes to see the gleaming white building that sat on the shoreline of an artificial lake.

"I'm fine," she lied, absently, realizing that she'd started to grip at Tela's hand more tightly than she'd intended. "I'm- feeling much better now. Still a bit scattered, but... better."

It wasn't a particularly convincing lie, either- but with nothing to prevent the driver from hearing them, Tela let it rest. "Good to hear," she said, in lieu of any further questions. "You were looking a little tense for a moment, there."

Because I hate this place, she thought, letting her gaze trail over the manicured lawns- over the arboretum, with its decorative water features and marble statues, its paths left largely unwalked. All of it, just like everything else she'd dwelled on, was there one purpose: all for show, and nothing more.

Looking at it, she really didn't know what she'd do once she entered the estate itself. Just picturing it in her mind's eye was enough to give rise to greater resentment. It was a farce unto itself, offering all the creature comforts one could ask for, but only on its surface. With two floors, several guest rooms, spacious bathrooms, and countless amenities, it was certainly impressive. It had decor, and architecture that was so polished, so artistic, that it practically oozed aesthetic from every wall, every sculpture she'd purchased from art galleries, every hand-picked painting; had floor to ceiling windows on the main floor, broken up only for clerestory windows with cathedral arches where the second floor loft was cut short.

It even had a stunning view of the lake that she could take in from a lavishly furnished balcony, one that ran the length of the estate's facade, all without fear of being watched. All of it was behind a high-powered privacy screen that gave the illusion of vacancy to any neighbors that looked her way, allowing her all the 'freedoms' she could ask for to do as she wished- at least, in theory.

It was only a theory, though. The house was empty; utterly bereft of life, even at those times she'd done her best to present the illusion of it. For every decoration it laid claim to, it remained soulless, sterile. She'd told herself that if it was occupied more often, that if it had been host to more than just dinners, or decadent cocktail parties put on as a matter of course for visiting dignitaries, it might feel different. Had decided that, every time her sister arrived to spend time with her on the Citadel, she'd force herself to stay there.

Irissa had taken to the estate better than Tevos had, certainly; had happily taken advantage of its amenities, but even she had to admit that it was larger than it needed to be. Why would a single occupant need several bedrooms that could host entire families?

"You sure about the scanners here?" she heard from the driver, before the thought could carry itself through, the sound of Aeza's voice reminding her, suddenly, of just how long she'd let her eyes go unshielded.

Let her see, she found herself thinking, staring out between the ornate fences at the very edge of the estate's lawns. What did it matter, really? Even if rumors began that the councilor had been seen with a subordinate, showing visible signs of arousal, who would believe her capable of acting on it? For both her public facade, and private, it would easily be deemed too out of character to be anything more than a joke unto itself.

"Hey," Aeza repeated. "I don't mean to be pushy here, but-"

"I'm sure," Tevos interrupted, with as much emphasis as she could muster. "It's looking for my identification... not yours."

"Alright," the driver said, then, cautiously approaching the private gate. "If you say so."

And as the cab pulled up to the gate, allowed the blue light of the sensor to sweep over it; as she saw the antiquated gate draw open as if in some grand welcome, she let her eyes close again, as if that might in some way prepare her for the remainder of the evening. Never mind that 'prepare how?' was the question she found herself asking.

She could tell herself the litany of reasons why the sacrifices, no matter how maddening, had been- on the surface- entirely worthwhile; could tell herself that loved her work, loved that she had excelled at something she genuinely enjoyed, and on both counts, she'd be right. Everything about it had been something she'd genuinely wanted, had gone out of her way to strive for, and she knew, without question, that had she been given the opportunity to do it all over again, that if she'd been given the choice to become councilor- with all its restrictions- or remain an ambassador, she wouldn't have changed a thing.

Save one.

It came as no surprise that the little reminders didn't help. They never helped during those nights when the loneliness was at its apex- when she found herself aching almost as badly as she did now. And that, on its own, seemed a bit alarming. Aside from the hypersensitivity, from the short temper, from... every augmentation the drug had made on her system... none of this was unfamiliar. The ache, the frustration, the anxieties- in so many ways, they were commonplace. Even the amplification hardly seemed that novel.

The sound of the skycar doors opening called her sharply out of her thoughts, the synthetic breeze that wafted in, carrying with it the near-nauseating smell of freshly-cut grass, giving her reason to feel a rise in that resentment again, even before she opened her eyes to look at the estate's side entrance.

Almost immediately, she was struck with the distinct feeling of being mocked; with the certainty that, no matter how much she loved her job, or what she did... she deserved better than what she'd been handed.

She didn't want that word pathetic to carry resonance anymore.

It was with that in mind, as she allowed herself to be guided out of the skycar, that she discovered what 'acceptance' really entailed- and found, upon looking at the younger matron beside her, that there was something to the expression Tela wore that she'd missed before.

For as much disinterest as she'd seen, she hadn't noticed how forced it was.

Made her wonder if, perhaps, the drastic ideas that had been on her mind weren't really that drastic after all.

