Chapter 14

Illium.

2 day

Normandy Sr-2. 6 49 ship hour. Mess hall

To be honest, i am a bit unsure about this chapter, the jousting part still feel a bit dodgy, but let's see what you think.

As always have fun and tell them if it is shoddy or decent

According to the ship's clock it was almost dawn inside the Normandy and, as always, only Lena, Raina and a handful of crew members were currently awake and present inside the mess hall. Ensigns with the night shifts, engineers busy retrofitting the Normandy, theirs was a thankless but necessary job, one that was usually target of many hushed haggling and gambling. The poor sods forced to endure this job always tried to see the positives side in their plight, like being the first to eat breakfast inside a silent, almost empty room instead of fighting and biting for every single scrap of space during the ship's rush hour.

Interrupted only by the quiet, buzzing sound of the air recycler, the mess hall was a haven of peace and tranquillity inside a chaotic ship.

"But I do not want to go there!"

Well….most of the time

"By the goddesses Raina! Why can you not see the opportunity right in front of you: museums, parks, recreation centers….so many damned choices where back on our home you were lucky if a nun could teach you something about music and court etiquette!"

"I do not want to learn all of those silly stuff! What I learn from teacher Tali, Ken and Gabby is already enough! Why can't we simply go inside a forest and have fun!?"

"Nonsense! I will not have a barbarian like Helen as a daughter."

"But muuum."

"No buts, little missy!"

And so the battle between mother and daughter continued for long, interminable minutes for the crew. Angry words stopped by stubborn resistance while two powerful wills clashed against each other in battle. The rest of the crew, the ones still present, were clearly annoyed by all of this but no one ever dared to stop them. It was already strange to see the infamous Ripper breaking away from her usual behavior, but seeing her fight against her beloved daughter? This was completely unheard of, and stepping on such unfamiliar ground was like trying to pass an uncharted mine field. Dangerous at best, suicidal at worst.

Some still tried, the bravest, the stupidest or simply the most tired among them, too exhausted after the shift to even care about any possible repercussion, and moved toward the Ripper with the clear purpose of ending this charade. They all stopped when Lena's fist collided with the table she was currently using and almost shattered with one, single punch.

All but one.

"Why are you so stubborn all of a sudden Raina?"

"Maybe" said a soft voice behind Lena and Raina "You should have simply asked that question in the first time instead of causing all of this mess?"

Both Lena and Raina immediately stopped arguing and turned their heads, and found Kelly'e eyes looking, no not looking, glaring at them. There was no fear inside the girl's eyes, or rage; just annoyance and a hint of playfulness that preoccupied the Claymore for a second.

"May I sit with you?" asked Kelly innocently. Lena simply nodded and gave her some space "Thanks girls. Now, care to tell me how both of you managed to wake up at the wrong side of the bed?"

"What?" inquired Lena, unsure.

"Lena." Kelly's tone was now one of a mother scolding a child "I could hear you from my room! And my room is two decks away from the mess hall. And you, Raina, were not helping."

These words hit both Lena and Raina with the strength of a hammer blow. Hesitantly, both girls looked around and finally noticed that they were not alone. Many crew members were looking at them, without drawing attention, that was clear, but their eyes were fixated on the Claymore and her daughter, and not in a good way.

"Goddesses..i" stuttered Lena embarrassed "I...we were just."

"Noisily discussing in front of the entire crew?" finished Kelly for her "What is the reason for all of this mess anyway? I never saw you raising your voice in front of Raina, ever."

"Well...about that." began Lena, only to be stopped by Raina

"Mum want me to go inside some boring construction called museum, or waste my time reading boring books instead of having fun. Please tell her that this is not fair!"

"Raina need a proper education. She slacked off since we departed from our home planet." countered Lena. Kelly simply sighted. A small, almost playful sight

"This is the problem? In that case I have already the solution." answered Kelly. The girl quickly opened her omni-tool, revealing a small folder. "You see, during my research for an interesting place where to pass my shore leave I found a little something." The folder opened itself, revealing a brochure of a recreation center. "From kid-friendly games to adult gathering posts, everything that weary star sailors like us need! I was thinking to go there myself, but going alone is such a bore. How about you come with me?"

Lena's and Raina's shocked expressions were as clear as a thunderbolt

"You and I? Together? But...but why?" confusion washed Lena's feature like a rain "It is your chance of having fun! Why should we ruin it by coming with you?"

"You will not ruin it." Kelly had expected this answer. She had hoped until the end to not hear it, but still expected it. "You still refuse to accept it but some people, me included, see you as an interesting and good person. One I am happy to call friend. And what friends do together? They go out and have a good time."

-And also because my hope is to finally crack that stubborn shell of yours, and this is hopefully the best way to do it.- added Kelly to herself, but refused to say it out loud.

