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My first tenant. I mean, my first real new one…I don’t know why anyone would have chosen to live in this shitty place. The other two are kind of crazy and have been living here forever. At least according to them and they are insistent that if I so much as change a letter in the lease they are out the door.The way she stands by the door, I can tell she must be ex-military or something. Stiff, muscular, and haunted. There is a fierce scar running down her face and a sort of brood about her. Her eyes are dark and piercing when she looks at me.Even though she isn’t in any sort of uniform, instead a ragged t-shirt and torn jeans, I think to myself. I do love a man in uniform. Because even if she isn’t wearing a uniform, she seems to hold herself like she is wearing one.Her left arm is completely missing, not even a hint of it under the t-shirt. In fact, from the looks of it, there is a tremendous amount of damage to her chest and shoulder, but other than that she looks hale and strong. An awesome specimen to her race.“Hi, here for the apartment?” I finally manage and she nods, a slight dip of her head. “I’m Grace. Your…landlord. That sounds funny to me.” I can’t help but smile, but she doesn’t smile back.“Scallop,” she replies. I don’t know what that’s suppose to mean.“Um…”“They call me Scallop,” she says. Oh, that’s interesting. I’ve heard a lot of strange names, but I’d never heard of an Asari with a nickname.“Nice to meet you, Scallop. Come on. This place is terrible as I’m sure you know…” I go to get the door, but her right hand shoots out and grabs it first. The movement is mechanical, ripping open the heavy door as if it weighs nothing for her. She tilts her head toward the dark maw of the foyer.Okay. Guess, chivalry isn’t dead on this planet.I nod and step in. The light flickers on, revealing broken tiles and an ancient design scheme that’s seen better eons.“It’s cleaner than it looks. I cleaned it yesterday,” I say, not happy already with the amount of sand from the beach that’s been tracked in, but no bugs. “I’ve sprayed for bugs already.”“I just need a place to live, not a palace,” Scallop says in a husky voice. “It’ll be nice…whatever it is…to get out from under my clan for a bit. They need the break.” I’m surprised by the hesitant words, like once she started talking she didn’t know what to say next and keeps getting stuck. I wave my hand.“It’s not the ritz but it is a place to live,” I assure her, leading up the narrow set of stairs to the third floor. “I live in the Attic. If you have a problem…come up anytime and I’ll call a plumber or something…I’m not really handy.” I unlock the door and open it. It creaks like a bat out of hell.It’s nothing but a tiny studio. A cot in a corner, a panel for cooking and a tiny fridge. Pretty pathetic in this day and age. The shower and toilet work occasionally.“Um, sometimes the toilet just needs to be left alone, but if you get frustrated I can call a plumber.”“Don’t worry about it, Grace,” she says and looks at me. “It’s perfect.” Perfect? It’s a shithole. The worst apartment, but the cheapest. “How does a human manage to own property on Thessia?”I nod. It’s not an unusual question. I’d been here for a month and I’d heard it a million times. I’m a strange face in this coastal village use to only Asari since the war and the mass relays were destroyed.They’d just been recently rebuilt which was how I’d arrived, but it’s not like tourists are flocking in yet. It would be ages before there would be tourists in a forgotten little town like this.“My adopted mother was an Asari. She owned this place. We traveled the galaxy together, lived all sorts of places before and after the war…the war hit her hard. We lost everything and we spent the last few years just trying to make it back here…her home world. Or she did. I didn’t…I didn’t understand. She died in route a month ago and I found out about this place. God, I miss her so much.”“When did she adopt you?” She asks.“I was six.”“I’m sorry for your lost.”I nod, but don’t have any words against the grief in my heart. She was the greatest woman I ever knew. She had put up with so much and taught me how to live life on adventure. Now, here I was in this strange apartment with a woman I didn’t even know wondering where she was.“Um…excuse me,” I say. “I hope you enjoy it. If you need anything please let me know.” I manage to get out of the apartment and into my apartment before I start bawling again.It’s like she’s here, breathing in every pore of this place. It’s why I came. I miss her so much. I can’t bear it.
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The next morning I grab my travel easel, a blank canvas, and my paints tucked in a messenger bag. Now, that I’ve got a tenant, it’s about time I actually start painting and finding Mom here.So I walk down to the local markets to get to the beach. It’s always busy here. I usually snag some breakfast, coffee and a pastry in the morning from a local cafe, but today I’m lost in the swirl of people.Before reaching the cafes and beach, you have to walk by all the stalls. There’s art, fruit, vegetables, and finally the fish. I spot Scallop moving boxes, one armed from a transport into a stall. She looks like a titan, arm bulging out of her torn shirt and dappled in sweat.“That’s Scallop,” I say, despite myself to the shop keeper. It’s an older Asari, who looks back at Scallop and nods. There’s a hint of suspicion in her eyes. It’s so hard to tell how old Asari are since they live so long.“That’s my daughter,” she says.Oh.“She just moved into the building I own.”“You’re that human,” she says distrustfully. “How did you even come to own it?” I sigh.“My mother, my adopted mother, Carrie.”“Oh…” she says, voice softening. “Carina and I went to school together when we were children. Good woman. Where is she now?”“She’s gone…last month she died in a ship crash,” I say. “I came here to see if I could find her.”“She always loved it here,” the woman says with a nod. “I’m Weaver.”“Grace,” I say and offer a hand. The woman takes it in a strong grip. I guess, I shouldn’t expect anything less from Scallop’s mother. “Painter?” She asks. I nod.“Scallop!” She yells. Scallop doesn’t jump at the sudden yelling of her name. She turns around, glaring at her mother. Then, she sees me and lifts an eyebrow. Slowly, she puts down a box gingerly and walks over. “Grace is here.” She nods to me still eyeing me with thoughts that are hidden.“Surprise,” I say meagerly and wave my hands like an idiot. “I was just coming through to pick up breakfast and paint the early morning.”“Oh,” she says, looking about as awkward as I feel.“You’re done for now. You should show her a good spot,” Weaver says casually. “Scallop knows all the best spots in the coves.”“Really?”“Mother,” she warns.“You need a break,” she says and waves her away. “You’re sisters and I will take care of the rest. See you at lunch?” She nods.“Fine,” she mutters. She steps up to me, looking gloomy. “We can just walk until she can’t see us. I don’t want to bother you.” We start walking, but I smile.“I don’t mind. I don’t know the beach at all…unless you want to do something else.” She looks at me surprised.“Um…no…sure.” She slides her hand in a pocket, ambling along the market’s street walk next to me. The tension between us ebbing at last.“I need to grab a quick breakfast before I head to the beach. Have you eaten?” I ask.“I ate hours ago,” she admits sheepishly. I imagine after all the works she’s done, she’s starving. We settle down at my favorite cafe and order drinks and pastries to eat. She looks tired and sweaty from a day’s work.“So you work with your mom?”She scratches her head, obviously embarrassed, but nods.“Yup,” she replies. “Glamorous work, moving boxes.”“It’s never a problem?” I ask, not wanting to point out the fact that she’s missing an arm, but she kinda is. It’s obvious. It’s not like she doesn’t notice. She looks down at the offending missing limb confused as if she had forgotten.“I don’t even hardly notice moving the boxes around. It’s challenging, but it keeps my mind off things. You just a land lord?”“Yeah, I’ve done just about everything. Waitressing, flipping apartments, singing, and bartending to make it by. Been to Omega and the citadel and junk colonies.”“Sounds…adventurous,” she says. “I always wanted to get off planet. Thought I would with the commandos, but the war changed that.”“Oh…” I swallow and I don’t know what to say. “It’s not hard…getting off planet.”“I’m needed here,” she says simply. “Someone has to take care of the family.”Hm…something says it’s more, but I don’t want to push it. If she wants to think moving around boxes for her family is helping them…then that’s her business.“Your mom…she’s from around here?”“Yeah, your mom went to school with her,” I say. “It’s strange, being in contact with people and places she’s been. I really miss her.”“Tell me about her.” The words surprise me.“Why do you care?” I ask her. She shrugs.“It’s called being a decent person,” she replies. “You obvious care about her a lot.”“There aren’t exactly a lot of decent people in the ‘verse,” I say to her, crossing my arms with a lopsided grin.“I’ve heard about Omega. It’s pretty rough. Not like here. People, we’re not perfect, but we don’t hurt people for the fun of it. You should give us a chance. You know? City girl.” She shakes her head and I laugh.“City girl? Yeah, I guess, compared to this place.”“You don’t have to talk about her. I was just trying to be nice.”“I appreciate it. I’m just not used to it. It’s just she was a very special lady.”“Sounds like it.”“She was a mess, but a good one. Just this whirlwind of activity trying to fix the world even in the shittiest places. She was a warrior once too, but didn’t fight with her fists. At least when I knew her. She was just this ball of passion. Wanted to do everything, know everyone, and experience the whole world. Sometimes all at once.”“She does sound like a great woman,” she says quietly.“We’d do all sorts of shit together. She was mainly a transport carrier, but she’d help people too. Get supplies for the free clinics on the colonies when things were trashy.”“Grace,” she says. I wipe away the tears.“No one will remember her, but me,” I say, feeling her hand wrap around mine and squeeze.“Now, I won’t forget. We’ll hold the candle together,” she assures me. My heart flutters at that.“Have you ever lost anyone?” I ask her. She’s quiet for a long moment and nods.“Yeah, a lot of people. In the war…” she says. “A friend…someone who meant a lot to me.”“I’m sorry,” I say. “Let’s just talk about something else.” She nods, looking miserable. “I shouldn’t….have.”“Grace, it was me,” she says. “I asked about your mom.”“Don’t worry about it. It’s just she’s here. I can feel it. I wanted to find her. I knew it wouldn’t be easy.”“It rarely is,” she says and releases my hand, realizing she’s still holding it.We finish up breakfast and walk down to the beach. Along the invisible paths, up the rock face and through the coves, she leads me. It’s already beautiful.She climbs like monkey up the cliff face and she has to give me a hand up occasionally. I can feel the strength in that arm, in that body as she pulls me easily, lifting my slight body off the ground without a thought.But she is always gentle, releasing me and placing me down as gently as she grabbed me. Her broodiness has lightened as she stares out into the sea. Her cheeks color with the light exertion and I wonder if this is something she likes to do.Eventually we reach a beautiful spot. It transcends words. The rocks jut out perfectly, the beach is empty and the water is myriad of sea green pierced only by other rocks. The cliffs have almost a spiral texture, topped with green grass in some areas. It’s beautiful.“Oh Scallop…thank you,” I say and hug her tightly. I can feel how she tenses underneath me not use to hugs and friendliness. I step away, cheeks red, and grin. I quickly set up my easel and paints. “You don’t have to stay…I can find my way down.”I think.“It’s fine…I want to make sure you make it down safely. No rush,” she promises. “I don’t need to be anywhere until lunch.”“Gentleman too?”“My mother would kill me.”I smile at her and she lays down as if she knows exactly what she is doing and falls asleep. I paint to my heart’s content.
