Something was missing. That much was clear as Liara started becoming conscious of life around her, but she just couldn't exactly put her finger on it. She was warm, snuggled up in the recliner, wrapped in a blanket. She could hear vague sounds off in the distance, perhaps songbirds, and a distinct steadier humming that only helped spur her mind further away from sleep. As she inhaled, a smile curled at her mouth from the delicious bouquet of scents wafting through the air. It wasn't often that she ever decided to lie around after waking up; there was usually something productive to do with her time, and she'd instead bury herself in work or research, but that morning was different. I am content to stay here for a few minutes longer…we are on a vacation of sorts, after all…I am sure that Shepard wouldn't mind… Liara's thoughts froze as she recalled the previous night, her arms instinctively reaching out for the woman, only to find an empty space where Shepard had once been through the night. Shepard?
Her eyes fluttered open lazily as she frowned, casting a glance around her. From the look of the sky outside, it was close to dawn, the sun likely just peeking over the horizon. Tali rested on the nearby couch, snuggling a cushion with her back to Liara. Where did she go? I hope she does not regret what happened…I was rather forward, but…Her eyes froze on the small table beside the chair where a note and a small plate of baked goods rested, tearing her attention from her thoughts to the situation at hand. She slowly sat up, still clutching the blanket close around her with one hand as the other took hold of the note, handwritten in ink. Liara couldn't feel more fortunate that she'd been trying to acquaint herself with Shepard's language, and could recognize symbols that seemed fairly similar to those that would represent her name, though the calligraphy was much looser and each symbol seemed to flow into the next. She couldn't help but smile at the woman's effort, and the tiny little heart symbol underneath before flipping it over and activating her omni's translation program, her worries extinguished for the time being.
Liara,
I'm not sure I've ever slept so well as last night. You always find a way to put my mind at ease.
Between that, and waking up holding you, I was so happy I couldn't contain myself. Literally.
You're sleeping really peacefully, I'd have loved to stay here with you,
But I really need to make breakfast and do something. Sorry for not being here when you wake
Please accept this food and meet me in the kitchen when you're ready.
Or keep sleeping. I can give you breakfast in bed then. Or breakfast on a chair, I guess
I'm rambling so I'll just stop now.
-Amber
Liara didn't even try to hide the amused smile stretching across her face, slumping back down on the recliner, chuckling to herself at how the last line of the message looked like it had been rewritten and erased a number of times. It seems she may have been as nervous as I was when I woke…Goddess, I cannot believe how…aggressive I was last night! Cornering her against her sink like that…I am not sure what got into me. Certainly, I did work myself into the role a little, but…part of me just…Goddess, I just wanted to claim her right then and there. If not for the interference, I…well, I should not ponder what might have been. She was right that it is better to take this all a little bit slower.
Her eyes returned to the plate as she pocketed the note, her gaze falling on the fresh cinnamon bun and small chocolate squares taunting her. Clearly, Liara was faced with her first major decision of the day; stay all cozy in the recliner and rest for a little while longer, perhaps snacking on her treats in the comfort of her blanket, or leave to the kitchen and learn what the rest of the tantalizing scents were. After much consideration, and more than a little reluctance, she swung the blanket off of her body and got to her feet. Plate in hand, she quietly tiptoed out of the living room and to the kitchen, the sound of frying food and melodic humming growing with each step.
Liara's eyes grew wide as the kitchen came in view, seemingly every appliance and bit of counter space in use, Shepard moving from station to station quickly; there was a surprising fluidity in her step as she practically danced around the kitchen. The woman clearly hadn't noticed the asari's presence behind her, too distracted with humming along to some unknown tune as she prepared a seemingly colossal amount of food. Liara took a bite of the still warm cinnamon bun, melting down onto the stool of the island, her eyes never leaving the energetic cook. She couldn't help but let out a contented hum from the taste of the bun, wishing she had a constant supply of materials so Shepard could bake for her each morning. Though I suppose not every morning…that would be a bit greedy of me…they are just very delicious, is all…I'm sure she would understand the urge…
Shepard's head swung around, the woman grinning cheekily as she spotted Liara before returning to her duties. She merely watched the woman bop from place to place, collecting all sorts of food that she didn't recognize onto a large tray before whisking it over to the island, making a few more trips to gather bowls, plates, silverware and glasses of orange liquid. Liara felt a little relieved that Shepard seemed to be ready for a small break, plopping down on the stool across from her.
