Fandom The Doc's Bodyguard (Mass Effect, tremblelance and DergTheDergon)

[DergTheDergon]

Aeryna squinted her surreal deep fuchsia eyes whilst her feet carried her to her destination. Her mind raced with an endless stream of thoughts as she rode the elevator up to the fancy residential district her newest client called home. An up-and-coming doctor who’d unfortunately gotten in way over her head with some huge breakthrough drug or what have you. In truth, Aeryna didn’t really remember the details nor care to. All the Violet-skinned Commando knew was that this lady needed someone to protect her life and was willing to pay a damn fortune; that was all she needed to know to commit to this arrangement, despite it being the most long-term job she’d ever taken and her only source of income for many years if she did her job right.


It was still sinking in for her that, essentially, she’d signed on to be a human’s bodyguard for the rest of the Doctor’s life; but there it was. There’d be plenty of jobs up for grabs after, she was sure, especially if word got around that she’d kept the woman safe until she died of old age. But, for a while, she’d stay in the service of one person, which felt a little odd to her.


She felt a little overwhelmed by this place; and, irrationally, a tad unnerved as well. People like her rarely set foot in posh places like this.Because of her unfamiliarity with this sort of environment, and the fact that she’d been hired to keep assassins off of someone’s doorstep essentially, she found herself wary of how pristine and posh this whole area of the Presidium was. Taking a deep breath to center herself in the moment, the Asari saw that she had reached her destination before long. This had to be Doctor Clerkin’s abode, according to the documents she’d been sent. Taking a deep breath, the armed-to-the-teeth Asari messaged the good Doctor over the extranet with her Omni-tool, stating that she was waiting outside. She removed in order to avoid confusion over who she might be at first glance. Afterwards, she found herself pacing, a little nervous despite herself. Once Naomi came out to greet her however, Aeryn knew she’d be fine.

tremblelance

 

[tremblelance]

Quite frankly, she thought this whole setup was absolutely ridiculous. Here she was, having to waste her own money and time just because that limp-dicked Salarian Couo couldn't handle the thought of being surpassed by a human. You would have thought, both she and him being dedicated genetic researchers, that he would have been elated to hear she'd reached the breakthrough they'd been working to. So many people could be helped by this formula - you would think it'd be a great victory for their field. But as it turned out, her Salarian counterpart had been the exact opposite of elated. In fact, he'd been so unhappy that he'd put out a reward of a couple million credits to whoever could bring him the head of Dr. Naomi Clerkin, because apparently scientific breakthrough didn't mean jack squat when it was someone else's success.

That wasn't even the part that irked the most, though. It was C-Sec, that pathetic collection of would-be police, that were the real pain in her rear. When news of the bounty had reached her, Naomi's first instinct had been, like any sensible person, to call security to let them know. Their response, after a pitiful half-day investigation, was that the bounty could not be traced back to anyone on the Citadel and therefore they could not charge Dr. Couo with it. Furthermore, they informed her they could not spare any officers to protect her should someone decide to take a stab at getting the reward, meaning she would have to find protection herself.

It was a totally preposterous response, but at the same time she could maybe understand where they were coming from. Dr. Couo was a very wealthy and very well-connected figure: trying to arrest him would likely cause more of a stir than the death of some up-and-coming doctor would.

Of course, that didn't mean Naomi had to be happy about it. With her life at risk, and C-Sec clearly not going to do anything about it, she'd been forced to take matters into her own hands. Which meant spending a sizable amount of her savings on hiring a mercenary to do what security wouldn't.

The search had taken her a couple days (days which she had spent locked away in her apartment lest someone try and get to her before she'd found someone) and in the end she'd settled on a former Asari commando whose resume seemed reassuring enough. Aeryna Ne’shara was her name, and as she'd cost Naomi a pretty penny to hire, the doctor was hoping she was worth it.

It’d been decided that she would come to Naomi’s apartment, which brought the doctor to where she was now. This bodyguard was expected within the hour, presuming the asari understood punctuality. Lounging on her sofa, whiskey glass in hand, the doctor was indulging in one of her few hobbies while waiting: daytime drinking. It might have been early in the morning, but she was a woman with a price on her head - she could drink whenever she damn well pleased.

