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Baby Bird
Dimly lit was the mess hall table where Matt sat. The hour was late and he couldn't sleep, like always it was either his biotic amps or his running mind that kept him up. Tonight it was actually nightmares. Most of the ship was quiet with only a few moving here and there, he had actually said goodnight to his sister just a little over an hour ago. From where he sat he could see the brightly lit light of the med bay still on and Chakwas working away at something on the other side of the glass. Since he was not on duty and he was not exactly Alliance anymore Matt was dressed down in a pair of dark blue cargo pants, a military color, and a black N7 hoodie that zipped down the front and had seen better days. His sister always gave him shit about it, but it was the same one he got at the start of their elite training and he liked it. Despite the hole it had near the right shoulder and the left behind torn stitching where he had mouthed off to his instructor resulting in one of his insignias being ripped off.
Earlier when the table was open he came up and dug into his private locker, they all had ones lining the wall on the far side of the wall, at least all of the ground team members. His was mostly junk he had collected along the way while in the service. Inside was the model of a ship his mother Captained, a bunch of sci fi books stacked up, some data disks filled with music that could be uploaded to his Omni tool, as well as tons of other odds and ends. That was just him though, a jumbled, but controlled mess. One of those treasures though he had broken out to enjoy. In the bowl sat out on the table held in his left hand Matt was enjoying an old Earth treat, Jello, funny if you thought about it. In all his time with the military he had only been to the home planet a handful of times, it didn't really feel like home in the way it did to most marines to him. That said though he had developed a taste for the stuff on one trip to his bookstore on the citadel, a girl had offered it to him and now every time he stopped there he got more for his locker.
"This seat taken?"
About halfway through the bowl Matt was interrupted by a voice he instantly recognized.
"Garrus what are you doing up this late?" Matt asked questionably though he did motion for him to take a chair on the other side of the table from him.
"Thanks," Garrus said pulling back the chair so he could awkwardly sit down, human chairs were still a challenge for the Turian, but he made do finding a comfortable spot. "Couldn't sleep, when the Commander said she was taking me to an ice planet to hunt down Liara's mother in the morning I just couldn't settle."
Matt frowned down at his bowl of watermelon Jello, "Yeah that is not going to be easy. Can't say I want to go along with you guys. Glad she wants me to hang back and look after the ship. No telling what's going to happen between Liara and her mother if they have to throw down."
His mandibles flared with question, "Oh right…her mother…yes that will be a conflict."
Grinning Matt shook his head, "Let me guess. Turians hate the cold as well?"
The large squad mate leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest section, "Absolutely detest it," he said with a healthy laugh at the running joke though this quickly sobered along with his voice. "And T'Soni, we will just have to wait and see a terrible thing for a daughter to have to face her mother like this."
Garrus looked back over his shoulder to the med bay where Chakwas had gotten up from her work when the Asari in question came out of the back room with some question. It had been a full day of travel to Noveria since Matt had spoken to the woman about the meld. Jane had the chance to and it seemed they still needed a few pieces to put together the whole problem. That still didn't explain why it felt like he was being avoided after their "sharing" though.
"From what my sister tells me about her she can more than take care of herself," Matt said taking another bite of his Earth treat, "She might not look it of course, but she is very strong willed."
His friend nodded in response still watching the conversation in the other room like he might be able to make out what they were saying behind the sound proof, well everything proof glass, "Right…right…." Garrus said like his mind was somewhere else. "You know word on the ship is that the Commander has been spending an awful amount of time with the Doctor. You…know anything about that?"
Matt almost dropped the bowl he was holding on the floor barely managing to steady it back down on the table so it didn't flip over. This drew the Turians attention sharply back and Matt must have had a very shocked look on his face because he undid his hands and raised them up in defense almost instantly.
"Hey now don't kill the messenger, just something I heard while working on that tank your sister thinks is a sports car," Garrus said lowering his hands back down onto the mess hall table speaking hesitantly, "Of course I didn't mean any offense."