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She helps me down as promised and we part ways at the market. I float back to the attic. I have a lot to do, clean and clean some more. The whole building is depressing, but mostly I think about Scallop.The next few days, I’m distracted by immigration paperwork. I have to be down at the offices and end up taking several days of standing in line and getting instructions on everything I need. It’s quite a mess.I’m sure it’s going to end in a terrible mess, especially with them swearing that it’s impossible that the apartment can be owned by me, but thankfully I have a lawyer and I’m using the rest of Mom’s inheritance. I’m keeping this place. It’s the last of her.Then, it all goes to hell. The sink explodes and I don’t know how to turn the water off. It’s not like it’s got an obvious switch. A knock comes to the door. Then, a pounding…as I run to it.“Scallop!” I yell nearly crying. Her eyes widen as she takes me in and I see her cheeks flush a deep purple. Her mouth opens and closes, but nothing comes out. I let out a frustrated moan. I’m completely drenched in my white shirt and tan shorts“I can’t stop it. I don’t know…I’ve tried everything.” She grabs my shoulder and passes me easily heading toward the sink and next thing I know she’s vanished waist deep under the counter.The water stops and I can breathe again.“How did you know?”“My apartment was flooding,” she says, having regained her sensibilities and even dares to look slightly amused. I shake my head. “I came home from lunch and…”“This…”I say. “What a mess. I’ll call a plumber.”“Don’t bother. I can fix it,” she says, already shuffling through a tool box that’s nearby by.“Oh you don’t have to…”“Remember…my mother?” she says and I smile gently.“Thank you,” I say. “I’ll start cleaning up and we can clean your place up too.”“Sounds good.”We spend the rest of the afternoon doing just that. I’m surprised by the banter that develops between us. It’s easy and I don’t remember the last time I’ve talked with someone like that.“I don’t really know anyone,” I say embarrassed. “I just…I don’t know what to expect. Everything is so different.”“It will be,” she says and smiles. She’s cooking food in her apartment, now stocked with a mysterious shelf of spices. Fish of course. It smells amazing. The spices and the addition of food seem to be the only changes, besides a few miscellaneous pieces of cooking gear.I’ve changed into a black shirt and she’s in her greasy t-shirt she uses in the markets. I don’t think she owns more than two or three shirts, all of them for work.“Do you ever think of doing anything else? Besides working for your mom?” I ask her. She gives me that brooding look as if she wasn’t expecting me to go there. “I’m sorry. It’s just. You seem like you can be more.”“I can’t and they need me,” she says in a clipped voice. She scoops up the fish, rice, and scallops and drops it in front of me. Then, for once a real smile graces her face. “Enjoy.”“Wow!” I dig in happily and am surprised by all the wonderful flavors. “You’re a cook!”“I’m a jack of all trades,” she assures me, leaning on her elbows. “Fixer of sinks, mover of boxes, and cooker of fish.”“Mmmm, thanks. The last few days have been terrible, but you really…have brightened it up.” I touch her arm and she looks at it. Then, she looks at me unsure.“I can only be friends,” she says quickly. Oh. An amused smile touches my face. Shucks. Too bad.“Got a gal? An arranged marriage?” I ask her. She rolls his eyes.“No,” she says forcefully. “Nothing like that, but I can tell you need someone different. Not me. I can be a friend. I’m a jack of all trades, but I’m not really…suitable girlfriend or fling material.”“Shouldn’t I be the one who decides that if I’m interested?” I ask her. She looks embarrassed now as I put a hand on my hip.“Yes…I mean no. I’m just letting you know. Friends only.”“Fine, Scallop. Friends only. I promise. I won’t take advantage of you or your body,” I tease her. That actually surprises a single rough laugh from her. “What was up with that? I thought everything was fine?”“It just felt…you’re very touchy.”“Sorry, blame mom,” I say with a shrug. “She was always huggie. I’ll try to better.” She shakes his head.“I just wanted to be up front. No surprises.”“I respect that. Not a lot of people would have the guts for that,” I say. “I know it must have been obvious too.”“What?”“I like veterans,” I say with a grin. “I think they’re sexy as all get out.”“Really?” she asks surprised. Her eyebrows dip suspiciously. “No one has ever said that to me.”“They don’t know what they’re missing,” I say, enjoying seeing the wheels turn in her head.“Sure,” she says like she doesn’t believe me. “I know exactly what they’re missing and it’s a normal life. I’ve got dessert when you’re finished. Mom sent a pie.”“Your mother is a wonderful woman.”“She is crazy,” she promises. “Why did you leave, you were staying with her right?”She shakes his head.“I didn’t want her to worry about me anymore than she already does. There isn’t a lot of room at the house either with the kiddos and everyone. There just wasn’t a lot of room.”“She sounds like a good woman,” I say.“She’s the best.”“Sounds like another mother I know. My mother, always looks out for the world,” she says with a nod. “She’d do anything for someone local. Takes her a little while to warm up though as you can see. She can help you with the paperwork for this place.”“Really? I’m stuck with this one piece of paperwork for inspection. The inspector doesn’t really care but I have to do something…but I don’t know what it is.”“Yeah, mom will know,” he says. “I’ll talk to her.”“Thanks. You’ve already done so much.”“I want a place to live that isn’t leaky and open for tenants.”“Okay, okay,” I say with a smile and she smiles back at me. I could get use to that look.I eventually end up back in my room and it feels empty without her. Looking out the window, I see her cross into the darkness toward the markets and wonder what she’s up too.Then, I return to painting. It won’t be long before I have enough product again to sell if I can manage to snag a stall.Two days later, I’m there in the markets with only a blanket and various sized paintings. I have a stool, and sit painting too. I’m too far away to see Scallop or her mother working.I get a lot interest in my work. Everyone seems to realize I’m not just a tourist floating around. I quip tales of arriving here and tell them about my mother and everyone knows her. It’s like everywhere I’m at she’s there too.I head out to the cove to paint the sunset and when I come back, Weaver is closing shop.“Heard you had a stall and looking for some paperwork,” she says. “Come on. Let’s go down to the cafe.”“You’ve been working all day.”“It’s life here,” she assures me. “I can help.” She leads me and we sit down to drink a beer. We talk paperwork and then things calm down.“Where does Scallop go at night?” I ask suddenly. “I saw her after the sun went down.”“Why?” she asks. That suspicious look has return and I’ve decided it’s just because she’s her mother and wants to protect her.“I don’t know. Is she okay? I’m worried about her. She just…she’s convinced she’s going no where and she seems like a great gal. Do you ever worry about her?”“All the time, girl,” she says. “She was the happiest I’ve seen her in two years today. What happened yesterday? Something between you two?” I shake my head.“Promise. My sink busted and we spent the day cleaning it up. I thought everything was fine when she told we could just be friends. I swear, I didn’t hit on her or anything.”“She’s been through a lot,” she says with a nod as if she isn’t surprised. “I don’t mind if you were hitting on her. She needs something, honestly. The war…was hard on her. I’m afraid though it’s not my story to tell. Just go easy on her. She’s been through so much and doesn’t need to be hurt.”“I understand,” I say. “I just want to make sure she’s okay. She’s been so nice. Taking me out to the cove, fixing my sink…I can tell she has a good heart. I don’t want to hurt her. I’m a bit of a bohemian, but since my mom died I just feel like I’m missing a part of myself.”“Losing your mother is hard,” Weaver says. “Losing a woman like Carrie would be harder. She was a force of nature in the world and she will be missed.”We sit quietly enjoying the last of our beers.“She ends up in the bar most nights. Some nights are worse than others…” She looks toward a shaggy bar to the east. I nod.“Thanks.”“Don’t hurt her or I’ll get your ass kicked of Thessia so fast you won’t know what hit you,” she says and pays the bill. Shuttering, I realize that’s probably more than true. I walk toward the bar and find her alone at a corner, drinking her 8th beer, obviously drunk.“Hey Scallop,” I say, testing the waters. She looks at me surprised.“Well, Grace, didn’t think this was your kind of place.”“Your mom sent me this direction,” I say and order another beer. “You all right? Need someone to walk you home?” She snorts.“Scallop sleeps it off in the sands,” the bartender says with a gruff, affectionate smile as she cleans a glass. “Doesn’t bother anyone that way, miss.”“Grace,” I say.“Vahli,” she replies and shakes my hand. “It’s good to see a new face around here that isn’t an old Huntress.”“Grace is my landlord,” Scallop slurs.“That’s a nice landlord, checking in on you,” the barkeep says with a nod and tries to hide a smile.“Why are you here getting drunk, Scallop?” I demand and lift an eyebrow.“Work hard, play hard,” she says vaguely as she lifts a bottle to her lips and takes a long drink.“I don’t believe you,” I dare her. She shrugs.“Can’t sleep,” she admits, rubbing her forehead. “This helps.”“Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too,” I say quietly. It’s true. I shutter, hearing the sounds of the Reaper as if it was yesterday.“Mom stuff?”I shake my head.“War stuff. I was on a colony when the Reapers attacked.”“Oh,” she says, brow scrunching in an adorable way. “You saw some of the war too?”“Sure did. Wanna walk and talk?” I take a last swig of my beer and try to pay the tab.“On me tonight,” Vahli says and waves us out. As we walk down the beach toward the apartment, I’m surprised when Scallop leans into me, struggling to walk straight. I wrap her arm around me and help settle the weight, but she’s heavy and solid, even if her feet aren’t at the moment.“What colony?” she asks blearily. “Oh Mander Prime. They just killed everyone. Raped the whole damn planet. Didn’t matter. It wasn’t about collecting DNA or bodies or anything. Turians, Asari, Salarian, and Krogans were just dead. Scattered everywhere…” I didn’t mean to start talking about it, but it blotted out my vision for a moment. “The scream of the Reaper’s red beam, the monsters….” I stop, shuttering, and Scallop staggers a little, pulling me closer.There are tears on my cheeks.“It isn’t right, damn it…” I cry. “That I got on a shuttle and so many others didn’t….that’s what I dream about.”“I see Thessia burn ever’ night and Daria die over n’ over again. She was my best friend.” Scallop says staring out into the sea. “Talk ‘bout not fair.”We stand there and curse the war silently. Then, she looks down the beach, disentangles herself and staggers towards something. She collapses into a spot that’s worn and there’s an old blanket and stone.“This is it,” Scallop says, happily. “Here’s where I sleep off the drink.” She throws her arms open as if it’s a palace.I put my hands on my hips.“But I’m walking you home, silly,” I say and offer a hand. She groans and I try to pull her up when she grabs my hand, but pulls me down on her.“Just for a moment. Feel this moment,” she says in a voice that promises mystery and more. I swear, she’s going to kiss me, and I’m going to have to come up with some excuse to put her off, but then, she looks at the sea. And the stars, shifting me around to see them properly.The moon hangs fat and pure over us and then, in that moment the war fades back to the past. All there is Scallop and me pressed gently against her, and the beach. I take my shoes off and curl my bare toes into the sand. Her calves are thick and muscular under mine skinnier ones. She’s gorgeous with darker blue freckles in the dark blue skin. She follows suit, kicking off her boots, and I admire the elegant feet. Everything about her is perfect.“You like my body, human,” Scallop says over me, nudging me softly. I blush. I can feel her and smell her alcohol ladened breath against the curl of my my ear, intimate and mere centimeters away.“It’s a fine specimen,” I try to say as lightly as I can. Struggling to pull myself away, she’s strong, but she finally releases me. I grab the arm that was holding me. “Come on, you’re drunk and need to sleep so you can help your mom tomorrow.” She finally manages to get up with my help, grunting the whole way, and we return to the apartment.
