CHAPTER 38
Rosemary was finally able to breathe a little past the midnight hour. Chakwas and a fleet of medical personnel had successfully extracted the venom from the Devourers and had injected the 'volunteers' – the strongest and healthiest of the hybrids' friends and families – with it.
Doctor Chakwas has started the procedures at a snail's pace at the beginning – the procedure itself was wholly untested – to gauge the effects it would have on the volunteers. But so far... everything was going good.
Rosemary clenched her shaking fingers. She'd taken in all of Keeya's excess energies and those of some of the other krogan hybrids. Just to be on the safe side, Chakwas had assigned her to those who had the energies her body already had familiarity with.
"You're shaking," Oliver said, voicing his concern.
Rosemary drew him closer to her on their couch. They were both at home – recovering. Doctor Chakwas had forbidden Oliver to absorb anything from anyone – but Oliver had been... Oliver.
"You're shaking too," she countered. And he was.
"Yeah, well." There was nothing he could say to that. His shoulders were trembling, too. He hiccupped and she saw his eyes flash purple in his reflection on the coffee table.
"Ollie?"
Oliver cleared his throat. He tried to shrug – pass it off as nothing. "Uh, well... Some of the energy I took in was biotic."
"Ollie..."
"I'll be fine."
Not trusting him an iota, she tried to tap out a message to the doctor. It was hard; her fingers were just shaking too much.
Balint came up from behind them and took her fingers, placing them back on her coffee mug. "I'll tell her."
"Th-thanks." Were her teeth chattering too? Gods, even my gums feel bruised.
"You two – just rest," Balint ordered them, sending the message to Chakwas from his omni-tool. "You did good tonight."
Rosemary shrugged. "Keeya...where's Keeya?"
Balint looked concerned. "Rose... she's right there. She's been there for a while."
Right... where? Rosemary looked down, and there she was. Curled up in Rosemary's lap. Huh. I am really, really out of it. "I'm feeling better now... thank you."
Balint didn't look convinced. But she really was feeling better. She remembered, now, staying up until both Oliver and Keeya had fallen asleep. She was sitting on the couch opposite the crackling fireplace, sipping iced mocha. Balint sat down on her other side, and she leaned into him... and in doing so, finally feeling a sense of peace.
Balint gestured to her drink. "Isn't that designed to keep you up?"
Rosemary smiled contentedly. "Eh. Most people drink stuff like wine to relax... but you know coffee's my vice." She ran her hand lightly across Keeya's crest, then through Oliver's curls, smiling softly. They were now both asleep again. She sighed. "Balint, I feel... old."
Balint didn't disagree, much to her ego's slight disappointment. "You've been working your days away. You get up, go to work, come home, and keep on working."
"Yeah..."
"We haven't had sex in weeks."
Rosemary groaned. "I know, right? Mind hasn't been in the right place."
"Yeah..."
Rosemary scowled. "But I'm not waiting until after we get Saeli to get some. Some pre-battle action will be in order."
Balint grinned. "I knew I liked you for a reason," he drawled.
"Shush," she said, smiling.
XOXOXOXO
Days later, all the excess energy had been siphoned from the hybrids, and all the new Unique Energy Facilitators were starting to get feeling back in their extremities. From experience, Rosemary knew that it would take time for them to get used to their new abilities, but she had faith that they would be able to deal with it. If I could do it, hey – anyone can.
Rosemary needed to relax her mind. Her brain felt... foggy... and filled with a dull, insistent buzzing. Yadai wasn't helping.
Yadai had offered to take over Rosemary-watch for the next few hours, and apparently, that duty required substantial sustenance of processed foods and sugary, carbonated drinks. Yadai reclined on the couch like a queen on a throne of empty bottles and sticky wrappers, much too much at ease in somebody else's home. "This place is great," she told Rosemary, picking at a piece of pastry stuck in her back teeth. "... all this wood... stone. Feels raw. Primitive."
"It feels more cozy to me," Rosemary mumbled, reaching under the coffee table for one of the more evasive sweets wrappers.
"Yeah... I bet it would feel cozy... right after making a good, clean kill."
Rosemary looked up. "You're joking, right?" No, this was Yadai; Yadai was very obvious, very bad with her jokes. She sounded serious.
"Nah. I love the primitive feels I'm getting. Sex must be awesome here – especially on this stone table! It's hella sturdy!"
Rosemary's cheeks flushed red. "Yadai..."
"Yeah?"
Rosemary cleared her throat. They were surrounded by at least half a dozen C-Sec officers at the moment – who weren't trying very hard to pretend not to be listening to their conversation. She appreciated the weak pretense, though – it meant they cared, a little, at least. "This isn't exactly a private area – and my children hang out here."
Yadai made a face. "Eh... Yeah, I guess there's that."
The Spectre spent the next few minutes devouring a box of cookies. Once Rosemary had finished cleaning up after her friend's mess, she sat on the couch next to her. "Yadai... Where do you see us in a few months?"
"Sorry, sweets, but I have a distinct preference for the male gender of your species. And don't you have Balint?"
