/.../

Shepard rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet as she looks at a painting of some circuitry; a brass placard next to the image indicates that the circuitry is a part of a device Tevos created in her earlier days. Of course, Tevos would not openly admit it, but the truth is, the Councillor is a huge tech nerd, and Shepard has more than once caught her gushing about some new technological advancements her companies have made. "The councillor will see you now," A voice calls.

Shepard turns to see P'Lyssia, Tevos's PA. After a blink and a slight bow of her head, Shepard turns to the Councillors office door and opens it after a polite knock. Shepard frowns a little as she walks into the room, the typically brightly lit room is dark, and the air is cool.

"Shepard, what can I do for you?" A tired voice calls out from behind a desk.

Shepard looks to the source of the voice and sees Tevos slouched at her desk, even in the dim light, the Asari's appearance is dreadful, her skin looks pale, and her eyes look sunken. "It doesn't matter," Shepard then replies after realising the Councillor is not well. "But you look like a bear's chew toy. Get some rest."

After breathing in and out, Tevos begins to stand up, "My work does not rest, Shepard."

Shepard raises a brow, the Councillor does not look steady on her feet, and her body moves from side to side in a wavering motion, "You look drunk," Shepard tells the Councillor, "No work is this important."

Getting in front of her desk, Tevos leans backwards and rests her rump on the table. A hand then comes up to her forehead, and fingers rub small soothing circles into her skin. "I know you know that is a lie."

Shepard shrugs her shoulders, she knows she lied when she spoke her earlier statement, but the Councillor needed to hear it. "True." She then says, "By the way, your nose is also running,"

Tevos raises a hand to her nose and rubs it before looking at her hand, and Shepard can tell from the Asari's reaction that what she sees is not good nows. The Asari begins to open and close her mouth a few times like a fish, but no sounds come out. Then, seeing the Asari beign to fall forward, Shepard quickly moves and catches her just before her head can smash off the floor; the Asari is unconcious. Picking the Asari up under her arms and at the back of her legs, Shepard quickly carries her to a nearby sofa and places her down before playing around with her omni-tool and calling the Estates doctor for advice; Shepard has no idea what to do with a passed out Asari.

"Shepard?" The Asari answers the call with, "Is everything alright?" The doctor knows Shepard does not like doctors and would only come to her if something was really troubling her.

"No." Shepard immediately replies, "Tevos has just passed out and has blood running out her nose. We are in her office at work."

Almost immediately, Shepard hears the doctor shouting at someone through the tool before returning to the call; the doctor then says, "I'm coming with an EMT. ETA 4 mins. What is her current condition?" Shepards AI quickly translates this to 6.40 Human minutes.

"Breathing rate 11 breaths per minute." Shepard then places a hand on Tevos's neck before answering 20 seconds later, "Heart rate is around 51bpm. She has been unconscious about a minute now." Shepard does not know if this is good or bad, but she does know the stats are slightly less than an Asari's rest rate.

"Understood," The doctor replies, her breathing rate is increasing by the second, so Shepard concludes she must be rushing to a skycar, "Has she hit her head?" The doctor then asks between breaths.

"No," Shepard tells, "I caught her before that happened."

"Good, can you open the balcony door?"

Shepard looks for an electronic control pad for few minutes and figures out just how to open the balcony door as a skycar arrives, hovering a few feet above the balcony. 3 Asari, each clutching onto various pieces of equipment immediately jump out of the car, one of which is the doctor, and Shepard guides them to where Tevos is still lying unconscious on the sofa. With the doctors working, Shepard steps back and watches on from behind the Councillors desk. Looking down at the computer on the desk, Shepard realises that it is unlocked, IO could hack it with ease should it wish and know everything the Councillor knows. After thinking for a second, Shepard reaches to the virtual keyboard and presses a combination of keys to lock it.

"Thea," The doctor says after a second to scan Tevos, "Stretcher now."

A medic begins to fumble with a device so Shepard steps forward, knowing she could carry the Asari for quite a while without tiring. "I'll carry her; is it safe?" Asari are far lighter than Human marines.

"Yes." The doctor replies, "We need to go now."

The doctor leads Shepard to the skycar and Shepard wastes no time in climbing in with Tevos in her arms; the second the doors of the vehicle shut, the driver makes a beeline for Tevos's estate. In the car, the doctor continues to scan the incapacitated Asari and speaks doctor speak to the other medics, her words coming out like rapid-fire and go well above Shepard's understanding of Asari biology.

Getting to Tevos's estate, the doctor then leads Shepard through the estate and has her drop the Asari in a medical bed that has an army of doctors around it before shooing her out of the room so they can work. Then, before closing the door and ensuring complete privacy, the doctor simply says, "Well done."

With a question of 'why?' lingering over her, Shepard shakes her head and decides to go to the gym.

