⬐ @kenasakis ⬎

❛  the things i’d do to you if we weren’t out in public …  ❜ a little spice, as a treat

It wasn’t the first time they’d flirted, and it wasn’t about to be the last, either. As they stood in front of one of the quasar machines—Kat trying her luck, and actually doing fairly well—she remained focused, the only giveaway being the hint of a smile that curled onto her face as she followed the prompts on the haptic interface. If there was one thing Aria was good at, it was flirting, and damn if she didn’t make Kat all jittery when she tried.

“If you want to test that theory, the apartment isn’t far. And it has… quite the view.” Amenities, too. The kind of amenities they could both avail themselves of. Oh, there were thoughts going through her head… thoughts that she definitely wanted to put into action. She’d keep those filed away for later, though; right now, she was actually enjoying her night, and it seemed her asari companion was, too. Unfortunately, Kat was not quite as good at flirting as Aria was, though it wasn’t going to stop her from trying her hand at it.

for miss shepard

Pinned Against a Wall | @kenasakis

Pent up frustrations with the war, Cerberus, and with Aria of all people have led to this - a culmination almost to excess of arguments and tensions surrounding the Cerberus takeover of Omega. It wasn't so much a suggestion as it was necessity; Garrus once explained the turian tradition of letting off steam through hand to hand combat between fellow soldiers, creating a bond through a few rounds in the ring.

It wasn't the craziest idea Shepard has ever had, though she'd been even more surprised when Aria had agreed to it.

A few blows are exchanged (there'd been a 'gentleman's' agreement not to throw in biotics), keeping one another on their toes. Aria's height and reach certainly come into play alongside her centuries of experience, though Shepard isn't one to just give up, either.

"That all you got, T'Loak? Show me what the Queen's made of..." A little more cocky for the Commander's normal tastes, but she wants to test herself. Even a little bloodied from an early hook to the nose, Shepard bares her teeth in a grin -- and what comes of it is a flurry of quick punches, forcing the Commander to block with both arms, backing up until her back unceremoniously hits the wall with a solid thud of meat and muscle and cybernetic spine. Aria's hands grip the material of her shirt tightly, almost enough to lift her off her own feet if she tried it - though the weight of her with the implants is always surprising to most.

Still, with that grin and a pounding heart, blood drips down from her nose over her lips; that metallic taste combines with the saltiness of sweat, too, and Aria keeps her pinned so close, she can feel the asari's breath on her scarred skin. Piercing eyes flick upward to meet Aria's.

To see Nick Valentine in Purgatory was a significant rarity, but here he was; standing still as the décor just under Aria's loft, yellow eyes fixed on her until she'd taken notice. It wasn't until she did that his head tilted disdainfully to the guards blocking him from a flight up her stairs.

@kenasakis​ said: ❛ you think you know me, but the truth is, you don’t. ❜ / for shepard! FOR THE DAMAGED SENTENCE STARTERS | NOT ACCEPTING

Lenna knows what it is, to wear a MASK, a facade, all the time. She does it, too, because she refuses to show her vulnerability to anyone else. She can’t know if it’s the same for Aria, but she’s probably more complex than what she seems. Everyone is. 

Crow somehow had no trouble hearing the Asari over the thumping music down below, if only by virtue of her presence. Maybe a trick of biotics or a deliberate rig of the acoustics to prevent eavesdroppers below-- their whirring thoughts were put down as she caught his eyes from the other side of the couch. 

He’d been summoned there by some armed guards who knew exactly what alley to find him in. Maybe Aria didn’t like stowaways on her station. "Meaning... those that would do you harm.” He cleared his throat.

❝Had a feeling. Doesn’t seem like a look that fits you, anyways.❞ Nah, someone like Aria? All sharp edges and stares that seethe; lying in wait like a spring-trap for anyone dumb enough to try something? Please. Kings and queens don’t claw their way to power with humility. They do it with a little more grit to earn that power.

Every day there’s another hoop to jump through. Everything is transactional, and that’s nothing knew or unknown to Commander Shepard. Omega is like home in plenty of ways, save one: they have a leader who seems to actually know what the fuck she’s doing. It’s why she doesn’t mind this work -- it’s clean and with a clear purpose. Easy to do and with the added bonus of getting a little payback for those who decided to shoot her closest friend in the face with a rocket.

“They’re organizing down in Carrd,” Shepard swirls the drink she barely nurses in her hand. She’d be dead before letting her guard down around here. “Gang’s figure it’s the easiest place to rally -- they’re confident. Plan is to hit Doru for control of power.” A small pause, and in it Shepard should knock back her drink. Reflex demands it. Instead she sits up and rolls her shoulders back, “Up to you what you do with that info. I think that means our contract is done.”