In Another Life
Charles took a deep breath as he crossed through the park and unbutton his jacket, loosening the collar of his shirt a little more. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he strolled across the grass, moving nice and slow, aimlessly, as if he were just there to relax. He stopped next to a tree and leaned against the trunk, bark digging into his back a little as he angled himself slightly facing Maela's reception. Crossing one ankle over the other, he lit a cigarillo and opened his omni-tool.
He stayed there while he smoked, keeping his gaze on his omni-tool, watching the party on his screen. It wasn't the best position, but he did take a few pictures, mostly just whenever Maela was in the frame. There were tons of people there. A lot of them were species other than turian, but still far too many turians to count, and he couldn't remember all the faces in the photos Ares showed him, so he didn't know for sure who was important and who wasn't. It was pretty hard to miss the bride, though, even if she'd removed the long train from her dress.
He needed to get closer. Like a lot closer, if he wanted to get anything worth taking back to Ares, and he really wanted to get something truly worth it. Charles scraped his teeth over his lip and finished off his cigarillo, grinding it out on the heel of his shoe before squeezing the last bit of cloves and tobacco out onto the ground and stuffing it in his pocket. Glancing around him, he spotted a bench twenty feet or so away from the edges of the lavender and white lace covered tables.
Stupid idea. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
He started walking, making his way straight for the bench and sat down opening his omni-tool again. There wasn't really anyway to aim the omni-tool's camera at the party from so close without it being blatant, so instead, he just flipped through the pictures he already had before closing it again. He lit another cigarillo and glanced around, letting his gaze roam the park. Ares said Maela wouldn't turn anyone away if they showed up … maybe …. He sucked in a deep breath and stretched an arm out over the back of the bench, turning his attention to the party, making it perfectly obvious he was observing the festivities.
Cigarillo nearly half gone, he spotted Maela talking to an older turian couple. He kept his gaze on her, willing her to look at him, thinking she might just decide to come over and talk to him if she saw him watching. It was a tremendously stupid idea, one Ares definitely wouldn't approve of, but then again, going there at all was a pretty idiotic move he doubted Areas would've agreed to sober. After a couple more drags from his cigarillo, Maela's gaze found him, and he flashed her his best smile, lifting the fingers of his free hand off the back of the bench in a half wave.
Returning his smile, she tilted her head a little bit and waved him over. Charles' grin widened, and he lifted his eyebrows, affecting surprise at the invitation. She waved her hand again, so he stood up, finishing off his cigarillo and putting it out before making his way across the grass. He stopped just at the edge of the party, doubt warring with his desire to get closer and really do something for Ares he couldn't do himself.
Glancing back up at the bride, he found her still watching him. Maela tilted her head, shoulders bouncing a little, and he was pretty sure she was laughing at him as she turned back to the older couple and said something, waving her hand at them before weaving her way through the tables headed straight for him. He could still turn tail and run, but where would be the fun in that? He flashed her his best grin as she grew nearer, letting his gaze sweep down over her long, white dress, crystals edging her cowl and crest.
"I couldn't help noticing your interest in the party," she said, her voice soft and sweet as she chuckled. "I couldn't just stand by and let you watch while we celebrate." Thrumming, she offered her hand to him. "My name's Maela."
"Robert." Might as well use his middle name, why not? It was as good as any, and it wouldn't look too weird if someone did end up recognizing him or something. He took her hand in his, shaking. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be a nuisance. I just saw the ceremony on my way by earlier … noticed quite a few human themes. It was lovely, nice to see. Oh, and congratulations."
Mandibles fluttering shyly, her smile warmed. "Thank you. And please," she said, waving a dismissive hand by her head, "you aren't a nuisance if I invited you. Are you hungry?"
"Ahh," he said, dragging it out to show some hesitancy and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I really don't want to impose—"
She gave him a loud scoff, following it up with a friendly sounding thrum and waved her hand at the buffet, seeming pretty adamant. "Nonsense! Come, come! We have plenty, and I'd hate for it to go to waste." She waved at him to follow as she turned and led the way, clearly just expecting him to follow.