Coming back from his heart attack mixed with terrible mental images in his head that he would probably never get out Matt calmly finished off his snack in silence while he thought about what Garrus had said. Sure his sister had come and gone many times to check on the scientist, but it couldn't be anything more than that. Most brothers would say that they knew their sisters and Jane had plenty of tells, but he had not seen one on that front.
Those green hues lifted to trace the blue paint that covered the Turian's face and flashed him a teasing smile, "You know if you are interested I could try to put in a word for you? I think I know her pretty well."
"Oh right well J-," Stone still Garrus stopped and his eyes got as wide as Matt thought they could probably go when he realized what he started to say, "Liara….Liara…," he reiterated, " is not exactly my type."
It was Matt's turn to lean back in the mess hall chair and cross his arms over his chest like some sort of imposing figure, "Right….," he said slowly but he did let the guy off the hook. Liara had not been the only person Jane had been checking up on regularly. She did that with the whole crew sure, but Garrus was missing something, "She is a little young for you anyway."
A joke at Liara's age of course since she was at least three times older than the both of them. Garrus knew an olive branch when he saw it and sighed releasing the breath he had been holding having been sure Matt was going to come over the table after him, but he didn't and the Turian had to wonder about that. There was no mistake he had to understand what had been on Garrus' mind, did he just think it was impossible? Or something else.
"Tomorrow is going to be hell on her though," Matt said for the first time shifting his eyes over to the med bay where Liara had just retreated back into her lab and Chakwas was starting to shut everything down for the night.
Garrus looked down at the table and picked at it idly with his right hand, "Yeah."
"Watch out for them tomorrow Garrus, I can't be there all the time," Matt said with more emotion than the strength of his tone let on.
Those devastatingly honorable Turian eyes lifted away from the mess table to lock with Matt, "I can't promise it will be without a scratch, but they will make it back aboard. Be it with Liara's mother or not."
A smile crept across Matt's lips at that and he felt he could actually trust those words, he could trust this Turian, this Garrus. In that moment he wondered how long they would work together, how long they would watch each other's backs and make promise like this. Garrus was just like any other Marine he had served with, he was sharp with a gun and responded to orders directly, but he was just as torn after a rough mission and as nervous before a tough one. At that table in the quiet mess there were no differences between the two of them, the galaxy might look at them and see conflict between their two races, but Matt just saw something more, something possible.
"Well I am going to try and get some sleep before we dock on Noveria, if you want there are some heated gel packs in stock, ask the requisitions officer and he can get you some before you head out, might help," Matt said as he got up from the table feeling the eyes of Garrus on him the whole way. The empty bowl left the table when he picked it up so that he could carry it over to where it would be cleaned later. He was about to step onto the lift that would take him down into the lower deck for some rest, but he stopped.
It must have drawn a question from Garrus where he was still sitting at the table because he spoke up, "Everything ok?"
When he turned back Matt reached up and ran his left hand through his short hair ruffling it up making sure every bit of it was out of place with a small smile, "Tulips Garrus. Don't screw it up."
Matt left him there searching his mind for what the biotic might have meant by that.
Noveria is an ice planet, one of the worst that can still at the same time support life, or at least what live can be for the most part be lived indoors. It sits on the fringe of council space, far away from prying eyes and is well known to be used by corporations that wish to conduct experiments on the edge of what is allowed by council law. The types of people there are mostly white collar only having guards do the intimidating, but do not be fooled the ones behind the desks are far more dangerous. On more than one occasion ships that were known to have docked on the ice planet were no longer seen again even though the Noveria port authority assures through records that they disembarked. Common blizzards cover sections of the planet and upon their arrival they were treated to one of the worst.
Of course Jane had gone on anyway meeting some resistance with the local guard before heading into the complex itself. There had been some run around about having to get a garage pass to follow Liara's mother up to some lab called Peak 15 because of the weather. In the end Jane ended up having to do a favor for a few people and they got their way. Since Matt was not on the team heading up the peak he and a few of the others spent some time at the shops there near the dock picking up a few things. By the time the three came back from the peak in the evening the crew was ship shape and ready to go with things stored away, Joker refused to remove his new Quarian bobble head Tali had gotten him at the gift shop from the side of his controls.