Her Omni-tool chimed at her, indicating someone at the door, the sound quickly followed by a message stating the asari had arrived. Naomi’s eyes, narrowed in habitual suspicion, flicked up to the door across the room. She pulled up the exterior security camera on her Omni-tool, peering at the footage. There was a woman pacing outside - her violet skin clearly giving her away as an asari. She was armed to the teeth and well equipped in some sort of armor. Looks the part. Naomi thought, chewing her bottom lip.

She buzzed the woman in and stood from her seat to go meet this Aeryna.

 

[DergTheDergon]

As the indicator light on the door turned from red to green, signaling for her to enter, Aeryna stepped inside with no hesitation, whilst looking behind her to ensure that no one was looking. If there was some suspicious individual peeping inside, they were damn well hidden. She made sure to stand straight in front of the door until tit closed behind her; her shield could withstand a single sniper round, yet Naomi’s head couldn’t, of course. Couldn’t be too careful when your client’s got an underworld price on their head. A trained sniper could likely get at Naomi’s head easily if Aeryna had moved, but thankfully, no shots rung out. It paid to be paranoid on a job like this, however.


Meeting eyes with Naomi as she approached, she looked the human over. She seemed even more beautiful in person, but she wasn’t being paid to admire the Doctor, only to protect her. Refocusing her attention, Aeryna bowed. “Good Morning, Doctor Clerkin. Aeryna Ne’Shana. Don’t mind if you just call me Aeryn though, it’s easier on human tongues.” She outstretched a violet hand to shake Naomi’s. Her grip was firm, yet delicate and nearly gentle. “Let’s get down to business, first off. There’s some things we need to straighten out. I’ll need to know where you are at all times of course; I don’t think you’d be so stupid as to wander off but it needs to be said. Also, I’ll need access to your security system so I can monitor things while you’re asleep. Asari don’t need near as much rest as humans so I’ll only be sleeping every few days or so if and when I know you’re completely safe. Even then, if you hear something, see something, hell, even just feel uneasy, don’t hesitate to wake me up. That seems to be almost everything, but there’s one last thing: with a bounty this large on ya, it might be safer to leave the citadel.”


Pausing for a moment to allow for any feedback, she continued with her clearly practiced lecture on ‘not getting killed 101’ as she liked to call it. “While we’re still here, though, we’ll have to be very careful getting from an apartment in such a well-guarded, high-end part of the Presidium all the way to the wards to catch a ride, but once we’re away from the epicenter of all activity of the galaxy, including the criminal kind mind you, it’ll be a hell of a lot easier to keep you safe. Probably our best bet is to get our own ship and a trusted crew. If you’ve already got your own ship, great. If not, I know some contacts around here that can get us a good one for a damn low price. I also know some good places to get trustworthy, capable crewpeople. I’ll pitch in with paying them if I have to. I know all that’s a lot to think about, but I’m gonna need you to answer some questions before we can decide on a game plan so I can shut the hell up. This is probably the most important one: If you can give me any details about this Couo character and the resources he’s got, it’ll be useful.” She listened intently, all the while keeping aware of her surroundings. Looking this way and that, checking every inch of the apartment for any signs that someone else had been here or may even be here now. It had to be clear that she was a very down-to-business sort by now, to a fault according to some of her previous customers. However, none of those customers were harmed under her care, so she sees no reason to tone down her admittedly extreme level of professionalism.

tremblelance
(have a great day. I'll hopefully be able to get an earlier response up after your next one, startin' to get my stuff together lately ^^)

 

[tremblelance]

Aeryna was exactly as Naomi had expected - serious, to the point, and not interested in wasting her time. Good - Naomi hadn't hired the asari for pointless chit-chat. Reminded her of herself, funny enough. Though, the similarities ended there, as Aeryna was also attractive, dangerous, and intimidating, all of which were traits Naomi lacked. But the doctor put those thoughts aside, knowing this violet commando wasn't here to be ogled.

After a brief introduction and solid handshake, it was right down to business. Crossing her arms and rocking back on her heels, Naomi listened as Aeryn launched into what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech. So she was used to this sort of thing - that was somewhat comforting. While the idea of having someone constantly around her didn't set well with the doctor, Naomi had to remind herself that it was this or cowering in fear for what could be the rest of her life (however long that was). But then the asari mentioned leaving the Citadel and Naomi frowned. There was a pause, presumably for her to comment, but Naomi gestured with a wave of her hand for Aeryna to continue, deciding to let her finish before speaking up.

