Chapter 8
Laying out on her bed, Melina stared up at the ceiling. Her hair cascaded over the pillow, knotted together from the lack of attention. The woman's face was blank, her brown hues empty of all thought. The woman's Omni-tool was constantly ringing as her friends tried to get a hold of her. News of the break in and attempted murder spread quickly around the colony. Crime was rather low, almost completely unheard of, even during the Reaper war. Reaching up to her face, she covered her eyes, trying to hold in the burning emotions that were steadily building up inside her once again. The last few days Melina had been a mess. Taking time off of work, she kept herself hidden in her room, trying to avoid contact from the world. Noticing the sudden drop in contact Melina had. Teyshan was beginning to grow concerned. The Prothean was left cleaning up the mess from the break in earlier in the week. He took care of the day to day things around the house and kept in contact with Diane in case she had any questions at the dig site. Teyshan tried to keep himself as busy as possible in hopes to give Melina as much space for herself as needed.
Teyshan was sitting on the far end of the living room couch, his armor was piled neatly in his room. Tapping his fingers on the arm of the couch, his golden eyes glanced outside, watching the branches of the trees sway from the breeze. His ear caught a noise peeping out of Melina's room, her door cracked open. Two of his eyes looked over in her direction, seeing the woman's broken form shuffle over to the other side of the couch and sinking down. Turning his head over, and focusing his attention solely on the woman, his top lip pulled back, not happy to see how far the woman had fallen. He always knew her to be so lively and alert, yet her eyes looked empty, her body almost dead. The woman's hair was knotted tightly. Melina always had soft curls framing her face, yet it hung over her eyes. Scoffing slightly, the Prothean leaned over, his fingers curling around her hair brush she had left on the coffee table. Sitting up, the Prothean scooted closer to the woman's frame. He tucked one leg under his own body and leaned close to her. Teyshan reached up, gently gathered a few tresses of her hair into his hand and started brushing her messy hair. He enjoyed the way her locks would soften up after being brushed.
"You are not yourself, Melina." Teyshan spoke softly, brushing more knots out of her hair.
"I.." she breathed. "I.. almost.. Lost you" her voice grew tight, trying to hold back the tears that were trying to escape from her eyes. Placing one of her hands over her eyes the woman bobbed her head trying to shake off the emotions again.
Suddenly the woman felt the Prothean's warm fingers grab her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. They had grown narrow and intense. A stray tear escaped and raced down her pale cheek.
"Yet I am still here, Melina, I am still alive. It is over. Do not mourn for a death that has not happened." Teyshan's voice rose a little. His eyes grew wide. "You have saved the avatar of truth, when the seas turned red in my time, nobody would of turned an eye in saving a friend. That is more then what a Prothean would of done." Teyshan's voice dropped down into a lower tone. His face grew more gentle. The Prothean moved his hand away from her chin blinking slowly as his main eyes gazed back down to the hair brush in his hand.
"Thank you for cleaning up around the house.." Melina whispered. Her form grew more comfortable, more relaxed.
"It was the least I could do."
"Who was that man anyway. Did security ever tell you anything?" Melina was beginning to open up once again.
"He was indoctrinated." Teyshan's eyes grew a bit stern.
"Wait.. I think I remember seeing that man on the Citadel, he was watching us at the park. I knew there was something off about him!" Melina snapped up, exclaiming in surprise. The woman looked back over at Teyshan, his body language was suggesting she should relax. Sighing deeply, the woman leaned back against the couch. Closing her eyes, she rested her head up on her knees. Feeling the Prothean grab another lock of her hair and run the brush through it, she couldn't help the small smile that was tugging at the corners of her lips.
"I'll stop worrying about it.." the woman softly chuckled.
"Thank you." Teyshan shook his head a bit. It was like the woman had read his mind.
Melina slowly turned her body around to fully face him. Her eyes appeared more soft and warm. The soft pink returning to her cheeks. The Prothean could see the woman was biting at the inside of her bottom lip. Blinking softly at her, Teyshan leaned over and gently placed the hair brush back down on the coffee table and turned his attention towards her. The woman reached up slowly, resting her hand against the side of his cheek. His skin was smooth, almost leathery to the touch, but warm.. Very warm. Teyshan's eyes closed, nuzzling the woman's palm gently. The Prothean's arms rose up, both of his hands cupped the woman's cheeks. His golden eyes gazing deeply into her own. She dropped her own hand from his cheek and grew lost into his gaze. Teyshan's breath hitched for a moment, leaning closer to her. Melina almost shuddered, wasted no time in pressing her lips softly against his. She could feel a soft rumble against her body as they kissed. The Protheans fingers weaving into her hair. Softly pulling away from the kiss, the woman pressed her forehead against Teyshan's, her eyes half closed. A warm smile spread acrossed her lips. She then felt Teyshan's fingers leave her hair and wrap tightly around her form holding her close to him.
