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#FreedomFalls – January 17, 2017
The Market is busy today, despite the cold weather. The doors are wide open, the mass effect field that holds back the cold air shimmering faintly. People pass in and out at a steady pace, the majority of them humans, but aliens of various species are seen as well. A group of quarians are seated at the edge of the steps to the entrance, talking among each other. The sky is cloudy but bright - there is no snowfall today, at least not
Leah walks arm-in-arm with Tara past the quarians and through the front doors of the market. "Sooooooo, what are you gonna get?" she asks jovially, once again putting the decision making in Tara's hands. Something she tries to do as often as possible to punch home the point that Tara's life is her own now, and nobody else can tell her what to do.
Tara glances at the quarians curiously on their way in. Once through the front doors she looks around, clearly overwhelmed by the myriad of stores and the busy crowd moving around from place to place. It's a bombardment of unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells. Not that Omega hadn't been, but this was different to her. She had been so preoccupied at the time. She shakes her head slightly, no idea where to go. "I... I don't know."
There’s a variety of stalls and shops open selling all manner of things brought in from off-world. There are several merchants selling clothing, some just a few poorly organized tables and racks of cheap goods, mostly aimed at human-shaped species. Others look more akin to proper clothes stores, with more elaborate locales and a wider selection. There’s even a quarian merchant selling intricately embroidered cloths - although they
Leah shrugs her shoulders as she glances about, happy to be out of the cold winter air. "Well, we're in no rush. How about we just walk around a bit and see if anything catches your eye?" she offers. She passes a glance towards the arguing quarian, but her gaze doesn't linger long. She tugs her hood off, wandering alongside Tara in no particular direction. "There's bound to be something around here you'll like."
Tara goes silent as they walk through the market, her gaze wandering from store to store, but she makes no effort to head for any of them. Her attention is drawn to the quarian, furrowing her eyebrows slightly as she watches, but she's quick to look away as they move on.
The quarian lets out a frustrated sigh and slips the human militiaman a credit chit. He nods. "Next time you'd better have permission to set up here." he says with a grunt before heading off.
Leah frowns at the exchange between the quarian and the militiaman, but keeps out of it. "Well.... What kind of clothes do you like?" she asks, giving an arbitrary gesture towards a nearby store. "This is your opportunity to branch out! Figure out who you are!" she continues in excitement, as if it's some great big journey of self-discovery to buy a pair of pants.
Tara glances to Leah, giving a small shrug as her eyebrows contort in confusion. "I... don't know." she says, almost mumbling.
Leah scrunches up her nose at Tara's indecisiveness. "Alright...." she hums, glancing around for a store that that doesn't look too expensive, or too cheap, "Well, we've gotta start somewhere, right? Pick a store."
Tara looks around at the various stores, her expression turning increasingly uncomfortable until she suddenly starts heading towards one - the nearest. It's one of the larger places, and carries a fairly wide selection of clothes, albeit entirely aimed towards human-shaped species. A tall, lean batarian stands behind the counter, his arms crossed as he watches the customers in the shop, all four eyes on the lookout for thieves,
Leah follows alongside Tara into the store and begins glancing about. "See anything you like?" she asks. Given the crowd, she can't help but find her mind wandering back to their discussion at breakfast about Tara's brands. All it would take is one person to recognize the brand and report it for trouble to find them. She tries to put that out of her mind for now, and the winter hat atop Tara's head covering her brand helps her to
Tara wanders through the store, hesitantly reaching out and touching a few cheap tops. It's clear that she's struggling with having to pick out clothing for herself. "I'm... not sure." she says quietly, helpful as always.
Leah doesn't seem too bothered by it. She expected as much. And understood. Everything is new to Tara. You can't just learn how to manage your whole life overnight. "That's okay. Just... take your time. Look around. Wait for something to grab your eye." she suggests as she remains at Tara's side, her boots making an annoying squeak with each step due to the water on the bottom of them from the snow.