"Away team is coming in Shepard," Joker called over the com back to where Matt was near the galaxy map going over some messages that had been sent while his sister was away. He hated paper work.
He set aside the datapad he had been looking over and gave it to Presley to finish checking while he headed up to the bridge, " Joker have Chakwas come up to the airlock with a medical kit incase they need anything."
"Understood."
Matt rounded the corner right before the cockpit that lead to the airlock and stopped resting a hand against the bulkhead waiting for the door to slide open. When it did he gave his sister a questioning glance because they were short one squad mate, a certain blue one.
"She is signing some paper work to have her mother's body moved back to Thessia," Jane answered the unspoken question while she removed her hard suit helmet and stepped aboard, "Anything happen while we were gone?"
The little brother took the helmet from his sister's hand and tucked it under his arm on the right side the look of displeasure he felt at that response easily read, "Only some task reports from below deck, they are still having trouble finding the source of that power leak other than that not much," Matt said brushing off some of the snow from the front plate of Jane's helmet shaking his head, "You should not have left her to do that herself Jane." That might have come across a bit more accusingly then he wanted it to have, but he had experience in the area that Liara was enduring right now. No one should be left alone during that time.
Jane set a hand on her brother's shoulder and grimaced, "She was very adamant about wanting to be by herself for a minute to collect her thoughts she told us to go on and that she would be on in a minute." He might not like it, but they both knew that you don't really deny someone after enduring the loss of a loved one anything, everyone grieves differently.
Still there was more that needed to be said, more questions about how it went, but Chakwas showed up toting a small first aid kit pausing nearing first Garrus who waved her off heading for the lift then over to Jane wanting to see to a graze that she had gotten on her left thigh. His sister looked to him once more to try and settle what they had been talking about before she was helped over into one of the observation seats there on the command deck so that the plating on her armor could be removed and the wound could be checked out.
"Commander, Liara is coming aboard," Joker called back twirling his chair around so that he could speak to the group directly instead of using the ship's intercom since they were so close, "it doesn't look good."
Matt moved over and set the N7 helmet down on a free observation chair right as the airlock door opened for a second time. There was a silence, no one wanted or knew what to say to the Asari. Liara was still clad in her armor with bits of purple blood stock to the lower sections of it that could have only come from her mother's last moments. She had been crying you could tell by the red in her eyes, but just before coming aboard it looked like she tried to right herself and put up a front for the crew. It lasted all of twenty three seconds.
Those light feet stepped out of the airlock and her eyes fell instantly threatening tears that she wished to hide, "She…pard…" it was quiet, nearly silent, but in the silence of the command deck those closest heard it.
From where Jane was sitting with Chakwas crouched over her looking at the leg she tried to push herself up and so that she could embrace the girl. Chakwas even got out of the way relenting at least for a time. Liara went from a saddened state to a flurry of steps so that she could wrap her arms around Shepard, only it wasn't Jane. To his surprise as well as just about anyone watching the grieving Doctor, Liara closed the space and hugged him from behind where he had not yet turned from setting down Jane's helmet. Matt had not wanted to see that sorrowful look again so soon. It hurt him to see it.
"Liara… ,"Jane tried to say while falling back into the chair she had been using.
"Shepard," she said again rubbing her tearstained face against the strong back of the younger male of that family, "I just need…a moment please. Don't move."
That confused Matt even more and he shot a look over to his sister who looked on with an equal mix of worry and surprise. No one moved to bother her yet Jane nor Matt. Chakwas just went back to her treatment busting out a heavy looking bandage that could be wrapped around the whole of Jane's leg.
"T'Soni," Matt said avoiding the question she would hear over and over again for the coming few days. Was she alright? He had hated that when he was asked that question after the attack on his home colony so he was not about to be the first one to ask it of her.
The sobbing form lightly holding onto him from behind him froze at the sound of his voice for what reason he couldn't be sure. When she tried to pull her arms back from around him though combined with hushed apologies Matt quickly turned.
