Chapter 15:

The door to Aria's private suite opened with the press of a button, letting me in. I'd sent her a message earlier about speaking to her privately, and she told me to come to her room as she was already there. She had retired earlier than she normally would.

I'm glad I decided to wait this late before doing messaging her. It gave me time to recover and wash off last night's ministrations. The sticky feeling was nice at first, but it quickly grew old. It especially grew old with clothes over it.

"Fury!?" Aria's voice echoed from another room out of sight, not sure which one.

"Yeah!" I responded.

After a minute, Aria walked into the room carrying two glasses and a bottle of Serrice Ice, nice. She was dressed more casually than I normally saw her, her clothes more casual than the normal statement pieces she wore. At first her eyes just brushed over me, but she did a double take after a second and raised an eyebrow.

"Not wearing your armour?"

I shrugged, looking away. I'd decided that for this meeting, I would come dressed casually. Instead of my armour, I was just wearing a singlet and some pants, still had the boots though. Nothing's getting me out of those. I'd resolved myself to doing this after Rielle finished, the tattoos were primarily to help me adjust to being out of the armour, so that's what I would do. Thankfully, Aria let the matter be and we moved to her couch after Aria handed me my drink.

"Have you finished the tattoos then?"

I took a sip first before answering, the burning ice soothing to me now in a way I had never expected it would become. I licked my lips first before speaking.

"Not … quite. There was one more thing I wanted done, but I wanted to run it by you first." Aria furrowed her brows.

"Why would you need my permission for your own tattoo? It's your choice what you have done. I'm happy to pay for it."

"That was the case for the rest, yes. I didn't really care either myself so I let Rielle do as she pleased. I'm satisfied with the results though, I enjoy looking at them." I couldn't quite see them all, that would require a mirror first and I wasn't ready for that, not yet. "This last one is different, it's why I'm asking your permission to do so." My throat felt parched, so I took another sip, didn't help. I'd closed my eyes at this point, but I had to change that. I opened them and stared into Aria's eyes.

"I want to copy your facial markings onto mine."

She blinked at me before her eyes sharpened and she looked searchingly at me. She said nothing, which wasn't encouraging.

"And why … do you want that?" her face was flat, her voice, neutral. She may as well have been a mech for all I got out of her. I needed to explain why though, why I wanted this tattoo. I wanted to, so badly … but my throat had clenched up on me. I tried swallowing, but nothing changed. Looking down at my still half-full glass, I had another idea. I brought it to my lips and gulped down the rest of the glass, the burn rushing through my throat and down into my stomach in a line of cool fire. I coughed a few time, but it did the trick. I placed the glass on the table before turning fully towards the waiting Asari.

"To honour you. You have done so much for me, been so good to me. I know you didn't have to, that you normally wouldn't, not for some homeless misfit." Aria opened her mouth to interrupt, but I just kept talking. Now that I had begun, it felt loke the words were pouring out of me. "You gave me a job, supplies, food. This was before you even really knew me. When I blew up your warehouse, instead of punishing me, you became my teacher. You have taught me so much about combat, but even more than that you have taught me about life. About the social ques I never learned, the basic knowledge I missed out on. You talked to me about random nonsense when you were bored, teased me, tried to get a rise out of me. You have been kind to me, and I want a sign of my gratitude imprinted onto my skin." I rushed through my reasoning, letting my feelings pour forth. I was breathing heavily by the time I finished, never taking a breath, and I watched Aria for her reaction.

She sat there for a minute, revealing nothing.

"You don't need to do something like that to repay me. I had my own reasons for many of the things I did. You were a good investment at the time and continue to be one." She spoke coolly, denying me. Fucking hell … I shook my head frustrated.

"Maybe that was the case at first, but the teasing? Teaching me about more than combat, making sure I was healthy, outfitting me in proper armour? You were worried about why I spent so much time in armour for fuck's sake. That's not someone who's watching over an investment does!" I sunk back into the couch, looking away from her. I tried not to show it, but her reaction hurt. I didn't want to watch that detached expression any longer. It was so foreign to me, so … different.

[POV: Aria]

I'd royally screwed this up, that's for sure. Fury couldn't look at me, her face was set into a grim frown, supposedly angry. I could see her blinking frequently though, her eyes watering. I hate being the reason she was like this. It wasn't the facility, not the scars, me.