Charles chuckled, already thinking he really liked her. "Alright, thank you." He followed behind her and gently cleared his throat. "Mind if I ask why a human style wedding?"
Glancing around him, he caught a wide variety of looks from the other guests. Some seemed momentarily confused by his presence, but others flicked their gazes to Maela leading him through and smirked as if it made perfect sense. He figured those were the people who knew her best and might be worth more of his attention depending on how things went.
"Well," she hummed as if in thought, "I happened to be invited to a human wedding once, and it was so beautiful." She stopped just before the buffet table set a little ways off from the rest of the others. "Turians don't really have ceremonies showing the bonding. We mostly celebrate after, like this." She gestured out over the crowd. "I guess it's something our species have in common."
He smiled, letting his gaze sweep over her dress for a minute. "Yeah, I suppose so. Your dress is beautiful." He picked up a plate but didn't look away from her. "It reminds me of the one my aunt wore." It wasn't a lie, not really. Of course, Maela's dress was cut for a turian and it seemed a lot more intricate, but when he first saw it, he did think of his aunt's wedding dress. He considered asking if he could take a picture of it but decided to hold off for just a bit longer, he didn't want to creep her out and have her change her mind about his being there.
Smiling, she said, "I bet she was beautiful on her day."
She really wasn't.
He let his smile fade as he turned his attention to the buffet, not really paying attention to what he was putting on the plate beside making sure he was choosing from dishes clearly marked 'levo'. He felt her gaze on him the whole time, and although he wasn't exactly drunk, he still had just enough of a buzz going on that he was fairly certain without the alcohol in his system, he'd be nervous as all hell.
"Oh!" Her tone brought his gaze right back to her, and her face brightened. "Try this."
She reached over to pick up a pair of tongs and put something that looked akin to a cracked crab on his plate, her exuberance making him laugh. He watched her with a broad smile, feeling a little awestruck because, at that moment, he found it incredibly difficult to believe she was in any way related to Ares, despite sharing a plate color and colony markings. Christ, though, she was. He was standing right next to Ares' baby sister, someone he so clearly loved, but she didn't even know he was alive.
Chest tightening, he fought to keep a smile on his face. "Thanks." He tore his gaze away from her, letting it roam over the guest-filled tables, trying to pick out familiar faces. "Where should I …?"
"Hmm …" She lifted further up onto her toes as she looked around. Her gaze seemed to snag on someone in particular, so Charles followed her line of sight, spotting an older, turian man with darker plates. "Dad! Daddy!"
Charles swallowed again when the man looked up, Ares' eyes looking back at him … well, at least one of Ares' eyes.
Maela caught his attention again, smiling as she jerked her head to the side. "Come on. He'd know where you can sit. He's all about planning that sort of thing."
Returning her smile, he nodded, and she started walking. He followed just a hair behind her left side as she led him over to her father. He stopped a foot out, leaving just that extra bit of space between himself and Maela as she greeted her dad. He tried not to squirm when Ares' fucking father's gaze shifted to him, looking him over with a stern yet confused expression. For one, wild second, he kind of wanted to introduce himself to the turian as the human fucking his son, but he figured that was a knee-jerk, rebellious thought really directed at his own father. Posthumously.
"Daddy," Maela purred, reaching behind her to lay a hand on Charles' back and usher him forward, "this is Robert. I invited him over."
Charles rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and gave the man an apologetic smile with a meek tilt of his head. It occurred to him then, not only were they Ares' family but in another life, in a world where Ares' hadn't been fucked over … they could be Charles' family, too. If Ares spoke the truth when he told Cammus it was alright to consider the two of them as bonded … then it wasn't so far-fetched for Charles to think of the woman standing next to him as his sister-in-law, the man in front of him as his father-in-law. They could never know Ares was alive, though, and they'd never have the chance to think of Charles as anything other than a stranger who crashed Maela's wedding. They looked like such a good, happy family, too. His throat tightened, aching, and he felt a little hollow inside.
