A/N: Hopefully the annoying missing e-mail notifications issue has or will be fixed shortly. I hope I have not missed a chapter of some of my favorite stories because of it.
So, Shepard and Liara visit Aria and Tevos. Oh, I know what you're all thinking now, that there will be all sorts of smutty naughtiness. Tsk, tsk, for shame!
Also, before anyone asks, Rila and Falere have a bedroom on the lower floor, and it is quite perfectly soundproof. It's kind of a requirement when sharing an apartment with Aria and Tevos!
...and finally... warning for mature content. :P (if you hate that sort of stuff, just skip past the middle section)
Chapter 135 - The Asari Exposure
The performance is carried out in near darkness, only a few strategically placed lights softly illuminate the small stage with Tevos, Rila and Falere, masterfully crafting their beautiful art. Morgan, Liara and Aria sit on fluffy cushions in front of the performing trio, enraptured by the music so deeply that at times they almost forget to breathe.
The equivalent of candlelight makes Tevos' white facial markings appear particularly beautiful, and it seems as if Aria cannot take her eyes off her lover, sitting in the pillows with her back arched perfectly straight, not a muscle moving in her face, obviously touched deeply by the experience and exerting all her mental control not to show any overt emotions in front of Shepard. It takes Aria a great deal of effort to restrain herself so, enraptured by the music, Tevos looks particularly enchanting and spiritual, even Shepard cannot deny this, even if she knows there is only one asari in the galaxy for her, and that is the adorable young maiden sitting next to her with one hand wrapped around her waist.
Tevos' hands move smoothly over the keys of the alo'rai, eliciting a melody that pulls Shepard into a seductive world of fantasy and memories, trapping Morgan between images of her dreams and things long forgotten, like a mental lover's caress that lulls her into something akin to a shallow meld, not invasive or sexual in nature, but still stirring up memories that she has long forgotten herself, and now they drift by her eyes again, but without any pain and sorrow associated with them.
Rila and Falere add their own touches to the entire piece in a way that makes the music so enchantingly symbiotic that after a while Shepard cannot truly distinguish one instrument from the other. The two Ardat-Yakshi also look as spiritual and inspired as Tevos, as if at that moment possessed by the noblest of goddesses, embodiments of something perfectly pure and innocent, and it is impossible to even look at them for too long, their captivating beauty overwhelmingly heartbreaking.
I cannot understand how Aria is able to keep her eyes on Tevos the whole time. She must be deliberately subjecting herself to this sweetest of tortures, Morgan manages a coherent thought, while there is a small break in the performance. She feels Liara pulling a little closer to her, hearing her bondmate's whisper. "The piece is written for an ancient asari string instrument, the l'orikah, but Falere has adapted the use of human violin brilliantly," she quietly explains. "I have only heard this performed twice before, and this is by far the most beautiful rendition."
And then Liara is forced to fall silent again, as the wonderful symphony resumes with Rila taking the lead, playing an instrument the name of which Shepard's translator has simply interpreted as 'the bastard child of oboe and saxophone', but the sound is soft and soothing, and as Falere and finally Tevos join in, it doesn't take long until Morgan is once again completely lost in the world of dreams and memories. The beautiful melodies never draw upon memories that would cause her pain, however, nor do they touch upon her darkest feelings, guilt and self-loathing that she carries deep inside, this meld-like sensation is almost as soothing as joining her mind with Liara's and being reassured by her bondmate's calming essence.
She is startled to also see images of her childhood, something she has not thought about in many, many years. The rare private moments with her mother, when she had stopped being the cold Lieutenant-Commander, and remembered that her daughter should not be expected to answer to her by saluting. The image of Hannah applying medi-gel on her bruised knees and elbows, raw from crawling around the ducts of whatever ship her mother had been serving at the time. A brief flash in the mirror, showing her mother struggling to finish wrapping up Morgan's birthday gift, a model of the Alliance's first dreadnaught. Gods, did... she really do that for me? I can't remember... could have never remembered, if not for this...
There is also an image of her very young self, maybe seven or eight years old, being held in the arms of a large man, kind expression on his cleanly shaven face. The corners of his dark brown eyes tug in small creases as he smiles broadly, holding the tiny girl in his arms against the cool glass, both of them looking outside the window, at the cold, starry and vast space outside. "One day, this will all belong to you, Morgan," he speaks softly, and she remembers herself feeling safe in those strong arms.