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I see Scallop around lunch time at the Markets. Same dirty shirt she was in yesterday and jeans torn and worn to pieces, but her eyes are weary. I wonder what the problem is, other than I have a crowd of young Asari around me. I wave. She startles and starts to walk away.“Hold on,” I tell a local and get up and jog towards her. “Scallop! Don’t go.”“I just wanted to apologize for yesterday,” she says… “And offer to take you to lunch to make up for it, but you’ve obviously got fans…” I look back at the Asari, lifting my eyebrows. Is she jealous?“They aren’t buying,” I say with a smile. “I’ll absolutely go with you.” I close up shop quickly, fill up my bags and Scallop grabs them and the travel easel and throws them over her shoulder without asking.We walk down to the cafe we like and get drinks. She seems to be in a better mood now that we are away from the others.“You don’t have to apologize about yesterday night,” I say. “You’re business is your business. I just wanted to make sure you made it home okay.”“I did thanks to you,” Scallop says, tapping the table. “No one does that for me.”“Seems like something friends do,” I say with a confident smile. “It isn’t like I haven’t gotten drunk before myself or needed to be carried home. I usually just end up in a corner barfing my brains out and lucky I’m not being raped.”Her hands tighten on the table at that.“You should have been more careful,” she says. “Anything can happen…”“I’m fine,” I say with a lopsided grin and a wave of my hand. She seems to decide better of what she is going to say and starts to relax.“Anyway, thank you,” she says quietly. “Any time,” I say. “You can call me…but you don’t have an omnitool.”“Yeah, never saw the point since the…,” she trails off with a shrug. “You seem to be finding a rhythm. Do you think you’ll stay here? I mean, you can go off anywhere with the apartments paying out.”“Seriously? After Omega, this place is great and I’m still trying to find Mom here. I’ve never been much for settling, but this has everything so far…the views, the people, this market…fresh food. This place is magical, Scallop.” “I know,” Scallop says even quieter. “You do. You were telling me about it last night.”“I was? What did we talk about?”“The war mainly. I told you about my experiences.”“Oh yeah, on the colony. I remember. Not many people get it, not here…they didn’t experience the war first hand like we did.”“Yeah, same on Omega. There were so many places that didn’t see the Reapers land. They didn’t understand how terrifying it was and just the sheer amount of…destruction and death.” I shutter. “Can we talk about something else, Scallop? I hate it. I hate it so bad.” I’m crying again.“I’m sorry. Sometimes, I live there and I can’t get out.”“I know. I don’t want to live there a second more than I have too,” I say and she reaches out and takes my hand. We sit there, interrupted by more beers and food.We walk the beaches again that afternoon until we’re all tired and sweaty. I offer for her to take a shower at my place, since hers doesn’t work very well.Everything is fine, until she walks out in a crop top and shorts. I drop my coffee mug at the sight of her body. Holy shit. It’s like she’s a greek goddess, nothing but marbled blue muscles, firm in all the right places and thick from hard work.“What just happened?” Scallop asks amused. I duck down, struggling to pick of the pieces of the cup and my pride.“Um… nothing…you just surprised me.”“Am I that ugly?”“Quite the opposite,” I say feeling my voice hitch. “I’m sorry…I don’t want to embarrass you, but if you don’t put some clothes on I might not be able to hear a word that comes out of your mouth.”“This is all I have right now,” she says, crossing her arms. “I thought you wanted dinner.” She’s obviously enjoying this, damn her. “My clothes are dirty.”“Your clothes are always dirty,” I say again and put the pieces in the trash. I drop the rag into the sink and look at her again. “Okay, okay. It’s okay.”“You can look at me?” She asks, leaning against the island. I nod, trying to focus on her eyes. They are pretty too. That smile.“Of course, that isn’t the problem,” I say and bite my lip. “God, I’m so stupid.”“It’s okay,” she says, sounding repentant. “The markets keep me…fit, I guess.”“More than,” I say. “I wish I had muscles like that.”“You’re not bad looking Grace.”“Oh, sure. Says the Greek Goddess.”“Goddess, hardly,” she says, motioning to her arm. “Tragic Greek goddess. You’re beautiful Grace.” My cheeks flush. Then, she realizes what she says. “Maybe, I should go.”“No, we’re friends,” I stammer. “I’m being dumb. I can handle this. Don’t take away your friendship on me. You’re the only friend I have on this whole damn planet. In this whole damn galaxy.”She pauses, a small smile coming to her lips. She nods.“Okay, Grace…I’m not going anywhere.”She cooks for me. More fish and secret spices and we sit on the couch and talk about news on the dock. About the bartender’s secret love life and how all those airheaded Asari from the college drive Scallop crazy. She’s talking about her time with the Commandos before the war and her friend and I’m falling asleep to the sound of her voice fading in an out.I swear, I feel her hand through my hair as she tucks a blanket around me and slips out of the apartment.When, I wake up there’s a note on the island about meeting her for coffee at the markets for breakfast. Something I’m more than willing to do. I run out the door excited for the sun and what I’ll find today.“Hey, Scallop,” I say. “Don’t you work, ever?” She gives me an exhausted smile. She’s probably been up way before dawn. “You better take a nap after this.”“I will, kid,” she says affectionately. I don’t like that.“I am not a kid,” I assure her.“Oh yeah? I’m a lot older than you,” she says with that exhausted smile. “I bet, but I’m not kid.”“Fine,” she says. “Not a kid. I’ve been thinking about things…”“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I ask.“I…I don’t know. I just don’t know what I feel about us anymore. I thought I knew what I wanted, but then you get war stuff…but then I think you probably can’t handle…”“We’re not even there yet, Scallop,” I tell her. “Just start with right now. Not the future you’re already making up.” She gives a frustrated sigh.“I like you Grace…a lot. I don’t…I don’t know what to do about it.” I sigh.“I’ve historically been a one night stand girl,” I tell her. “I’ve never met anyone…worth it. I want to be worth it for you, but I’m afraid I’ll just mess it up. I’m not good girlfriend material either, Scallop.” She looks at me. “I’m not good fling material. I’m a heartbreaker.”“I keep thinking about the last month and how…different it’s been. Having someone to talk to this last week.”“I enjoy it too.” My heart aches. I don’t want to turn her away. I care about her so much, but there’s one thing I don’t want to do and that’s wreck this up.“Grace, what I’m saying is that I’m a big girl and I can handle you if you let me. Don’t look at me and think I’m weak,” she says. “Let me love you.” I bite my lip. “Go out with me for real. Not here. I’ll take you out to the Refuge Cafe. It’s up to you. That’s all I wanted to say. We can still be friends. I’m an adult if you don’t want to pursue anything.”She stands up, paying the bill with a chip. “Wait.”I leap up into her arm, kissing her hard.“Yes…” I say simply. She looks at me, stroking my face in wonder. Then, she nods.“Have a good day,” she says simply and leaves me to return to the market.My lips burn with that kiss.
