#ryder x raeka
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I did the meme
#my art#lesbians doing makeup meme#ryder x raeka#zevin raeka#pathfinder raeka#salarian romance#mass effect#custom ryder#oc art#mass effect art#mass effect andromeda#liz ryder#my art <3
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polymolly replied to your post âWhat are your MEA rare pairings? I feel like with the trilogy I have...â
I'm here for broRyder/Avitus Rix. Lemme cuddle that turian pls. He needs it.
Aaaaw he really does
raniwrites replied to your post âWhat are your MEA rare pairings? I feel like with the trilogy I have...â
I like Kallo/Ryder, Raeka/Ryder and Kandros/Ryder. I'm also a fan of Jaal/Vetra actually lol
I like them all. SisRyder/Raeka would be really great :)
#polymolly#raniwrites#mea#mea spoilers#spoilers#broryder x avitus#ryder x raeka#ryder x kallo#jaal x vetra
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More than Gratitude
Pairing: Pathfinder Raeka/Sis!Ryder
Rating: MA
Warnings: Xenophilia, graphic sex, and inapproriate use of the Dalatrass title.
Summary: A sequel to A Pathfinderâs Gratitude. A PWP with a Part II, but get this: itâs longer than the last one and has some feels in it. It also features some speculative headcanons about sex taboos in salarian culture, which I swing backwards and forwards between but wanted to include for Raekaâs character.
If you enjoyed this and have an idea for a short story or PWP about any salarian character, or just want to talk about salarians tbh, then drop me a line.
Word count: 5609
-----------------------
Sara fidgeted nervously outside the door to Pathfinder Raekaâs quarters. Naturally, considering the unexpected events of the pairs last meeting, sheâd been ecstatic to receive the summons to Ark Paarchero. Now that she was here, however, she felt more bashful than a school girl; shifting her weight from foot to foot, adjusting and re-adjusting her hair, taking calming breath after calming breath.
Should I have dressed up?
Giving herself a once over, she pulled the zip of her leather jacket up⌠and then down again.
Down. Casual? Up. Smart casual? Down-
The decision was made for her when the doors to Raekaâs apartment suddenly whirred open.
âPathfinder Ryder.â
Zevin Raeka appeared in the doorway, a welcoming smile on her face, âDonât look so surprised, you are here to see me after all.â
âPathfinder RaekaâŚâ, Sara managed, her slight embarrassment at being caught dithering in the corridor was nothing compared to how taken aback she was by the salarianâs outfit.
Her hostess was wearing what, at first glance, seemed to be an ornate ceremonial gown. It was dark red, sleeveless, with an intricate golden trim around the seams; it fell just past her knees, with deep slits that ran the length of her thighs. A hood was also attached to the back, though Raeka didnât have it up, and her exposed arms were clad in golden bangles.
Sara had seen enough salarians on the Citadel modelling full dress-robes to know they werenât a people who did fancy in half measures. Still, it was a surprise to see her friend in cultural dress⌠she supposed Zevin might regard her own attire with a similar curiosity.
âHow did you know I was there?â
âMy scanner detected human life-signs in the corridor. I thought you might have gotten lostâ,
Turning back into the apartment Raeka beckoned her guest to follow, crossing the room to a small seating area, and sitting down in one of the firm backed chairs.
Sara took a moment to glance around the rest of the room, it was large, spacious, and extensively decorated. Her eye was drawn to a large tapestry hanging above the bed; it had an unfamiliar symbol embroidered in the centre.
Raeka tracked Ryderâs gaze, âItâs my Clan sigil.â
âHmm⌠itâs pretty.â
âThank you. Please-â, the salarian gestured to the seat next to her, â-make yourself comfortable.â
Noting the humanâs hesitation Zevin continued, trying to put her at ease, âIâd be happy to tell you more about my Clan ornaments if youâd like, though that wasnât exactly my intention when I invited you here.â
 Sara rounded on her, raising an eyebrow, âAnd what were your intentions?â
âFor us to have a chance to talk, away from prying eyes and earsâ, Raeka leant back in her chair. Her body language at first glance seemed open, relaxed, but Ryder knew better.
âYou look niceâ, Sara mentally kicked herself as soon as the word âniceâ escaped her lips.
The salarian didnât seem to mind, a distinct greenish colour rising in her cheeks, âThank you, again. Itâs nothing special, you should see my old Dalatrass robes.â
Tired of the distance between them, Sara dropped into the proffered chair; fiddling with the cuffs on her jacket to stop her hands shaking, âWait, you were a Dalatrass?â
âYes, brieflyâ, Raeka pulled a face, âI was suited to the bureaucratic manoeuvring, but my conscience is lighter now knowing that those who follow me do so out of choice. Plus, I have the freedom to pick my own battles, such as the effort to restore Erinleâs biodiversity.â
Ryder frowned, it struck her how little she had ever been told about salarian culture, âWhat do you mean they âdo so out of choiceâ?â
âWhen a salarian hatches, we imprint on the first person we see. Regulations ensure that person is always the Clan Dalatrass, or Dalatrasses in the case of females. Imprinting lasts a lifetime, and we can be⌠cultish in our devotion to family.â
âThe same could be said of humans, but that⌠surprises meâ, Sara took a moment to process the information sheâd been given, âYou- salarians, I mean -always seem so logical. Considered.â
âYou arenât the first to assume that and, for the most part, itâs trueâ, she laughed, âWeâre pragmatic, letâs say. What else can you be when you live forty years.â
 âHey, you only need an hour of sleep per dayâ, Ryder smirked, âYouâre getting more bang for your buck on an hourly basis.â
Zevin giggled, âThatâs very true.â
Ryder resisted the urge to ask her hostess how old she was. Part of her was afraid of the answer. She did note that her hostess seemed to be squinting, and blinking in a slow, almost deliberate manner. Maybe this was the salarian equivalent of a human batting their eyelashes. She hoped so, and continued her questioning.
âSo, you have children, right?â, she cringed internally. Real smooth, real smooth.
âOh yes, many.â
âHow many is many?â
âHundreds.â
Sara tried, with some difficulty, to prevent the shock from registering on her face, âOh, cool."
She was incredibly grateful when Raeka changed the subject.
âPerhaps you would like some wine?â Â
âHell yes.â
Raeka grinned, rising gracefully to her feet, she crossed the room to a tall bureau with dark metallic panelling.
Ryder watched on as the salarian returned with a bottle and two glasses, drinking in the view of her toned legs, quite visible beneath the scanty dress.
âIâm kind of surprised weâre drinking wineâŚâ Sara queried, taking the offered glass.
âYou donât make a habit of drinking with salarians, do you?â
Ryder shrugged, âUsually in mixed company, where neither party is providing the liquor. This is your poison of choice?â
âHave you ever tried coort?â
âNo.â
âWellâ, Raeka smirked, âLetâs just say Iâd opt for this any day of the week.â
Sara took a sip, though she didnât know much about wine â let alone port â sheâd venture this was expensive, âHave your tastes always been so cosmopolitan?â
âMore so in recent years. My Dalatrass training exposed me to a myriad of xeno-culture, but it came with strings. Responsibilities.â
If Sara hadnât been watching so closely she would have missed slight twitch at the inner corners of the salarianâs eyes. The momentary stiffening of her shoulders, and the tensing of her lips.
âWhat kind of strings?â
âI was given a chance to sample a great deal of what the galaxy had to offer. The catch was, first and foremost, that I had to prospect each and every new experience for its political utility.â
âThe way you talk about it, itâs so clinical. Donât you ever miss it?â Â
âNot at allâ, Zevin shook her head vehemently, before taking a gulp of her drink.
Sara followed suit, continuing to press her host playfully, âCome on, not even a little?â
The salarian bit her lip, leaning forward conspiratorially, âOnly the title.â
Ryder burst out laughing, âReally? Dalatrass Raeka does has a nice ring to it. Though you didnât strike me as the type for titles.â
âA fact which doesnât leave this room, Pathfinder.â
âI wouldnât dream of it, Dalatrass.âÂ
They sat in silence for a moment, staring at each other. Sara could have sworn Zevinâs expression was expectant, and perhaps a little uncertain.
Ryderâs cheeks felt hot, her body reacting to the wine and the sudden shift in the intensity of their conversation, âAnd what opportunity are you looking for after serving this wine tonight?â
Raeka brought a hand to her heart, her tone mock offended, âNone. Fine company deserves fine wine.â
âGood, because your wiles wonât work on meâŚâ Ryder paused, gauging her reaction.
The salarianâs large eyes grew wider still and Sara realised, for the first time, she couldnât distinguish the colour of the pupil from the iris. She could, however, say two things about them with certainty: that they held a thousand secrets she would never be privy to, and that she was utterly enthralled by their beauty.
âItâs not because I donât think youâre charming, or that youâre not a most gracious hostessâŚâ
As Ryder approached Raeka found herself rising to her feet, almost instinctively, to meet her halfway.
The salarian was used to picking up on the cues of mental arousal, all of which she was feeling, but that didnât account for the bodily sensations she was also experiencing.
Elevated heartrate, mild increase in adrenaline, substantial increase in blood flow around horns and⌠She faltered in listing her symptoms. Unexpected.Â
The way the human was eyeing her up, like she was about to pounce on her, caused a shiver to cascade down her spine. She couldnât deny that she liked it. No more than she could deny that she had been anxiously awaiting Saraâs arrival all afternoon. So much so that sheâd programmed a scanner specifically to alert her when she was outside the door.
Despite all that, she hadnât been expecting this kind of bodily reaction, Maybe itâs just the wineâŚ
â⌠but because I know what you wantâŚâ
Right, yes, Ryder, still talking. Zevin schooled her face into an expression she hoped did not reveal sheâd been caught up in her own thoughts. Wait, what?
âOh?â
â⌠and Iâm more than willing to give it to you.â
âAh, I see.â
Sara was so close now, all Raeka need do was lean in and their lips would meet. Yet she held back. Uncertainty bubbling inside her, despite the liquid courage, and despite Ryderâs explicit signalling she was clear to proceed.
The salarian even jumped a little when she felt the humanâs hands settle on her waist.
She suddenly felt shy, this was a greater indiscretion than their last encounter. Sheâd sought out this womanâs company not once, but twice now; a fact as inescapable as the blood rushing to her...
âI havenât been able to stop thinking about you, Dalatrassâ, Saraâs grip tightened on the salarianâs waist as she spoke, her fingers twisting into the material of the dress.
Raeka nodded, coyly averting her gaze, âIâve been thinking about you a lot tooâŚâ
You want this. She wants this. Those traditions are from a galaxy over six shrelling centuries in the past. Get on with it.
Sara was surprised by the force with which Zevin pressed herself into her arms, and eagerly matched the salarianâs frantic movements when their lips finally met. Gripping her lover tightly, she steered them in the direction of the bed.
Raeka staggered backwards, steadied by the humanâs hands on her hips.
The pair parted only momentarily to tear off their outer clothes, and in Zevinâs case jewellery; all of which were quickly discarded as they tumbled onto the bed in a tangle of limbs.
Sara relished the feeling of having the lithe alien pinned beneath her. Grinding her hips against her, she felt some satisfaction from the friction generated by the salarianâs knickers. Even greater was the satisfaction she gained from the noises her lover made when she grazed her teeth against her neck. Spurred on by the need to have the more experienced Pathfinder writhing beneath her, Ryder managed - with a little resistance - to flip the salarian onto her front.
Raeka whined as Sara pressed her down into the sheets. Clawing at the pillow, she felt Saraâs hand snake underneath her stomach. With what little movement she had, Zevin lifted her hips obligingly, allowing her lover access between her legs.
Raeka adored the fact that her loverâs fingers found their way to her cloaca with no questions asked. The fact that she didnât have to explain her burning desire to be touched there, or why Saraâs insistent biting of her neck made her hot around her horns. She could let go and enjoy the moment without needing a reason.
âThis is what you want, isnât it?â, Sara purred, rubbing her loverâs entrance through her silk undergarments.
The salarian let out a shuddering breath, rocking her hips against Saraâs hand. She could barely think, the feeling of being beholden to her loverâs desire like this was intoxicating.
âUhâ, Zevin tried to compose herself, but even through fabric the humanâs touch made her head spin. Her mind was racing, the memory of having Ryderâs fingers inside her only heightening her anticipation of what was to come, âSara, pleaseâŚâ
Ryder hooked her fingers around the elastic of Raekaâs panties and pulled them down to her knees; she allowed the salarian to lift each leg in turn to shimmy them off, but kept a firm had on her lower back to indicate she shouldnât move any more. She scratched her nails up her loverâs back, running her left hand over her ass and down her outer thigh.
âYouâre so sensitiveâŚâ, she murmured as the salarian trembled in response to her touch.
Zevin felt very exposed with her bottom elevated and underwear off, âIs that a good thing?â
âMhmâ, Ryder ran her fingers round the edges of Raekaâs cloaca, marvelling once more at the intricate tattoos that framed her thighs, lower back, and abdomen.
Wetting her fingers, Sara traced the outline of the salarianâs entrance, rubbing up and down the length of the slit, âYou like that?â
Raekaâs body felt electrified by the humanâs touch, âYes, I want your fingers inside me.â
Sara laughed softly, and when she spoke her voice held mischief, âSo, do salarians get wet orâŚ?â
âUm, we-â, as Zevin began to formulate an answer Ryder gently pressed a finger into her, causing her to choke on her words, âwe donât- uh- donât exhibit- uh- arousal in so-â
With the human sliding her finger in and out of her, even at a slow pace, it took all of Raekaâs willpower to continue. Her cloaca ached from the all too familiar sensation, but determined as ever she answered her loverâs question, ââŚin so visceral a way.â
Sara withdrew her finger to examine it, and was highly amused by the disappointed groan her lover made at the loss of contact. She drew her free hand up to caress the salarianâs thigh, marvelling at how smooth her skin was.
Not quite soft as human skin, though it seems to hold more moisture, she mused, before sharply bringing the palm of her hand down across Raekaâs ass.
Raeka yelped, pulling her head out of the pillow and twisting round to stare up at Ryder pleadingly. It had dawned on her what a compromising position she was in, the acknowledgement of which only increased her arousal.