That was my dad... gods, I had almost forgotten what he looked like. And... that was on Arc, wasn't it? Right before he went on the mission that proved to be his last... she realizes, her heart swelling with the intense emotions, bubbling over and she is not sure that she will be able to contain it the same way as Aria manages to, not even Liara's comforting touch bringing relief, the asari herself seems to be struggling to keep her face straight, no doubt assaulted by fond memories of her own childhood.
The music stops then, and Shepard slowly slips out of trance, finding her cheeks covered with fresh tears, feeling the overwhelming urge to get out for a moment and take in a breath of fresh air. "Excuse me," she quickly mutters, quickly breaking away from Liara's hold on her waist, rushing towards the opened doors leading to a small balcony. She swiftly wipes her cheeks clean, taking one deep breath after another, trying to calm herself from the overpowering experience, taking comfort from the darkness of the artificial night of the Citadel outside, watching the quiet, still avenue under the balcony, barely any passersby out on the streets at this time of the evening.
Having spent a few minutes sorting out her head, Shepard is about to turn around and walk back inside, thankful to the others for giving her this moment of privacy, but just then Tevos steps out on the balcony, obviously getting a little concerned over the time she is taking. "Shepard, are you alright?" the councilor asks. "We hoped you would enjoy our little performance, we deeply apologize if it brought you discomfort."
"No... gods, no, far from it... that might have been the most beautiful thing I have ever listened to," Shepard replies with such passion that it makes Tevos blush lightly. "It was just... overwhelming, but... in a good way, I think. A very good way."
"Then I am relieved to hear it, Shepard," the asari smiles. "As far as I know, no human has ever been allowed to experience this, so I was a little cautious about the idea. However, Aria and the girls insisted."
"I am glad that they did. Truly. Even if I don't know just what exactly happened. It was... more than just music, wasn't it?" I wonder what Aria saw. I can only imagine... Liara has told me that her clan is very powerful, influential, but also scandalous and full with individuals of... questionable repute. I wonder... what was her childhood like?
"For our people, this is what we understand as music. We have a completely different word for the simple, contemporary version that you might have been exposed to as asari 'music' before. But this, as they say, is the real thing."
"I guess it's a little bit like the distinction with human classical music as well," Morgan muses. "Though... Beethoven kind of did nothing for me, to be honest. Nothing like this anyway."
Tevos smiles again. "Would you like to rejoin us inside again, Shepard? The girls have finished setting up the table and we can eat. Perhaps another unforgettable experience awaits you, Commander."
Morgan simply nods and follows Tevos back inside, Liara taking her by the hand as they step up to the simply but elegantly decorated table, the two Ardat-Yakshi sisters assuming the role of caring hostesses, making sure that everyone's plates and glasses are full. Aria has opened a bottle of Noverian rum for herself and looks reluctant to share it with anyone else, and it suits the others just fine, happy to enjoy the sweet and less alcoholic elassa.
"Oh... you cooked human food?" Morgan asks, looking at the contents of her plate, instantly recognizing the Swedish meatballs together with a mix of what looks like rice and vegetables, of which probably not all are of Earth's origin. "You shouldn't have bothered, really!"
"It's not human food, Shepard," Aria tells her, having kept uncharacteristically quiet after the musical experience, still having difficulties in taking her eyes off Tevos.
"Seriously? But it's meat, isn't it?" Shepard says, poking one of the round pieces of ground meat and spices before shoving it into her mouth and tasting it. "Heck, it even tastes like Swedish meatballs. Delicious!"
"It is an asari recipe, Commander," Falere assures her. "It is not very popular anymore since meat has decreased to a much smaller part of the asari diet these days, especially compared to human diet as I understand?"
"Yeah, we're the uneducated meat-eating barbarians," Shepard chuckles, taking another bite and savoring the rich flavor of spices, surprised at the sweet aroma but somehow her taste buds seem to heartily approve of the unexpected taste.
"There is a theory that every civilization in the galaxy has a version of a recipe for these 'Swedish' meatballs, as you call them, Commander," the smiling councilor explains. "So far it has proven to be surprisingly accurate."
"I wonder if Protheans also had a recipe like that," Liara wonders, herself deciding to pass on the meat in favor for extra rice and something that looks a bit like a flat vegetable pie. "If they all really were like Javik, they might have made these meatballs from all the races who would not subject to their domination..." she adds with a sigh.
"Heh, you're probably right," Morgan chuckles, continuing to clear her plate quickly, finding herself slowly becoming very attached to the taste. "You know, I probably wouldn't starve on Thessia."
"Why, Shepard, have you made plans already?" Aria asks, looking curious.