---

NOIR: It's not anyone's fault but your own that you ended up like this. Not mine, not Eleria's, not Ineesa's. The only person you could ever possibly blame is mother, but- and this is the part I find interesting- you took her rhetoric, instead. And then Eleria took yours. Took every attempt you made to change her, to subscribe to your cracked way of thinking. Your-

NISAKIS: [INAUDIBLE]

NOIR: [PAUSE] Excuse me? What did you say?

NISAKIS: [INAUDIBLE]

NOIR: Don't you dare. Don't tell me you don't deserve to suffer for that. You deserved every second, every... You didn't give a single thought to the consequences of turning Eleria into that... thing, into... [PAUSE] No. [CROSSTALK] [INAUDIBLE] You ran. You have no right, Edine, no right to feign innocence, to pretend you were the one trying to 'help' her. I picked up the pieces, I tried to fix what was happening... I did everything you couldn't do, and then some. I'm still doing it. I'm still making things right, and what... What the hell are you doing? What have you amounted to? You're like some bad parody of a bitter crone, that can't for the life of her-

[SHOTS FIRED]

NOIR: [PAUSE] Edine? [PAUSE] Edine? [PAUSE]

[LINE TERMINATES]

... DOWNLOAD COMPLETE ...

... EXITING LOG ...

... ACCESSING TRANSCRIPT MENU ...

That was your most recent transcript. Are there others you would like to-

Parked on a small platform near one of the open shopping districts, Tamora idly looked over the information she'd retrieved, scrolling through the text to look for key phrases, or comments. Of those, there were plenty- enough to trip the triggers of even Nisakis's more forgiving handlers, by the look of it.

Shaking her head, and closing out the screen on her omnitool, the device allowed to fade, she said, "Lucy?" as she put the skycar into gear. "Could you tell me where Miss Nisakis is headed?"

"Yirell Nisakis is currently located in Zakera Ward's 5th district," the VI replied.

"Do you have any route projections?" Tamora said, pulling out into the forking skyway that had lead her here.

"As anticipated, the subject appears to be moving in the direction of the 7th district."

"Good," Tamora said, merging on to the main artery of traffic along the Presidium. "Do me a favor, and let me know when she reaches her destination."

"Affirmative," Lucy replied. "Is there anything else you'd like me to do with this information?"

"No, thank you," Tamora said, already on the lookout for signs pointing towards ward access, even though she knew it would be a while. "At the moment, I'd rather dictate a message."

"To whom is the message addressed?"

"I'll be sending this one on to Merrin," she replied, content to remain in the slow lane of traffic; there wasn't much point to hurrying. "You should have her frequency saved."

"Affirmative," the VI replied. "Standard encryption will be applied to the message. Are there any additional security precautions you'd like to implement before we proceed?"

"It's not necessary," Tamora said. "Just mark it as urgent, and relay the following as text only." She paused, waiting for the light chime to tell her to proceed, and said, "Merrin; I know what I said about what's happening on the colony, but I'm afraid I have to reverse my stance on it, and I suggest you do the same. I know it'd be more favorable if we didn't go the gruesome route, but with Nisakis out of commission, it's easier just to pass it off to her handlers, and it's better for us in the long run, anyway. I'm a lot happier with guaranteed backing from the councilor than I am with a few flimsy promises from a self-proclaimed martyr."

After a moment's pause, she said, "By the way, I think you'll want to pay a visit to Nisakis's sister, just... How to put this." A pause. "Expect her to be a little indisposed, and be prepared to spend the day data-mining. I don't expect you to find much, but keep me updated on anything 'new' you happen to stumble across, especially in regards to her activities within the Convergence Movement. After you read the attached transcript, I think you'll agree that it's worth looking into."

There was a short silence to follow, after which, the VI prompted her with, "Is that the end of the message?"

"It is," Tamora said, glanced up at a passing sign, and noting that her exit was, in fact, still a ways away.

"Would you like to append your pre-set signature programmed for this recipient?"

"Hm? What's it set for?"

"'If you have any complaints, please feel free to address them to a brick wall,'" the VI replied.

Tamora smiled to herself. "That's a bit rude, isn't it?" Shaking her head, she said, "What was the subject line of the message it was attached to?"

"'I'm ordering Thessian take-out for tonight's meeting,'" Lucy replied. "Body of the message was left blank, save for the signature."

"Delete it, then," Tamora said. "Append the most recent download from my transcripts folder, and send it along. I don't need a message review."

"Affirmative," the VI said. "Your message has been sent."

"Much obliged," Tamora said. "Oh... there is one last thing."

"I'm sorry," the VI said, "your message has already been-"

"It has nothing to do with the message," Tamora interrupted. "I'm more interested in downloading the files we have on Council Spectre Tela Vasir."

"One moment please," the VI replied. "Files contain several text-only documents. Would you like me to read them to you?"

"Yes, please," Tamora said. "Begin chronologically, and exclude all medical documentation." Glancing up absently at the signs again, she said, "She seems like a fascinating woman," eyes turning back to the skyway ahead. "Has a lot of promise. I think it's about time I got to know her better."