"No no….you don't have anything to be sorry for Liara," he said extending a hand around her waist tentatively in case she wanted to pull away.
To his surprise not only did she not stop him, but she stepped back into his form so that she could press her forehead in against his chest. Gone was everyone in the room to the two, Matt used that same arm to reach up and gently hold the back of her neck in attempt to comfort her. When those fingers met the textured skin there just below where her crest ended he felt her relax fully against him like a switch had been cleared and she was released. Those blue fingers gripped tightly onto the sweater he was wearing and she dare not show her face to anyone just yet. It was unlike anything he had experienced, sure he had lost friends and loved ones on the field, but this felt different. Sadly it felt familiar he had been getting a lot of that lately.
"Liara, when you are ready why don't you come down to the med bay and rest. It would do you some good dear," Chakwas said gently patting the grieving girl on the back while looking at Matt, "I am sure the young man here would be more than happy to help you down when you are ready."
T'Soni just nodded not trusting her voice and stole a look at the good doctor taking comfort in the warm bedside manner she had developed. Matt watched Chakwas go leaving the two of them along with Jane up front with Joker that was for now uncharacteristically quiet. They stood there for a long while more, at least long enough for his sister to say a quiet goodbye then head off to get her gear off and cool down. Right when he was finally about to say something Liara tilted her head back against the hand that was still resting on her neck and smiled bravely as best she could.
"Shepard I think I would like to lay down for a while now," her voice was frail like her will could be broken with little work.
He did the only thing that felt right and smiled warmly back to her, "That sounds like a good idea T'Soni and I will help you down to the med bay if you do me a favor and stop calling me Shepard," he teased her. In this kind of mood she was in he teased her and from anyone else it might have failed.
Liara's smile just widened a bit more not of her own accord and nodded somewhat, "Of course Matt."
"Ok then," he said while she started to pull away, "I got a better idea."
Leaning down long enough to snake his arm around the back of her knees he lifted her up so that he had her in a bridal carry, he was sure she wouldn't know the connotation, and hoisted her up so that she rested against the front of him. Smiling all the while to try and keep her spirits up it grew when he saw the purple flashing across her cheeks.
"Matt!" she squeaked then lightly pounded her loosely clasp fist against his chest. He was sure she was going to say something else, but she suddenly stopped lost her smile and stared at her hand with a blank stare.
Worried he had offended her by carrying her like this he offered, "Sorry…I could put you do-"
"NO!" Liara shouted loud enough for the whole deck to hear then flushed even brighter, Matt was certain that if she had ears they would be hot as well, "This is fine…thank you."
The walk across the command deck was uneventful even with the way he was carrying her no one seemed to look their way among the crew. It was probably a mixture of Jane being back aboard with the knowledge that the Asari had just lost a loved one. They all respected that. Stepping into the lift he had to get Liara to press the button for the crew deck since he was holding her up then they waited for the door to close and start down. In that last second of light from the command deck before it switched over to the internal light of the lift she curled her head up so that she could hide her face against his neck seeking the security there. A person looking at him strangely was not something that bothered Matt, but maybe she felt a bit embarrassed to be carried like this.
"Thank you Matt," she said softly right into his ear causing an instinctual shiver to run down his back.
The biotic shook his head enduring the not so uncomfortable feeling she drew out of him and responded warmly, "Of course, I know what it's like to lose a mother. If anyone on the ship knows what you are going through I have some idea. You need anything you let me know alright?"
The lift came to a stop and the door started to open to let them out. Just when it slid completely out of the way he felt her fingers tighten again into the front of his shirt possibly in response to the sound itself. She said nothing though when he stepped out and headed in the direction of the med bay. Garrus, Tali, and Ashley were there grabbing something to eat. They all looked up from their conversation when the two of them came into view and it was only Garrus that made some sort of a comment in the form of a knowing nod of his head, slight, but Matt noticed it. He stepped them into the brightly lit med bay and let the door close behind him.
"Ah Matt, Liara are you ready to lie down for a bit?" Chakwas said spotting them and heading over from one of the beds she had been preparing with a fresh set of blankets so that it would be more comfortable for the grieving crewmate. "Just set her down over there if you would. I have something I can give her to help her sleep."
