It wasn't long after their return to Thessia when Liara figured out that to make her goals a reality, she needed to be closer to the action. They took the time necessary to sort through and collate all the objects and data they collected on Alchera, and once the analysis was complete Liara established her best course of action. She needed a lot more information and she realized she wouldn't find it sitting on Thessia. She had to establish a front for her investigations and she came to the conclusion that she needed to launch an information brokerage; her destination was clear...Illium. The classic garden world had been purposely developed to be the gateway between the Asari Republics and the Terminus Systems, and as such, her mother had purchased an apartment and office space there. It was a natural next step, so Liara relocated and took up residence in the apartment. She brought Riana and Judea with her, along with a team of commandos from the country estate, and set up shop in her mother's old offices above the trading floor. Liara initially enjoyed the work, with daily operations providing an excellent distraction from reality as she worked incredibly long hours and she had no time to reminisce. She quickly established a reputation for paying well for the right type of information and her brokerage rapidly took off.

Unfortunately, promises of good pay also brought the liars and cheats who assumed they could get away with large sums of credits without delivering on their promises to a new, inexperienced broker. During the first few months of operations, there were four instances when coercion and threats just wouldn't bring a fraud to heal; Liara was forced to make examples of them, and she had learned one lesson very well from Shepard...never send your troops to do something you wouldn't do yourself. So, while the commando team either completed the snatch or set the trap, Liara forced herself to be present for the end, if not deliver the lesson personally; she would let no one else take responsibility for such actions. She was after the Shadow Broker and could not afford to appear soft, she killed people purely out of the necessity to establish a reputation in a cutthroat world and she felt like she lost a piece of her soul every time.

In the office, Liara was the ever elegant Asari; beautiful, sexy, and she purposely dressed in traditional Asari gowns designed to perfectly accent every curve and attribute of her striking figure. In the field she was a much darker persona. She had a set of midnight blue commando leathers that helped her blend into the night and she wore a matching leather duster jacket that hung down below her knees. It carried an amazing assortment of weapons hanging on inside clasps and pouches, and concealed an extremely robust shield generator that had surprised more than one Shadow Broker bounty hunter who thought they would have an easy score with the young maiden. After a year of failed attempts, she learned through the network that her bounty had risen significantly; apparently the Shadow Broker had a difficult time finding mercenaries willing to take the risk.

Her brokerage continued to do well; she was making good money and finding little tidbits here and there, each little piece bringing her minutely closer to her true goal of locating the Shadow Broker. She likened it to her Prothean research; it wasn't a matter of searching through data that was available, there simply wasn't any. It was more along the lines of figuring out what wasn't there. Progress was slow, but looking for patterns in the gaps was her specialty, and after almost a year she finally had the names of the four remaining Blue Suns who performed the job on Alchera. She placed a call to her guard captain at the country estate, Captain Lyria Tremi, and explained what she had found, ending simply with a cool statement seemingly devoid of guilt, "I want every scrap of information they have and then I want them... eliminated."

Lyria had come to respect Shepard in the short time she had visited Thessia with Liara, and was more than happy to take on the task, responding, "Those mercs worked with the Shadow Broker and by association, the Collectors. They did not do it out of some form of misplaced idealism; they did it strictly for profit, at Shepard's and your expense, Mistress. I assure you, they will not go unpunished."

Once again, Liara arrived at her apartment after hours, after another long day of research and information trading, but mostly because it was the day for the clean-up operation on Omega. She stayed in the office long enough to get the mission report from Captain Tremi, and it was worth the wait. She received a plethora of new leads to chase down and Lyria reported that all four Blue Suns targets had been eliminated, with evidence planted to direct guilt at a rival gang, the Eclipse. Some of the 'evidence' had already been discovered before the commandos even left Omega and a gang war had flared up, guaranteeing that any evidence of the real assassins would be long destroyed before anyone thought to look. Liara sat back with a small sigh of relief; the last thing she wanted was to give Aria T'Loak a reason to be angry with her. It was small consolation, but at least she could say that on the one year anniversary of turning Shepard's body over to Cerberus, the last of the Blue Suns involved in the attempted body snatch were dead.