"So, here is the deal: we finish breakfast, clean up a bit and then we go all together to this center and we have a full day of fun."

"But." tried to counter Lena once again

"And" Kelly immediately stopped her "Tomorrow we all go to some educational center with Raina. Pleasure followed by duty. Does this look fine to both of you?"

Lena's reaction at these words managed to raise both of Kelly's eyebrows but, truth to be told, Kelly had no idea just how deep were Lena's scar when it come to simple, social life. The Claymore was sweating bullets at this point, desperately trying to find something, anything to say!

Yes?! No?! Maybe? Is Kelly truly a friend? What a friend is supposed to do anyway?

Friendship. What does it mean having a friend? Is Kelly a friend? She liked talking with Kelly, she liked her in a way that she never felt with anyone. Not even with Raina or Anastasia.

She simply enjoyed being with her! Hearing her calm, soothing voice even during the long, boring therapy session, seeing her beautiful smile or hearing her talking about stupid and funny tales of old. Goddesses, Lena still remembered the time when they chatted together next to a steamy cup of hot chocolate, talking about everything and nothing; or when they wasted an entire hour looking for the perfect book for her. She remembered the laughters, and the warm sensation coursing through her body.

But going outside with her was simply ludicrous! What was she supposed to do with her? Talking about swords?

"Mum" Raina's voice brought Lena back on the ship "Please, let's do this. Tomorrow i will follow you inside any kind of educational center you desire, but for today let just have some fun, please!"

This was the last nail of the coffin for Lena. The girl felt the last remnants of her defenses breaking down, leaving her exposed for the killing blow.

"Then, I accept your offer, Kelly." capitulated Lena

"Excellent." beamed Kelly alongside Raina "Have to go now, have to prepare."

Kelly quickly rose up from her seat and moved toward the exit of the mess hall

"See you at eight!" shouted just before disappearing.

"Amazing!" said Raina to her mother, her unhappiness gone. "We are going to have so much fun, mom!"

"Yes, yes." commented Lena absentmindedly. "It will be….fun, I guess."

The poor Claymore was still trying to wrap her head about this new challenge, one that scared her more than fighting against an abyssal by herself. Privately she wondered if it would have been better to follow Shepard and forget about holidays.


Illium. Financial district. 8 49 local hour

"So...this is where Liara currently live?" asked Garrus to Shepard

"Live and work. Apparently she is now some kind of information broker." answered Shepard. "Come on, let's go and greet her."

"Wonder why she decided to leave her old job in exchange for this." quipped Tali behind them "I do not understand the reasons behind it."

The building in question was a tall, metallic compound packed to the brim with offices of various kind. Here both freelancers and normal employees milled, worked and talked about the most important resource of the universe: intel.

"We shall ask her. Come on now, we have a job to do."

The group quickly entered inside the building. Truth to be told, it was quite a spartan place: a small, waiting room covered mostly with metal chairs and a ledger showing the name of any employee, be it freelancer or not, and where to find them, two elevators and a set of stairs.

They quickly found Liara's name on the ledger and moved toward the elevator, silently waiting to arrive. It took less than a minute to reach their friend's office, the last one to the left of a short corridor, and the entire group bolted toward the door. Finally they were able to see once again their shy and adorable asari friend, and maybe

"What happen if you do not pay the debt? Simple, I will flay you alive." the voice of Liara echoed outside the small door of her office, stopping Shepard's group on their track for a second. This was Liara's voice! It was impossible to mistake it, they all knew it quite well!

"Have you ever fought against an Asari Commando?" continued Liara's voice "Few survive. They can rip any enemy apart with their power. Do you wish to meet them?"

Garrus and Shepard looked at each other, flabbergasted. Had they somehow ended up in the wrong office?

Cautiously, they reached the doors of the office and peeked inside.

Their eyes looked at the silhouette of one, single Asari. Young, dressed in a green, expensive dress and looking at the hololitic image of a human male. The body, the face, the green, vibrant eyes...everything screamed at Shepard and his squad the word Liara! Even the way she moved across the small office while talking; the same unsure and sharp movements….but the words. Good lord, the words!

Shepard finally decided to act: he opened the door and lightly knocked on the wall.

The reaction was immediate: the Asari turned her head, and Shepard and his squad finally managed to see the full face of their dear friend, Liara T'soni. The young Asari's face looked at the new comers and beamed in happiness, the discussion with the human already forgotten

"Shepard! Garrus! Tali!" shouted Liara with joy. The man on the channel protested for this sudden intrusion, but Liara simply ended the transmission and quickly bolted toward Shepard.

They embraced each other, two lost friend that are finally back together, and for some seconds no one dared to break the moment.