If anyone found us like this⌠She moaned as she felt the humanâs fingers begin massaging her entrance again. To be caught indulging such base desires would, in many salarian social circles, be an instant character assassination.
But with Sara, she felt safe; making no attempt to stifle a cry of pleasure when the human spanked her again.
Ryder could feel the tell-tale signs of her own arousal, from the wetness pooling between her legs to the heightened sensitivity in her clit. If what Zevin said was true, there would be no similar signs demonstrated by her body⌠and yetâŚ
From this position, she could examine the salarianâs cloaca more closely. There were little ridges around the top and bottom that seemed slightly swollen, and the sharp hitches in breath when she touched those folds confirmed her suspicions as to what their purpose was.
Keeping two fingers stroking the sides of Raekaâs entrance, Sara pressed the flat of her tongue against the slit, licking up and down its length with firm, considered strokes. To ensure the salarianâs attentiveness, she slapped her hand across her ass every now and then.
Zevin hummed her pleasure, propping herself up on her elbows and arching her back so she could better rock her hips against the humanâs mouth.
If Raeka had considered this before, she would have assumed that an alien with a longer, rougher tongue would be better suited to pleasing her this way. She was all too glad to discover this exercise was about more than just the tongue. The softness of the humanâs lips, kissing and sucking at her sensitive skin, was enough to make her squirm. Soon the salarian was answering the subtle vibrations of her loverâs slightly muffled moans with her own. Whenever Saraâs tongue flicked over a particularly tender area, or better still intruded inside, Zevin made sure to reward her effort with gentle non-verbal encouragements. Â
Sara couldnât quite place the taste in her mouth, it was sticky, but didnât have a particularly strong scent - Probably owing to a lack of sexual hormones â yet it cloyed around her lips and tongue in the most delicious way. Sara gripped the salarianâs ass with both hands to better expose her lover and drive her tongue further inside. She smacked her palms down on Raekaâs soft skin once more, relishing the squeals her more aggressive attentions brought forth.
It was the thought of Ryderâs tongue lapping at her as much as the raw sensation itself that was driving the salarian wild. Whilst Saraâs mouth was otherwise engaged, Raeka let her imagination supply mental stimulation.
She let her mind wander, picturing a lake and the splashing of a waterfall onto rocks, with the human pressing her down into damp grass by the waterâs edge. Her horns were burning from base to tip, and it was all the salarian could do to grip the sheets and stop herself tipping to one side. Squeezing her eyes shut tighter still, she envisioned Sara marked by tattoos of a rival clan, dragging her back into the water to mate with her. As the humanâs teeth began to tease at the sensitive glands around her entrance she felt completely undone. Any resistance to her more animalistic side was overrun by the need for release.
Ryder on the other hand was enjoying taking her time. Especially now that she could feel the salarianâs cloaca becoming stickier, with some of the liquid spilling over and running down her chin.
So much for salarians not getting wet.
Abruptly, she became aware that her loverâs weight had shifted downwards, and a noise that sounded like she was⌠scratching?
Bringing a thumb up to maintain some stimulation, Sara reluctantly removed her lips from her lovers leaking entrance and was amused, if a little taken aback, by the sight that greeted her.
Raeka had her face inches from the sheets, twisting her neck from side to side, viciously rubbing her horns against the pillow.
It took the salarian a few seconds to register the human had ceased her ministrations. She could feel her stare without looking. She opened one eye to meet the humanâs inquisitive stare.
âSara⌠youâre teasing meâŚâ, she whined, indignantly.
Sara didnât respond immediately, taking a moment to admire her handiwork. She caressed two fingers over Raekaâs entrance and, when she withdrew, the salarianâs arousal clung to them.
âSeems like youâre pretty wet to meâŚâ
Zevin had time to do little more than blush as Ryder leant in and pressed her lips against her cloaca once more, spreading it open with her fingers and spitting into the slit to add a bit more lube; though she hoped it wouldnât be necessary. Â
Straightening into a seated position Ryder wrapped her arms around the salarianâs waist and yanked her into her lap, âSit.â
Sara traced her fingers down the slightly outward curve of Zevinâs taught stomach, steering her lover to lean into her left shoulder.
Raeka sighed contentedly as the humanâs fingers tended to her needs once more and obediently leant back against her. She was careful not to press too hard on the womanâs breasts, which she still had no idea what to do with yet. Â
She also kept thinking about Saraâs comment on her being wet, which was compounded by the fact she could now really appreciate the truth of her statement.
She didnât want to look at her cloaca. It felt hot and sticky, and her inner thighs were also slick with arousal. It was so carnal. For her body to react to soâŚ
Her train of thought was interrupted as Saraâs fingers slid inside her. Two of them. Without warning. Almost all the way to the knuckle.
Raeka squealed, her hips jerking away involuntarily only to find herself held fast by the humanâs other arm. Though the action was met with little physical resistance, it was only natural for the salarian to recoil from such a sudden intrusion.
âShhhâŚâ, Sara murmured, kissing her throat, âI know you can take it, just relax.â
Zevin groaned, her legs trembling and she forced them open to stay open; she snaked an arm around Ryderâs neck. The human was right, she could take it, and the dull ache in her cloaca as her lover pulled out seemed to indicate she wanted more, not less.
âYou wonât be able to walk after Iâm finished with you.â
Emphasising her point Ryder worked her fingers deeper on the second thrust; massaging the sensitive folds of skin around the outside with her thumb.
Raeka was panting, the sudden intensity of stimulation was dizzying. She turned and to look up at the human, batting her lower eyelids, âFighting talk, RyderâŚâ, she paused to take a shuddering breath, âDo your worst.â
Their lips met with fiery intensity, kisses becoming sloppy as Saraâs hand found a rhythm between the salarianâs thighs.
Raekaâs moans were lost in Saraâs mouth, her eyes squeezed shut against the onslaught of sensation. The urgency of her loverâs kisses set a tempo her unpractised mouth could barely keep up with, and thankfully Ryder seemed content to lavish her cheeks with attention in the moments when Raeka couldnât match it. Her involuntary vocalisations of pleasure, which were coming hard and fast now, were echoed by her lover, and Zevin could feel the humanâs arousal, hot and wet, against her lower back.
Sara was desperate to bring Raeka to release whilst holding her in her arms. Whilst they barely knew each other, and this was only their second âencounterâ, it felt intimate, right. Besides, the noises the salarian was making were driving her wild. She would have thought Zevin would have tried to stay quiet, they were on Ark Paarchero after all, and she had made it clear that this wasnât something she was comfortable with others knowing about. Maybe sheâs too far gone to care.
âYouâll wake half the Ark, making noises like thatâŚâ, Ryder drawled, âMaybe thatâs what you really want.â
The salarian tried to respond, but the only thing she could focus on was the throbbing of her cloaca and the way pleasure rippled in waves throughout her lower abdomen as it was forced to accommodate her lover. She opened her mouth, a strangled whine was about all she could manage.
âPerhaps you want to be caught. What would your Clan have to say if they knew you liked to be fucked rough like a mindless animal, Dalatrass?â
âI- I- I donât, I-â, the salarian feebly protested. Being called by that title whilst being defiled like this was disrespectful, wrong⌠and she loved it.
âYes, you doâ, Sara growled, nipping at her loverâs cheek. Sheâd had an inkling that Raeka got off on the taboo nature of their coupling, and the more she thought about it, the more she realised she did too. There were hardly any taboos in human culture surrounding sex anymore, even if the consequences were just pretend â for her at least â the forbidden was always exhilarating.
âNot mindless. N-not like an- an animalâ, Zevin hissed. Though her protestations were entirely futile as every movement of Saraâs fingers made her rut and moan.
âNo? Then I suppose Iâm not fucking you hard enough yetâŚâ
Withdrawing her hand, Ryder slid her ring finger into her lover to wet it, before using all three to massage the sides of her cloaca.
Raeka could feel three fingers tentatively probing her entrance, a stream of untranslatable profanity gushing from her lips.
She wanted to watch. Opening her eyes, the salarian looked down and was shocked to see how much she had leaked over Saraâs hand, her own thighs, the sheets. She barely had time to contemplate the implications before Ryder pushed inside her once more. She found herself transfixed on the sight of the humanâs fingers disappearing into her.
Ryder noticed the salarian turning away from her kisses, and the direction of her attention. She grinned wolfishly, âIs that enough for you, salarian? Are you full yet? Are you satisfied?â Punctuating each question with a wet kiss to her cheek.
Zevin could barely catch her breath, let alone answer. She was unsure how much more her body could handle before it gave way to sensory overload. She could not tear her eyes away from Ryderâs fingers; she was shocked to see her hips rolling to meet the humanâs hand, and the clear liquid spilling out of her and coating Saraâs palm. By Shrell, the sounds that accompanied every thrust were obsceneâŚ
âIf you want more, youâre going to have to beg for it.â
Raeka closed her eyes again, tilting her head back to rest on the womanâs shoulder. The human continued to whisper all manner of filth, interwoven with fervent kisses.
âP-please, Sara⌠Iâll do anything, just, pleaseâŚâ
âYes, you will.â
Ryder slowed the pace of her hand to a more sensual rhythm, pressing deeper into her lover with little resistance, âBut first Iâm going to make you scream, Dalatrass. Youâre going to cum with my fingers stuffed in your tight cloaca.â
Raeka braced a hand on Saraâs thigh, clinging hard to the woman as her muscles contracted. She shuddered as her pleasure reached its climax, spreading outward across her lower stomach and down her inner thighs, and causing more hot liquid to spill out from between her legs.
With the salarian gripping her so tightly, Sara clamped her free hand across Zevinâs mouth, stifling her loverâs cries as her orgasm hit. Role play aside, it would be hard to explain this to anyone who might come and check to see if the Pathfinder was being murdered.
When Zevin had stopped quivering, Sara thought it safe to remove her hand from her mouth⌠after watching her lover cum with such intensity, the throbbing in her clit had reached fever pitch. She needed to be touched. Â
Raeka gripped Ryderâs wrist, groaning at the wet popping noise her cloaca made when she tugged the humanâs fingers out.
âZevin, are you alright?â, Sara studied her loverâs face, her eyes were still squeezed shut.
The salarian dragged Ryderâs sticky hand to her mouth, slipping them past her lips and sighing as she tasted herself. She blinked up at Sara, sucking on the humanâs fingers hungrily.
âMore than. Though I think itâs my turn to make you scream.â
Sara cradled her lover in her arms for a moment before setting her down onto her back. She straddled her, edging forwards so her knees were either side of Raekaâs head.
The salarianâs long tongue could easily reach her without having to lower herself all that much.
Zevin relished both the taste and the noise Sara made when she licked her. The humanâs arousal dripped down her tongue and onto her lips. It tasted much more distinctive than her own, and she preferred it. She wanted more. Wrapping her arms around Saraâs thighs she encouraged her to come closer, and the human was all too happy to oblige.
âFuck, fuck, fuckâŚâ, Ryder gritted her teeth as Raekaâs dexterous tongue lapped from her entrance to her clit in firm, unfaltering strokes.
Looking down at her loverâs big, black eyes, Sara had to brace an arm against the wall, âHow are you so good at that?â
Of course, Raeka didnât reply, her mouth was somewhat engaged, instead swirling the tip of her tongue in circular motions around her loverâs clit.
Ryder whimpered, arching her back and trying to resist the urge not to bear down on her lover and start fucking her face. Sheâd cum too quickly like that and she wanted to savour every second of this.
The salarian gripped Saraâs ass, pulling her hips forward to meet her tongue as she pressed it against her entrance.
It was the first-time Ryder really considered how perfect salarian faces were for sitting on, without the sometimes-awkward nose squashing that could occur with humans. And, as Raekaâs tongue slid inside, she also contemplated how perfect other parts of salarian anatomy were.
Just as she felt her climax building, Zevin shoved her back, and Sara had to steady herself so she didnât fall onto the alien beneath her.
Her lover was one step ahead of her, wriggling out from between Ryderâs legs and pouncing on her with agility that took the human by surprise.
âItâs my turn to be on topâ, Raekaâs eyes were lit up with glee as she leant over Sara, who was propped up into a near seated position by her elbows. Zevin knelt between Ryderâs legs, pressing a finger against the humanâs lips to hush her protests, and using her other hand to keep rubbing the womanâs clit.
âNow, what am I supposed to do with these?â, the salarian removed her finger from Ryderâs mouth and poked it into the soft tissue of her breast.
Sara yelped, âHey-â, once more her protests were cut off, as Raeka soothingly teased at her cunt with her other hand.
It didnât help Ryderâs concentration that she could see her arousal shining around the salarianâs lips.
âYou suck on them, hereâ, Sara traced her the outline of her nipples with her index fingers, âAnd squeeze- gently.â She demonstrated the soft massaging movement she wanted on the swell of her breast. It was hardly the best explanation, but it was the best she could manage under the current circumstances.
Zevin nodded solemnly, âLie back.â
Ryder complied without hesitation, all her thoughts overrun by a desperate need for Raekaâs touch.
Sara soon realised, however, that there was in fact something that salarians were not suited to. Sucking.
Encouragingly Ryder placed a hand behind her loverâs head, affectionately scratching at her horns, she instructed her, âClose your mouth around it- yes, just like that- now with your tongueâŚâ
The pair retained near constant eye contact, only broken in moments when Sara stretched her neck back, pushing her chest out to help Raeka gain traction on her skin.
Zevin let go of Ryderâs nipple, and exhaled sharply, clearly frustrated, âIâm not good at this.â Her tone was apologetic, âI donât think my people evolved with this in mind.â
âItâs okayâ, Sara stroked the salarianâs cheek, âYour beautiful smile more than makes up for it.â
Raeka stared at her, blinking slowly.
âYouâre too kindâ, she muttered, before closing the gap between their lips. Kissing, she had decided, was an art she intended to gain full mastery of.
âAnd your tongueâŚâ, Ryder murmured between kisses, âYour tongue also makes up for it.â
âWell-â, Zevin shoved Sara back on the bed, âI better start putting it to good use then.â
With her loverâs wicked tongue at work between her legs once more Ryder knew she was close to finishing. She took Raekaâs hands as they snaked around her thighs and gave them an affectionate squeeze every time her lover hit a particularly good spot.
