"Let's hit the Quasar machines at the Flux!" Ashley calls out, stretching her arms behind her head. "I'm feeling lucky today."
"You say that every day, Chief," Kaidan teases quietly.
"Gotta stay optimistic with how often people attempt to murder us," Hale joins in. "At some point we have to run out of our bad luck with how often we run into it."
"Keep dreaming," Tali chuckles.
The team continues chattering in the airlock, and Hale sandwiches herself between some of her squad mates so that she can steal looks at the quiet asari who's as tucked into the corner as she possibly can be. She looks nervous and uncomfortable, fidgeting, glancing. She's looking less forward to this outing than people attempting to murder them.
Trying to be inconspicuous, limited by her short stature, Hale raises her elbow enough to nudge Tali in the hips. The quarian flinches a little and looks down at her. Hale points at Liara with her chin before she looks away so she won't get caught. Tali just stares before pointing at her own helmet.
Right. Subterfuge doesn't work with a suit that has no volume-altering function.
Thankfully, the airlock hisses loudly, and the others' conversations provide a decent enough mask for Tali to squeeze in a few words.
"Well, go talk, then. Now's your chance, Shepard."
Yeah. She knows that. She's created this chance, but she didn't expect to throw herself in Liara's crosshairs so soon. She doesn't have a choice when the quarian grabs her by the shoulders, and swipes a foot at her ankle as she's shoved to send her flying over. The asari scientist's yelp echoes in the airlock and it falls quiet, all conversations shot dead as everybody's heads turn to Liara and Hale. There's a moment of shock and silence. A moment she wishes lasted a little longer, before laughter erupts at her expense over her awkward position as to where she's fallen against the asari scientist.
Hale collects herself as coolly as she doesn't at all feel as she steps away from Liara's chest, too ashamed to look the asari in the eye. God, this is just what she needed, to look even more of a fool as she is in front of an intellect like Doctor T'Soni, and to get this chummy with her. This is totally going to make her feel more comfortable, sure.
"Sorry," Hale mutters, shoulders slumping in defeat. She's been wanting to paint a picture of herself as graceful or sexy, not a dorky foolish fool. "I tripped."
She was tripped, is more accurate, and through her glare she gives Tali a stamp of approval for her death certificate. Hale holds her head high and takes the lead out the airlock, refusing to entertain the others' teasing with the satisfaction of any answer, except a threat.
"Keep it up and we'll be spending shore leave by cleaning the Normandy's toilets with toothbrushes."
It works like a charm, evident by the group's collective groan before the teasing dies. Hale smiles smugly, while changing her plan on how to spend her own shore leave.
Not at all getting as close as that with Doctor T'Soni, getting drunken amnesia by the end of this night, and wake up with no credits to her name, all spent on Flux's machines.
Music blares loudly in the corner of the nightclub, deafening conversations all around. And Liara's tucked herself in the opposite corner. She observes her team, smiling at how they let loose and the silliness coming from some of them, her eyes being opened to totally different people. She would've never thought that Ashley is the dancing type, though alcohol may be involved in encouraging her to think she can dance, challenging strangers on the floor. Kaidan and Wrex are having a mini biotics competition over who can pour drinks the steadiest, while drunk. Garrus and Tali are probably the most tame of the group, having head upstairs to hit the machines. More like stumbled their way upstairs though, so there's not much guesswork involved that they're probably making fools of themselves too.
Commander Shepard is still Commander Shepard. She's smoking like an industrial smokestack at the bar, helping herself to a few packs of candy berries and galaxybursts. She's the only one alone in this group, apart from Liara, though the asari scientist isn't brave enough to approach.
Especially not after that awkward moment in the airlock.
Even Hale seemed like she was... What was she? She's done embarrassing things that haven't seemed to embarrass her. Whatever the case, now there's another hurdle to climb an even higher wall, and Liara is left in her growing discomfort. She's always felt awkward trying to connect to people and she doesn't really have anyone she can share like-minded hobbies or conversations. Prothean archaeology isn't exactly a popular topic. She hopelessly nurses her wine and decides to apply her mind elsewhere, turning on her omni-tool so that she can work away on some of the artifacts the scavenger teams found for her. She brings up a small holographic model, turning it this way and that way to study every inch and corner of the artifact, hypothesizing age and function.
An error pops up on her omni-tool. She blinks, stunned and staring at the empty space where the model had just been. A body dumps itself in the seat across from her.
