I plop down onto the couch inside the recreation room. The force would have broken the frame if it wasn't designed to handle a krogan. No matter how hard I try, I'm incapable of suppressing the cursed asari images in my head. I rub my vision balls and pay attention to the patterns behind my eyelids.
Jack sits down to my left and flirtatiously wraps her arm around my shoulder. Normally I would not care for her advances, today I need a distraction.
"I hear Sheppy is gone for a few days. Wanna go up and do it in his cabin? *********?" Jack pulls back and I can feel her eyes giving me a concerned look.
"..."
"What the fuck happened to you?" Jack asks.
"Looks like you could use a drink" Kasumi said. She holds a bottle in front of me. I come out of my daze and reply "nah just hit me over the head with that. Will make me black out sooner."
"What's up with you? It's like you saw a ghost" Kasumi asks. The door slides open and in comes Samara. She looks nothing like how I viewed her before. Her appearance is a mangled combination of a turian and drell. How did I not notice those huge scales before? My jaw hangs low. The air slowly leaves my chest, making the tiniest of noises.
"********* there you are. The artificial intelligence informed me you returned. I wished to see if you would join me in mediation. *********? What is wrong?" Her kind words are overshadowed by those cat-like pupils.
"..."
"*********?" Samara asks.
"..."
Kasumi asks "Are you feeling okay?"
There is no holding this back. "... I CAN SEE WHAT YOU REALLY LOOK LIKE!"
It takes a moment for the blue drell turian hybrid lady to process my words. Samara laughs loudly. She props herself on the wall and cries hysterically. It's kinda freaky. Now I know how others feel when I drop my poise attitude. This goes on for over a minute.
"I should have guessed you would see past the illusion sooner or later" Samara wipes a tear.
"The fuck?" Jack comments.
"What? What is it?" Kasumi asks.
I ask the ebony pajama japanese woman "What do you see when you look at her?"
"It's… Samara?" Kasumi said.
"Does she look like the wife of one of the blue men?" I ask.
"I don't know who that is. Samara looks like a blue human to me without hair" Kasumi said.
"A really fucking sexy one at that" Jack said.
I point to Samara. "She doesn't look like if Garrus and Thane had angry sex and made a hate baby?" I didn't mean to offend her.
"Would you please not describe my appearance in such a crass manner? ********* is one of the few who broke past the phenomenon of the illusion. For whatever reason, other species tend to view us closer to their own race. It's a well known phenomenon. It's unknown why this occurs. It doesn't just occur in person, it happens in movies, artwork, and more" Samara explains.
"Wait… so you don't actually look human?" Kasumi asks.
"Despite having no human ancestors, we do share some characteristics such as mammary glands and facial features which your brain picks up on and ignores the rest" Samara explains.
"Does it affect other asari?" Kasumi asks.
"Not to the same degree. I tend to view other asari with stronger turian characteristics, however it is largely determined by genetics. Someone with Krogan inheritance will focus on large wide eyes or other common Krogan traits. While asari reproduction doesn't actually involve gene transfer from the father, if you use that term, it's easier to explain" Samara said.
"Why can he see your true form now all of a sudden? Look at his face!" Kasumi enjoys my frozen unblinking gaze of shock and flabbergast.
"He's not the first. Rare individual's senses are more accurate than others. I suspect he triggered it somehow" Samara said.
"Will he, you know, go back to seeing you as before?" Jack asks.
"Will you be ok *********?" Kasumi asked.
In a high-pitched tone of despair, I answer "No.. no. Noooo."
"I. Hehe. Should leave him to adjust. It was a pleasure seeing you again Kasumi. Jacqueline. Please attend to ********* during these troubled times.
"See you later at girls night." Kasumi cheerily waves goodbye.
"Bring more of that asari liquor. That shit is amazing" Jack said.
Kasumi sits next to me and in a slow circular motion rubs my back while I bury my face into my palms. Her fingers ever so gently glide against my shirt. I haven't felt something like this in a long time. It feels nostalgic.
"That bad huh?" Kasumi said.
"You're such a fucking drama queen" Jack said.
"I made my emotions too strong" I regret that. Didn't know exactly when to stop. I tried turning it down but it's really hard to do consistently.
"Lay off him Jack" Kasumi defends me.
"I'm more shell shocked than anything. Imagine you woke up one day and all the hot men turned into weird creature amalgamations, except me of course" I said.
"Yeah, I can see how that would be a fucking drag. Kasumi… why don't we take his mind off things? Take off your robe" Jack suggests. Seriously? Now?
"I will do no such thing and he wouldn't go for it anyway. Too much of a gentleman" Kasumi said.
"I meant to show him your face. He hasn't seen it right?" Jack asks. The fingers of my right hand spread and I eyeball Kasumi. I am curious.
"Alright. I have a few drinks in me. Why not?" Kasumi pulls her hood down and I see her face.
"Whoa" I was not expecting that.
"What?" Kasumi asks.
"Your face is so doll like. It's kinda pretty but also setting off my be careful instincts. Did you have plastic surgery?"
"No it just how I am" Kasumi said.
"You look like an Oriental Barbie" Jack said.
"I'll… take that as a compliment. Feeling any better?" Kasumi asks.
"I'm having a weird day" I rub my temples.
"You should get some rest. The girls and I are watching chick flicks later. Since Shepard is away, the guys should also have a movie night. I'll make you popcorn" Kasumi offers.
"You're too sweet. Grunt has been asking me for good human honor stories and he never believes my own experiences. I bet Garrus would love 300" the creators of mass effect did base his race off the Spartans. Their faces are the freaking helmets.
"I heard of that. It is a really old movie. That sounds nice. How is Grunt by the way? For a Krogan he seems very kind" Kasumi said.
"That's my doing. I told him strong men ignore their selfish urges and are nice to others. Also, to teach them a lesson if they think kindness is a weakness" I said.
"How do you go from wise sage to violent sociopath so easily?" Jack asked.
"I have many hats. I blend in to where I travel" I explained.
"You. blend. in? To be perfectly honest, you stick out around here" Kasumi said.
I ask "A spaceship with a zombie cyborg in charge, a scared turian, a lizard man with pneumonia, Zaheed, and I'm the one who sticks out?"
"He's got a point" Jack said. I scout over to the tattooed naked woman defending me.
"Maybe I've had too much to drink" Kasumi hiccups and spills her drink on me. It's a very small amount. She apologizes. I don't care and excuse myself to go to the bathroom.
I make my way to the laboratories to freshen up. I wash my face only to enjoy the sensation of cool water running down my face. In the bathroom, I look over to my sworn enemy. John… The John. I will find out how to flush that toilet one day.