As instructed he gently lay her down onto the bed and helped Liara's tired hands to work the covers up over her she didn't look at him though, hadn't since she came back aboard, at least not directly. That was usually his move. Chakwas came over holding a little cup of water and a few pills in hand. Liara balked at this and shook her head at the sight quickly looking between Matt and the Doctor.
"Please…I don't want to take anything," she tried desperately to make them understand.
"Dear you really do need to sleep and this will help you I must insist."
Matt hung back behind the ship's doctor and looked on, he knew what was going on. Some Asari followed a certain religion that disallowed any medication that was not explicitly needed, this fell into the NOT category. Liara must have followed this teaching. It had always frustrated him in the past when people acted like this. There were plenty of Human religions that had a similar creed.
"Doctor I will stay with her," Matt said suddenly having not expected to speak his mind so candidly causing the two women to look at him, "At least until she falls asleep," he quickly added to attempt to cover the warmth that he felt coming to his cheeks.
"I still think that she should have something," she said with less enthusiasm this time.
"If she is still awake in twenty you can give her whatever you want. Do we have a deal?
Chakwas looked back down at the prone Liara once more that looked hopeful she would relent and allow the desire of a friend. In the end she couldn't deny the girls request and poked the soldier in the chest stating she would be back in fifteen and they would see what happens then. Once the doors closed behind her and she had made her way out into the mess to grab a cup of coffee Matt brought a chair over to the side of the medical bed that he could sit in.
"Thank you for that," Liara said shifting around on the bed to try and get a bit more comfortable the idea of crying lost for now.
"Don't worry about it, I said to ask me if you needed anything after all," Matt said leaning forward in his chair so that he could pull the blanket up a bit higher to cover her up to the chest where she happily took it with her hands.
Those crystal blue eyes closed and she took a deep breath, "Of course."
With her eyes closed relaxed on the bed she looked so peaceful, silent with her own thoughts, even if they were not in the best of places. Matt moved his hand so that he could place it lightly on her forehead where it met the crest. Those eyes opened slightly at the feel of his warm touch, but she said nothing just waiting to see what he would do. Silently he ran his fingers back over her crest much like you would a human child that was not feeling well only with her since she was an Asari he just traced the tops of her ridges. This caused her eyes to flutter closed and her lips to part in a tired sigh. With such a response he felt he must have done something right so he kept doing it, over and over again with just the faint hint of his fingers against her skin.
"Where did you learn to do that?" she asked breathlessly nearing a dream state.
"Jane used to have terrible nightmares about our mother getting into trouble while she was deployed," he said softly barely above a whisper to help her fall asleep, "I used to stay up for hours doing this for her until she fell asleep."
The tense lines of the Asari's face, taut with grief from the day's events slowly drew away then disappeared completely when she drifted off with the aid of his light touch. Matt didn't leave though; he just sat back in the chair and silently watched her sleep. With no one else around to worry about, even the woman himself, he allowed himself a first real look at her. Liara was beautiful there was just no other word for it. The way her chest slightly rose and fell with every breath made her seem so delicate at rest, but he knew that she was learning to fight harder every day. Those freckles that sparsely populated the tops of her cheek and bridge of her nose shifted slightly with every slight tug of her lips while she slept. Those lips, suddenly the image of theirs meeting filled his mind and Matt had to look away to suppress it. Real cool Matt, not at all creepy to think about a sleeping woman like that. Still, he looked back and sunk further into the med bay chair watching her, he couldn't deny it anymore there was something he truly felt for her. Not some shore leave fling that some Marines had, no this felt different and right.
Whatever it was it would have to wait; Jane had them on a course bound for the Citadel.
"Liara if you keep squirming we are never going to find one that fits you before I have to meet the council," Jane said with more than a small hint of frustration in her voice while trying to work the small latches that connected the sections of armor that she was trying to put on the Asari.