"No working, ya workaholic. The only holic I'll accept on shore leave is an alcoholic, Doctor T'Soni." Hale states somewhat playfully, muffling around the cigarette in the corner of her smirking mouth. She has a glass of whiskey in each hand, sliding one over to Liara, who tries not to outwardly cringe when some whiskey spills on the table.
Liara gestures to her arm. "How did you shut my omni-tool off?"
"Messaged Tali to hack it," Hale confesses with a casual shrug. "Let me know if she's taken it too far." She narrows her eyes in the quarian's direction. "Again."
"Taken too far?"
"If she messes with you some more. Pop-ups, and stuff. Don't worry about it. I don't think she will. Probably only does it to me for revenge since I've messed with her omni-tool a few times." Hale leans forward to clink their glasses together, then throws her head back to chug her whiskey. She whistles, or tries to, when a series of coughs take her, and she laughs while she chugs her cigarette. "Whew, strong stuff. Don't do what I just did."
Glowing embers hold Liara's attention as she stares at the smoke wafting away from the cigarette, trying not to wrinkle her nose. It's not a particular vice she would ever indulge herself, knowing of its harmful effects, though is curious with its sweet smell, wondering what it feels or tastes like. She's aware some experience a sense of euphoria and ponders if that's why the Commander indulges, though her staring seems to be misconstrued for disapproval when Hale reluctantly snuffs out her cigarette in the table's center ashtray. Before Liara can reassure it's fine, she's cut off.
"So, Doctor T'Soni. There's gotta be something you like to do for fun." Hale grins. "Besides working, I mean."
Liara looks up in thought. She knows where this is leading, and what's actually being asked: why isn't she utilizing shore leave? Well, her hobbies and version of de-stressing doesn't have anything to do with activities one might typically delve into in the city. She prefers solitude for a reason.
"I enjoy reading," she starts. She's taken aback when the Commander blows a tongue at her, mimicking the sounds of passing gas.
"Still work." Hale points at the whiskey glass she'd gotten for the scientist. "Ever get drunk?"
"Oh, no, not anymore. I've sto-"
"Alright, so it's settled. We're getting you drunk tonight." Hale disappears from the table and heads to the bar way too fast, leaving Liara to her panic. There's a reason she limits herself and ensures she doesn't get drunk anymore. Her eyes fall to the whiskey glass and she brings it to her nose, cringing at the strong bitter smell. It almost burns inside her nostrils.
Hale has a slight sway to her when she returns with a whole bottle of whiskey, her movements uncoordinated and sloppy even just sitting down. Her grin is more carefree, her face slightly splotchy with hues of red, her throat in particular burning crimson. She pours the whiskey in her glass first, then gives Liara's hand a pointed look for some reason. Liara follows the gaze back to her own glass, still full, and she smiles meekly.
"Um, I appreciate the thought, Commander, but..."
"No appreciating thoughts," Hale raises a resolute hand as if to shush. "Appreciate the whiskey instead." She leans forward with her glass and clinks it against Liara's, her grin growing to be devious. "It is this marine's solemn duty to get you completely plastered tonight. And then we're joining Ash on the dance floor."
Heat flushes the asari scientist's face and she balks, wide-eyed, shaking her head fiercely. "No. I don't dance."
Not anymore. For a reason. A reason no one can find out ever again.
"Let's party, Liara!"
Well, it's evident that Liara's words have fallen on deaf ears when Hale knocks back her glass, whooping and coughing and laughing. She takes it upon herself to grab the bottom of Liara's glass and pushes it to her mouth, unapologetic when some spills out again, thank the Goddess. Liara feels sorry for whoever will have to clean this up, but the less she drinks, the better. She closes her eyes and braces herself as the bitter liquid slips past her lips, only to find that it's actually sweeter than it's smell. It coats her tongue thickly, and when she swallows, a searing burn clutches her throat. She coughs with the glass still pressed to her lips, and Hale's gravelly laughter wraps around her like the hearth of a fire. It does things to her mind, making it fuzzy.
For a moment, when she bravely meets the pools of icy-blues head on, the music disappears, and all she can hear is the Commander's enthusiasm, earning the ire of some patrons at nearby tables. Liara smiles apologetically at them when they move away, and takes the glass in her own hands before it spills all over her.