The turian chuckled, the sound almost like Ares' voice if not for Ares' throat having been so badly scarred in the fire. "Well, hello, Robert." He offered a hand. "Caetis Vakarian. It's a pleasure."
Shifting his plate to his other hand, Charles shook hands with Caetis. "Pleasure's mine, sir." He glanced at Maela and smiled before looking back at her father. "Sorry for the intrusion, but I had a feeling she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer."
"She certainly wasn't," a new voice entered the conversation as a dark maroon turian with purple markings—Dax, Charles realized—separated himself from the crowd. He purred, stopping in front of Maela to press his forehead to hers before looking down at Charles. "Maela's always one to offer a hand, even if it means she's bombarding you with a party full of strangers."
Snorting, Maela slid her arm around Charles to grip his shoulder and pulled him into her side, blowing Charles' mind at the level of familiarity, pulling a chuckle from him. How was the woman Ares' sister?
"He's not an intrusion, and I didn't twist his arm to come here." She smiled down at Charles, a good-natured rumble moving through her and into his side where it pressed against her, but then she slipped a stern look on her face, very much like the one her father had just a moment before. "Tell them I didn't force you to come."
He chuckled again and winked at her, feeling swept up in the moment and forgetting himself. "I don't know, I might have a few bruises."
Letting out an innocent trill, ringing false in Charles' ears, she turned to her husband. "I have no idea what he's talking about."
Holy shit. There it is. I see him in her now.
Dax's chuckle was the only thing to keep Charles from gawking. The turian shook his head a little and looked at Charles. "She'd have dragged you over if you so much as stepped foot in the park."
Flicking her mandibles, she rumbled before her brow plates suddenly shot up, mandibles flaring. "Oh! I'm sorry," she said, looking back at Charles. "I forgot to introduce you two. Robert, this is my love," she purred, subvocals drenched in affection as she looked up at her husband, "Dax. Dax, this is Robert."
"Nice to meet you," Dax said, a friendly rumble slipping from his as he glanced at his wife before returning his gaze to Charles. "I'd shake your hand, but my mate has staked claim on you, apparently."
Charles chuckled, fighting like hell to suppress the urge to say she'd have to take it up with her brother if she wanted to keep him. Glancing at Maela again, he said, "So it seems. I think I can live with that." He tilted his head and smirked. "So long as it doesn't come with more bruises."
She shrugged and smiled. "Again, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Bemused, Charles felt lost for a moment, her words reminding him again so much of Ares, but he managed to smile at her before turning his attention back to Dax. "Thank you for having me."
The man smiled and nodded, rumbling. "No need to thank us. I always expect Maela to make the most friends no matter where she goes."
"Maela," Caetis said, thrumming softly as he motioned toward the buffet. "I think it's time for the two of you to cut the cakes."
Purring, she looked over at the people milling about around the table and dropped her gaze to Charles. "You'll stay, right? Wouldn't want to miss out on cake. I hear the levo is chocolate."
Smiling, Charles thought about it for a second. He really shouldn't stay too long, Ares would get pissy, and Ares was alone and drunk, so …. "Sure. I—I'm sorry, this will probably sound crazy, but your dress … would you mind if I took your picture?"
Her mandibles fluttered in that shy way again, but she gave him a warm smile. "Of course." She motioned to her husband, waving him over as she released Charles to snuggle in against Dax. "Is this okay?"
Giving her a big, toothy grin, Charles sat his plate down on the nearest table where there was room and said, "Absolutely perfect." He opened his omni-tool, still grinning like an idiot when he brought the camera into focus and took a photo.
Caetis moved in, settling his arm on Maela's shoulder and said, "Honey, the cakes."
Before the older turian could pull away again, Charles hit the button on his omni-tool again, taking another shot of the three of them. He looked back up at Maela. "Thank you!"
She smiled and nodded, taking Dax by the hand and leading him off toward the table. Everyone started to huddle in closer to the buffet, including Caetis, so Charles picked up his plate, leaving his omni-tool opened and slipped off to the side to eat and watch. Someone had separated the tiers of the cake, putting them on individual platters. He recognized Ares' mother as she brought a set of knives over to the happy couple before tiptoeing out of the way again. Smirking, he snapped a picture of her before she got lost in the crowd again.