"No... we haven't really discussed much long term," Shepard exchanges a brief look with a slightly ponderous Liara. "There's no rush, anyway. We'll be stuck here for a bit and can take our time deciding." I wonder where she will want to raise our blue baby? Thessia would make a lot more sense, so she can be around her own kind... but am I ready to live in an all asari society? If this evening is anything to go by, then... that's a resounding hell yeah!
"And what of your own plans, Aria?" Liara asks. "The situation on Omega remains a complete mystery, does it not?"
"Yeah. It was full with indoctrinated Cerberus bastards, so I'm not sure what to expect once I go back and see for myself what's going on. I am guessing everything Reaper related is wiped out, but what about the indoctrinated ones?" Aria wonders.
"From what we have learned, those who have been irreversibly indoctrinated for a lengthy period of time have perished from brain hemorrhages and rapid decay of nervous systems," Tevos explains. "Those who have been indoctrinated only recently stand a good chance at complete recovery."
"So, basically, Omega will be sitting there ripe for taking once we can get out of this useless corner of the galaxy," Aria smirks. "And before you ask, yes, I do intend to go back and rebuild. And I will take the girls with me, I don't want them to come under more scrutiny which is what will happen if we stay here for too long."
"At least Aria has promised to make Omega into something less..." Rila stops there, looking around and trying to select some kind of properly inoffensive word. "...uh, disgusting?"
"That sounds... encouraging," Shepard says, not immediately sure what to think, then turning her head to look at Tevos, the councilor remaining quiet while Aria discusses her plans. "You know, it's probably not my place to intrude on something private, but-"
"You're right, it's not your place, Shepard," Aria cuts her off imperiously. "But rest assured, we will figure out some kind of arrangement, and for now you don't need to be concerned about anything beyond that."
"Aria will explore possibilities to acquire a legitimate front for her... dealings," Tevos finally joins in to explain. "If she can secure a certain amount of credibility for herself, the link between us might no longer appear as... scandalous to some."
"Eh, fuck 'em, I say," Aria grumbles, emptying her glass of rum in one big gulp, then quickly refilling her glass.
"Well, in that case, I propose a toast," Shepard surprises everyone, raising her glass of elassa and then having to explain exactly what she is proposing. "It's a... uh, human thing, where we all take drinks to either express honor or goodwill. So... I was thinking of proposing a toast to the future. To the uncertain future in hopes that it will bring good things to us all."
Everyone smiles and drinks to that, slowly finishing the dinner afterwards. "That was a lovely meal, thank you, Rila and Falere," Liara says, bowing her head to the two young asari, Shepard vehemently agreeing.
"Oh... thank you, Liara, and you too, Commander," Rila accepts the praise, then nodding at the councilor. "But Tevos did most of the work, I think."
"At least as much as Rila and I," Falere agrees.
"Well, councilor, you're certainly an asari of many talents," Shepard grins, impressed. Damn, now I'm wondering what Tevos would look like scurrying around the kitchen and wearing an apron. That's kind of... strange, but somehow cute image... she admits to herself, turning to look at Liara. Then again, we're moving to a house of our own... maybe I'll get to see Liara being busy in the kitchen too... providing she doesn't cause a disaster...
"It was all part of my upbringing and education," Tevos explains. "At the expense of any sort of biotic training, which nearly proved fatal," she adds with a sigh, gently rubbing her chest in the spot where the husk had pierced her flesh with its claw.
"In any case, Liara and I want to thank you for the lovely evening," Shepard says. "Though it is getting very late, and we should start getting back to the Normandy."
"Why bother?" Aria shrugs. "We have a whole upstairs bedroom sitting unused. The bed is far more comfortable than anything on your ship, I'm sure. Just open another bottle of your sweet wussy juice and enjoy yourselves."
"I agree with Aria," Tevos nods enthusiastically. "Rila and Falere will prepare the guest bedroom for you, won't you girls?" The two Ardat-Yakshi react immediately, eager to be helpful as they dash upstairs to the upper floor to get to work.
Shepard exchanges a look with Liara, wanting to gauge her bondmate's reaction, but Liara appears calm and perfectly fine with the proposition, perhaps as a result of Aria having been exceedingly polite towards her the entire evening and not making the younger asari nervous or embarrassed. "Very well, we'll stay for a sleepover," Morgan finally agrees with a smile, reaching out to open a fresh bottle of elassa. "I'm so glad this stuff doesn't give me hangovers..."
When Shepard finds herself suddenly awake in the middle of the night, she is not immediately certain for the reason of what has caused her usually heavy sleep to be interrupted. She feels searing heat hitting her cheeks, however, as soon as she recognizes the nature of the sounds that penetrate the wall from the adjacent bedroom. There is no doubt as to exactly what Aria and Tevos are up to, and for a moment Shepard wonders whether the asari couple are aware of just how thin the walls are between the two upper floor bedrooms.