Liara slipped out of her gown and she sighed sadly as she threw on a pair of sweat pants and the N7 sweatshirt she had recovered from the crash site. It had been too long and the hoodie no longer had the smell of leather and musk; no longer smelled like Shepard. Liara went in to the bedroom and laid down on the bed that was not their bed and hugged a pillow that did not have any lingering scents of Shepard. She clasped the dog tags still hanging around her neck and thought of the past year. What did she have to show for it? A few dead thieves who tried to take advantage of her, at least eight dead attempted assassins, all of the Blue Suns who were part of the Alchera incident, and one lost Turian friend. She hadn't heard from Garrus since he left her on Omega. She had attempted to contact him twice and he did not respond to her messages; on her third attempt she got an error saying the contact did not exist. She could not even locate him through her network and she prayed to the Goddess that he was alright. She thought about their parting conversation... Have I sold my soul, like Garrus feared? She thought of her and Shepard's arrival on Thessia and her lover's vow to support her, whatever her choices and where ever her path may lead. She wondered if Shepard would still feel that way knowing her path had led to darkness. I am the bringer of death. As the weight of her actions dragged her down, she cried herself into an exhausted sleep just like she had almost every night for the last year.

Shepard stormed into Liara's office and pointed an accusatory finger. "I can't believe you gave me to Cerberus!" Liara could see the anger in Shepard's face, the rigidity in her stance. It was unforgiving. "Cerberus, Liara! Why? Were you really so desperate that you would turn me into everything I hate?"

Liara cried, "Goddess! They weren't supposed to tell you! I wanted to tell you myself, to explain my actions!"

Shepard drew herself up and crossed her arms over her chest, a barrier between them. "I'm here now. Explain it to me. Explain how you could do this. For God's sake...they killed my father, Liara, and you abandoned me to them!"

Liara closed the gap quickly, reaching for her lover. "I just couldn't let you go! They gave me a chance to get you back and I had to take it... and it worked! You are alive and you are here!"

Shepard put a stiff arm out, halting Liara's advance and grimaced. "Yeah, I'm here, but at what cost, Liara? I'm not free! I'm a Cerberus puppet and a traitor to the Alliance! I have no home anymore." Shepard suddenly looked very sad and Liara's heart was breaking as the conflicting emotions running across her lover's face ripped her apart from the inside out. "You could have at least come with me. You could have been there when I woke up. You were my home, Blue; my respite in the chaos. But you deserted me and turned me into a terrorist. Why were you not there? Why were you not with me?" Shepard's eyes were pleading, looking for explanations but finding none.

"Goddess, Samantha! That was never my intention! They wouldn't let me! Please, we'll figure this out! You don't have to stay with Cerberus!"

Liara was chilled to the bone when Shepard responded with a bitter laugh. "You recall our conversation with Saren, Liara? Death before dishonor?"

Though Liara did not remember Shepard even moving, the commander was suddenly standing with a pistol pointed up at her own chin; the blood in Liara's veins froze at the sight. Tears streaming down her face, Liara begged, "Please, Samantha, do not do this!"

Shepard looked at her one time love, her pale green eyes the color of Thessia's frozen north seas. "I won't work for the enemy, Liara. Take your comfort from the days before...when I knew you still loved me." Liara drew her biotics in a hurried attempt to place Samantha in stasis, to take the pistol from her hand, but she was too slow. At the sound of the gunshot Liara slammed her eyes closed and screamed.

Liara felt pain. Did Samantha turn the gun at the last moment and shoot me instead? Liara immediately felt guilty for letting such a thought even cross her mind. Samantha would never... Yet someone was shaking her by her neck and calling her name. Liara forced her eyes open to see what was happening and instead of Shepard before her, it was Riana. She was in her bedroom and Riana was calling her name, with a hand drawn back ready to place a second strike across her cheek. Liara's eyes widened in realization and she started to sob uncontrollably, falling forward into Riana's arms. By the Goddess! It was only a dream... a nightmare! In the past, Liara's dreams of Shepard had always been sweet and only the waking to reality was bitter. Obviously, her guilt had finally taken control and for the first time since Liara had turned the commander's body over to Cerberus, the hope of getting Samantha Shepard back had turned to the despair of possible rejection because of all she had done. She was no longer sure Shepard could love who Liara had become.

