Agent Feron

“Feron,” Liara said, having just stepped out of the bathroom in the back. Wiping the back of a wet hand down the side of her dress. 

Feron spun around with an eagerness he had meant to hide.

Liara stepped quickly to embrace him and they held the pose for more than a moment. Feron tucked his face into the crook of the asari’s neck. Liara slid her hands between the drell’s shoulder blades to hold him closer. 

Liara was the first to pull away. With a soft exhale she narrowed her brow and jabbed a finger into the centre of Feron’s chest. 

“I can not believe you,” Her nose crinkled against a scowl, and she took his hand to press the new omni-tool bracelet into his palm. “You look like shit...”

Feron only laughed, albeit a little nervous in pitch. There was a more relaxed line to his shoulders and a lightness to his voice. “I feel like shit. Liara, this is Asara.” Feron turned to gesture at the tall turian woman standing at his side. 

Liara looked up. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Asara. I am Liara T’soni.” She held her hand out to shake. “Feron has already informed me of how you saved him, and of...what happened. Though I want to make sure you are aware of the gravity of the situation, and know that I am here to help you.”

Liara gave a sideways glance at Feron. The drell having newly equipped the omni-tool and booted it up to check his files. He powered down and dug into his pocket to retrieve the ghost drive. 

He made a face, “Sorry if I didn’t get all the blood off it.” 

He rubbed it against the sleeve of his jacket before passing it to Liara. 

She smiled down at it, holding it between finger and thumb, “Thank you, Feron.”

"Surgery?" He murmured, "I'm sorry, Naya. I...at least hope the medication is helping." He hugged her. "I've been there."

Feron paused, letting out a sigh through his nose. "Look at us," he began, "We've really been through shit." He pressed his lips to the top of Naya’s head, "But we're still here."

The lighting shifted to a soft purple glow when the house lights turned back on. The crowd mingled and flocked to the bar. Electronic lounge music filled the void the band had left. A steady beat that kept many dancing. Feron watched those who dispersed from the crowd. Most looked like regulars. They way they held a conversation and drew the eye. They were looking to attract. To have a good time. Dance, drink, fuck. He looked for people who stood or sat alone. The hooded figure. What really caught his interest was that they were drinking water. Marked by the glass it was served in. Feron narrowed his eyes. They weren't doing a good job of blending in. Was that intentional? Feron shifted to allow Naya easier access to the pocket the flyer was in.

The figure had their omni-tool out. Were they recording? Scanning? Feron wanted to check his omni-tool for anomalies. To make sure he wasn't being hacked. In the brief moment he looked down and back up, he missed the turn of the hooded figures face. They had look in their direction. Feron only managed to catch a glimpse of their jawline. Thanks to their omni-tool light, he saw the shape of their chin. He made sure not to stare.

Another drell?

It had been awhile.

With their foreheads pressed close he gazed into Naya's eyes, and found the tension she was trying to hide.

"Hey..." he pulled her closer and wrapped both arms around her shoulders. He took pause, and squeezed a hand to her shoulder. With eyes lifted his gaze drifted out into the crowd. No one drew his attention. Not that he looked too hard. His focus was split, and he found himself clenching his jaw.

"I'll ask the questions, and you can throw the punches." He hummed a pause, "Speaking of questions, are you...doing okay? I'm tired of talking about myself. You..." He scowled at the top of her head. At the scars.

He stroked his chin and flipped the flyer back and forth in his hand. Usually his freckles went unnoticed against the saturated color of his scales, but under the UV-A light they stood out like constellations. The stripes at his neck caught the same glow, and snaked under his coat collar.

“Not much help is it? It’s not translating.“ Feron looked back at Kander Bel, who had taken to watching them now. He guided Naya into the tunnel so that they could stand behind the dividing wall at the back of the crowd. A low stone archway gave them some cover. Feron took a scan of the hidden message with his omni-tool. Having to re-position the flyer multiple times in the light.

“I’m sending this to Liara,” he said, the orange glow of his omni-tool winking out. “If it’s not translating it might not be a word. Maybe something made-up. She might be able to dig something up. Gods...someone had fun organizing this rally.”

He leaned his back up against the wall and inhaled deeply. The smoke was thicker in the tunnel and he smelled the mist of alcohol in the haze. For a moment he lost himself in it; the sights, sounds, smells. He fell back into himself and looked over at Naya. To get lost in her...

The ceiling was covered in thick black netting. A safety precaution for loose rock. From the net hung an assortment of antiques–metal, plastic, glass–Feron didn't recognize half of what was hanging over him. He recognized a great deal of human items, even a few pieces passing for drell. Most of it was junk. Crates and shelves packed the walls and corners of the room. Loaded and overflowing with items. It was a lot to take in.

To the left, stretched a tunnel. Where the store split off and the concert seating started. Square tables and chairs tucked under thick arching walls. Creating compartmented lounging ares, and a faux feeling of seclusion within the bustle. With every chair full, the rest of the crowd took to standing near the front of the stage, or in line at the bar. At the far end of the tunnel, before a metal gate that blocked anyone from going further into the mines of Omega, stood the stage. A salarian and two humans were at the source of the music. One of the human's sat to the side of the stage with his omni-tool hooked up to a larger keypad display, tapping out a beat, and blowing out smoke from a thin pink stick. The bartender, situated along the wall behind a metal railing, was flipping metal canisters and pouring five drinks at once. The grey shapes of the tunnel were cast in blue light, and the worn floor matched the flaking of the walls. The service tunnel hadn't changed much. Pieces had been added, but nothing had been taken away. Holo-ads hovered over the rock and metal. Graffiti and posters created a collage of imagery on the surface that separated the tunnel and store. Feron eyed an animated display pinned near the center of the wall. A video loop of an animated asari dancer. Next to it was one of the rally flyers.

Kander Bel looked up from his stool, and put down his data pad. “Here for music or merchandise?”

Feron paused in the doorway, weighing his options. A moment of hesitation as he thought it through.

He could ask about the flyer, sure, but he could easily be turned away and then what? This was their best lead so far. He couldn’t blow it quizzing Kander Bel. Who may or may not know anything. The flyer itself couldn’t be the key. Could the people handing them out have said something? A password of some sort?

“Music,” he said, and turned left, leading them closer to the posters on the dividing wall. Now he noticed that there was more than one flyer. He glanced to Naya. Looking down the curve of her back, and then back up to her eyes. Their conversation was kept private over the volume of the music. He leaned towards her to speak.