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Scallop shows up at my door at six sharp. I don’t expect anything less from her. She looks gorgeous in clothes that are obviously not hersSomeone loaned her a burgundy button-up and helped her carefully fold the arm so it was pinned down. It’s tight in her other arm and obviously a little small in the shoulders, but loose everywhere else. She has dark pants on that look comfortable and a pair of black boots. I’ve never seen any of these clothes.“Nice dress,” she breathes. I’m in a yellow sun dress I bought down at the docks before walking back up. It’s tight, but so pretty and it was on sale. She steps closer to me, hesitates, and offers her arm. “Ready?”“Always,” I say with a smile, grab my purse and let her lead me out of the apartment. It’s not like we haven’t hung out a lot, but my heart is fluttering in my chest. The touch of her skin against my fingers is like electricity and I just feel like I’m floating. Don’t mess this up. Don’t be a dork. When did she get so hot on me? So confident.The walk down the Refugee Cafe is gorgeous. The sun is beginning to drop down over the sea and the clouds scatter across the sky in purples, oranges, and blues. I wish I had my paints, but then I couldn’t be seeing this with Scallop.“You’re quiet,” Scallop says. “Nervous?”“No…okay, maybe a little. I don’t do dates. Not like this and not with people who clean up so well.”“Ha. I borrowed this from a friend. She insisted I get cleaned up properly. My family tried to put me in a dress.”“I can only imagine. You’re family must have been excited.”“Oh they were. I just needed a shirt and I got all this and…almost a dress.”I lean over and kiss her cheek. “I like this side of you,” I assure her. “You know clean.”“Huh? I’m clean,” she says and I chuckle. Her face breaks up in a mortified smile. “I’m sorry, I’m a mess.”“Doesn’t help that your shower is so shitty,” I say. “At least you smell like beach most of the time like me I imagine.”“And the other half the time? I smell like fish.” She shakes her head. “How do you even put up with me? I’m just a…”“And I’m just a…” I lift an eyebrow. “A bohemian artist and a box mover. Why not? I’m nothing special, Scallop, but we can be not special together.” She stops at the entrance of the beaten up old palace.“You’re special to me,” she says and pulls me along. We walk along the marble that juts out into the sea and she doesn’t go into the building, but we sit out with the people on the edge so it’s just sea, people, and the smell of good food. There’s pillars and soft white cotton sheets dancing in the wind with small blue banners.She pulls out my seat and pushes it in. The waiter takes our order. I take wine and she takes a beer. Nothing changes much about her, even if you put nice clothes on her.“So why this place?” I ask her. She smiles at me and I see a hint of excitement.“Did you know Commander Shepard lives in this town?”“I’ve seen her with her wife…while they shop in the market,” I reply.“Last week I met with them. They invited me to their home. Commander Shepard’s wife has a half sister who runs this restaurant. They asked me to cook for her. I didn’t want to do it, but…I wanted to make a change. I don’t want to just be box mover for the rest of my life anymore. I don’t mind it, but I like cooking and you reminded me of that. So I cooked for Liara’s sister and she liked my cooking and I’m going to start two days a week part time and train to be a chef here.”“What?” I demand and grin like an idiot at her. I shoot up and hug her. “What? That’s great!!”“I might pick up more hours, but we have to see it if we can work it out with my arm and I can’t leave Mom hanging.”“They can find another box mover…” I nearly growl.“I don’t want them to,” Scallop says. “I like it. It’s simple and it makes sense and I know I can do it. I don’t know if I can cook or people will like my cooking…”“They’ll love you,” I say. “And your arm…I’ve seen you do things people don’t with two. I believe in you, Scallop.” I reach across the gap and she takes my hand. “Thanks…thanks for everything. I’m doing this for myself, but you reminded me what it was like…to reach outside of myself. You’ve been giving a thousand reasons to see the world fresh again and…”I lean in and kiss her. She kisses me back, touching my face. I feel her part my lips with ease and gently trace her tongue over my lips and tongue. Before, deepening it passionately and I feel the thrill fill me as her fingers trace down my jaw and neck to sit on my shoulder. She pulls away leaving me gasping and wanting more of her taste.“You amaze me,” I tell her. “I think I know you and you go and repaint the picture.” The waiter returns and I let her order, because she always knows more about the food here and by now she knows my tastes better than I do. The sunset has come and gone and the magic scene is lit by candles and lanterns.Her skin is such a muted blue. Her eyes pools of mystery. I can’t take my hand from hers, until she extracts it to drink her beer. She goes to retake the bottle and I find myself stroking her wrist. The powerful lifelines that hold a market stall together. The woman who seasons life and shows me secret beauties inside and out.“Scallop…what do you see in me?” I ask her. “I’m just this riffraff from Omega.” She snorts and looks at me.“I wish you could see what I see,” she says. “You see the world. I know what you paint. You paint the things people wouldn’t say are beautiful, but you see this inner beauty. You see the real person. You didn’t see a poor drunk washed-out Huntress when you met me. You didn’t with Wild Kati in the building. I mean who else drops off bread to make sure she eats? Or makes sure she has feed for her birds? Or give her last credit chip to Tyker at the game tables?”I blush, because no one knows about things like that. I don’t even know why I do it. Other than that’s something Mom would do and I love Mom and I want to be like her. She takes my hand again more firmly.“You’re not some girl from Omega. You’re the local artist of Craelia. Who sees the oceans, the markets, and the crazy lot of people who live here. The vets, the beggars, the stall owners, the cafe owners and the bartenders. The fishers and the box movers…you saw us.”“That’s what you see in me?” I ask quietly.“And you’re a looker. There’s not a lot of blonde hair, blue eyed humans around,” she says. I hit her shoulder and lean against her. She pulls my chair closer, tucking her arm around me and for once I feel something settle inside of me.I’m the kind of person that goes, goes, goes. But like in painting, something stills and I feel like I’m anchored. It’s scary and wonderful at the same time. Like I can actually breathe and rest for a moment. Her hand strokes my back and I tuck my head into the nook of her shoulder. She leans her head against mine.“This scares me,” I tell her quietly. She makes a soft comfortable noise.“Yeah? Sometimes, it scares me too…”“That doesn’t make you scared that I’m scared?”“Nope,” she says frankly. “I spent a lot of my life being scared. It’s normal. Doesn’t mean it can’t stop you from stuff. Tonight’s proof of that.”“I’m not good at this,” I say.“Shhh, just sit here with me and see if it doesn’t get better,” she says. “A wise woman said don’t worry about the what if’s and future, but just experience the now. Look out into that sea. What does she say to you right now?”“Be here. See me. Stay here.”She kisses the top of my head.“Be here with me now. You don’t have to stay tomorrow, but stay here for now.”
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We get back to the apartment and she stops at the door.“I respect you too much to go in with you. Have a nice night,” she says looking at her hand. I’ve refused to let it go.“Cute,” I say and shake my head. I cross the threshold and kiss her cheek. “But I respect you too much to let you escape that easy. We won’t do anything. I’m just not done being with you. It’s not like you haven’t been in my apartment.”That was easy. Now, that she’s here it’s like having a sleepy tiger in my foyer. I put her hand on my shoulder, lead her to the couch and push her into it.By now her shirt is undone from the walk on the beach, revealing one of her dirty one. I toss a blanket on her and cuddle up on her. I’m surprised to find myself resting against the empty nook where her arm should be, but it was just the most natural place to go on the couch in this position.“Does this bother you?” I ask her.“No,” she says. “Though I wish I could wrap my arms around you.” I take her hand across her chest and wrap mine around her. She’s so thick and powerful and wonderful. “Hmmm….I like this.” We find ourselves making out on the couch, shoes off, and free in the night to just be us.I wake up to her leaving in the morning. At least, I think it’s morning. It feels like the middle of the night. She carefully tucks me in and kisses my head. When I wake up much later, after the sun has risen. There’s a note on the table about work and seeing me tonight.I end up at the markets late, to sell my work. Weaver walks up during lunch. I’m eating a sandwich sleepily. “Well, seems like something went well last night,” she says, arms crossed. I smile lazily.“Hi to you too, Weaver. Come to make sure I haven’t stolen your daughter yet?”“She can take care of herself. I’ve no doubt of that, but I’ve been hearing some things….seeing some things and I guess, I wanted to see the miracle worker for myself.”“Pissh,” I say. “She’s the miracle worker. I keep telling her. I’m just this girl from Omega.”“I’m inclined to believe what my daughter has to say about you,” she says. “It’s not like we’ve experienced anything that smacks of Omega. We know your mother too. Don’t forget that child.”“So what are you really doing over here then? To buy a painting?” I grin at her as she examines them with a critical eye.“You painted me,” she says surprised. “And are selling them?”