Riana had bolted out of bed at the sound of a blood-curdling scream. Grabbing her pistol and hunting knife from the nightstand, she ran as fast as she was able to the source of the sound, looking for the midnight attacker. What she saw was a young maiden in the throes of a nightmare. She raced to the bedside, calling to her mistress and getting no response. Riana gripped her shoulders and pulled her to a sitting position, shaking her hard. Still getting no response, Riana wadded up the front of Liara's hoodie in her fist, freeing her other hand to slap Liara across the face, hard, while calling her name. She had readied her hand for a second blow when Liara's eyes opened wide in surprise and the maiden lunged forward, sobbing. Riana caught her and held her tight; as the young leader of house T'Soni wept forlornly in her arms, the huntress had absolutely no idea how to help her. Eventually exhaustion overtook Liara and once she fell back to sleep, Riana slipped out to the communications room. While still early on Illium, it was midday on Thessia and Riana initiated the only solution she was able to think of while Liara had wept in her arms for nearly two hours; she called House Armali and spoke to Captain Axoni and Matriarch Mozia.

Matriarchs Aethyta, Tevos and Mozia sat quietly on the couches in the Councilor's office on the Citadel. It had been a long discussion, but they thought they finally had a plan. The Consort, Sha'ira, had been a friend and confidant of Benezia and a mentor to Liara when she was in her third and forth decades. For the short term, they would get Sha'ira to visit the young Asari on Illium. For the longer term, they would insert Matriarch Aethyta into a position somewhere on Illium where she would be able to keep closer tabs on her daughter. She had initially been made aware of the relationship between Liara and the commander just before the Normandy's run on Ilos. When she learned of Tevos' assistance in breaking the frigate free of the lockdown, Aethyta had a few choice words for her longtime friend, threatening the councilor with bodily harm equivalent to any that may befall Liara on their 'suicide mission' to the Terminus Systems. Aethyta was by no means any more pleased with the current situation. "Fuck. She's only 107 years old! I was out screwing everything that moved and playing commando at that age, not trying to bring my girlfriend back from the dead to save the galaxy and take down the fucking Shadow Broker!"

Tevos chuckled, "Eloquent as usual, Thyta. You always were one for action and not words. Thanks to Aria T'Loak and Captain Tremi, Liara's need for revenge against the Blue Suns has been put to rest, literally. At least your new assignment will put you close to your daughter and keep the rest of the Matriarchs at bay. They won't dare touch her, knowing she's being monitored."

Mozia was somber, "They were so happy when they were on Thessia, and they complemented each other's talents well. While Cerberus concerns me, if they somehow pull this off, I have faith the commander and Liara will make good on whatever opportunities are presented them. We must do what we can to ensure favorable circumstances exist for them to get back together."

Surprised, Tevos looked at her and asked, "You honestly think such a thing can be done?"

Mozia shrugged her shoulders. "Liara is a scientist. She does not strike me as a dreamy maiden subject to fantasies. She may be barely over 100 years old, but she has the maturity of a Matron three times her age. You have seen the reports. The Salarian STG team said the merc ship was already there, waiting, when the Collector ship struck. When the Systems Alliance vessel arrived, there were no personal recovery beacons on scope. Then Shepard shows up with the Blue Suns on Omega, in a stasis pod. You have to admit, it was either a very good plan or an incredible string of coincidences for all of that to happen just so."

Aethyta growled, "So you're saying putting my girl through hell was the Cerberus plan all along?"

Mozia shook her head, "No, it was the Shadow Broker's plan, in service to the Collectors. Cerberus did us a favor and got in the way, and lured Liara in with a chance to jump on for the ride. As you know, love is an extremely strong motivator, and Cerberus recruited her specifically for that reason."

"And now it's giving her nightmares. I'll make them pay for that somehow, some way. If it's the last thing I do. Anthropogenic bag of dicks!" Aethyta looked at her companions for any disagreement and saw none, so she took it as permission.

With Liara's surprising meteoric rise in the information business and the failure of the multiple assassination attempts, the Shadow Broker took a new approach. Personal information about Liara and the commander started showing up in odd places. Just little pieces here and there, first was the bit about being a pureblood, then the illicit affair with the commander to gain support for clearing her traitorous mother's name. When information hit the streets about the Omega hit on the Blue Suns, that got Aria T'Loak's attention and Liara could no longer afford to ignore it. Liara made a preemptive call, explaining the defamation campaign, and while Aria accepted the explanation, Liara wasn't sure that Aria was truly convinced. The team eventually uncovered the Shadow Broker agent responsible for the character assassination campaign and Liara had her commandos kidnap him and take him to an abandoned warehouse district. Once they identified him as a Turian named Phinnus Akos, Liara was able to walk in with his entire background at her beck and call; his family, his home address on Palaven, where his wife worked, where his children went to school. Given Liara's dangerously declining value of her own self esteem, the interrogation was disturbingly easy. By the end, she walked out having found more information than she expected; more leads and contacts, new directions of research, new avenues pointing to the Shadow Broker's hiding place. The one thing she didn't find was hope...hope of recovering any shred of the lost young archeologist who Samantha Shepard could love.