She cried out the salarianâs name when she climaxed, arching her back off the bed, she felt like the only thing that mattered in the galaxy was the two of them.
Raeka crawled up and straddled her, going in for another kiss, her mouth coated in her loverâs cum.
The human kissed her, only briefly, before shakily sitting up, swallowing, and trying to catch her breath.
âIs something wrong, you did finish-â
Sara nodded reassuringly, and offered her a weak smile, biting her lip, âZevin⌠I⌠I think if we keep doing this Iâm going to fall for you.â
The salarian licked her lips, âFall for me? I donât understandâŚâ
Ryder took her loverâs hands again, âAs in catch feelings.â
Raeka looked taken aback, âI can assure you, Sara, you wonât catch anything from me. We all had mandatory medical examinations before we were cleared for-â
âNo, no, thatâs not what I meant. I didnât mean that Iâd catch something from you, rather that I react to you in a certain way⌠a way that Iâm not sure is healthy for me if itâs not reciprocated.â
This statement was met with another blank expression, âWeâre both levi-amino acid species. Any reactions youâre having can, Iâm sure, be fixed with a simple antihistamine.â
Sara shook her head, exasperated, âRomantic feelings, Raeka.â
âOhâ, the salarian blinked rapidly, not meeting the humanâs gaze, âThatâs�� very sweet of you to, um, think of me in that way.â
Ryder also looked away defeated; staring resolutely at her hands, âBut you donât feel the same.â
âItâs not thatâ, Raeka quickly countered, âI just wasnât expecting⌠Youâre the first person to tell me that and⌠I donât really know what to say.â
âSo, there is something more here, itâs not all in my head?â
âI think soâŚâ
âYou think so?â
Raeka sighed, âThis is new territory for me, Ryder. Iâd never even considered romantic love a possibility, but maybe thatâs more to do with opportunity than inclination⌠You have to know, this isnât usual for my kind.â
âThereâs nothing usual about you, Zevinâ, Sara lifted a hand to cup the salarianâs cheek.
Raekaâs hand clasped her wrist, cementing the intimacy of the moment by kissing the humanâs palm, âWe still have half a bottle of wine to finish, why donât you stay a while and we can talk about it.â
âIâd like that.â
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If you are still taking prompts: 16. âWhy havenât you kissed me yet?â SaraxRaeka
16. âWhy havenât you kissed me yet?â from this prompt list.
I am always down to take prompts, especially when it comes to my favourite super rare-pair in Andromeda
This oneâs kinda short (I mean its still like a thousand words so tbh not sure why I think its short) but yeah, my favourite chicks in Andromeda
âââââââââââââââââââââââââ
Time was ticking slowly, crowds of people surrounding heroes bathing in an atmosphere of happiness and celebration and hope. Another outpost, another set of colonists woken from their centuries of slumber, and Sara. Sara, standing so strong and straight in the centre of it all. Sara, respectful and smiling and shining, shining as though she were the one light on a darkened sea, guiding the ships to safety. The people regarded her as a saviour - an icon - and Raeka had to agree. She had watched amazed time and time again as she did the impossible, overcome odds and hurdles and a million other obstacles that had been launched at her.
Though Raeka had not been there to see it, she had heard that Sara had cried when they made the outpost on Voeld, the final place for an outpost. It was something she couldnât imagine, but also something that made complete sense. Usually, she played her emotions off with a quick joke, a witty one liner used to dissolve tension and move focus off of her feelings, but here while standing for new colonists, a hope-inducing speech, much like her fatherâs used to be, fell effortlessly from her lips instead.
And Raeka admitted to being entranced with her again. Entranced at the sound of her voice weaving around her, and the sincerity and passion behind every single word that caused her heart to swell in pride and adoration. Raeka looked on, a smile on her lips and awe in her eyes as she watched the inspiration to a new generation, the woman she loved, talk.
Sometimes, in moments like these, Raeka was amazed that Sara could love her. She seemed so distant and untouchable, yet so close to everyone at the same time. It was as though she were like some sort of celebrity, someone you could touch for only a second before she was whisked away somewhere else to see a thousand more people just like you.
Sara like this was always so different from the Sara over the comms, or the Sara who laid spread out on the sofa in her cabin, still in her work-out gear, well past the time she should have gone to sleep talking about why she loved the third Blasto movie the most for the fourth time in the space of a month.
âI couldnât have done this alone though, of course without my squad and my crew Iâd be nowhere right now. We all may be dead. So I may have lead this team, but they really did share the effort here. And the other pathfinders. Sarissa, Avitus and Macen⌠Raeka,â she shot her a smile, lingering for an instant before turning back to the crowd. âThey have been working as hard as I have to make sure the Heleus cluster is perfect and survivable for us all. When you go today, leave to start your new life in this new galaxy, remember them. And should you need help, remember that our first priority is keeping you safe.â
The newly awakened colonists cheered, laughed and clapped and grinned and there was an air of celebration to their being awake, unlike the original colonists back when being woken early was a negative event. Back when being woken early was something to be fearful of because it meant probable death at the hands of a dangerous environment.
Sara stepped down from the podium, quickly managing to dodge people trying to talk to her and weaving through the waves of people crashing together as they moved against her, until finally she reached Raeka. âGood speech, as always pathfinder,â Raeka complimented once her girlfriend was directly before her, an easy smile on her face.
Visibly relaxed by those words, Sara exhaled. "Oh, good. I never know what to say up there.â
Raeka found that hard to believe. After all, Sara always seemed to know exactly what to say and do. But then, she was also very good at âwinging itâ, something Raeka had witnessed far too often to feel content with but had to admit was an impressive skill.
âYou were amazing, Sara, you always areâŚâ Raeka trailed off for a minute, eyes drawn to her face and lips and for a second, she could have leant down to kiss her, but the moment was broken with another nudge from the impatient colonists, shaking Raeka out of her daze and making her wonder whether Sara was really in the mood to be so affectionate right now. So instead of leaning down to kiss her, she just reached out to grab Saraâs hand.
âLetâs get a drink?â she suggested, gesturing towards the Vortex. âYou know, I canât believe that I want to go to the vortex so we can go somewhere quieter. Usually itâs the other way around.â
Taking the lead, Sara chuckled and pulled Raeka along to the one bar where she actually trusted what she was drinking - for the most part, anyway.They ended up sitting at a booth, two drinks on the table but never actually touched as they talked and laughed and reminisced. About missions that went awry, about squad mates and the crazy things that had happened since theyâd last had the chance to properly catch up with one another and about their progression, how they were getting on in their never-ending quest.
Words flowed easily and freely. Here, they were Sara Ryder and Zevin Raeka. They were normal here, like everyone else. Not Pathfinders, nor saviours of the cluster, because titles didnât matter. This- this here was when they were most relaxed. Trading tales and sharing adventures, laughing about the smallest things because they werenât sure how long it would be until they got to laugh again.
A poet cut off their conversation for a time, and Raeka could have groaned. Slam poetry night, sheâd completely forgotten about it. Though, at least this poet wasnât all that bad - A Turian male talking about defending a colony from an attack. Far more interesting than some of the poets theyâd had in the past.
No more than halfway through the poem, Sara stood with the stealth of a trained infiltrator and made her way around the table to Raekaâs side of the booth without drawing an eye. Well, aside from Raekaâs
âSara?â
âRaekaâŚâ She knelt down on the seat, making herself as tall as Raeka so that she was able to gain perfectly equal eye contact, peering into Raekaâs eyes with a soft intensity. âWhy havenât you kissed me yet?â she whispered softly, the small look that sometimes fell over her - one of concern - painted deep within her eyes.
âYouâve been so busy⌠I wasnât sure you wanted me tooâŚâ
âRaeka, I always want you too,â Sara chuckled with a tender, reassuring smile.
Without another word, Raeka raised her hand up to rest on Saraâs cheek, pulling her in swiftly and kissing her with fervent passion. Falling into Raeka, softly breathing as Raeka traced gentle caresses along her hip and her cheek, Saraâs arms wrapped around her slender body as they fell into their own personal rhythm, drowning out the entire club around them. Everything fazing into nothing but Sara and Raeka in a peaceful moment of perfection.
#zevin raeka#sara ryder#raeka x ryder#raeka x sara#sara x raeka#ryder x raeka#fanfiction#mass effect andromeda#me:a fanfiction#my writing#replies#me:a#prompts#i love them#Pathfound Universe
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title: so just tell me today and take my hand
pairing: raeka/ryder
also on ao3
The human Pathfinder had a curious habit of turning colors around people.
Raeka had noticed it especially when Ryder was talking to her - it was hard not to. And it wasnât really âcolorsâ so much as a single color - a brilliant, bright red. During her relatively miniscule amount of free time sheâd taken the time to check if that was a common human thing. She was incredibly relieved to find out that it was, in fact, very common, but her research into this only made her more curious. There were a number of reasons why humans did this, and it wasnât on purpose when they did - it was an involuntary reaction to an external stimuli. Sometimes they do it because theyâre angry, or cold, or embarrassed, or any number of reasons - the list had gone on and on.
But this only brought her back to the question of why Ryder was doing it in the first place.
Raeka was fairly certain it wasnât because Ryder was angry at her. Not that she couldnât imagine the other Pathfinder being angry at her for some reason or another - for one, sheâd seen Ryder go off once or twice after a particularly trying meeting with Tann. But the rapport she and Ryder always seemed to Raeka to be quite friendly, and Ryder was rarely shy at telling people how she felt about something. She had, more than once, been a little more honest with Nexus authority than theyâd seemed prepared to deal with. If she werenât so effective Raeka imagined Tann would have tossed her off the Nexus by now. So Raeka had to assume that if Ryder was angry with Raeka she would just tell her so, possibly with a fair amount of interesting language that the translator might take the time to translate.
And all of their conversations took place on the Nexus, which was temperature controlled; she was fairly sure the temperature was comfortable for humans, since they did tend to make up a large portion of the Nexus staff. So it seemed unlikely that Ryder was cold - especially since she mostly seemed to do it when she talked to Raeka, which would, of course, have no relation to the temperature.
Embarrassment had also been mentioned as one of the reasons why humans would turn red, but again she couldnât quite figure out what reason sheâd have to be embarrassed, especially since that would imply Ryder was embarrassed a lot, which seemed⌠wrong, somehow? Ryder was many things, but Raeka hardly would have categorized her as âeasily flustered.â Remembering her calm when sheâd come back for Raeka on the Archonâs ship, as though Raeka hadnât just inadvertently forced her to choose between herself and her friendâs scouts, Raeka wasnât certain the human could be ruffled at all.
Then again, Raeka had seen her plenty emotive around her crew, so it wasnât that she was robotic; she was logical, yes, but she felt just as strongly as any human, and her actions continually made it clear how much she cared for others.
Which only brought her to her own preoccupation with Ryder, something she had already processed and compartmentalized.
It wasnât something that needed much thought - Raeka had always been a particularly bad salarian, so it came as no surprise that she might be bucking another salarian custom by falling for the human. She wasnât even surprised that Ryder was the one whoâd caught her attention. She was magnetic, that couldnât be argued. It wasnât that Ryder never made mistakes, but rather that she stood by them and made the most of the situations that resulted. Raeka canât help but think that Ryder had miscalculated by coming back to rescue her, but she will forever be grateful for it, regardless of the wisdom behind the choice.
No, Raeka was well aware of her feelings, but she was also well aware that it was unlikely to work out in her favor. For one, humans tend to prefer their partners to be of a romantic and a sexual nature, which is something Raeka certainly couldnât be. Additionally, there was the issue of their life spans - the asari might have plenty of experience with outliving their partners by centuries, but the humans most certainly did not. But most importantly, it was unlikely that Ryder had any interest in Raeka. While their relationship so far was certainly friendly, and Raeka felt sure she could count Ryder among her friends, there was a difference in desires between a platonic and romantic relationship. While she knew of plenty of asari/human relationships and at least a few turian/human relationships, she couldnât think of a single salarian/human one. Which largely had to do with the general salarian disinterest in all of that but also, salarians were hardly considered conventionally attractive by human st-
âRaeka?â
Oh.
âHello, Ryder. Youâre doing well, I take it?â Raeka asked the woman standing in front of her. She looked like sheâd just gotten off the Tempest, which, odds are, she had.
âGreat, considering,â Ryder told her, pushing some of the stray bits of hair behind her ear. The holder she had for it at the back of her head never seemed to keep it in control, as she always had some hair escaping in front of her face. âYou looked like you were spacing a bit. Thinking?â
âYes, just musing. I must have gotten caught up in my own thoughts,â Raeka responded with a smile, and there it was again. The red tinge, blooming across Ryderâs cheek. It wasnât much, but Raeka had gotten better at noticing it over time; it was, to tell the truth, endearing.
âYou should call me Sara, by the way,â Ryder - Sara - told her. âI know us Pathfinders play at professionalism but I figure itâs only fair,â
âThen I suppose you should call me Zevin,â Raeka responded immediately, and the red on Saraâs face grew.
âYou donât have to - Iâm fine calling you Raeka, really,â Sara responded.
âWell, if Iâm calling you Sara itâs only fair,â Raeka told her, âPlus, I donât mind. The formalities do seem a bit forced much of the time.â
At this point, the red on Saraâs face was such that Raeka couldnât help it; sheâd been pondering it for so long she figured it made more sense to just ask.
âIâve been wondering,â Raeka started, âI noticed that you sometimes turn red when we talk. I looked up the reasons why humans do that but none of the information I found really seemed conclusive, and I wanted to make sure I wasnât missing some sort of human social cue.â
If Raeka thought that the human had been red before, mentioning the increasing reddening of her face had only intensified the effect such that Raeka wondered if maybe humans did have some control over it. Sara opened and closed her mouth several times as if she was unsure what to say, and Raeka was suddenly worried sheâd stepped on some sort of unspoken social cue.
âIf I offended-â Raeka started as Sara put up her hand, effectively stopping her apology.
âNo, itâs - itâs only fair, really,â Sara said, looking away from Raeka. âI dunno what you looked up or what it said, but I assume - well, I assume itâs because Iâm nervous around you.â
âNervous?â Raeka responded, âI donât remember seeing that meaning.â
âWell, more like that Iâm embarrassed, preemptively, about making a fool of myself in front of you. Like I am now,â Sara responded, continuing to look at everything but Raeka.