“Just today. I saw you over there and you looked…I don’t know. There was just something.”“Someone asked for a pocket picture, so I did make a few. I can give you the cash,” I say. “There were two.”“No, no,” she says. “It’s just…I wasn’t expecting that and you’ve caught me thinking of things. I’ll buy this one myself.” She gives me the credits and I can tell I’ve made her uncomfortable, but also honored for seeing her in such a light. Something more than a little stall manager, and she is. She’s a pillar in this community, holding it up. Why else would people buy her picture?“I’m actually here, because of your date last night. I expect you to visit the house soon and introduce yourself to the clan,” she says. “Monday?”“Um…yeah. Scallop will be there? Is she okay with that?”“Of course she is. You can talk to her and make sure, but I wanted to invite you in person. Scallop is very private and she’s been through a lot…and I don’t want her to get in the habit of hiding the good things in her life like she has with the bad.”“You’re talking about the war…”That look in her eyes again.“She’s been through so much and it’s not my story to tell.”“We’ve talked about the war, but she hasn’t shared her experiences yet. Should I invite her too? Maybe I’m being selfish by not letting her. I just thought she would if she wanted too.”“It’s a part of the fabric of her being as the sea is,” Weaver says with a sigh. “You won’t truly know her until you know her story. It wouldn’t hurt to ask, but I imagine you wouldn’t push her too.” I shake my head. “You’ve experienced the war? I heard Omega didn’t see a lot.”“Two years ago I lived on a colony that was destroyed by the Reapers. We barely escaped with our lives and lost everything. My mom and I didn’t have any place to go, but Omega. We made a life there the last two years. Trying to work ourselves off. She wanted to come back here, but…in the end, it was her death that allowed me too.”Weaver reaches out and touches my shoulder.“She would be very proud of you,” she says and looks into my eyes. I blink back tears, quickly wiping them away, feeling paint streak across my cheeks. “I miss her so much,” I breathe. She hugs me and I find myself really crying. She strokes my back and finally I’ve managed to control my feelings. “I’m sorry.”“Grief is a part of life,” she says. “And she died much too young. Will you be okay?” I nod.“No, but that was good. Thanks. I’m fine. I’ll talk to Scallop about dinner with the family and the other…” She nods and walks off with her painting. I stare after her and there doesn’t come a day that I’m not happy I didn’t come here that I didn’t get away from that miserable pit. I just wish Mom had gotten out.***“Hey,” I say to Scallop when she comes up to my apartment with food from the cafe from her first day as a cook. She looks tired, but happier than I’ve seen in ages. She picks me up in one arm and twirls me as I laugh. We kiss a few times, exuberantly. “Did it go well?” I ask.“Great! I kept up that’s all that counts,” she says. “Hungry? I brought you some leftovers.” I nod and we sit at the island and share the meal over some beers.Then, we end up on the couch.“Are you spending the night again?” I ask. “Do you have work tomorrow?”“Nope, but I can go if you like,” she offers. I shake my head, burrowing myself deeper into her side. She tucks the blanket around us tighter and I’m so glad she’s a furnace, because the apartments are so cold.“I wanted to say in the past I’ve said let’s not talk about war stuff and maybe, I was being unfair. I just wanted you to know that you can always share…whatever you want with me. I want to know you Scallop, everything. You’re mom says you’ve been through some bad things and I just wanted to give you space to talk if you wanted too…not that you have to. I wouldn’t want to pressure…”“Goddess,” she says and kisses my cheek. “I keep forgetting you don’t know. I don’t tell anyone. But of course, I’ll tell you.”“You don’t have too. It’s okay.”“Shh, you want to know about this or not?” she teases me. “It’s not for the faint of heart. The story of how Scallop came into being.” I look into her haunted eyes. I nod.“The last few weeks of the Reaper war…the whole war on Thessia was a wreck. It was the worst hell of my life. There wasn’t any reprieve. Day and night we fought for lives, lost ground, and I thought it wouldn’t ever end, but the last two weeks were especially bad.”“My squad was assigned to protect a bunker to protect a group of Matriarchs. Our duty was to keep them alive, no matter the cost. We didn’t know when the war would end, but it was a last stand kind of thing…we knew we’d probably die there.”I tuck myself deeper into her. Her hand trails in my hair as she kisses me.“The last night was especially bad. We took some terrible hits, but they kept coming until it blew to hell. I don’t even know what happened. Next thing I know someone said cover the hole and I was using the medi-gels we had left to keep people alive. Everyone was hurt. It was just…” she shuts her eyes against the onslaught of the memory. “I think they meant my arm, but I took it to meant the hole in the wall.”“Did you patch yourself up?”“I think? I don’t know who else would have done it.” She looks really confused. “I held this hole in the wall against goddess knows what for who knows how long. Even to this day, two years later…I can barely even spark my biotics after that night.”She lifts up her hand in front of us and a light blue pops out of her palm and dissipates quickly.“Makes me nauseous too,” she says, shaking her head. “Like a slip of vertigo. I don’t remember when it stopped or who stopped me….I woke in a medical triage tent with my arm and squad gone. I did’t know where I was, but I wasn’t anywhere near the bunker. They must have medi-evacced us out. Kept me local, because I was more stable…but then, when I woke up there wasn’t enough beds or doctors. I was stable so they gave me this piece of paper.”She pulls it out of her pocket and gives it to me.“The war is over. Congratulations. You are medically discharged. Thank you for your service….“Scallop, what the hell did you do? Was your arm even healed?” She shook her head.“Healed enough I wouldn’t bleed out,” she says, blinking back tears. “I just started walking. I didn’t even know where I was, but I saw the capital and walked toward that. Then, I crossed it to the coast and I knew if I followed it, I’d get home eventually.”“How? How long did it take?”“I don’t know. Some people fed me rations. Others gave me water, but sometimes I just went without. Slept on the beach no matter the weather or what was around. It’s all kind of a blur. I showed up here in town during the day. Stumbled into the market and Mom’s stall. She closed up immediately and took me home, took care of me, nursed me back to health.”Tears streak down my face. “That’s so terrible. How could that have even happened?”“It’s was chaos. We temporarily didn’t have a government, provisional at best. The gals in the bunker I told you about were what was left of it…the Huntresses had been broken against the Reapers. Our medical staff stretched too thin over the billions that had died. Billions of Asari were dying or critically injured. One soldier or a hundred or a thousand were breaking the system. So me…I got out with my life. That’s better than a lot of people could say.”“Scallop,” I say and she looks at me again, wiping my tears away.“Yeah, baby?” She asks me.“That’s terrible,” I pleat again. “That it happened to you even worse.”“I’m not special, baby,” she says. “I never was. I was always just a Huntress and then I was just a box mover. I told you there was nothing special.” I shake my head.“Those bastards. I don’t care,”I say. “What happened to you was wrong.”“It was wrong yes, but it happened,” she says in a cold voice. “We can’t change the past.”“You’re right, damn it, but it still doesn’t make it right and you are special. This just proves it. You made it. You held your position. You saved peoples lives and you survived to find me.”“I did…” she says thoughtfully. “I think I’m most grateful for that. For a long time all I could see was the war, but then this blonde landlord walked into my life and insisted I take her to the beach. I hadn’t been except to work for years. Since the war…I hadn’t just gone for a walk and sitting with you watching you paint in that hidden cove. I saw the world again. You gave that to me.”“You gave me a lot of things too, Scallop,” I say. She kisses me deeply and I’m lost in her touch for a moment.We fall asleep in each others’ arms, but it isn’t long before it’s me that’s awoken by nightmares. All I can see is the colony burning and I sit up not knowing where I’m at. The colony, Omega, or what…I feel Scallop arm around me. It’s still dark.“Nightmare?” She purrs. I nod. “Must have brought up some bad memories.” I crumple into her, crying hard at the images flashing in my mind. “Shh…” She’s stroking me as a shudder against her. Cold and tired, it feels like I was just on the colony escaping for my life. “I’m here. You’re here in Craelia, safe and sound. Wanna go for a walk on the beach? That always helps me get straight.” I shake my head, teeth chattering.“I’m so cold,” I say. She chuckles gently, suddenly managing to lift me in one arm in a deadlift from the couch with the blanket. Then, she carefully carries me to the bed, tucks me in with herself under the massive comforter, wrapping her arm around me.I burrow into her chest, wrapping my arms around her neck and kiss her. She returns it and for a moment I think we’re going to finally do it, but she places her cheek on mine and sighs. She wants to do it. I can feel the shudder of her body flush against mine, but she’s too much of a gentlemen to take advantage of me in this state.“Love you,” she murmurs sleepily. My heart stops in my chest.“Scallop.”She makes a sleepy sound. She’s asleep or fast falling asleep.“I love you too,” I whisper and she sighs again.