/.../

Two days later, Shepard looks up as a shadow is cast over her by the estates lead doctor; the aged Asari has a clear look of disapproval on her face, "You know what I think of that." The doctor says with clear disdain in her voice. Shepard looks down to her left hand, where a small crystal glass is filled with a transparent light brown liquid. "And how much of it you consume." Shepard is well known in the estate to be a boozehound, and her drinking has only gone through the roof since she was officially removed from her post in the Human armed forces.

In truth, the doctor has voiced her concerns to Tevos regarding Shepard's mental health; while the doctor does not think Shepard is precarious, the increase in drinking shows Shepard isn't happy. While in Armax Arena, Nyx has also confirmed Shepard has started to look furious and will often find Krogans to punch and kick and is slowly getting a reputation for beating the crap out of anyone bold enough to step in the ring. Initially, Shepard used many techniques to bring her victims down, but recent videos recorded by Nyx show she has started to prefer just raw strength and violence.

Shepard shrugs before looking back to the ongoing chess game. Since introducing the game a few months back, the Asari have gone from complete novices to experts. "Doc," Shepard begins to say slowly, her thoughts are more with the game than her response, "You also know I don't give a flying fuck. So, how is the boss?"

"Awake," The doctor answers while crossing her arms over her chest, "And asking for you."

Shepard chugs the rest of the drink in her glass before reaching forward and picking up a dark green bottle. "Then," Shepard begins to articulate as she pours herself another glass, "I better not keep her waiting."

Arriving at the medical room, Shepard rasps her knuckles off the door before gaining permission to enter. As she enters, a heavily armed teal skinned, purple tattooed Asari walks out. As they pass one another, Shepard begins to exchange some pleasantries, but the Asari tries to shoulder her out of the way; Shepard does not falter at the failed shoulder barge, resulting in a starring contest as both participants size one another up. Realising now is not the time for a confrontation, Shepard reluctantly allows the Asari to pass by stepping to the side. Entering the room a second later with a shake of her head, Shepard finds Tevos sat in an armchair and looking out over the docks, the Asari looks a little pale, but other than this, unharmed. "I think this is two one now," Shepard says when the door behind her is closed. "Also, she is a fun one." Shepard gestures over her shoulder with a thumb.

"Yes," Tevos responds, "Indeed it is two one, and Spectres tend to be grumpy when a council member is attacked; you would be wise not to provoke her."

"Attacked?" Shepard asks with a raised brow as she pulls a chair over to sit down near the Councillor.

"The device you found," Tevos begins to elaborate, "Our scientists suspect it has been the cause to all of this. All of my headaches and frustrations are a symptom of that malicious device."

"Damn," Shepard notes as she positions the chair so that it looks out over the docks, "What's going to happen about it?"

"She will not tell me; I am temporarily removed from duty to facilitate healing," Tevos informs softly.

Being happy with the position of her chair Shepard plonks herself down into it, "So, how long are you trapped in here?"

"Two days." Tevos replies, "But my recovery period is up to 3 months."

"3 months with no work? You will go crazy." Shepard remarks, "Your too much of a workhorse."

"I do not know what a horse is, but my accounts will have been locked down by now. Therefore, I am unable to conduct my job till the Council of Matriarchs judge I am capable, and my accounts are unlocked; it is a common action for a Councillor after a brain injury."

Shepard raises a brow at the news of a brain injury, and since the Councillor is revealing information, she decides to prod, "Brain injury?"

Tevos turns from looking at the dock, "Yes, unfortunately, I have suffered unexplained necrosis of brain cells, which has ultimately allowed my brain to haemorrhage."

"That sounds shit," Shepard remarks crudely, "But I don't buy unexplained. You're advanced enough to know if it is a disease, radiation damage or something else."

Tevos blinks at Shepard before turning to look out the window, "Agreed."

"Hmm," Shepard hums before allowing a small silence to form between them. Finally, after a few quiet seconds, Shepard says, "I do have some good news for you, however."

Tevos turns from looking at the docks and the various vessels that are pulling in or leaving to enter the abyss, "You do?"

Shepard pulls out a phone from her pocket, loads up a news story and offers the device to the Councillor, "The President has ratified a peace treaty. Captain Melchett has been given permission to sign it on your big ship."

Tevos takes the phone but does not look down to read the news story; had she done so, she would realise the phone handed to her is not Shepard's personal device. "Any stipulations I should know of?"

Shepard nods her head, "Yeah. A cyber attack on Ultron, IO or Freya is considered a declaration of war. All other AI are essentially Human citizens. The document is quite long, so you may need to set some time aside to read it."

"I have seen a draft," Tevos reveals, "But it will be 3 weeks out of date by now. Do you mind if I keep your phone for an hour or two to read the document?" The peace treaty is a big old document that will take the best part of an hour to read.

"Yeah," Shepard replies while gesturing to the device, "This is my spare phone. I was given another on the Praetorian befor coming here, so keep that one at least while you're trapped here. It probably has chess installed and a few other games." Shepard made sure she uninstalled the browser so Tevos could not start searching for revealing and damaging information on her species. "The pattern to unlock it is an L shape."

