Sonya got off the elevator, clean and dressed in her military issue uniform. She took a deep breath and let it out. She was nervous, unsure of what to expect. She was meeting Nihlus in his quarters, the captains quarters. She was thankful when she saw there was no one in the mess and Alenko was absent from his post. Fraternization between them would surely be looked down upon, and there were regs. She didn't want people to think she was interested in him for a favorable eval for the Spectres, or be court-martialed. She considered the possibility that Nihlus had intentionally scheduled the duties to leave the deck clear for that specific purpose. She allowed herself a smile at the thought that the turian would go through the trouble for the sake of privacy.

The door hissed open. Nihlus looked up from the data pad he was reading when she entered the room.

"Shep... Sonya. Please, have a seat." He stood and motioned to the small sofa afforded the cabin. He set the data pad down on the desk.

Sonya saw two bottles of wine and two glasses on the low table in front of the sofa. She assumed one was for her and the other for his dextro-amino physiology. She took a seat on the leather sofa, leaning back and letting her hands rest on the cushion. The leather was cool and smooth under her finger tips. She could faintly smell the exotic earthiness of his skin as he sat next to her on the other cushion. She let her knee rest a inch away from his.

"The view isn't as nice, but the wine is good." He teased, trying to ease her nerves as well as his own. He offered a grin.

"The wine I have yet to taste," she teased back, "but the view is magnificent," she said boldly and smiled at him.

His eyes flicked to hers, startled by her compliment. He hadn't received many, aside from flirtatious asari. Most of those had been dancers or acquaintances of Saren's. He wasn't unaware of his favorable features, but his birth status had all but exiled him from social circles amongst his own kind. To be complimented by a human was unexpected to say the least. Then again, he was a turian that found a human attractive... is it really so different? he wondered.

"The only view I'm interested in is you," he said, just as boldly. His mandibles fluttered when she blushed.

"I, uhm..." Sonya laughed nervously.

She felt giddy, and ridiculous for feeling that way. She was old enough to be beyond silly school girl awkwardness. Why in the world does he make me so nervous? She considered her own question for a second. It was probably because he was turian. Strange and new, exciting! But she knew it was more than that. She liked him. He was different, not just from other turians, and he had a tender heart beneath the rough exterior. Something she'd come to admire in him, among other things.

Sonya grabbed the bottle closest to her and pulled the cork, smelling it. It was a red with a pungent odor, like roses and some kind of spice... saffron maybe.

"It smells interesting," She commented.

Nihlus took the bottle gently from her hand.

"Well, hopefully it is as good as you say. Though I think it might kill me to find out," he grinned.

Sonya realized he was trying to make joke, but the words came out wrong. The faux pas made her laugh.

Satisfied with her reaction, Nihlus poured her a glass, then opened his own bottle. He saw her brows raise when his came out green.

"Would you like a taste?" He offered.

"Only a drop," she grinned.

"Of course," he nodded.

He offered her the glass, intending for her to take it. He was taken back, but not displeased when she placed her lips on the rim of the glass and let him guild the liquid to her. He wet her pinkish lips with the green wine, then righted the glass and pulled it away. He watched, fascinated, as she ran her tongue over her lips.

"It's... sweet!" She said, amazed. "I guess I thought it would be bitter."

Sonya took a sip of her own. It wasn't as sweet, but it was smooth and clean with a bit of a bite. She liked it.

The deep red of the wine stained her lips. The color brought out the blush in her cheeks and the depth of her eyes.

"Beautiful."

Sonya looked up at him. "What?" She asked.

Nihlus' pupils shrunk to the size of a pin head. Did I said that aloud? He took a sip of his wine to give himself a second to compose himself.

"The cavern, where Dr. T'Soni was trapped? It was an amazing geological location," he said. He mentally kicked himself.

"Seeing the lava flow from underneath was fascinating. It's a shame it's likely rubble now." She replied.

"Unfortunately it was unavoidable given the situation. I was impressed with how you handled the krogan. You seem to be developing a habit of taking risks." Nihlus relaxed into the sofa.

"I had help." She looked him in the eye. "I'm not sure my plan would have worked if you and Liara hand't jumped in." She tipped her glass to him.

"I have no doubts that you would have survived on your own. Though, I don't think you would have used the same tactics. Getting plowed by a krogan is never a pleasant experience."

Sonya turned bright red, hiding her smile behind the glass. Nihlus immediately realized his questionable use of words.

"Spirits..." He swore under his breath.

Sonya laughed at his expense. "It's okay. I know what you meant." She said smiling.

Sonya placed a consoling hand on his leg. The wine was lowering her defenses. She was coming out of her shell and Nihlus wasn't sure what to do with the vixen that was emerging. He felt a warmth building in his gut when she didn't remove her hand right away.