"Yes!" Liara banged her fist on the desk after reading the latest data feeds on her terminal. "Finally got you!" Liara quickly added a final piece of intelligence to a data packet she had been collating over the last year.

Her door opened without warning and she glanced up, pulling on her biotics, not expecting any visitors. "Dr T'Soni! Is everything ok in here? I heard a loud bang..." Her assistant, Nyxeris, glanced around nervously, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Liara had a predatory grin on her face as the wisps of blue trailed off her finger tips. "Oh, sorry, Nyxeris. It's nothing...I just finally managed to get the remaining piece of data I needed on a personal collection I've had running for over a year. I'll be able to close out something that's been bugging me for a while now." Liara downloaded the information to her omnitool and deleted it from the main system, taking care to run a scrubber program so the data was not recoverable. Not that their systems weren't secure, but she found Nyxeris a bit more curious than what Liara considered healthy in their line of work, and there were some ongoing jobs that her assistant would never be privy to...like the connection between a certain Captain Jessica Mikhailovich and the Blue Suns. After Alchera, Admiral Hackett hadn't even found enough evidence to commission an investigation, much less take any action against the commander of the SSV Madrid. Liara now had the complete package to guarantee a conviction at a military tribunal; she just needed to decide whether to hand it over to Hackett or to her commandos. Liara did not understand the Alliance legal system and did not know what the sentence would be. Whatever the punishment was, she didn't think it could ever be enough to make up for the loss of Commander Samantha Shepard...ever. She would hold the data for now; she had an important meeting to attend.

Once the scrubber program completed, Liara got up from her desk and headed out the door. "Nyxeris, I'm going out for lunch and then I have some errands to run. Call me if anything important pops up. I have no idea how long I will be, so keep my calendar free for the afternoon. Feel free to leave a bit early today if you would like. Just be sure to drop me a message when you go." Her assistant rose and acknowledged that she understood the instructions. Once Liara was down the stairs and around the corner, Nyxeris slipped into the main office to tidy up for the day. While she was in there, she also downloaded copies of all the camera feeds and the three listening devices she had planted about the room. She quickly collated all the information into a data packet, sent it to her private terminal at home for later review and then deleted it from her omnitool. She sat back at her desk and acted as if nothing had happened.

Liara was in a hurry; the arrival of that data packet put her about ten minutes behind schedule. Nothing drastic, but she knew she couldn't waste any time on her way home. She made a quick stop at the Asari grocery to pick up some tea and then headed straight for the apartment. She zipped in the door and immediately went to the kitchen to put on a kettle before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. Less than a minute later, the front door opened again and Riana stepped in the door, having been following her in trail from the office. Liara came around the corner with her shield generator active and her biotics ready, dropping everything once she confirmed it was Riana, who was still standing by the door, arms crossed. "Hello Riana! Yes, I know... the route was too direct, I didn't look around enough to stay aware of my surroundings, and I moved almost too quickly for you to trail effectively without giving away your position. Did I miss anything?"

Riana just laughed and shook her head. "Mistress, if you know what you are supposed to be doing, why don't you just do it?"

"Because I was late leaving and we have an important guest due any time. The Consort Sha'ira is coming and will be here in less than ten minutes."

Riana's head snapped up. "Mistress! We don't have adequate protection here for the Consort! The team is out on maneuvers and there's no way I'll get them back in time!"

"Relax Riana...She is bringing an entourage with at least two acolytes and four commandos. She is well protected. Otherwise, you would have known ahead of time and we would have been meeting her at the docks to provide a full escort. Besides, today she is not the Consort; she is an old family friend... though she was cryptic as to the purpose of her visit. We will just have to wait and see."

Sha'ira arrived as scheduled, placing two commandos outside the door and two more just inside as her acolytes did a quick security sweep of the apartment. Liara greeted her old mentor with open arms, "Matriarch Sha'ira, it is wonderful to see you. I miss seeing the familiar faces I became accustomed to in my youth."