"I am so happy to see you once again, all of you!" Whispered Liara, breaking the silence. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, little archeologist." replied Shepard "It has been a while since our last meeting."

Liara immediately freed some spaces for Shepard and his squad, allowing them to be more at ease.

They went on for minutes, both Shepard's squad and Liara, all of them too busy remembering the past, soaking in the sensation of being together once again.

It took a great deal of willpower to break the spell.

"Shepard." Liara was the first one that managed to do such a feat "So the mail was true, they did the impossible. But this also mean."

"That I am here for work, yes." finished Shepard for her "No rest for the wicked, even the resurrected ones."

Liara simply smirked and moved back to her desk, grabbing a small data-pad from one drawer.

"You haven't changed one bit. Here are the informations about your first target, the Justicar Samara. Assuming they have not already detained her, you should find her in this district."

"Detained?" asked Garrus "Is she a wanted criminal."

"No Garrus, quite the contrary." Liara's mouth twitched, unsure about how to answer "Justicars are...well, they are an ancient order of peacekeepers. They serve as judge, jury and executioner and are ruthless followers of the Asari law, as prescribed by their ancient code." a sight escaped from the maiden's lips "And here lies the problem: followers of the Asari law. If a Justicar kill an Asari inside our space no one will bat an eyelid, but Illium is not a planet of the Asari republic! Do you have any idea about the scandal that will invest this planet if a Justicar kill a non-asari during her quest? And they will kill any wrongdoers they see, their code compel them to do this!"

"Charming fellow." commented Garrus "Wonder what would happen if we place her in the same room with Jack."

"Don't even think about it." retorted Tali "Last thing I need is a firefight inside my engineering bay."

"I understand." said Shepard "Still, I have to try and recruit her. About the other? Thane?"

"Still nothing. This Drell is more slippery than an eel, but." Liara waved her hand and clicked something "Done, I temporarily deactivated the bugs infesting my office."

"They are spying you!?" asked Tali, her voice echoing everyone's surprise. Yet it was even more surprising seeing her friend Liara merely sighting at their dismay.

"Tali, this is Illium: even public bathrooms are controlled by spy drones. Now Shepard, we need to talk about one of your crew-members. The one called the Ripper."

"Lena? What is the problem with her?" Asked Shepard, but the commander already suspected what was about to listen.

"Her uniqueness is her problem! She appeared two years ago inside the arenas of Omega, brought by an unknown slaver, and in less than a month she destroyed every theory about genetic manipulation. These qualities tend to attract a lot of attention: the Black watch, the council of Matriarchs, the STG, the Batarian secret service, even your Alliance tried over and over again to abduct or simply contact her, but the queen of Omega personally made sure to stamp out every single attempt."

"But now she is away from Omega." concluded Tali for them "Away from her protector."

"We always jumped from mission to mission, until now." added Garrus "This probably saved us for receiving a lot of unwanted attention, but now we are stuck here for at least five days. A golden opportunity."

"Exactly guys. She is far from Aria's domain, ready for anyone to pick her up. Yesterday, a video clip showing the Ripper fighting Eclipse sisters inside the factory district was leaked out by an unknown source, and just today I received sixty requests of information about her, sixty requests! From the lowest pharmaceutical company to the most infamous Batarian Slave lord; all asking about her whereabouts, favorites hanging places or potential weak points. Illium is heating up Shepard, so you better be quick with your business and be done with this planet before you burn your hands."

Shepard's hands moved almost automatically toward his omni-tool after hearing the warning. Today was Lena's day off, he knew it very well; he also knew that dear old Lena had a lot of plans in mind, and she would not respond well to a forced retirement inside the ship. But the danger of being hunted down by an army of bounty hunters was a tangible one.

"How long before they begin the dance?" asked Shepard to Liara

"One day, at least. They need to gather some intel before striking."

-One day.- thought Shepard -Just one, at best.-

"Liara, we need to go. If what you said about the Justicar is true we need to go now and Lena never bring her omni-tool with her so who know where she is right now. Can I ask you to keep an eye at this situation for today?"

"Of course Shepard!" answered Liara without hesitation "I will keep you in touch in cause of trouble."

"Trouble for the would be kidnappers, not Lena." quipped Garrus, but Shepard was not so sure this time "That human is a beast! I wonder how someone like her would spend her free time."


Harmony Park. Same moment

Twach twach twach twach twach.

The sound of five plasteel knife hitting the intended targets echoed inside the small joust like many, precise shots. The aim was perfect, the balance even more, and the Turian carny almost forgot how to speak for a second.

It is not every day you find someone that absolutely own your joust.

"Five out of five!" He managed to regain the composure in the end "Here are the premium tickets champion, you deserve them!"

Giddy hands grabbed the small stripes of paper handed by the carny, adding them to an ever growing pile resting inside Kelly's hands.