Slowly pulling away from Melina, Teyshan looked deep into her eyes. A gentle smirk danced acrossed his lips.
"That was unexpected out of you Melina." a deep rumble escaped Teyshan's lips. His golden eyes searching her own. Blushing deeply the woman looked bashfully away.
"I have something to show you." Teyshan slowly pulled himself up from the couch. Standing up, the Prothean looked over at Melina. Turning her gaze away from the floor back up to the Prothean, one of her thin brows rose in curiosity. In one quick fluent motion, Teyshan pulled off the top half of his under suit. Taken back by this, Melina sunk back into the couch. Her interest peaked.
Teyshan's body was lean but muscled. His skin mottled with many shades of blue and brown. Scars snaking their way over his left shoulder and halfway down his chest. This was the form of a warrior, someone who has seen battle over a long period of time.
"Ready?" Teyshan asked. His voice soothing.
"Uh.. Yeah.. Sure." Melina mumbled, still confused as to what he was going to show her.
Turning himself around. The Prothean exposed his back to Melina. His back was chiseled and refine. His shoulder muscles sloped down elegantly, into wings..
Gasping at the site, Melina slapped her hand over her mouth, resisting the urge to want to reach out and touch his folded wings.
"Ehrr.. You.. You DO have wings!" Melina exclaimed. Partially in shock and partially in amazement.
"Yes, not insect wings, as you said, Melina." The Prothean's voice rumbled softly.
Turning red, the woman only shook her head in embarrassment. Her eyes danced over the form of his wings. They were elegant and smooth, slightly translucent, but danced full of color when the light hit them just right.
"I'm sorry about, calling them.. Uh.. Insect wings.." Melina's cheeks grew even more red.
"We Prothean's take great care and pride in them. Only showing the ones we care about when we fully trust them." Teyshan's voice was smooth. Turning himself back around to Melina, he slipped his under suit top back on over his head and back down his muscled torso.
Melina looked up at him with a curious expression. The woman bit her bottom lip, trying not to gnaw at her soft skin. Her eyes followed Teyshan's form as he sat down next to her. Missing the closeness they had shared briefly before.
#
It didn't take long for Melina's drive to return to the dig site. Sitting in her office, the woman was reading over some data while Teyshan helped Diane identify some memory shards, the Asari discovered earlier in the week. Scrolling down the data, the woman found that her mind kept drifting off to their shared moment earlier that day. Sitting back in her chair and placing the data pad down in her lap. She sighed deeply, a wide smile pulling at the corners of her lips.
"Oh Teyshan, I didn't think I would be getting attached to a Prothean. Let alone a human after my husband died" Melina chuckled to herself. Drumming her fingers on the arm of her chair she leaned back, placing her legs up on the desk. It was going to be a long day.
Diane looked up from the memory shard she was holding in her hands, placing it back down on the table in front of her. The Asari's eyes darted over to Teyshan who was busy inspecting the treasures Diane found.
"So are you and Melina close?" Diane asked curiously
"Yes." Teyshan replied, not even gazing up from his memory shard.
"Ahh.."
"How did you know?" Two of Teyshan's eyes glanced over to Diane.
"Oh come on Teyshan it is obvious. Have you seen the way that woman looks at you?" Diane laughed
"Yes." Teyshan looked back down at his memory shard.
"I am happy for you guys." Diane beamed.
Melina wandered out of her office back down to the dig site. Walking up to Diane's side the woman nudged her friends arm.
"What'chya guys find?" Melina's eyes bright
"Some memory shards. We think they belong to Teyshan's comrades." Diane's finger fumbled over the edge of the memory shard she was holding just moments earlier.
Melina glanced over from Diane to Teyshan, her brow rose up a bit. The Prothean's eyes were closed, he was holding a hand over the memory shard, the edges softly glowing. Breathing in softly, she noted Teyshan had looked torn. Did he honestly want to see his comrades memories again? Or was he helping out Diane? She didn't know but she didn't want to interrupt him. The Prothean looked up from the memory shard and right at Melina.
"You can bring those back home if you wish." Melina suggested.
"Yes." Teyshan nodded.
#
Evening had quickly come and gained motion on the colony. Teyshan and Melina were back home after putting in some much needed hours at the dig site. Melina had bathed the day's grimes and worries away, getting out of her shower, the woman wrapped a bathrobe around her, wringing out the water from her hair in a towel. Stepping out to try and find Teyshan, she pattered over to his room, only to feel a cross breeze. Blinking a few times in a bit of confusion, the woman walked over to the back door, finding it cracked open a tad. Peeking outside, she found Teyshan sitting in the grass, a small neat pile of memory shards lay, glowing softly next to his leg. Reaching up with her hand, she nudged the door open a bit more, slipping through.