"Well," Tevos begins to speak, "Between this and that child's game, you are certainly keeping me entertained."

Shepard looks over to a bench in the room which has dozens of get well gifts on top of it; most of the gifts are from the estate as Tevos's condition is being kept quiet from the wider public for now. "Hey," She then says when she sees her robotic game, "I thought that was a good gift." The vast majority of the gifts are sweets, books and smelling salts; Shepard's mechanical toy is definitely different from the normal.

Tevos smirks and blinks, "I must admit, I do look forward to building the robot; it will take me back to my years first learning electronics."

"Knew you would like it." Shepard says, feeling some accomplishment that her mad idea actually paid off.

"Hmm," Tevos hums again before then asking, "I do have a request. I need to learn your language and not rely on a translator."

Shepard nods, she half expected this and is somewhat surprised it took this long for the Councillor to ask, "Alright. I can start whenever you want."

"Now is as good of a time as any."

/.../

8 hours later - middle of the night.

Tevos looks to the phone on a bedside table next to her bed and reaches over to pick it up, she has read all the Human news stories, but something else has her interest. Opening the picture gallery, Tevos is surprised when she is greeted by thousands and thousands of photos, screenshots, and meme's. Scrolling through the countless images, Tevos eventually finds what she is after, images and videos of Shepards earlier years. As she continues to scroll, Tevos finds things she was not expecting. Examples are an image of Shepard on the front page of a magazine, fully kitted out in military armour and hundreds of pictures of Shepard with a dog. Eventually, Tevos finds videos from a war that must have been recorded by Shepard's body armour, and she regrets watching a few of the videos as they show Shepard brutally killing her enemy without remorse or the soldier being spaced when her ship was damaged in an attack.

After scrolling past the images from what must have been a truly horrific war, Tevos tilts her head at the type of images saved; instead of dark images or dark soldier humour, the photos show a young woman enjoying life. Some images show Shepard touring the world on a motorcycle, others show her walking some mountains with a small posse of dogs at her side, and some pictures are of model ships that she must have made.

Closing the phone down, Tevos returns to bed, but her mind is active as she wonders what to do with this new information.

/.../

Captain Melchert twirls his ginger tinted moustache in his fingers before reaching over for a hot wet. "So," He then says, eyeing those sitting around the table with him, "How do we get home?" The peace deal has now been signed, he has posed for photos, and the Citadel fleet has pulled all but one ship out of the system, meaning his job here is essentially complete.

Shepards brother leans forward on his chair and picks up his own coffee before taking a sip; all those in the room know that the situation is rather grim for themselves. The military do not expect the Relay to be powered back up, the inners fear it too much, and they all know their ships cannot survive long term at reach. Yes, the Geth have started to provide generators to recharge their ships, but grey goo food reserves will not last forever, and mental health will ultimately suffer from being stuck in a ship with no way home.

One option explored was settling on a planet in this system and waiting for Sol to figure out FTL, but a quick visit in the form of a flyby from Shepard's ship has proven that this is unfeasible. The planets in this system are barren and dead rocks; these worlds are currently unusable husks without the equipment developed to bring life to Mars.

The Captain also does not want to rely on the Council; if they stop their support for whatever reason, they will be back at square one, stuck in empty space. Of course, the same is true of the Geth, but at least the Geth have already proven to be dedicated through actions as opposed to words.

A Geth reduces the size of its primary sensor aperture before stating, "The Geth can return your people to the system designated Sol."

Shepard half shakes his head and half nods, "That leaves us with two problems. First of all, we will need to wait for Ultron to come out of his shell; otherwise, every counter and cross will have access to our stuff, and secondly, I don't think your ships are big enough to transport ours."

The Geth's response is almost immediate, "Your calculations are correct. You will be required to dismount from your vessels and embark Geth constructs."

Melchett doesn't like it, but the Geth have just provided him with the only possible chance of getting his people home, but at the same time, Shepard is right. Should they abandon this place without Ultron returning to normal operations, anyone could come and take Ultrons defence platforms. With the Batarians being on their doorstep, this is a very real possibility. They could deny the platforms by pushing them into the local star, but that would not be ideal.

The Captain leans forward himself as he considers before asking the Geth unit, "What is the logistics of this? How can you guarantee we won't get sick?"

The Geths primary aperture lights up just before the AI replies, "AI designation Freya has previously provided the Geth with a solution. We can manufacture this solution in theatre."

The Captain sits back, if Freya designed the solution, then he has no qualms about it, but he still wants to confirm with Freya himself, the Geth, however unlikely, could be lying to him. "When Freya returns to routine operations, I will have her confirm. The other issue we have is we agreed to let some of the Council species come back to Earth; they will expect an invite."

"If...," Shepard begins to speak, "They even agree to step foot on a Geth vessel." Shepard then looks to the Geth platform, "They have made it clear they do not trust you."

