Shepard got out of the cab and murmured her thanks to the driver, who was trying his hardest not to break his neck in an effort to stare at her. She ignored him in favour of looking up at the lavishly appointed exterior of Liara's building, and wondered how many of her salvaged credits it would cost to rent an apartment here.
It seemed like a strange place for Liara to choose to live. When she was an archaeologist - during the period of time Shepard referred to in her head as 'Before', back when everything made sense. Before she became the first human Spectre. Before it turned out the Reapers were coming. Before the Normandy blew up, and she died, and was brought back by a terrorist organisation - Liara showed no interest in opulence for its own sake.
Apparently appearance was important on this planet.
Shepard got in the elevator and bounced on her heels as she waited for the slow machinery to take her up to Liara's floor. She caught sight of herself in the mirrored surface of the door, and self-consciously brushed down the front of her dress. Garrus had roped Tali into helping Shepard decide on an appropriate outfit for tonight, and between them they choose the slinky black dress that was in the back of her wardrobe.
Shepard had baulked, totally unaware that such an item had even made its way into her quarters. Why Cerberus thought that she would need a slightly revealing dress was beyond her. It wasn't like it would help her fight Reapers. Although Garrus had quipped that they might be too distracted by the sight of her bare legs and she would have the chance for a pre-emptive strike.
She had booted him out of her cabin shortly after that.
It was a very nice dress, she had to admit, studying her reflection. The material was a lot tighter than she was used to wearing, and helped to accentuate her breasts. Having to wear armour and sports bras all the time, Shepard had almost forgotten what she looked like with a low-cut front. And this top was low-cut indeed. Not only that but it stopped halfway down her thighs, a couple of inches shy of what she was comfortable with.
If she wasn't going to see Liara, this dress wouldn't have seen the light of day at all.
The elevator doors slid open and Shepard stepped out into the hallway, searching nervously for the small nameplate that bore Liara's name. When she found it, she took several deep breaths, then rapped on the door before she could change her mind.
Footsteps could be heard from inside the apartment, and Liara opened the door. She was wearing a traditional asari gown, a more refined version of the one she had on earlier. It was deep purple in colour, with a dark green stripe running up the side. It contrasted with Liara's skin tone wonderfully, and Shepard was a little lost for what to say.
Liara seemed to be in a similar state, if the sharp intake of breath and the widened eyes were anything to go by.
"Shepard," she breathed. "You look...that dress..." she swallowed hard and tried again. "That dress looked wonderful on you."
"Thank you," Shepard stuttered out. "You as well. Traditional dress really suits you."
Liara stepped out of the way, allowing Shepard to enter into the apartment.
"It seems to be all I wear these days," Liara admitted. "Being in business requires me to maintain a certain image, and combat outfits didn't seem to fit the bill. It took me a while to get used to, I must say. For me, dressing up for work usually meant putting on something I wouldn't mind getting covered in mud or blood. Now I'm more likely to be hurt by misinformation than a stray bullet. Although the two are just as damaging," she added as an afterthought.
Shepard followed her through into the kitchen, where she leaned against the island and watched Liara pull ingredients out of a bag.
"I never expected you to end up as an information broker," she said. "You always seemed to be more interested in the past and the bigger picture. Finding out who is stealing money from whom, and which politicians can be leaned on seems like a step backwards."
"The two are not mutually exclusive," Liara said. "Archaeology does share some similarities with brokering. They both involve piecing together a big picture from a small amount of data, and seeing how it could have an effect on people. It wasn't a career move I was planning on making, but I am happy with my choice."
Shepard stared at her as Liara deliberated over which utensils she needed. "Are you?" she asked. "Happy, I mean."
Liara dropped the spatula she was holding, and it fell to the worktop with a clang. She scrambled to pick it up, trying to remain unaffected.
"As happy as anyone," she said non-committedly. She straightened up the work surface, and changed the subject. "I found a wonderful supplier of human speciality foods on the lower levels. I was going to cook steak." Liara looked Shepard in the eye. "Is that alright with you?"
Shepard smiled. "That's more than alright. Steak is my favourite."
Liara held her gaze for a moment. "Yes," she said eventually. "It is." She turned back to the salad ingredients and started to slice them up.
Shepard was confused by her strange behaviour. It took her brain several moments to mull it over, until she had a realisation. "Wait, was that a test?" she asked in disbelief. "You chose it deliberately because you wanted to know whether I would remember it was my favourite?"
She didn't know whether to be angry or upset that Liara didn't seem to trust her.