"This is amazing! I didn't know you were such a kill shot with knives and balls, Lena!"

"Kill shots!? This exercise is ridiculous! How people manage to fail to hit such easy targets is beyond me!"

"Shooting galleries are a time-honored carousel, not some training grounds Lena. Loosen up a bit girl, do like your daughter."

-Maybe I should, but I do not see how.- thought Lena. -And it is a shame, because this place truly deserve it.-

This recreation park, this place found by Kelly, was break taking! Lena had to give the organizers that: contained inside a massive, at least five square-miles long building entirely made of reflective glass; the fair itself accommodated more than one hundreds jousts, from the smallest booths to gargantuan-sized ones, one more colorful of insane than the other. Sure, some of the names were absolutely ridiculous, like The house of horrors, the lover's walk, the hellish ride, but the show they offered, even by the outside, was downright impressive and that was enough for her.

The place itself never felt claustrophobic: the bright, immaculate windows alongside with the colorful floorings and the well designed road system allowed the teeming masses of people to move from one joust to another without much of a problem, and the place itself was not solely dedicated to games and recreation. Restaurants, public bathrooms, bars, everything a family would need after a day of hard entertainment was here, ready to be used.

Truly a logistical and architectonical marvel to behold.

Raina was having the time of her life! This strange indoor fairground was packed to the brim with candy stores, toy stores and dozens upon dozens of strange games, mostly designed for children like her. Cars crashing, whack-a-mole, shooting galleries, card games, Raina eagerly tried everything with alternating luck. She laughed, she got upset, she did everything a child would do inside a luna park. Already a giant teddy bear rested inside her arms, a hard earned trophy gained after twenty minutes of hard games against five others children in a game called swan fishing, and she was just getting started.

Lena, on the other hand, played only a couple of games, mostly the ones revolving shooting and throwing and only because Kelly practically sweet talked her into doing so. Of course being a Claymore, she utterly thrashed them.

"The games are too easy for me, Kelly." countered Lena "If Raina is having fun, then I am already satisfied."

"Oh no no no, Lena! I will not accept this answer. You are looking for a difficult joust? I already know where to go. Raina, there is a little carousel that I am sure your mother will enjoy. Mind if you watch us for a second?"

Raina's eyes lightened in the prospective, her own amusement temporarily forgotten

"Yes! Let's do it mum!"

Lena groaned softly but decided to comply, and simply followed the giddy pair. Kelly brought them inside a more separate place of the fair, one devoid of any common joust or vendor. It had to be empty, because the joust in front of them was enormous.

A massive metal construction shaped as a square, at least five meters tall and totally devoid of both roof or floor presented itself in front of the girls. Thick, black metal columns were the framework of this construction, four for every angle, with a lone one right at the center. From the summit of this central column, like strings of a massive cobweb, dozens of small metal pipes branched themselves all over the floor less building, creating a strange, twisting route that covered the entirety of the floor less building. Every pipe ended its strange journey next to a platform reachable only thanks to a small elevator, one placed next to the girls at this point and built on the right angle of this strange joust. From this platform many couples a handful of couples waited their turn for….

Lena blinked her eyes several times, incapable of believing in what she was seeing: couples of every age, sex and race were trying to move toward the center of the construction, using the slippery steel pipes as roads!

Old, young, human, asari, turian, even Hanar; they all tried to move across the pipes in a desperate effort to reach the central column! And after a more accurate viewing Lena noticed that the couples's knees were also tied together with rope!

What. The. Hell.

"Amazing, isn't it? It is a Turian game: you need to reach the center of the place with your mate and go back to the starting place, all while having your left knee tied with the one of your companion. Incredibly difficult, but incredibly rewarding: there are at least forty premium tickets."

"Premium tickets? And about this joust, what if some one lose his footing? They can easily break their necks!" asked Lena, looking at the ten colorful stripes she and Kelly had received by the carnies after one hour of succesful carousing

"They are used to reclaim special prizes of the fair. Some are simple gifts like books, toys and stuff like that, but the most expensive ones can be holidays in famous places, precious piece of jewelry and much, much more! A way to entice people to play as much as possible. About the joust, a powerful mass effect field is ready to pick anyone that fall."

As if called by Kelly's words, a young asari followed by her Salarian mate tripped halfway through the route, loosing their footing and falling to their apparent death. Not a second it passed that a blue, shimmering field wrapped the falling couple like a shroud, drastically slowing the fall to almost nothing. Once reaching the floor a pair of attendants scrambled toward the couple and freed their knees, letting them go.

Both the Salarian and the Asari looked unharmed. Tired sure, and annoyed by their defeat but still fine.

A trustworthy safety mechanism, and an exercise that looked like it could prove a small amount of challenge, and yet Lena was still unconvinced about this.

