Morinth was bored. It seemed tonight would be a waste of time once again. Nothing in here was remotely interesting to her. The same pathetic patrons, thinking themselves superior but failing that on all accounts as they danced and drank themselves to a slow meaningless death. Perhaps her standards were set too high. There was no doubt that Nef had raised the bar in her own way. Morinth missed her little human pet, even with as much as she had enjoyed their final moments.
She was considering going to the public section of the club. Certainly there would be some fresh meat there for her to feast on. It was a risk, however, she wouldn't want to exposing her activities too much to Aria. Then again the risk itself would certainly add excitement to the hunt.
She was almost about to leave when fate suddenly produced a morsel of pure temptation. It was another human that had walked into the club at that moment. She was clearly nothing like Nef, however. This woman was strong and confident and deadly - She knew it too from the way she wore her little black dress. It was a sleek fit, purposefully hugging all the curves on the human's body, doing nothing to hide the well worn muscles under her smooth exposed skin. Indeed the dress purposefully tapered at a sharp angle to her neck, accenting her athletic shoulders. For what might have otherwise been a plain looking human, the entire effect was exotic and perhaps even a bit intoxicating.
Some might say she walked around like she owned the place. They would be wrong. What Morinth saw was something far better then that. This human walked as if any ownership claims were meaningless. She would simply take whatever she wanted. She wasn't afraid to lay bare exactly who she was, and was more then willing to confront anyone who didn't like what they saw.
The human was certainly no stranger to confrontation. This was a woman used to battle, Morinth realized. A soldier perhaps? Certainly a former soldier at least. Hers was a presence that had triumphed over death on multiple occasions. And those eyes, so seductive and pure, looked around the room with the precision of someone who was ready to kill at any moment.
She was hunting as well.
The realization filled Morinth with tantalizing intrigue. She couldn't resist the desire to watch this woman more closely.
The soldier's gaze locked onto a couple of Turians. Her first prey. The turians made the mistake of playing right into the human's taunts. Her attacks were swift, precise, deadly. There was no wasted motion. She wasn't some dumb military grunt, Morinth noted, she was someone who focused on the quick kill.
The cries of one of the strippers altered the human to her next prey. Another Turian, she warned him to leave, but the fool was too drunk to realize the danger he was in. Before he could lay a clawed finger on her, the Turian found himself flying through the air. He crumpled, unconscious, some distance away. The stripper gave words of appreciation, the human barely smiled back before she walked away. She appreciated the 'thank you's but wasn't motivated by them. Interesting, perhaps this soldier sees herself as some sort of vigilante?
She reached the bar moments later. The Krogan next to her made the mistake of insulting the human. Her third prey. She returned with her own threat, and stared down the Krogan. Morinth had no doubt that the soldier was willing to battle the Krogan if it came to that. It seemed suicidal, but it was the Krogan who backed down. Morinth wasn't surprised, this human had killed plenty of Krogan before; not just Krogan. She had killed enough to know exactly what sort of person was and wasn't a threat to her. A drunk Krogan at a bar barely registered compared to the threats this human had faced down.
Thus far none of the prey in this club had captured the human's interest - much like Morinth's own estimation of the local patrons moments earlier - but she was still hunting for something specific. Her eyes scanning the room, resting on every individual that could possibly have what she was looking for.
Morinth decided it was time to make her appearance. It would be interesting to see how the human would react to suddenly becoming the prey. She moved to the edge of the dancefloor leaning to one side of the path she knew her human soldier was about to walk past.
"My name is Morinth, I've been watching you." She called out as the soldier in the black dress got close enough to her. "You're the most interesting person in this place. I got a booth over here in the shadows, why don't you come sit with me." She turned and walked back to her booth without waiting for a response. The human wouldn't refuse the invitation, of that Morinth was certain.
"I've never seen you around here before." Morinth told her once the human was seated across from her at the booth. "First time here?"
"I usually hang out in the open club." The human told her. "I prefer to be with a more down to earth crowd, where people aren't trying to pretend they're something special." It took Morinth a moment to realize what she meant by 'down-to-earth'; a human saying, probably meant she was born there.
"So, you think I'm nothing special?" Morinth asked her, trying to throw her off balance.
"If I thought that, I wouldn't be sitting here." The human replied confidently without missing a beat.
"If that's the case, what brings you here?" Morinth asked smoothly, pretending not to be impressed.
"Do I need a reason?" The human returned, "I just figured I'd check out what all the hype was about." She smirked then and added, "I could ask you the same thing. It sounds like you're a regular here, but you're clearly on a different level then the rest of the boring crowd here."
"I can't deny the truth of it." Morinth smiled back, "I admit some nights I come here and there's no one interesting to talk to. But other nights this place manages to attract someone truly interesting." She locked her eyes with the woman across from her as she added, "Tonight it's you. Why is that?"
"I know what I like." The woman stated.
"Do you?" Morinth asked seductively.
The woman played it cool, but there was no doubt she was interested in Morinth, and she didn't care if Morinth knew it too.
