A/N: I am honestly surprised, if a bit overwhelmed, at the interest this little whim generated. Thank you for the kind words and encouragement, guys! And it was only supposed to be two chapters! Now it will have to extend to four. *dramatic sigh!*


Falere played from both memory and instinct; with eyes unseeing her fingers glided on the lyre, filling the large hall with fast and fevered melodies. It was a battle hymn for the Goddess, singing of her adversity and triumph over the jealous gods who had sought to rule over Thessia. The theme and intensity of the song likewise showed on her face. Regardless of her mood, no note was missed and Falere stayed true to the piece. Rila, her lone audience, watched in silent awe. Falere was unaware of her presence, however, trapped in a musical trance of sorts. As far as she was concerned, only the lyre, song and herself existed at the moment.

Soon as Falere plucked the final note with a graceful flourish, Rila's eager clapping replaced the song. The sound was enough to take the younger sister away from her trance, looking bewildered as she finally recognized Rila's presence. The rest of the world slowly fell into place; the sheen of sweat all over her, her sore arms and fingers, Rila's measured approach and warm smile. She was reminded of Yanis' words, bringing a crease between her brows.

"Going to war, Sister?" Rila asked just as she stopped before Falere. The younger sibling wordlessly shook her head, somehow finding Rila's prodding annoying. Her mood may have been apparent since Rila moved to a nearby harp. Rila tested the strings, the idle plucking hardly causing any sound. Falere, unknowingly to herself, watched her sister's movements; Rila's deliberate motions around the instrument made it seem she was dancing more than tentatively playing. The world, once again, slowly disappeared around Falere, only to be brought back by her sister's words.

"Leave it to you to play beautifully even when upset."

"I'm not upset," Falere replied, starting another song. As if to prove her point, she chose a slower tune, played during solemn affairs like bond meetings and tea ceremonies. It was a stark contrast to the battle march.

Rila shook her head with a chuckle as she pulled several picks from her pocket, soon joining in her sister's music. They fell into familiar rhythm and harmony, though it had been a while since the sisters played. The better musician, however, was apparent; unlike Falere, Rila had to mind her task, eyes and fingers entirely aware of the song and instrument. Despite her best efforts, however, she still fell behind a note or two behind her younger sister. Perhaps because she tried to mingle playing and conversation. "You spoke with Yanis?" Rila asked as they hit a lull in the tune.

Falere almost missed a note as she answered "Yes."

"Why?" Rila asked, curious. "You usually avoid her like a plague."

"She sent you a note," the younger sister replied as the song's tempo increased. "I saved you the trouble of having to report it."

"Again?" sighed Rila, more of a whine than an actual question.

"'Again'?" Falere repeated and she did miss a note; the word confirmed her suspicions. She abruptly stopped the song and looked sharply at Rila. "And you did not report her the first time?" she asked, rising temper apparent.

"You didn't either," Rila replied, also stopping from her piece. She took off the picks from her fingers and met Falere's fiery gaze with a solemn look. It did little to calm Falere's temper. Rila sighed as she rose from her seat, moving towards Falere then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yanis does not mean any harm," she sighed.

"It's against the rules," Falere countered and shrugged Rila's hand away.

Another sigh and Rila's expression changed from solemn to severe. Azure eyes swept across all corners of the room before Rila leaned down close to her sister and whispered, "Phora has her marked."

That bit of information knocked the wind out of Falere. "What?" she asked breathlessly.

Rila nodded, clearly distressed as she brought a hand to her forehead. "I heard Gallae and Jethra fretting over it," she admitted. "They disagree with it, of course, but if she keeps rousing attention like this..."

Falere kept quiet, surrendering a tiny nod. Yanis' condition was mild, at most; some doctors even tagged it as merely latent. It was easy to understand her rebellious attitude. The oppression of their condition suddenly weighed heavily on Falere, overwhelming her. Sadness became irrational rage as she glared at floor, seething. "Still, you did not tell me," Falere whispered, almost hissing.

Rila winced, bringing her hands to Falere's face. "I didn't mean to—" she began but the younger asari pulled away. She moved to reach for Falere as the latter stood but refrained from doing so. Probably because of the sheer anger plain on Falere's face, but the younger sister didn't care. A thousand thoughts ran through her head.

"You've never kept secrets from me, Rila," Falere said accusingly. Her eyes narrowed as she asked, "Is there something between you two?"

"What? No! How could you even say that?" Rila exclaimed with disbelief. She took a step towards Falere with her hands outstretched pleadingly. "You know I'll never risk you or Mother any more pain," she cried with an offended look.

"And I also thought you'd never keep secrets from me, yet here we are," Falere shot back as she plucked the picks from her fingers and carelessly threw them in the depository. Her hands balled into fists as she added, "Have you thought she might deserve whatever would befall her, Sister?"

In reply, Rila only stared at her, speechless and shaking. Falere could tell Rila's temper was rising too. Instead of backing down, she welcomed it, thinking her anger would be justified. Rila, however, held onto her calm. "No one deserves to die for existing," she whispered.