The merchant studies Leah and Tara for a moment before his attention moves on to a human and an asari looking at jackets.
Tara nods slightly, and continues to just look at various clothes for several minutes without picking anything. She eventually grabs the sleeve of a very simple, clear-blue long-sleeved t-shirt, showing it to Leah. "Is... this alright?" she asks, seeking her approval.
Leah stops every now and then to look at a few articles of clothing herself. She returns the merchant's looks with a small wave. When Tara calls for her attention she steps over to the shirt and grabs the other sleeve, smoothing it out as she looks it over. "I like the color." she offers with a smile before shrugging and answering Tara's question. "I don't know. Is it?" she asks, "These are going to be your clothes. Get
Tara frowns, glancing between Leah and the shirt a couple of times, her discomfort and indecisiveness obvious, but eventually she nods, grabbing the shirt and clutching it close to her as she continues to look for clothes. Of course, she hasn't really checked the size or anything of the sort.
Leah looks to Tara as she grabs the shirt. She gives a satisfied nod at Tara's ability to make a choice on her own, a small smile showing through. "Make sure you check the size." she says, reaching over to show her the tag on the inside of the shirt. "Have to make sure it'll fit."
Tara studies the tag, not seeming to get anything from it. And then looks to Leah in confusion. It seems she somehow managed to pick the right size, but it's clear she doesn't know this.
Leah picks up on the confusion and leans in closer to study the tag herself. Her smile widens as she sees it's her own size, which seems to be Tara's size as well, and she gives a nod. "Perfect!" she says, pointing out the numbers on the tag. "That's what you want to look for." she explains, "If you see that number on the shirt, it means it's going to fit." Something occurs to her and she sucks in a deep breath, scrunching up
her nose. "Well... most of the time. It depends on the shirt. Every shirt is kind of different, so you might find some that fit differently than others. It depends on where they're made and-..." she shakes her head, "...All sorts of reasons. Point is, if the shirt is too small then it's not going to fit right and you're going to get this stupid-..." she frowns, reaching to her collar beneath her jacket and giving a tug
at it, "...itchy neck deal and nobody likes that. And if it's too large you're going to look like you're wearing a bath towel. So if-..." she trails off, realizing she's went off on a tangent again. She sighs and sucks in a deep breath, propping her smile back up. "That size is fine." she says simply. She has a lifetime to learn the intricacies of shirt-buying. A little at a time.
Tara offers a small nod, although it's clear she's still confused to some degree. Over the next hour or so she picks out a few more items. It's a slow process despite the fact that she's picking out everything in the same shop, not even looking in any of the others. Only after some prompting would she even consider picking out more than one set of clothes, but eventually she's gathered up a few different shirts, similarly
colorful to what she's borrowed from Leah, but all with long sleeves. Most of thee rest of the clothes she picks out are virtually identical in nature to what she's been borrowing, and looks like it would fit right in in Leah's wardrobe. The jacket is a puffy red one with fake fur lining. The combined cost is starting to pile up, but she's done picking things out now, the final thing she's just grabbed being a thick green
sweater with an atrocious-looking print of a dog on it. Perhaps the most original thing she has picked out, even if it is awful. She's studying the tag, frowning.
The batarian behind the counter has shot them a few impatient glances, but as they continued to pile up clothing it quickly stopped. He offered to help at one point, but quickly gave up after Tara answered absolutely none of his questions. His attention is currently entirely focused on a quarian that has stepped into the shop.
Leah has remained patient and has done her best to remain a spectator rather than influencing Tara's choices. The price hasn't even been a consideration for her. She knew taking Tara in would be expensive, and this is just one stop along the way. She studies the sweater, doing her best not to show how hideous she finds it. "How...... cute..." she says, forcing a smile and giving an encouraging nod. As Tara frowns, she gives a
Tara shows the tag to Leah. It's the wrong size - too big, although not by all that much. "This is the only one..."
