And The Citadel Still Turns (Ask to Join)

Character
Name: Anli Endarev
Race: Asari
Age: 204

Date: 2180
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Anli rolled from her simple metal bed in the apartment she was renting. Her day job patrolling the markets for C-Sec ended a few hours ago, and napping before her night job at The Shining Lily wasn't going to happen. She dressed in her work 'attire' and slipped from her apartment, locking the door behind her and heading for the elevator out of the apartment.

Name: Arius Elvonion
Race: Turian
Age: 22

Arius had wanted to work for C-Sec like his father had, but the life of intel work seemed to suit the smooth talker much better than uniforms and standard-issue weaponry. His contact was scheduled to meet him in the Shining Lily. Just another day of tracking black market weapon mods. He wished that they at least saw action once they were confiscated instead of sitting in a C-Sec holding cell, but he wasn't administration, so no one asked him, or cared what he said if they did.

Anli rounded the corner to the entrance to the Lily, holding her over the shoulder bag a bit tighter for these last few feet. There were more than a few scum who wouldn't mind ambushing the night workers like herself on their way to or from their work in the club. She made it without incident, and as usual, scanned the crowd for a hint of the Turian she was supposed to give the mods intel to. She knocked several times on the door frame before heading into the back, leaving her stuff before heading back out and relieving one of the Asari dancers, waiting.

Arius slipped around the corner where he was to meet his contact. Their agreed upon code phrase came back to him through the loud music and sweating dancing bodies, "Do you guys serve fuzzy krogans here?" he asked her, mentally reminding himself to change the phrase next time so he didn't get the image of fuzzy krogans in his head. The name of a drink or not, it was still creepy.

She offered him a token smile as she sensually swung around the pole, not so much dancing as strolling the moment she heard the phrase. "They're not on the menu, but if you wait a while, I can get you one from the back." She offered him a wink, then grabbed onto the pole, spinning around it once, twice, three times before stopping.

Arius nodded, leaning back in his chair and watching the clock, as well as the other patrons. Dancers didn't do anything for him. Besides, this was business not pleasure. Maybe if he had a few more drinks in him, but, he was turian. And that meant strictness.

It took her close to 45 minutes to get relieved, and she used her short free time to dart into the back. She grabbed the small memory stick from her back and rushed back out in a hurry. She slowed her steps as she approached, putting a more flirtatious swing into her hips as she approached him. She gave him a feisty smile as she slid into his lap, pressing the stick into his hand at the same time as she gave him a small lapdance. She moved her mouth to his ear, whispering quickly into it. "I couldn't grab the encryption key, krogan muscles were watching... You okay with sticking around until I'm done?"

Airus smirked, acting the part, "Anything for you, baby." and slid the stick into his sleeve before anyone could notice.

She faked a giggle and gave him a kiss on the cheek before sliding from his lap, turning around and heading to another section of the club, though not before offering him one last token wink. She returned barely an hour later, sliding into the seat next to him and giving a flirty smile. "Anything I can get you to drink, big boy?"

He took a moment, tempted to have one drink. Certainly that couldn't impair him too much, but, if the boss knew he was drinking on the job, they'd have his hide, "Nah, I've had enough. Don't wanna be hungover at work in the morning, right?" he laughed, feigning drunkeness.

Anli once again managed a fake giggle and nodded. The club seemed to be losing most of its beat at this point, but another hour still passed before Anli's shift was over. She went to retrieve her bag, and had almost made it back to the with the key before one of the Krogan from the back room stopped her. She turned and looked up at him, frowning. The krogan, unphased, merely growled. "Graham wants his half of your tips, Anli. You know the rules." Anli turned to leave, huffing. "He said I was good for this week." The Krogan grabbed her. "Well now you're not. Pay up, or else."

Airus stumbled over and slid his hand around her shoulders, muttering incoherently under his breath, "So, I," he hiccupped, "Still get to take you home, eh, baby?" He looked up at the Krogan and gave him an idiodic smile, "Heyyy.... Do I know you from somewhere? I think I saw a fella like you on the C-Sec wanted files. Maybe... drug trafficking?" he shrugged, "Oh shwell.... Prolly a cousin or somfin'."

Anli, who had just been about to burn the krogan with her biotics, gave him an easy smile. "Sure baby..." The krogan instantly began to back away from the pair, grumbling under his breath about 'letting her off this time'. Anli guided her seemingly drunk 'date' out of the Lily before leaving him to walk on his own. "Thanks for that..."

He stood with the Classic Turian military ridgidity, confident they were no longer being followed, "C-Sec special ops tries to make sure our informants are protected. Don't worry ma'am, you won't be put in any danger for having assisted us with intel."

Anli dug through her bag before pulling out a small chip that looked like it would slide right onto the memory stick she'd given him earlier. "The encryption key, as promised. Pleasure doing business, though maybe next time we choose a better phrase than 'furry krogan'. Just the though makes me a little sick to my stomach. Plus the drink itself is shit anyways."

Airus nodded with a wince, "I thought of that myself once I said it. I guess that's why you don't see many Turian authors..." he sighed, taking the encryption key, and handing her a small, thin card, "And your credits. As promised."

Anli took the credit chip, sliding that down between her breasts. "Thank you for your patronage." She said with a small, almost devious smile. "Just try not to tell anyone about my night job. I'd prefer not to be the joke of C-Sec for the next week or so."

He shrugged, "Legally," he chuckled with a coy sort of smirk, a raise of one side of his mandibles, "I can't."

She chuckled, giving a mocking sort of curtsy once they reached the end of the corridor. "My place is this way. Don't know where you're headed. Been a fun night. And remember, if I find out you told anyone, I know who to look for." She said, though the threat was more or less negated by the playful wink that followed.

Arius nodded, "The name is Arius, by the way. I don't need to get yours, but if you get into trouble, at least you'll have mine."

She nodded, shooting him a smile and a wink. "Catch you around, Arius." With that she turned to leave, only for the floor to lightly shake and the sound of a far off explosion to sound from the way she had her back turned towards. She twirled instantly, looking to Arius, then past him. She broke into a sprint, running past him and closer to the source of the sound.

Airus jumped, listening for the noise, then sighed a groan and rolled his eyes, keeping one hand on his firearm at his hip as he ran alongside her.

The arrived in a square further down into the ward. Already C-Sec crews were working to contain the fires emanating from the remain of large statue, a memorial of the end of the First Contact War. Debris was scattered all along the various walkways, some having even crashed through closed store fronts. Anli rubbed her head, surveying the close to two dozen body bags off to one side. "By the Goddess..."

Arius ran over to the other C-Sec officers, "What happened here?!" He shouted, barking it like an order.

The officer, young and clearly inexperienced, stiffened at the order, saluting Arius. "S-Sir, we got a tip that some shady characters, humans all of them, w-were prowling the square. One was setting something up on the statue. W-When we moved to apprehend them, he... detonated some sort of IED." Anli followed Arius, listening to the report, some feet behind him.