âYou hardly seem the type to be flustered, Iâve seen you in tenser situations than talking to me,â Raeka responded, a bit of confusion evident in her voice, which even Sara seemed to pick up on.
âThatâs not entirely true,â Sara told her, trailing off for a moment. At this point, she actually looks Raeka in the eyes, and Raeka is taken aback by how expressive her eyes are. Theyâre pretty, in an aesthetic sense, but the real beauty was in how they didnât really hide what Sara was thinking.
Sara let out a deep sigh. âThe truth is that you, particularly you, make me nervous because I really like you and want to impress you, and I- well, I hope this doesnât bother you but you have the right to know that I sortakinda have feelings for you that are romantic and I definitely did not know what I was getting into when I started this conversation.â
Raeka parsed all of these words quickly, cocking her head to the side in minor amusement and a growing sense of affection. âYou know Iâm a salarian, right?â
Even through her nerves Sara laughed heartily at this, covering her mouth with her hands as though she hadnât expected it either.
âI am well aware of that fact, actually,â Sara responded, some of her wits still about her, âHonestly, I donât expect anything from it but Kallo told me I should say something to you just in case because he said that not all salarians are âadverse to the ideaâ and I should say something while I can. Plus, like I said, you have a right to know.â
âI take it I should thank Kallo, then?â Raeka responded, smile growing on her face.
âWhat.â
It was Raekaâs turn to laugh now, as Sara looked at her incredulously, clearly not sure how to take the statement.
âI donât know what you expect but I canât - Iâm not interested in sex -â
âNeither am I!â Sara blurted out, then immediately slammed her hands over her mouth like she hadnât meant to say that. âThat came out wrong. What I meant is that I wasnât trying to make a pass at you. Thatâs not exactly high on my priorities, at all. Sex, that is, not you. Oh god, please save me from myself, Iâm making such a fool of myself.â
âWell, in that case,â Raeka told her, approaching Sara and putting a stop to her nervous rambling, âIâd be lying if I said wasnât interested. In fact, I am very much so interested. In you, that is.â
âThatâs - great.â Sara said, staring straight into Raekaâs eyes like she wasnât sure what to do next.
âJust great?â Raeka teased.
âFantastic!â Sara responded immediately, bounding forward a bit until they were centimeters apart. Again, she seemed unsure about what to do. âCan I, uh, can I kiss you? I donât know if thatâs actually something youâre interested in and if not thatâs fine, we donât have to but if not I would really, really like to kiss you.â
âIâm curious, if youâd like to humor me,â Raeka said with an edge of humor, continuing, âThough I must say weâll definitely be all over the news, you know. âHuman Pathfinder caught snogging the salarian Pathfinder in the docking area,â theyâll say,â Raeka responded, leaning down enough that Sara could more comfortably reach her.
âThatâs a horrible newsline and if they canât come up with any better then I canât be bothered with what they think,â Sara responded, her arms looping around the back of Raekaâs neck as she crossed the distance between them, gently pressing her mouth against Raekaâs.
Raeka figured if she had a mouth like a human the experience would be different. For one, she might be able to better respond to whatever Sara was doing with her mouth. Since she didnât, and also didnât know exactly how she was supposed to react, Raeka just allowed Sara take the lead; it was an odd sensation, but Raeka had to admit it wasnât an unpleasant one. Raeka particularly liked the little noise Sara made in the back of her throat when Raeka put her arms around Saraâs waist. The kiss didnât last too long, as Sara pulled back enough to speak.
âIâm sorry, I hope that wasnât awful,â Sara told her, âI really donât want to make you uncomfortable.â
âYou would hardly make me uncomfortable,â Raeka told her, âI told you, Iâm interested in this as well. I found it rather pleasant.â
âPleasant is certainly what I aim for,â Sara responded with a grin. Raeka leaned forward, touching their foreheads in a gesture sheâd seen turians do.
âI must admit, Iâm at quite the disadvantage here. Youâre going to have to lead the path on this,â Raeka told her with an edge of apology in her voice.
âWell, Iâve been told Iâm quite good at pathfi-â Sara started, her face making an expression that Raeka had started to understand was intended to imply a joke.
âI take it back, I donât know about this.â Raeka joked back.
âRaeka!â Sara whined, looking like she was half joking and half serious.
âItâs Zevin, remember?â Raeka responded gently.
Sara beamed at her, âAh, right. Kills the joke a bit, though.â
âIt was very funny,â Raeka assures her, leaning down for another kiss that Sara takes no time in returning.
#mass effect#me:a#zevin raeka#sara ryder#raeka x ryder#mass effect andromeda#my writing#i write things every once in a while#like every 6 months#usually when classes start getting stressful#bc ofc#raeder
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Matching - My art half of a collab with my amazing Raeder shipper in crime @198cm-of-vetra-nyx Go read the awesome story she wrote to go with it here!Â
#Mass Effect#mass effect andromeda#sara ryder#zevin raeka#raeder#sara x raeka#GIVES ME LIFE#I LOVE THIS SHIP
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Iâm back in the game. Weâll be ready, Ryder.
#speaking of height differences.......................#zevin raeka#ryder#raeka x ryder#mass effect andromeda#pathfinder raeka#sara ryder#nell ryder#mea spoilers#mine#mine: mass effect
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Mass Effect Rules & Characters List
*Please specify if the reader is Shepard! Or Ryder!*
Who I Will Write
â Tali'Zorah
â Garrus Vakarian
â Liara T'Soni
â Urdnot Wrex
â Mordin Solus
â Thane Krios
â Captain Kirrahe
â Sha'ira
â Shiala
ME:A
â Vetra Nyx
â Liam Kosta
â Jaal Ama Darav
â Peebee
â Dr. Suvi Anwar
â Kallo Jath
â Dr. Lexi T'Perro
â Avitus Rix
â Nakmor Kesh
â Avela Kjar
â Zevin Raeka
â Vederia Damali
Who I Won't Write
X Ashley Willians
X Kaidan Alenko
X Miranda Lawson
X Jacob Taylor
X James Vega
X Steve Cortez
X Morinth
X Aria T'Loak
X Jeff "Joker" Moreau
X Dr. Chakwas
X Kelly Chambers
X Samantha Traynor
X Kai Leng
X Jack
X Samara
ME:A
X Cora Harper
X Nakmor Drack
X Reyes Vidal
X Keri T'Vessa
X Moshae Sjefa
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Breathe
A/N: wasnât really satisfied with the post-mission interaction between Sara and Liam after âHunting the Archon,â esp. if heâs romanced and in your squad.  Also wanted to explore the Pathfinder dealing with insecurities the game only briefly touches on.  Hope you enjoy!
Pairing: Liam x Ryder.  Minor spoilers for âHunting the Archonâ.
How did it all go soâŚwrong?
Sure, finding the salarian ark had been a success.  Finding Pathfinder Raeka alive had been a bonus, all things considered.  And finding Meridianâs location would invariably help, even if right now she wasnât exactly sure howâŚ
So why did she feel so dreadful? Â
â¨Sara prided herself on usually being a logical thinker.  Sure, she could be impulsive in the heat of the moment, but she usually wasnât one for self-pity.  After returning from the Archonâs flagship, she had tried to hold it together, feeling particularly unsteady, emotionally.  It had seemed like as soon as she had stripped her armor off and stowed her guns that the enormity of what had just happened âof what she had allowed to happenâ sunk in. Â
With a smile pasted on her face, she had made the usual rounds, desiring to project a sense of normalcy to the rest of the crew. Â Kallo was ecstatic and relieved, understandably. Â The rest of the crew had largely positive reactions to the latest mission, with the notable exception being Drack. Â Sara could certainly understand the old kroganâs ire and pain at losing the scouts âespecially with the recent discovery of krogan exaltation. Â She knew that, had she been in his place, sheâd feel the same, wanting to shut the offending party out with the patented Ryder Cold Shoulder. Â
But it still hurt.  After everything on ElaadenâŚ
She just hoped that time would heal her bond with the cantankerous krogan.
Her door swished open, and she jumped from the bed, jarred from her thoughts. Â SAM hadnât alerted her to anyone approaching, and her features failed to rally into her usual cheery expression as she registered Liam walking into her room. Â
As usual, he had that goofy grin on his face; when he saw her drawn features, however, his breath rushed out in a sigh, nearly drowned out by the sound of the door closing. Â He stopped in front of her, searching her face; Sara ducked her head before he could see the already-drying tear tracks lining her cheeks. Â
A warm hand found her chin, and suddenly he was crouching in front of her, his warm eyes searching hers. Â âI meant what I said, earlier. Â About filing âemotional abuseâ with HR.â Â His voice was pitched low, to soothe. Â She wondered if heâd picked that trick up in HUS-T1, or if he had always been a natural comforter.
Even though sheâd heard the line before, a sound somewhere between a choke, a sob, and a laugh escaped from her, and his thumb smoothed across her cheek. Â âThatâs a terrible joke.â
He shrugged, moving to sit next to her on the bed. Â âDoesnât seem so much like a joke, now.â Â His hand brushed against hers, letting her set the boundaries. Â âDo you want to talk about it?â
Something about the quiet gentleness in his voice undid her, and she scrubbed a hand against her eyes, her face screwing up again. Â She felt more warm tears run down her cheeks, and she made a frustrated sound in her throat. Â Her neck felt blotchy and hot. Â
âHey, hey âtake it easy, Sara.â Â His arm settled around her shoulders, a warm weight anchoring her to his side. Â âBreathe. Â There you go.â
A hiccough left her throat, and her face burned another shade darker, but after a few minutes she felt calmer. Â She let out a quick, watery laugh that tapered off into a sigh. Â âSorry. Â Iâm a mess.â
His hand moved to rub circles across her back. Â âDonât apologize. Â You went through some crazy stuff. Â Hell, everything since waking up has been crazy. Â You just died, and had to decide between two shit options. Â Let it out, Sara.â
She exhaled, her breath sounding shaky. Â Liamâs words brought up that uncomfortable reminder, and she sat there, counting her heartbeats, reveling in the feeling of being alive, even though everything felt within her felt so raw, so painful. Â A few more tears leaked out, and she sniffed. Â What would her father say, if he could see her right now? Â SAM, blessedly, was silent.
âI donât feel qualified for this.â Â Liam was quiet next to her, so she continued. Â âIâm the youngest on the crew, and Iâm supposed to lead humanity to our new âhomeâ. Â People expect me to make these huge life-and-death decisions, and then walk away and move on to the next mission. Â But I canât do that. Â I canât do this.â Â She shook her head. Â âI canât.â
âI hear that, Sara. Â But I donât agree with you. Â Sure, youâre young. Â But look at what weâve been able to accomplish? Â The angara, uniting the krogan, activating all of those Remnant vaults and terraforming our supposed âgolden worldsâ? Â All happened because of you.â Â His free hand wrapped around hers, and she leaned against him. Â âMight be too recent of a reminder, but the Archonâs logs mentioned your unpredictability and passion. Â Youâre human, Sara. Â Itâs alright.â
âHe said those things about all humans, not just me.â
âDoesnât make it invalid, though. Â Youâre giving him hell, for sure.â Â A pause. Â âIf youâre worried about Drack, Iâm sure heâll come around.â
âYou donât know that.â
âSure. Â But I do know that whenever you go on missions together, he comes back less grumpy than when you left. Â And after all that business on Elaaden, you two are tight, for sure. Â Trust it. Â Losing the scouts is a blow for him, yeah, and you can honor his feelings. Â But you also have a friendship that runs underneath things.â
She still felt fragile, her voice small. Â âWeâll see. Â I wouldnât blame him, though.â Â Her shoulders slumped a little more. Â Part of her hated that she had chosen the salarians over Drackâs scouts. Â She knew sheâd always carry that with her. Â How many choices had Dad made, and regretted?
She shook her head. Â âLetâs talk about something else. Â I need a distraction.â
âSara-â
âPlease, Liam.â  He sighed, capitulating, and she pressed closer to his side.  âHow are you holding up?â  They hadnât really had a private moment to talk about SAMâŚwell, killing her.
A shaky laugh; he ran his hand ran through his hair. Â âWeâre doing this, yeah? Â Okay. Â Total honesty: I feel like shit.â Â She couldnât come up with a witty response. Â âDid a number on me to see everything we did on that ship. Â But watching SAM stop your heart took the cake.â Â It was her turn to comfort him, running her thumb across the back of his hand. Â âCora kept talking, and itâs okay, sheâs your friend, but I was silent, and Iâm yourââ
âIâm here, Liam.â Â
âI know you are, I know. Â I havenât felt that angry in a long time. Â Or that helpless.â Â He raised his voice, directing it towards the other end of the room. Â âHey, SAM? Â No more killing Sara and then resuscitating her, alright?â
âYour concern is noted, Mr. Kosta. Â I will only stop Saraâs heart if there is no other alternate solution.â
âNot helping, SAM,â Sara cut in with a gentle rejoinder. Â SAM fell silent, no doubt processing something from the exchange. Â
âI did what needed to be done.â Â Sara gave Liamâs hand a squeeze, and he squeezed her shoulder in return. Â âIâm not keen on having a repeat performance, either.â
âSounded like a Pathfinder just now, no doubt.  JustâŚtry to take it a little easier from now on, yeah?  Take care of yourself, give yourself space to heal.  Iâll help, if you want.â  His voice sounded firmer by the time he finished.
Sara let out another sigh. Â âLexi emailed me about that exact thing. Â Relaxing and taking care of myself. Â She recommended journaling. Â Taking out Kett is pretty relaxing, too, though.â
It startled a bark of a laugh from Liam. Â âPretty sure itâs the opposite, but alright. Â Just take me along when you do; I could use some relief, too.â
âYou got it.â Â They fell quiet, the hum of the ship surrounding them. Â Sara felt ensconced in a cathartic bubble, warm against Liam and all cried out. Sheâd probably have what Scott called âan emotional hangover" in the morning. âLiam? Â Thanks.â
âDonât mention it. Â Happy to help, Sara, with whatever you need. Â I mean it.â
âI know it.â Â
She felt Liam smile against her hair as he placed a kiss on the crown of her head.âNo need to get cheeky.â
Sure she did, to help herself feel normal. Â But she let her eyes drift shut as she leaned against Liamâs shoulder, content for the moment to let herself be and feel and heal. Â It wouldnât come over night, but lasting strength rarely did. Â
It would be a miracle if destroying the Archon didnât destroy her first.