Liara blinked and brought herself back to the store and out of the thought that had held her mind since they docked back at the central space station. The Normandy returned at the request of the council so that they could have a face to face with their newest Specter about what she had found thus far. They would be docked for a minimum of three days so the crew had been pleased to find out they were to be given shore leave for the duration of that time. Sadly a skeleton crew was forced to remain behind, out of the engineers they all drew straws. It helped soften the blow when Tali let on that she was not going anywhere. The young Quarian had taken a great liking to the unusually quiet ship. Jane had been commenting for a while about how she needed armored that fit her exactly as well as one that would accent her biotic abilities like Matt had. Council busy as they were couldn't see the younger Specter until later in the day, Jane had said it was a perfect time to find some gear for her.
Those blue Asari eyes at the reflection in the mirror unable to see Jane while she worked around helping to fit the gear into place. All T'Soni saw was another Liara looking back at her and all that did was remind her of what she had seen within the younger Shepard's mind.
"Of course, I am sorry Jane my mind is somewhere else," Liara said in an apologetically and started to twist and turn once the suit was set into place.
Phoenix armors were one of the best companies in the business at protecting soldiers on the field, but for her it just felt confining. So much armor, near solid plate confined her and much of her flexibility.
Jane must have sensed the frown that Liara was hiding and asked, "You don't like it? It is the lightest one they have."
She lifted her hand and pulled at the collar of the suit where the hard seal helmet could fit into place and sighed, "I am sorry Jane these suits are just so cramped," She said dropping her hand back down to her hip turning so that she could see her profile in the mirror, "Is there nothing else? I feel like I am tied up."
They had already been through four different suits and Liara was sure that her friend's patience was starting to wear thin. The last thing she wanted to do was to upset her of course, but if she was supposed to be fighting for her life in something she wanted to trust it. Jane frowned past her and met Liara's eye in the mirror and luckily she seemed to be considering some other options.
"Since you are biotic and you have barriers we could try something that has partial plate mixed in with hardened weave. It wouldn't be the best thing to be caught taking a bullet, but it would be a lot more flexible," she suggested heading for a nearby Asari attendant that had been helping them because of her knowledge of suits with biotic focusers embedded within them.
While she was gone looking for something that might suit what they were looking for Jane helped the doctor remove the fourth set of gear with a small smile. This was about as close to clothes shopping as she usually got, she was not a normal woman.
"So what has you so distracted?"
Purple flooded the cheeks of the century old Asari and she hesitated to answer, "I…I was wondering what I should do with the remaining shore leave once you leave for the council. Its been a long time since I visited the citadel. The place seems to change drastically every time I visit."
"When were you last here?" Jane said while working on the clasps on the side of Liara's left thigh.
"Hmm twenty seven years ago?"
The red head laughed, but didn't comment about how much sense that made that things changed, "Well what do you normally do in your spare time?"
Liara considered this while working free the gauntlets from her hands, all she had really focused on had been her research for so long. Any time she had free time in the past she usually curled up on a chair and read through published papers of her fellow scientists back on Thessia. So she worked when she was not working.
"Sadly I am afraid I am fairly boring as humans say, normally I read other scientists papers when I am not working, "Liara felt almost embarrassed to say it, she felt that even outside her own race spending ones downtime like that was somewhat strange.
The last piece of gear came away leaving her free to move and stretch her legs a bit in the skin tight inner suit that lined her skin to protect it from whatever gear she was wearing at the time. Jane sat down on the raised platform that Liara was standing on to see how she looked in the gear and brushed hair back behind her ear looking out towards the front of the shop so that she could see people coming and going through the shopping district.
"That's nothing to be ashamed of, sometimes you just can't turn that switch off, been there many times myself while reading military reports. Still you should probably find something to do that could relieve some stress or something," She looked up with her grey blue eyes when the Asari moved to sit down beside her leaned back so that she could rest on her hands watching the people as well. "Maybe a massage? Humans love them."
She considered it, it was a good suggestion, after everything she had been through since being picked up by the Normandy it might not be such a bad idea. Liara had other ideas though.