-If Kelly think that she is ready for this kind of training then she is a hopeless optimistic.-

"I am not sure."

Kelly refused to have any of it

"Told you already! I refuse to hear more excuses. Raina, there is a small clearance next to the lift where children can safely wait and look. Go there and wait for us. You, with me."

Lena felt Kelly's hand grabbing her arm and literally drag the poor Claymore toward the joust. Truth to be told, Lena could have quickly stopped Kelly in her track if she so desired, but refused to do so.

-Fine! Let's play along.- thought the Claymore -Let's see what happen.-

At worst, this will be a good lesson in humility for Kelly

"Two tickets please." said Kelly to a jolly and pudgy Turian, the ticket seller of this joust.

"Two tickets for the young couple!" boomed the Turian "Good luck."

Lena almost chocked on her own breath after haring this, something that made Kelly smile

"Just play along Lena, it will be fun!" she whispered.

The wait was short, few people dared to try such a difficult joust and the ones who tried tended to fall quite quickly, and so Kelly and Lena had to wait only five minutes before their turn. A lift brought the nervous couple up to the starting blocks, where an attendant linked Lena's left knee with Kelly's right knee using a long, syntetic-made rope.

"The rules are simple: reach the center, grab the basked and come back here. You must do it together and you cannot break the rope. Good luck."

The tone of the attendant was strict and professional, and so were his movements.

The Claymore gazed with clinical eye at the path in front of her: steel pipes, roughly built and with circular shape. Immaculate, as far as she could see, and wide enough for her to move without falling down; if you learn to run atop a strand of hair, like Lena did with her companions while training with Anastasia, then simple pipes stop being a problem.

The true problem rested in Kelly's abilities, or lack thereof!

The first step proved Lena's fears: Kelly took the lead the moment their knees were tied together, placed her right foot at the center of the starting pipe...and almost dragged her and Lena into the oblivion after immediately losing her balance. Only Lena's prodigious strength stopped the inevitable, and just barely.

"Kelly, this is not a joke." huffed Lena "It took months for me to learn how to maintain my balance while running across a tightrope. Now listen: place your right foot exactly at the center of the pipe, then drag the rest of your body onward. You must be quick! Slowly trying to find the perfect spot will only make you fall faster. And don't overstep. Keep one hand always on my shoulder, I will be your wall."

"Ok...ok." answered Kelly, all her eagerness of before gone from her voice, replaced by nervousness, a little hint of fear and a massive dose of adrenaline.

And so the slow crawl toward the objective began. Kelly followed Lena's advice in the earnest and moved with the agility and grace of a snail. Step after step, the girl moved across the main pipe, barely managing to keep her balance and only thanks to her companion.

"Still having fun?" taunted Lena after ten minutes of agonizingly slow crawl

"Are you kidding?" Kelly's voice was a hoarse whisper, barely audible even for Lena. And yet even now the Claymore could sense the excitement leaking out from Kelly's voice, like a crack in a dam.

"This sensation is...incredible!"

Lena scoffed at this but refused to comment.

And so they continued moving. Slowly, carefully, still on the track only thanks to Lena's amazing strength.

"You are doing fine, Kelly. Keep it up." whispered Lena behind the girl. Truth to be told, Kelly was moving with all the elegance and quickness of a snail, but the Claymore simply could not bring herself to say this to her.

Unlike her, Kelly was sweating hard and quickly losing her focus. She was not used to all of this as she had already predicted. Still, a massive grin refused to leave the girl's face and judging by her expression she was having the fun of her life.

"Amazing, I feel so light! I feel.."

Right in that moment the girl's focus slipped and her left foot met the void instead of the metal pipe. The girl cried and fell into the void, screaming wildly and grabbing Lena in a desperate attempt of stopping the inevitable! Surprised, the Claymore felt her own balance shattering under the weight and followed the girl, dragged by the blasted rope tying them together. They fell, but just a second before it was too late Lena's body moved like a snake and grabbed Kelly's flaying body with her right arm, all while keeping a steel grip on the pipe with the left, refusing to let it go no matter what.

All the watcher beneath them launched shouts of surprise, and many grabbed their omni-tools while activating their cameras, eager to see the next move.

Not that Lena could have cared less at this point. She was too busy trying to not lose the grip.

"Kelly!" hissed the Claymore. Lena knew that she had to move fast. Even her yoki infused body could not last for long under such a pressure. Her eyes were already golden with yoki, and her arms two times bigger and still she felt the bones creaking "Grab my arm and don't move."

"What?" asked the girl "What are you doing? Just leave the grip and let the machine work!"

But Lena ignored her. Surrendering was not in her blood.