"Morning." Shepard said softly, her warm eyes locked on Liara's. She returned Shepard's adoring gaze with a smile and a glance at the platters of food before her.
"Good morning, Amber." She replied, loving the feel of the woman's name on her tongue. To be afforded that privilege was both exciting and heartwarming, knowing there were likely less than a half dozen people who Shepard let call her by her given name. "Thank you for the note and sweets, and…thank you for preparing all of this food, though I am not sure what most of it is."
Shepard let out a light, amused laugh and used her hand to gesture to the specific foods. "Well, I'll see if I can't get you acquainted with some of my breakfast staples. Here are my famous apple cinnamon waffles, with a small container of real maple syrup…we've got toasted multi-grain bread, with butter, strawberry or grape jelly to spread on it. Then we have a bowl of fresh raspberries and peach slices, because you can't have a complete breakfast without fruit. And then there's two types of scrambled eggs, one with ham and one without. On the side we have peppercorn crusted bacon, fried so it's just crisp enough without losing all flexibility, because there's nothing worse than bacon that shatters when you bite into it. Remember that." The woman rambled as Liara took it all in. It seemed like far too much for a single person. "And then we have orange juice to wash it all down with, of course." Amber finished with a smile.
"Is this a normal breakfast for you? The options are…dizzying." Liara stated, wondering how anyone could eat so much. It simply seemed a bit excessive, but by the scents of the food, she couldn't help but imagine it was tasty. And sometimes, it was nice to indulge.
Shepard merely shrugged. "I normally just make either eggs or pancakes or waffles, or some days I just have cereal. And I normally don't have as much fruit, or bacon, or toast. But it's a celebration, so I figured I may as well pull out all the stops, and enjoy it all while it lasts. It's been a great morning already, and I wanted to get the day started with a good meal."
Deciding to act on her curiosity, Liara filled her plate with a bit of everything, much to the amusement of the woman across from her, who filled her own plate with what remained. Her first targets were what Shepard had revealed were fruit; she had enjoyed a vast variety of fruit on Thessia, and she could imagine the Earth-born produce was worth taking a chance on.
Her first impression on the raspberries was that they were quite flavourful, somewhat sour like Armali's Pianta fruit, and had an enjoyably seedy texture. She quickly took another of the berries, and continued to explore the interesting mix of taste and texture. Shepard seemed to notice the slight pucker of her lips; admittedly, Liara was used to sweet and spicy, whereas sour food tended to be a little rare for her to come across. "I always like having something that's a little tart or tangy…helps balance out all the sweet and savoury foods." The woman spoke, before taking a whole strip of bacon into her mouth and chewing happily.
"They are quite delicious, same with these…peaches." Liara stated after taking in one of the slices, finding it a little sweeter than the raspberry. Liara understood Shepard's point on diversifying the food for meals; her house's cooks always ensured that there was proper balance within each meal. It was something that, growing up, Liara didn't enjoy very much. However, she appreciated the purpose of it, and was happy that the preference for it existed across cultures.
Admittedly, though, she wasn't a great fan of the toast and jam, finding it rather dull. Much like the eggs without ham, which were less enjoyable than the ones with that pink ham substance. The waffles were fantastic, carrying some faint familiarity with the cinnamon buns Amber had made her before; the maple syrup only enhanced it, especially after having spent a short amount of time pooling in the small indents in the food.
However, bacon was exceptionally good tasting, despite its greasiness. Liara loved her first strip, the mouth-watering salty savoury flavor was almost worth not waking up in Shepard's arms, even. Well, she was pretty sure it'd be a close call. She needed a second sample to help her establish a strong hypothesis. When she reached for her third and fourth she found Amber staring at her with an adoring smile, which was quite lovely, yet entirely confusing. "Amber? Why are you looking at me in such a way?" she asked shyly, feeling a little nervous as the woman's smile only grew from her words.
"I've never seen anyone look both ravenous and incredibly thoughtful while eating bacon before." Amber noted with an amused smirk, taking advantage of Liara's momentary distraction to take the last piece of bacon on the plate, cocking her eyebrow at the asari as she bit into it.