Liara shrugged. "I believed in the abilities of Cerberus enough that I thought it was possible for them to bring you back from the dead. I just didn't know what state you would be in when they did so." She turned the knife through her fingers, idly watching the light reflecting from it. "Whether your memories would have changed, or your tastes would have been altered. Whether you were just a stranger wearing the same face," she said softly.
Shepard flinched. "Liara, I-" she began. "I don't know what you want me to say. I don't know how I can convince you that I'm still me. That I haven't changed." She reached across the island and tried to grab onto Liara's hand, but the asari moved back out of range.
"I don't know how you can convince me either, Shepard," Liara said sadly. "I want to believe it, but it just seems too good to be true. Who knows what Cerberus have done to you?"
Shepard ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "I can't answer for Cerberus," she said. "But when I woke up I felt exactly the same as I always have. If they were relying on my past record to help them stop the Collectors, then why would they risk changing anything that could affect my personality? Joker and Dr Chakwas and Garrus and Tali all seem to think that I'm the same as normal." She moved around the island until she was next to Liara, and put a finger under her chin to raise her head and make their eyes meet. "Why can't you believe me too?" she whispered.
"I...I want too," Liara choked out desperately. Her face was contorted into an expression of anguish. "But I don't know if I can. I don't want to believe it to be true if it turns out you aren't the woman I remember."
Shepard leaned in closer. Liara's breath hitched for a moment, and Shepard felt a spike of arousal at the idea she could still have an effect on her.
"You're in the business of information now, Liara," Shepard said softly. "You must have been following my progress since I reappeared on the scene. And you knew me as well as anyone back on the SR-1. If anyone on Illium is qualified to comment on whether I'm the same woman I always was, it would be you."
Liara looked down at the worktop, fiddling with the spatula as she contemplated her answer.
"You protected Garrus from a horde of mercenaries when you were on Omega," she said, talking as though she were reading from an internal list. "And you paid credits out of your own pocket to help that quarian get off the station and return to his Pilgramage. I heard you helped Jacob to track down his father, although I understand that the result was not what anyone expected. You stood as the defence counsel for Tali when she was accused of treason by the Migrant Fleet," Liara gave a fleeting smile. "I understand that your speech was very impassioned, Shepard. You always did look out for her."
"I guess I have a thing for young, wayward aliens," Shepard whispered. "Remember when we met on Therum? You were trapped in a Prothean bubble, and I had to activate that mining laser in order to free you? I know there was a krogan warlord after us at the time, and the site was caving in, but as we were running I kept thinking that you were the most intriguing asari I had ever met."
"I must have been one of the only asari you had ever met," Liara countered, although her cheeks did go slightly purple.
"It doesn't make it any less true," Shepard said. "We took you back to the Normandy and Ashley tried to convince me that you couldn't be trusted, but I didn't listen. I gave you a berth in the storage room of the medical bay because you wanted somewhere quiet to work, and I thought that you'd get on well with Dr Chakwas."
"Those are just facts, Shepard," Liara said dully. "Everyone on the original Normandy knew that."
Shepard drew closer still, and placed a hand on the gentle swell of Liara's hip. Liara leaned into the touch despite herself, but kept her eyes fixed downwards.
"But did they know what we talked about?" Shepard asked. "That I asked you questions about your mother, and we talked about asari culture. Did they know that I made a joke about you wanting to dissect me and you were so mortified that I was serious that you looked like you were going to faint? That you admitted that you found me intriguing, but you didn't know what you were doing and didn't want to rush into anything."
Shepard put her other hand on Liara's other hip and put her lips level with Liara's ear cavity.
"But that didn't stop you from sneaking into my cabin on the way to Ilos. You told me that you didn't want to die without knowing what it felt like to be with me. We made love for the first time, and it was wonderful." She nuzzled her nose into Liara's neck. "Do you remember that? What it felt like to be close in the most intimate way possible? Do you remember what I whispered to you before we had to get up and prepare for Ilos?"
Liara shuddered out a breath and finally turned her head to meet Shepard's intense gaze. "You whispered that you loved me." She looked into Shepard's eyes, trying to understand the depth of emotion she could see in them.
Shepard held her gaze, trying to convey everything she wanted to say into one look. If Liara didn't believe that she was still the same woman after this, she was out of ideas.
Liara's eyes turned wide. "Shepard?" she asked quietly, her voice cracking. "Is that really you?"
Shepard felt a flood of relief surge through her. "Yes," she breathed, pulling Liara into her body and squeezing her. "Yes, it's me."