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Asystole (Vetra x Ryder)
Spoilers for Mass Effect: Andromeda up unto the Archonâs ship. Â 5,200 words. Â Angst, fluff, romance - the holy trifecta. Â Zelda Ryder has a difficult time coping after a harrowing experience. Â Vetra Nyx is there to lend a shoulder. Â Or an ear. Â Or whatever.
Zelda Ryder leaned back against her seat in the shuttle, closing her eyes, the breath burning in her chest. Â Dammit, she was tired. Â Unconsciously she rubbed at her chestpiece with a trembling hand, trying to massage away the burn. Â
Sheâd died. Â Again. Â
Two Pathfinders had met their death on that ship. Â How come she was the one walking away?
Liam made a joke, something with a thin veneer of normalcy that rang in her ears. Â She could tell he felt lost underneath the glibness; so did she. Â Jaalâs cool huff of acknowledgement weighed the joke down, killing it quickly. Â
She didnât blame him. Â She didnât feel much like laughing either.
***
Lexiâs face was a study. Â If Ryder hadnât been so tired she almost might have found it funny. Â
âSAM killed you,â she spat, her normally composed features a mess of horror and dismay. Â Her hands were cool against Ryderâs cheeks, as she checked the whites of her eyes, the lymph nodes along her jawline. Â Her omnitool flashed, recording her findings.
Ryder had thought about being a doctor, once; it had been that or xenoarchaeology, and sheâd taken the initial courses for both. Â Sheâd been in her first year of medical school when she heard the Alliance was establishing archeology units, and sheâd never looked back. Â But every once in a while things would trickle in, bits of memory that reminded her of the fresh-faced biology nerd sheâd been at nineteen. Â Lymph nodes. Â She remembered humans had tons of the things.
Lexiâs stern look of disapproval snapped her out of her wandering thoughts.  She felt oddly defensive.  âHe brought me back,â Ryder pointed out   âAnd he asked first.â
âPathfinder Ryder is correct,â SAM concurred, using their public channel. Â âIt was the only way to disable the Archonâs biological shackles. Â We both agreed.â
âThat is entirely too much power to hand over to an AI,â said Lexi, eyes narrowed. Â Ryder had never seen her so angry, her mouth a thin tight line. Â âAnd look at the state of you!â
âIâm fine,â said Ryder, even though she felt sheâd been hit with a krogan war hammer. Â She tried to muster up a winning smile. Â It came out something like a grimace.
âYouâre experiencing profound adrenal fatigue,â said Lexi. Â âItâs a miracle your cardiac rhythms reestablished as well as they did. Â Even with SAMâs adjustments of your system -- which admittedly have left you in a far better state than anyone who has experienced a natural heart attack -- youâre still quite fragile right now. Â You were utterly without oxygen for more than sixty seconds, and itâs showing. Â I want you to rest up strictly for the next three days, and we can reassess then. Â We can discuss SAM then, too.â Â
She sat down next to Ryder, and put a hand on her shoulder. Â The worried wrinkles in her forehead shifted subtly into sadness. Â âYou scared me, Ryder.â
âYeah,â said Ryder after a moment. Â âScared me too.â
***
Ryder stared at her bed. Â It looked stark, somehow. Â Usually she charged into her room and flopped down, grateful to have somewhere soft to sleep that wasnât a cryo pod. Â Tonight the bed seemed somehow ominous.
I could go to sleep, and not wake up.
The realization made her heart stutter, and she hissed out a breath, willing herself to settle down. Â Sheâd tried to take Lexiâs advice to take it easy. Â There was so much more she wanted, needed to do, but sheâd restrained herself to a few conversations. Â Sheâd done the minimum in communicating with Drack and the Nexus about his scouts. Â Sheâd taken Kallo aside and told him, hollow-voiced, that she was sorry about Raeka. Â Sheâd eaten a dinner of protein pastes mechanically, sticking to something easy to digest.
But her heart still felt like a stranger in her own body, and she sat down on the edge of the bed, staring balefully at the pillows.
âSAM,â Ryder said, subvocalizing; SAM could pick up the half-words she could form under her breath.  It felt strange to talk to him more loudly when it was only the two of them.  âIs there anything⌠am I okay?â
Zelda, I understand you must be concerned, said SAM, as soothingly as he could. Â I remember how I became disoriented when I encountered that virus in SAM node. Â I felt as if I could not trust my own code. Â It took some time to reassure myself that I was, in fact, myself. Â Is that an adequate analogy?
âItâs something like that,â said Ryder.  âMy heart⌠youâre sure itâs all right?â  She bit her lip.  âArgh, I feel stupid even asking.  Even worrying about it.â
Between my own readings, and Dr. TâPerroâs, I judge you have suffered no permanent injury. Â However, I agree with her assessment that rest would be ideal.
âIâll try, SAM.â Â She tried to believe his assessment, telling herself it would make her feel better.
But it wasnât easy to believe when she remembered that pressure, crushing, all-consuming, all-encompassing, bearing on her chest; nor the way black particles danced in at the edges of her vision; nor the sudden air hunger  that had roared, if only for a few seconds, in every cell of her body.
She thought of being a little kid, up on the top bunk back when she and Scotty had still shared a room. Â Theyâd been tiny then, five or six, and usually sheâd tried to lord it over him as the oldest, pretending nothing ever scared her. Â But when it had, there was nothing better than crawling down into the lower bunk and hiding under the covers with him. Â Heâd try to make fun of her about it sometimes, but sometimes he crawled up to the top bunk with her, too; fair was only fair.
Tears pricked her eyes. Â Scotty was still in the cryo-bay, no more responsive than the bed he lay on. Â She hadnât even had the courage to tell him about Dad yet, even though he couldnât hear her. Â She didnât know which of them could use the biggest hug.
Great. Â Now she was thinking about Dad again, too. Â She pressed the heels of her hands against her closed eyes, and hoped that she could rest.
***
She gave sleep a chance, she really did.
She tried a number of positions. Â On her side, the classic fetal position. Â Normally a beloved go-to. Â Failed after thirty minutes of wondering if she might choke on her own saliva laying like that.
Lying on her back wasnât any better. Â She remembered that old movie, one her mom had liked. Â The Elephant Man. Â The man had choked to death because of his profound deformities and suffocated in his sleep. Â It was enough to make her roll over to her stomach, but then she wondered if she would have trouble expanding her lungs while laying on her chest, and she was back at square one.
She wondered about asking Lexi for something to help her sleep. Â Yet what if a sedative suppressed her respiratory reflex to a point it was dangerous -- no, she figured, sheâd better not.
Someone telling her she was fine sounded nice in theory, but was not working in practice. Â SAM had tried, but SAM had also made her not-fine, and while she trusted him, cared for him, it was still more complicated than she liked. Â Lexi had tried too, but Lexi was probably sleeping comfortably by now, and Ryder didnât want to wake her when part of her knew she was simply being anxious.
What she wanted was for someone to stay with her and really make sure she would be fine.
She sat up in bed, resting her arms on her knees and her chin on her forearms. Â After a few minutes she rolled out from the covers and pulled on her pants and sweatshirt, working her toes into the comfy shoes she wore around the ship. Â Maybe a walk would help.
She thought vaguely of the bio lab. Â Plants, Andromedan, Terran, heck, there was even a spindly little metallic succulent from Palaven. Â The air did feel fresher there, despite the fact it was recycled throughout the ship, and maybe the greenery would help anchor her in a way the stars did not tonight.
Deep in thought she scarcely noticed Vetra coming around the bend, and ran straight into her, bouncing off the light armor Vetra wore on the ship. Â âShit!â Ryder spat, rubbing her aching nose. Â She didnât usually mind having a larger than average nose, but hitting it on a turian breastplate was simply embarrassing. Â Especially this turianâs. Â Her cheeks felt hot.
âUh, hey, Ryder,â said Vetra, clearly trying not to laugh. Â Ryder supposed she ought to be grateful for that, at least.
âWhat are you still doing up?â she asked, letting her hand drop back to her side. Â Her nose didnât seem to be broken, at least.
âWinding down for the night,â said Vetra.  âHad a few calls to take.  Trying to get things sorted for Drackâs scouts; I told him Iâd pull some favors.  Some of them are going back to the Nexus, but a few want to get to Kadara, or Elaaden.â  She tilted her head to one side, studying Ryderâs face.  âLook.  About what happened back there⌠you made a hard choice.â
Ryder swallowed past the lump in her throat.  âI couldnâtâŚâ  She tried to sort out the words in her head, figure out how to say it.  â-- the idea of exaltation -- I didnât want them to go through that.â  She twisted her hands together.  âI knew I was going to lose Raeka, too.  There wasnât enough time.â
âHey,â said Vetra. Â She reached out, touching Ryderâs shoulder for a moment. Â Her hand was solid there, even though the shape was different, new. Â Ryder wished she could lean into it, could take that hand in her own, but she tried to shake the feeling away. Â
âYou did the best you could,â said Vetra. Â âI know youâre gonna blame yourself. Â I would too. Â But that doesnât change that you had a hard choice, and you did what you could with it.â Â She folded her arms against her chest. Â âIs that why youâre still up?â
âPartly,â admitted Ryder. Â Vetraâs words settled on her, a bit of balm against her anxious, jittering mind. Â She tried to fix them in memory. Â She suspected she might need to hear them again in the coming days.
âYou look worried,â said Vetra. Â âI can tell.â Â A faint smile stole over her face, but it was kind. Â That was one thing Ryder liked so much about her. Â She talked straight, and she didnât pull punches. Â A human might have been tempted not to say anything at all. Â Vetra said it plainly, and she meant it, every time.
âSo,â she said.  âYouâre an expert on humans now?â  Sheâd been⌠noticing Vetra for some time now.  Sheâd made some comments, here and there, and Vetra hadnât refuted them.  But she was still unsure of where she stood.
âDidnât say I was,â said Vetra smoothly. Â âBut I like to think Iâve gotten to know you pretty well.â
If Ryder hadnât been blushing earlier from the nose debacle, she was now.  âYeah, I guess you have.â  She rubbed at the back of her neck, suddenly self-conscious.  âYou promise you wonât  think Iâm overreacting?â
âI donât know. Â Depends on what you tell me,â Vetra answered, leaning against the wall as if settling in.
Ryder hesitated. Â It was going to sound so damn childish out loud. Â But it was the middle of the night, and nobody else was around, and she trusted Vetra. Â
âIâm scared,â she said simply. Â Her hand clutched at the front of her shirt, over her chest. Â âThereâs a part of me that worries if I go to sleep tonight, I wonât wake up.â
Vetra was quiet for a moment. Â âShit, Ryder.â Â
âI know. Â Itâs stupid --â
âNo, it isnât.â Â She stepped forward, the distance between them narrowing. Â This close Ryder could see the fine texture of her skin on her throat, like supple leather; she wondered what it would feel like beneath her fingertips. Â Her eyes behind her ever-present visor were keen, and Ryder gazed into them, unable to look away.
âYou died? Â Thatâs what it sounded like over the comms,â said Vetra quietly. Â âAnd Jaal and Liam said thatâs what happened. Â But I didnât want to believe it.â
Ryder nodded. Â âSAM stopped my heart. Â It was the only way. Â Iâm not upset with him. Â SAM did what he had to, and it worked, but Iâm scared it could happen on its own. Â Iâve already died twice now in Andromeda. Â Iâm scared the third time will be the charm.â Â She shivered. Â âI know Iâm worrying over nothing --â
âYou arenât.â  Her voice was rich, subharmonics thrumming beneath her words.  âI wonât tell you not to worry.  That never worked for me.  I still worry way too damn much no matter how much I tell myself it doesnât help.  But I didnât have any other plans tonight besides sleeping, so if talking might help⌠well⌠Iâm here.â  Vetra spread her hands in front of her, the three fingers on each long palm splayed wide.  âIf you need a shoulder.  Or an ear.  Or whatever.â
âIâd like that.â  She grinned suddenly.  Flirting⌠now, there was a distraction she could work with.  âIf I could even reach your shoulder, that is.â
Vetra let out a sharp peal of laughter. Â âHey, itâs not my fault youâre so short. Â Itâs kind of cute, though.â
Ryderâs smile hitched to one side, and she swallowed. Â Oh, what the hell. Â âSo you think Iâm cute?â
Vetraâs mandibles flared outward, as if she was lost for words. Â Her eyes widened slightly. Â âI -- uh -- sure.â
âThatâs it? Â Sure?â Â She hoped desperately that SAM was sitting back, twiddling his virtual thumbs and whistling to himself instead of hearing her strike out so miserably.
Vetra, normally so unflappable, so calm, so her-shit-together, shifted uneasily from side to side, averting her gaze. Â âWhat do you want me to say?â
Youâve already died today, you arenât allowed to die of embarrassment now. Â âI was hoping that you might be interested,â said Ryder, steeling herself. Â âBecause I sure as hell am.â Â She shrugged helplessly, fully aware that her cheeks blazed a radioactive red. Â âI like you, Vetra, and I care about you, more than a friend or a crewmate. Â If you still want to lend me a spiky shoulder to lean on, Iâd really like that.â Â She faltered. Â âBut if you arenât interested in that --â
âNo -- I mean, yes.  I am.â  Were Vetraâs cheeks darker than before?  They held a pretty bluish hue that Ryder couldnât remember seeing on her in the past.  âI have been for⌠a while.  I just didnât want to be wrong.â
Ryder closed the distance between them. Â She could feel the heat of the other woman against her bare arms. Â She tilted her head back. Â âUm. Â Could you bend down a little?â
Vetra laughed. Â âFor you, yes.â Â Her breath was soft on Ryderâs cheeks, and before Ryder could worry about how exactly one was supposed to kiss a turian, Vetraâs mouth was on hers, firm smooth edges surprisingly muscular and dynamic against Ryderâs lips. Â Ah. Â This was different: Vetraâs tongue rougher and shorter than sheâd expected, the way the flexible plates of her cheeks and nose and forehead pressed against Ryderâs face. Â
Vetra pulled back, nearly as violet as the tattoos on her cheeks. Â âWas that okay? Â Iâve never tried kissing a human before.â Â She looked sheepish, somehow, but pleased. Â âI liked it.â
Ryder ran a trembling hand through her hair. Â âThat was awesome.â Â She sank against Vetra, giggling madly. Â âVetra, this has been one hell of a day.â
Vetra squeezed her shoulder. Â âMy original offer still stands, you know. Â This wasnât a ploy to seduce you.â Â
âNot even a little?â
âThat would be wrong,â said Vetra, quite nobly.