Toward the front of the masses, he caught sight of two female turians surrounded by kids. Their dresses seemed to be a turian interpretation of bridesmaid dresses, so Charles felt pretty sure the two women were Ares' older sisters even though he couldn't get a good look at their faces—not that he'd definitely recognize them either way. On the off chance, he shifted his omni-tool a little to include the women and kids in the next picture he took of Maela and Dax cutting into the first cake. He glanced around, making sure no one paid him any special attention.
When they cut the second cake, Dax flicked a bit of icing onto Maela's nose, making the whole crowd laugh, including Charles. In retaliation, though, Maela smirked and grabbed a handful, smashing it into Dax's face, and he let out a shocked trill loud enough for Charles to hear all the way in the back. He snapped a couple more pictures as Maela ducked out of the way when Dax tried to wipe it off on her, waiting until her husband was occupied getting it out of his eyes before she pressed her forehead to his.
A moment of silence was interrupted by one of Ares' nephews calling out, "Caaaaaake!"
Immediately, the other children joined in, and the adults laughed. Maela looked over at the children and nodded, waving her hand to settle them down. Dax and Maela turned their attention back to slicing the cake, and another turian—Aelia, Charles realized—joined them at the table to cut the other cake. The crowd moved in on them as they started dishing out the slices, forming a line. Caetis and his wife as well as the other sister … Sidna went to the table, helping to pass out plates to the guests as they passed them by. As the line thinned out, Charles let a server take his mostly empty plate and then joined the line, more for the chance to get a good look at the other members of the Vakarian family and snag a few pictures from the line than for any desire for dessert.
Once he had his cake, he retreated to lean against a tree still within the party's perimeter since he was never actually given a place at a table to sit. He took his time with the almost sickeningly sweet, chocolate cake, taking pictures from time to time. As people started to finish up, Aelia and Sidna walked around, gathering up a few people before leading them off back toward where the ceremony took place. Charles was really starting to feel antsy, thinking he'd been gone too long, but when he saw them carrying presents back over to the reception area, he knew he couldn't leave yet.
Caetis took over organizing the gifts as they were delivered, neatly stacking them on a table near Maela and Dax. Her gaze shifted back and forth between the gifts and her husband, apparently shocked by the massive number of presents being brought over. Maybe Charles was just a bit cynical, but he figured the look was for show, after all, she invited half the Citadel it seemed. Still, the look brought a smile to his face, even as it made his heart ache a little. He wished Ares could be there. Sarah flashed through his mind, not for the first time, and he gently nudged his sister from his thoughts. It wasn't the time or the place. When the last of the presents were on the table, Dax took Maela's hand and led her over.
"Wow, you guys didn't have to go so crazy with the gifts," Maela stared at the table, slack-jawed.
"Because we love you!" someone from the crowd shouted, making her flutter her mandibles with a shyness that seemed so at odds with her personality.
Charles settled in to watch, taking the occasional picture as they opened presents. He snorted loud enough to earn him a momentary glare from a nearby salarian when he realized a gift from someone named Mercus was one of the same vases Ares' called pointless, obviously purchased from Citadel Souvenirs—and Maela seemed to love it. He took a picture of her holding it up to the light, wide-eyed, smile on her face, just to be a smart ass.
A slim, rectangular box wrapped in gold paper was handed to Maela, and she turned it over, seeming to look for something before glancing up and handing the box to Dax.
He looked it over, turning it the same way before looking out at the crowd. "Did anyone forget to mark their present?"
Charles stood up a little straighter, moving around the crowd a little to get the best angle possible and still stay at least a little discreet. He switched over to the vid function and hit record, biting the inside of his lip.
"Did it fall off?" Maela looked around confused when no one in the crowd spoke up, she shifted her dress, looking on the ground next to her.
"Some of the gifts were given anonymously," Caetis said, giving his daughter a reassuring nod. "It's alright. I'm sure they'll know you're grateful."