Leah gives a frown as she studies the tag. "Well, it's not off by much. It might still fit..." she suggests, giving a brief glance around for any changing rooms, "...Let's see if he has somewhere for you to try it on."
Leah regains her smile as she spots the booth and gives a point in its direction. "Over there." she points out, starting towards it. "Just head inside and see if it fits." she says before adding, "Oooh! And come back out to show me how it fits!"
Tara disappears into the booth, remaining in there for a little while as she struggles with her jacket and the sweater. She has a big, but nervous smile as she exits, plus sweater but minus jacket and hat. It looks no less terrible on her, the print simply plopped on top of the sweater with no attempt at making it fit well. The sweater itself looks fairly baggy on her but it doesn't seem like she minds.
Leah cocks an eyebrow as she studies the ugly sweater, but she slowly begins to nod and the smile returns to her face. "It looks..... great!" she lies, just happy to see Tara enjoying herself. Her attention briefly moves to the visible brand on Tara's forehead, but she's certainly not going to ruin the girl's fun by asking her to put her hat back on. She steps forward, reaching out to grab at the bottom of the shirt. She
studies the size difference for a moment before looking up to Tara, "It's a little big but-..." she shrugs her shoulders, "...it's a sweater sooooo if that doesn't bother you then... I say get it. What do you think?"
The batarian glances their way as Tara steps out of the booth, multiple eyebrows rising as his focus turns to Tara.
Leah catches the batarian's gaze and she quickly looks away from him, forcing her smile back into place as she looks to Tara and gives a few nods. "Yeah.... Yeah, it looks good on you." she says, trying to keep her mood up for Tara's sake. The stares don't embarass her. Just worry her for Tara's sake. "Gather up your stuff and we'll pay and get out of here. Maybe we'll stop and pick up some lunch on the way home, do you have a
Tara nods, returning to the booth. She emerges a moment later with all her chosen clothes bunched up in her arms, barely able to carry them all. She's replaced the sweater with her jacket once more, but hasn't put on her hat. She heads towards the counter, struggling not to drop anything.
Leah helps Tara carry her chosen clothes up towards the counter. Now that there's no avoiding it she looks right at the batarian, fighting the urge to tell him off for staring at Tara. She reminds herself that causing a scene would only make things worse for Tara and sets down some of the clothing on the counter. Besides, he may not even know what it is. A tattoo on someone's forehead is attention-grabbing. "All of this." she
Tara sets down the rest of the clothes on the counter before taking a step back, keeping her gaze low. She glances at Leah - she has no means of paying for any of it herself, after all.
The batarian studies them with four black eyes as they set the clothes down, nodding at Leah's words. He starts going through the pile of clothes, scanning each item. The prices start adding up on the display. He makes no mention of the tattoo, instead just tapping the display once done and holding out a hand for a credit chit.
Leah passes along her credit chit. Suddenly feeling as if the batarian may misidentify her as Tara's owner, she suddenly feels the need to look to Tara and say, "It's nice to have a day off from work, right?" she asks, "I'm not looking forward to going back tomorrow, how about you?" Yeah! She works! She has a job! She's no slave! At least that's the point she got across in her mind.
Tara blinks, glancing at Leah. She offers a hesitant nod, seeming a little caught off-guard by the question.
The batarian handles the payment and hands the chit back, shooting a brief glance at Leah as she speaks, without comment. He grabs two plastic bags from behind the counter starting to stuff the clothes in. Once done he hands the bags to Tara, who is quick to accept them both. "There you go." he says to Leah, tilting his head slightly to the left.
Leah furrows her brow as she takes her credit chit back, shoves it into her pocket, and reaches for the bags. "Here, let me carry those for you." she offers to Tara, shooting another sharp glance the batarian's way. "Thank you..." she says flatly.
Tara furrows her eyebrows at Leah's request, but not being one to argue, she hands over the bags, looking a little confused.