Ryder sighed, slipping her arms around the turianâs narrow waist. Â âAll right. Â If it still stands, I would owe you one heck of a favor if you kept me company for a little bit. Â At least until my headâs back on straight again. Â We could chat in my quarters?â
âOf course.  And itâd probably be best to keep it to chatting instead of⌠other activities.  I think I overheard Lexi telling you you needed to take it easy the next few days.â
âAs intriguing as other activities sound, I think Iâd pass out in the middle from sheer exhaustion,â said Ryder, letting her arms fall from Vetraâs waist as they walked towards her quarters. Â âBut letâs keep that in mind for another day, yeah?â
âWeâll see how it goes, then,â said Vetra. Â Ryder had never realized before a turian could look so sly.
Vetra whistled when Ryder opened the door into her quarters. Â Sheâd not had occasion to invite anyone in before, usually preferring to find her crewmates in the common areas to talk. Â âI saw these quarters back when the Tempest was drydocked, but it looks a hell of a lot better with the view.â
âWell⌠you want to come check it out sometimes, all you have to do is ask.â  The doors slid closed behind them and Ryder kicked her boots off.  âDo you want to make yourself, er, comfortable?  Come to think of it, Iâve never seen you in civilian clothes, just your armor.â  She clapped a hand over her mouth.  âWait, are you wearing anything under there?â
Vetra laughed. Â âAre you crazy? Â Turians arenât nearly as squishy as you humans, but we still wear underclothes under our armor. Â We arenât barbarians, Ryder.â
âIt was an honest question,â she protested. Â
Vetra grinned. Â âDonât worry, I know.â Â She stretched, raising her arms above her, extending her already considerable height until her knuckles brushed the ceiling. Â âActually, itâs been a long day. Â Maybe Iâll take you up on that offer. Â I am decent under here.â Â She reached up and dismantled part of her armor around her neck, unclicking it. Â A few more quick, efficient movements and she was pulling off her arm pieces, laying them in a neat stack by the door. Â Her chestplate and boots followed. Â Underneath the armor she indeed wore a thin cloth garment with long sleeves, similar to what Sid always wore but plainer. Â The skin of her cowl peeked out around the edge of her overshirt, with a faint silvery sheen beneath the overhead lights. Â
She padded over to the couch on long, slightly curved toes and narrow feet, then plopped down as if she was perfectly comfortable. Â âThat does feel better.â
Ryder pulled off her sweatshirt, exposing the thin camisole she wore underneath. Â She took the other end of the couch, sitting curled up with her feet on the cushions. Â âItâs like a slumber party.â Â
âIs that what I think it is?â Vetra asked with a tilted head and a grin.
Ryder chuckled.  âWell, it can be.  But itâs also something we used to do as kids.  Scotty and I didnât have a lot of friends on the Citadel, since we traveled a lot, but we still sometimes had friends spend the night.  I always hated it when it was his turn to have friends over.  The boys would always try to play tricks on me⌠at least until I punched one of them in the nose.  After that they thought I could do no wrong.â
Vetra looked skeptical. Â âThatâs a thing? Â Kids staying at each otherâs houses? Â Did they have parents?â
âOf course. Â Usually the parents would be glad to get the kids out of their hair. Â Figuratively speaking, I guess. Â I had a few asari friends. Â Scott was friends with a salarian boy for a while. Â Not a lot of hair going on there.â
âIt is strange how you humans have so much of it. Â And all of you do something different with it,â said Vetra. Â âAlways thought that was kind of weird.â Â She gave Ryder a long, appraising look. Â âI like yours. Â Itâs shiny, and it always looks soft, even when youâve stuffed it into a helmet. Â Itâs kind of impressive.â
âHelmet hair is no laughing matter,â said Ryder, pleased at the compliment. Â âBut I do miss having slumber parties sometimes; they really were fun. Â The conversations were the best.â
âIn my experience, kids arenât the best conversationalists. Â With Sid it was a lot of asking for food, throwing tantrums, making butt jokes...â
âGood to know those are universal,â Ryder giggled. Â âWell, I was a kid too at the time.â Â She ruffled her hair with one hand. Â She supposed it was soft. Â âBut youâve had that feeling before, right? Â Night does funny things to most people. Â You get sillier. Â You talk about scarier stuff. Â You share things.â Â Ryder leaned back, tilting her head back so she could see the stars swirling past the window. Â âI always loved that.â
Vetra stretched out her long legs, curling and uncurling her toes in the thin rug under the couch. Â âThereâs a little truth in that, I think.â Â She reached out, taking Ryderâs hand, and sighed. Â It took them a second to figure out the best configuration of three and five. Â âFeels good. Â Iâve wondered what that would feel like for a while now.â
âLikewise,â Ryder said, squeezing her hand. Â She edged closer to Vetra on the couch until her toes nudged Vetraâs thigh. Â âSomething about you being impossibly tall and willowy and asskicking appealed to me right from the start.â
âWillowy?â Vetra snorted. Â âIsnât that a tree?â
âWell, yes. Â Itâs a compliment. Â And you are super tall, if you havenât noticed. Â Which I like.â
âIâm not tall,â said Vetra dismissively. Â âEveryone else is ridiculously short. Â Anyway, I think the first time you flirted with me I thought you were joking. Â And the second. Â And the third.â
âOh god.â Â Ryder hung her head. Â âThat is embarrassing. Â For both of us.â Â They laughed, and for a moment, she let herself luxuriate in butterflies and silliness, in that heady feeling of electricity in their grip. Â Maybe there was a lot of scary shit out there, but here, with Vetra, she felt a little safer.
She squeezed Vetraâs hand. Â âGlad youâre here, Vetra. Â Heleus is a crazy place, but you help me make sense out of it.â
âI just show up and shoot things,â said Vetra mildly. Â But she squeezed back, and impulsively leaned forward, brushing a kiss against Ryderâs cheek. Â âGlad youâre here, too.â Â She settled herself back against the couch. Â âEspecially on days like today. Â When the weight of everything thatâs out there makes itself known again.â
âI keep wondering,â Ryder said slowly.
âKeep wondering what?â
âWhy the kett want what they want.  Why theyâre so convinced of their superiority.  Trying to exalt krogan⌠I thought learning about the angara was bad.  But the krogan⌠the salarians⌠those were our people they were experimenting on.â  Ryder felt ill, remembering the bodies, the tanks.
âItâs bullshit.  I canât imagine what theyâd do with a turian.  If a kett ever even so much as looked at SidâŚ.â  Her grip on Ryderâs hand tightened.
âIâm not gonna let that happen. Â Iâm not.â Â She leaned her head back against the couch, closing her eyes. Â âBut I donât know everything, either. Â Maybe there was another way I couldâve helped Raeka. Â And the Archon had us, Vetra. Â Until SAM --â Â Her other hand scrabbled, reflexively, against the front of her shirt. Â
âHey, hey.â Â Vetraâs voice was a soft, layered murmur. Â âLexi said you were okay.â
Zelda, said SAM into her private channel. Â Your heartbeat is still regular. Â I detect no arrhythmias or lasting damage from my actions. Â I apologize for the distress you now feel.
âSAM says Iâm okay, too,â Ryder said, her eyes still closed. Â She slowly lowered her hand from her chest. Â âBut itâs disquieting. Â To remember, again, that I could be only a minute away from death.â
âI only heard rumors about before,â said Vetra, looking concerned. Â âHabitat seven. Â That was where they lost the human Pa-- your dad, right?â
âIt was him or me,â she said simply. Â âIâd damaged my helmet too badly in a fall. Â Atmo was toxic. Â Dad gave me his helmet instead, and told SAM to start the upload. Â He picked me.â Â Her mouth twisted.
âYou never talk about him.â
âHe was a hard man to get along with,â said Ryder. Â âA hard man in general. Â He didnât really have a grip on the whole emotions thing. Â He didnât understand why Iâd get so upset about things. Â Being a teenager with him around was fun.â Â She laughed, but it wasnât really funny.
âWhy did you come to Andromeda? Â You ask everyone else, but you keep your own reasons close to the chest. Â Donât think I havenât noticed.â
âYou notice a lot of things, Vetra.â Â
âIâm sneaky like that.â
âHe wanted to explore, I knew that much. Â And there was a lot that went wrong in the Milky Way. Â His work on SAM got him blacklisted from everything humanity was doing in Citadel space, and some of that backlash hit Scotty and me, too.â Â The way her fieldwork dried up; the transfers; the steady, persistent, faceless pressure brought on her to move on. Â Scotty had dealt with the same. Â âAnd after Mom died, there was something powerful about looking forward to getting away, as far as we possibly could. Â It didnât feel like we could move forward back home,â she said, faltering.
âI didnât know about your mom,â said Vetra. Â âYou look sad, talking about her. Â You were close, werenât you?â
âMuch more than with Dad. Â But she got sick a few years ago.â Â Ryder let out a long breath. Â âShe would have liked a lot of this place. Â She would have loved meeting the angara. Â She was passionate, like Jaal.â
âIâm always impressed by people who were close with their mothers,â said Vetra quietly  âI know ours didnât want us.  She put up with us for a while, but even so, I barely remember her.â
âYou want to know something funny?â
âShoot.â
âEvery now and then, I catch myself thinking, Dad would love this,â said Ryder. Â Her face scrunched, nose wrinkling. Â âAnd then it catches up to me. Â I realize, I donât really know what he would have liked. Â You know?â Â She shrugged, inching closer to Vetra. Â âI can guess. Â Part of me can extrapolate the things he would probably like from the things I know he cared about. Â Exploration. Â SAM. Â Family. Â In that order.â Â She sighed. Â âBut when I think of what he would like, I realize Iâm thinking of my projection of him; the man I used to wish he would be, the man nostalgia makes him out to be. Â Itâs like that with everyone weâve lost, isnât it? Â The best parts of them -- or the worst -- theyâre all our biology lets us remember eventually, and we build up these visions of them as a way to comfort ourselves. Â Itâs like we still have a relationship with them, just a little, if we can imagine who theyâd be now and what theyâd do. Â Love, but at a remove.â
âI think I know what you mean,â said Vetra after a moment. Â âI never wasted time worrying about my mother, after she left. Â But I like to tell myself my dad died a hero, a good man, back in the Milky Way. Â That he would have come back for Sid and me if he could have.â Â Her mandibles flared open in a long, trembling pause before folding against her cheeks again.
âDo you think that really happened?â Ryder asked quietly. Â âA heroâs death?â
âNo,â Vetra said flatly. Â âI think --â Â She bowed her head. Â âI think he was good enough that he might have wanted to come back to us. Â But I donât think he was good enough to do it, in the end.â Â
âI think Dad would have wanted to love Andromeda,â said Ryder.  âAnd yet, each new outpost, each new secret⌠itâd never be enough.  He could never be happy with what he had.  He was only ever happy in the striving for it, I think.â
A wise, if painful, observation, said SAM into her private channel. Â His voice was especially reserved. Â I miss your father. Â My experience of him was different than your own, but you did understand him, Zelda.
âThank you, SAM,â she subvocalized. Â She leaned back against the pillows, digging her shoulders into them, her heart steady in her chest. Â Not dead yet. Â Not again.
âDo we ever leave the old shit behind?â mused Vetra. Â She gazed up at the stars drifting on the other side of the window, gold and silver pinpricks against the black. Â âOr does it always come back like this to punch you in the gut?â
âSometimes it hits hard, like it all happened yesterday. Â Sometimes I almost forget for a day or two that Dad died. Â I can never tell which itâs going to be until it comes. Â Thatâs life all over, isnât it? Â You can guess and worry and wonder all you want about it, but it still does what itâs going to do, and you canât always change that.â Â The stars blurred.
âWe can change some things,â said Vetra. Â She reached out, pulling Ryder against her, draping an arm around her shoulders. Â âThe two of us against the world? Â I donât know. Â I kinda like those odds, personally.â
Ryder curled up beside her, laying her head against Vetraâs chest. Â She could hear a steady beat, a slightly different rhythm than she was used to, but familiar all the same. Â She listened to the sound, closing her eyes. Â Funny, but it made her think of a safe port in the storm. Â An anchor.
âYou do know how to play the odds,â she laughed. Â She could feel Vetraâs chuckle through her chest, and that was an anchor too.
***
âMorning, you,â said Vetra, and Ryder yawned.
The first thing she noticed was how stiff she was. Â The second thing she noticed was that she was sprawled on the couch, her head and shoulders in Vetraâs lap.
âMorning,â she said, acutely aware that Vetraâs lap was surprisingly comfortable. Â âHow long was I asleep?â
âLong enough,â said Vetra, leaning down to meet her in a kiss. Â It was an extraordinarily better way to wake up than the alarm tone SAM usually played. Â âYou made it through the night, you know.â
Ryder sat up, stretching, and let out a shaky laugh. Â âYouâre right.â Â She nudged Vetra hard in the shoulder. Â âThanks to you.â
âNah,â said Vetra. Â âYou had it under control.â Â But something in her face softened. Â âGlad youâre feeling better.â
Ryder pulled her into a clumsy hug, showering her in a flurry of kisses. Â When she pulled back Vetra looked flabbergasted. Â She also looked intensely pleased.
âSo it wasnât bad for our first slumber party?â Ryder asked.
âWell,â Vetra said, regaining her ability to speak, âI canât really compare it to any others. Â So weâll obviously have to do this again.â
Ryder laughed. Â It might have been a hell of a day yesterday. Â But there was another one today, and hopefully another tomorrow, and one after that. Â Moving forward was all any of them could do. Â Moving forward with Vetra was even better.