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She starts to move and I groan. “If you leave, l know where you live ,” I threaten.“Bathroom,” she says and I release her, feeling the foul cold air filter in where she leaves. I moan and hear her pad away. Then, I hear her start to make breakfast. I cover my head, refusing to escape the warm bed.She returns eventually with eggs and bacon for the both of us and fruit. She nudges me and I scoot over, daring to peak out of the blankets. I scoot up, but don’t move from under the blanket.“Open up and I’ll dive in,” she offers and I pull back the blanket and she sits down next to me, bringing her warmth. I cuddle closer to her. “You don’t like the cold, I take it.”“Why is there no heat in the apartments?” I moan.“Because it’s warm outside all year around,” she says laughing. “You’re supposed to be outside not inside. Come on. Let’s eat and go for a walk. That’ll warm you up fast.”Her arm rubs against my shoulder and I start to eat her wonderful food.“Your mom wants us to visit her tonight,” I tell her.“Yeah, doesn’t surprise me. She knows I’m off today. Are you okay to meet my family yet? They’re crazy and a bit overwhelming.”“She was pretty insistent,” I say morosely.“We could lie and say you’re sick.”“Something tells me she will figure it out,” I admit. “Yeah…she’d probably send over one of the nurses,” Scallop says. “Is this going to be a problem? I could just talk to her.” I shake my head.“I do want to…it’s just I wanted you to myself a bit longer.”“Oh don’t worry…it’s not like the whole crew is just going to appear in our lives,” Scallop assures me. “They’re a nosey bunch, but they know I’m pretty reclusive. They won’t harass you and you’ll still have just me after tonight.”“Okay,” I say. “This just feels serious. We’ve only had one date and your mom wants me to meet the family.”“Well, I’m sure she told you Asari are strange that way. They just want to see who is making me so happy. Not to put pressure on the relationship. We can go back to being friends tomorrow and they wouldn’t care. I would, because I kind of like this cuddly and adverse to the cold version of Grace.”I make a noise that isn’t exactly pleasant and she laughs. “I can think of a way to get you warm, besides walking,” she offers. I swallow and look up into her eyes. She smiles and kisses me. I push the plates out of the way and find it hard to breathe.“What if you don’t like humans?” I ask her suddenly. “I’ve never been with an Asari.” I swallow, suddenly terribly nervous.“Oh…you haven’t?” she asks. I shake my head as she pushes me a little away. “Then, you haven’t experienced a meld?” I shake my head again.“I’ve heard about them. You do them?”“Of course. Every Asari do.” She smiles at me. “You’ll enjoy it a lot. Have you ever been with a woman before?” I shake my head. “Oh double the fun. I’ll help you. I haven’t been with a human before, just other Asari for fun. It’s a Huntress thing.”“I’ve been with humans mostly and a very lucky Turian. That was weird.”“I bet,” she says. “Lucky for you Asari are very similar to humans, no armor, spikes or anything dangerous to poke you with. We have some different spots where we find extra pleasure from being touched. In the meld, I can help you find them. We go together, so it’s more enjoyable and we can learn together where it’s enjoyable for the other without words.”“Wow…” I say, but I’m still nervous. I bite my lip. This all sounds like a huge step, letting her into my mind. What if she hates me? What if she sees some of the sick thoughts I’ve had or how much I hate it here sometimes, even though I love her. What if she hears me say that word and freaks out?“You don’t sound excited,” she says casually, still not pushing me. “This is perfectly normal. I have a lot of practice…”“I’m scared, okay?” I blurt out. “I’ve never had someone in my mind before.” She pauses and nods.“You don’t have to do it,” she tells me, “But if you have any questions I can answer them. Like I won’t read your thoughts without your permission. That’s a violation of someone’s privacy and it’s wrong. Now, I can pick up on your emotions, but it’s just the nature of the meld. With practice, you can learn to control them, but nothing in the meld can hurt me. I’ve had a lot a practice. I’ll be very gentle with you and if you’d like we can practice in a non-sexual meld to make you more comfortable and teach you how to protect yourself from unwanted attack or attention.”“You’d do that?” I ask her. She nods, stroking my arm.“We can also just not do the meld today at all or nix sex. I can wait for you,” she says and kisses me. “I like you a lot, Grace. I think you’re beautiful and there’s nothing more I’d rather do than give you pleasure, but I will never force you to do something you don’t want to.”“I do want to try…I’m just scared you won’t like me,” I say to her. She smiles at me and shakes her head.“Where is this coming from? You’re so confident and then you’re with me and you question yourself? I’m the one-armed Huntress. Are you sure, you’re not just scared to see my arm missing?”“No, I kind of want to see what it looks like…” I admit. “But I’ve been too scared to ask.” She grabs her shirt, looks at me, and then takes it off. God, those abs. They are all I can see for a second, folded slightly from her slouch, I can still see every one of those six beautiful packs. My hand is immediately drawn to them. “Grace…I thought you were going to look at my arm.”“Sorry,” I say, blushing. “You’re just so beautiful.” My eyes snake passed the cute little belly button, the small chest (for an Asari)— it’s been burned and where the arm is missing the ribs are damaged and dented in counterintuitive ways.Her shoulder is bubbled and dented too. There isn’t even a hint of that arm or part of the collarbone and shoulder blade. The boob is burned and scarred too. I reach out to the the burns and scars, forgetting myself as I touch the skin around her chest as if isn’t her breast. She watches me carefully as I follow the ridges of her back muscles back to those beautiful abs.“You’re still gorgeous. I’m so jealous,” I admit. She shakes her head and leans in to start kissing me.“I care about you a lot, Grace. I promise I won’t reject you for your body. I’m very attracted to it.” She gives me a hooded look and I nod. Slowly, I pull off my dress for her. Then, I take off my bra.Her eyes widen as she stares at me. I can tell I’m having a good affect on her, because her breathing becomes hard as she struggles to remember how to do it. Her cheeks are flushing purple and her hand reaches out and she rethinks the gesture. She reaches up to my face and pulls me into a kiss. My hands slide around her.“Ready?” she asks me. “To meld? You’ll like it. I promise.”“Okay,” I say.“Embrace eternity, Grace,” she says and suddenly her eyes go black. It’s almost terrifying watching her mouth open, but then this incredible warmth fills me, chasing the fear down my spine, and I’m on the cove along the beach, finally warm. Scallop stands whole before me with both arms, still the powerful woman, blue muscular and every bit the greek goddess she pretends she’s not.She crosses to me, bends down and I realize I’m laying on the rocks, but it feels soft like sand. She reaches out to touch my face and a warmth fills me even deeper, traveling from her fingertips through to every place of my skin and I see her like she sees me.I’m beautiful, perfect flawless here on this beach. My hair isn’t mussed, instead I look like some model from an ad. It’s flowing across my face, shoulders, and fans out around me, and Scallop pushes it back. My nose isn’t too big and my eyes are the color of the sea with the light on it. When you can see down to the depths. My stomach is perfect, skinny and not bloated from bacon.Scallop doesn’t seem to care about all that. All she wants to do is eat me. Eat and lick and pull at whatever it is that makes me happy.She really starts to kiss me, moving my hands to her lower back and to the base of her skull. The skin is different there and I gasp at the feelings that course through her when I barely graze them.I can barely breathe as she pushes my hands down harder. My lips have to pull away, because I feel like I’ll come right then and there with the pressure of my own hands on her flesh.In real life, I can feel us following the motions of our bodies in the meld. She steals my lips again, trailing down my neck and daring to go where no has gone in a while.She must be right that Asari have similar bodies, because soon we’re both over the edge and it’s easy to stay there with her. Again and again until most of the morning is gone with our playing.I’m laying partially on the covers now, thoroughly exhausted by Scallop, who never seems to flag. She grins at me, playing with my stomach, tracing circles on it. I groan and bury my face in her arm.“I’m never letting you go now, Scallop. That was the best sex of my life,” I admit. “I wasn’t even drunk.” She laughs.“It’s good to be experienced sometimes,” she says and kisses my tender lips. “I’m done,” I tell her. “You win.” She laughs at me. I’ve lost track of how many times we’ve done it and how many orgasms I’ve had. I didn’t even know I could have that many in one morning.Her stomach growls and she sprints up, pulling on her cutoff sweat shorts to make a meal for us. I can hear the fish frying and find myself falling asleep. I’m going to be sore, very, very sore.She scoots me over and feeds me before stuffing her own face with a huge amount of food. Then, we take a shower together and finally get dressed. She gladly massages every tender place I have. Her fingers firm and gentle.“Scallop,” I say, pulling her close before we leave the apartment. I just want her for a second. I cling against the strength that is her, remembering the feeling of her against me on cove, our secret place. I shut my eyes breathing in the fresh scent of her.“Babe?” she asks concerned.“Nothing. I just wanted you,” I say and release her. She strokes my hair away from my face.“Beautiful.”
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Weaver’s house feels like a party the moment we enter. It’s full of people, Asari people. Scallop told me Shepard would be here. No pressure. Just the savior of the world to compete with as another human.Scallop is in her nice shirt and pants. I’m in the yellow dress she likes. We wander around, meeting every cousin, aunt, and any extended family member. There is so many of them and so different. Some are nurses, fishers, the bartender, waitresses, and even an ex convict, and security and commandos.We even meet the matriarch of the family and she looks at me like I’m a bug. There’s a few of them too all around in the center of massive party and Shepard is there looking amused at us in a wheelchair.Once we escape from the matriarchs, Scallop pushes her outside so we can talk away from everyone.“So this is the girl?” she asks Scallop. She has a sort of cocky smirk that lights up her dark face, scarred from her own war.“Yup,” Scallop says and looks at me proudly. I blush.“Hi, I’m Grace,” I say and offer my hand.“I’m Shepard. Have you met my wife yet? ““No, I haven’t. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”“I’m sure you have,” Shepard says. “Probably from the news…”“Also, from Scallop. She loves you,” I say quickly. Scallop rolls her eyes. “She won’t stop talking about you sometimes…”“Hah, Scallop to your girlfriend?” Shepard says with an impish smirk. I think I like this woman. “I’ve been trying to help her out.” Shepard reaches out and touches the shirt. “I hope you like it. It was my wife’s favorite, but I’ve kind of shrunk since I last wore it. It looks good on you, kid.”“That’s the Commander Shepard’s shirt?” I ask her. “That’s who gave you the clothes?” She scratches the back of her head and nods. “And you got her that job?”“It’s the least I could do,” Shepard says and a haunted look comes into her eyes. “I was here the day we lost Thessia.” I look at her. Does she blame herself? Savior of the galaxy blaming herself for Thessia.“You’re one person, Commander Shepard.”“Shepard, please. I’m not anything right now,” she says. “Just an old vet.” “You’re not old,” I say and I can see that she has the same chip on her shoulder as my Scallop. I see an Asari looking around and then she spots Shepard and walks over.