The asari went on, and all her talk of leaving made it sound like Aeryna had pretty much already made up her mind, and that wasn't sitting right with the doctor. There had been no mention of leaving when Naomi had hired her. But still, Naomi let her get her whole schpeel out. One of them was a trained professional with years of experience in this sort of thing, and it certainly wasn't her - so she listened on.

Once her new bodyguard was done, however, Naomi stepped back and gestured for Aeryna to follow her back over to the couch, addressing the asari over her shoulder. "I'm glad you're taking this seriously, Aeryn, seeing how C-Sec has proved itself uselss." Naomi pulled up a screen on her Omni-tool, typing away as she spoke. "I'll transfer over access to the apartment's security, though I'll warn you there isn't much to it. Protection against potential assassination attempts wasn't exactly a part of the design plan." She huffed out a dry, half-hearted laugh.

"And while I appreciate the fact you've obviously already put thought into this, I'm afraid leaving the Citadel isn't an option - at least not yet." Taking a seat and reaching for her whiskey again, Naomi took a swig and continued, "I have a presentation to give in a week's time and there is absolutely no way this whole affair with Couo is going to make me miss it, understand?" Without waiting for an answer, she went on, "As for Couo himself, he's one of my collegues. Pompous, self-absorbed, egotistical - all the usual characteristics of a privileged asshole. He's rich and he knows people. Who exactly, I don't know. We didn't really chat about his underworld contacts when we worked together. As far as I'm aware, he's probably hiding out somewhere here on the Citadel, but I can't say I've kept in touch with him recently. Anything else you need to know?"

DergTheDergon
(for a plot as good as this, I'm willing to wait as long as it takes XD)

 

[DergTheDergon]

Watching Naomi’s expressions and body language carefully, she couldn’t help but notice a frown when leaving the citadel was mentioned. This was expected, but disappointing. it sure would make it a heck of a lot easier to keep her alive if she complied, yet Aeryna had a feeling that the good doctor didn’t relish the idea of leaving her home- quite understandable. She was sure that Doctor Clerkin felt that there were many important things left to do here. Aeryna found herself mentally preparing to be on guard every second, no rests, for quite a while, as that’s what she felt it would take here in the heart of the citadel. Continuing her stream of well-practiced thought after she was waved on to continue, she then finished, looking the woman in the eyes as she attentively took in all the good doctor had to say in response.

Following her back over to the couch, the smell of alcohol grew stronger. There was an open bottle sitting out, which didn’t surprise her at all. Knowing you could be attacked at any moment was a pretty common reason to drink, she’d found. She saw no reason to judge. Either. She’d messed with a myriad of substances before, including Hallex, which she was sure the doctor had a long list of negative side effects for somewhere in her collection of medical journals. Aeryna knew what it was like to feel that you need some substance to function in one situation or another, and this definitely seemed like that type of situation for Naomi. The Asari stood at attention, refusing to sit down as she listened carefully, Letting out a short, dry chuckle at the C-sec comment.

Once the doc was finished, her newly hired protector spoke up softly. “I do try to focus on the job as much as I can; makes me clients feel safer. Good for business. C-sec has always been useless, as in this case: if it’s not the Council’s concern or some gigantic station-wide crisis, it’s usually pretty low on their priority list. You want it done, you come to people like me.” She smirked, her expression cocksure and coy, before it faded into a slight frown. “On a different note, I do understand respect your decision to stay and I can’t make you go. I do suggest that, after this presentation of yours, we start working to get the hell off this damn station, but that’s the last thing I’ll say about it until then. As for Cuouo, I’ll take the info I can get; I’m Most surprised you don’t know too much about ’im. ‘Sides, I have a pretty good feeling about how he’s going to approach this you just from that. He’s egotistical so he’ll probably be cocky as hell about it, at least until he hears about his dead assassins. Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s someone trying to get in here right-”

Aeryna’s eyes widened all of a sudden as she cut her train of speech off, raising the palm of her hand to keep the Doctor from speaking. Listening in carefully to her surroundings, she then made a hushed ,frustrated grunt, pulling out her pistol and mouthing “hide” to the doctor. Cautiously, she then approached the vent in the top right corner of the room, following the sound that had alerted her- faint footsteps seeming to come from above. Catching a glimpse of salarian eyes, she instinctively shot through the grate, the Salarian assassin on the other side frantically trying to shoot her back with his own pistol, but only just barely getting her shiled down before he fell limp. As a result, he crashed through the grate upon death that he had previously been peering through from above.