There is an extended silence till the Captain takes a large sip of his hot drink before then saying, "Well, if the Geth are happy to take them, and they are happy to come along, we still meet our end of the deal. But, if we are all content, we are now just waiting on the big three to come out of hiding."

"The Geth are in consensus; we will accommodate."

Shepard simply nods.

/.../

3 weeks later

Shepard flips a heavy construction tyre end over end four times before asking, "What time are you leaving?"

Before replying to Shepard, Tevos approaches the tyre and leans down to get her fingers under it to ensure a good grip; the tyre is heavy and requires all her strength to lift, "Hours two time."

After flipping the tyre, Tevos stands back a little out of breath, allowing Shepard to approach the tyre. As Shepard begins to flip the tyre, she replies to the Councillor, "Why?"

Tevos does not wait till Shepard has finished flipping the tyre before responding, "I have to go to work."

"Have to or want to?" Shepard asks as she yet again flips the tyre. The soldier makes the tyre flips look easy, but Tevos knows it is anything but; the tyre has come from a heavy-duty construction vehicle and is almost half her height when stood up end on end. The Asari has done this exercise with Shepard multiple times now, yet she still does not know how the Human can flip the tyre numerous times in quick succession.

"Need to," Tevos responds after a moment to comprehend what was asked of her.

Shepard flips the tyre twice in quick succession before then standing back from the impromptu bit of exercise equipment, "What is your job?"

As Tevos approaches the tyre, she slowly responds, "I have an job important."

"You have job important?" Asks Shepard with a raised brow, but the Councillor can not see this; her back is to the Human; Shepards tone, however, gives away her question.

"An important job," Tevos responds with a slight scowl before slowly lifting the tyre and flipping it. The tyre had been purchased off Shepards own back for relatively cheap and has quickly become a part of the estate's gym; for the Asari, the weighty tyre is more a novelty than a regular piece of exercise equipment.

As Shepard once more approaches the tyre, she takes a quick look at the Councillor who has a stiff posture to her, the Asari is usually better than this, so she starts to speak in galactic as opposed to English, "You're worried," She then accuses before flipping the tyre.

Tevos blinks, but Shepard does not see it as she is focused on flipping the tyre. After blinking, Tevos then tells her, "I have been told through sources that Freya has agreed to a debate regarding the Relays. They are organising it for my return to duties" In truth, Tevos is hesitant to debate with the AI; from her fleeting interactions with Humanities AI, she knows they will make her look like a fool if she makes a mistake. "So yes, I am worried."

"Then for a good reason," Shepard says while continuing to flip the tyre, "But she is not unbeatable." Then, after toppling the tyre again, Shepard turns to face Tevos, "When it comes to the debate, do not argue against her logic; you will not win that fight. Besides, you might have more time then you think to prepare; Freya still hasn't solved this virus problem."

"So, where do I win the fight?" Asks Tevos, but the Councillor already has an idea to aim at people's emotions, something which facts can often not affect.

Shepard begins to flip the tyre again, "AI's are logical creatures; for them, two is always greater than one. Humans are not logical; two is greater than one unless it's a rainy day."

"You and rain," Tevos tells before reaching for a drink of water. The Councillor has found that Shepard is not particularly fond of the rain; Shepard has made it crystal clear she likes the sun and the warmth it brings.

Shepard flips the tyre again to buy her some time to think before she responds, "Think of it this way. Why do we drink alcohol? It is not good for us by any means, yet we still do it on the regular. I will always agree alcohol is unhealthy, yet I don't care. Freya will tell how the Relay is the greatest threat to Humanity. You must tell them it is for their benefit." Shepard speeds up her flips of the tyre before then telling, "And if that fails, tell them if the Relay is shutdown, say bye-bye to the blue space babes. That will win you a good chunk of the vote."

Tevos rolls her eyes because while she knows Shepard is joking, she also knows that, in truth, the argument would probably win a fair few humans over. "If you say so." Evidence from the Party Boat has told the Asari political scientists that Human men are very interested in their people.

After flipping the tyre over a few more times and at a furious pace, Shepard approaches a bottle of water and takes a large swag before speaking in English and asking Tevos, "Are we done?"

"Yes," The Asari answers quickly and with some hidden hope; when she exercises with Shepard, Tevos quickly finds herself looking forward to the end of the session. Shepard's PT sessions are not a typical gym session; instead, the ex-soldier focuses on something the Human calls 'green' PT. Flipping tyres, dragging heavyweights, running with weight, and carrying 80 kilos to simulate another person's weight on your shoulders are all regular activities when Shepard exercises. This is all something Tevos has discovered more of over the last 3 weeks now that she is temporarily removed from post.

Usually, Shepard has a few people interested in exercising with her to experience one of her sessions, but most only attend a single session, and nearly everyone who tries vomits before the cooldown. Shepard never pushes anyone to the point that they vomit; instead, those attending typically try and keep up with her, only to find that doing so is not an easy feat. Tevos herself had vomited the first few times till she realised that she did not need to try and keep up with the soldier, and now, she gets a disgusting hour of exercise that is not just running on a treadmill or lifting some weights in the gym. If she keeps attending, she would quickly gain muscle mass and bulk up.

