This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#Omega – April 21, 2016
Tara has slowly grown more comfortable over the past two weeks since Leah took her in. She still barely speaks, and virtually never without being promted to do so. She has continued to clean and cook, usually while Leah is away working. It may be noticable that she often lies awake at night, staring into the dark without stirring. She seems to have gained some strength from the Omegan diet, which while of questionable content is no
doubt more nutritious than what she's been fed in the past. She's gained about a quarter inch of ashy blonde hair due to her head not being shaved anymore, although there is no growth in the areas where the intersecting lines of burns cross her scalp. Tara has taken to watching the soap operas that Leah has introduced her to, and will now often be found in the couch rather than standing around doing nothing. Leah's look into the
tattoos have yielded some results just recently. The intricate batarian script on her forehead, which is notably tattoed on scar tissue, is the symbol of House Bar'adon, a wealthy batarian family of high caste, and the barcode on her right wrist has led to a certain document ( https://aiterp.net/story/S7r4n7x6nu19nhuq )
Leah has mostly just kept up with more of the same: Working every day and coming home to have long-winded one-sided conversations with Tara while watching bad TV shows. Leah has made it a habit to get Tara out of the house every night or so for noodles at her place of work, but that came to an abrupt stop upon finding out about the reward put out for her. Her fear and paranoia for Cerberus
hasn't calmed any. In fact, the new information concerning House Bar'adon has only heightened her concern. She's quick to hurry to the window at the slightest sound and often wakes up many times in the middle of the night just to stare out the window and check the locks. Currently, however, she's sitting on top of the bed in a pair of bright blue shorts and a t-shirt with a greasey, half-eaten
burger of some descript in her hand. Some kind of cloned meat, no doubt, but it's probably best not to ask about the specifics on Omega. She, of course, brought one home for Tara as well in a typical, white styrofoam container. She takes a large bite of her burger and then pauses, mid-chew, as a couple on the screen kisses. Her eyes go wide and she points at the screen as she looks over to Tara.
"I knew it!" she says, mouth still filled with cloned meat, "I kneeeeew it! She said she wasn't in love with Cornelius' evil brother but she wassss! She sooooo was!"
Tara is seated next to Leah on the bed, enthusiastically chomping on the burger - it seems no matter what or when she is eager to eat whatever food is presented. She just barely manages to catch a falling drop of dressing before it touches the borrowed pants she's wearing. At Leah's outburst she furrows her eyebrows, studying the scene skeptically before shaking her head faintly.
Leah scrunches up her nose and frowns at the screen. "Amanda doesn't deserve Cornelius." She swallows hard and glances over at Tara, "Soooo. I hope you don't mind burgers tonight. I know we usually do the whole noodle thing down at Kired's but-..." she winces and tilts her head apologetically, "...Now, don't freak out! But-... but I did a little digging into that barcode on you and-... well..."
she pauses, biting her lower lip for a moment, "...They put a reward out for you. House Bar'adon? Does that sound familiar? I just figured-..." she shrugs her shoulders, "...it might be a good idea for us to lay low until I can get us back to Freedom Falls. A few more days and we should be set."
Tara breaks her attention away from the screen when Leah addresses her, looking a little worried at her expression. At the mention of 'barcode' she moves her left hand to her right wrist, pointing a finger at it questioningly. Her eyes go wide at the mention of Bar'adon, and what's left of her burger drops to the floor and rolls away as she scrambles away from Leah, into the corner of the bed, looking around as if she's expecting
Leah puts her hands up, outstretched towards Tara as the woman scampers away, burger hanging limply in one hand as she tries to calm the woman down. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" she repeats, "You're fine! You're safe! We're safe here! I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, I promise! We just need to keep our heads down. I've already talked with a trader that makes a stop here
twice a month. When he drops his next cargo haul off here, you and I are gonna be on that ship!" she points with her unburgered hand to Tara and then to herself, "And-... And Freedom Falls is safe. Nobody can hurt you there! Alright?"
Tara 's gaze continues to dart around the room and she starts to hyperventilate, hands clutching at the wall behind her as if she's trying to get as far into the corner as she can. Her eyes eventually settle on Leah as she continues to try and get her attention, and she stares at her as she speaks, eyes still wide in fear. She slowly starts to calm down, nodding repeatedly at the final comment and then pulling her knees up, allowing her
arms to fall and wrapping them instead around her legs as she curls up into a small ball, looking more slowly around the room now, but it is clear she is still shaken.
Leah remains in place, staring at the woman for a long while. She sets her burger down in her container and shuffles across the bed on her knees until she's just in front of Tara. Suddenly and awkwardly she throws her arms around Tara, giving her a big uncomfortable hug. "They won't get you." she assures her, "I won't let them." After a moment, she releases the hug and sits back on her feet
as she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "They sound like a bunch of assholes. Seriously, owning another person? Gross." she says, shaking her head in distaste.
Tara first startles at the awkward hug, but soon starts to calm down. Her focus has moved to Leah once she withdraws, and she allows her head to rest on her knees. At the last comment her gaze falls to the bed, a distant frown on her face. "Why?" she says quietly, almost a mumble. "Why do you help?"
Leah frowns upon hearing the question and furrows her brow. Her shoulders rise and fall in a haphazard shrug. "Because it's the right thing to do." she says, as if the answer is obvious and the question had never even entered her mind. "Why wouldn't I help?" She shuffles a bit and sits on her bottom just in front of Tara, bringing her legs in front of her and crossing them. "I-..." she
sighs and shrugs once again, "...I have to help you. Those people who did this to you-..." her eyes move across the many scars and burns on Tara, "...They're monsters. Your life is yours. Not anybody elses. And I-... I haven't always made the best decisions, but this? There isn't even a decision to be made. We're going to get you off of this shithole station and you're going to start a
new life in Freedom Falls. A life that nobody is going to tell you how to live." she gives a stern nod and reaches for her burger again, adding, "And you'll eat as many burgers as you want!" She takes a big bite and chews aggressively, as if to make a point.
Tara listens in silence, completely focused on Leah as she speaks. Her expression shifts between confusion, disbelief and small hints of hope - she's still struggling with the idea of being free even now, having known nothing else than servitude for far too long. After Leah's final exclamation and the theatrical bite she lets out a tiny, quiet snicker, a faint smile appearing on her face, accompanied by slowly rolling tears as she
Leah , once she has swallowed her bite, returns the smile, although much bigger and brighter than Tara's. "Everything is going to be fine, Tara." she says softly, reaching out with her unburgered hand to wipe at her tears. "You'll see. I have my own place on Freedom Falls. You can have your own room and everything. Just a few more days, a week tops." she nods, "And then you can start putting