"What's the point of Pallin himself?"
"He still hopes that Sparatus will keep us on a short leash." Nihlus grunted. "As far as I know, they are old friends and served together after graduation. Sparatus looks at the antics of his Spectr's with a bit of irony, until we start tearing the Citadel to pieces and killing for no reason."
"And Pallin?"
"And Pallin freaks out when he has to sort out the next problems for us."
"He can be understood." Garrus said.
"You can, of course. So we try not to do much on the Citadel..." He waved his hand vaguely. "How should I put it that way?.. Keep yourself in line. And here... Fifty-four bodies. So he howled."
Garrus froze.
"How much?"
"Sparatus said fifty-four." Nihlus grinned. "I guess at least half of them came from a neat hole in the head." Garrus lowered his eyes. By God! If he could blush, he would!
"The Special Corps has been watching you for quite some time. I've been writing reports on you to Sparatus for the fourth year now."
Garrus blinked in surprise.
"Yes, yes." the green-eyed ulcer grinned in full grin. "Four years, with all the details and a complete analysis of your actions, with an assessment of your fighting qualities, behavior, results and mistakes." Nihlus bent down and buried his nose in my hair. "Soft... And you smell delicious."
"Will you bite?" I smiled.
"I'll think..." He purred in response in a delightful vibrant voice.
"Think carefully. Haven't you forgotten? I am a metamorph." in front of Garrus, who was surprised to the point of amazement, I grew a long claw and showed it to Nihlus.
"Forgot." He gently touched the tip of the claw and, naturally, cut himself deeply. "However..."
"I can get a practically monomolecular edge." I cupped his finger and licked off the blue blood. "The possibilities of my body are endless." the wound in my eyes has healed.
"But how did it happen? The body was human..."
"The soul is primary and adjusts the body to its needs." I shrugged, returning my hand to its usual shape. "After moving in, the aura unfolds in the same way as that of a newborn. Layer by layer, except much faster. The body adjusts itself. My aura is very energetic. So... A month, well, a month and a half, and I'm a full-fledged metamorph again.
"But HOW is this possible?"
"We are all energy, Nihlus. And one energy can easily influence another, embodied in a material form. This is the basis of magic. Any. The inclination and power of the soul initiates the development of the core in the physical body, as far as reality allows. But there is something that is universal everywhere, even in the depths of Chaos. His gifts and curses." I smiled. "Mentalism is one of these gifts. This is a property of the mind and soul. Not bodies. Once you become a mentalist, you will always remain one, as long as you keep your mind. Mind magic based on vital energy. It does not depend on the outside world and its laws. It does not require external energy sources, as for some other species."
"You're talking about magic like it's real." Garrus said softly.
Instead of answering, I raised my hand, forming what people almost always called a fireball or arrow. A small spherical ball of fire burned merrily in the palm of his hand, driving both Turians into a state of stupor.
"This reality is extremely poor in the energy needed to use elemental magic. What I put into this balloon, in a normal magically active world, is enough to demolish an entire city from the face of the planet, drowning it in lava. That's why I don't use magic. Ineffective. A regular rifle will do the same damage. The only thing that works without misfires is that it relies on an internal reserve or on a Fundamental Principle that doesn't care about such small things as the laws of reality at all."
"But CAN you use it?"
"I can, of course." I shrugged my shoulders. "I've been reborn more than twenty times already. And there were only seven incarnations in non-magical worlds. Counting this. Naturally, I know a lot and can do a lot, trying to learn something in each incarnation, even if it only lasts a couple of days or hours." Nihlus shuddered, gripping my shoulder tightly. "Yes, there were some. So... You know that. Just because I'm not doing something doesn't mean I can't do it. True, I haven't reached my full strength yet, but that's very soon. I feel. A qualitative leap is coming soon."
"And then what?"
"And then I will get full control over everything that I have managed to bind to my soul. For example, to your spatial pocket. And there I have useful things that don't even have close analogues in this reality."
"How did you become like this? A wanderer through life?" Garrus asked quietly.
"An accident." I shrugged my shoulders. "I was born in a completely non-magical world." Even you have a kind of magic tied to the life energy of the carrier and the radiation catalyst. Biotics. And in my home world, there wasn't even the slightest manifestation. But come on... after death, she woke up in someone else's body."