Noticing that Melina had stepped outside behind him, Teyshan looked a bit over his shoulder. His golden eyes expressing his soft nature. Turning his body a little more over to look at the woman better, a weak smile grew at the corners of his lips.
"Come." His voice rumbled.
"Sure. I was going to come join you anyway." Melina returned.
Her lean body sank down next to his. Gazing at the woman sideways, his weak smile grew more warm. The Prothean was happy to have Melina's company. The loss of his comrades was feeling heavy on his conscious. An granted he had prayed for their souls to find the afterlife. He had hoped their deaths were quick and painless. These were men and woman, valiant soldiers he had fought with for many years whom he lost. An granted seeing Melina broken up about nearly losing him sent him a grim reminder as to how fragile life really was. Something a Prothean would never think about. The Emprire was all about the strong living, and weak dying. Thoughts like this would of sent him straight to death. Yet views had changed in this time, an his thoughts and beliefs slowly changed with it. He was the avatar of truth after all, an truth meant an ever changing view on life. This thought had comforted him.
"I always wondered Teyshan, how are you able to read your surrondings, and other's memories. I know Asari can kinda due that but yours is more advanced.. More thorough." Melina broke Teyshan's thought.
"With the empires focus on the strong, those with the strongest abilities to read around them survived, thus passing this ability down within generations. It was how we survived and advanced for so long. We-"
"I know how the ability came about, evolution, but how does it happen?" Melina interrupted.
Teyshan looked down at Melina gently, his golden hues searching her brown eyes ever so deeply.
"Your memory is attached to your being, Alive or not. A Prothean can attach that memory into an object, or into another. Your DNA carries who you are, your memories, your feelings, everything." Teyshan's voice was smooth.
"Was that why you were trying to read everything in my house?" Melina inquired, a playful smile dancing acrossed her lips.
"Yes." Teyshan sighed. "I was trying to get a sense of who you were at the time." Looking down at the ground, he held up his hand. "In my time you could read others memories in one touch. Your methods are, a little.. New for me." He blinked in honesty.
"I suppose that makes sense then, I didn't allow you to read me anyway. Its how you coped." Melina's voice dropped.
"Yes." Teyshan moved his form a little closer to Melina's. The Prothean gazed down at her. His top lip gently pulled back a little. Holding up his bare hand in front of Melina.
"May I?" The Prothean asked.
Taking a deep breath in, Melina nodded, raising up her own hand, she gently placed her palm against Teyshan's. The woman closed her eyes and focused in on the Prothean's own aura. A warm feeling began spreading acrossed her body once more. In a flash, memories began flashing into her mind. Yet instead of resisting it, she opened up every corner of her mind. She wanted Teyshan to be able to explore the dark corners of her memories. To come to fully understand who she was. Despite the overload of memories pouring into her mind, one stuck out to the woman.
A young Prothean stood at the top of a hill, alone. He felt afraid and cold. Yet he was always told by his father to not be afraid. If he was afraid the Reapers would win the battle. In the distance, buildings collapsed. The skys dark with fire and smoke. Grasping at the small assault rifle. The young Prothean cried out for his father, he was alone in this burning world. The house behind him was lay in ruins. Falling down in large clumps, the clouds reigned nothing but ash. The young Prothean, grasping at his gun, suddenly ran down the hill. A furious scream echoed from his vocals, his sub harmonics tight with pain. Indoctornated Protheans ran out from the forest that surrounded the hill. The young Prothean stood his ground, firing off accurate shots, killing those that had stormed him.
Melina shot back to reality when Teyshan pulled his hand away from hers. Her body feeling weak from the exchange. Looking down at the ground, the woman felt her heart grow heavy.
"Was that you? On that hill?" She softly asked.
"Yes. That was the Reapers hit my home." Teyshan's voice felt heavy.
"Im so-"
"No, living here, living with you, here, is peace for me." Teyshan interrupted. Reaching out to Melina, his fingers curled around her chin. Gently lifting her face up. He leaned close and placed a tender kiss upon her lips. Her body relaxing from his gentle touches.
Authors Note:
Woooooooo! Character development. I used to write a lot of tragic type stories so I am trying really hard not to go to tragic with these two and keep it light hearted. It's worked this far for me hahaha. I really want to say, thank you for all the follows, views, likes, loves reviews, follows. Wait did I say that already? You get what I am trying to say! Don't worry the story is not over yet! There is plenty more to come. Thank you for sticking with me this far!