For that Falere had no response hence she spouted what truly irked her. "Do you know what she said, Rila?" she asked, throwing an arm for good measure. "She said we're fortunate to share a room unsupervised and said we've bonded!"

Rila blanched. "She said that?" she asked, incredulous.

"Short of saying it," Falere admitted through her teeth; even she herself knew how foolish she sounded. She allowed Rila to step close this time. "But still, could you imagine the rumors that could spawn?" she muttered as she looked to her feet.

Rila shook her head, readily gifting her sister with a smile. "No, because no one here would believe anything so preposterous," she replied as she took one of Falere's hands.

Falere looked at their joined hands as all the anger drained from her. Anger was soon replaced with livid embarrassment as she realized that she just threw a tantrum. She gave her sister's hand a light squeeze. "Please, no more secrets," she pleaded quietly.

Rila nodded, squeezing Falere's hand as well. "No more, I promise."


Falere lazily opened her eyes in welcome of the new day and way ahead of the morning call. No ordinary day but another year didn't mean much to the asari; granted, time flowed differently for them but even that was different in the monastery. Some days were like minutes while others were like decades, all relative upon the company she kept or the activity that occupied her. Not a bad thing in itself, just different. It was among the things that no longer bothered Falere.

Oddly though, as Falere stretched and became wakeful, she felt an unfamiliar weight upon her. Her hands found it first before her eyes; it was a wreath made from blue and purple blossoms, the kind which only grew on Thessia. She bolted upright into a seat to examine it closely, her fingertips brushing over the pretty petals as she tried to recall their name. Only then did she realize that the wreath was made from paper flowers. That they were made didn't diminish their beauty in Falere's eyes; how could it, when every fold and pattern reflected the blossoms from her memory. Even its scent was reminiscent of the real thing. She brought it close to her face and inhaled deeply, the sweet scent of home filling her with both longing and happiness.

"Happy birthday, Sister," Rila greeted from the edge of Falere's bed, pulling her back from memories.

"Rila?" Falere asked, as if it could be anyone else other than her sister as she held the garland before her. "Did you make this?" she asked.

"No, I picked it from a paper wreath bush," Rila replied with an easy smile as she drew closer to her sister. Falere gave a smile of her own, along with an affectionate swat to Rila's arm as they both fell into familiar laughter. When they descended into occasional chuckles, Rila took the wreath from Falere's hands and before the latter could protest, crowned her younger sister with it. Falere's heart swelled as Rila regarded her fondly, those delicate fingers tracing the markings on her face. Rila's casual smile became wistful. "You've grown quite beautifully," Rila breathed, almost in a whisper.

Chuckling, Falere shook her head but held the wreath in place, a lavender flush on her face. "'Grown', am I? I'm not even a hundred," she deflected.

Rila nodded but pinched her cheek, offering an immediate counterpoint, "True, but none's too young for biotics," she hummed, pulling her hand back in time before another swat landed.

"Keep preempting Gallae as you do, she'll never choose me," Falere huffed as the wreath listed on the left side of her head, covering an eye. Rila immediately corrected it, more meticulously than Falere thought she should. She waited for Rila to finish before she asked, genuinely curious, "Why are you so eager for me to train in biotics, anyway?"

Rila gave Falere another look-over before nodding, apparently satisfied. She chuckled upon seeing her sister's impatient face. "Mmm, honestly?" she said as if pondering, her lips breaking into a graceful smile as she stood. "I find the class dull without you."

Falere smirked and slouched back to the mattress, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're just too clingy," she mock-complained.

"And you're too lazy," Rila said, chuckling as she smoothed the sheets on her own bed just as the bell rang, heralding the day's start for the monastery. Falere sunk deeper into her pillows with a groan as the musical chimes sang their tune. The older sister shook her head at the display of lethargy. "Come on now, birthday girl, up up," she piped, dragging the sheets off Falere, "We've prepared a surprise for you."

Falere swung her legs over the side of the bed, careful not to pitch the floral crown. "Very well, Sister," she sighed, "But if it is another novelty wine of Mithril's I'm afraid I must feign illness."


It wasn't wine.

It was a biotic amp.

A Savant biotic amp.

Falere looked from the package to Rila, whose only show of emotion was the knowing smile on her face. Her gaze then moved to Gallae, looking composed as ever. Falere's voice came out as a shaky whisper.

"Does this mean..." she started, but found herself unable to continue. She was dizzy with pride, joy, and anxiety. A bio-amp could only mean one thing.

"Yes, child," Gallae answered, not needing to hear the rest of the question. "You will start tomorrow."

The sisters' joyful cries echoed through the old halls.


Biotics wasn't as exciting as Falere thought; instead of barriers, mass effect fields and singularities she was swamped with slide after slide of applied physics and variable mass effect theories. Looking back, she should have known since Rila was discussing how x and y would result in a field that could sub-atomically rend industrial-grade shielding yet never demonstrated it. "In due time," Rila had said whenever she asked for a tangible application. Falere looked to her side, where Rila was seated. She was greeted by a smile. A scowl was the younger asari's reply and turned ahead, checking if the instructor was looking their way. She wasn't. Falere chanced a whisper.