“Hey guys, Scallop is this your girlfriend? I’m Liara. Shepard’s wife.” She offers her hand in a human gesture and shakes my hand.“Your wife was just sharing how she gives my girlfriend clothing advice.”“Shepard, I was the one that helped Scallop,” Liara admonishes. “She doesn’t have a clue. I bought that shirt for her years ago, before the war.”“Well, thanks for helping expand Scallop’s pathetic wardrobe. I was getting tired of her old shirts.” Scallop looks at me, lifting an eyebrow before reaching her arm around my waist and pulling me close.“Didn’t complain this morning, sunshine,” she says and pecks me on the cheek. My cheeks flush. Point for Scallop.“Aww…they’re so cute,” Shepard says with a smile. “Two new lovebirds. When are you guys going to come over for supper?”“Supper with the savior of the galaxy,” I say and Scallop pinches my side.“I’m not…I mean,” Shepard actually stutters.“I’m so sorry. I’m making this awkward…I’m just this stupid girl from Omega.”“She is the savior of the galaxy,” Liara says, rolling her eyes. “I don’t know why she is being this way. You didn’t offend her. I promise.”“It’s just I haven’t felt like the savior of anything for months,” Shepard admits, laughing uncomfortably.“I’m sorry. I’m just nervous, because…you’re famous,” I say. “I’ll try to be better when we meet for supper.”“I can’t take her anywhere,” Scallop says. I give her a dangerous look. “Kidding?” “You are a terrible at it—don’t ever do that again,” I warn her. “We’re not in a vid.”“We could watch a vid. That’s about all I can do lately,” Shepard says still sounding embarrassed.“And go out to eat,” Liara says. “We like the Refuge Cafe.”“Boring, I know…”“Not boring,” I assure her. “I haven’t seen a vid in ages. I’m so broke and so is Scallop. We just walk on the beach and hang out at cafes. I’m a painter.”“Bring some of your work. We’ll check it out,” Liara says. I blush at that. “You don’t have to.”“No, love to, really. I have a few things that I take to market and if you ever want me to do you and Shepard. I’d love too.”“Oh Shepard,” Liara breathes excitedly. “Can we?”“Can we talk about it?” Shepard says less than enthusiastically. Liara seems to deflate. It’s funny watching them. Shepard’s eyebrows shoot up as if she realized Liara had really wanted this. “Precious?” Really, that is a terrible nickname. What was she thinking?“Please, Shepard? We don’t have any good pictures of just us.” Shepard sighs.“Fine,” she says and Liara actually squeals and hugs her.“I’ll make the arrangements,” she says. “Can I borrow you, Grace? Not about the painting, but let’s go for a walk.”“Um…sure?” I cast a glance to Scallop.“I’ll rescue you later,” she assures and waves. “Have fun. Be brave.” Liara smiles at me, holding my arm. We walk around the small yard and pick up a drink in the kitchen.“First, Asari party?” Liara asks. “It’s my first one too. My family was very different. It was just my mom and me.”“Yeah, same here. My mother was Asari too,” I say. She gives me that strange look everyone gives me, asking me are you crazy? And why aren’t you blue? “My adopted mother.” She nods.“Oh, really. What happened to her?”“In a shuttle crash. Does your mother live on Thessia?”“She did. She died too. She was indoctrinated and couldn’t be saved,” she says, looking haunted. “I wanted to say that from the time I’ve met Scallop, which hasn’t been long mind you, until tonight…this is the happiest I’ve seen her.”“You helped get her that job at the refugee Cafe. She really loves it. So thanks for that.”“Scallop’s been helping my wife adjust to life here on Thessia,” Liara says. “I hope you haven’t minded us borrowing her occasionally. Shepard hasn’t had a veteran to connect with and even though I fought in the war. I’m her wife and I don’t really count. She needs a friend. She can go out drinking with.” Out the window is Scallop smiling at Shepard, with her hand in her pocket and the Commander does look happy.“I think, I can share my girlfriend for a good cause. Do you have a lot of friends on Thessia?”“This is my hometown, but no…I was terribly shy growing up,” Liara admits with a shrug.“Then, maybe we can hang out sometime when Scallop’s with Shepard? She’s shown me all of best spots to see the sea.” “Oh that would be great. Thanks for understanding.”“No problem. I mean, I just met everyone, but I don’t know anyone except Scallop. People are nice here, but they just look at me like I’m a tourist.”“It’s a tight knit community,” Liara says. “I think it will just take time for the both of us. Since I’ve spent most of my life away away from here, I might as well be a tourist.” Liara looks sad and a little lost even among her own people.“Well, I could use a gal pal. You like shopping? I don’t have any money, but I like to look and Scallop is…well you’ve seen her wardrobe.” Her face lights up as if she’s knows exactly what I’m talking about.“I can’t wait,” I say and jump a little. “We’re going to have so much fun.” She chuckles and looks at me like I’m a kid, but I don’t care. I haven’t been shopping since mom. “When are we going? Next, Monday. She’s off next Monday. I think she has the morning off in two days.”“Let’s talk to Scallop…”I drag Liara back and we negotiate a time with Scallop, who is a bit distracted trying to decide what she wants spending the morning with me or her hero. My begging helps a lot.We spend the rest of the night hanging with Shepard and Liara. It’s so fun watching Shepard and Scallop being awkward. I find myself staring at her.
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I pull on my regular clothes. The tan shorts and the white t-shirt and flip-flops. I’d had them forever and they were cheap as hell from Omega. I remember I had been wearing it when the sink exploded and Scallop showed up and then, later…there were too many good memories of her ripping them off of me.I walk down to the markets to meet with Liara. She is in a pretty dress. It’s white and blue and black.“You look great!” I say with a grin.“I only get to dress up when Shepard and I go on dates,” she says. “I always need to be ready to manage anything unexpected when we’re out and about. It’s easier not to wear a dress.”“Come on, Liara. We’re having fun,” I say and lead her into the store section of the town. There’s a whole strip just a street away from the markets. I’ve walked down it, but never in the stores to try things.It’s so fun. Liara looks really happy and it’s fun to make the quiet woman laugh. I can see the war and taking care of Shepard has taken a toll on the woman who should look like a Maiden, but nearly has an aire of a matron. Not that she looks like it. They all look young. Well, Scallop doesn’t. She always look like she’s middle aged even if she is a maiden.I try on a little black dress. It’s only twenty creds. I twirl around and feel like a sexy princess. “That looks really good. You know, I think you really like that,” Liara says. “Scallop sent me with some money so you could buy yourself something special.”“Really?” I say. “Really,” she says with a smile. “I thought it was sweet.”“I don’t know what I’m going to do with that woman,” I say and twirl again. “She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”“I can say that of the woman of my life,” Liara says, looking at the shoes she is trying.“You guys are so cute. Is it ever hard?”“Oh yeah…I thought it would be easier after the war. It was so easy when we were running for our lives. I never thought…I love Shepard. I love her so much, but I worry so much with her health.”“What’s wrong with her again? There’s something with her legs.”“She had synthetics that helped with control of her legs and some of her organs. It affects her health and how she absorbs nutrients. She eats perfectly and she is still so easily breakable and I can’t keep any weight on her.”“The shirt…?” I ask.“She’s lost ten more pounds this year. If she loses anymore,” Liara says, looking like she’s about to cry.“Oh no, really?”“She tries to eat, but it doesn’t matter how much she eats. She loses weight and her bones are weak,” she says. “It’s so hard sometimes and I know it frustrates her.”“That is hard,” I say and touch her arm. She starts to cry and I hug her. “I’m sorry.” “No, I am,” she says, pulling away and wiping away the tears. “I love her.”“I can tell. It must be hard to care so much for someone who’s hurting so much,” I say. “I’m glad we were able to do this. To do something for yourself. You must take care of Shepard and the world.” I laugh when I think of that, but something tells me she probably does. She smiles looking like she is going to melt.“Come on,” I say. “Let’s get some ice cream. We need ice cream.” I go to change and I buy the dress with Scallop’s money, but only because I know she’ll love it too.The ice cream is cheap and Liara is back to the smiling woman again. “You traveled a lot when you were young, didn’t you?” Liara asks me.“Yeah, mom loved to travel. We traveled all the time. She had a shuttle she’d use for taxi-ing. There was enough room to sleep in it sometimes when she couldn’t afford a place to live. It was more home than anything. When we lost it we lost everything.”“Your mom sounds like an exciting woman,” Liara says. “Where were some of the places you lived?”There’s like ten places I can think of off hand and the more I think about it. There was always that time we spent a month there or six months there or the time we broke down…Twelve stories later, Liara is laughing hard.“Did you ever go to school?” she asks me, shaking her head.“Um…yeah, no. Mom always said the real lesson was life,” I say with a shrug. “I think she didn’t do too bad.”“Is that even legal?” Liara says, lifting an eyebrow.“When you move around and your mom knows how to avoid the law…it doesn’t have to be,” I say with a shrug. “She taught me stuff. Seriously, it’s not like I don’t know how to read. We read all the time. She’d steal books from the library.”“She wouldn’t,” Liara says as if that is the biggest crime in the world. “Yep,” I say and she looks scandalized. “I still have five from Omega’s library.”“Omega has a library?” She asks in disbelief.“Okay, maybe it was a few books in the free clinics and yes, I did steal them, but no one was reading them and they were missing pages. No one wanted them. Someone needed to rescue them.”“It’s fine, but don’t steal books from the library here. I’ll have a heart attack, I think,” she says, and places her hand over her heart. I laugh at that and shake my head. “They’re free anyway.”“If you ever want to take basic classes I know where you can take them for free or get training to do whatever you want to do. Not free, but there are scholarships.”“Liara, what would I do? Seriously, I’m not that kind of smart,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m a painter or taxi driver or waitress. I can’t be anything else.”“Seriously, you’re a smart woman. You could be anything.”“A doctor?” I challenge her. “I’m not some fancy girl like you. I can’t be a scientist.”“I know, but there are other jobs that you could do.”“I’m happy, Liara. I finally get to do what I want to do paint.”“Okay…it’s just you might want something more stable…”“I’ve got the apartments and Scallop is teaching me a lot about how to upkeep them. I’m a fast learner. I’m fine.”“Okay, I’m sorry. I’ve always been a meddler. If you ever change your mind I can help. There are jobs though. I mean, I don’t care if you want to be something like a carpenter or a painter. I could even check into art schools.”“Pfft, you can’t teach art.” She shakes her head.“You’re as stubborn as Shepard,” she says and smiles. “I’m not trying to be offensive, but I’m sure I am.”“It’s okay,” I say. “I like my life. I know it’s never been traditional and I don’t care. I’m happy here.”“It does sound like it was rather exciting,” Liara says. “I bet Scallop is different in comparison.”“Yeah…but I like that about her. She feels like she won’t fly away on me and she knows everything I don’t. I mean, she can fix the faucet every time. I don’t now how she does it and she knows where all the secret places are around here. I’ve never known a secret place, except where to vomit safely. I’ve never had anyone that just felt like…like a safe place, an anchor.”