Liara gasped. She honestly hadn't meant to, which was why she immediately ducked her gaze in embarrassment, but she'd truly hoped to be able to eat the rest of that batch of bacon. Sure, she knew that Shepard would make more soon enough, but it was disheartening to miss out on such a tasty breakfast treat.
It was only when she saw a small piece of bacon drop onto her plate that she began to regain focus. Liara looked back up at Amber, who was holding a small portion of bacon with a bite into it. "We can share the last piece." The woman noted slyly, Liara already cheerfully nibbling away at the strip in order to prolong her enjoyment of it. "Consider yourself lucky…it's not every day I let someone share the last bacon strip with me."
Liara thought for a moment over Shepard's words. "Do you have a historical pattern of you getting the last strip when you're with others?" She had come to understand that some human food customs existed around both the selection of foods, such as the existence of 'dessert', which was eaten after other portions of the main meal, and was entirely optional. Although many things one can have for dessert can also be eaten as 'snacks' at a later, unscheduled time, without question. Some human customs are rather strange…
"If I've made the bacon, then yeah. I guess so, but sometimes Heather will try to eat the last one anyway." Shepard said with a light chuckle, finishing off that last morsel of food; the woman smiled contentedly as she leaned forward a bit, resting her chin on her palm, her elbow supporting her weight on the island's counter. It wasn't anything particularly new, but it was simply nice to see the commander so relaxed and worry-free. Liara hoped that when this mission was over, that Shepard would spend more time content and at ease than in the midst of battle and stressed.
Liara took her time to finish her last bit of bacon, both to just savour the taste, and because she felt so full from the meal. Despite having been fed well during their little excursion to Amaterasu, she was still very used to the small MREs, and her appetite hadn't adjusted. "Thank you for the delicious breakfast. I hope it wasn't a burden…I could have prepared something for myself, I'm sure, given the time and research…" she began, only to be waved off by Shepard, who got off her seat and collected their dishes.
"Honestly, don't worry about it. I like making sure everyone's fed well." The woman stated, her kind eyes sparkling as the light from the morning sun bathed the side of Shepard's face for a brief moment before she moved out of the sun's rays and over to the sink. While Liara was fairly certain that her objectivity was compromised by her emotional connection with the woman, she had a difficult time grasping just how anyone couldn't see the beauty in the person who was once again back at the counter, preparing more food, an easy smile plastered on her face. It was baffling to think that so many humans might consider her evil; she knew that if they would only free their minds from the shackles of those assumptions and just spend a minimal amount of time in her presence, they could find themselves with the friendship of a caring, loyal individual that was worth knowing beyond her military accomplishments. "I hear some people rustling around…if it's not too much trouble, could you handle the dishes while I cook up the rest of all this?"
Liara hesitated momentarily before giving into her whims, her curiosity far too powerful to be suppressed by the standards of comportment drilled into her from a young age. "May I…would you be open to the experience of…" Liara started, unsure how to frame her request, and blushing under the amused gaze of the woman leaning against the sink. The same sink that she'd practically ravaged Shepard on last night. Which, of course, only caused words to tumble around even more in her mind, and her cheeks to blush a deeper shade of purple. She took a long moment to collect herself, ignoring the cute airy laughter coming from across the room. "Would you be so kind as to teach me how to make these dishes?"
Her request brought a brilliant smile to Shepard's face, the woman immediately nodding her head excitedly. "Sure, yeah, come on over here and I'll show you the ropes." The commander spoke, and Liara assumed it was a common human idiom because she didn't see any ropes nearby at all. She was thankful that Amber decided to start her on the most delectable food, bringing her over to the area she had been making bacon on. The surface was slick and there was a sizzling sound in the air, the residue from the previous batch of bacon still coating the long rectangular cooking surface. "There's nothing like the smell of bacon in the morning when you're just waking up. I'm pretty sure unless you're like, a vegan or something… someone who only eats non-sentient life forms basically… it's impossible not to smile at the smell. So I usually start that first."
She nodded and watched closely as Shepard started up a fresh batch, laying out the strips horizontally and close together; after doing the first three, the woman had her take over and lay the rest out. It was a simple task, so she decided to split her attention between the 'griddle' and Shepard, who was pulling some oddly shaped white objects out of a carton.