The only other person who still regularly attends is a Turian, a bondmate to an Asari in the estate, but even he turns up to every other session. Tevos herself only turns up to one in every three sessions; her muscles could not take this punishment daily.

As they return the tyre to its storeage location, Tevos eyes some metal tubes on the floor and some wooden beams nearby, "Your stretcher?" She asks.

"The starts of it," Shepard nods before lifting the tyre off the floor and placing it on a large hook. In addition to providing some unusual kit to the gym, Shepard has also taken to reorganising it, and has created 'shadow boards' for pieces of equipment. Tevos does not deny that Shepard has started to claim the gym as her own, but the Asari does not mind; the gym has never been so well looked after. "I'm going to thrash Nyx's team with it."

"Does she know this yet?" Tevos inquires.

Shepard gains a slightly evil look in her eye but before Tevos could react, the look is gone, "No," Shepard then answers, "And she is going to hate every second of it."

Seeing a large log of wood, Tevos then inquires, "What is the log for?"

Shepard once more has an evil smirk creep across her face, but it vanishes quickly, "Ever tried a log run?" Shepard asks, but she already knows the answer.

"No?" Tevos responds.

"It's good for getting the heart pumping," Shepard then answers, "Or squeezing." Shepard learned not too long ago that Asari hearts work a bit differently from Human hearts. While a human heart is approximately the same size and rough shape as a clenched fist, an Asari heart looks more like a can that you would get with a fizzy drink in it. While a human heart can be said to go 'BuDum BuDum BuDum' an Asari heart is more 'Squelch Squelch Squelch.' Which design is better? If Shepard had to sum it up, she would do so with one sentence, if an Asari has heart failure, it's newsworthy.

Despite the medical gains in Sol, cardiac arrest still claims many human lives, simply from either failing to get proper medical checks through their life or from people just not looking after their bodies. The madness of it all is the idea that if everyone went for a simple check-up, most who have heart attacks would have avoided it.

"Shepard, what are you doing on Retti?" Tevos asks.

Shepard raises a brow, Retti is a day of the week, a day she would call Friday in human terms, "I've no plans. Why?"

"Tevura," Tevos replies as if this is the answer.

Shepard slows her walk as she thinks, and after a moment to consider she says, "Is that what has been on the posters around the commons?"

Tevos blinks, "It is an Asari holiday. Most of my species observe it, faith or not."

As they leave the storage room, Shepard asks a simple question that anyone unaware of Tevura would ask, "What does this holiday consist of?"

"Depends what you intend to make of it," Tevos unhelpfully replies, "Tevura was a mythological entity responsible for travel, law, sex and love. Many Asari travel back to their home estates, some travel to places of cultural importance, others use it to be thankful for their loved ones, and others demonstrate their love for one another."

"Well," Shepard begins to reply, "I can't travel anywhere, and it's just little old me here."

"No, but you can drink," Tevos responds, knowing full well the soldier can drink like a fish if she wants to, "A few of us are going to go for smoothies. You may join us if you wish so." An Asari smoothie is equivalent to a fruity cocktail.

Shepard shakes her head in a dismissing manner, "I'm alright," She then says, "I don't need anyone else looking or feeling. Whenever I go out drinking with the rabble, all people ever do is stare."

Tevos blinks in understanding. Being a technology entrepreneur and a Councillor, she realises the problems of being famous, "Shepard," She starts to say, "We are not going to venues which the public can access. I can ensure that."

Shepard perks up and her interest is obviously raised, "Alright, you have my interest, but I do have a question; can you even drink with your noggin?"

"Not yet," Tevos confesses after asking Shepard for a translation of 'noggin', "But I do not need to drink."

Getting to the floor that houses her accommodation, Shepard stops and turns to Tevos, "I'm more than tempted," She tells her, "When do you need to know by?"

Tevos blinks in acceptance before adding, "We will be going to respected establishments, Shepard; respectable wear is a pre-requisite for entry, meaning an evening dress. But I do not need an answer."

"Ponyalai," Shepard answers in her native tongue before turning on the spot to return to her room.

/.../

Shepard stands at a door for a few minutes, considering if she is doing the right thing before knocking on the wooden door a few times. Then, a few seconds later, she hears Ophelia shout, "Push the door too. I'm in the middle of something."

Taking the invitation, Shepard opens the door and looks around the neatly organised room; Ophelia is sitting in front of a screen that appears to be full of equations or mathematics, none of which she is likely to understand. Ophelia studies theoretical physics at the university on the Citadel, and from all accounts, she is one of their leading students. "What are you working on?" Shepard asks, feigning interest while gawking at a screen.

"Mass corridors," Ophelia replies, "If you know anything about it, I'd be grateful for any advice."

Shepard shakes her head, "Beyond me. What even is a mass corridor?"