Yoki flooded the Claymore's arms like a raging river, granting her strength beyond human understanding. With this newfound strength Lena lashed her arms with a movement that would have shattered human bones, forcing Kelly's and her own body to raise from the abyss like a rock from a slingshot. Kelly yelped in surprise when all of a sudden the girl's world turned upside down; the girl saw the steel pipe moving toward her at frightening speed and for a second she almost lost her grip on Lena

"Grab the pipe." Ordered Lena. This order snapped Kelly's stupor just in time. Two trembling hands left the Claymore and coiled themselves like snakes on the pipe. She was still in danger of failing, but now instead of dangling into the abyss by a thread she was back on the pipes, both her arms and legs tightly enveloped around their frame.

"Good! Now." another lash, this time with both arms and legs, and Lena's frame flied in the air, pushing herself upward with her now improved strength and endurance.

Under them the crowd roared in surprise, and a forests of cameras sprung into life, all recording this amazing deed.

This push brought Lena back to solid ground and, unlike Kelly, her arms quickly allowed her to climb her way back to the pipes. A second later Lena also helped Kelly to get back into solid ground.

The crown beneath them cheered at the sight, drowning their voices for a second

"Wow...that...was" wheezed Kelly weakly

"Stupid." ended Lena for her. She was also tired after this feat. Tired and annoyed "Time to do this joust my way!"

"What do you meaaaah!"

Kelly immediately felt a pair of strong hands gently but firmly grabbing her body, lifting her as if she was made of feathers. Her legs flayed wildly, her eyes looked at the floor trying to understand what the hell was happening. She could do nothing: it was too dangerous to struggle and, even if she could, to what end? Lena overpowered her in every single way, and she was so tired.

Lena's hands quickly lifted Kelly from the ground, placing her small frame on the Claymore's chest, like a groom carrying her spouse.

"The rules says nothing about carrying the partner, right?" asked the Claymore

"W-well no!"

"Then let's go!" cut the Claymore

Finally free to move, Lena darted toward the objective. She easily moved through the pipes as if they were under solid, hard ground. Step by step, jump by jump, Lena covered the distance between them and the basket in less than two minutes, and without even breaking a sweat.

"Take the basket, Kelly." simply said the Claymore once reaching the end of the pipes. A stunned Kelly simply complied.

"Good, now let's go back."

The trip back, unsurprisingly, proved to be a cake walk for Lena, that simply hopped her way until the starting point, where a wall of omni-tools and people greeted the pair.

"Amazing, ladies and gentlemen!" boomed the Turian the moment Lena arrived "The first winner of this year! The prize is yours, young couple. You deserve it." A shower of cries and praises hit the girls like a tidal wave, temporarily deafening Lena to such an extent that she even failed to notice Raina jumping at her for a moment, and wrapping her little arms around her small frame.

"That was….amazing." whispered Kelly to Lena some seconds later, her face red and flushed. "But now I feel so tired."

"Because you are not used to this. If you wish to continue this exercise, I will gladly help recreate it back at the Normandy."

"That is….not the point." huffed Kelly "But you are right in one thing: I am tired. Maybe we should rest for a bit."


Illium. 9 37 local hour. Spaceport district

-This was not supposed to happen.- growled Shepard quietly all while moving toward the detective. It was supposed to be a simple mission: reach the location, find the Justicar and try to recruit her into the crew. If she accept, is all fine; if she doesn't, well at least they tried.

Instead what they found once reaching the spaceport district was a heavily guarded checkpoint blocking half of the district!

Normally, Shepard would have simply let out his specter's credentials and be done with it, but the Justicar's arrival had rattled so much the local police that the girls manning the checkpoint outright refused to let Shepard pass, telling him to go and talk to a detective called Anaya if he truly wanted to enter inside the district. Judging by the small crown of disgruntled people, especially the fat and nervous Volus currently talking with said detective, they were not the only one locked in this predicament.

"I told you Pitne For: no one can go until our business is done." Said the asari detective, annoyance dripping from every single word.

"But -hss- the Justicar! -hss- They say that -hss- she kills people -hss- and I have -hss- a business to -hss- conduct."

"The Justicars kills only criminals. If you are innocent, then you are fine." replied the detective. This time her tone was definitive. The Volus still tried to protest, but this time the Asari merely scoffed at him and moved away from the pudgy creature, annoyed.

Just in time to see Shepard moving toward her

"Detective Anaya?" simply asked Shepard

"Nice guns." replied the detective. Her eyes quickly scanned the incoming group, smelling the thick scent of incoming trouble "Any chance you are gonna use them inside my district?"

"Are there Eclipse soldiers inside your district? If so, I fear the answer is yes." replied Shepard

The detective scoffed at this

"Great! First a Justicar and then a Specter. And here I thought this day would have been boring. Detective Anaya, specter. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. Tell me detective: is the Justicar's arrival the reason you blocked the entire district?"