The woman seemed to notice that she'd nearly completed her task, and held up one of the objects, grabbing her attention fully. "This is an egg. The food part of it is inside this shell here, so you have to crack it…there are, like, a bunch of machines that do it perfectly, but I like the manual way. So just place your fingers like so…" the woman said, Liara paying close attention to the areas Shepard's fingers rested on. "And you lightly tap it against a thin edge, I use a bowl. The shell isn't thick, and it splinters into shards pretty easily, so you want to be careful and get a nice, precise little crack."
Liara watched Shepard tap the egg against a bowl, a deep crack forming across the shell. "Now, you take your thumb and you press in a bit here…don't worry if it's a bit messy, it's expected. Once you have a good grip, you take your other thumb and pry the shell apart into two halves and let the insides spill into the bowl." Liara nodded at the explanation, watching each movement closely to memorize the technique. It all seemed rather simple enough. Sometimes she wondered why she hadn't been taught food preparation as a child, if it could be so simple. It was understandable that it could get complicated when it came to spices, or which food complimented which, and what drink went best with which meal, and so forth, but the meal she'd enjoyed minutes before had been rather tasty, and apparently fairly simple.
Once she finished with laying the bacon out, and after being assured that the bacon would need some time to cook unsupervised, she went over to Shepard and carefully cracked some eggs; Liara's first one had been something of a minor disaster, bits of shell falling into the bowl, but she quickly got a handle on it all. As she learned that technique, Shepard explained all the different ways to prepare eggs, some involving breaking the yellow-orange yolk, and some leaving it intact. It was all rather interesting. After mixing the eggs together in the bowl, her tutor led her further down the counter toward a small pinkish object sitting on a cutting board.
"This is ham…it comes from pigs, usually, which are animals found on earth. Now, you liked the eggs with ham, and it's pretty easy to do." Shepard noted calmly, cutting a round slice off the slab of meat. "Now, once you have a slice like this, about this thick…you don't want it too thin or thick…you just use the knife to cut it into smaller, bite-size bits. Why don't you help me with this while I go flip the bacon?" the woman asked, drawing a nod from Liara, who happily took up the task, mindful of the shape of the slice as she tried to make as many identically-sized cuts as possible.
Shepard was back at her side before she'd finished slicing up the ham; Liara blushed as she felt Amber's arm wrap around her waist, the woman's fingers slipping underneath her top and lightly massaging her abdomen. It was, at the very least, a wonderful feeling to be taking part in such an activity with her, and to be subjected to such affection and unrelenting patience. The rest of the breakfast preparation was quite simple as well, and soon she was back at the bacon, removing the relatively crisp strips and replacing them with a new batch; Shepard was hugging her from behind, the woman's head resting on Liara's shoulder, hopefully proud of her admittedly easy accomplishments. It simply felt nice to be able to contribute and take part, to do something and share an experience with the woman she was now romantically involved with. It was one thing to take a supportive role out in the battlefield, but being able to participate and help in other areas was something she wanted to do; she wanted to learn everything about the woman.
As she was finishing laying out fresh bacon strips on the cooking surface, she heard thudding footsteps approach the kitchen, and felt Shepard step ever so slightly away from her, one hand still resting comfortably on the side of Liara's waist. Soon, Ashley was staggering into the kitchen area, eyes hooded and clearly groggy; the marine's vision was unfocused, her brows furrowed as she seemed to try to figure out where the food was.
Quickly, Shepard slipped away from her side, playfully shooing the younger woman out of the kitchen and over to the dining table. "Breakfast is almost ready, Ash. Just sit down and I'll grab you some coffee to wake you up." Amber said, earning a sleepy nod and a grunt from the marine, who stumbled off to the nearby table.
Liara took her cue from Shepard to get the plates of toast and fresh fruit over to the table, soon ushering over all of the food they had prepared with exception of the final batch of bacon, something Shepard had taken watch of. It seemed that Ash's appearance spurred everyone else to wake, and soon the table was full of tired, hungry individuals. Liara was just bringing over Tali's food when she felt a tap on her shoulder, bringing her focus to her side where Amber was, a peach in hand. "Hey, why don't you go sit down and socialize a bit? I'll just finish up here." The woman noted with a small smile, and while she really did want to finish the work with Shepard, she couldn't really say no to the opportunity to be included. She gave Amber a quick nod, which only made the woman's smile wider. "Great! I'll bring over some tarts and cinnamon buns to snack on too, okay? Now go on, I'll be right over."