"You know, we're alike in a way." Sonya mused aloud after finishing her glass. She took the liberty of pouring herself more. "We've both had hard lives and buried ourselves in our work. Grew up around crime and drugs..." Sonya looked at Nihlus, wondering about the details his past. "Why didn't you join a mercenary gang, or start one?" she asked, curious.

Nihlus' mandibles flexed. He wasn't prepared to answer her question. He wasn't prepared to have met her.

"My reason's are not so dis-similar to yours. Though I had a father to guild me. He died when I was sixteen. After that my mother insisted I join the military. She wanted to be sure I avoided the mercenary life. You're familiar with the rest."

"I didn't mean to bring up painful memories..." She said softly.

Nihlus felt moved by her compassion. "I've mourned his death, Sonya. There is no pain in the memories I keep. I remember his life and the values he taught me." He paused, remembering his father's words. "Honor is something you carry within yourself, a code to live by. If you are successful, others will see it in you. You will be honorable and thusly honored." He paused again for effect. "It is one of many lessons that most turians have forgotten. It's part of the reason I am a Spectre."

His chest swelled in his uniform with pride. If she were turian it would have been a courting display, like a peacocks feathers.

"You have courage," She commented. "No trip to Oz for you."

"Oz?" He asked, his brow plates furrowed.

"It's a reference to an ancient human story. In short, there is a sentient lion who lacks courage. So he makes a journey to see the emperor who he's told can give it to him. When he gets there he finds he's had the courage he was seeking all along." She smiled thinking of the child's tale.

"It is a good story," Nihlus said softly.

He'd been looking deeply into her eyes as she explained the metaphor to him, letting himself relax and lose himself in their warmth. He put his empty glass on the table and swept the freed talons up to her cheek. His finger tips touched her hair. It was soft, and feathery. She didn't pull away or change the subject. Instead she gazed back into his eyes, searching.

"You also have courage, Sonya." He purred. "And an inner strength surpassing that of most others. They are admirable qualities."

Sonya slid her hand over his, taking his talons in her fingers and drawing his hand away from her cheek. She let their hands settle in her lap.

"You have a tender heart, Nihlus." She said warmly.

Nihlus began to worry that this was the beginning of a rejection speech and steeled himself, but he left his hand in hers. His heart pounded in his chest. It beat harder when she leaned in and tentatively kiss his mouth. Her lips physically felt the same as an asari's, but there was a spark that ignited a fire in him that he had never felt before. She started to pull back. His free hand snaked into her hair, cradling her head. He returned the kiss as best he could. She moaned against his lips, encouraging him, building his desire. He slipped his talons from her hand and wrapped them around her waist, drawing her closer to him. He felt her hands slide up his armored chest and wrap around his neck. One hand wandered over a mandible to his sensitive fringe. Her fingers were warm on his skin. He purred against her lips at her delicate touch.

The warmth in his gut was now a raging fire. His tapered tongue pushed past her lips with little resistance and found her shorter, smoother sweetness. He gradually leaned into her, listening to her moans, feeling her panting breath on his face, smelling her arousal. His own had extended from it's protective leathery folds and was pressing uncomfortably against the interior of his armor. Nihlus' balance wavered and they fell off the sofa to the floor. Sonya started giggling, easing his embarrassment. He lifted himself off of her. He smiled at her and chuckled. She laughed even harder.

"It seems we got a bit carried away." He said apologetically, shaking his head.

Sonya was laughing hysterically now. He couldn't help but join her. It was a ridiculous sight, the two of them in a pile on the floor laughing like loons. Sonya found his eyes with hers. The laughing subsided, leaving them both with big goofy smiles on their faces. Sonya splayed her fingers on either side of his face and kissed him once more, sweetly.

"I should go." She whispered.

Nihlus tightened his grip on her waist, then released her. He stood and helped her up with an offered hand. She flashed another smile up at him.

"Sleep well." He said, then pressed his mouth to her cheek, smelling her skin.

When she left his cabin, Nihlus settled onto the bed. It took several minutes of meditation to calm his passion into recession. His heart still pounded in his chest. Whatever was happening between them, he liked it.

Sonya 'calmed' her passions in a different manner. Her brain felt like static in her head from the rush. She never knew turians could be so exciting! They were usually so rigid. She certainly never expected such electricity from the reserved Spectre, Nihlus Kryik. She left her clothes in a pile on the floor. Her quarters were smaller than the captain's, but larger than a crewman's. She eagerly crawled under the white sheets on her bed with her special toy. Multiple settings and a self sustaining power source, noiseless and approximately three inches long. Perfect. It didn't penetrate deep enough to deflower her, if she still needed deflowering, but it got the job done. Her soft moans echoed off the walls of her room accompanied by the sound of wetness until she fell prey to sleep.