Leah gives Tara a bright smile as she accepts the bags. "Stay warm." she offers the batarian, seeming a little more pleased now. He can't possibly think Tara's a slave now! Leah's carrying her bags for her! She starts towards the door with Tara. "So? What are we having for lunch?"
Tara looks hesitant as they start to leave the shop, glancing towards the exit. She tenses up a little and closes her eyes, taking a breath before deciding to voice a suggestion. "I... saw a place. On... the way here."
Leah's smile grows a bit more genuine at Tara taking the initiative. "Oh?" she asks, sounding a little bit caught off guard, "What was it called?"
Leah furrows her brow for a moment before suddenly realizing what she's talking about. "Oh! I know what you're talking about." She gives a shrug of her shoulders and nods a couple of times as she adjusts her grip on the bags. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good to me. We'll pick something up for dad while we're there."
On their way back they do indeed come across the mentioned place. A diner on the corner of a block too far from the spaceport. It's newly opened, the space having stood empty for several months at least. Big glass windows line the walls, elevated from street level, and above the entrance is a holographic sign in red and orange, featuring a smiling varren with a knife and fork crossed behind it. The text reads, in English, 'Varren
Leah glances up at the sign and gives a chuckle. "I wonder what kind of food they have." she ponders aloud with a glance to Tara. With a shrug of her shoulders, she steps inside and takes a glance around. "What made you choose this place? Was it the sign? It was the sign, wasn't it."
Tara follows Leah past the doors, which read OPEN in big red letters. She gives a small shrug, a tiny hint of a smirk forming.
The inside of the diner features a tiled floor with booths along the windows on both sides of the door. Straight ahead is a wide counter lined with stools. Behind it is a doorway and a large window to the kitchen. To the left a door leads to the bathroom while to the right is a larger area of floor with a few tables and chairs. The place is small in size overall, and it's not very busy at the moment. A few customers are seated in a
few of the booths, but no one is currently ordering. Terminus-originated pop music with batarian vocals is playing in the background, and a screen in the ceiling near one end of the counter is showing an HCC news broadcast, although muted. Behind the counter stands an older batarian with a sturdy build and graying stubble. He's wearing a worn gray t-shirt and a stained white apron. He's cleaning the counter with a rag as they enter,
but as he spots them he pauses, calling out with a rough, guttural voice: "Hey there! Welcome to the Varren Piece. Don't let the name fool ya, we've got a good selection." he says, pointing up at the menu above the counter. A variety of varren-related dishes are listed - kebabs, wraps, steak, sausage - but there's also spacecow burgers and steak, egg and bacon, pancakes, a few sandwiches and some other selections. The drinks range
from soda to alcohol to coffee. There's pastries as well, although they appear to be pre-made, being shown off in a glass display along with some of the sandwiches.
Leah snickers to Tara. "It was the sign..." she repeats. She gives a small wave in greeting to the batarian from the door once he calls out to them. "Ooooh!" she hums while approaching the counter, rubbing her hands together to fight off the winter chill as she reads the menu. "I could go for a good steak-... no a wrap!" she tries to order, seeming conflicted with what she's going to get. She scrunches up her nose and glances to
Tara mirrors Leah's hand-rubbing, following her over to the counter and looking up at the menu, struck with indecision at the numerous options available. The interior of the diner is actually quite warm, and she quickly finds herself removing her mittens and hat, stuffing them in the pockets of her jacket as she continues to look, coming no closer to deciding.
Arkat chuckles quietly at their indecision, seeming in no particular rush as he waits, folding his arms across his chest. His gaze happens upon Tara as she removes her hat, and his focus inevitably lingers on her mark for a moment.
Leah frowns as Tara offers no assistance. She meets Arkat's gaze, her discomfort returning for a moment as he stares at Tara's brand, but she averts her attention back to the menu, tilting her head to the side. "Alright... Well, we need to get dad something to eat, so how about you give meeeeee.... A varren steak and a varren wrap. And to drink...? Hmm. Just give me a cola." she orders, "You can put the steak in a container to
go." She glances over to the glass display and points towards it, "Oh! And one of those!" she adds, pointing towards a donut. With a glance to Tara she asks, "You want one of those, too?"