She smiled at the thought of another cinnamon bun, and quickly took a seat between Tali and Faridah, splitting her attention between the idle conversation around the table and Shepard, who was enthusiastically finishing the final batch of food, slicing up a little more fruit. It was clear to Liara then that while Shepard was passionate out on the battlefield, her passion also filtered into activities such as this. It was heartwarming, the woman's passion for tending to and protecting others. Tevos couldn't have selected a better Spectre as a public servant to keep the galaxy safe…
Early morning conversation, as Liara had learned from previous mornings, wasn't anything all too interesting or in-depth; it seemed almost everyone was still far too sleepy and focused on food to really discuss any complex matters. Still, she listened in on the conversations at the table, taking in details about Ashley's mother's farm and her recent equipment issues, Heather recommending some spy thriller novel to Tali, and Ashley's sister Sarah asking Faridah loads of questions about what it's like to work on the Earth's moon, and whether the cafeteria food is decent there. Apparently the young girl had a theory that all cafeteria food, or food on ships, was quite inferior, something Liara could generally see truth in. All in all, it was a nice few minutes of conversation before Shepard graced the group with the final batch of food. She had noticed Faridah stealing glances at her throughout breakfast, but assumed that, like Ashley's family, the woman was likely not very familiar with being in the presence of asari, what with growing up on Earth, and spending the majority of her time on primarily human establishments on Mars and Luna. There weren't many asari who visited Sol, though Liara supposed there would be at least a few more if the humans would open up their prothean archives to non-human researchers.
"You all just eat up, okay? And don't hog the rest of the bacon, Heather." Shepard noted with a smile, placing the rest of the food platters onto the table. "I'll just be outside on my hammock if anyone needs me."
"You're not gonna eat?" Heather asked, confusion seeping from her words as the woman's face contorted to show her surprise.
Amber gave a half-shrug, her smile slipping into a small smirk. "Table's only so big, and besides, me and Liara already ate." Liara watched the woman turn away with a wave, slipping out of the kitchen and into the backyard. In truth, she had hoped Shepard would have joined them at the table, but she could see the allure of spending some time outside. It really was shaping up to be a beautiful morning.
The next fifteen minutes or so were a bit chaotic, especially the first few; she'd watched in amusement as everyone had scrambled to grab second helpings of food. Liara had secured three strips of bacon, a cinnamon bun, a few more chocolate squares and some other sweets, so she didn't feel put out at all. Not like Ashley who was moping because she had missed out on cinnamon buns in the crazy battle for bacon.
Liara eventually found herself stacking empty plates and dishes at the table, having decided to help clean up, when her stack was promptly snatched away from in front of her. She turned her head, spotting Ashley hurrying over to the counter where her mother and sisters were cleaning up. Well, so much for that endeavour… she mused, though once again she was interrupted by a light tap on her shoulder.
"Hey, want to help us with some gift wrapping?" she heard Heather ask in an oddly hushed tone; they had already fully wrapped all of the gifts, Liara was certain of that much, so she didn't see any reason for secrecy. Then again, perhaps they have obtained something else since we last congregated and prepared the gifts? I suppose it's possible… she thought as she turned to face Heather and a slightly amused looking Faridah.
She nodded and followed the two women into Shepard's storage closet, her eyes darting around the room curiously, trying to find whatever it was that was meant to be wrapped. Surely anything requiring three people would have been noticeable, yet she found nothing out of the ordinary. Instead, Heather leaned up against a shelf, looking incredibly impatient and giddy with energy, while Faridah stood nonplussed by the door. Not entirely certain what to do, Liara just sat down on a chest of sorts, hopeful that someone would clue her into what she was needed for soon. She was fairly certain that this wasn't a regular human custom that she was ignorant of, after all.
"So Shepard's in a good mood, making breakfast like that and looking like she was glowing, and being all smiley and everything…" Heather blurted out, biting her lip as a smile spread across her face, her eyes shimmering mischievously. Liara had seen that look on the woman before, almost always when she was thinking up a plan, so she just sat and waited for the brunette to continue. "And she's not an emotional mess right now like yesterday, she's just really happy so…you know, it might be a good time to capitalize and just go after her. Just saying." The woman continued excitedly, Faridah rolling her eyes a little bit at Heather's exuberant rambling.