"What the Relays use," Ophelia explains, but she politely hides that this is information a child Asari knows, "I'm trying to connect two corridors together. Matriarch Tevos has offered me a hundred million if I crack it, and a hundred billion if I can provide the required technology to replicate it."

Shepard makes a whistling sound, "That's a fair few credits."

Ophelia blinks, "Tell me about it, but that is a scratch of her wealth. So, what are you really here for?" Of course, Shepard knows that Tevos is wealthy, but a small search on her omni-tool confirmed that Tevos is one of the most affluent Asari going, if not the richest.

Shepard considers for a few seconds once more before committing to what she is here for, "I need your advice. I've been invited by Tevos to a few smoothie bars tomorrow." Ophelia raises an interested brow, but she doesn't say anything, "I don't know what to wear. I've just been told a respectable evening dress."

"Who is going?" Ophelia asks.

Shepard raises, then drops her shoulders and shakes her head, "I wouldn't know."

Ophleia blinks before standing from her chair, "Then I'll assume it's other Matriarchs. Come on, I'll get you something sorted, but," Ophelia uses the flat palm of her hand to point at Shepard, "No arguing."

"No arguing...?" Shepard repeats as she follows Ophelia out of the door while also quietly wondering if she was just Brecon chopped by the unwitting Asari, "What madness are you planning?"

"I know what you are like," Ophelia replies to Shepard, "You hate dresses, so you will be so incredibly picky, if not frustrating, meaning what I pick first time goes, or I return to work right now."

Shepard is about to reply and contest the statement but stops herself; she must admit Ophelia is true to the point. As she follows, Shepard eventually says, "Fine, just nothing too revealing."

"That won't be an issue," Ophelia reassures, "The locations you will be going to won't let you in if your half-dressed." Ophelia then cracks her fingers, "But, I do have some ideas in mind."

"Oh no," Is Shepards only return.

Getting to the estate's cloth printing machine, Ophelia starts to enter some settings into the device and then looks to Shepard, squints and then starts to enter some more information. "Stand over there," She eventually says while pointing to a black spot on the floor in front of a sensor, "The machine needs to take your measurements." Shepard quickly moves to the desired location.

"Alright," Ophelia then says after giving the machine a second to do its scans and then hitting a button. The moment the button is pressed, the clothing machine begins to whirr and rapidly construct a garment; its printing nozzles move so fast they can barely be seen working. As the machine works, Ophelia then asks, "Dark blue or black?"

"Black," Is Shepards almost instinctual response.

"Thought so, I don't even know why I asked," Ophelia muses to Shepard just as the machine comes to a stop, its first item created in a matter of seconds.

"Put this on," Opheleia instructs while handing over the newly printed garment.

Shepard looks at the item in her hands; the garment is a rigid corset. "This is..."

"Complaining," Ophelia says in a disapproving tone. Shepard steels her jaw to stop her protests and removes her shirt, only to then clasp the garment around her and tug at the strings at the back. Seeing the Human struggle, Ophelia clenches her fists to suppress some humour before moving in to help and pulling the chords tight.

"Shepard, Tevos wears these to win over the Turians..."

"So why am I wearing one?" Shepard queries. "I don't care what they think."

"Because," Ophelian begins, "You asked me, and I don't do a half job." The Asari pulls the cord tight and ties a bow, "This is just a part of it."

"This is humiliating," Shepard announces once Ophelia has done her work.

Ophelia's only response is to say, "Hmm," As she returns to the machine and enters some more details. Then, after a few seconds to enter information, she once more points to the spot on the floor, "Stand, please."

Shepard begrudgingly moves to the spot, and the machine once again scans her, only to then rapidly create another clothing item, a black dress that will go down to her knees and leave her shoulders bare. The black colour of the dress is only disrupted by a single thin red stripe that goes down either side of the dress. With the item created, Ophelia once more hands it over to Shepard, "Check it fits."

Shepard quickly dons the garment as the machine whizzes back into life, and sure enough, it fits her like a glove, "Well," Shepard says, looking in a mirror, "It leaves little to the imagination." It is a conservative dress in what it reveals, but it is very form-fitting - not Shepard's usual style.

"Last item," Ophelia quips before handing her two flat souled shoes that cover her toes but reveal her ankle. Shepard looks at the shoes and is pleasantly surprised, "No heels?" She asks. Ophelia looks on blankly, "That is good news." Shepard then announces. "Socks or no socks?"

Ophelia only rolls her eyes before breathing out deeply, a small breath in, and then answering, "No socks. But for doing this, you now owe me one."

"I didn't agree to anything," Shepard retorts.

"No." Ophelia confirms with a blink, "You didn't, but you still owe me one. Anyway, I have work to do."

/.../

Shepard tilts her head slightly as she looks at the Asari approaching her, her AI tells her that the Asari's face structure belongs to Tevos, but the face markings are entirely different. Some of the Asari tattoos are white, some are black, and the pattern design is radically different from what she has come to expect with Tevos. But the Asari is wearing something Shepard would expect from the Councillor, a conservative, form-fitting red dress that shows off her curves. "Tevos?" Shepard asks, her voice showing she isn't entirely convinced; maybe this is someone from Tevos's family? Shepard knows this is the holiday of travel, and the Councillor does have a child.