I was confused when Fury asked to speak to me privately, but I didn't see any issue with it. It wouldn't even be the second time I'd had her over since that first night months ago. It took a while for Rielle to get here and Fury had seemed more willing after the first time. We'd even set up a routine where I'd get her a drink before we sat down. Which one it was varied but the most common was tonight's Serrice Ice. Fury really enjoyed it and I was quite partial myself. I didn't mind indulging her expensive tastes, I had no room to throw stones.

Seeing her stand there in just a singlet and pants was a surprise though, a good one. She had never come here in anything less than her full armour. She took her helmet off as soon as she was inside, but the rest of the armour was far rarer. To be standing there like that meant she had walked here without the armour, and that spoke far more than any words could. The tattoos really had been a great idea, I won't deny that they were rather striking as well, from what I could see of her arms and neck. The bold lines and subtle colours made her seem larger than she really was, added some presence to someone who already walked around with a brass pair. As far as I'm aware, they cover basically the rest of her as well. Fury will get past that aversion of hers, I guarantee it. She was already showing significant progress, and I had no doubt there would be more. So, if she wanted to get another tattoo, who was I to judge her? I was confused why she was asking for my permission though. Then she told me she wanted to duplicate my facial markings.

That … threw me for a loop. The facial markings are special to Asari, and normally unique. The only times I'd seen identical markings were on familial relations, and here Fury was asking for them. I … didn't know how to feel about that, how to respond, so I stalled. I asked for her reasoning, figuring it would be something like 'they're cool and make you look powerful!' or something, I don't know. I might be exaggerating a little, but it would at least give me some time. Instead of something like that, it was to honour me.

She listed all I had done for her, her emotions pouring out with each word. Her face hid nothing, not her adoration of me, her guilt, nothing. She was speaking from the heart about how she was so grateful to me, for what I had done for her. I had taken her under my wing because her potential excited me! Sure, I may have expanded upon my initial lesson plans a bit, but that didn't have to mean anything, so why. Why did seeing her like this make me feel so small. I tried to catch her eye, but she wouldn't let me and we sat in this awkward silence for a minute, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't leave this be though, she looked so, … defeated. Fury was many things; angry, antisocial, naïve, dense, violent … but defeated wasn't one of them. Her life story was one of suffering, but she had never given in, always fighting, her life a testament to the strength of perseverance, and I had done what torture couldn't just by opening my foolish mouth. I needed to fix this, and I needed to know why I hurt her so much.

I set aside my half-finished drink and stood up, moving slowly over to Fury's couch so she wouldn't bolt, then sat down next to her.

"Fury." I broached, touching her shoulder. She flinched away and my insides twinged, for the first time in years she avoided my touch. I could try again, but thought better of it, so I lowered my hand to join the other in my lap.

"Will you please look at me?" Fury hesitated, but she did eventually. The unshed tears in her eyes were obvious now that I was this close, and the blade inside me twisted further. "There's something else. You wouldn't … care, so much if that was all. Will you tell me?" Fury watched me for a moment and sniffed, before looking away. "Please?" She nodded jerkily.

"I do want to honour you." She spoke softly, her words barely audible over the silence, "but no. That's not the only reason." She stopped here, hesitating, so I thought I would help her understand why her request shocked me so much.

"Do you know what the facial markings mean for Asari, what you were asking of me?" I doubted it, but then she spoke.

"Facial markings are identical only for family."

She knew? So why would she …

"That's why I asked. You have been my teacher, taught me many things, but you did more than that. The way you talked to me, teased me, pushed me to socialise, that's not something a teacher does," she chuckled shakily, "You're the closest thing I've ever had to a mother, and I wanted to have that show in some way, even if only for myself." Fury didn't look at me, even after she finished speaking.

That's, she, … Fury saw me that way? Me?! I'm not good mother material, that's clear. We don't have that kind of relationship, do we? Without my permission, memories start flashing through my head.

Celebrating her first win against me where she finally gained some small taste of victory. Fury confiding in me her darkest memories, her closest secrets. The time I made sure she was fully armoured at my expense, Flying Rielle in to give Fury her tattoos, all the times I compared her to Liselle … how I wished Liselle was a little more like Fury.

I looked back on how I raised Liselle, the things I did for her, the way I felt about her. Ignoring the pain the memories brought, when I compared them to my time with Fury? They matched. I … I really do treat her like my daughter, don't I. I … I suppose that settles it then. But, can I tell her that? Do I have it in me to … to try again? Did I even deserve the chance?