Liara kept quiet, knowing that perhaps she was partly to blame for Shepard's cheerful disposition that morning, and because Heather clearly didn't know what had occurred the previous night. It was also clear that Heather was very intent on Liara making some move, and she wasn't sure she wanted to tell the woman the truth. However, the brunette just seemed so excited about the prospect of bringing them together, about accomplishing what it truly seemed she had been planning for a while if Liara was correct. So she nodded and offered a nervous smile, knowing that if she spoke, she'd likely fumble with her words and say something wrong; Liara knew herself to be a fairly poor liar, and understood that Heather was rather perceptive.
"So you should probably wear something that's not too fancy, but fancy enough to really catch Shep off guard, get her pulse racing and everything." Heather spoke, her hands waving around in front of her as she went on and on about possible clothing options. All she could do was just nod at appropriate times, but it was getting to be a bit nerve-wracking, so she almost breathed a sigh of relief when Faridah interrupted the other woman.
"Liara will handle it, Heather. Don't worry so much." The raven haired woman said, sounding entirely amused; her gaze was locked on the brunette who had quickly stopped talking and was sporting a rather significant pout.
"I just don't want anything to go wrong." The brunette mumbled, crossing her arms against her chest, all that exuberance dissipated.
Faridah let out a long, exasperated sigh that only had Heather blushing with fairly apparent embarrassment, from what Liara could tell. "You've helped a lot, Heather. Liara's going to have Shepard eating out of her hand within the hour, I'm certain of it."
Deciding that was her chance to speak up and actually be truthful in some form, she stood from the chest. "Yes, of course. You have helped me so much with her, you've been truly wonderful."
Heather's pout shrunk away, though the woman still looked a little put out. "Can I at least pick out what you'll wear, Liara?" The brunette asked quietly, the intensity of her gaze causing Liara a moment of pause.
"Yes, I would greatly appreciate your help in that. I'm certain you'll know better what would fit Shepard's tastes." Liara noted quickly, hoping her nodding would reassure Heather that she hadn't been a bother.
With that, Heather practically bolted from the room, saying something about not wanting to waste any time. Liara watched the door shut, and Faridah approach with a knowing smirk. "I think that maybe we both really know why our friend is in a good mood this morning, don't we?" the woman asked playfully, and Liara could only blush, a shy grin spreading across her face. She had thought both herself and Shepard had been fairly discreet about their affections and connection, but apparently Faridah had figured them out. Shepard's friend pulled Liara closer and embraced her into a hug, the woman letting out a happy sigh. "You be good to her, okay?" Faridah asked softly, giving Liara a light squeeze before letting go.
"I promise to. Thank you…thank you for your support, Faridah. I understand humans can get territorial and strict about their friends' partners, and I had hoped not to bring about any trouble." Liara stammered out, thrilled to have Shepard's best friend's acceptance on the matter. It had been rather intimidating, how close the woman had once been with Amber.
Faridah just let out a small laugh and gestured toward the door. "I just want to see her happy, that's all. Now why don't you go entertain Heather? I'm sure she's pacing around the room, desperately waiting for you."
"She has more than earned that much from me, at least." Liara admitted, offering Faridah a brief wave before leaving the storage room, curious to see what Heather had selected from her clothing options. If anything, she was certain that the next hour or two would be rather interesting.
Amaterasu's morning air was sweet, or at least Shepard found it to be. When she'd first landed on the planet it had been something of a fresh start, which she knew may have coloured her judgment, but all those years later it still smelled sweeter than Earth for her, especially that morning as she rested on her hammock. If one could temporarily forget about Saren, the reapers, and the looming threat to the galaxy, life was pretty damn good as far as she was concerned. It all seemed brighter, better from her vantage point. The birds were chirping and singing their happy little songs, the leaves were rustling lightly overhead from the gentle breeze, and the sun's rays were warm on her skin. The only thing that could have possibly made the experience better walked out of the house and toward her.
Liara, as always, was a vision; her white silky dress flowed in the breeze like some living art accessory, each ripple revealing a pearlescent golden shade that made her seem like she was glowing. It was entirely breathtaking, and Shepard was more than pleased that by the time it took for Liara to cover the distance, she'd regained her basic bodily functions, allowing her to sit up a little in her hammock.
Her asari gave a little wave as she stepped up beside Shepard, an amused smirk twisting at her lips. "Heather's watching." Liara noted cheerfully as she turned her gaze toward the oak tree, her eyes flickering from detail to detail.