“Huh… wasn’t very sturdy if the weight of a Salarian’s all it took,” she said. Clearly, death didn’t so much as phase her, as the next thing she did was thoroughly frask the Salarian after a moment of listening for more. Finding a datapad, she began quickly going through it in yet another well-practiced motion. “Yep, there it is… this datapad contains a dossier on you, Cuou’s contact info, and information about the mission. Wait… shit…” she kept reading through, her eyes widening. “It also contains correspondence with a notorious Eclipse sister… Great, our enemy has ties with one of the largest and most notorious criminal Merc gangs in the galaxy.” She sighed. “Looks like I’ll have to practically be attached to your hip until you get this presentation of yours over with. If you so much enter a restroom without me, one of those bastards-” she pointed her thumb behind her shoulder at the dead Salarian assassin, “could be waiting, and kill you in an instant. Eclipse are everywhere, and they’re damn good at sneaking around. The tricky thing is, if we stay in one place, they’ll just keep sending more. You know any good places to stay? Preferably nowhere near here, somewhere in the Wards maybe. Hotels, relatives? You’ll need to stay somewhere else for a while.” Sighing, she met Naoimi’s eyes with deep concern. “You alright? Relax, this is my job and I’m damn good at it. That’s as close as any of those bastards will get to you.” She moved closer, looking her face over to try and gauge how she was taking that sudden occurence. Her tone betrayed a deep sense of worry that likely surprised Naomi, bleeding through her all-business demeanor. The reason she was so good at this job was her passion for protecting good people from the bastards who’d destroy them for their own gain. The very thought of it made her blood boil.
tremblelance
(your patience is very appreciated ^-^ Enjoy!

 

[tremblelance]

While Naomi, ever the pessimist, hadn’t expected her life to become instantly safer upon her bodyguard’s arrival, she most definitely hadn’t expected it to become more dangerous. Seeing a look of alarm suddenly flash across the asari’s face had just about given the doctor a goddamn heart-attack, and seeing Aeryna indicate for Naomi to hide had probably ruined her blood pressure. But she did as she was told, ditching her whiskey glass and clumsily scrambling over the couch to hide behind it. She sat there, frozen still, praying to whatever gods were up there that this wasn’t where she died. There were shots, each one making her flinch, followed by a crashing sound.

Her heart hammering in her chest at an alarming rate, Naomi peered out from behind the safety of the faux leather seating and just about passed out. Laying across the fine stones of her living room was a Salarian, and a very dead one at that, if the quantity of blood on his chest and her floor was any indication. Standing and inching closer, Naomi watched as Aeryna searched the would-be assassin.

Talk of the dossier and Eclipse seemed to reach her through a film, and it took Naomi a lot longer than it usually would have to process the information. Eventually it clicked that Couo knew people in some very low places, and one of said people had just tried to kill her. Maybe it hadn’t quite set in before that people were genuinely trying to end her life, but it certainly had now.

Pulling her gaze from the dead assassin, Naomi looked at Aeryna, listening to the woman talk. She was saying something further about leaving, hiding out somewhere on the Citadel. Naomi tried to think of a place, but quickly realized she had nothing. Her parents were back on Earth (not like they were an option anyway, considering she hadn’t spoken to them in almost ten years), and she wasn’t really the type that had close friends. And any other places she knew were the sorts of places rich people went - places Couo would know too. The bodyguard then met her gaze with...was that worry in her eyes? Naomi hadn’t pegged her as the caring type.

The asari asked how she was doing and reassured her, and yet the reassurance wasn’t doing much for her. After deciding it would be best not to lie about her current status, Naomi sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair. “To be frank with you - an assassin just tried to break into my supposedly secure apartment and kill me. If you had gotten here even a few minutes later, I would probably be dead right now, so, ah, no. I’m not really ok at all.” Her eyes flicked over to her whiskey, but instead of grabbing her glass, Naomi went for the whole bottle and took a generous swig. “So, uh,” she began again after lowering the bottle, “I hate to say it, but I have nowhere else to go. Anywhere I can think of is likely somewhere Couo knows of too. But don’t you know places? You’re the bodyguard, here.” She looked at Aeryna and hoped the asari had an answer, because staying at her apartment was suddenly not the most appealing idea, especially since she didn’t think housekeeping covered dead bodies.

DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Clearly (and very understandably, all things considered) the Doctor looked like she was about to faint right then and there when the commotion was over and Dr. Clerkin reluctantly emerged from her hiding place behind the couch. Her answer to her new Aasari bodyguard’s question was certainly expected, as was the reckless swig of alcohol that followed it. Aeryna had an uneasy feeling now that she’d have to deal with the woman’s alchoholism during this mission. This could include having to go into rather shady places to let her purchase her poison of choice, or perhaps even worse, panic attacks related to the abscence of a nearby bottle in a stressful situation. This was why Aeryna had quit every form of addictive substance she’d used (which numbered by the dozens) nearly 2 centuries ago. In that time, alchoholics still acted like alchoholics and it seemed rather clear that the good doctor was one. Understandable, yet possibly troublesome.

Regardless of her concerns, Aeryna decided now was not the time to adress that and simply endeavored to keep a look of sympathy about her features as she listened, still keeping a lookout almost subconsciously due to centuries of practice. The had a feeling that the Doc wasn’t exactly a ‘people person’ and thus didn’t know so much as a close fellow doctor she could stay with, and that was fine: Aeryna ended up frequenting the citadel much more than she’d like to due to the crime around here, and she knew just the place. An unassuming, nearly invisible place in many ways. Mostly, it’s the last place you’d expect to find a safe haven for those on the run, and more a place where they’d be going if they wanted to be found and killed by the absolute worst people possible. However, this was not the case for reasons that would soon become clear to the good Doctor herself.

“Just what I expected… both your not being fine and your lack of places to go. However, thankfully, I know where to go and I can be fine so you don’t have to. Just be warned: when we get there, it’ll look like the opposite of a place to go and hide from the worst sorts… but you’ll see it’s quite the opposite. I’ll answer your questions on the way. Grab what’s most important to you and let’s get gone before I have to shoot more holes in such a beautiful place. Sorry ‘bout that, by the way.” The moment the doctor had gathered herself (as much as she could, anywho) and her must-have items, Aeyrna bid he to follow, stay behind her and stay close. “Thankfully, if they see us walking out in the open together like this, they’ll wait for opportunities. We’ve just gotta, y’know, not give them one.” Leading the doc deliberately through the busiest parts of the presidium on the way to her destination, she then stepped with the doctor into an elevator down to the wards. In this place of relative quiet and safety, she began to explain.

“So, this place… it’s a borthel. I know, I know, disgusting, but hear me out. One of my former coworkers runs it, you could say. An Asari with an even more dangerous reputation than myself, and a similar soft spot for people in need. She’s got very private, hidden and secure backrooms she taunts as private rooms for “the elite” when really it’s just a glorified shelter for good people on the run from really bad ones. She’s got a kind heart, though I admit she has issues. The best thing is, she’s universally known as someone not to fuck with, at all; well, in the ‘piss her off’ sense anyway. She’s a matriarch and could flay me with her mind in an instant if she wanted to. Very few know about her, ah, extra services, let’s say, and she only talks about them to people who’ve proven themselves trustworthy over many years. If we need a place to hide for whatever reason, and yes, sometimes even I have to hide, then we come to her. She offers us free, very secure and little-known housing for really as long as you like in exchange for, ah… favors, which I’ll handle, so you won’t have to worry about that. I promise it’s just about the safest place in the whole damn citadel. Trust me on this.” After finishing her spiel, she seemed a little nervous about something. Clearly, it wasn’t dealing with trained assassins. Before the doctor could pipe up with any sort of response, the elevator opened. “The sooner we’re there, the better.” She resumed walking briskly with the doctor by her side, now even more on the lookout for seedy types as they meandered rather deep into the cesspit that was this particular Ward’s “entertainment” district- mostly made up of similar establishments to the one Aeryna and her new charge were now heading to.

tremblelance

 

[tremblelance]

While Naomi hated surprises as well as being asked to do things without a full explanation, she had to decide in this particular instance that just listening to Aeryn would be the wisest course of action. After all, the asari had just saved her life, proving she had at least a general idea of what she was doing. So Naomi went about packing a small bag of her belongings - mostly clothes and other necessities. She briefly thought about chucking a bottle of spirits into the bag, but rationalized intoxication was maybe not the wisest course of action right now. “I can get as wasted as I want once this is all over.” She told herself.