[POV: Fury]

It was getting hard to hold back the burning in my eyes. I couldn't look at Aria, so I had no idea what she was feeling about my confession. I needed her to know though, I wanted her to know how I felt no matter her own feelings. My thoughts had been plaguing me for months now after I read some information about familial relations in other races, and compared it to my relationship with Aria. The thought had clicked in my mind then, and ever since it's been at the forefront of my mind.

Aria's silence was damning, it crushed me like nothing else had. She hadn't said anything for minutes and that was answer enough. Finally, not able to handle it, I jumped to my feet, but Aria's hand caught mine, held me back, prevented me from leaving.

"Wait."

Something in her voice gave me an ember of hope, just enough that I let her keep me there. Is it so bad to have some hope again, just this once? I turned around to face her directly. Aria was standing behind me, a conflicted look on her face. She stared into my eyes for a while, then sighed while closing her eyes. When she opened them again, the indifference was gone. They had softened, and Aria gave me a small smile, one of her true ones. They came so rarely, but I cherished each one like the gift they were.

"If you want to take my markings …, you have my permission."

Do I … do I really? Aria pulled me in close to her, and slowly wrapped her arms around me. Her eyes stared deeply into mine, unknown emotions rushing through them.

"I'm not … good, at this sort of thing. I can be dense, stubborn, insensitive, but you're right. I haven't treated you like an investment for a long time, but instead as more than that. If you want to take my marking, … I would be honoured."

Joy rushed through me, and I threw my arms around her tightly, burying my face into her neck. She squeezed me tighter herself, and we stayed like that. We stayed there for over a minute, and it was the best minute of my life. Nothing could ruin the rush running through me right now, nothing, but then Aria's teasing voice broke my chain of thought.

"You want to explain the rather suggestive bruises on your neck?" Ah, shit. She wasn't going to let that go, but the return to our normal back and forth comforted me, even if I wasn't looking forward to the coming conversation.

Worth it.

I walked into the room, Aria by my side. Rielle was already waiting for us. She was sitting on one of the supplied chairs, reading something on her Omni-tool. She looked up when she heard the door open, standing at the sight of the pair of us.

"Did you decide on if you wanted a final tattoo?"

I nodded, moving over to the chair and sitting down. Rielle looked confused at me sitting there with all my clothes still on, which admittedly was just my singlet and pants. I didn't yet own many clothes that would show off my tattoos, and I wanted them to be seen. I still had some other clothes from before that I used to cover my scars with, but I refuse to use those any longer.

"What is the tattoo?" Rielle queried, looking between me and Aria confused.

"This one is to be on my face. I want you to duplicate her facial marking onto me, in black." I waved my hand at Aria. Rielle's eyes widened at my request, and she glanced between me and Aria a few times waiting for the joke, before she looked back at me with wide eyes. I nodded at her, and she swallowed but nodded back. Aria's presence was making her nervous, she had slipped into the professional attitude she initially took. Looking back at Aria, I found her just standing there watching intently, so I flicked my hand at her to the chair Rielle had previously occupied. Aria sighed, but she thankfully took a seat. She reclined back into the chair, crossing one leg over the other and spread her arms out to her sides, at ease among the tension she caused by her silence.

"You are aware that this will likely hurt more than the others? The face is a sensitive place."

That wouldn't be the first time she had warned me as such, I never seemed to notice much pain, so I ignored her warning and relaxed back into the familiar chair. The room was silent for a few minutes while Rielle set up her tools, but soon enough she was standing beside me with her gun ready. Seeing I wasn't stopping her, she switched on the device and it's humming filled the air once more.

I noticed the moment she started, but I soon forgot about it, distracted by my thoughts. Even more than the other tattoos, this one held meaning. It left me feeling nervous, distracted. At the same time, knowing that this was happening? That Aria had consented to it, left me swimming in emotions. There was joy, sadness, a little rage we don't talk about and countless others. Ultimately I think it could be summed up as bittersweet. I was glad to be doing this, but at the same time it reminded me of what I had lost. My relationship with Aria was the result of much pain and suffering, rife with death and destruction. I let myself grieve for what I lost, what I never had, but I should be grateful for what I've found, so I will be. I contented myself to let my mind wander for the rest of the session, until the moment where the buzzing finally stopped.

"I'm finished." Rielle murmured, knowing the significance of this, wanting to honour it. At her words, Aria stood up and walked over to us. She paused with her eyes on my face, running them over it with a sharp eye. She said nothing for a minute, then her face eased and she nodded, smiling.