"In the flesh," The Asari replies with some murph in her tone, "Tonight I am incognito." The Asari then circles Shepard to study her evening wear, "As I believe you are."

"Ophelia's doing," Shepard responds, not sounding all too happy about it.

"Then I owe her my thanks," Tevos announces when she stops circling Shepard, "Before we leave, do you have your personal electronic device?"

"You mean my phone?" Tevos blinks in confirmation, "No, this thing doesn't have any pockets. All I have is this." Shepard raises her left arm revealing her omni-tool wrapped securely around her wrist.

"Good," Tevos announces, "Then let us go."

"Do I need my shadows?" Shepard asks, being well aware that her guards are not with her.

Tevos asks what her 'shadows' are before responding with, "No, not for tonight. I've already made other arrangements for our security."

Walking out of the estate, Shepard and Tevos arrive at the skycar landing zone at the bottom of the estates garden, where a highly fashionable and expensive-looking matt-silver skycar awaits. From looks alone, Shepard must assume this is the Cision Motors of Citadel skycars, the most premium of skycar brands. "Nice ride." Is Shepards only comment as she looks around the car.

"Thank you," Tevos responds as she manually opens the driver's door, "This model is older than most residents on the Citadel."

"Oh?" Shepard asks as she moves to open the passenger's door, "How old are we talking?"

"837 Years," Tevos recalls as she takes a seat behind the driver's controls; the controls to this fine beast are vastly different from a normal skycar, to the point it's almost unrecognisable.

Shepard whistles in appreciation before carefully lowering herself down and into the passenger's seat; she dares not damage the chair's leather. As she closes the door she begins to speak, saying, "We have a few land cars older than this on Earth. Only available to the select few."

"Yes," Muses Tevos as she pushes a physical key that has an audible click as its mechanical core is engaged, "I would imagine so. I have had this car for nearly 400 years, and it cost me a fair credit back then." Upon powering up, Shepard can hear the engines start to hum in a way that suggests they are itching to be let loose. "Are you good to go?"

Shepard stops looking around the interior of the car and gives her attention to Tevos; the Asari is smirking like a Cheshire cat. "Yes?" Shepard answers as much as she asks, feeling like something unexpected is about to happen. Sure enough, the second Tevos hears her answer, the car is accelerating at a speed that pushes Shepard backwards into her chair and desperately holding onto something for her dear life. The engines just a few inches behind her can be heard roaring as they consume vast amounts of power from the cars energy cells.

After a few moments, the acceleration dies, and Tevos begins to laugh before saying, "This car's power is unrestricted, unlike every other car on this station," She informs, "It is probably the fastest skycar in this cluster."

Shepard nods, "I don't doubt it." By now, she has experienced a fair few skycars, and while they are fast, they do not seem fast; however, this car feels like it runs with the speed and grace of a thousand greased gazelles. "Won't you get pulled over for speeding?"

"We may," Tevos blinks, "But that makes it half the fun, doesn't it?"

"I suppose," Shepard admits as she looks out the front window, scanning the horizon for anything that may look like a CSEC car; Tevos is driving considerably faster than the nearby skycars. "But where has this part of you been hiding?"

"It comes out occasionally," Tevos informs with a small smirk, "But do not worry, CSEC couldn't catch us if they tried."

"Aren't you worried about the political fallout?"

Tevos clenches her hands around the steering controls, "No." Tevos can see from Shepards face that she is trying to work her out; why would someone who spends so much care and attention on her political appearance not care about being charged for speeding? Knowing what Shepard is thinking, Tevos puts her mind at ease, "Do not worry, we do not break the speeding laws till I pass 300kmh. Right now, we are doing 297.8kmh. Anyway, we are almost at our destination."

It is only a few seconds till the car begins to deaccelerate, and Tevos descends the vehicle down to a tall skyscraper. Upon getting out of the fancy skycar on a landing pad near the top floor of the building, Tevos and Shepard are immediately approached by a well dressed Turian porter, who asks them for their reservations.

Tevos produces a holographic image on her omni-tool, and after a quick glance the porter stumbles over his words a little before producing a clear plastic bag from a concealed pocket, a QR like code adorning the bag. Eventually, the Turian splutters, "Please scan the code and deposit your personal electronic devices." With both Shepards and Tevos's tools in the bag, the porter moves to open a large glass and gold looking door behind him, "Enjoy your evening," He says with a Turian smile, a show of the teeth.

"Why the bag?" Shepard asks, although she already suspects the answer.

"If no one has their PEDs, then no one can take photos," Tevos responds predictably.