Sha'ira closed the gap quickly and wrapped Liara in a comforting hug, replying, "Oh my little one, you are still in your youth and the stars of Thessia glow dimmer with your prolonged absence from the home world at such a tender age. Truly, how have you been?" Sha'ira relaxed her hug and grasped Liara's shoulders, holding her out at arm's length and looking into her eyes, waiting for the reply.

Liara took one of the Consort's hands and led to the couches, ensuring Sha'ira sat. "Come, let us sit and have tea while we chat." Liara went to the kitchen and grabbed the kettle she had placed on the stove and returned with a tray, sitting on a couch opposite the Consort. She politely asked, "So what brings you to Illium?"

Sha'ira was not so easily dodged, getting up and moving to the couch next to Liara. "You do, my little one, and you did not answer my question. How are you?"

Liara dropped her gaze to the floor, unsure how to answer the question, eventually falling back to her work. "I have been very busy here, trying to establish myself as a broker. It makes for long hours and I do get tired of it on occasion. It... it has been difficult, for many reasons."

"Liara. I will not lie to you. You know I hear things and am very attuned to the emotional well being of those important to me. We have not spoken since the death of your mother, and I know the absence of Shepard has to be heartbreaking. The things we do when we grieve are sometimes...startling." Liara pulled away and stood up, tears threatening, but a swelling of defensive anger kept them at bay.

"And just what all have you heard, Sha'ira, and from who? Why do you come now and not a year ago?" Liara was angry that someone had broken confidence, wondering just how much of her activity was public knowledge. Sha'ira was on the Citadel, so Councilor Tevos was high on the list of possibilities, but how much could Tevos know unless there was a spy among her commandos. She also knew the only one to witness her nightmares was Riana, so quickly looked her way for any signs of guilt, but saw none. For her part, Riana knew this intervention was coming and knew it was necessary. There was no guilt to hide and she was well prepared to defend her actions when the appropriate time arose.

Sha'ira rose and closed the distance again, grasping Liara's hands. "I have heard enough, and can see in your face that you travel in dark spaces, Liara. You bear burdens more than any maiden should..." Liara went to speak, and the matriarch cut her off, chastising her. "No, do not interrupt me, young one! For this you will at least show the courtesy to hear me out. I know of Shepard. I granted her the gift of words and I know that this death is premature. Her journey was not yet complete. What I failed to see was your part in ensuring that her journey continued. You have made difficult choices, but you must know in your heart they were the correct choices. There are many of us who stand behind the decisions and choices you have made."

As her old mentor spoke, Liara's anger dissipated and her previously checked tears began to fall as that anger was replaced by the depths of her despair. "How can you stand behind me when you do not know all I have done? The evils I have caused? Goddess, Sha'ira... my motives... they are not pure!" Liara collapsed onto the couch, her head buried in her hands while she covered her face in shame, sobbing hysterically.

Sha'ira simply sat beside the young maiden and wrapped her arms tightly around her, pulling her close to give her comfort and support. "My dearest Liara. You were an innocent thrust into the middle of a war the likes of which none have ever seen. There are many evils that will be done in the hope that a greater good will be achieved. I would say it is unfair that such an inexperienced maiden be placed in such a position, but it is your very innocence that will be your greatest redemption. There is nothing more pure than love."

Liara let out a ragged laugh devoid of humor, "Innocence? If you knew what I have done, that is the last word you would use to describe me!"

Sha'ira countered, "No it is not. I know not all of your motives are good. I know that anger, revenge and pride may not be the least of them, but I also know that you underestimate the true power of the one that is most important. Love will be your redemption."

Liara shook her head angrily. "I have no right to that anymore. I let Shepard die! Against every instinct I had, I left her behind when she needed me most! And then I gave her to Cerberus... oh Sha'ira...she has every reason to hate me! There will be no love left to redeem me! I...I do not deserve it." Liara's chest was incredibly tight with doubt and silent tears continued to stream down her face.