"It looks perfect, thank you Rielle. You'll be getting a bonus for this."

"Of course, Aria. Is there anything else I can do for you? If not I will be resting for a few days before departing the station."

"No, that will be all. For now, make sure you say goodbye to Fury properly." Aria ordered her, smirking. She gave me a suggestive wink before turning around and leaving the room, the door shutting with a click.

"What did she mean by that?" Rielle blurted out, blushing. The tension had finally broken, and I smiled back at her. It took me a minute to reply though, as Rielle needed to perform the aftercare first.

"She noticed the bruises you left on my neck, and then interrogated me about them for an hour. You know what she damn well meant." I chuckled at her embarrassed whine. It was uncomfortable when it was my turn but being on this end is quite fun. Seeing her flustered state, I stood up and grabbed the hands covering her face. This revealed her flushed skin to me, and I stared deeply into her eyes.

"Thank you for doing this, it means a lot." Rielle quickly regained composure at my words.

"I was happy to, … I didn't know the two of you were so close." She smiled widely at me.

"Let's say it was …, unstated, until recently." I shrugged.

"Then I am glad that I got to be part of this with you, I've never done something like that before and it's an honour." She then wrapped her arms around me. "Now I believe I should be 'saying goodbye' right now. I want to remember this, and I want you to remember me."

I stepped out of the shower, refreshed and pleasantly warm, the cool air tingling on my still sensitive face. I began drying myself off, but then my eyes found the still covered mirror in the bathroom. Normally, I would dismiss it, but today was different. It was time.

I finished drying myself off with the towel in slow, languid movements, but I could only stall for so long. I sighed, but placed my towel back on the rack, picking up the second towel to dry my hair, it was getting decently long now, and I was struggling a little dealing with it. I wrapped it around my head, then moved towards the mirror. I'd permanently attached a piece of cloth over the mirror all those years ago, affixing it with screws to keep it secure. I reached a hand up towards one corner, but it wavered. Was I truly ready for this? Ready to finally, willingly, see myself? It had been years since I'd done so. Sure, I'd had incidental glimpses, but I always made sure to avert my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I reached forward and gripped the corner, closed my eyes, then pulled.

I heard it rip, a long tearing sound echoing in the silent bathroom. I kept pulling until there was no more resistance and the cloth came off in my hand. I dropped it to my side and set my shoulders, facing the mirror. Slowly, with great care, I opened my eyes.

In the mirror I found a young woman I had never seen before, I was unrecognisable. The sight was startling to me, and I had to resist the urge to avert my eyes, the habit long ingrained. In the mirror, I found a petite looking young woman with hard brown eyes covered in tattoos. I roved my eyes all over my body, all that could be seen in the mirror, and took in every detail I could. I was thin, petite, but also packed with lean muscle. My face was set into a slight scowl, is that what my face defaults to? I didn't know that. Looking closer, I found I had brown eyes. I'd forgotten that too. Even ignoring the tattoos, I'd like to think my features were pleasing to the eye, but with the tattoos, I was gorgeous. That may just be me talking, but every line, every spot of colour, was breathtaking. I tried to find one of my scars, but I couldn't. I knew where each was intimately, but they were all covered. I had to check with my fingers that they were still there, they were so well hidden.

Rielle did … an amazing job. I'd known that objectively, just seeing what she'd done with my arms and legs, but it felt different now. Now that I could take in everything. For the first time in … so long, I could look at myself and feel reassured. I tried a few different poses, flexed my muscles in different ways just to see the tattoos move. It was … fun. Grabbing my omni tool, I turned around and took a few photos. My back was the same, no scars were visible to my eye, not even my spine. It was covered by bold, colourful lines, culminating in a stunning design. I turned back around so my front was once again facing the mirror and moved my gaze back and forth between the picture and what I could see before me. I repeated this for a minute, searching for any signs of what had been done to me, and I found none.

A feeling of warmth crept up on me the longer I went without finding anything. Looking up again, I found my hard face had softened. There was a small smile on my face, my eyes no longer glinted. I was … happy. Is this what it feels like? When there's nothing else present but this gentle warmth? It's nice.

I raised up a singlet before me, looking towards Aria. She tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes.

"No."