"And no idea how it happened?" Nihlus asked cautiously.
"Well, why not? There is a certain mechanism for the appearance of people like me. I'll tell you later. I met the attentive gaze of green eyes. Irene promised to tell you later.
Nihlus nodded in agreement and buried his nose in my hair again.
"Do we have until tonight?" Garrus asked.
"Yes. The crew is partially disabled. Ship on loading: Sebastian complained about the strange selection of products, so I sent him shopping. Anyway, the bill will go to the military department of the Alliance. Let them pay for the grub for their crew."
"Won't they whine?"
"They will, of course. But dextro-products are paid for by the Council. I can live perfectly well without ordinary people, but people can't. We'll feed Joker, Karin, Rex and Liara out of our own pockets. Oh, and the engineering room. Although it is difficult to feed Rex."
Nihlus snorted, and Garrus couldn't help but smile.
"And if he doesn't pay?"
"I'll drop you off at the demons at the nearest station. At least there will be a reason to get rid of them without blood. And then they got it — they don't have the strength."
Garrus shook his head in surprise.
"What are our plans?"
"Clean up the dilute garbage." Nihlus muttered. "The apartment looks like they've been partying in it for three days!"
"Yes. It wouldn't hurt." I nodded in agreement. "Otherwise, I'm afraid a new life will be born here by our return."
The Turians laughed.
In order to speed up the process, we distributed the responsibilities and started cleaning. While Garrus and I were collecting bottles and trash, Nihlus started cleaning up, starting with the least affected area, the bedroom. Collecting the bottles in bags, I was just amazed how we managed to suck out so much and not end up in the infirmary with poisoning. To drink SO MUCH strong alcohol — it was necessary to manage! Garrus wiped the table and the spilled alcohol off the floor. Picking up the last ones, I stomped into the kitchen, where there was a waste disposal unit, when...
A wave of pure, uncluttered rage and bloody rage swept through the mental plane. I was numb. What is it? The bottles slipped out of my hands and splattered across the floor. Garrus whirled around and looked at me questioningly. The rage crystallized into a clear and meaningful desire to kill.
"Nihlus?" I asked cautiously.
The door opened and Nihlus biotics, glowing dark blue, almost purple with crimson reflections, slowly entered the hall, clutching them in his hands... the datapad. Oh mother... It must have fallen out of my pocket yesterday...
"Where does this come from?" The icy voice trembled with rage, breaking into sounds that I could barely hear.
"Jeff put together a crew for me from the chatter." I shrugged, realizing that it was pointless to deny it, and the enraged Turian would shake out the truth.
"What's there?" Garrus asked cautiously.
Instead of answering, Nihlus silently tossed him a datapad. Garrus caught it and started reading. I closed my eyes. That's it... Now I'm going to have two Turians in a rage. And... what a Chaos! They have a right to know! Maybe if they kill a couple of idiots, others will start making friends with their heads!
An outburst of rage, much more powerful and destructive, ripped through the mental. Garrus clenched his fingers so that the datapad crackled. Soothing with words is pointless. I just went over and hugged the pissed-off Turian.
"Never mind."
"Are you protecting them?" Nihlus literally growled.
I turned my head, looking into the green eyes in surprise.
"Don't be silly!"
"Why didn't you tell me then?" Garrus asked, slowly calming down.
"So that you can kill them?" I snorted into the warm fabric of my T-shirt. "Yes, we would have been too tired to wash the ship of blood later. There's no point getting your hands dirty about them. But if you really want to, you can break all the bones and chop off someone's guts."
The biotic glow disappeared, and Nihlus swore softly.
"You're right. Get your hands dirty about them... No, you shouldn't. But it's better for them to start watching their language. I can rip it out."
"Rip it out. Maybe your brain will start working. Otherwise, we've completely lost our fear." I shrugged my shoulders. "But they were certainly right about one thing..."
"Really..." Garrus purred.
The Turians exchanged glances, and then Garrus bent down and picked me up in his arms.
"You do realize that you're going to have to finish cleaning anyway, don't you?" I said, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Nothing. We'll clean it up later... ourselves..." Garrus promised and carried me to the bedroom.
"Then..." I gently slid my fingers over the golden-coffee skin. "Agreed... Later, then later."