There's something rallying about being egged on to drink, and always having a full glass the second it hits the table. Eventually, the whiskey stops burning in her throat, burning in her mind instead as the club's neon lights glow brighter, and the music feels heavier, as if it's pumping adrenaline directly into her bloodstream.
Images pass her by like a book. Tali's in her face, then Wrex, then Garrus. Then her own arm, with her hand grabbed by Hale, dragged to the dance floor. Ashley greets her with a lazy one-armed hug, and the soldier is handed a shot glass by Hale. Like watching through a window, Liara sees her own hand raising in the air with the other women, all armed with vodka. A little bit trickles out of Liara's lips when she doesn't quite meet the mark of pressing it to her mouth, and she feels it drip onto her suit.
Ashley laughs, taking it upon herself to lick it off Liara's chest, though her words are drowned by the music. A fierce blush grips the asari scientist, and when she looks over at Hale, a shiver rolls down her spine with the way the icy-blue eyes burn hotter than the whiskey. Her hand is taken again and she's dragged off the dance floor. It's only been a few seconds.
Laughter bubbles in the air, and she glances over at the short human barely meeting her shoulder. They each hold a railing for dear life, trying to climb some sort of stairs. Liara's lifted in the air and she hears Wrex's voice, but not his words, only registering in the back of her mind that she's being teased. She's dumped in a chair, and holds onto the edge of the table to make the world stop spinning. She rests the side of her face against cool metal, sticky with spilled drinks, and feels a finger lazily trace the curvature of her nose. She looks up, wrapped by Hale's gravelly laughter again, as the commander continues to poke her face with a look of pride and amusement.
"C'mon Doctor T'Soni, I'm convinced you're way more of a party animal than this. Universities throw the best parties." Hale grabs her wrist, tugging lightly. "Let's go play Quasar."
"Comm-Command... I don't... I don't think gambling is wise in our current state," Liara mumbles, tongue thick and tripping on itself. Nevertheless, her body, no longer in sync with her mind, moves ahead of her. It takes a few tries of rising and falling in her seat before she's able to get up. She's following the short human somewhere, tailing the blonde ponytail and keeping an almost sober focus on the tattooed arms to make sure she's even following the right person in this crowded club. With how short Shepard is, it's easy to lose her.
Without thinking, Liara reaches to grab the commander's wrist, and she swears she's just established a direct comm-link through their skin. It's hot, yet she shivers, a spark of electricity buzzing on touch like a series of static shocks. The icy-blue eyes darken, but not intimidating, the way they usually are when the commander glares.
She's not glaring, but she's staring, and Liara gets the sense she's doing something wrong. She knows she is when she's pushed against the wall.
"I-I'm so sorry, Shep-Shepard. I didn't mean to."
Hale doesn't look angry. She looks like she's struggling with something though, her eyes frantically searching Liara's face for something. Then she smiles, meek and quirky.
"It's fine. You didn't do anything wrong. How are you feeling, Liara?"
"Drunk." It comes out with such finality, such certainty, that it seems to send the commander laughing, and she smiles sloppily herself.
"Let's table the dancers for another time then."
Table the dancers? That makes no sense. Why do humans have such strange sayings?
"You're not looking too good. Let's get you back to the Normandy and get some IV in ya."
"What? No, I feel fine." Liara stumbles just trying to push herself off the wall, bumping into the shorter human by accident. "I don't want to hold you back or ruin your-"
"You're not holding me back at all," Hale reassures steadily. And she grins. "You're definitely not ruining shore leave either. But I need to start holding you back, because I'm pretty sure you have enough to regret about tonight now."
What's that supposed to mean?
"Come on." Hale seems tentative to grab her hand, and seems stuck for a few seconds when she does, too. Her palm is so warm, though slack, her body limber and limp though bearing more coordination than Liara is sure she doesn't have. She doesn't resist, staring at their hands as they make their way through the club. How peculiar that they don't have stairs to climb down. Didn't they just climb up some a few seconds ago? Or rather, she was carried up there.
The music fades, and a slight white-noise whines in her ears when they leave the den.
The Den...?
Liara glances over her shoulder, brow pinching in concentration, catching glimpse of significantly darker strobe lights, and some asari strip dancers, before the doors hiss shut on her.
"Oh, Goddess," she mumbles, tripping over her feet from looking back. She's caught with steady hands on shoulders, hiccuping laughter surrounding her, and a damning statement.
"I can't wait to show you all the videos tomorrow," Hale says. "I called it. I knew it. You really are a party animal, doc."