Tara seems unphased by the look at her mark, but as Leah addresses her she looks over at the display, hesitating briefly before giving a small nod, briefly showing a tiny hint of a grin. "Okay..."
Arkat nods as he enters the order into the register, his gaze turning to Tara once he's done, waiting for her to order.
Leah begins to take out her credit chit as she waits for Tara to order. When she notices Tara's confusion, she gives a gesture back to the menu. "You can't only eat a donut, you weirdo." she teases with a snicker, "What else do you want?"
Tara frowns, looking up at the menu again before turning her gaze to Arkat. "The... the wrap." she says, so quietly its almost inaudible.
Leah smiles and nods as she slides her chit across the counter. "And to drink?" she asks, glancing briefly back to Tara. One step at a time. She'll get the hang of it.
Arkat 's gaze turns back to the mark as he waits for Tara to decide, a frown forming. When he hears her speak his frown only deepens, and he turns his gaze to the Leah, his dark, featureless eyes studying her in silence for a moment. He looks down at the register, letting out a heavy sigh and entering the last order. The numbers add up on the display, only for a discount to be applied manually, halving the cost. He
reaches over and slides two donuts into a small paper bag, placing it on the counter along with two cups for the drink dispenser before tapping the credit chit reciever. "You can pay there and have a seat. Order'll come soon." he says, waiting to see if there are any questions before heading off towards the kitchen.
Leah gives a nod to Tara. As Arkat sighs, she furrows her brow and gives him a harsh stare. She steps up against the counter and pays for their order, swiping up the bag of donuts. She bites her lower lip as she urges herself not to make a big deal out of it, but her temper finally manages to get the better of her. "Is there a problem?" she asks, keeping her tone even. She immediately bites down once the words have left her
Arkat stops, letting out another, quieter sigh as he turns back towards them. "No. Not at all." he says, giving a respectful tilt of his head first to Leah and then to Tara, holding her gaze for a moment, although she quickly looks down at the counter, seeming taken aback.
Leah frowns and opens her mouth to speak but quickly closes her mouth. She gives a deep sigh, rolling her eyes. "Uh huh..." she mutters with a sigh, deciding not to push it further if he isn't going to. "...So what's with the price?" she asks, having noticed the math doesn't add up and finding an easy opportunity at defusing a bit of the tension. She gives a nod towards the menu, indicating the prices on them, "Some sort of grand
Arkat grunts as it becomes increasingly clear that his attempt at being subtle has failed. He places his hands on the counter, shooting Tara another quick glance before answering Leah, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Just my way of helping." he says, his voice about as soft as a batarian's gets. Which admittedly isn't very. He pushes off from the counter and heads off to the kitchen before his departure is interrupted
Leah's frown deepens momentarily before the implication sets in and she's immediately hit by guilt. She shuts her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh at her own temper. "Shit I-... I'm sorry..." she says as the batarian departs. She gives an apologetic glance towards Tara for making a scene. "...Sorry, Tara..." she says.
Tara blinks as Arkat departs for the kitchen. She furrows her eyebrows as she tries to understand what he means. She shoots Leah a glance and then suddenly lowers her gaze to the counter when she realizes, an uncomfortable expression hitting her.
Leah places a hand on Tara's shoulder, giving her a pat and nodding towards one of the open booths. "Let's take a seat." she sighs as she starts towards it, mentally kicking herself in the ass for putting her boot in her mouth.