"Oh? What's she up to this time?" Amber asked, knowing her fellow brunette was more than a little mischievous at the best of times.
"She believes that we have not had this talk yet, and that I will be…propositioning you for the first time." Liara stated, a light purple blush filling her cheeks as the asari returned her gaze to the resting woman.
Shepard could only laugh, finding heather's persistence at playing matchmaker entirely ridiculous. "Of course she'd have her nose in our business like this. I love her, but…well, sometimes she gets a little crazy."
"Whether she is mentally unstable or not…and I would assert that she is rather stable, in fact, if a bit intense…she has been quite helpful in recent weeks." Liara stated confidently as she nodded to herself, and Shepard could appreciate her friend's impact on the asari. It was crystal clear that the scientist had been getting outside help in understanding human social norms and phrases, among other aspects of culture. It didn't change the fact that it still qualified as meddling.
"Of course she was…her plan was obvious from the start. Ever since she met you, she's been trying to get us together." Amber noted, chuckling at the memories of how insistent the woman had been in pairing them together. Had she listened and taken the chance earlier, it would have been pretty nice, but she was happy with how things turned out the previous night. No complaints.
Liara, though, seemed to find the admission at least a little confusing, given her thoughtfully perplexed expression. "And still you resisted."
Shepard just shrugged her shoulders and smiled sheepishly, knowing that maybe she had miscalculated in the past. "I'm a bit of a fool at the best of times." She said as she stretched a little, not wanting to get too stiff or anything in her favourite resting spot, as comfy as it was. "And I honestly had a hard time thinking you were at all attracted to me until…I guess the movie night? Yeah."
"I suppose I wasn't all that clear in my intentions…but you were rather difficult to understand as well, Amber. It took Heather, some extensive research to have any grasp on your potential attraction to…well, anyone. And while there were signs beforehand, that movie night WAS rather informative, given your reaction to me pretending to fall asleep on you." Liara rambled thoughtfully, not entirely aware of Shepard's jaw dropping at the revelation that it had all been a ploy that night.
"Wait…you …you weren't asleep?" Amber asked, trying to wrap her head around that new bit of information, her mind flitting back to memories of that night for any signs, but she couldn't really think of anything except the sort-of-kiss to her neck.
"Well, not at first…but then you reclined us, and you were particularly comfortable to lie upon, and I did truly fall asleep at some point. But doing so wasn't in my initial plans…I had actually planned on just using it as a ruse to get closer to you and perhaps create an intimate atmosphere where we could both explore any potentially mutual attraction and…" Liara began, the details of her plan causing Shepard to shake her head in amused disbelief. Of course Liara would plan ahead…I wonder if she had a data-pad of notes compiled for that night…
"Okay, okay, now that I know you're into me because I'm a comfortable pillow…" She started, her playful smile diffusing the momentary shock and confusion on Liara's face. "How do you want to do this? Obviously, she's probably still watching, and muttering out loud about both of us, so we should probably get this over with pretty soon."
Liara seemed thoughtful for a moment before seeming to shrink into herself a bit, her body language mimicking that of the nervous asari that had once entered her room, informing her that she'd planned on leaving the Normandy. It was an odd shift to say the least. "Perhaps I start off nervous, unwilling to feel confident and certain that you feel the same way about me as I do you." Liara whispered softly, turning her head away and closing her eyes. "Perhaps I turn my head away slightly as I ask, too scared to face your gaze…I was rather nervous last night, Shepard."
"Maybe I'll fall off myhammockinshock!" Shepard blurted out as she feigned recoiling from surprise, the hammock twisting and thrusting her to the ground unceremoniously as she held her hand to her mouth in fake shock.
Liara's eyes widened as she darted over to her side. "I'd rush to your side, worried about any bumps or bruises…kneeling by you, grazing your cheek, drinking in your hazel eyes." The asari spoke as her hands frantically checked Shepard over for any injuries, even though she likely knew there would be none.
"Drinking…" Shepard breathed out, not having expected such words from the normally clinical speech Liara tended to use. It was really flattering, and had her blushing furiously. She blinked away her surprise and took hold of one of her asari's soft hands. "I'd be stunned…but I'd never be dishonest with you. I'd agree that we have a connection." She continued, bringing the hand to her lips, kissing the back of it tenderly. As much of an act as it all was, she really did want to emphasize how serious she was, how much Liara meant to her. "Then I'd be fighting for words, and would probably say something really awkward but heartfelt, like 'Liara, when I found you, my heart found a home'."