She smiled and nodded, taking the box back from her husband and together they pulled away the gold wrapping paper. They let the paper flutter to the table, glistening in the light, but judging by the awed looks on their faces, they knew what the box held without even opening it. Maela let out a surprised trill, and Dax's jaw hung slack. Charles grinned, biting his lip a little harder. Maela slipped off the lid, letting Dax take it from her, and they both just stopped, staring at the contents for a moment.
"Now I gotta know who gave us this," she said, her voice soft, almost strained.
Dax reached into the box, bringing out the jeweled dagger Ares' bought. Gaze on the dagger, he set the box down on the table. He turned it a little in his hand, the silver surface and every gem embedded in the metal catching in the light.
"It's too pretty," Maela said, though it almost seemed as if she'd spoken to herself.
Glancing down, Dax said, "It has a card in the box." He pulled it out and looked it over. "But it doesn't say who it's from, just that they'd be honored if this stays as our family's ceremonial blade."
Charles sucked in a slow breath, reaching up with his free hand to wipe at the sting of tears threatening to well up in his eyes. Clenching his jaw, he glanced around again, making sure no one was watching him. It'd be damned hard to explain why the random human Maela dragged into the party was getting worked up over an anonymous, incredibly expensive gift.
Maela let out a snort, shock still written on her face. "As if there was any doubt."
After a moment, Dax eased the dagger back into the box and closed the lid. Maela pulled it over closer to her as Caetis started bringing over more gifts. Charles stopped recording, tears still stinging his eyes. He needed to get the hell out of there. Taking a deep breath, he carried his cake plate over to one of the servers before glancing around.
Spotting Sidna nearby, he made his way over to her and gently cleared his throat. Smiling when she looked at him, he said, "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you. I just didn't want to leave without telling anyone, and well …." He waved his hand at the table where the newlyweds were still opening presents.
"It's okay," she said, smiling with a soft rumble. "I'll tell her you enjoyed yourself. Can I get your name?"
"Robert. Thank you, I appreciate it." He hesitated a second and added, "Please, tell her again that I said her ceremony was beautiful, and I hope they have a long, happy life together."
Purring, she nodded. "I will. Have a nice evening, Robert," she said before turning her attention back to her sister and brother-in-law.
Charles opened the door to the hotel, finding it dark. The lights flickered on when he stepped inside, and the VI welcomed him. He made his way further in, but the place was empty, Ares nowhere in sight. Charles stood in the middle of the hotel room, taking in two more empty bottles of horosk and an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts. Tilting his head back, he groaned at the ceiling.
Moving to sit on the foot of the bed, he lit a cigarillo and opened his omni-tool, placing a call to Ares. It seemed to take forever before the turian answered, surrounded by a thick haze of smoke, made more obvious in the dim, soft light of what was obviously a bar. He looked completely wasted, eyes glazed over. He hadn't bothered to clean the charcoal paint from his face, but neither had he put on new plates, creating an even greater contrast between the scarred and unscarred sides of his face, reminding Charles even more of the Batman comics' villain, Two-Face. He did, however, think to wear his jacket over the rest of his dress clothes, with the hood pulled low. Grunting in place of a greeting, he stared at Charles.
"Where are you?" Charles took a deep drag from his cigarillo, blowing the smoke back out through his nose.
Ares hummed, and it seriously sounded like he didn't actually know the answer. He looked around him for a second before looking back at the screen of his omni-tool. "There's a sign for a bar where I'm at," he said, and Charles snorted. "Something called 'The Mud Pit.'"
"Stay there," Charles said, voice stern. "I'm coming as soon as I figure out where the fuck it is."
Rumbling, Ares looked down and offscreen, and a moment later Charles' omni-tool pinged, a notification popping up on the screen. Ares looked back at him. "There. That's where I am. Down in the ass end of nowhere."
Charles glanced at the coordinates, but they didn't mean dick to him. It was alright, though, he could input them into a taxi. "Should I bring anything? Are we coming back here?"
Ares shrugged, making a drowsy sounding grunt. "I don't know."