"Watching dough rise is more exciting."

"It'll get better," Rila whispered back as she reached for Falere's hand beneath their shared desk, "This is just so we could make our talents more effective."

"Our talents are plenty effective," Falere sighed and filled a blank on a random equation. The problem flashed red, indicating an erroneous answer.

"Lifting cups and saucers isn't exactly commando-grade effective," Rila said as she squeezed Falere's hand before rewriting the earlier equation. It flashed green with the new answer. Falere muttered a "thank you" before glancing at the instructor, who was deeply immersed in discussing mass effect fields vis-a'-vis quantum shielding. Thus, Falere proceeded with a new question.

"Do you truly want to be a commando?"

"Why not? Mother was one," Rila replied, not missing a heartbeat. Listing the instructor's pointers, she added, "And we'll need a vocation when we've reintegrated."

Falere frowned, growing uneasy. She answered another problem, not caring that it flashed green. "You're looking forward to that?" she asked.

Rila regarded her sister, puzzled. "Wouldn't you?" she asked right back.

Falere paused, thoughtful. She truly hadn't thought about reintegration. Some of the older students have been allowed the privilege and given their kind's superior biotic talent, most had moved on to become excellent huntresses. But then, they had been in the monastery for nearly half a century, definitely longer than their stay in Thessia. It was home in every sense of the word. Considering Rila's curious expression, she saw no reason to lie. "Not really," Falere said with a shrug. Rila's eyes grew wide in obvious surprise.

"That is...unexpected," Rila whispered tentatively, moving to focus on the lecture instead. A wistful smile formed on her lips. "And you used to snivel about home," she chided Falere with a nudge.

Falere nudged back, smiling. "Home is where you are, Sister," she retorted easily.

Surprisingly, Rila blushed at her sister's words. She ducked her head and answered a question regarding the current required to lift a massive blockade. As the problem flashed red, Rila groaned. "I don't recall raising a flatterer," she whispered.

Falere was unable to hold a giggle and replied, "You didn't raise me at all."

"Justicar Sisters!" the instructor bellowed, finally calling their attention. "Care to join the rest of us peons?"

Falere mirrored her sister's flushed features. She and Rila offered their apologies and spent the rest of the class in earnest attention.


Finally, after three years of nothing but numbers and theories, Falere had moved to Applied Biotics. Along with the eighteen other students, they were divided into pairs, standing opposite their partners thirty paces away. Falere was teamed with Rila, of course. As the junior student, she was tasked to put up a barrier able to withstand a moderate strength kinetic projection. Simple enough, she supposed; she consciously touched her bio-amp, waiting for the lessons to proceed.

"Alright girls, pay attention," the instructor said aloud with a clap of her hands. She cast her eyes upon the students charged with projectiles. "As I've said the projectile should only be three units, from there we will work it a step until ten, at which point," she turned to the barrier group, "You will switch roles with your partners. Please make sure your barrier will hold, though you're wearing armor a kinetic blast will still hurt. Understood?"

"Yes, Madame!" the class collectively answered.

The instructor nodded, satisfied. "Then, at the count of three, we shall begin." She started the count-off with a clap.

"One...two...three! Begin!"

Falere sought Rila's eyes and as they nodded to each other, both started their respective roles. It took but a moment for Falere to erect a barrier, establishing it at full strength. She met Rila's gaze again and was surprised to see a frown. "What is the matter?" Falere asked.

"You should reduce your barrier's strength," Rila advised as she begun to pulse with energy. "You might tire yourself on the higher steps."

Falere nodded, smiling as she followed her sister's suggestion. "Thinking strategy already, Huntress Rila?" she jabbed.

"Of course, Huntress Falere. A huntress must never be wasteful of energy nor movement," Rila replied wryly just as she launched the first projectile. Falere felt a slight wobble as the field dissipated against the barrier. She shook her head and raised her barrier's strength, in anticipation of the next projectile.

"Why be a huntress?" Falere asked out of the blue.

"We've spoken of this," Rila answered, throwing another projectile. Falere deflected it accordingly. Charging the next attack, Rila continued, "Mother was so what is the harm?"

Falere smirked, feeling mischievous. "You're a much better baker though," she taunted.

One of Rila's brows lifted then, she likewise smirked. "Ooh, is that a challenge, Huntress Falere?" she chimed as her body hummed with energy.

"Yes, Pastry Chef Rila, it is," Falere replied dryly. The sisters laughed and continued with their activity, trading jests and taunts along the way. Falere could scarcely recall when was the last time she felt so...invigorated. And if Rila's bright smiles and laughter were any indication, Falere knew her sister was having a blast as well. As they traded places, she couldn't help but think how this moment made those dreadful arithmetic and physics all so worth it.

So lively were the sisters that they never noticed the envious eyes upon them.