"Did any of the crew tell you what they might be spending their time doing while on shore leave?" Liara tried her best to hide real question behind small talk.
Jane sat forward and reached up to run a hand through her long hair, today left unbraided since she was off duty, it looked lovely and the habit to do that with her hand was very familiar. She had her N7 leather jacket on that she so enjoyed and a pair of jeans at least that is what Humans called those blue trousers.
"Well, Joker went to drink and gamble, Wrex wanted to look at a new shotgun, and I am pretty sure Chakwas is visiting family," Jane said like she was trying to remember everyone, "Garrus said something about stopping by C-Sec I think then seeing if he could visit his father…and that's good. I am glad he is doing that."
She sounded like it was something she herself might have suggested while they were here.
Cautiously Liara asked, "And your brother?"
Her friend tilted her head to the side so that she could look at the Asari out of the corner of her eye and smiled slightly, "My brother has this thing about old earth books read on paper. They are super expensive right? Paper. No one does that anymore and he can never find anything newly printed." She shifted in her seat and moved herself so she better faced Liara going on, "Matt tends to blow most of his monthly pay on the things."
Feeling those eyes on her like hot fire Liara kept hers down to where her hands were messing with the cuff of her suit liner, "I see. That does sound expensive."
"The ones with science fiction themes are his favorites, "Jane teased looking back out of the store, "Always had a thing about aliens."
Normally that word could be considered derogatory when used by a human, but Liara considered that she was probably using it in the context of the stories that her brother read. Why had she said it like that though? Humans had so many different ways of taking things that they said. Sarcasm, joking, deadpan humor, dark humor just to name a few that the doctor was trying to get a hold on.
"Are you…teasing me Commander?" she couldn't be sure when she asked hoping that she had read the situation correctly.
Jane looked back and saw the searching expression on her friends face, "Of course T'Soni. You think I don't know what my brother looks like when he takes an interest in a woman?"
Liara instantly when into scientist mode, "Actually I would not be considered a woma-."
"Liara," the Specter said shaking her head, "While I know Asari do not see it that way. To humans, a race with both sexes you appear to most certainly be a woman."
This was not an uncommon thought among humans; many humans felt this way even though Asari were most certainly one sex across the whole of their species. It just so happened with the way they reproduced that they could almost be considered A-sexual requiring no physical contact at all. Human males that aggressively pursued Asari sexual partners were common in places like the citadel and Liara herself had turn down many advances in her years.
"That might not be a road you want to go down though Liara, "Jane said in a warning tone reaching over to set a hand over her own that were settled atop her lap.
Confused Liara asked, "Why would you say that…is it because I am not human? I would understand if that is what bothered you."
Thankfully Jane quickly shook her head and waved a hand off at that, "Maybe when I was younger before boot I might have felt that way, but the first time I ever saw a Turian, since we did joint training with them in N7 Matt set me straight. Unlike some in the military I do not have any issues with other races. No matter what colors, shapes, or sizes." She gently squeezed Liara's hand and it made her smile somewhat, "It's Matt, when we were younger before we left for the military life he never really showed any interest in anyone aboard ship." The Shepard's had grown up aboard a generational starship, Liara had read the background on their files. "During and after our training Matt only ever dated a handful of women only for a date or two. It was not like he strung them along or anything, no, he just ended it on good terms when he could and moved on."
"That does not sound particularly terrible Jane," Liara said trying to follow where she was going with something like this.
Jane looked away standing up from where she had been sitting beside her to paced back and forth twice looking like it was hard to come up with what she wanted to say. When she had it she stopped and set a hand on either side of where Liara was sitting so that she could lean in until her face was in the others personal space.
"My brother has never developed a lasting relationship with anyone other than my mother and father. I am of course included, hell I keep up with the guy everyone hated back in basic, I don't think Matt sends text bursts to anyone he has ever met other than the monthly one he sends to mom and dad respectively," Jane said seriousness plastered across her features.
Not wanting to back down now Liara had to know, "And?"