Once her bag was packed, Naomi headed across the apartment into her office area, pulling out some of the most important items that she wouldn’t want anyone getting at. Special research notes she kept in paper form, a datapad of her personal logs, and a vial of the formula that had caused all this mess. She stared at the dull blue liquid within, idly wondering how such a wonderful thing could potentially lead to her death, before tucking it safely away in her bag. Naomi also grabbed the emergency kit she kept in her office out of habit from her days as an active doctor. She might not take housecalls anymore, but who knew when the kit might come in handy. Supplies in hand, she went back into the living room to rejoin Aeryna.

“Ready.” Naomi told the bodyguard. Aeryna bid her to follow, and Naomi diligently tailed along after her. She hadn’t left her apartment since Couo had put the bounty out, and it felt like she was walking about with a giant target on her back. She felt a little safer with the asari by her, but Naomi could still feel her heart thudding away at a panicked pace.

Aeryna took her down to the wards, and as the elevator brought them there, the asari began to speak. “So, this place… it’s a brothel…” Naomi’s eyes widened immediately, but Aeryna was quick to assure her about it’s security. Naomi couldn't say she was thrilled at the idea of staying at a brothel - god help her if anyone she knew saw her down there - but again had to remind herself that Aeryna was only making sure she was safe in any way she could.

Before Naomi could a comment in, the elevator door slide open and Aeryna hurried out. She followed, not going to risk getting separated. The doctor hadn’t been to this part of the Wards before, and she glanced about nervously. It was darker here, not nearly as bright and airy as the Presidium. Hopefully this would not be a long-term stay.

“So where is this place?” She dared to ask, holding her bags close as they walked.

DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Aeryna was careful to slow her normal walking pace, which was rather speedy she’d observed, to ensure the Doctor could stay close to her in this admittedly seedy area of the Wards. Aeryna kept her right hand near her hip where her M-5 Phalanx was ready and waiting to be pulled on any low-lives that had less brain cells than it would take to immediately decide upon seeing her that fucking with her is a bad idea. It didn’t take all too many, really- Commandos always had quite the presence about them- however, criminals tended to have quite a shortage in the mental faculties department, as she’d noticed over the years.

“It’s in the known “red light” area, of course; it’s a pretty cut-and-dry joint really. Situated off to the side away from all the big attractions like clubs and casinos, with an ad outside showing off the girls. It’s not the most well-known by a longshot, but that’s Taniri’s goal. Ah, I should warn you about Miss Taniri. She’s kind-hearted, as I said, but… her mind’s a different place; a pretty low one, if you catch my drift. She WILL flirt with you, I garuntee that, and more than likely try to get in bed with you. I’ll do what I can to keep her from doing that but, old habits die hard.”

Uncannily, almost the second she was done explaining, Aeryna began to see the familiar, risque holograms in front of a particular building, all titled with ‘Taniri’s Galaxy of Pleasures’ in large, bold letters at the top, complete with an over-the-top cursive font. Aeryna cringed slightly, as she always did when she even thought of the place’s name- her old collegue of sorts could not have possibly picked one even slightly cheesier. “This is the place. Follow closely. We’re heading in through the back.” With luck, Taniri wouldn’t be ‘busy’ with either clients or her current free-of-charge flavor of the month (or, more accurately, flavor of the last two or three days).

Taking a deep breath to prepare herself for dealing with such an honestly overbearing friend (who considered herself far more than a friend despite Aeryna making it clear she didn’t share that sentiment), she rung herself in. A few short moments later, a sultry, feminine, yet slightly husky voice came through the back door’s intercom

“Yeeeeeees? Who is it?” She said. Good, she’s back here and likely alone, Aeryna thought. The thought of waiting in this dark back alley for much longer, or god forbid, being invited in only to catch an unwanted glimpse of Aeryna’s exceedingly perverse “hobbies”, made the Asari question momentarily if this place really was a good idea for her client. She then reminded herself that this was the only option, and proceeded to make the voice very happy simply by speaking, albeit unintentionally.