"Got it right, specter. Yes, the Justicar entered inside the district two hours ago, looking for information about a dangerous criminal. According to my informants the Eclipse decided to protect said criminal instead of cooperating, so I suspect they are all dead at this point. I am under order to detain her and I decided to do once she is done with the Eclipse."

"But a Justicar is a peacekeeper like you!" quipped Garrus confused "Why detaining her?"

Anaya snorted at this remark

"Would you look at that! It seems that everyone in this cursed rock know about a Justicar's behavior apparently, even alien, but there is a problem: this planet thrive on commerce, and traders are attracted by peaceful places that shows to possess a fairly lax view of the law. Unfortunately Justicar are quite stringent when it come to enforcing order and justice, and having a fanatical trigger happy vigilante freely moving in the streets tend to scare away a lot of customers." a tired groan escaped from the detective's lips "That is why they ordered me to detain her, a death sentence considering just how powerful a Justicar can be."

"Suicidal orders should not be obeyed." stated Shepard

"Oh really Shepard?" Garrus simply could not let this opportunity slip by "Maybe I should tell this to Lena next time you order her to charge an entire army of Collector, armed only with a sword."

"Hey! I tell her to do so because I know she will survive." complained Shepard. A hearty laughter was the only answer he received

"Whatever! Maybe I can help you detective. I need the recruit the Justicar for a mission that will bring me far away from Illium. Let me talk with her and maybe I will deal with your problem."

Anaya's face darkened, her sharp mind busy considering Shepard's proposal. She quietly swore in her native language, probably cursing her current predicament and wishing her thrice damned idiots of her superiors could be here on her place instead of having the time of their life inside some extra-comfy offices, dealing with messes like this.

"This is highly unprofessional specter, and against my superior's decision that want her detained for good and not simply away, but I know your reputation, human. I will tell my girls to let you pass and, who know, maybe you will manage to convince the Justicar to follow you. They are drawn toward suicidal quests after all."

"My thanks detective. I will do whatever I can to help you with this problem."

"Yes, yes." huffed the detective "Just go and do your trick, specter. The sooner you are done with her the better."


Illium. Premium pavilion. 10 02 a.m.

There is a fable back on her island, one quite known among both bards and grandparents. This story begin with a poor peddler that want to marry a princess. Desperate to gain enough money to buy a nobiliary title, the peddler toil day and night inside a forest. He gather firewood, herbs, hunting meat, anything that could give him a profit but it is never enough. Until one day he spot the bandits.

That day, while working like usual, the peddler saw a bunch of bandits carrying sacks full of treasures. His avidity overcoming the sense of danger, the peddler stealthily followed the bandits until they reached a cave closed by a boulder, a boulder moved thanks to the use of a magic word.

A few hours later, when the bandits moved away, the peddler tried the magic word and the doors opened for him, revealing the most dazzling hoard ever seen by human eyes.

Lena knew about this fable, and remembered the words used by the bards to describe this marvelous cave filled with every kind of earthly delight.

And now the personification of said cave was in front of her, ready to be plundered.

"Amazing!" muttered both Kelly and Raina next to her "There is literally everything someone could even ask here, and we have more than sixty premium tickets to use."

Both the girls were looking with mesmerizing eyes at the treasure trove in front of her: from simple games and books to tickets for the most exotics places in the galaxy. From simple tools to the keys for a cutting-edge flying machine. Sweets and jewelry, tools and baubles! The pavilion where they currently were was ready to grant them whatever their hearts desired.

"Ladies, let's start looking." said Lena to the others. This was all that Kelly and Raina needed. The girls bolted toward the center of the pavilion, eagerly surveying the place for the best pieces, their eagerness one of a trained hunting wolfhound.

Truth to be told, Lena felt no desire toward acquiring any kind of gifts: there was nothing that the Claymore wanted here, no weapons, no armors, no tomes talking about any potential enemies, nothing worth claiming. She was more than fine to let Raina monopolize her part of premium tickets and leave the other half, twenty five tickets, to Kelly. She was already satisfied with the looks of joy plastered across her daughter's face.

"Look mum, a portable puzzle of ten thousand pieces! And a giant bag full of sweets! And look at this one! Amazing! Amazing!"

beamed Raina. The child kept jumping and hopping from from board to board like a small rabbit. She touched, appraised, tested and looked at half of the prizes standing inside the pavilion, her mind reeling at the abundance placed in front of her.

Unlike her, Kelly already knew what to take, and quickly asked for two specific objects: some kind of membership pass for goddesses know what kind of magazine and a masterfully crafted marble statuette depicting some kind of four legged creature. Not everything she wanted, at least judging by the quick glances aimed toward others prizes.