She closed her eyes and sighed leaning back up away stuffing her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket, "You know how intense he can get when he is fighting,…how reckless. It's lucky it has not caught up to him yet." Quickly she looked back over and said, "Don't tell him I said that last part, "then went on. "I think that when he goes past that point of dating a handful of women to someone he really cares about its going to be like snapping a band back that has built up within him all this time. Matt is going to be all in. He won't hold back and if it does not turn out for the better it could be horrible for him."
Fighting was the one thing Liara knew Matt could do; she had a chance to see his biotic abilities first hand. His sister was right when she said that could be reckless at times to the point of forgetting his life. How he handled getting the two of them out of that Prothean dig site was proof enough of that. The idea that his intensity might be directed at her was terrifying and at the same time exciting. Reasonably the prospect shouldn't be of course. Liara wondered what that meant though. She had read his file, she knew about how he was adopted by the Shepard family after some horrible incident befell his biological mother. Of course that was not in the file. Liara had started to piece it together though from the bits the crew had shared with other another while aboard the Normandy.
"Are you telling me to forget my feelings Jane?" Liara stated as evenly as she could.
Among humans she knew that requiring the families consent to form a life bond was sometimes asked by the male partner. With her kind it was infinitely more important to have a blessing from family. Of course she was not thinking of anything down that line so far yet. The image of the two of them in the war torn city flashed by and she forced it aside. She hoped silently that she would not be denied.
"Frankly…for a time there I thought you were interested in me," Jane sighed laughing a bit, "But no. I am not about to tell you what the two of you can and can't do. If Matt wants you in his life that's his own deal, just so you know though, I warned you."
The Asari flushed, She had been, at least for a fleeting time aboard the ship when she first got there. Jane had spent many evenings checking in on her to make sure she was settling in alright and it had made her feel wanted. Looking back it had been at most a crush. It still didn't help her meet the woman's eyes any better now though.
"Thank you Jane, I will try at least to heed the warning you have given me, but I still wish to try if he desires it," Liara said her smile full to her ocean blue hues, "I believe it will be worth it."
Jane just nodded since the attendant returned with something else for her to try on.
It was a segmented armor like Jane had suggested she try if she wanted more mobility colored in white and blue in a tailored form that brought to mind her old lab coat from her university days. There were kinetic plates covering the top of the feet, shin, thigh up to the waist with matching plates on the backside of the armor. The gauntlets were armored in much the same way with segmented plates up to the shoulder and across the breast, but there were none that linked with a stiff connection. It was simply perfect in her mind for what she wanted. When worn the predominantly white armor with accents of blue appeared to have a coat that flared down just past the hip at both sides, but it was really a part of the upper section. Like the armor before to get in and out of it a series of latches would have to be set into place though with this one she could probably handle it herself with little practice because of the flexibility the suit allowed. Although it was not set up for it the suit was easily adaptable for a hard seal helmet.
Liara snatched the gear from the attendant's outstretched hands shooting Jane an excited smile, "I think this is the one. It has to be!"
It was the gear she saw herself wearing in the memory!
"Well it had better be we have been here long enough," Jane joked pulling the lower section from her so she could start to undo it all getting it ready for her to put it on.
Doing the same with the other the Asari scientist quickly undid the latches on the torso section unable to hide her emotion upon laying eyes on the outfit when the attendant chimed in.
"Excuse me, just one thing about this suit Lady T'Soni. It is a commando suit designed for Asari only," the polite deeper blue skinned Asari said darting her eyes to the human with meaning.
Not getting what she meant Jane paused what she was doing and looked to Liara for explanation, "What does that matter?"
If it was possible Liara matched the skin pigment of the attendant that was helping them because of the blue that was now heating what she felt was the whole of her face including her crest.
"Asari Commando squads do not wear the inner suit liner with their combat gear. It helps with the control of biotics because of the types of amps built into the gear itself, "At the look she was getting Liara chuckled nervously, "It's…really not that uncommon."
"You're kidding," Jane said looking down at the armor under her fingers. "Don't tell Matt about this, or do. Whatever helps?"
Liara almost dropped the gear she was holding along with her jaw at her friends comment.
That's it for this chapter. Thank for reading!