“It’s Aeryna. I’ve got someone in need here.” “Aaaaaaah, Aeryna Darling, it is so wonderful to see you! As I’ve said before, your clients are always welcome to lie low here. I’ll be there in just a moment.” True to her word, Naomi and her new bodyguard only had to wait a few short moments before the door opened from the inside, the door sliding away to reveal a turqoise-skinned Asari with similarly blue-green eyes that tended to remind most who saw them of the pristine ocean water one often saw showcased in travel vids. Said eyes gazed into Aeryna’s own peepers hungrily, before they fell onto Namoi, giving her a once-over with a smile. She adjusted her very skimpy outfit to show off a little more cleavage, as if they was needed, before she licked her lips. “Weeell, aren’t you beautiful, miss..?” “Her name is Naomi,” Aeryna interrupted, “and I’ll be speaking for her since I know you’ll be teasing her half to death if I don’t. We’ve already had one close call and I will not tolerate you making her even more nervous than she already is.”

Taniri, despite the verbal assaulted she’d just been pummel with, grinned. “Feisty as ever, Aer-aer.” “Never call me that again,” she snapped. “Alright, alright,” Taniri said, giggling and clearly enjoying being accosted like this. “I can’t wait for that payment we agreed upon...” Yeah yeah,” Aeryna said, blushing and averting her gaze slightly. “Just let her get settled in first.” “As you wish, mistress, “ she said with a wink. ‘Goddess save me, she’s already role-playing,’ Aeryna thought. This was going to be a long day, and night if Taniri had her way.

Nonetheless, for now she’d clearly decided to help Naomi settle in first, ushering both her and Aeryna inside. The room was decorated with reds and dim lighting everywhere you looked, as one might expect. However, it was large, and clearly much more than a bedroom. It was filled to the brim with nessecities, such as a well-stocked, albeit small, kitchen area, an extranet setup at a nearby desk that seemed to be specifically designed to monitor dangerous acitivty in the area through cameras, news alerts and the like, a clearly marked lavatory door and a set of bunk beds built into one wall which allowed one to seal themselves off from all nearby noise through an advanced sealing door on the side of each one. Taniri explained that they were lockable and unlockable from only the inside, and thus were good places to hole up if need be. Once she was finished giving the grand tour, she turned to Naomi. “Well, Miss Naomi, you’ve free reign of the place for as long as you need, and so does your new sexy bodyguard. I wish she’d protect me like that...” She shot a fake pouting look over at Aeryna, who rolled her eyes in response. “This place is one hundred percent safe. There are sountermeasure galore for breakins, and my Krogan bouncers will be on top of any intruder. This place is a sanctuary, hun. Relax.” She smiled genuinely sweetly, showing that beneath her clear obsession with promiscuous interaction, there was indeed a soft spot for those in Naomi’s position.

The very next moment, however, Taniri turned to face Aeryna with a wolfish grin. “Now… I’ll be free for a few hours… how about that payment, hmm?” Aeryna closed her eyes and sighed. “Yeah yeah, I’ll be right there.” Giggling, Taniri left the room, heading into a nearby room with nothing but a large bed and various objects of clear sexual use inside. “She’ll probably let us stay if I refuse, but, she won’t stop bugging me,” she explained. “So, I probably don’t have to tell you but do not leave this room. I’ll be right there if you need me but, you probably won’t and uh… Taniri intends to keep me very busy.” A purplish blush was rampant across her face; she was clearly very uncomfortable in telling Naomi about this. “Thank god these doors are soundproof,” she mumbled. Feeling close to death by embarrassment, she then hurriedly moved inside Taniri’s room as shut the door behind her.

Moments after, one of the sleeping pods, which had been shut for quite some time, opened, a very frail-looking young human woman, a few years younger than Naomi by the looks of her, peered out. She had auburn hair, green eyes and a VERY small frame. As a doctor, Nami could likely tell at a glance that she was malnourished. “H-hi. My name’s… T-tessa. I’ve been hiding in there for days but, um… I wanted to talk to someone and you seem n-nicer then all these Asari.” She climbed out of the pod, still siting on the edge of the bed and not daring to move any closer to Naomi. “Wh-what’s your name?”