And I tossed it to the side to join the others. Who knew she was so picky? I'd always bought the first thing I'd found that was comfortable before. Since I wanted to buy new clothing to show of my tattoo's, I'd asked Aria for recommendations on where to go. I'd just taken some clothes from one of Aria's supply sheds previously. She immediately invited herself and had been making things difficult ever since. I'd tried to pick out something myself, but either I was completely hopeless or Aria was really picky. It may be both.

"Just pick whatever you want." I sighed, defeated. Aria nodded, a pleased smile on her face and proceeded to do so. I vetoed the few I hated on sight, but largely accepted everything she gave me. It certainly sped up the process, which is something I was grateful for at this point. The store clerk finished boxing everything up for us and Aria directed it to be delivered to the club so we didn't have to lug it around.

"You have anything else you wanted to get?."

Hm, is there? Aria picked out quite a wide variety of things for me just then. Tops, clothes, socks, jackets, and other items, all except for one.

"There is one thing. At one point, Rielle mentioned 'underwear' to me, what exactly is it?"

Aria snorted, amused for a moment before she realised I was serious. I was just confused, Rielle made it sound quite important and I'd never heard of it. Admittedly, I had ignored all information about clothing when researching other races.

"Wait, you don't know -? Does that mean you aren't wearing anything under your pants either?" she stared at me, taken aback. I shrugged and Aria sighed, rubbing her face with one hand.

"I did not sign up for this." She muttered, but I heard her. Then she froze, then lifted her head back up with a gleam in her eye and twitching lips.

"Here's all you really need to know …" Aria gave a short summary and took me to a speciality store. I listened intently to her, taking in everything she said believing it was true.

I shouldn't have trusted her.

It was evening now, and I stepped through Aria's doorway wearing some of my new clothes. Aria had declared a celebration was happening, and so it was. I didn't really mind it, my only objections to these in the past was having to take off my armour. I no longer had those reservations, at least that's what I forced myself to believe. Truthfully, that wasn't entirely the case.

I had grown used to the power the armour gave me, the security. People would avoid me when I walked through the club in it, stepping out of the way. They wouldn't try to talk to me or get close. I was no less dangerous out of the armour than I was in it, what with my biotics, but everyone else didn't know that. Now, all they saw was a small woman covered in tattoos, something novel to them. The increased amount of attention I was receiving wasn't really appreciated, for the most part. It had some perks.

The other reason I wasn't as comfortable was because I knew I wasn't quite as safe without the armour on. I couldn't keep a barrier going constantly, yet, I've tried. You're also not meant to, but that really isn't the main reason I don't have it up constantly. The armour always had a shield up, as well as the physical barrier it provided. I Felt a little vulnerable out of the armour, but I have to get used to it. For me, and for Aria.

"In here!" I found Aria already seated at the couch, a drink in hand and another on the coffee table. I picked it up before sitting next to her, relaxing into the back of the plush furniture, it had been a long day. We sat in comfortable silence for a while, sipping at our drinks.

"How are you adjusting, Fury?" Aria sounded curious.

"It's … different. For one, I'm not used to feeling the wind brushing against my skin or against my face. The lack of weight on my shoulders is also new." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Little different to armour huh?" I nodded.

"I feel … light. I, I sometimes wish I was back in it, the amour, but I also feel, better?"

"That's good. I'm not saying armour's a bad thing, but your reliance on it wasn't, … healthy." Aria paused at the last word, likely thinking something harsher.

I'd known that, if only subconsciously, that I spent too much time in armour. How much effort I put into avoiding looking at myself, but the memories were too vivid for me. It was the best I could do just to ignore them, to keep my focus elsewhere. My crusade against child slavery here on Omega had been a good distraction, while it lasted. Being Aria's bodyguard wasn't quite so good at it. Not that I disliked being her bodyguard, although I would have avoided some of our conversations if I could, but just standing there keeping an eye out for danger left me stewing in my thoughts more often than I'd liked. At times, I could barely keep the memories at bay. On the worst days I would engage in conversation with Aria, who was always willing to fill the air with inane chatter. It helped, but only so much. I never noticed how weighed down I'd felt all the time, until that weight had lifted off me.

"I know I only had my scars covered up, they're still there, but not being able to see them, it helps so much. I don't know why, the scars are still there. The past still happened, yet …" I trailed off, unable to articulate my thoughts. Aria sighed next to me, focusing on the wall across from us.