She watched as the azure-skinned beauty leaning over her bit her lip, her damned space-magic eyes so content and adoring; Amber wasn't sure she'd ever felt so lucky before, having someone like Liara in her life. "I would feel like smirking at how over-dramatic humans can be, but I'd be unable to for the affection and sincerity in your voice." Liara spoke, taking her newly free hand and angling Shepard's head a little closer to hers. "I would yearn to make up for that once lost kiss."
Feeling her body thrum with sensation, she let go of Liara's hand, using one of her own to keep her balanced and a little propped up in her prone position, placing the other around her asari's neck for support. "And I'd be too entranced by your space magic eyes to deny you anything." She added, leaning forward and moving her head ever so closer.
Liara quickly used her free hand to support the small of Amber's back, pulling the brunette closer as she leaned over her. Amber, not one to delay, took the hand that was supporting herself and moved it up to caress Liara's cheek as the asari's remaining free hand cupped the back of her neck, taking a handful of 'hairfur'. "I would need no words for this." Liara breathed out when their lips ghosted against each other, both of them promptly falling into the kiss; Amber pulling Liara down on top of her as their tongues gently grazed, their hands exploring earnestly, their bodies pressing together only to yearn for more. The sensual electric energy from the previous night returned with a vengeance, but there was something new, something more tender in how their bodies molded together, how their lips caressed one another's.
And like that, Amaterasu's sweet, gentle breeze was forgotten, the songs of the birds of Spring unheard in the midst of what Amber knew would be just as important as the tree looming over her and what it symbolized. That this was what she'd been wanting for years, what Faridah and Heather and Melody had wanted for her. And with any luck, she'd help this new, wonderful connection grow into something worthy of that four letter word. And she'd start by making the most of such a wonderful morning, in the company of a majestic asari scientist.
***03/03/14:
I know I haven't updated this story in a long time. Sadly, I won't be in a position to write for a while and while I know I'll finish this story, I'm not sure when I'll next be able to sit down and open up MS word with writing in mind. Details in my profile for anyone interested. Sorry.
A/N: More fluff :) I'm tremendously swamped with school, volunteer work, and a load of other stuff that eats up most of any potential free time, so I can't promise when the next one will be tossed up…I have a few more finished, but I'm trying to hold onto them until I make some key decisions, and I haven't really had a lot of time to sit down and work things out on those fronts. I just figured it had been a while since I published something in this story, so I'd throw you all a bone.
My semester ends December 9th at 11pm, but I'll still have a pretty heavy schedule even without school. Still, I'll try to make some progress, and hopefully I'll be able to post the buffer chapters I have finished midway through that month. *shrug* Just like hopefully, I'll catch up on reading (which I've been doing in small spurts lately, but I just haven't had time to review to my usual standard…but after over half a year of neglect, I find myself rather far behind! It's just difficult to find reading enjoyable when you're reading a slew of academic articles each week).
Anywho, thanks for your patience and support! I hope your Novembers have been good so far!
Re: Guest Reviews:
-Christian: I'm honestly honoured by your words. It's always nice to hear from any of my readers, but it's a pretty great feeling to hear that my stories managed to evoke such feelings and emotions. I do tend to infuse personal life experiences into my stories in some manner, and chapter 11 of Flotsam was one which drew influence from a few difficult weeks of my life. I'm not sure I could have written that chapter if I hadn't experienced loss myself, because if I try for anything when I write, it's to make my characters read like real people. And they're real enough to me, so I wanted to get it right, do big moments like those justice. I'm thrilled that my stories have provided you with entertainment…I write for myself primarily, but with as much reading as I've done (and I've read nearly all the stories you referenced), I kind of wanted to give back and hopefully give people something to read on a lazy afternoon on the weekend, or during a break at work, or whatnot.
So thank you for reading, and for leaving me such a wonderful message. I remember getting this back in September while I was on vacation, and I had to explain to my parents why I was all of a sudden getting all teary-eyed, so really, thank you. :)
(And there will be at least one moment in Feathers with Melody...I'm not quite done with her yet…)