"I can sit here and pretend I like all the same things you do." The human solider began as she moved closer to Morinth. "I can pretend I didn't notice you checking me out from the moment I set foot in this club. But none of that's important. The one thing we share that really matters is we both know what we want when we see it, and neither of us will let anything stop us getting it." She leaned forward slightly before adding, "From what I've seen I'm sure what you want right now ... is me."
"You are a very observant woman." Morinth said
"I've learned the hard way to keep an eye on all potential targets from the moment you enter any engagement." The words were clearly an admission of her military experience, but spoken with the obvious traces of desire. It was not lost on Morinth that this woman's bright blue eyes were both locked tight on her right now.
"You know, it dawns on me that you haven't told me your name." Morinth said with a practiced curiosity.
"You never asked." The woman said.
"Most people would have offered by now." Morinth added.
"But you know I'm not like most people." The woman shot back effortlessly, "Besides I get the impression you're not interested in my name." The implication was obvious. Morinth needn't have bothered giving her name. She knew what Morinth was really interested in and didn't mind. If anything this human was interested in the pretty much the same thing.
"You're so precise, direct, and patient." Morinth observed, "A military girl like you, I'm guessing you're a sniper of some sort."
"I prefer Infiltrator, sniper sounds so one dimensional." The woman replied calmly.
"An Infiltrator, is it?" Morinth cooed suggestively, "Are you planning on infiltrating anything in particular?"
"That depends," The woman played along in her own seductive tone, "Do you have anything in mind that needs ... infiltration?"
It was time to finish the hunt. "Do you want to get out of here? My apartment is nearby."
The Infiltrator had spent time wandering her apartment once they arrived there. She asked about some of the more interesting object on display that Morinth had acquired over the years. She was probably analyzing enemy territory. Morinth didn't mind, on the contrary she found the gesture fascinating. This woman was a master of the art of war, Morinth simply enjoyed watching the artist do her work.
"Interesting that you'd get an apartment so close to the club." the woman mentioned as she took a seat on the far end of the couch. "Especially considering how much time you must spend there."
"I love clubs," Morinth explained with a smile, "The people, movement, heat" She let the words linger enticingly.
"You can still feel the bass through the floor," The humans said, then added suggestively, "Through your body."
"Like the drums of a great hunt out for your blood." Morinth replied in kind.
"But here, it's muted," The human didn't miss a beat, "Almost safe."
"Is that what you want? To be safe?" Morinth asked her.
"No. I'd rather fight then hide." The intensity of those simple words spoken from the soldier's lips made Morinth's heart tingle in anticipation.
"Oh yes," Morinth agreed, "Better to take control of your own fate. I never understood the fascination with safety." She smiled at the human, not bothering to hide her desire, her lust, her hunger. The soldier didn't even so much as flinch, which only made her an even greater temptation. "Some of us choose differently, independence over submission." She walked over to the Infiltrator, sitting on her lap and wrapping an arm behind her neck. "I think we share that you and I."
"You compare us, but you're nowhere near my league." The Infiltrator said. It was a challenge pure and simple. The human had stared straight into Morinth's eyes, saw the clear and deadly predatory gaze within them. And rather then shy away she taunted her for more, daring her to unleash the darkest part of her soul.
"So strong." Morinth mused, then added with a deep hunger, "I need this." She shifted over, sitting next to her human, her Infiltrator, her prey.
Eyes went black as she reached out with her mind, allowing her power to flow out. Slowly at first, she would enjoy this before the inevitable end.
"Look into my eyes," Morinth commanded, "And tell me you want me. Tell me you'd kill for me. Anything I want."
She expected some resistance. Her prey would certainly fight the intrusion, Morinth would have been disappointed otherwise. Many others before had attempted to resist her meld. When they did, she would encounter a soft wall filled with their thoughts and fears. Then she would simply push through, burning down their resistances if she had to.
What she felt as she tried to meld into the Infiltrator's mind was not unlike smashing her head onto an unyielding stone.
Instead of the soft veil she was expecting there was a solid impenetrable barrier of seemingly endless will and determination. Morinth had never felt such an incredibly resilient psyche before. And likely one experienced with Asari melding given how quickly her mind reacted to the intrusion.
The woman looked at her, the smile on her lips clearly showing she knew precisely what Morinth had just attempted and failed to accomplish.
"Sorry, I'm not the victim you were hoping for." Shepard said through her knowing smirk.
"But ... you?" Morinth had never experienced someone who could so completely resist her, and she never expected such from a human of all things. "Who are you?"
She didn't answer, she didn't need to. It didn't take long for Morinth to put the pieces together. She knew the human had been hunting for specific prey all night long. Even now.
Morinth had been her prey all along.
There could only be one reason why a human would have sought her out like this. "I see what's going on. The bitch herself found a little helper."
As if in response the door to her apartment opened suddenly. It should have been locked, ... unless of course the expert Infiltrator managed to unlock it without being noticed while wandering the apartment earlier.
Her fears were confirmed the moment the Justicar stepped through the door, eyes locked on her, filled with hate that only she could manage.
Hate Morinth returned in kind as she stared back at Samara.
Her Mother.