Leah takes a seat across from Tara and sets down the donut bag on the table. When she spots the drinks, she gives a sheepish smile at having forgotten hers. "Thanks..." she says, feeling more than a little embarassed at having confronted the cashier. She pulls her cup in front of her and looks down into it. A few moments of silence pass before she glances across the table. "...I really think you should get them removed, Tara..."
she says, a bit of guilt on her face at even bringing it up again. Before Tara can respond she goes into explanation mode, "What those people did to you was-... it was awful. And that mark? It-... They branded you. Like property..." she says, nearly spitting her words. It's obvious that even thinking of the way Tara was treated pisses her off. She looks across the table at the younger woman, leaning forward and resting
her forearms against the table. "You're not their property anymore, Tara. And you'll never be anyone's property. Never again." Her gaze travels to the mark on Tara's forehead and she gives a small, sad smile. "You deserve better than to have people look at you like-... like that..." she says, thinking back to the batarian in the clothing shop, though she doesn't give any context.
Tara listens to Leah in silence, looking down at her own cup. Towards the end she reaches up, running her fingers along the mark again, feeling the scarring that accompanies the tattoo. She furrows her eyebrows as she looks up at Leah, clearly thinking. "They said I would belong to House Bar'adon for life..." she says, her frown deepening as she struggles with this. "I... I need to carry the mark." she explains quietly, sounding
Leah allows a flash of anger to cross her face. Not towards Tara. Towards the resignation. Towards just how badly those monsters broke this poor, kind young woman. "They won't 'reclaim' you. I won't let that happen, Tara. Never." she says, clearly quite determined to hold true to that promise and hardly even realizing she has raised her voice a bit. "You don't-..." she pauses, shaking her head in disgust, "...You don't belong
to anyone. Okay? This is your life now. Not anyone else's." It's a notion that she has tried time and time again to drill into Tara's head. "So... fuck that mark. You don't need it anymore." As she realizes that she has raised her voice a bit, she gives an embarassed glance around to make sure she hasn't disturbed anyone. "I just-..." she sighs, winding down a bit, "...Do it for you, Tara."
Two human men in a nearby booth looks Leah's way when she raises her voice, but when she glances their way they quickly resume their own conversation.
Tara goes quiet as Leah makes her outrage known, shrinking a little in her seat even though she knows its not directed at her. She keeps her gaze focused on the table, but when she responds her gaze darts up to her for a moment. "You... don't know that." she responds softly in response to Leah's claims.
Leah stares Tara dead in her eyes. "Yes. I. Do." she says sternly, responding without any hesitation and allowing her confidence to show through.
Tara blinks, meeting Leah's gaze now. She looks away briefly. "I-..." she tries, but trails off. She looks up again, and a tiny, frail smile crosses her lips as she sees the certainty in her eyes, and she gives a small nod, huddling up a little in her seat.
Arkat exits the kitchen, heading around the counter and balancing the tray he's carrying in one hand as he opens it and steps out, heading towards Leah and Tara's booth.
Leah allows a smile to cross her lips as well and she gives another single nod Tara's way, her ponytail bouncing as she does. She catches sight of Arkat out of the corner of her eye and sits up straight. She glances towards him and moves her drink aside to make room for her food in front of her. She does her best to conceal her discomfort after her previous interaction with him.
Arkat sets the tray down on the table, giving them a small nod. "Here's the grub. Two wraps. The steak's boxed up, like you asked." he says as he steps back, looking betwen the two of them. "Anything else I can get ya?"
Tara 's smile grows slightly as she sees Leah's, but as Arkat approaches she lowers her gaze, falling silent again.
Leah gives a shake of her head in response to Arkat. "No... That should do it." she says as she looks over the food. "Looks delicious." she adds, looking up at Arkat, delaying what she wants to say. She winces slightly, letting a small sigh escape. "I'm..." she sucks in a deep breath, "...sorry about before." she says, just spitting out the apology and scrunching up her nose. "It's just been a weird day... I didn't mean to be
Arkat briefly gains a faint smile, giving an affirmative grunt. "Don't worry about it.." he says, shaking his head. "You two enjoy your food now." he adds with a nod before turning to get back to work.