Good morning, Zelda. Â Your heart rate and rhythm remain normal. Â
âThanks, SAM.â Â A deep breath. Â âI know.â
#ryder x vetra#f!ryder x vetra#vetra nyx#mass effect: andromeda#me:a#me:a spoilers#spoilers#mass effect spoilers#zelda ryder#SAM
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Ryder Appreciation Week Meme
Courtesy of @omegastation ! Great idea. :)
Can be reblogged and filled or used as answers to asks! :)
1. Does your Ryder like their father? Nope. 2. How does your Ryder feel about their sibling? Same. Not really a family person. 3. If given the chance, do you think your Ryder would be a good Nexus Director? Oh good lord NO. 4. Whatâs your Ryderâs favorite weapon? Sidewinder! I made a level X one that I called âI Am the Lawâ. Hellooo Clint Eastwood wannabe. :D 5. Whatâs your Ryderâs fighting style/class? Half Vanguard, half gunslinger. 6. Does your Ryder get along well with Tann, Addison, Kandros or Kesh? Yes, all of them. It just takes a little bit of diplomacy. 7. Is your Ryder good at driving the Nomad? Incredibly, yes. 8. What is the one Pathfinder task that your Ryder hates? Anything along the lines of: âOh, Pathfinder! Since you have absolutely nothing to do, of any importance, could bring this little locket/necklace/trinket that my brother/great-grandmother/third cousin five times removed loved so much to this very remote place, you know, to celebrate their memory or something?â SeriouslyâŚ? 9. What does your Ryder enjoy about being a Pathfinder? Travelling, discovering new planets, interacting with the Angara, studying whatever the Remnants left behind, getting to know the new Galaxy. 10. How does your Ryder feel about the memories they unlocked? Some are sappy, some are interesting, some are downright disturbing. 11. Does your Ryder consider SAM a friend/sibling/âŚ? Iâd say a friend, after a short trial as a âtoolâ. 12. Whatâs your Ryderâs favorite location in Andromeda? Kadara! 13. If your Ryder could give one gift to their LI (if there is one!), what would they give? A romantic candle-lit dinner to my beautiful, spiky girlfriend (Vetra). Pretty sure she never had one. :) 14. How does your Ryder feel about the fight between Kallo and Gil? Kallo was right, not because what Gil did is wrong, but because the -way- he went about it was wrong. He should have talked to Kallo -beforehand-. Or in case of split moment decisions, he should have talked to Kallo about it afterwards, explaining his actions/changes to the Tempest. Communication is key to getting along, especially in close quarters. 15. What does your Ryder think about Shepard? There is probably some kind of interest, maybe even a bit of admiration, albeit somehow hesitant, due to the fact that the only other N7 she has ever known was her father, and she never liked him much. 16. Does your Ryder like the other Pathfinders? Oh yes! Raeka, Rix and Sarissa are awesome. 17. What is the one lesson your Ryder learned in Andromeda? Be cautious. Very, very cautious. Bring a loaded gun. Do. Not. Lick the rocks. OK, itâs three, but theyâre all important! 18. What is the hardest thing your Ryder had to do in their life? Leaving behind Drackâs scouts to save the Salarian Pathfinder. That one was a hard choice. :( 19. Does your Ryder like memes? The funny ones⌠20. Which song would represent your Ryder well? Mmmhhh⌠maybe âI want it allâ by Queen.
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Pathfound
Pair: Zevin Raeka/Sara Ryder
Small sucky description: Sara's feelings for Pathfinder Zevin Raeka are more than platonic and she'd been having a hard time dealing with them.
Words: 2750~
AO3
I saw this art by @asketchbookthing and died. So. Yeah. This has been in the works. Raekaâs characterisation is probably way off (its been a while since I last saw her and we see so little of her so I kinda winged it)
Also I suck at blurbs. Like a lot.
________________________________________________________________
The Nexus seemed busy today. More Salarians were around than the last time she was here. A few more Asari too. She'd just recovered the Asari ark, the Salarian ark had been back for a short while. Of course the Turian Ark was still out there, but things were looking up. Slowly but surely it seemed everything was slotting into place. People seemed joyous. Happy. Excited, even. The Asari were grateful. Some Angara were standing around amazed. A few people stopped her on her way to operations, to thank her or ask her a question about the world, her job, anything. Some people just wanted a way to make it all seem real. Sara was happy to comply, for she understood completely the shock of waking up to a disaster, even if the disaster was slowly but surely getting better. Well, they still had a long way to go yet. The Archon was still a threat and the cluster still not perfect for settlement. They'd get there though, eventually. She and Pathfinder Raeka had been working hard to ensure that this galaxy would be inhabitable. And now Sarissa had been added into the mix, too. They would all fight to their last breath if they had too. Whatever the cost. The thought of Pathfinder Raeka brought Sara to another problem she was facing: She was undeniably falling for her. Despite the fact that she knew it was pointless, despite the fact that she knew Salarian's had a short lifespan and she wouldn't get that long with Raeka even if the feelings were returned (which she found no evidence of them being so) she couldn't help it. Stepping onto the tram that'd lead her to operations, Sara felt herself sigh and sink into a seat. Her thoughts, once again, were filled with Raeka. Raeka was strong, confident and brave. The way she cared about her people, the way she fought so passionately for them had made Sara respect her and see her with such awe that she hadn't even noticed when her respect started changing. That is, until the nightmares she used to have started to be replaced with little snippets of dreams featuring her and Raeka. A stolen kiss, a stroll down a street she vaguely remembered from a visit to Earth, eating dinner in her Quarters. Small romantic gestures played through her mind constantly. And once Sara had noticed her growing affections, they became very hard to ignore. She'd spot something and wonder if Raeka would like it. She'd see the colour orange and think of Raeka's armour. Hell, at one point she'd coloured her own armour orange and blue mindlessly. It wasn't until Cora pointed out how she looked like Raeka with those colours that she'd realised what she'd done. So yes, Sara was definitely falling for her. Hard.
Raeka was rarely around Pathfinder quarters when Sara was. Both were often rather busy, and rarely got the chance to just chat. Though, before she'd realised the extent of her feelings for Raeka, Sara had snagged quite a few conversations with her when her timing was right. Quite often they spoke over comms too. Mostly about work, though sometimes those conversations could slip into personal life. Those little chats had started to fuel Sara. Then she'd realised how much she liked her, and slowly their interactions had changed. Sure, they still talked, but Sara got more awkward and nervous when not talking about work. It was also a lot easier to talk to her over comms than in person. Still, Sara was going just a little bit crazy over the Salarian pathfinder. Getting more distracted, more lost in her thoughts. The first one who'd noticed Sara's distraction, aside from SAM, had been Gil. Apparently, his poker abilities had another purpose too.  Lexi had noticed once she'd managed to drag Sara in to talk with her - something Sara constantly tried to avoid. Soon they had all been wondering why the pathfinder was so distracted - and when Cora finally put it all into place they had teased her for a solid two weeks. Gil had made a joke, something about Sara being a pathfinder so she should 'Pathfind a way to her heart'. Sara didn't speak to him until the next time she set the Nomad on fire (which in her defence had been because of a Kett ambush and not her driving skills). Though, everyone else quickly picked up on the joke after too. While impractical, Sara did consider just ignoring them all. Sadly, her duties required her to talk to them. Didn't mean that she'd act happy when she did. So no, Sara hadn't been thrilled when her team had found out. Especially not after Kallo came and gave her the Salarian 'talk'. (Sara had to quickly assure him that her feelings were purely romantic and she honestly wasn't looking for something sexual.) In the end, everyone had toned the teasing down and told her to simply tell the Salarian pathfinder how she felt. As if that'd be easy. Even Kallo, who said that he'd support her whether Raeka returned the feelings or not, was encouraging it. As he'd said, Salarian society just never really considered romantic love, mostly due to their population differences, but it was possible. Since then, every time Sara spoke to Raeka she'd been more awkward or stand-offish. The human pathfinder, the woman who spent the better part of her days murdering hordes of Kett and facing fiends one on one, was terrified and nervous of speaking to a colleague. She'd practically been avoiding her in a way, avoiding talk of anything personal and sticking to the basic work talk, cutting short their talks over the comms and practically running away whenever she physically saw her. Her team finding out had probably been the worst thing that could have happened because now Sara felt vulnerable and far worse about the situation. The tram finally came to a stop and Sara sucked in a breath of strength, hoping Raeka wouldnât be around. But also, secretly, hoping she would be. Stepping off, she walked into Operations. As it often was, operations was bustling and everyone there seemed frantically busy. There were people rushing about, reports coming in, updates and missions and information seemed to be flying everywhere. Reports on outposts, on the Kett, on the Roekaar and the exiles, the collective and the outcasts and the scavengers, and the resistance, and the remnant. Apex teams going off on missions or just coming back from them. Police shouting at a turian who was clearly drunk. Sara noticed Kandros, busy with talking with an agent. He caught her eye, gave her a small nod of acknowledgment which she returned, before he moved his attention back to his conversation. Glancing around, Sara noticed a group of scientists who, if their body language was anything to go by, were definitely arguing with one another about something. Sid, Vetra's sister, was around too. It was always nice to see her. Sara made a quick mental note to check in on her when her business with Kesh was finished. She turned, and was about to head up the steps towards Keshâs office, when she heard someone call out "Pathfinder!" Sara was about to turn back to see who had called when the person, a Salarian, darted straight past her and towards someone else. Another Salarian. Raeka. If it wasn't for the shock and sudden panic of seeing the exact person she had hoped to avoid, Sara would've sworn loudly and cursed her luck. Instead, she froze. Standing still like a dear caught in headlights. She was lucky in a way though, since Raeka hadn't noticed her. And she'd worn her hoodie instead of her jacket today - she could pull the hood up, run over to Tiran and hide out there until it was safe. Though, she wasn't entirely sure what 'safe' was exactly. Especially since she still definitely needed to see Kesh and leaving before that wouldn't be a good idea. Maybe she could get Tiran to distract Raeka long enough for her to sneak past? Just as she moved to pull her hood up to cover herself, she heard the one voice she really didn't want to hear shouting the one thing she hadn't wanted to hear from it. "Ryder!" She could pretend she didn't hear anything and sprint to the trams as fast as possible, but that wasn't something she could bring herself to do now. Raeka knew she was here, she had called out to her, and Sara had to go. With every ounce of strength she had, she walked towards the Salarian pathfinder. The woman whom she had grown to be good friends with, whom she had fallen for so quickly and gotten so caught up in. Sara could have screamed, but it didn't seem to be an appropriate response. Not a strong enough way to really let her feelings out right now. "H-hey Raeka," she greeted meekly as she crossed the space between them, looking up into her big, gentle eyes. It was a mistake, of course, since Sara's heart started beating even faster than it already was. In fact, it could have stopped. She'd died twice already, she wasn't putting it past herself to die again. This was definitely a situation she could see herself dying in, too. "I haven't seen you for a while. How are you? Is your job going well?" Raeka asked her in her quick yet gentle voice: the voice that made her knees turn to jelly. "Yeah... yeah it is. Just... doing stuff. Pathfinder stuff, you know? Of course you know, you're a pathfinder! What am I talking about?" Sara quickly shut up before she started rambling even more, cursing herself for being so awkward around people she liked. If Raeka was confused, or put off, she didn't show it. "Oh, well that's good. It's just been unusual not talking with you, but you must've been busy. Congratulations on getting the Asari ark back, by the way. I met Sarissa and she's... interesting. I'll need to talk to her a bit more to formulate an opinion, but she seems to be good at her job." "She is, it's why I kept her as pathfinder," Sara agreed. This was good. Easy. It was work talk and she could do work talk. "How have you been otherwise? How's your crew?" Raeka asked and Sara felt worried again. This wasn't work talk and Sara felt herself freeze a little, seizing up in panic. She could do this, she could do this. "Oh good, good. Really good. Bringing back the Asari ark has them more hopeful. Everyone more hopeful." Nailed it. "Sometimes all you need is a little hope," Raeka muttered, and Sara felt her heart squeeze. This wasn't good for her health at all. She could already hear Lexi complaining at her to stop getting herself into stressful situations. Then again, Lexi had also told her that she needed to tell Raeka how she felt. This was pretty much a lose-lose situation. "Ha-ha yeah, thatâs true. Really true. It'll really help someone out. You know, talking about hope, I need to speak to Kesh about a mission. Spread some hope over on that way." She pointed behind herself, to where she vaguely assumed Kesh's office was, but she was a bit too distracted to know for sure. "Nice talking to you Raeka!" Just as Sara started to turn around, ready to retreat with her tail between her legs and cry her eyes out in the privacy of Kesh's office, Raeka caught her shoulder. "Are you okay, Ryder?" she inquired, her voice so damn gentle and tender and worried. Sara paused. "ME? Oh, I'm completely okay. Better than okay, actually. I should just really, y'know, go see Kesh." She made no effort to move though, Raeka's large eyes had captured her own and there was a look in them that froze her in place. Fear? Concern? Sara couldn't place it, but it seemed almost vulnerable and she knew that she didn't want to see that look on Raeka anymore. "You've been brushing me off pretty quickly lately, I haven't done something have I?" Raeka's voice grew a little quieter, a little hurt and scared and it made any other excuses die before they'd had time to come to Sara. Raeka thought she'd done something wrong; that she was the problem. Ryder felt her heart swell again - it really needed to stop doing that - and held her arms out towards her, placing them on her shoulders. She wouldn't run away, her crew were right. She needed to tell Raeka before she ruined any chance they had of at least being friends. "No, no Raeka. It... I... I-kinda-really-like-you-and-it's-hard-talking-to-you-because-it's-silly-to-think-you'd-like-me-too," she rushed, getting it all out in the open and for a second hoping maybe Raeka wouldn't catch all of it. That was a stupid hope of course, Raeka was a Salarian so of course she'd catch all of it. A look of realisation passed over Raeka. "Wait. Ryder, your unusual behaviour is because you like me?" Sara could hardly breathe, and no longer trusted her voice, so simply nodded quickly. She wasn't sure exactly what she'd expected. Maybe for her to lightly turn her down, a 'thanks but I don't like you that way' or maybe for her to get annoyed, though Raeka didn't seem the type. Instead she laughed. But it wasn't a cruel laugh, no, more a relieved one. "Sara⌠that was the problem? Really? You could have said something sooner, Salarian lives aren't exactly the longest." "Wait, what-" Raeka placed a hand on either side of Sara's face, holding her there so that their eyes interlocked. "I like you too, Sara," she murmured, loud enough so that Sara could hear over the noise of operations but soft enough to contain the utmost honesty and truth in her words. Disbelief washed over her at Raeka's words. "R-really? But⌠you're a Salarian!" she exclaimed, incredulous. Sure, Kallo had said it was possible. But he'd also mentioned the possibility was slim. Sara's luck usually didn't last outside the field, outside the mission. This was... strange. Raeka laughed again. A beautiful, joyful laugh that made Sara's stomach feel fluttery. "I've never been a very good Salarian. If I was, I wouldn't be the Salarian pathfinder in the first place." Sara couldn't argue with that fact at all, and in her utter joy, she pulled Raeka down, an arm around her neck and a hand hooked on her armour, to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. It was only quick, nothing over the top. Sara didn't want over the top. She wanted love, support and a woman who was as caring as she was dangerous. She just wanted to be with Raeka. Sara was pretty sure she'd be content just wrapped up in Raekaâs arms forever. "So, will you stop brushing me off now?" Raeka asked, amused, as Sara held onto her; their foreheads pressed together. Raeka's arms had come to rest around Sara's waist. It was comfortable. It was perfect. Sara chuckled, an elated noise. "Maybe. I really do need to speak to Kesh though." Even if she didn't want to, she had important information about Spender she had to go over with her. "Already leaving me for another woman?" Raeka asked her, making Sara laugh a little louder. She kissed her again, planting a soft peck to her cheek this time. Any nerves that had been there before vanished now, chased out by her pure joy. "I'll come by the pathfinder quarters when I'm done, okay? Maybe we can go for a drink and catch up on what's happened since I started pretty much avoiding you." Raeka wrapped her arms around Sara even tighter, strong enough to let Sara know how happy she was too. "You'd better, pathfinder." "Don't worry, I certainly will, Pathfinder," Sara replied, the biggest grin on her face as she reluctantly pulled away and headed towards Kesh's office. Raeka watched her go, she could feel those beautiful eyes on her as she walked away. Sara was overjoyed, even if she was a little embarrassed at how it had all gone down. Though overall, it definitely could have gone worse. She smiled to herself, thinking of that joke everyone had made. 'âPathfindâ a way to her heart'. Well, Sara thought to herself as she shot a quick look back towards where Raeka stood smiling at her, Pathfound.
