Scavengers

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"This is the idea of you two explaining to me why a Primarch and a grease monkey are so closey with each other." A voice remarked from the other side if the room, apparently having been there the entire time.

Ceres murmured something that sounded like a protest, until the vibration of the metal being cut sent pain rocketing through her and she passed out cold.
"I'll get a message to her, but she may already be too far to get back in time." The doctor breathed, giving Ceres something that would keep her unconscious, and free from pain for now.

Victus was returning Orinia's kiss, a wonderful way to wake. It took him a moment to arrange this thoughts and suddenly he wrapped his fingers around her shoulder and gently eased her away. For a moment he couldn't speak, simply searching her brown eyes for some sort of recognition.

The doctor simply shook her head and moved across the room to snatch up the few items she needed to take Brutal's blood. "I still say you're scared. You never thought of running when you assumed she was just another suit rat."

"Don't stop." Orinia was all but begging him, her chest rising and falling quickly. "I don't want to forget. I want to keep remembering. Victus please?" She breathed. 

"Doc, it has nothing to do with me being afraid of the little one. It's about her being safe." Brutal rolled up his sleeve and tapped at a vein. "Now help her. It's all she needs from me right now."

"What is it you remember?" He breathed, almost afraid to hear the answer.

The doctor was hardly gentle with Brutal as she took the blood, which was no remark on her medical skills but rather her disappointment. "All done, you can run back to Aria like a good little puppy now."

Orinia leaned forward, pressing her lips to his yet again. She couldn't tell him exactly but she knew it had everything to do with him. She also knew that if her brother came back she would lose him again. This thought terrified her more than she wanted to admit. 

"I don't get you. I try to do the right thing and you get mad at me. I chase her around the station and you get mad at me. Can I do the right thing here, damn it?" Brutal muttered, getting to his feet. For several minutes he stood looking over the little quarian. He didn't want to tell the doc that it had something to do with the fact that he'd broken his ankle as to why he wasn't making a quick exit.

Victus pulled Orinia into his arms, then rose to his feet with her and pressed her down to the bed. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. She didn't remember the first time they had done this, which made him feel like he was forcing himself on her.

"Of course you can't! How can you do the right thing while lying to yourself?!" The doctor demanded hotly.

"Am I doing something wrong?" Orinia asked, wondering why he was simply stopping and staring at her. She was feeling embarrassed at this point, like he was taking so long because he was trying to find a way to tell her to stay in bed and leave him alone. "I'm sorry." 

"About what?!" Brutal roared. He realized that they were trying to keep things quiet for the little quarian and lowered his voice. "About what? What could I possibly be lying to myself about?"

"I'm afraid I'm taking advantage of you." Victus breathed, still looking down into Orinia's face. "I want you to remember, and by telling you that... I'm breaking a promise I made."

"Your reasons for wanting her to pull through." The doctor whispered. "I see the way you watch her, I don't think your interest is purely professional."

Orinia looked more confused than ever. "Remember what, primarch?" She breathed, her fingers restinging on his powerful shoulders. "I've never met you before as far as I know. What kind of promise could you have possibly made and to who?"

"Don't pretend to know me, doc." Brutal snapped. "I'm not Shepard. You don't get to asses my mental state or anything remotely close to it. I don't have feelings for anyone. Those died a long time ago." He growled, making a valiant attempt to limp away from her. "I'm not a lover or a hero. don't try to make me into one."

Victus leaned down and buried his face into Orinia's shoulder. He felt trapped by his conscience. "Orinia, lovely... By your own admission you only just met me, is this truly what you want?"

"And yet despite that, you are returning to Aria." The doctor calmly called after Brutal before returning to her unconscious patient.

"I don't feel like I just met you and...you saved my life." Orinia breathed. "I need you but I can't explain why." She leaned up, pressing her lips to his. "Please, Victus. I do know I'm going to lose you again. I am sure of that." 

"I'm going to get drunk and lock myself in a room." Brutal told her. "I'm going to give myself a splint and avoid Aria too. I owe her a favor or two and I'm in no shape to pay it out." He muttered.

"See, you said 'again'." Victus breathed, though he was kissing Orinia again. "Vivica wants to destroy me, both physically and politically. I'm so very afraid she will use you to get what she wants." He murmured against the young woman's lips, avoiding telling her the true reason why Vivica would want to hurt her.

