A Lotus in the Mud ch.2

I open my eyes slowly, and find a turian staring at me through a window. He has nice eyes…like ice. I find his personality to be warmer than his eyes, though I sense a great conflict within…he is unsure of himself and it shows as plainly as the plates on his flesh. He turns from me to address a figure behind the door and I examine my surroundings.

Where am I? I feel cold metal bite into my skin as I squirm on what appears to be an operating table. My surroundings indicate a med bay of sorts…interesting. I am not afraid…for I have seen things no one should witness and I have endured way worse than most. I am confident whatever fate has befallen me I can handle it. Besides, if my captors wished me harm I doubt I would have been wrapped in a heated blanket.

The hiss of a door opening makes me jump and before I know it warm arms are embracing me. I struggle against them at first…only one individual is allowed to touch me…but then the smell hits my nostrils. It is heady, yet sweet…it is a type of flower I know that much. Honeysuckle…I smile, remembering…and then realize who exactly is hugging me.

"Ma" It is a whisper, a prayer…a mantra. Her arms squeeze tighter and I revel in the feel.

"Evlin…" She breathes against my hair and I want to cry out in happiness. This woman is my savior…my salvation…my guardian. It is she who braved the slavers to get me…she who risked it all and lost much simply to protect me. I do not know my birth mother… I'm not even sure if I possess one…but this is whom I consider as such, she even named me.

I finally look up into warm eyes, the color of the whiskey the slavers used to drink. They shine like gemstones with unshed tears as we stare into each other's souls. I finally feel complete for whenever she leaves there is a hole in my being…one only she can fill. I snuggle deep into her shoulder, loving the crimson hair curtaining my face; I had thought this one lost… I cry…I weep openly. It is only this woman who can make me cry now…

"Ma…" I whimper against her uniform. She hushes me, rocking my upper body back and forth, humming my favorite lullaby until my tears stop. She pulls away slowly and helps me sit up. "Ma, I thought you had died." A look of sorrow flashes in her eyes but is quickly suppressed.

"I did Evie…but an organization named Cerberus brought me back. It took two years." I find it difficult to process…humans now possessed the knowledge on how to wake the dead? I had thought that impossible…

"How Ma?" I cannot stop saying her name…each time I do I feel my body grow warmer, she is a beautiful being in this ugly world and I find I can't stop staring at her. I never thought I would again.

"I am not even sure myself…" I examine her closely and find she has changed.
Her hair is shorter than when she first found me… her eyes have hardened as well. From a distance she looks exactly the same, but up close there are differences, though subtle. Her skin isn't exactly the same color; her face is free of laugh lines… The only major change I can find though is the jagged scar on her face. It runs from her right eye down to the side of her mouth, a small part of her lips are disfigured too. I reach out and touch it, watching as she flinches.

"What happened to you Ma?" She closes her eyes, leaning into my touch.

"A moment of weakness Evie, it isn't important." I pull my hand away from the torn flesh. The sorrow in her eyes fades, replaced by a very fragile happiness.

"We have a lot to catch up on, you and I…" I nod, and then bury myself in her embrace again. This is my home…this is my true home.


. . .

The bass from the speakers of Afterlife was causing the walls to shake. It was a full house, the club packed with species of all types. Their bodies thrummed together along with the beat, asari dancers flinging themselves against their poles. So much candy for the eyes…but Jax was having none of it. He had been pursuing his quarry for years…and the trail had now finally gone cold. It was a bitter pill to swallow, so he used alcohol.

The batarian leaned against the bar, scoping out the scene before ordering himself a drink. "What'll it be?" The turian bar tender's flanging voice irritated him for some strange reason.

"I don't give a fuck what you give me as long as it's strong." A glass was shoved into his hand, filled with a milky green liquid.

"Strongest drink in the house" The turian turned toward the other customers as Jax chugged the beverage, noticing the acrid flavor as it slid down his throat.

A Krogan slumped against the bar, furiously gesturing for a drink even though the bartender was in front of him. He was obviously inebriated. He turned his large head in Jax's direction, causing the batarian to curse under his breath at the annoyance of talking with a stranger. "H-Hey… didja see the fight out in the alley?"
"No" Jax made his response as rude as possible.