Liara was surprised when Sha'ira laughed. "Oh, Liara! Such doubt just shows me how little you really know of true love! No one 'deserves' love, it is freely given whether we need it, want it, deserve it, or not! I know you are young to have done this, but you have melded and shared a true union with Shepard, have you not?" The comment about her youth embarrassed Liara, and even though it made her blush deeply, she nodded yes to the query, so Sha'ira continued. "If it is so, then you know of the depth of her love for you. If you look to your heart, you will know your love for her and her love for you is eternal. A love that deep has strength, Liara; strength you can rely on to carry you through the darkest of times. You must be brave and face her rejection to honestly understand the meaning of true love. She will not forgive you, but only because she will see nothing to forgive."

Liara's expression was one of wistful longing. She so wanted to trust in Sha'ira's words, but couldn't find it within herself to believe. She expressed her doubts to the Consort, who asked a simple question. "After all the deaths she has caused, all the children left without parents, all the young adults taken too early from this realm, do you still love her?"

Liara glared as she answered, "She has never taken a life in malice, as I have. Of course I still love her. I will love none other like I love Samantha, to the end of my days."

Sha'ira saw Liara's expression and looked at the young Asari disapprovingly as she spoke, "You misjudge her and thus you misjudge yourself. In your firefights you have been injured. She has killed in your defense, and those killings were done in anger, because they dared to hurt you." Liara countered, "No, not in anger. You said it yourself; it was in defense of me, not truly in anger..."

Sha'ira smiled. "Exactly. In defense. And these people you have killed... were they in malice, or were they in defense of what they attempted to do to Shepard."

Liara was angry again, the tension in her voice almost making her squeak out her words. "They did not 'attempt' to do anything to Shepard! They killed her!"

The smile never left Sha'ira's face. "And thus why I say you have misjudged yourself, for they were not successful. They came very close, and they pushed your life into ruin, but Shepard is alive. At this very moment, somewhere, Shepard draws breath and will return to you. Therefore, you must purge yourself of this misplaced guilt, know in your heart that she will understand the reasons behind your actions, and have faith that you will love each other still, as you have since the moment your eyes first met. It is simply the way things are meant to be."

Liara stared at Sha'ira. Goddess, how can she know of the spark that flew between us at our very first meeting? We have never spoken to anyone about that! Liara took a chance, "Consort, I knew you were a sensitive, but I did not realize you were a seer."

Sha'ira smiled and looked down at the floor as she answered. "The life of a seer is difficult, Liara. It carries levels of mystique that even the Asari attribute only to the Priestesses. If I let it be widely known, I would not be free to complete my work as I do. I would be confined to some temple and forced to act as an Oracle. That is not my path. Please, this is my greatest secret. Your mother knew, and now so do you. You must never tell anyone you know of this."

Liara questioned, "Then why would you tell me? It was not a slip...you told me on purpose. But you also must realize that if your predictions are true, then Shepard will know, because we hide nothing from each other."

The Consort smiled again, this time looking directly into Liara's eyes. "As a display of trust, to the joined entity that is you and Shepard. Because now I will ask you to give me the same measure in exchange. You have played a critical role that I failed to see. I would like to see all you have done, because I need to fill in the gaps. There may be something of import that only you can show me. If you are willing, then it is meant to be."

One of the acolytes had reheated the water for the tea, and pressed fresh, hot cups into each of their hands. Liara gave her a smile of thanks, and then realized how strange the expression felt on her face; she had not smiled in earnest since Shepard died... no, since Shepard had been abducted. Shepard breathes. Shepard lives. Liara felt a tremendous weight lifted off her shoulders and looked at Sha'ira. "I will show you, Seer. I will show you everything."

By the time they were done, it was late. Liara offered her bed, but Sha'ira declined, saying she would sleep during her return trip to the Citadel. As they said their goodbyes, Sha'ira had one last thing for her young friend. "Liara, in parting, I leave you one last gift of words. I saw in the sharing that you separated from your Turian friend in anger. Just know that his departure was necessary. He has another path...just as he saved your life on Omega, he will do the same for Shepard. Hold no malice toward him and know that his path now is to deliver her safe to you. We all have a role we must play."

As the Consort took her leave and the door closed behind her, Liara looked to her huntress. "Thank you, Riana." Riana cocked her head and questioned, "For what, Mistress?"

Liara actually laughed and realized how much she missed the simple joys such as laughter. They had been gone too long from her life. She looked at Riana again as she said, "For telling on me. I believe you have saved my soul, and probably my life." Liara grabbed her friend and hugged her tight, not letting go for a very long time as tears of gratitude ran down her face.