"Interesting choices Kelly." commented Lena

"I like small sculptures, and a five years membership to this magazine is something that I wanted to have for a long time. Look like Raina also found what she wanted."

Kelly was right: in Raina's small, overburdened hands now rested the fruits of her decisions. A puzzle, a necklace and what looked like a book of fables called The 1001 most famous fables of all the Citadel's races.

"What about you Lena? Nothing at all?" enquired Kelly, looking at Lena's empty hands. The Claymore chuckled lightly at this

"I am fine."

"You said the same days ago when I proposed you to find a good book to read, and look how it ended. Here." Kelly's hands grabbed what was left of her share of her premium tickets, eight of them and gave them to Lena

"Take something for yourself, ok?"

Before Lena could even react Raina reached her from behind, showing proudly her choices. On her hands rested other tickets, seven in total.

Fifteen tickets. Just the necessary number for one specific item.

"Fine. Raina, give me your remaining tickets please."

Lena moved toward the center of the pavilion, where the most expensive gifts were stored. Here a pair of tear shaped silver earring quietly waited for someone to take them. So flawless was the silver that they shined like stars under the weak lights of the pavilion, and on a closer inspection Lena saw intricate carvings across the small surface of the jewels, carving shaped in the image of gentle tides.

Unlike the earring crafted back on her island, the locking mechanism proved to be a small clip instead of a hook. Probably in favor of earless species.

A marvel of jewel crafting; a marvel that costed exactly fifteen tickets.

Lena quickly unlocked the glass protecting such costly item and grabbed the earrings, admiring once again their craftsmanship.

"You told me to take something, and so I did." stated Lena with a plain tone. The Claymore nimbly moved toward Kelly, a small smile creeping across her face "But the object I took for me." swift fingers unclasped the small clip, attaching the earrings to Kelly's ears. The girl squealed weakly when Lena's gentle hands touched her ears.

"Is a gift from me to you."

Kelly stuttered for a second. Her hand hesitantly moved toward the earrings; touching them, feeling the cold silver under her fingers. She tried to say something, anything to Lena, but words failed her for almost a minute.

"L-Lena I….i cannot accept….this is..." she finally managed to spit it out

"A gift from me to you. A thank you gift for this amazing holiday, and for everything you have done for us." finished Lena for her "A gift given cannot be returned."

-Just what the hell are you thinking!- boomed Kelly's voice inside her head, not daring to chastise Lena out in the open -A thank you gift? These earrings are worth a month of my salary at least! And you are just… handing them to me while saying such words!-

The girl grazed the earrings with her fingers, almost fearing to have them disappear like the mist during dawn. So beautiful, so polished, like the jewels of a queen. Kelly wanted to cry and squeal in joy, to bow in front of Lena's generosity.

"Woow!"exclaimed Raina next to her "You are so beautiful now, Kelly. Like a princess."

"….Girls, you are incredible." whispered Kelly back, her face as red as a tomato at this point.

"But you still disobeyed me Lena. I told you to take something for yourself."

"And I told you that I do not need anything. A single dress and my weapon is all that I need." replied Lena laconically "The rest are just embellishments."

These words stopped Kelly right on her track. The girl's mind moved back in time, when she took care of Raina while Lena languished inside the ship's infirmary. How many dresses were present inside their room? Two? One?

If Kelly was right, then this was truly an emergency.

"Lena." asked Kelly quietly, still refusing to believe in what she was thinking "You only have one dress? One standard uniform from the ship?"

"Yes! Two dresses for Raina, one for me and my armor to be more precise. Why?" asked Lena, unsure about this sudden change of behavior.

Kelly's face after hearing this answer was something to behold: a complete amalgamation of surprise, incredulity and rage washed the girl's lineament, twisting them in a way that scared the usually stoic Claymore.

"Only two dresses. Only two dress?! You have one million credits and the both of you still live like a couple of bloody hermits!" Kelly's voice was a roar of rage, a booming sound that made Raina yelp in surprise and fear.

Just what was the problem?

"Kelly, just what are you" tried to say Lena, but the girl immediately stopped her

"Ok girls! Change of plan: we go dress shopping and we go immediately. Follow me."

-Dress shopping?- asked Lena to herself -Is she joking? Or what?-

"Mum, why should we go and buy another dress? Ours are still fine." asked Raina, confused by all of this.

Lena tried to answer but just in that moment Kelly grabbed both Lena and Raina's arms and showed both girls away from the pavilion, dragging them toward a cab.


1 part of the second day done. Hopefully is something decent and yes! When I said that the Illium arc will be long I truly meant it.

About the dresses's part, during the medieval time owning more than three, four dresses was something common only for certain classes of society. Doubt a Claymore is one of them in Yagi's universe.

See you next time pals!