#pathfinder raeka#zevin raeka#sara ryder#sara x raeka#mass effect andromeda#ryder#ryder x raeka#me:a#me:a fanfiction#My writing#look#i dont claim to be good#i claim to be practicing#and crying#because I really love this ship#asexual romance#anyway ignore me#i just love my salarian gals
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Digital art is on a standstill, as I broke the cord to my cintiq last week and still am waiting on getting that fixed. SO HAVE PENCIL SKETCHES of Ryder pulling the tol girlfriend down for kisses.
I went from having a small crush on Raeka to a rather large one. If only I could write fanfic for this :P Â Â
#Mass Effect#mass effect andromeda#zevin raeka#sara ryder#spoilers#kinda#pathfinder raeka#raeka x ryder#Raeder?#sketchbook
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Is the Sara x Raeka story a one shot or do you plan on doing more?
Technically its a one shot but you can bet that Iâm going to be writing more with them in. In fact I have an almost finished fic of the two of them ready now, and have more planned.
(I just havenât been writing fanfiction this week, been in a slump so Iâve been writing personal stories instead)
I created that tag on AO3 and rest assured I am going to keep it going.
#mass effect andromeda#me:a#zevin raeka#sara x raeka#ryder x raeka#fanfic stuff#replies#HELL YES I'M GOING TO WRITE MORE OF THEM#I LOVE THEM SO MUCH#THEY NEED MORE CONTENT AND I AM GOING TO WRITE IT#sara ryder
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For the kiss art challenge 1. on the forehead Raeka/Sara (because they're amazing and I still love your art for them)
They are amazing and I also love them T^T Thank you for your prompt ;D
#mass effect#mass effect andromeda#zevin raeka#sara ryder#sara x raeka#pathfinder on pathfinder gives me life#art prompt#198cm-of-vetra-nyx
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Matched Pair: Sara/Raeka
This is my Fanfic half of a trade with fellow my Raeder shipper @asketchbookthing sheâs drawn an absolutely amazing piece to go with it so you should check it out !Here!
Word Count: 2030~
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"I told Tann that if he didn't let me have time off then I'd drag his Salarian ass to Kadara the next time I head there,â Sara told Raeka as they strolled through the docking bay of the nexus, hands intertwined together, swaying with the beat of their footsteps. There was a radiant air about Sara today, something Raeka had noticed the second sheâd seen Sara standing by the docks, Sara having come to meet Raeka when sheâd landed.
"And that worked?" Raeka questioned her, a look of disbelief on her face. Tann was pretty strict with his rules, she couldnât see threats getting him to change his mind on vacation times. Then again, Sara could be pretty convincing.
Sara snorted in a loud, echoing noise that made a few people turn their heads. Luckily, it was clear that Sara didnât mind the eyes on her at all. She was used to all the prying eyes now. "Everything works when you're me."
Rolling her eyes, Raeka proceeded to start laughing along. Saraâs laugh just too infectious for her not to do so. "Just don't let that ego burst, hey?"
Sara tugged Raeka a little harder as she sped up, grinning at her as they moved. "Donât worry, I wonât. My ego will remain perfectly okay. But anyway, come on. I have a present for you."
Raeka couldnât help herself from suddenly perking up at that. "Oh?"
"Yeah, come on. It's in my room."
Stopping with an amused look on her face, Raeka asked, "Sara is this just an excuse to get me to go to your room?"
For a second Sara paused, before letting out a groan. "No, well⌠I didn't think about that.â She shook her head, slightly disappointed in herself for not considering how cool that would have been to do. âShit that could have been so smooth. But no, itâs an actual gift. Come on, you'll love it!"
At her pure excitement and enthusiasm in whatever gift sheâd gotten Raeka, Raeka giggled and let Sara pull her through the nexus, passed too-white walls and artificial plants, orange lights of closed doors blurring as they moved. Â Their hands clasped together, Sara barrelled through hallways and, for once, she stopped for no one. Anyone who called out to her was swiftly ignored as she walked like a woman on a mission. "I'm off duty. I'm not a pathfinder today, I'm just a random girl going out with her girlfriend," she muttered to no one in particular as they made their way towards the Nexusâ Pathfinder Quarters.
They passed by Raekaâs room, heading straight for Saraâs. The closer they got, the more excited Sara seemed to grow, jumping like a small puppy or a kid on⌠Christmas? Raeka thought it was Christmas, an event that Sara said she used to celebrate.
When they reached Saraâs room, she swiftly opened the door, pulling Raeka in with a little tug and a large grin on her face as she did so. âCome on! Thisâll be great!â
Raeka was already moving, and could easily move faster than Sara, but decided not to say anything about that and instead she just moved into the room, where Sara quickly grabbed her once again and dragged her over to the wardrobe.
Was it clothes then that Sara had gotten her? Or had she just decided to hide the gift in her wardrobe. âTake off your armour and close your eyes,â Sara commanded, that grin of hers blinding now.
Deciding it was best to listen to her girlfriend, Raeka quickly stripped herself of her outer armour, leaving herself in nothing but her black under armour. Sara quickly shifted Raekaâs armour, being careful with it â well, as careful as Sara could be anyway â as she moved it over to the table.
Once that was moved, she grabbed a scarf. âJust in case you try to peak,â she said, and Raeka realised immediately what Sara meant.
Allowing it, again, she sighed before leaning over so that Sara could wrap the black scarf around her eyes until she couldnât see. In this moment, Sara could have done anything. Raekaâs mind went to all sorts of places with the makeshift blindfold constricting her vision. She really wasnât usually a fan of being unable to see. Such a request from literally anyone else would have resulted in them having a broken nose, but she trusted Sara enough to give her that much control.
Raeka had never trusted anyone as much as she trusted Sara before.
It was after around five minutes of hearing Sara rustling through her Wardrobe that the sounds suddenly drew quieter and Saraâs footsteps could be heard approaching her. âArms forward,â Sara commanded, and Raeka did as she asked, putting her arms in front of her as if she were a Zombie in one of those odd human action vids Sara had shown her once. (Raeka had severely disliked them â though sheâd never say they had âscaredâ her. Still, when a movie like that was on Raeka had found herself hiding behind Sara a few times now with the excuse that Sara looked a little scared. Of course that was a lie â Sara was never scared.)
The feeling of something light could be felt as Sara slipped what Raeka believed must have been a t-shirt of some kind over her thin frame. She felt it slip over her head easily, soft fabric brushing against her skin as it finally fell easily into place, fitting loosely on her body from what little she could sense.
Then she heard Sara back away, hearing the sound of some more fabric hitting the floor before Saraâs hands were on her arm, guiding her to another location. âIâm just putting you in front of a mirror,â she explained as they walked.
âOkayâŚâ
It wasnât long before the two of them stopped and Raeka knew that theyâd headed into the living room, where Sara had a large mirror big enough to examine her clothes with.
While Raeka stood still again, Sara moved away from her, instead moving around so that she was pressed up against Raekaâs back, stretching up, her hands undoing the scarf. âKeep your eyes closed for a second longer,â she ordered as the scarf slipped off from her. As always, Raeka did as Sara asked and kept her eyes as tightly closed as possible.
An arm slunk around her waist and then Sara, her entire demeanour having shifted back to one of excitement, said, âOkay you can open your eyes now!â And so Raeka did and â
Well she wasnât entirely sure what she expected, but it definitely wasnât what was currently adjourning her at all.
The loose fitting, low cut white vest top was decent enough in theory, but the obnoxiously large and colourful image of none other than Blasto was what really made the top. It was something you couldnât ignore, at all, and a shocking thing to wear. It was something she could hardly pull her eyes from, though when she did she noticed that standing next to her, Sara was no longer wearing the hoodie sheâd been dressed in earlier but rather she was dressed in a similar vest. The only difference between the two outfits being the sports bra and vintage headphones she had to partner with it.
âLook! We match!â Sara exclaimed, beaming up at Raeka, arms extended in a pose retained for dramatic reveals. Raeka just continued to examine the top, her hands pulling at it as she looked down. It was a nice, soft material - sheâd give it that. And while sheâd never been too much of a fan of Blasto, she knew that this was Saraâs favourite modern vid series (her second favourite over all, behind Star Wars of course). The Blasto movies were a series that she would watch repeatedly, they were movies she could recite line by line, movies that could almost always cheer her up. Sara was probably the only person who Raeka knew who truly enjoyed the Blasto movies, but that was just one of the things she loved about her.
Though, all of Saraâs love for Blasto couldnât excuse how horrific this vest was. âItâs⌠certainly different. Where did you get this from?â Raeka could hardly pull her eyes away from the vibrant picture of the crime fighting Hanar, but when she did manage to look at Sara, well her eyes were instead drawn to the image on her top instead. She couldnât escape it.
Raeka couldnât walk around the nexus like thisâŚ
âA couple Scavengers on Elaadan had them. They were selling them for cheap,â Sara answered, a proud look on her face at getting what she believed was such a good bargain.
âOh, I wonder whyâŚâ Raeka didnât mean to be so sarcastic about it, but it slipped out anyway. There was just no denying that this vest was a little (a lot) much.
Though as usual, Raeka didnât pick up on it for a moment. âI know! I was so confused that they were so cheap becauseâŚâ then, it hit her what Raeka had said. âOh, wait. Oh⌠Was that sarcasm?â Her eyebrow raised as she moved to face Raeka properly once again.
âWell, they are a little⌠Obnoxious?â Ugly, Raeka thought but didnât say.
That just made Sara pout though, crossing her arms like a stubborn child being told no. âYeah, well itâs better than your armour,â she bit back, her eyes automatically drawn to the offending piece: the orange and blue metal that Raeka usually wore almost all of the time. Sara had voiced her displeasure of Raekaâs armour many times before, so much so that Raeka was far too used to the criticisms by now to be affected by this particular argument.
Raeka wanted to laugh, hell she was half ready to guffaw with amusement over how Sara was acting. She didnât though, because she knew that would just genuinely irritate Sara and while she thought grumpy, defensive and argumentative Sara was cute she knew fully well that an irritated Sara was a monster she really didnât want to happen. Instead, Raeka decided to play along with her. "What are you saying about my armour?"
Sara remained indifferent, looking past Raeka and around her and at the armour and at her vest top, as she argued her case. "Just that you shouldn't wear it 24/7. You need to loosen up a little, Raeka. Step out of that metal and into something more comfortable. Like this top. This top is comfortable."
"I'm most comfortable when I'm protected from most form of direct fire."
As Raeka spoke, Sara rolled her eyes and finally turned back to face Raeka. Raekaâs comment managing to bring Sara back to her previous good mood. "Ok. I get that you like being protected but thereâs no direct fire on the Nexus, Raeka."
"Oh, I donât know⌠I've heard the stories, I know what happened here."
"Yeah, but that was before I got here! I can protect you!â To prove her point, Sara started flexing, muscles rippling under skin, far more obvious in the thin strapped vest than they ever had been before.
Perhaps there was a positive to these vests after all. Sara did look damn good in it, even if the picture of Blasto on the front was horrifyingly distracting. Still, Raeka could see that they made Sara happy, and so ultimately that made her happy too. "Sometimes you're too cocky for your own good, you know that right,â she stated, tapping her hand affectionately on Saraâs head.
"Yup. But you love it."
Raeka couldnât argue that point. "If I didn't then we wouldn't be together, and we canât have that. After all, someone's got to keep you from getting into trouble."
Once again, Sara chuckled before wrapping an arm around Raeka, pulling her down to her level, "Well, I guess we're in each otherâs care then," she murmured to her, bringing her in for a finalising kiss.
As usual, it seemed Sara would be getting her way. But then, if it would result in this outcome every single time then Raeka didnât really mind.
#raeka x sara#raeka x ryder#sara x raeka#sara x ryder#ryder#sara ryder#raeka#zevin raeka#mass effect andromeda#me:a#my writing#fanfiction#me:a fanfiction#art/fic trade
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