"I'll be there in a bit." Charles closed his omni-tool, cutting the call. He figured he'd drag Ares in through a back door if he had to, so long as the turian kept his feet under him. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he finished his cigarillo before taking off again.
'The ass end of nowhere' turned out to be the shittest area possible on the Bachjret Ward. It took Charles nearly twenty minutes to get there and another minute to convince himself to leave the taxi. The second he climbed out of the skycar, he stuck his hand in his pocket to grip his razor, knowing the area had a high crime rate.
"Fantastic," he muttered, looking down at his nice clothes. "The one time I'm actually wearing something nice …." He knew his clothes would make him a target, anyone who saw him would think he had credits to steal.
Heading into the seedy-looking, hole-in-the-wall bar, he waved his hand to clear some of the smoke billowing toward him, eager to fill the fresh air let in by the opened door. He scanned the bar, taking him only a second to spot Ares sitting at the far end. He had his head down, one hand wrapped around a bottle, the other holding a cigarette. Taking a deep breath, Charles stood there long enough to light a cigarillo and then made his way over, sliding up on a stool next to Ares and motioning at the bartender.
"Ares," he said just barely loud enough for the turian to hear over whatever crap music was being piped through the speakers and the sounds of the crowd around him.
Ares rumbled in acknowledgment but didn't look at him, bringing his cigarette to his mouth. Charles caught sight of several different shades of blood, some of it not even looking completely dry as it coated Ares' bare talons and knuckles. Glancing around the two of them, Charles realized the other patrons gave Ares a wide berth, and someone was busy sweeping up broken glass.
The bartender came over before Charles could say anything else and gave Ares a wary look before stopping in front of Charles. "Sure you want to sit there, kid?" The human nodded toward Ares. "This one's a fighter. 'Bout tore the last guy's throat out who sat there."
"Leave him be," Ares said with a drunken growl, not even lifting his head. "This kid is mine."
Charles grinned, glancing over at Ares before looking back at the bartender. "I'm the only safe person in this place. Give me a Mount Milgrom, please."
The man gave Charles a look making it clear he thought Charles was nuts and shook his head. "Alright." He turned, moving down the bar to the shelves at the back.
Charles took a drag from his cigarillo, turning sideways to lean against the bar and look at Ares. "Thought you were going to stay at the hotel?"
"I never agreed to that," Ares said with a rumble.
Charles huffed, doing a quick replay of the conversation in his head before muttering, "Sonofabitch." Sighing, he shook his head. "No, guess you didn't. But you should've. You made such a fuss about dressing up—" He cut off as the bartender started making his way back over. Paying the guy, he gave the bartender a nod and waited for him to leave again before turning back to Ares, picking up where he left off. "And not drawing attention, but you left without your plates … and now you'll be going back stumbling drunk." He pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his hand over his brow before taking another drag. "Do you want me to take you home instead? I guess we can go back to get our shit in the morning."
"They stopped bringing me drinks," Ares said, obviously ignoring the rest of what Charles said.
Charles snorted. "Probably because you tried to rip someone's throat out."
Ares gave him a sideways look, one that called him an idiot without actually having to say the word out loud. "Not here. The hotel."
"Oh." Charles sucked in a deep breath. "Well, have you had enough now?"
Ares rumbled, the sound not as rhythmic as usual with all the alcohol in his system. "No. I'm still conscious."
"Let's go somewhere and get something to take back with us, then," Charles said. "I'm not going to be able to get you anywhere if you're unconscious."
Letting out an annoyed hum, Ares downed the rest of his drink and then finished off his cigarette before standing. He pulled out a credit chit and tossed it on the bar before giving Charles an expectant look.
Charles knocked back his whiskey and slid down from the barstool. "Home or hotel?"
"Home." Ares growled as he turned away, heading for the door.
Coming back in from taking Eezo for a quick walk around the block, Charles felt relieved to see Ares still sat in the same spot on the floor, back against the couch. He let Eezo off her leash and she followed him to the kitchen as he filled her dishes. Going back into the living room, he kicked off his socks and shoes before pulling his jacket off and tossing it on the counter. He tugged his shirt out of his pants as he crossed the floor and sat down directly across from Ares.
