Chapter 21
Amelia
April 15th, 2191
Amelia stared at herself in the mirror, the brush tickling across her cheek as she painted the last line of the Vakarian clan markings. It had become such a habit of reapplying the paint every day that she could probably do it in her sleep, but she wanted to make sure that it was perfect today.
Satisfied, she slipped into her outfit, a simple yet elegant blue dress that ran flush with her upper body before becoming looser at her waist, ending halfway down her shins, matching the color of her markings perfectly.
Emerging from the bathroom, she found Gaius and Octavia perched on the end of one of the hotel beds, entranced by a cartoon playing on the television. Octavia wore a dress very similar to her mother's, although a more slim waist, and Gaius wore a classic turian suit, complete with a small clip-on bowtie.
"You look pretty, Mada," Octavia said when she noticed her, her mandibles going wide with delight only a child possessed.
"Aww… You do too, Avi. You're so beautiful I can't believe my eyes." She flashed a smile back, turning her attention to Gaius, "And you, you're so handsome I could eat you for breakfast." She got close, faux biting near his hands, getting a shriek and a laugh from the boy.
-o-
The shuttle flight from Vancouver to San Diego was short, and they arrived at the wedding venue, a gorgeous little gazebo on the beach, looking out onto the Pacific ocean. She quickly spotted James, standing more than a head taller than everyone else gathered.
"Lola! You made it!" He called over, splitting off from the group he was conversing with and trodding across the sand to her. As expected, he wore an immaculately tailored suit, which fit his ripped body perfectly.
"Wouldn't miss it, James. I'm so happy for you two." She gave the man a quick hug, "You met Gaius a few months back, but I don't think you met my daughter. This is Octavia."
Shy, bashful, and not at all like her mother or her brother, Octavia hid behind Amelia's leg, seeking refuge from all the unfamiliar faces. James dropped to a squat, "Hey, nice to meet you. I like your name."
"C'mon Avi, say hi to James," Amelia nudged her daughter. Meanwhile, Gaius ran up and gave James a high-five. Seeing her brother made her more comfortable, and Octavia emerged just enough to give a quiet hello.
-o-
"Amelia?" She froze, worried she did something to offend whoever just spoke her name. All she was doing was giving her son one of the small d'oeuvres. She straightened herself slowly, turning around to face her accuser, seeing a very young, lithe woman wearing a simple black dress with violet silk wrappings around her waist. What skin was exposed had a slight purple hue, and her eyes had an iridescent blue ring around the iris. She was smiling, showing the slightest bit of two fang-like teeth.
Amelia tilted her head to the side quizically, "Tali?" The woman ran up and nearly tackled Amelia in a hug. "I haven't seen you in five years! You're not in your suit!"
The quarian laughed, "Nope! I haven't worn it in over a year! It feels so good to feel everything...," She touched her dress, rubbing the material between her two fingers, a near orgasmic look on her face.
"Uh… Tali?"
"Oh, right… You can see my expressions now. That's mortifying."
Amelia laughed while Tali nervously played with her long, black hair, which fell over her right shoulder in a ponytail. "So, what have you been up to?"
"Just running a whole planet!" She exclaimed exasperatedly, "How did you get out of that here?"
"I ran away to my husband's planet. You should try it."
"He lives on Rannoch too!" Tali groaned.
"Who lives on Rannoch?" A slightly less modulated but familiar voice asked. Kal approached the two, Amelia getting her first look at the male quarian's face. He wore a human-style suit and tie, although a red silk cloth peeked out from the jacket. His face had a mane of inch-long blonde hairs growing across his jawline, contrasting the brown hair on his head, and, like Tali, his skin was a light shade of purple. "Ma'am." He greeted, nodding to her.
"Good to see you again, Kal, but please, Amelia is fine."
Tali turned towards her husband, "Where's Zael?"
Kal pointed to being Amelia, causing her to turn around. Zael, Tali's son, chased Gaius up and down the sand, both children screaming in glee. Octavia tugged on her dress and looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Of course, honey. Go play with them." Amelia smiled as Octavia ran over and joined the game of tag, followed not long after by the children of several of the other guests.
"They look a lot like you," Tali commented, walking up to stand beside her.
"How do you figure?" Amelia asked with a smile, although deep inside, it was one of her insecurities that her children looked nothing like her. She tried to deflect with humor, but anyone who truly knew her could see it.
"They have your eyes… and your spirit. They may look turian, but they definitely are fifty percent you, and they're beautiful."
Amelia turned her head away from Tali, quickly blinking away the tears that threatened to spill out of her eyes. "When did you become the wise one?" She said after a moment.
"Are you implying you were the wise one? If that's true, it's amazing we're all still alive."
