Chapter Text
“C’mon Liara, let’s go,” Hailee Shepard said, pulling Liara out of her cabin’s bathroom. “How long does it take you to put on a sports bra and leggings?” Of course Hailee had to keep from drooling over her siame in said sports bra and leggings, black and grey pattern hugging her body.
“Are you certain these garments are adequate for training purposes?” Liara asked, feeling a bit naked under mere scraps of polyester blended with elastane.
“They’ll be fine,” she replied, trying not to obviously ogle Liara.
James Vega, the mountain of muscle that some called a man, was waiting for them in the lower of the Normandy, wearing nothing but a pair of SA-blue boardshorts. “Bringing your cheerleader along Lola? He asked, but his tone made it clear that he was joking. “I didn’t mean to steal the show.”
Hailee ignored James’ rather well-coordinated flexings. “Just remember, size isn’t everything,” she told Liara. “Keep a good posture, keep track of your limbs. You can do this.”
If James was surprised that Liara bowed herself onto the mats, he didn’t show it. Squaring off in the middle, they slap-bumped hands as Shepard started their round. A rookie or not, James wasn’t going to change his approach. He stalked forward, light in his steps, approaching and circling around the Asari, testing her reactions. She moved quickly, pushing James’ lead arm across his body -- when he pulled it back, she jumped through the opening and wrapped her legs against his waist.
Her momentum wasn’t enough to buckle his hips, but she threaded her arms to get an underhook under his lead arm and an overhook. She pulled down with her arms and pushed against his hips, making him stumble forward a step. James couldn’t rotate his forearms enough to try and create some space, so he went for the next best option: he dropped down to one knee, pulling his other knee back to press up against the Asari equivalent of a tailbone.
Liara held her grunt in as his knee attempted to forcibly make room. Her feet could barely stay crossed to keep a closed guard, especially as James shifted his weight onto her upper body, allowing him to reposition his legs for better leverage.
Hailee was silent from the sidelines, similarly waiting to see how Liara reacted against someone other than Commander Shepard. Liara was doing well against someone with more training, a larger frame, and more muscle to bring to bear; it was on the Asari to remember a key aspect to try and secure victory.
It looked like something clicked in Liara’s mind as she used James’ posture to her advantage. She rolled her shoulders up off the mats into him, and he pushed back. As his weight pressed her back down, she dipped one shoulder on purpose, immediately opening what remained of her closed guard. Her feet found great places to anchor against on his hip bones, using her legs to lift him off the mats for the barest of a split second.
But it was enough. Taking the foot on the same side as the shoulder she had just dropped to the mat, she used the lower extremity to hook behind Vega’s knee and push it across his body. He toppled over, thudding the mat with a good breakfall. Liara came up after him, keeping her grips to maintain a position. She held it for scant seconds before James demonstrated his strength and stood up with her still attached.
Then it was James’ turn to use her grips to his advantage. He turned sharply and dropped to his knees, flipping Liara over the back of his hips and onto the mats. She felt him slow her descent enough so she wouldn’t be winded, knowing that her arms were trapped and couldn’t be used to breakfall.
Liara let go of James' arms finally, trying to create a frame to give herself space to either escape his side control or regain some form of guard. Unfortunately with his top position, combined with his strategic placement of his weight, and his more well-developed knowledge in this area, he was able to slip past her frame and slide down into a head and arm choke.
It was right to begin with, and the one defence she knew to try and buy some time didn't do much against the unrelenting and ever-building pressure from James. She tapped with her free arm on his broad back, hearing Hailee call out a word. James immediately let go and got up to his knees, checking to make sure she was alright.
"You've got some moves Doctor T'Soni," James said encouragingly. "Used my weight against me, that was a good move."
"And then you tossed me around like a child in a hurricane," Liara returned. "Thank you for being so controlled with the landing."
"Of course! Only a cabrón spazzes and hurts their partner in training." James gave her a wink. "I save that attitude for the Reapers."
Hailee patted James' shoulder, giving him a smile. "Thank you James, you did well. Liara, how was it?"
"Fast, different than I expected it to be," she answered honestly. "But then I could hear your voice reminding me of our training, and things slowed down again. Things made sense. I could see the opening to perform the sweep on Mister Vega."
"At this point, I think you can call me James," he remarked, giving both ladies another flex.
"Let's see how you stack up against Miranda," Hailee said, typing on her omnitool.
James' face gained a hint of red. “Me, or the doc?”
“Yes.”