Drawing up his knees and crossing his ankles, he wrapped his arms around his legs. "Well, do you want to see pictures and talk about the party, or do you want to wait until tomorrow when you can actually see straight and think clearly?"
"I envy you, you know," Ares said, taking a long drag before letting the smoke slip out from between his teeth at the sides of his mouth.
Sucking in a deep breath, Charles put his chin on his knees. "I know. I'm sorry. I went to do something nice for you, though, not make it worse."
Ares sat in silence, taking a long drink before smoking more of his cigarette. Finally, he asked, "Are they happy?"
"They are," Charles said and then hesitated before adding, "I actually met some of them."
If the news upset Ares, he didn't let it show. "Who?"
"Maela invited me over," Charles said, and then hesitated again when Ares frowned at the floor, "introduced me to your father and her new husband. I spoke briefly to Sidna, too." He gave Ares a sad smile even though the turian wasn't looking at him. "Your sister made me eat dinner and cake."
Ares hummed around a drag from his cigarette, letting the wisps of smoke curl out of his mouth plates as he said, "She used to have, what do you call it, tea parties?"
Charles chuckled, sitting upright to dig out his cigarillos and lit one. "I can see that in her. She's funny, and really … hmmm … really friendly. From listening to everyone talk, they weren't at all surprised she'd drag a stray human in from the sidelines and make him a part of the party." He opened his omni-tool, uploading all of the images and the vid from the reception into a single file before sending it to Ares and deleting them from his own omni-tool. It stung a little to do, but they weren't his to keep, and he knew it. "Your dad seemed amused but also maybe a little exasperated by it, he was nice to me, though. Polite. Dax adores her, you can see—hell, feel it—when he's around her. And she seems to really love him, too."
Setting down his bottle after taking a drink, Ares nodded and huffed a forced, weak laugh. "Dad used to say she could charm even the hardest krogan."
"I believe it." Charles nodded, taking a drag and blowing the smoke toward the ceiling. He reached out and grabbed Eezo when she came back in from eating and pulled her in against his side. "The woman had me wrapped around her little finger in five seconds."
"Sounds like her." Ares took a drag before saying, "I looked into what she does now. She's a social worker, goes to various colonies, planets, and the Citadel to help organize shelters or whatever you'd call the places that help old bastards and kids."
Charles snorted at Ares' description. "She, uh … she kind of reminds me of you, a little. When you're in a good mood."
Ares scoffed, the sound self-deprecating. Letting out a sad hum, he took a long drink before finishing off his cigarette and lighting a new one. He seemed too drunk to even flinch away from the flame of his lighter.
"I'm serious." Charles took a long drag and then picked at the butt of his cigarillo with his thumbnail, running his hand over Eezo's side with the other. "At first I didn't think so, but after watching her for a few minutes, listening to her talk …. I sent you pictures and a vid. Don't you want to look at them?"
Ares took a long drag, holding it a moment before blowing it out. "I'll look at them when I don't already feel like throwing myself into the Presidium lakes."
Charles' eyes widened a little, as casual of a statement as it might be for some, it was a lot coming from Ares. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and said, "Alright." He smoked in silence for a minute then asked, "Do you regret agreeing to have me go?"
"No. I don't regret that or going to the hotel." Ares rumbled as he downed more alcohol. "I regret trusting Cameric, trusting the Hierarchy."
Charles hummed, taking a long drag. "Yeah. Well, I hope this whole thing helps a little. Maybe not right now but down the road."
Ares simply hummed as he inhaled smoke, looking out toward the balcony. Eezo wriggled free from Charles' grasp, heading for Ares. Charles made a grab at her, but before he could pull her back, Ares grumbled and pat her on the head. Instantly excited into overdrive, Eezo started licking the shit out of him and trying to climb onto his lap. He growled, annoyed, and pushed her back toward Charles, but she just turned right back around and laid down, curling up against his thigh. Ares huffed but let her lay there, bringing a smile to Charles' face.