"We all have our demons, and we all deal with them in different ways, …" Aria trailed off in thought, "… sometimes the strangest things can help. You must have fixated on the scars as a physical representation of the memories that caused them. They made you remember when you were at your lowest, when you were defeated. Covering them up, effectively removing them, is a victory. Something that shows you've won, that you are more than what they made you."

Nothing was said after she finished, the words resonated with me. At the same time, they felt personal, like Aria was speaking from experience. I waited to see if she elaborated, but let it go when she didn't. It was her choice to talk about her past, just like it was mine. Her words were right though, those scars? They were given to Subject Zero, were a big part of her childhood. I was no longer that scared little girl, and I refuse to become her ever again. I am Fury now …, yet that doesn't feel quite right either. Fury was wrapped up in her pain, in her sorrow, trapped in her past. It was the name I was given because I didn't have one.

I wasn't Subject Zero anymore, but at the same time I no longer felt like Fury, at least not entirely. I could move on, finally free, but there is one more thing I need to do first.

"I think you're right. I was trapped in who I was, but now? I can move forward. But there's one thing I need to do so." Aria turned her head to me, a sad smile on her face.

"And what's that, Fury?"

"That name, Fury. It isn't a proper one. I don't want to be defined by my anger, not anymore. Fury isn't the name of a person, it's the name of an operative, a soldier. I'll keep using it as a reminder of what has passed, but I would like … another. I would like another name, a proper one. Would you …, would you give me one?" My stomach twisted, but I pushed through it and I asked Aria, suddenly feeling shy. She didn't look surprised at my words though, instead she looked content.

"I'd expected this myself. Fury was always something I'd chosen on a whim, from cruel whimsy. If you'd let me, I would give you a proper one." She smiled at me, and I nodded my consent. I'd never resented her for my name, at the time it had been true. I was a ball of rage and anger back then. I was still like that, but it no longer consumed me like it once did. Time heals all wounds. Aria's eyes unfocused and she lost herself in thought. I said nothing, unwilling to break the silence we'd fallen into.

"Jakiros" Aria's voice was soft, but the word was filled with so much emotion. Her eyes focused on me once more. "My daughter, Jakiros T'Loak." She spoke softly, but with certainty. The words had weight, meaning. The name, it was mine. I am no longer a subject, I am now Aria's daughter. Nothing will take this from me, nothing! I had finally taken back what the facility stolen me, and I loved it. It made me feel …

What's this feeling now? I'm not equipped to handle all these different emotions I've been feeling these past few days.

It's hard to pin down, but I suppose I feel … free.

Rielle was leaving today, and I hated it. We were standing in the spaceport waiting for her ship to be ready to depart. Aria had elected not to come, so it was just me and her.

"I'll miss you." I tell her, and I will. There's so much else I want to say, but nothing I feel like saying.

"And I will miss you, I have enjoyed my time here far more than I ever thought I would. I never expected to make a friend here, but somehow I did. We can still message each other even after I'm gone. I don't want you to return to how you were though, you really need friends." She chided me gently, and I sighed.

"I don't know how to trust anyone enough for that. There were extenuating circumstances that helped with you, but they wouldn't have that."

"Regardless, you will have to try. I know it's difficult, but no-one should live that way, so alone. You should have more people you can confide in, other than just Aria. I'm happy to message you, but it isn't the same"

"No, it's not." Melancholy settles over my shoulders at the thought of her departure. I don't show it, not wanting to bring down the mood, but I already miss her. It's nice to be able to talk to her about things, some of which I didn't want to talk about Aria with either. We were closer than we'd ever been, but I didn't want to tell her everything I talked about with Rielle.

It had been a week since the Tattooing finished, and we certainly hadn't wasted time. RIelle did the best she could to introduce me to what having a friend was like. She took me window shopping, took me to some restaurants to eat and generally just hung around me. Some would confuse these outings for dates, but they never felt that way to me. It wasn't that we didn't do other things like that either, these last few weeks had been educational, but that was only a part of my time with Rielle, the less important part. I wasn't ready for anything more than being friends like that, and we both knew it. Instead, we got to know each other better, talked about our pasts and just generally had fun. It's a strange word, fun. I'd never really associated with anything more than combat before, but I found my time with her enjoyable. It made me feel .. calmer, content in a way I normally wasn't. I hope I can hang onto these feelings going forward, but it will be a struggle.

Also, she was apparently 150 years old, which came as a shock to me. I was only 19, 20? Something like that. My age came as a shock to Rielle as well, and we both found amusement in our respective reactions. She may have had an small crisis at the time, it left me wheezing from laughter.