Not that I would expect Aria to care. In fact, maybe she's taking some kind of perverse, kinky pleasure from knowing that we can hear them, I wouldn't put that past her. And I definitely wouldn't put past her keeping Tevos unaware of just how well we can hear them... Shepard thinks, shifting uncomfortably in the bed, trying to hide her head under the pillows to muffle the sounds, but it doesn't seem to be working. That higher pitched, rapid moan probably belongs to Tevos. The deeper groans sound more like Aria... oh yes, and the cursing gives her away, Tevos probably would be a well mannered lady in the bed, too...
Morgan continues to squirm, trying to ignore the sounds of heated coupling from the next room, but finds herself unable to do so, feeling her nipples quickly stiffening against the soft linens, feeling the spark between her legs beginning to quickly ignite and demanding attention. She flips herself on her back in the bed, unsuccessfully fighting herself as her fingers sneak down across the planes of her stomach towards the juncture of her legs, slipping between her thighs as she catches the edge of the duvet with her teeth to silence herself as her fingers meet with the sensitized flesh between her legs. Gods, it has been far too long, and I'm not sure I can restrain myself, she thinks frantically. Perhaps I should wake Liara... or...
As her fingers begin to make gently circling motions, her hips arching a little, she turns her head towards Liara's sleeping form, freezing from the sight that opens to her eyes, the fire within her increasing tenfold. Liara is no longer sleeping either, and she can see that the blanket covering her bondmate is moving slightly with smooth, regular strokes.
"Liara, you..." she finds herself whispering, barely managing to keep her voice from breaking.
"Goddess, Morgan..." the asari replies instantly, and suddenly in one smooth motion, they are a tangle of limbs, two burning, sweaty bodies clinging to each other, Morgan's hand disappearing between her bondmates thighs to find evidence of her embarrassingly powerful arousal.
"Need you..." Liara moans softly, barely able to control herself. "Must... stay quiet... not let them hear... Aria... never hear the end of it..."
Shepard nods knowingly, unable to speak, having lost all ability to form coherent words, simply slipping two fingers of her left hand into Liara's mouth, feeling her lover's sharp teeth digging in as Morgan herself buries her head into Liara's shoulder, starting to nip and suck on the asari's tender flesh. Liara is in no condition to initiate a gentle, gradual meld, having already worked herself into an overpowering state of arousal. The joining of their minds, when it comes, immediately cuts to their very cores, and the amount of released, pent up emotion makes them both unable to exert any kind of control over the encounter.
Two sets of hips grinding against each other quickly send them crashing over the edge, their need for release too overpowering after two months of waiting for this moment. The ecstasy is so powerful that Shepard finds herself still rocking her hips against Liara's leg, after she has finished swimming in the complete blackness of sensory overload, her teeth having dug deeper into Liara's neck than she had intended, coming close to drawing blood. Which is something that Liara's teeth have done to her fingers still stuck between her bondmate's lips, the asari continuing to twitch under her with powerful aftershocks, both clinging to each other tightly, well aware that they might have just been moaning at the top of their lungs without knowing it, neither of them actually caring whether that has been the case.
Morgan pulls her aching fingers away from Liara's mouth, then pressing her lips against the asari's, the soft, deep kisses intended to ease them through the warm afterglow. Unfortunately, the noises from the other room have not decreased, quite the contrary. Aria seems to be putting Tevos through a rigorous session of lovemaking, the councilor desperately trying to remain silent, but failing utterly and miserably, and the Pirate Queen herself seems to be very close to losing control.
The sounds are not allowing the fiery spike of arousal within Shepard to dissipate, and Liara appears to be faced with a similar problem, starting to suckle on Morgan's tongue more insistently, her hips slowly gliding against Shepard's leg, coating it with warm wetness. "Gods," Morgan whispers, somehow managing to pull herself away from Liara's lips, even if it is the last thing she wants to do. "Will they... ever stop?"
"Don't..." Liara whimpers, clutching Shepard tightly and pulling her back close. "Need... more..." she manages semi-coherently, Morgan watching her bondmate's eyes already swimming in blackness.
"The Reapers couldn't kill me, but this just might," Morgan whispers, feeling the familiar sensations of the meld beginning to encroach at the edges of her consciousness, this time Liara still managing to maintain a semblance of control, enough to slow themselves down and make the joining of their nervous systems a little more gradual and less shockingly intense.