"I've seen your sorry excuse for a splint, Brutal. You will do more harm than good!" Doctor Chakwas snapped.

"Why would she use me? I mean nothing. I don't even live on your planet and after tonight we will probably never see each other again. You are worrying too much, Victus." Orinia told him, beginning to remove his shirt and kiss the skin revealed to her. "I am nothing." 

"I'll be drunk when I do it. It won't matter." Brutal muttered." He paused beside the little quarian, resting a hand on her cheek. He frowned at how cold she was. "Give her the blood already." He pressed. "She's dying." He didn't even realize his thumb was gently rubbing her skin, taking note of how soft it was.

Victus was helping Orinia remove what little she had on now too. "You couldn't be further from nothing if you tried." He breathed, lightly pinning her slender wrists to the soft sheets as he kissed her once more.

Though she was unconscious, Ceres murmured softly as Brutal's rough thumb rubbed her cheek. "If you stayed here, I could set your bone for you, and you can question her when she wakes up. Don't act like that isn't what you want, boy."

As usual, Victus' omni tool would be ringing when he awoke. Several messages had been left for him and his frantic assistant was about to lose his cool. Finding his boss was about to become a galactic incident. Orinia herself was already gone. 

Brutal shook his head. "The more I know the more dangerous it is for her. I have to go back where they are keeping Lolly, Doc. They'll use her to dig into my brain and that's a bad thing." He hated himself. He couldn't stop stroking Ceres' cheek. It was so soft and lovely. "Just...help her. Some Batarian shard wine....no...alot of shard wine and I'll be fine. I'm always fine."

When the persistent ringing finally got to him, Victus had initially reached out to pull Orinia against him only to find her gone. He let out a heavy sigh and rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. The galaxy hated him, he was certain of it.

The doctor finally walked over and slapped Brutal's hand away from Ceres' cheek. "You want nothing to do with her? Fine! Get the hell out of my clinic and stitch your own damn gunshot next time!"

"What do you mean he's still alive?!" Vivica was screaming as the wounded turian entered her apartment. She threw a towel at him, her teeth gritted as she watched him dripping blue blood on the crisp white carpet. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I thought you said it was done! How could anyone have survived that! Just how bad of a shot are you and why are you the one shot and bleeding on my damned floor?!" 

"Fair enough." Brutal nodded, shaking the sting out of his fingers as he headed for the door. "Send me a short message and let me know that she's going to be okay. If you don't mind." He added softly, limping for the door. "We'll see next time, doc."

"His, little bitch shot me!" The man growled, saying nothing of huge double cross he had explained to Victus. "Enough people saw that accident though, and word is already out that no one can find the Primarch!"

"What would you like me to tell her when she wakes up? Do you even want her knowing about the donation you left her?" The doctor asked wearily.

"His little bitch." An odd feeling swept through Vivica, it made her insides twist and her stomach churn. "The...grease monkey. Isn't that what you called her?" Just saying it was enough. She knew. It was in her gut and she knew. Her daughter was not dead. "Damn. I must do everything myself." She muttered. Her fingers slipped into her cloak and she moved closer to the turian she'd brought with her to the new citadel. "Goodbye, darling." She said softly, shooting him in the head before he could even react to it. "Get this cleaned up." She hissed at her housekeeper. "I have a call to make." 

Brutal shook his head. "No. Not that she'll really care either way. But no. Don't tell her anything. Just tell her I found what I was looking for and lost interest in her. That's pretty much the truth after all."

The young human girl nodded her head, clearly terrified. Too terrified to tell anyone what had just happened.
Victus hadn't gone looking for Orinia, he assumed her disappearance meant she had gotten everything she needed from him. Instead he was heading to the council tower, intent upon putting a stop to Vivica.

Doctor Chakwas had given Ceres the blood she needed, and then returned to caring for other patients that dropped into the clinic over the next few hours. It was almost nightfall, if such a thing was measurable on Omega, when the young half blood opened her silver eyes. The doctor was there to explain that she had been seriously injured, but made no mention of the dos covers about her DNA. The most she said was that Brutal's blood had 'somehow' been compatible, and that he hated the sight of suit rats that didn't wear their helmets.

Vivica was there at the council tower, having afternoon tea with the daltrass and the asari council woman. Both of them were more than pleased to have another woman on the council. It was almost painful to watch the three women tittering on about irrelevant things that had nothing to do with ensuring the safety of the galaxy. 