Voices are muted beyond med-bay's doors. A needle is threaded in her forearm, securely taped to stop her from pulling it out for who knows how many times now. It's such an uncomfortable sensation, and she's restless, and why is she even here?
Why won't her stomach stop kicking at her chest?
Liara groans, and then she hears another groan in return. Her head lazily lolls to the side and she makes out another body on the plinth beside her, bearing feminine features and dark hair. She squints, trying to focus, but the world won't stop spinning. On a limb, she whispers. "Ashley? Is that you?"
"Shhh... Not so loud..." Ashley slings a forearm across her eyes, groaning again as she turns on her side. "Ugh, fuck Kaidan and Wrex... I'm never doing shots with them ever again."
It seems they're the only denizens in the infirmary, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she wonders how everybody else is faring, searching them in her memories. She has glimpses, and a lot of those glimpses have Hale involved. She vaguely remembers Tali and a straw. Something about Garrus losing all his credits in one game.
Everything else is blurry, and smoky. She can smell it clinging to her. She sniffs her hands and is relieved to not find it there, but there's different sweets and bitterness instead. Candy, maybe. Definitely alcohol. She's dreading the hangover, but most importantly, she hopes she doesn't remember anything.
There's a reason she doesn't let herself get drunk, but her mind has taken advantage of a loophole: instead she let someone else get her drunk.
The med-bay's doors open, and Doctor Chakwas enters alongside Commander Shepard. The doctor looks indifferent, like she isn't surprised, and Hale is still wearing her lighthearted ways on her sleeve. She comes up to Liara, her playful grin that's dominated many memories has now been replaced with a soothing smile.
"How are you feeling, Liara?" Hale whispers. "Better yet?"
"Shh!" Ashley hisses from her plinth. "Not so loud!"
Hale chuckles softly, earning another hiss. She shakes her head when Liara opens her mouth, and instead grabs the asari's IV pole. She holds out her hand.
"Come on," she mouths. "Your room."
As if under hypnosis, Liara nods and goes along with the suggestion. A warm bed is preferable to a cold plinth anyhow. She carefully moves, more so not to antagonize her own head than Ashley's head, and is grateful for the arm that wraps around her back to help her sit up. She holds onto Shepard's shoulder, biting her tongue almost painfully so in order to guard her secret that the human is the perfect height to support her. Hale wheels along the IV pole and together, they take one step at a time until they make it to the back of the med-bay, into the storage room where Liara's made herself home.
"Sorry for pushing you so much, doc," Hale murmurs as soon as the doors slide shut behind them. "Careless of me. Didn't mean to make you sick. Just wanted you to ease up a little, have fun. Got carried away myself." She looks up at Liara with an apologetic smile, warring with eagerness. "Had a blast with you, though. Nice to see this side of you too. Would've never guessed you had it in you, before tonight."
There's a lot of information, and all Liara can think of is shh. It's hurting her brain to think, especially when it's thinking of a novel of questions, but thankfully it doesn't seem like she's expected to answer. She's helped into her cot, though whips off the sheets as soon as they're slid over her.
"No... Too hot..."
"Oh, my bad." Hale adjusts the IV pole and wheels it up to the headboard. Then she stands, and stares, but nothing is happening. She chuckles for no reason. "Yeah, so uh... Well I hope you feel better. Ping me on my omni-tool if you need anything at all, even if it's a glass of water." She turns to walk away, but Liara lazily reaches out and catches fabric in her fingers, closing her eyes when they're assaulted by the bright sterile lights of this lab.
"Stay," she croaks. "And turn off the lights please."
"Yeah, of course, no problem."
It doesn't take long before the room falls to darkness, with her terminal the only source of light. The warm orange glow reminds her of embers... Somewhere in the far recesses of her mind. It's oddly heavy, the memory, the smell, but carries with it a subtle sweetness. Her cot groans from weight leaning against it, and she looks over, blinking to focus on the back of blonde unkempt hair. Shepard is sitting against her bed. Liara lazily rolls on her side, facing the commander, and pats her bed.
Hale glances over her shoulder, curious of the sounds, and chuckles when Liara pats again.
"I'm fine. Promise. Just rest, T'Soni."
It doesn't take much. A huff escapes her when she slams on her back. She drapes her arm across her eyes to block out the terminal light, sighing. "How much did I embarrass myself?"