“It sounds like your perfect for each other,” she says. “Seriously. Scallop is really a sweet person.”“I’m not so much. I’m such a mess.”“You’re a sweet person too, Grace. I haven’t had so much fun in ages. Seriously, who will I go shopping with and meddle in your and Scallop’s lives?”“Does Shepard ever want something different for you?”“All the time.”“No, seriously?”“Really. I might have been a nice person before the war started, but when Shepard died something snapped and I just became a person willing to do anything to get her back and willing to do anything for her.”“Wait. Shepard died?”“Yeah, those synthetics…they brought her to life, kept her alive until the end of the war. Now, she’s just her.”“I can’t even imagine. The war just changed people, myself included. I was a lot more carefree. I just went wherever Mom did because that’s what we did. She was my best friend, but when we lost the shuttle, I had to get us a place in Omega and I worked my ass off to keep it. She just fell off for a while.”“Fell off what?”“The bandwagon. She fell off literally. It took her six months to get normal again and she just wasn’t…after that. I had to take care of her.” Liara reaches out and squeezes my hand.“Sounds like the war affected us all,” Liara says. I wipe away a tear.“Scallop told you her story?”“Yeah.”“Scallop, it just wasn’t right.”“We all lost something,” Liara says and I nod. I eat the last bite of ice cream. “I’m glad you came here, Grace. I think it will be good for you.” Sure, Liara is hilarious. “Come on, we still have half the day to wander around the beach,” I say. “You need to unwind.”“That’s what Shepard always says. I need to check on her first,” Liara says calling Shepard on her omnitool. Trust much?“Hey, babe, just wanted to see how you are doing?”“Oh you know, hanging with Scallop at the Refugee Cafe, talking about vet stuff, boring…did you go try stuff on?”“Lot’s. We just ate ice cream.”“Yum,” Shepard says. “I miss you.”“I miss you too, babe,” she says it as if she really means it. They have just been away from each other for like two seconds.“Come on, Liara,” I say.“Okay, Shepard. I got to go. We’re going for a walk. Love you.”“Love you too, babe,” she says. “Be careful.”“You guys are so dorky, but it’s great I say.”“Dorky?” Liara asks. I shake my head.“Like I don’t know. Neither of you know quite how to deal with regular people, but you know how to deal with yourselves. Shep has only been a soldier and what you? A scientist studying Protheans.”“Yeah, I didn’t really start seeing the world until Shepard. I led a really quiet life until the Geth showed up.”“I bet,” I say. “It’s cute. Come on. You need to unwind. Let’s get some beer and drink and find a spot.”We grab some beers at the market and walk up together toward their house. About half way, we find a quiet beautiful cove and drink ourselves a little drunk. It’s fun to see her unwind for real. She talks about a dozen things but mostly Shepard. We walk back to the house together, laughing. I decidedly like this Liara better than the snobby one I encountered earlier. We walk in to Shepard and Scallop eating at the island.“Look who decided to finally show up,” Shepard says and rolls over to her wife. “You’re drunk…” She doesn’t sound angry, but definitely surprise. Scallop looks at me across from the island. “Hey,” I say. “This is a nice place. Very fancy.” I walk barefoot over to Scallop, collapse on her and kiss her. She holds me, but doesn’t let my tongue part her lips. “Are you mad?” I whisper to her. I’m not as drunk as I’m acting, but I’m definitely tipsy.“Let me get you some coffee and food,” Scallop says chilly. She gets up and serves me. Then, gets a plate for Liara.“We were just worried,” Shepard is saying to Liara. She nods.“We lost track of the time. I’m sorry,” she says and ends up in her lap. She looks really cozy there. I smile. Maybe, some good marriage therapy going on tonight. We eat and Scallop watches me carefully.“I haven’t gotten this drunk since our party on the citadel,” Liara says with a laugh. “Remember I picked up Vega with my biotics?”“I do,” Shepard says, looking at her with so much love that I’m kind of jealous. I don’t know what Scallop’s big deal is. The lady needed to relax. After we finish eating, Scallop cleans the plates.“I think we should go, Shepard. Grace and Liara need to rest after their excursion,” she says.“You’re welcome to stay, but take the car if you go,” Shepard says, tossing her the keys. “Thanks, I’ll bring it back in the morning. Come one Grace. Let’s go home.” I frown at her. “Please.”“Fine,” I say and we walk outside. “Did I actually embarrass you in front of your rich friends?” I snarl this at her. She looks at me.“You got Liara drunk.”“She’s a big girl. Last time I checked I didn’t force any beers down her,” I say. “Come on, relax.” I pull at her arm, but she’s unmovable.“Relax? It’s not about rich friends. It’s about Commander Shepard. She’s the savior of the galaxy and you go and take her wife and get her drunk. We’re were just supposed to have a nice dinner.”“She needed to relax,” I say to her and fold my arms. “Don’t be so…”“What? Mature?”she asks, lifting an eyebrow.“I’m not talking to you right now,” I say and walk to the car and plop in. She leaps in and drives us back to the apartment.The flight back is silent. When we land, she doesn’t open the doors.“I’m sorry, but that’s not what I was planning,” she says quietly.“I know you wanted this to be a nice boring dinner, but sometimes I do things without thinking. I’m sorry too,” I mutter. “I shouldn’t have done that, but she…she just tried to fix me and it kind of offended me how uptight she was.”“Let’s talk about this inside,” Scallop says and takes my hand, kissing it.
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“I don’t know…mom always complained about how much Asari judged her. I felt like Liara was judging her. It was silly. She asked me about my life and I told her I had never been to school, because we traveled so much. She was just trying to be nice, but told me she could help me get free schooling or a scholarship to train in something else.”“You took that as her being jerky?” she ask me. I nod.“She was so snobby about it. Like I could actually be a doctor or something.”“Well, maybe not a doctor, but I bet you could be a lot of things,” Scallop says. “If you put your mind to it…”“Right…look, I’ve only been here a few months. I finally got things going here. I mean, I get to do what I love, painting and this pays for itself. I have enough money for food. I don’t need dresses…though thank you. I’m just happy with this. Some coffee at the cafe, painting in the mornings and evenings and selling my work during the day. It’s the first time I haven’t had to take care of someone or have to move or not know how I’m going to pay rent or where I’m going to get food.”“No one is saying you have to do it tomorrow,” she says. I nod. “Can I have another beer? My buzz is wearing off,” I say. She pulls two out of the fridge and leads me over to the couch where we settle together. She strokes my arm. “It sounds like your life as a vagabond wasn’t always the easiest.”“It was fine when Mom had the shuttle. I could manage her, but she was lost on Omega and after what she saw on the colony. She just started getting drunk every day. Using everything we had left. I couldn’t stop her. I worked my ass off and managed to get her dumped into the free clinics for three months of addiction protocol.”“And when she got out…?” she asks me. I shook my head.“She never fully recovered. I had to take care of her before, but this was different. It was like she’d given up. She hated Omega. We had lived in that shuttle together for twenty years. It was our home. It was hers and it was how she survived.”“I’m sorry, baby,” Scallop says and tucks her head against my neck. “I loved her,” I say, frowning and feel the tears.“You can love someone who hurts you,” she says. “Did she ever hurt you?”I nod and feel the tears come. “She’d get so mad if you didn’t say what she wanted to hear or if I didn’t let her drink herself into a stupor. She’d throw this fit and throw bottles at me and even shoot me with her biotics if she got super pissed. She broke my wrist and arm once. I don’t know how many times she busted my ribs. She’d always freak out afterwards. Apologize, but the fact that she’d do it…”Grace wraps her arm around me and holds me. Doesn’t say anything, but strokes my back.“I don’t think she ever meant to do it,” I say quietly. “It’s just when she got drunk she was different.”“Babe,” she says quietly, but there is something dangerous in the undertone. “I’m sorry.”“I really like you a lot,” I tell her. “I’m so lucky you’re in my life…I’ve never had someone…that I didn’t have to take care of and wanted to be with me just because…no one I have ever dated has been like that before.”“Oh yeah?” she says and I feel her muscles loosening again. “You don’t feel like you have to take care of me?”“Nope,” I say. “If anything you take care of me. Fixing the sink…making sure I eat…showing me all the great places Craelia has to offer. Every day is new with you. I’ve never been in a place where I just want to stay, but I feel like I could with you. I actually want to stay. Mom wouldn’t ever let us. She always wanted to keep going.”“You know, after the war I never thought I’d find someone who could love this me. I thought I’d always be broken…I thought I’d always want to just stay there, but you’ve given me hope again. That I could want and be something different. That I want to be a cook. That I could travel one day with you.”“You’d leave Craelia?”“With you I would. I can be a cook anywhere. If it meant you being happy…I’ve always wanted to travel. It’s why I became a Commando in the first place. I thought I’d be able to leave, but then the war came…and I didn’t think I’d ever want to. I love it here. I’d stay with you, but if you ever get tired of here. I’d go anywhere to be with you.”I kiss her hard. She smiles at me.“Do you feel like you have to take care of me?” I ask her. “I don’t want to be like my mom.”“You’re not your mother…remember when I got drunk and you carried me back. I don’t do that a lot, but what if it’s okay just to be equal in this? That we take care of each other.”God, I love this woman.I wrap my arms around her.“I’ll send an apology to Shepard and Liara tomorrow,” I say. She touches my chin.“You’re right, Liara is a big girl and you didn’t force her to drink. You’re allowed to do whatever you want to unwind. I was wrong to judge you.”“I made the evening less enjoyable for you and Shepard. It would have been more fun to get drunk together,” I say and kiss her again. “I like being with you.”“I like being with you too,” she says and takes my hand, stroking my wrist with her thumb. I shut my eyes. “I never thought I’d love someone like I love you,” I say and she looks at me, hand slipping to my lips as she strokes them too. Her eyes drifting between my eyes to my lips. “I love you too, babe,” she says. I lean into her, kissing her. She sighs and I sigh and I wonder if things could ever be more okay.“You know you don’t have to be doctor, but what about nurse?” I make a funny noise. “A physical therapist?”“A hairstylist on Thessia…” I snort.“There’s facial painting…you know tattoo work.”“Hmmm,” I say, “But not right now. I like it though. I bet I could do it. I can work on my sketches in the mean time.”“Great. You can be a tattoo artist and painter anywhere and I can be a cook anywhere.” I wrap my hands around her neck.“You’re amazing,” I say. “Brilliant. Bloody brillant. I’m so excited to be living life with you.” She chuckles at me and I slide her shirt off so I can touch her body again to press against her. I love exploring the trails of scars and muscles. She’s the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.“You really love me?” I ask against her skin.“Yeah,” she says. “I loved you from the moment I saw you, Grace. Then, I knew for sure when you were all wet in that white shirt. I didn’t have a mug to drop, but you were so fucking gorgeous.”I feel my cheeks bloom with heat. “Come with me to our secret spot,” she whispers, asking me to meld. I moan as she slips me away into a place I have never felt so loved or have had anyone to reciprocate that love to.