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‘Humans really did have some strange traditions.’, Liara decided as she researched their culture as discreetly as she could. She was thankful that Shepard and her team had rescued her from Saren’s men at the research site.
Liara found it difficult to even fathom any reasons why the rogue turian wanted her. Had her research into the Protheans drawn his unwanted attention to her? Or was it something that Benezia had wanted since she was with Saren and his people?
Shaking her head to clear away unwanted thoughts from her mind, Liara focused back in on her research and sees the data page that her fingers have stopped on. Flowers, she had no idea how her curiosity has managed to find this when she was searching for something else entirely.
“Any reason you’re looking up flower languages, Doc?”
She startled at the sudden voice at her shoulder and looked to her left to see Ashley Williams standing off on her left side. Liara watched as amusement and curiosity cross over the tanned face of her new teammate as she shrugs one shoulder upwards slightly.
“Ah. I was curious and started doing a bit of research on your people. Somehow I managed to find this while looking for what would tell how not to upset you or other humans in conversation.”
She watched as Ashley smiled slightly as her eyes flicker towards her screen and then back to her.
“As far as upsetting any of us humans, you will just have to talk to each of us and find out. There’s not just one thing that would upset us. And as far as the flower language goes…”
“Yes?”
She found herself curiously wanting to kiss Ashley as she watched the woman twisted her lips into a frown before smirking again and leant towards her. Towards the data screen and tapped on it gently to bring up a flower page and Liara tried to not lean into Ashley’s side to look at the page with her.
“While I don’t know what Shepard likes or if she even does like flowers. I can tell you that I personally like tulips myself.”
“Do the different colors have meanings as well or just the flower itself?”
Liara tilted her head slightly to the side as an idea starts to form inside her mind as Ashley grinned.
“They do yeah. The page I opened here can you tell more though. If you need more help in understanding Humans in general, Kaidan and I would be happy to help you out.”
“Thank you, Ashley.”
As she turned back to the flower page of the Tulip and called up another screen to open another page, Liara wondered if she imagined the light brush of Ashley’s hand against hers and the tingling it left behind on her skin.
Much later when Saren, Sovereign, and their forces had been defeated and she had finally managed to find a moment of peace among the chaos to assess her feelings towards Ashley and gathered her courage to find the nearest human run flower store on the Citadel. The one that she found– near the border of where the lower levels begin – was somehow miraculously untouched from the damage caused by the fighting.
“How can we help you today?”
She smiled sheepishly at the humans in the place as she glanced at the seemingly unending colorful rows of flowers.
“I would like to buy some flowers, please. Tulips if you have any of those around.”
The woman running the place blinked once at her in surprise before smiling as she nodded and the other humans in their own little group quietly whispered to each other.
“I believe we have some Tulips in stock. Are you sure those are what you want though? We also have some beautiful roses that came before –”
“Just the Tulips for me, please. A friend of mine said that she like Tulips best..”
Liara nodded quickly as a blush lightly colored her cheeks and the woman beamed.
“Of course, I am happy to help. Do you know which color of Tulips that you would like to give your lady friend?”
Liara grinned as she nodded again.
“I believe so.”
0
Ashley sighed gustily as she read over the report that she had been attempting to write for the past few hours and glances up from her seat at the ship’s mess table just in time to see Liara come around the corner before doing a double take.
Is she holding flowers? Were those freaking red and pink Tulips that she had in her hands?
“Hey Doc, got a hot date?”
Soft amusement fluttered through her body, followed by curiosity when the young Asari startled at the sound of her voice. Ashley watched as a smiling expression appeared on Liara’s face before she smiles back.
“Ah, not yet. But I hope that the recipient of my gift is open to such a thing with... an alien partner.”
Ashley shrugged one shoulder slightly as she watched Liara stare at the flowers in her hands before approaching her and holding them out to her. A shy, determined expression made itself known on Liara’s freckled face.
In the corner of her eye, she also noted that they seem to have gained an audience of curious onlookers – and one of them was Shepard, how lovely.
“I, Liara T’Soni, come before you now, Ashley Williams of the human Alliance with a question. Will you accept this gift of Tulips as a sign of my desire for you and allow me to court you?”
The answer came quickly to her mind as she reached for the Tulips and let her fingertips brush lightly against Liara’s with a small smile.
“I will.”