Silence. Not a promising answer. She can almost hear Hale weighing her answers. The commander gives a poor one at that. "Not at all. Don't worry about it."
"I vaguely remember you saying you can't wait to show me videos, and that you called it with me being a 'party animal'."
Hale sucks in a noisy breath. Definitely not a promising answer. She's weighing them again, and this time gives none at all. "Move over. Ground's uncomfortable."
What a sorry excuse. If she thinks she can get away with that, well then, she will, because Liara would rather not know. She doesn't want to be reminded of all the reasons why she doesn't drink to the point of getting drunk. Or dance, which she's sure she did, and that's likely one of many videos. As long as she didn't dance in Chora's Den, she'll survive the coming mortification. Hopefully.
Warmth tucks in behind her, and she's moved around so simply as if she weighs as light as a feather. She's pulled here and there, shifted until she's nestled up against Hale, the two snapping together like a piece of a puzzle. It reminds Liara of a feeling of electricity, and she tenses a little when the commander sucks in a breath, tensing herself. A tentative arm wiggles under Liara's armpit, hand resting on her hip. Hale's legs are on each side of her, nestling her in a nest of safety.
"Here, lean back a little," Hale murmurs, a subtle jitteryness to her words. One of her hands comes up over Liara's forehead and gently pulls back, guiding her to rest on the human's shoulder. Liara takes it upon herself to grab the human's hands, wrapping it around her waist, hands sliding over the back of calloused knuckles. She smiles to herself when, once again, the commander sucks in a noisy breath. She closes her eyes as her head lolls back, shifting a little bit more to make herself comfortable against her pillow behind her.
Hale catches one of her hands, and for a moment seems frozen, until her thumbs dig into Liara's palm and massages it. It sends pleasant little tingles all throughout her body, and she soaks in the strange sensations of silky hair brushing against her, where some spills over her scalp, and some cascades across her cheekbone. She's soothed and drifts, sighing in content.
"That feels really nice," she whispers, eyes shuttering.
One of the hands comes up upon her opposite shoulder, kneading the taut junction of where her neck meets her shoulder. She almost groans, biting her tongue to stop it, but melts significantly as she falls limp against Hale. Warm breaths brush her face like a gentle breeze, carrying her closer to sleep. She doesn't want to, not yet, she wants to indulge in these feelings because she knows it's not going to happen again. The commander always seems so far away, and tonight has been the only time Liara has felt some semblance of connection between them. It's hard to get close with someone who's flighty like the wind. It's hard to read something with someone who doesn't seem to take anything seriously, unless it's a fatal threat.
For a moment, she stiffens when she swears she feels the warmth intensify on her face. She doesn't dare open her eyes. There's a moist tickle against her temple.
"Good night sweet dreams, Liara."
Liara bites the flesh of her cheek to stop herself from smiling, and to pretend she's sleeping for as long as possible, until she's lulled to the darkness. There's always pressure on her hand, thumb massaging her palm, sometimes daring to stay a few seconds longer to qualify as holding hands. Then it goes back to being a massage.
She falls asleep with the feeling of a nose against her temple, soothing breaths sinking into her skin, and a warm body slackening with hers. There's local pressure, somewhere, but she's too distant to focus on it.
All she knows is that it feels right.
Mortified, Liara has half a mind to ask Wrex to kill her, but he's in on the teasing, showing videos of his own of her horrible dancing as she's trapped in the mess hall, surrounded by her fellow squad mates as they each take turns showing off their recordings of each other letting loose last night. The large majority of them revolve around Liara, and at least every video has someone noting they never thought she had it in her.
She worked really hard to maintain that reputation, and now it's all gone.
The worst? Tali has obtained evidence of Liara doing body shots off of an asari stripper, goaded and cheered by Ashley. Thankfully, in the video, Hale breaks through the circle of bodies, taking Liara away. It doesn't really seem to protect her modesty, though, not with the plethora of proof of all the silly things they have done and been caught on video too.
It's when the pools of icy-blues turn to one of the cameras, with Ashley dogging them and recording them. A shudder rolls through Liara from the glare. She steals a quick look around, wondering if Hale isn't here to save the asari from additional embarrassment, or to save herself the questions from that look she gives the camera.
"Turn it off, Ash."
"C'mon, Commander! T'Soni's never gonna do this ever again."
In the video, Liara is laughing at nothing, stumbling over everything. This is so embarrassing.