Rosemary rolled her eyes and play-punched Yadai on the shoulder. "I mean – will we still be fighting Saeli? The Divide? Will we still be... fighting?"
Yadai shrugged and leaned back. "Well, yeah."
Rosemary sighed, depression swamping her heart. She didn't know if she could last much longer. Her responsibilities and worries stuck her brain like dusty, rooted burrs.
The Spectre absently flicked a crumb off of her leg armor. "Hate lasts... a long time. Well, it does for asari anyway. Hell, look at the krogan. We live a long-ass time."
"Yeah," Rosemary laughed mirthlessly.
"Divide is a new hate, but we all know it's one that's going to last for a good, long while – what with this Synthesis shit all up in everyone's ass."
That was one way of putting it. "You... make a fair point."
Yadai sipped her latest bottle of liquid sugar before continuing, ", but you have to keep fighting it." Her voice had a soft note to it that caught Rosemary's attention.
"Yadai?"
"You think that's how I live my life?" Yadai's expression was bittersweet. "I'm a Spectre. I handle business for the Council, but the truth? I kill for my damn living. I'm good at it, yeah, and there's something satisfying hearing the crunch of bone when I slam some skumbag against a wall... the spray of glistening red when my blade cuts into skin..."
Rosemary felt a bit ill, hearing that. She hadn't liked hurting people when she'd had to, but Yadai was obviously a different beast.
"I like my job, but it's... a job. I've been doing this one for a long time. Things get tedious. The sins of my prey start to cling after a while. I... used to live for the kill... but now? What I'm living for now gets me higher than bloodshed ever did."
"Oh?"
Yadai shrugged, her smile soft. "I finish a hunt, come home, hang out with friends, sex the hell out of a stranger or three, and enjoy the off-time – nurturing the softer sides of my personality."
Rosemary hadn't expected that. There was a soft side? "What do you do?"
Yadai hesitated. "I, uh... breed and train varren."
"Say what now?"
Rosemary couldn't believe what she was hearing. Varren were... very dangerous creatures. Originally from Tuchanka, they were scavengers, and pack hunters. They were vicious as hell and bred like rabbits... or so she'd read. Then she took a minute to turn that over in her mind. Yeah, okay. Knowing Yadai, varren kind of... suited her.
Yadai cleared her throat. "I have a small stud ranch on Bekenstein. As you may know, varren are already bred for battle, for war, but I'm working on a more... domestic line. I'm training them to guard buildings, homes, and particular individuals."
"You're kidding." Yadai bred and trained what were essentially krogan guard dogs? Curiosity had her asking, "Any luck?"
The Spectre shrugged. "Eh, time will tell. I've got three varren cubs at my apartment in the Wards. So far, so good."
"Okay..."
"Gotta work on their territory-marking, though," Yadai muttered, grimacing. "My furniture's starting to smell like the privacy stalls in a sex-toy store."
"Oh... god." Rosemary shuddered.
"Yeah..."
Then it hit her. She started grinning. "So in your spare time... you cuddle puppies?"
Yadai flashed her a very rude hand gesture. "Up your ass, Rosemary."
XOXOXOXO
Rosemary thought about her conversation with Yadai for a while. Yadai... was right. She shouldn't think of her... work... as all her life was going to be. All it was. She had her kids, Balint, her friends, Wakey Brews... she had a lot to live for. To smile for.
She placed a stepstool in front of the tallest shelf unit in the pantry. Why did she have the powdered chocolate put so high up...? On the tallest shelf of the tallest unit, even? Okay, maybe I should have invested in an actual ladder. Maybe one of those automatic graduating ones... but no. I'll say it: I'm cheap. This is my own fault; my cheapness has bit me in the ass! Grumbling, she reasoned to herself that she hadn't needed one, initially... Imitha and Haka were both taller than her, and could easily reach the high containers... but they weren't in yet. Ah, jeez...
The shelves were staggered slightly, so maybe she could... Ah, what the hell. She climbed up onto a shelf. She wiggled; it seemed sturdy. She carefully climbed up another level. This shelf didn't seem... so sturdy... Maybe I shouldn't push my luck... but I'm so close! Her fingertips grazed the coveted container. She paused when she suddenly heard voices outside the pantry.
"Ryn, we shouldn't," Imitha moaned.
Rosemary froze. Oh,god... Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself hiding behind the sacks of sugar on the third shelf. Thank coffee these shelves run deep...
"Ryn, Rosemary could walk in anytime..."
Ryn? Who's Ryn?
Rosemary held her breath when Imitha's... friend... growled lustfully. "I need you now, Imitha. You've been such a damn tease..."
Rosemary's jaw dropped. She knew that growl, that voice! It was turian – and not just any turian. Imitha was hooking up with Rosemary's co-worker, Rynak Imperatus!
Imitha gasped, a hitched purr in her undertone.
Oh, lord, nooo... Please don't stay here. Please don't stay here. You have an office, Rosemary inwardly screamed.
"Oh... oh!"
Rosemary wanted to die. Oh, just kill me now... Maybe this time, it'll take.
XOXOXOXO
WARNING! VERY, VERY BRIEF LEMON-SCENTED AIR AHEAD!