"Just try for me, Fury." She requested, I nodded but had something else to say.

"Jakiros."

"What?" Rielle asked, confused.

"Fury wasn't really a name. I asked Aria for another one, a proper one. It's not something I will tell easily, but you have earnt it. Don't spread it around though." I smiled a wan smile.

"Jakiros." Rielle said my name, it was nice to hear it from someone else's lips. "I like that. Hopefully we can see each other again, if you're ever on Thessia shoot me a message. We can catch up." I nodded. "… and you can tell me all the juicy details you undoubtedly won't when messaging. I can see the way people have been eyeing you, there's interest there and I expect to hear some juicy tales." I nodded again, but much more hesitantly. People were giving me looks? I hadn't noticed anything of the sort but I didn't really know what to look out for. I'm not … against the idea in principle, but I don't know if I'm quite ready for that so soon after Rielle.

"We'll see."

"Oh, you'll tell me all right" she muttered, narrowing her eyes at me. She couldn't hide the twitching of her lips though, or the sadness in her eyes. We were interrupted by a beeping on her Omni-tool and my heart sank.

"Time to go?" I asked. She sighed but nodded. Rielle stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tightly. I squeezed back just as tight.

"Look after yourself, Jack. This place is dangerous." She whispered into my ear. Jack? I kind of like it.

"I'll be fine, look after yourself as well." I whispered back. After a long yet short minute, Rielle stepped back.

"Goodbye, Rielle."

"Goodbye, Jakiros."

And then she was gone. I stood there, watching her back as she walked away. I stood there, even as she embarked onto the ship, and then waited until the ship set off itself. I had expected to feel worse than I did, but I had known it was coming so I guess I'd prepared for that. I sighed at her absence, but I couldn't help but smile at the memories we had made.

I'll see you again, I'll make sure of it.

I was in my armour again as I stepped into Aria's alcove for the first time in weeks. She had given me time off to spend with Rielle while she was still here in addition to the time spent tattooing me, I was grateful for that.

"Rielle gone then?" I nodded.

"I'll miss her." I sighed.

"That's why you know she means something to you, it's part of the deal when you grow close to someone. It's not all perks, but I prefer it to the alternative." Aria waved her hand to the space beside her. I took the seat, not seeing any reason not too, it was late morning and the club was almost empty.

"I want to tell you about someone, so let me talk." Aria told me, her voice lower than her normal volume. She likely doesn't want this heard by anyone else, so I kept my eye on our surroundings to make sure no-one tried to listen in, no matter how small the chance.

"I haven't told you this, haven't told anyone really, but I have a daughter, another one." What? She has another, I hold my reaction as there's more to this. It doesn't sound good either. "Her name is Liselle, she's almost 200 years old … and I never see her. Part of my reticence to accept what we had was because of that …" she waved her arm aimlessly, sighing. "I have made mistakes in my life, many of them, but none I regret more than with Liselle. She wasn't like me, doesn't thrive for combat the way you or I do. In hindsight I'm glad for that, as neither you or I were like this to begin with, we weren't born this way, but built."

I looked at Aria's face for a moment, her eyes had unfocused. I had never heard her talk much about her past before, but I had suspected it was bad with how tight-lipped she was and some other subtle hints. It saddened me that she went through what I did, at least in some way, but it did help me feel a little closer.

"At the time, I tried to force her to be like me, to have my ruthlessness. I succeeded, somewhat-" Aria chuckled bitterly, "but it came at a price. I hurt my girl immensely, and she wants nothing to do with me now. She almost refuses to even acknowledge I'm her mother, and I don't blame her." I want to though, I really do. I try to restrain myself as it's not my place, but's its hard.

"I would like you to meet her at some point, but I don't know when as it's up to her. I just wanted you to know, the reason I hurt you at the time. You deserved to know why-" I turned to her wanting to retort but she raised her hand "- no, you do. I shouldn't have handled things the way I did. I never was a good mother."

I say nothing, as requested, but the saddened look on her face compels me, so I scoot over to her and lean into her side, wrapping my arm around her.

"You're good enough for me."

Aria blinks at me, but the corners of her lips do curl up. She leans into me, wrapping her arm around me, and that's where we sit for a while. Aria tells me more about Liselle and I listen, providing her reassurance if she needs it. It seems like Aria needed someone to vent to about this, and I was more than happy to let her after all she had done for me. It was the least I could do.