It had been a long time since she had seen the Citadel.

It had not changed much over the decades but then, she had been very young when she had last been here. For a child, gazing upon the wonders of the great station almost seemed like stepping into another world, another fiction. It was as exotic as anything in her books, more grand than she could ever have hoped to imagine. That was before they even got to the aliens. Some she recognised, even from a sheltered life on Thessia, but others were just that; alien. She had stayed very close to her mother, the woman holding her hand tightly, making sure that the floods of people wouldn't carry her away and separate them forever.

Her mother seemed to be doing an adequate job of that on her own though.

Liara tried to bite down on the icy cold surge of pain which flooded her system whenever she thought of her mother's betrayal. The same woman who had hugged her close when she was scared, made her laugh when she was sad and picked her up when she was down was now a traitor to her own people. Perhaps one of the greatest traitors in the modern age. She shook her head as she leant against the railing and looked out over the caliginous lakes of a sleeping Presidium, the artificial lighting draining away as the day wore on and the sound of polite conversation and light, piano music carried softly from the room behind. She had to stay focused on why she was here. That inevitably brought her thoughts back to Commander Shepard.

The human woman was one of the most interesting people she had ever met. The Commander fought her way into the middle of a geth horde, broke her out of a prison of her own making and then brought down a priceless prothean ruin. There was one to be said for her, it was that life with her was never boring. She owed the woman her life. That was even before they had got to the beacon. She had encountered a Prothean beacon and, better than that, she had interacted with it, received data from it. Locked beneath that swept back, curly-tipped, flaming hair could be the answers to the questions she had spent her life chasing. It was the source of her fascination.

That was what she had convinced herself anyway.

No. It had been more than that. When Shepard had reached down to use her console there had been a surge of...energy she supposed. Asari were taught that every living thing interacted, that they were all part of the greater whole. Every action had a consequence, a ripple sent through time. Was that what had pulled them so powerfully together, to nearly ignite the ember? She didn't know. Shepard had not spoken of it and she was loath to give the poor woman yet another thing to focus on.

"There you are."

Speak of the goddess...Shepard slipped through the double glass doors and onto the balcony with her, having finally managed to untangle herself from the great crowds of people who had been surrounding her for most of the night. She had gone with the Ambassador's wishes and discarded her dress uniform, instead she had gone for a full length, emerald green ball gown. She looked, there was no other way of saying it, absolutely ravishing. The dress hugged her figure enough to define her sublime figure, following her curves sensually, sublimely. Her neck was mostly open with a small silver locket dangling down to draw attention to her...assets. Though it stretched down to the floor, there was a cut down the side to give her more movement and every so often there was a flash of pale skin when she moved. She had done something to her hair, Liara could only guess, but it seemed to have more volume and a greater shine. She had applied a subtle layer of make up to enhance her natural features, namely her high cheekbones and her eyes. It was the eyes that caught Liara's attention, those cerulean gems that seemed to glow with energy and enthusiasm.

Liara found she was staring and tried to pull her gaze away. It was much better to wait until her back was turned before she started roaming...

...wait. No it isn't. Where did that thought come from?

She tried to recollect her shattered thoughts and smile as the woman came alongside her,
"S-Shepard," she practically tripped over her own tongue. Smooth, "you managed to get away from your admirers then?" Most of them.

"Yeah, I have to say, the Elcor Ambassador's a riot. It takes him a while to reach the punchline but it is well worth it." She chuckled, shaking her head so that her hair wavered and shimmied like wheat caught in a gentle breeze and...her mind was wandering again...

Why was it so hard to concentrate around Shepard?

...is she wearing perfume?

Uh oh. She's looking straight at me. Liara felt a moment of panic fill her mind. Had she asked a question and was waiting for an answer? What must she think of the asari staring gormlessly at her.

"I'm...sorry?" She managed, cringing internally.

If the human thought her behaviour strange, she showed no sign of it, which only served to make it more awkward, "I said, what were you doing out here? You've been missing for ages."

"Oh, sorry." Liara looked away, if only so Shepard wouldn't see the slight tint of pink slipping into her cheeks, "I came out here for some quiet. I have a lot to think about."

"Yeah. I'll bet."

Shepard leant against the balcony with her, looking out over the Presidium. Liara felt dizzy standing so close to her. All she needed was something to break the silence...

The quiet between them seemed to stretch one again. Liara tried to think of something to say while Shepard seemed perfectly content with the moment of peace. The Archaeologist knew there had to besomethingshe could say that would open up the conversation but it remained frustratingly out of reach. It had been so long since she had tried to chat to someone she was interested in.

Movement at the door distracted both of them, turning as one to see who had interrupted them. As they turned their eyes met, blue meeting sapphire, and for one fleeting moment, Liara felt a strong surge of need before the moment was gone.

Anderson was standing in his dress uniform, bedecked with dozens of ribbons speaking of a lifetime of bravery and self-sacrifice.

"Shepard? It's time for your speech."

The woman nodded in thanks, waiting until the Captain had gone before she exhaled deeply.
"Well, here goes." She breathed, eyes closed. Liara was struck by how nervous she looked, "you coming?"

"Oh. Of course." The asari nodded with all the enthusiastic energy of a puppy before she caught herself, "I'll...um...I'll be right there..."

The Spectre watched her for another long minute before heading back inside, leaving the blue-skinned woman light-headed and confused. She wasn't going to go to pieces like that every time she was around the Commander was she? At this rate, she would need one of Tali's enviro-suits to be safe.