As they move through the doors, Shepard can't help but look around in wonder; everything about the room screams classy. The tables are made from fine wood, the floor is marble, a five-piece brass band plays soothing background music in the corner, and a crystal chandelier on the roof lights the room in a warm light. From looking at those in the room and assessing their dress state, Shepard does not doubt they are all wealthy. "What are you thinking?" Tevos asks.

"It is certainly not my usual drinking hole." Shepard responds while still looking around; she decides that she has only ever once been somewhere just as fancy, and that was to resolve a hostage situation. "I'm also sure I've seen some of these people on adverts and whatnot."

"You will have," Tevos assures, "This establishment caters to the rich and famous; it provides them with a place they can go and drink without worry of people interrupting or stalking them."

"So, how do you get entry to a place like this? Pay some big bill to prove wealth?"

"Every applicant is considered," Tevos reveals, "A bill is not mandatory, but they can opt into membership fees for exclusive bonuses."

"You seem to know a lot about it," Shepard comments.

I own it." Tevos then announces off handily. "A purchase 200 citadel cycles ago."

Shepard snorts and shakes her head, "Of course you do. I guess that is why the porter looked a little off guard? His big bad boss has unexpectedly shown up."

"I would guess so. He probably read my name on the tickets and was not expecting me to look like this."

Shepard turns her head to look at Tevos, "I thought you were incognito? You're not very incognito if you're putting your name on your ticket."

"I am incognito," Tevos blinks, "But I can not be found to be using fake identification. Speeding is one thing; fake ID would be a world of trouble. I also needed my ID to book this evening."

When a well-dressed waiter approaches, Tevos gives her name, and without needing to check a table plan, the waiter takes Shepard and Tevos to a secluded table set up for two. The moment they are sat and are comfortable, the waiter looks to Tevos and asks for her order. Tevos quickly orders two drinks, one of which is an alcoholic drink for Shepard, and the waiter blinks in response before promptly disappearing, presumably to craft the drinks.

Turning from looking at the waiter, Shepard looks back to Tevos, "So, a table for two ey?"

"Admittedly," Tevos blinks, "The consort has had other affairs arise, and Matriarch Realisa was always a tentative yes. However, I did not cancel as I needed to escape my doctor's constant surveillance."

Before Shepard can even respond to Tevos two drinks arrive at the table. One of them is a florescent blue causing Shepard to look at it cautiously, its colour reminds her of Cherenkov radiation, but she does not immediately address the strange beverage. Instead, Shepard wants to address that last comment, "Ha. So now you know what it feels like. I should call the doctor right now, give you a taste of your own medicine."

"You wouldn't dare," Tevos says unfazed, "I'd make sure you get served none-alcoholic drinks for the next cycle and ample portions of those vegetables you despise."

Shepard reaches for the drink in front of her, "Is this safe for me to drink?" She then asks, knowing that she would have scanned it if she had access to her phone.

Tevos blinks in assurance, "Yes. I have had the bar staff in my estate concoct these for you and send the instructions to the staff here."

Shepard considers for a moment, she knows and trusts the bar staff in the estate and rarely has to scan her drinks now, but does she trust these people? No, however she does trust Tevos doesn't want her dead, and if this is her business, then it's likely that the bar staff do not want to poison her either. "Fair." Shepard takes a small sip only to find it is a rather pleasant tasting smoothie, so she takes a larger sip from the glass and then places the drink down on the table. "So," She then says, her tone taking a lighter nature, "I think you misjudge my ammunition here; I can choose not to eat those veg, and I can buy my drink from any store."

The Asari leans forward in her chair and rests her body weight on her elbows, "Try me." Tevos responds with a playful tone; despite Shepard's words, Tevos knows she holds all the power in this conversation.

Shepard taps her fingers on the table rhythmically for a few seconds before responding, "Maybe I will; that will depend on what you have planned for the rest of the evening."

Tevos leans back in her chair, "There are multiple floors to this establishment; some floors have games, others have decor and entertainment one would not expect to find society elite in." It turns out that this 'entertainment' is everyday entertainment most people would enjoy on a night out, with the only difference being the fact the environment was controlled to ensure privacy.

/.../

At the end of the evening, Shepard and Tevos are slowly walking back up through the estates garden and towards the main building, having just finished the evening activities. Their walk is slow enough that it appears as though neither are in a rush to return to the estate's main building, "I've enjoyed tonight," Shepard says casually, "It was nice to be out of these four walls and to be able to drink in peace."

Tevos blinks in response; she knows what it is like not being able to mix among ordinary people and being pestered no matter where she goes, "While there are more than four walls here, I have also enjoyed my evening." Just before entering the main doors to the estate, Tevos stops and turns to Shepard, then before speaking, she takes a deep breath in and out to say. A few seconds later, she then says, "I know tonight did not go as planned, with people pulling out, however, if you would like to repeat this some time, just the two of us that is, then I am available."

Without waiting for a response, Tevos turns on her heels and begins to walk into the estates main building, but Shepard calls after her, "Hey, Tevos," The Asari stops and turns back to Shepard to see what she has to say. "Tell me a time and place."