At some point of their joining Morgan becomes agonizingly aware of Liara's curled fingers slipping beneath their bodies, seeking their prize and Shepard instinctively raises her hips just a little bit, then lowering them when Liara's hand is in position, swiftly impaling herself on her bondmate's fingers, meeting no resistance as the asari's digits slip deep inside her. The meld has reached almost its maximum intensity by this point, where she is able to feel every emotion that Liara is experiencing, echoing back through their bond. Her hips begin to buck against Liara's hand on their own accord and she wonders how she is even still conscious, her body reacting on pure instinct, perhaps subtly directed by Liara through their bond to enhance the pleasure that she is receiving. She begins to slip towards the edge of that familiar sea of blackness, her elbows failing to support her weight as she falls heavily on Liara's chest, but her hips never cease that steady rhythm and finally she hears Liara's last vestiges of composure also breaking with a deep, throaty moan, her bondmate forgetting that she is supposed to remain quiet.
The last thing that Morgan manages to do before she becomes completely lost in shared explosion of overwhelming pleasure, taking a deep plunge into the comforting waves of blackness, is to pull herself up a little and clamp her lips down against Liara's to muffle their cries, no longer willing to get her fingers nearly bitten off. Dark spots continue to swim before her eyes as she feels their bodies slowly coming to rest, and fortunately Aria and Tevos have quieted down as well, giving them a reprieve.
Liara still hasn't regained the ability to speak as Morgan finally slides off her bondmate's drenched body, not moving away, cuddling against Liara's side and wrapping her arms around the asari, still breathing heavily with ragged gasps. "Wonder if they... heard anything..." Morgan manages to speak weakly, pressing her lips against Liara's shoulder.
"Don't... care..." Liara replies after a lengthy pause, her breathing slowly returning to normal. Not long after, they are both sound asleep, Morgan snoring softly alongside Liara, tired, but for once enjoying sleep that is not troubled by dark thoughts and nightmares.
The next morning, while Rila and Falere serve them delicious asari style breakfast, consisting mostly from strange but delicious fruits and juice, Shepard is busy studying Aria's face for some hints of whether the Pirate Queen has noticed any of their nocturnal activities. However, Aria T'Loak is very good at disguising her emotions and not revealing what she desires to keep hidden, so Shepard is forced to quickly admit her defeat, remaining in the dark about the extent of Aria's knowledge. At least she is not making any lewd comments, remaining perfectly cordial with her and also towards initially very hesitant looking Liara.
"So you're heading back to Earth today, are you, Shepard?" Aria eventually asks, when they are slowly about to finish off the breakfast, the two Ardat-Yakshi sisters coming to sit at the table as well.
"Yeah, in a couple of hours," Morgan replies with a nod.
"Drop us a line once you've settled in, and we'll come to visit you," Aria speaks decisively, looking at her new stepdaughters. "Would you like that, girls?"
"Yes, I'd love to see Earth!" Rila exclaims enthusiastically, Falere nodding just as excitedly.
"That sounds like a great idea, and the house looks big enough for you to do a sleepover at our place," Morgan nods, the connection between her brain and tongue still unreliable at this early hour and she mentally winces, wondering what exactly had prompted her to say those words.
"We, ah, can discuss the details at a later stage," Liara offers diplomatically, trying to save Morgan's blushes. "After all, you have been generous hosts to us, so it would be only polite to reply with the same in return. A shame that the Councilor had to leave so early, we wanted to thank her for the lovely evening, too."
"I'll pass it on, don't worry about it," Aria nods. "Her schedule is often very irritating. Those turians are crazy about early morning meetings, sadistic bastards the lot of them."
"I'm starting to think that the poor Councilor doesn't get nearly enough sleep," Shepard says, then again mentally facepalming as she sees Aria briefly pausing and giving her an incredulous stare, followed by a knowing grin, as Liara completely gives herself away by snorting the juice through her nose, shocked by Morgan's gaffe, then having to hastily apologize for the embarrassment.
"Uh, maybe it's time we leave, they're probably already expecting us back on the Normandy," Morgan suggests, a little awkwardly.
Liara immediately pounces on the opportunity for semi-dignified getaway. "Yes, I believe it is time, once again, thank you all for the lovely company," she speaks, rising from the table and dragging Morgan up with her.
As they walk towards the doors of the apartment, Shepard suddenly receives a painful elbow jab between her ribs, punishment for her indiscretion, but still she cannot help to stop grinning like a madwoman when looking at her exasperated bondmate. Oh yeah. That was totally worth it.