Another chill runs down the asari's spine when Hale's eyes narrow in the recording. "It shouldn't have happened in the first place. She's supposed to have fun, not-"
"Be smeared and defiled," Ashley quotes alongside the video, sniggering as she takes her seat beside Liara. "Look at that look, T'Soni. The Commander totally digs you."
"Digs me? I'm afraid I don't understand that saying." Liara frowns, confused, and suddenly the other team members are lording over the table, as if eager to gossip.
Maybe this is why Hale isn't here. Liara wishes she wasn't, either. Her confusion is solved soon enough though.
"It's the whole reason why we were out in the first place," Tali explains. "She needed an excuse. So she asked you out by asking all of us out."
"An excuse? Why?"
Kaidan mumbles something, then disappears from the group. Wrex's laughter booms in the mess hall. He gives a friendly slap on the back that nearly sends Liara forward over the table. "Krogan's quads, Shepard likes ya, asari. She was all over you all night. Got drunk to grow some quads, got you drunk to make you grow some quads, then spent half the night regretting she got you drunk by trying to make you stop doing stupid shit. Best shit I've seen in a while. Never thought you had it in ya. Got bigger quads then a krogan."
There's an audible clear of the throat somewhere behind the group. A very familiar audible clear of the throat. Within seconds, everyone disperses, leaving Liara to fend for herself. Her face flushes with heat, the words and realization sinking in, and she's stuck staring at the backs of her treacherous squad mates while they hightail it back to the hangar elevator, whistling and overall pretending they weren't at all gossiping about the possibility of the Commander having a crush. On Liara, of all people.
That part didn't make sense. The two might as well be opposites, and she was under a very strong impression that if anything, Hale would take a liking to personalities like Wrex or Ashley, finding common ground with the things they enjoyed or the goals they shared.
Paralyzed, Liara can't look behind her. She stiffens when a hand falls on her shoulder, a hand vaguely reminding her of pleasant sensations of... A massage? For some reason, she remembers that there was a body behind her, maybe sleeping behind her, maybe it was the Commander too. She woke up alone this morning though. It had to be a dream. Why is last night so hazy? Maybe it's for the best, but not when she forgets the best parts too.
Another round of blushing overtakes her cheeks.
"How are you feeling, Doctor T'Soni?" Hale asks, with a soft squeeze of the shoulder.
"I'm-" Liara swallows to try to ease the lump in her throat, croaking the rest pathetically. "I'm fine, thank you, Commander." She braves a look, turning a little in her chair.
It's strange, witnessing times where these icy-blue eyes can cut, but also dance. It's hard to read anything from them right now though. Hale seems stiff and uncomfortable. Then, as flighty as she usually is, she suddenly sits beside Liara. Shepard twists, throwing a leg over a knee, searching for her pack of cigarettes and threading one into her lips with deft speed. She lights it up, though it seems like she's using the smoke as an excuse to keep her eyes on it as she muffles. "Sorry about last night. It's my fault you got sick." Her gaze flickers up, then back down at the cigarette. She turns her head to blow the smoke away. Usually she indulges, but now she appears to be using it as a crutch, to ease up. "The others didn't give you a hard time, did they? I can talk to them. Make sure they won't keep it up."
"T-that won't be necessary. It was all in harmless fun, they meant nothing by it. We all watched videos of each other being silly."
Another puff of smoke. Hale purses her lips and controls it, blowing it out very slowly. She sighs, then smiles, but it's strained and anxious and quirky and... Adorable. "Good." She rises, rolling her cigarette to the other corner of her mouth as she pads herself down. She takes out something from her pocket and slams it face down on the table, then makes a quick getaway, the words tumbling all together into one hasty breath. "Had a good time with you last night. I'll pay you your 2000 credits when I make back what I lost from Quasar."
"My 2000 credits?" Liara asks, but she's already asking the wind. She's left alone in the mess hall. She looks at what's on the table, a little black laminated square, and flips it over. Her heart surges for a moment, pulsing and flooding with gooey warmth. Her lips naturally whisk in a smile. It's a photo of them, thankfully a respectable one on Liara's part, but it's proof. Proof of the Commander's dancing eyes, and carefree grin.
And, possibly attraction as the others said, with the way Hale's arm is slung around Liara's shoulders, hugging her close. The two are mocking a casual salute, fingers to temple.
It helps her remember the last thing before she fell asleep: the local pressure, lips that pressed to her temple, confessing by stealing an innocent kiss.