Upon studying the girl for a few more moments, Naomi would be able to tell by the way Tessa was moving that she was injured underneath her shabby clothing, and had likely been hiding her injuries for a while.

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[tremblelance]

Taniri’s Galaxy of Pleasures was pretty much exactly how Naomi had imagined a brothel looking like. Flashy, obnoxious, far from a place she would ever want to be seen. Though, perhaps that’s what made it such a perfect place to hide out for a bit.

The asari who met them at the back entrance had the outwardly appearance of any other “woman of pleasure”, and the hungry glint in her eyes made a shiver run up Naomi’s spine. It wasn’t a look she was familiar with, and she was grateful when Aeryna quickly stepped in to divert Taniri’s attention. The two were clearly more well-acquainted with one another than Naomi had previously thought, though perhaps the relationship was rather one sided, based on Aeryna’s sharper tone.

Keeping her head down as they were lead inside, Naomi followed the two asari into a red lit room. It looked like some sort of safehouse, well-stocked and equipped to handle someone who didn’t want to go outside for any duration of time.

So this is my new home? Naomi thought, looking around as Taniri gave them a small tour. It was far from the comfort of her apartment, but it would do. Hopefully. While she was far from relaxed around Taniri, there was something about the woman that told Naomi she could be trusted, which would have to suffice for now.

“Now… I’ll be free for a few hours… how about that payment, hmm?” The turquoise asari was saying to Aeryna, catching Naomi’s attention. It took a long moment for the question to register, but then she suddenly understood what Taniri was implying. Naomi gawked at her, floored at the idea of that being the payment for her safety. Eyes flicking over to Aeryna, who looked notably flushed even as she agreed to the request, Naomi struggled to find words.

Aeryna was clearly not too eager to head into the next room with Taniri, but she assured Naomi and went anyway, leaving the doctor staring after her even after the door closed. Naomi didn’t want to think about what would occur behind that door, and tried to focus back on her own situation. She set her bags down by the closest chair and sunk down onto the metal frame with a sigh.

It was around that point that one of the bed pods slid open, revealing a young female peeking out. Naomi looked up at her, surprised to see someone else there. She was a human with a bright head of auburn hair and watery green eyes and almost unconsciously, Naomi found herself scanning over her form, taking in the girl’s gaunt features. She was clearly naturally thin, but her condition seemed to extend beyond genetics into the range of malnutrition, which immediately made Naomi curious.

The girl introduced herself as Tessa before asking Naomi for her own name.

“Naomi.” The doctor replied with a slight smile. “Naomi Clerkin. Nice to meet you Tessa.”

 

[DergTheDergon]

“Hi Naomi...” she said, blinking abit at the name. “Clerkin… I’ve heard that before…. Wait! You’re the doctor who has that miracle cure you’ll be revealing soon, right? That… that explains why you’re here… It’s unfortunate that a colleague could do such a thing over money. I-I’ll explain how I know, but it might take a while.”

Seeing as there was no chance that Naomi didn’t want to know why this random woman knew about the whole debacle regarding the bounty on her head, Tessa then continued without skipping a beat. “Y’see, I was kidnapped by eclipse. They do slave trading. This one batarian captian of thiers... He… took a liking to me so… he bought me a-and…. Kept me for a while.” She shivered as she recalled this, shaking it off before continuing. “A few nights before I finally saw my chance to escape and took it, he had me sitting in his lap while he and his men watched some news vid… there was a story about you, and he said something like ‘she’ll be an easy kill.’ So… I figured you had a bounty out on you. Guess I was right, or you wouldn’t be here.”

She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. “A-anyway, Umm...” she lowered her head a little. “S-since you’re a doc and all, c-could you help me? I have a lot of small wounds that haven’t been treated at all, they aren’t healing on their own well either. I-I can’t pay you, but I can offer some files I stole from the Eclipse… they could be really helpful. U’mm, also… who’s that sari who brought you here? She seems to have… history with Miss Taniri.” Almost as if to affirm that statement, loud, yet muffled moaning began to echo from the next room. “U-umm, just try to ignore that… you’ll uh… have to get used to it. Taniri… ‘sees’ quite a few different people in that room every day.” She said, accompanying the sarcastic statement with air quotes and a sigh, before continuing to look hopefulyl over at the doc.

tremblelance