She then noticed yet another turian man approaching. Seriously, was this going to be one of those I-can't-get-anything-done-because-of-fans kind of days?

Fortunately, he passed to her left, stopping near a woman sitting three lounge chairs down the row.

Shepard paid half attention as he introduced himself. They made small talk. And then he offered to help the woman with oiling her back.

Shepard glanced up at the woman, who was also in the middle of oiling herself. Something about the situation had changed. The air was charged with something that even Shepard could feel from the way the woman's hands paused at her keel before sliding down her stomach and continued, the pads of her fingers moving over her waistline, staring up at the man.

The silence stretched and Shepard had unconsciously stopped moving, curious.

"You may," the woman's voice was low and inviting.

The woman shifted on the lounge chair, now facing Shepard as he stepped over and took a seat beside her, his mandibles flaring with gratification at her permission. Shepard resumed oiling up to her knees as they spoke and helped each other.

The woman let out a low laugh from something he'd said and he ducked his head down, resting one of the prongs of a mandible on the rim of her cowl, as he whispered into her ear. She responded with a croon. She shifted next to him and whoa, okay, that's turian vulva and it's blue.

Shepard hastily looked away. That was crossing the line, wasn't it? It's one thing to flirt like at a bar and that seemed normal enough, but somebody was going to notice and say something about ladies flashing their bits, right?

And Shepard was sure there was a difference because up to now everybody's crotches were nondescript and definitely not blue, thanks.

Turning away had taken her gaze towards the alcoves.

There was another couple in one of them, in plain view of everybody else, licking at each other's necks and hands very decisively stroking over each other's waists. Huh. Just about no plating there, she couldn't help noting; must be sensitive.

And turian dick is blue too.

What. The. Hell.

Shepard took the time to take another drink of her beer in a bid to rally her mind. She assessed. Of course those gossiping ladies with the manicures had seen them. Of course the one guy with his datapad had to have seen them, they were right in his line of sight. And let it not be said that adult turians with their run through mandatory military service had bad situational awareness.

So if multiple people saw and haven't done anything by the time it got to... emergence, it must mean that nobody cared. At all.

Mind. Boggling.

Shepard had to take another drink when the man in the alcove had enough of playing around, standing up and guiding his partner into position, with her bracing herself against the wall and her legs spread, and him taking hold of her hips before rocking his way in.

Cripes, she could see his glutes clenching as he made a fair try at fucking the appreciative lady through the wall.

It was at this point that Shepard gave up and just lay back on the lounge chair, clutching at her bottle like a life raft.

She vaguely noted the warmth on her cheeks and the newly insistent sensation from between her legs from the sight.

Okay, well, that was kind of alarming, but kind of not, because holy heck, that guy had the regularity of a metronome and it was all being powered by a tight little alien ass that didn't quit.

She hadn't thought about turian asses before, besides sort of noting that there didn't seem to be much of them, to go with their trim waistlines and generally slim overall appearances.

There was a flanging pleased sound to her left and scraping noises.

She'd momentarily forgotten that some action was going on to her left.

Shepard schooled her expression into studied indifference and looked.

The woman was straddling his lap, and the spareness of her ass and thighs weren't hiding the sight of his cock pistoning in and out of her. She was breathlessly clutching at him, licking at his neck and his eyes slid shut.

Right damn near in the middle of an entire room of strangers. Who were all naked.

What if there was a domino effect and this was a precursor to a full blown orgy?

What was she going to do?

Pull up her omnitool recording features and start narrating like out of a wildlife documentary with a posh accent, perhaps? Offer to assist with toweling down between breaks for snacks?

I'm going to need another drink, she thought. My brain's already obviously broken by the radiation on this planet.

"Commander Shepard?"

She opened her eyes. This stranger was vaguely familiar as one of the group that included Tysten Juncus. He was far more self assured than Tysten had been, however, immediately offering his hand in greeting.

"Senecio Fallaxian. I've been pressed into a scouting role by my compatriots. Will you assist me, Commander?"

There was a droll quality to his speech that charmed her. She shook his hand.

"Maybe I can. Tell me what the mission parameters are."

"On your part? To not react with violence would be convenient, mostly to my health. You have quite the formidable reputation and I do like my limbs attached."

"I'll try my best. Reacting with violence is sort of a specialty of mine," Shepard grinned.

"Fair enough. May I offer, on behalf of..." he made a indicative tilt of his head towards the alcove where his friends were. Shepard noted that Tysten ducked his head near immediately, neck flushing blue. "interested parties, to help you with your back?"

Shepard's eyebrows rose.

"Help me with my back?" she repeated incredulously.

The woman on their left made another breathy, flanging groan.

"... If you would like," Senecio made an insouciant shrug. "Do you, Commander?"

This was surreal.

"The man at my nine o'clock offered to help her with her back. Is that what you mean, mister?" Shepard turned her Spectre glare on to test.

To his credit, Senecio didn't flinch.

"If you would like," he simply repeated, flicking his mandibles playfully once.

"Well," Shepard took another, final, drink from her bottle. "Why the hell not? Who am I to stop a smooth talker like you from successfully completing a little scouting mission?"

tbc