The idiotic Krogan responded anyway, "Man, yoo shoulda seen it!!! This tiny human female was killing masses of Vorcha…..and then Commander Shepard saved her!" The drunk off his ass krogan now had Jax's full attention.

"What did this girl look like?"

The krogan gulped his glass of Ryncol, "She was dripping in street sludge, but she had long strands of…what is it humans have…hair? That's all I could really make out…strong biotics too…" He burped, the sound making Jax's insides churn.  "Better than some Asari I'll bet…" Jax rolled his eyes, this krogan was useless.

"Why did Commander Shepard join the fight?" He tried to make this statement as understandable as possible…he was talking to a drunk krogan after all.

"To hell if I know…she was just yelling 'Evlin!' Over and over…it got really annoying. Then she and this bastard Turyian took her onto their ship…"The krogan hiccupped…then fell to the ground.

Evlin… Jax felt his blood begin to boil, his pulse throbbing in his ears. Adrenaline filled his weary veins and he smiled for the first time in years. The trail had just warmed up…

. . .

Shepard entered the Loft, a huge smile on her face. She punched the button that fed her fish and began to remove her armor. "Siha" Shepard jumped, startled, and emitted a very undignified squawk. The figure in her bed gave a startled chuckle at the noise.

"Thane… I thought you were staying in Life support with Kolyat, you know…you didn't think he'd react well to us sharing a bed?" The assassin smiled, holding his arms out to her. Still in her under weave the commander crawled into the bed. Snuggling into the drell's arms, she hummed appreciatively.

"I couldn't sleep there…" He responded as he settled them against the pillows.
Shepard's brows pinched together, "Couldn't sleep there? Thane you lived there the whole time we were fighting the collectors!" She felt her face pulled towards him and soon forgot what they had been talking about as his lips moved against hers.

"I missed you…" He whispered as he pulled away. Shepard felt herself melt; yup…she was a puddle…goddamn that romantic bastard.

"You are such a sap…" She mumbled, embarrassed. He smiled, giving a deep throaty laugh as he squeezed her.

"How was Omega?" Shepard took her time in responding, tracing the black designs in Thane's scales.

"Eventful…came across a new addition to the crew…" Thane's eye ridges rose questioningly. "Her name is Evlin." Thane smiled at the way her voice softened. Shepard then spent the next few minutes re-explaining Evlin's story to Thane. When she was finished the assassin's expression was thoughtful.

"Is she dangerous? You said she was unstable…"

Shepard shook her head, "She is unstable, but I think she will be fine…just watch how you deal with her, she is very sensitive towards strangers. As long as we keep her emotions in check the biotic instability shouldn't be a problem." Thane nodded.

"So where is your son…I have words for him…" Shepard felt Thane stiffen slightly under her.

"Siha…I would suggest holding off, I don't want him to feel pressured about staying here. I am sure he will tell us his reasoning in good time." Shepard rolled her eyes.

"Listen, I know you are on shaky ground with Kolyat and I understand the fragility of yall's relationship…" Thane knew she was irritated the moment the 'yall' slipped out…her childhood in the Appalachian mountains of Earth only coming through when she was upset or excited…and by her tone she was upset, "but that doesn't give him an excuse to behave the way he does. I'm not demanding much here…I just want things to be kept civil on this ship and his walking around arrogant as hell is really starting to piss me off."

Thane silenced her with a look, "Siha, I already spoke with him about his attitude, and especially towards you as this is your ship he is staying on. I think something very bad has happened, something that caused him to willingly request to board this ship and I do not want to force it out of him… you and I both told him he was always welcome here." Shepard nodded, sighing.

"I know…and thank you for talking to him…I really didn't want to have to punch him again." Thane laughed, though Shepard felt it more as a vibration in his chest. She looked around the room, before snuggling closer to the drell. Things were getting too serious…

Shepard's grin became wicked; Thane's breath hitching as her hands grasped a very sensitive part of the drell anatomy. "So…" Shepard's voice was a low purr, "Why don't you show me how much you missed me?"  She laughed as he nipped her neck, pushing her further into the pillows. "As you wish Siha…"