Brutal was lying on the bathroom floor of a very dirty motel room, trying try remain drunk and keep the splint on his ankle. It hurt like hell and every time he tried to wrap it tighter it resulted in him howling in agony. This day was never going to end, he was sure of it. He was now sure the only thing left to do was to bang his head on the dirty tile until he simply passed out.

"I'm sorry, ladies, am I interrupting?" Victus asked, his voice as thin and sharp as a steep blade. He hadn't showered and still had some blood and dirt on his skin, though mostly it was on his clothing. He was wanted them to see the damage Vivica had tried to cause him.

Brutal wasn't as alone as he thought on that hellhole rock, and Aria wasn't as cruel as she had people believing. "This is your solution? Howling like a little girl and bashing your head on the floor?" She asked from the doorway.

"Primarch Victus?" Vivica was the first of the three women on her feet. She looked rather shocked though not as shocked as the other women behind her. "By the spirits, are you all right? What's happened to you?" She rushed to his side, daring to place her hands on his arms. "Here...let's get you seated. I'll have C-sec call for a doctor." 

Brutal paused, his head mere inches from the first smash on the floor. His hair swung pitifulyl in the space between and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Well hello, Aria. Come to claim one of those favors?" He asked softly, trying to even out his breathing. "I'm afraid I'm not at my best right now."

"No need." Victus replied thinly, snatching his arm away from Vivica. "I have received expert care, I am afterall, still Primarch." That comment was aimed solely at Vivica.

"Do you even have a best?" Aria snorted as she crouched down before Brutal.

"I can see that." Vivica shot back, quick to grab a napkin off the nearby table and wipe her hands. "That's why you are still covered in blood and you look as if someone tried to set you on fire." 
"Primarch, I hate to be rude...But what is the meaning of this." The Salarian dalatrass said, now moving closer to the turian to get a better look at him for herself. "You'll forgive me but you look like death warmed over." 

Brutal gave her a weary smile. "When I'm out of the shower and totally naked. But I bet all the guys tell you that." He said softly, finally giving in to the pain and the booze and passing out.

"And that's why she hates me for it. I wasn't supposed to be the warned over part." Victus snorted.

Brutal would find himself in much better surroundings by the time he woke up. His ankle had been set properly and he was clean, although naked, beneath soft sheets.

"She?" The Asari couniclor piped in, frowning deeply as she closed her communication from calling her own doctors to come in and have a look at him. "Am I missing something here, Victus? You've been missing for over a day and you turn up here looking like at and you're talking strangely. What's happening?" 

"What the hell did I drink?" Brutal moaned. He opened his eyes and rubbed his forehead, only just realizing that he was sans any clothing. "What the....Aria...? You've got to be kidding!"

"Well, Vivica, are you going to tell them, or shall I?" Victus sneered. He the Primarch may have been a little more tactful towards the other council members, had Orinia not disappeared from his bed.

Aria's amused chuckle could be heard from the balcony of the room. The view took in all over Omega, and while it wasn't much In comparison to Illium or even the citadel, it was still rather breathtaking from this height. "What? You passed out, and you still owed me those favours."

Vivica looked him over a moment or two and then gave an innocent shake to her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Victus. I mean really. You must have hit your head or something. You're coming in here and making accusations against your best friend's wife. How could you even do such a thing?" 

"So getting me naked...did that cover one of those?" Brutal asked, sitting up. He was well aware that few had ever seen Omega's sky line like this and never from Aria's bed. "Cause I would have thought there would be more fun involved than this." He added with a soft laugh of his own.

"You really think it is so difficult to come and confront my best friend's murderer?" Victus asked, again acting like the other women in the room weren't even there. "The woman who sold her own daughter to a sex slaver, and then tried to have a Primarch assassinated? I am beginning to doubt if your son is still safe either!"

"Perhaps there was, but you passed out like the lightweight human that you are." Aria smirked. "Although, I thought you may be interested to hear that the shootings against humans have returned, tenfold. You've been out of it for days now."

"You really have lost your mind. All of those accusations are unfounded and just plain stupid. I have never commited a crime in my life! You have been throwing those things at me for months now and you have no proof! Where do you get off, sir?!" Vivica demanded, her chest rising and falling as her rage began to get the better of her. 

Brutal groaned loudly, resting his head back against the headboard. "Tell me you're kidding me." He muttered. "Aria, please...This is was supposed to do away..."