Garrus swallowed, momentarily losing his stride. Lifting herself a little on his arms, slowly, barely touching the skin with her lips, she kissed his neck, barely noticeably grabbing the skin with her teeth. The strong arms tightened, and Garrus almost stumbled, barely fitting into the doorway. A couple of quick steps and I'm on the bed, and the Turian pulls back, staring intently into my face with bright light blue eyes.
Nihlus sat down on the bed to my right, carefully ran a clawed hand over my face, dug into my hair, passing short strands between his fingers.
"They're so soft..." The heavy head bowed, he buried his face in his hair, took a deep breath.
"Hold on..."
I pulled back a little, shook my head, and my hair began to grow rapidly... until a long, waist-length, heavy mane fell on my back.
"Being a metamorph... There are advantages to this."
Nihlus exhaled softly, ran his hands through his long hair, tremulously rolling the shiny red strands between his fingers.
"I've never seen it... so long..." he buried his face in my hair, pressing his forehead against my back. "Gentle... Only your race has that... Hair." A quiet chuckle. "I would never have thought that they would be so... They're attractive..."
Garrus kicked off his shoes and lay down on the left, propping himself up on his elbow and pulling up my T-shirt, exposing my stomach.
"Soft." He rubbed his face against my stomach like a cat, barely noticeably tickling my skin with his breath. "And you smell delicious..." The sharp teeth barely bit the skin, causing an involuntary groan.
Garrus pulled back a little, exchanged glances with Nihlus... and with four hands, they shook me out of my clothes, knocking them haphazardly to the floor. Along with his own. We'll leave tomorrow, but there's only the three of us here right now. Me, Nihlus and Garrus.
Nihlus stuck tightly to my mane, almost meditating on the long red strands, fingering them, pressing his face, inhaling the scent, and I... studied the young Turian sitting in front of me, slowly sliding my fingers and lips over his body. Feeling him shudder at every touch, as unusual as a light kiss, inaccessible to his race. Blue clan tattoos appeared not only on the face, but also on the body, crossing the shoulders and chest with strict straight lines. Hot breath burned my skin: Nihlus had had enough of playing with my hair and turned his attention to my back, barely noticeably grabbing the skin with his hard lips. Well, he's doing it... bright, clear feelings intoxicated the head and shattered the remnants of hard-to-maintain self-control...
"My..." a barely audible whisper and hot breath, slowly sliding along the spine. "Ours.".. — the tickling touch of a long tongue.
"Our." Garrus echoed, sitting up abruptly, staring intently at my face. "You know what I mean...
"We are," Nihlus corrected him, eagerly nibbling my neck, barely grabbing the skin with his teeth.
"We will never let you go."
"I'm not going anywhere." I smiled and cupped his face in my hands. "If you don't want to."
"Never..." the heavy combed head leans against my shoulder, Garrus slowly inhales my scent, sliding his hard lips over my neck, almost in sync with Nihlus. "Not in this life, Irene..." sharp teeth grab the skin and easily bite through it, a long tongue licks off the droplets of blood.
"Not in this life..." Nihlus echoes, and another gentle bite...
And I have a growing feeling that I completely do not understand the essence of the action that took place... almost a ritual... important, critically important, which I MUST understand...
The ringing of the instrumentron from Nihlus's hand sounded like a mockery. A barely audible, elusive sound, similar to a growl, and Nihlus, opening his eyes, deployed the interface, looking displeased at the flashing icon.
"Sparatus..." and again that barely audible sound.
There was no desire to blow up and get dressed in a hurry, but you can't ignore it... But I really wanted to...
"Turn it on without video broadcasting." I shrugged my shoulders.
Talon touched the video link icon, turning off the camera, and pressed receive. A window opened above the Turian's forearm, showing Sparatus' darkened office and himself, looking at us with a satisfied face. No. Not like that. LOOKING at us. Nihlus blinked in surprise, the advisor's face became even more malicious. We all looked at the video communication icon. Turned off. The face of Sparatus. Snide, understanding, and smuuug... The counselor understood our pantomime more than correctly, and therefore, instead of greeting and explaining the reason for the call, we heard:
"When a member of the Citadel Council calls, the video link is activated automatically without the permission of the other subscriber."
Nihlus made a muffled gurgle, and Garrus whinnied faintly at the top of my head. Damn it...
